Holtec International has removed a fuel assembly that tilted inside the Palisades reactor vessel in Michigan, clearing the way to resume fuel loading at the plant it is restarting. World Nuclear News reported the completed retrieval on October 26.

Palisades is a single-unit pressurized water reactor that was removed from service in 2022. Holtec began loading fuel in late August. On September 21 the company announced that loading was on hold after an assembly tilted from its upright position once it had been placed and the fuel-handling machine grapple had been disengaged.

Holtec designed and built a purpose-made Fuel Movement Device for the recovery. The company says the machine was conceived, engineered, manufactured and delivered in two weeks. The device lifted the assembly from its position in the reactor vessel and set it into a custom-engineered fuel transfer canister. The canister lid was secured inside the reactor cavity, and the canister then moved to the plant's used fuel pool, where the recovered assembly is now stored.

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission had to approve the recovery method. After a review to confirm the work could be done safely and in compliance with its requirements, the agency issued a one-time emergency revision to the plant's licensing basis so Holtec could use the device.

Holtec described the job as a fuel-handling challenge that conventional refueling equipment could not address. Fadi Diya, the company's Chief Nuclear Officer, said the team developed a solution and carried out the work safely and without error.

With the recovery finished, Palisades crews return to the remaining steps before the plant rejoins the grid. Those steps include completing fuel loading, required testing, inspections and operational readiness activities. Holtec has not announced a restart date in the report.

Source: World Nuclear News - https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/articles/tilted-fuel-assembly-retrieved-from-palisades-plant