KEPCO Nuclear Fuel (KNF) has awarded a contract to Harper International, which will supply a sixth Pusher furnace to support KEPCO’s nuclear fuel manufacturing operations, Harper said late last week.
“Harper’s global leadership in nuclear fuel production system technology continues to be validated by clients who place their trust in our staff to conceive and implement the world’s most advanced, efficient and reliable sintering thermal processing systems,” Tom O’Connor, sales manager at Harper International, said. “Further, Harper is pleased to partner with KNF on this project, which will play a role in providing reliable energy without greenhouse gas emissions.”
Harper said this new furnace features higher temperature limits and new cooling techniques that are expected to extend the unit’s operational life cycle. This unit also has benefitted from technological advancements that facilitate decreased ambient heat emissions and more energy efficiency overall. Harper, based in Buffalo, New York, previously supplied five furnaces to KEPCO approximately 19 years ago.
KEPCO, a subsidiary of Korea Electric Power Corp., is focused on the development of nuclear fuel, components and other services in relation to the nuclear generation industry in South Korea and on an international scale. The furnace would support the manufacturing of heavy-water reactor fuel.
