Product Description

Combustion Engineering, Inc. (CE) was one of the three major U.S. pressurized water reactor nuclear steam supply system vendors during the initial commercial nuclear build-out. CE-designed PWR plants used a reactor shield thermal insulation system in the annular cavity between the primary biological shield (heavy concrete or steel-and-concrete shielding) and the outer reactor vessel wall, reducing heat loss into the shield concrete and limiting shield-concrete temperature.

Plaintiffs alleged in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation that CE reactor shield insulation systems included:

  • Asbestos-fabric blanket insulation wrapped around the reactor vessel cylindrical shell within the primary shield annulus
  • Asbestos millboard cut and fitted to the primary shield cavity liner
  • Asbestos-cloth-faced insulation panels installed at the vessel-support ledge and around vessel nozzle penetrations
  • Asbestos-rope packing at the annulus top and bottom seal plates
  • Asbestos-cement (mud) fill at irregular geometry surrounding CRDM housings and instrument nozzles

These insulation systems were disturbed at 10-year in-service inspection (ISI) outages, at nozzle-safe-end weld repairs, and during any vessel-external maintenance requiring access to the primary shield annulus. Insulation removal and reinstallation exposed insulator crews and adjacent trades to asbestos-fiber release inside the confined shield annulus.

Combustion Engineering has been named as a Manufacturer Defendant in publicly filed U.S. asbestos personal-injury and wrongful-death litigation.

Workers Exposed

  • Nuclear insulators (HFIAW) installing, removing, and reinstalling asbestos-fabric blanket and millboard in the shield annulus
  • Millwrights entering the shield annulus for vessel-external mechanical work
  • Nuclear pipefitters (UA) removing insulation to access vessel nozzles for ISI weld inspection and repair
  • ISI inspection support crews stripping insulation from vessel nozzle safe-end welds
  • Bystander trades working in containment during shield-annulus insulation rip-out

Confined-space asbestos rip-out inside the primary shield annulus was among the fiber-release activities alleged in publicly filed litigation — the small annular volume and limited ventilation concentrated respirable fibers during insulation removal.