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In a nuclear power plant, a faulty valve can cause shutdowns that are detrimental both in terms of safety and costs.
Actually, nuclear valves and pipings are submitted to conditions which can drastically alterate their integrity : high pressure, heavy fluids, corrosion, ... When a defect is detected—especially outside of planned outages—time becomes a major factor.

Let’s take a real case : a defect on a 12” ARE valve detected during operation at a 900MW nuclear plant.

• 10 to 15 days minimum for repair
• Heavy procedures (cutting and removing the valve, delivery of the new one, welding, non destructive control, fire permits, administrative burden, etc.)
• Several specialties are needed to perform a successful reparation
• Total cost: over €250,000

Average cost due to an unplanned production shutdown : Up to €2.5 million / day
And that’s excluding the often lengthy supply delays — sometimes up to two years depending on the valve type or application.

• 1 to 2 days for machining
• Job done by 1 or 2 operator(s)
• Administrative requirements limited to the Working File (DRT – Work Execution Dossier)
• Total intervention cost: under €30,000
• SERCO machine cost: under €80,000

In an industry where each day of unexpected downtime leads to substantial financial losses, on-site machining stands out as a strategic and efficient response.
With SERCO equipment, intervene quickly, accurately and safely, while keeping operational impact to an absolute minimum.

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