Enhancing Safety, Efficiency & Longevity
Nuclear power plants anchor the U.S. grid with reliable, carbon-free electricity. Many facilities were built decades ago, so targeted infrastructure upgrades are essential to sustain safety, improve performance, and meet evolving regulatory expectations. In Arizona—where energy demand and climate resilience are paramount—Bunney’s Inc. delivers engineered upgrades that protect people, assets, and uptime.
New to Bunney’s? Learn who we are and explore our capabilities.
Why Upgrade Nuclear Infrastructure?
Nuclear infrastructure spans cooling systems, containment and shielding structures, piping and valves, control rooms, and supporting facilities. Over time, materials age, technology advances, and standards tighten. Well-planned upgrades help you:
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Reinforce safety systems and support license extensions
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Modernize digital controls and plant monitoring
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Replace aging valves, pumps, heat exchangers and critical piping
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Boost thermal efficiency and heat-rate performance
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Strengthen resilience to seismic, weather, and cyber threats
Most work is scheduled during planned outages with strict quality programs and oversight.
Common Upgrade Scopes
Concrete & Structural Rehabilitation
Address containment, intake structures, cooling tower basins/aprons, and equipment vaults with hydrodemolition, section replacement, rebar remediation, and protective coatings/linings—delivered under documented QA/QC.
Valve, Piping & Balance-of-Plant (BOP)
Upgrade safety-related and non-safety piping, specialty valves, and supports to current specifications. Includes materials selection (stainless/low-alloy), controlled bolting, NDE, and pressure testing to restore capacity and reliability.
Cooling Towers & Heat Rejection
Improve heat rate and environmental performance via tower retrofit, drift reduction, fill/FRP upgrades, pump optimization, and corrosion-resistant piping for circulating and service water.
Digital I&C, Cyber & Controls
Transition from analog to digital where appropriate. Deploy sensors, historian upgrades, and predictive monitoring for real-time diagnostics and alarm rationalization—aligned with security policies.
Secondary & Site Infrastructure
Enhance support buildings, drainage, access, and barriers to improve outage flow, emergency readiness, and long-term operability.
Standards, Compliance & Documentation
Our upgrade projects align with owner specs and applicable guidance, including:
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NRC oversight and plant procedures
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ASME (e.g., B31.1/B31.3 for piping), ACI (e.g., 349 for nuclear safety-related concrete), ASTM test methods
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OSHA and site safety protocols
We provide traceable QA/QC, inspection records, NDE results, pressure test logs, and as-builts for audits and license-basis documentation.
Our Nuclear Upgrade Delivery Model
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Scope & Engineering Coordination – Design reviews, constructability, and outage planning
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Material & Vendor Qualification – Traceability, mockups, and procedure qualifications
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Field Execution – Access control, hold points, and disciplined installation
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Inspection & Testing – VT/UT/PT/MT/RT as required; hydro/pneumatic testing
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Turnover & Records – Engineer-of-record approvals, as-builts, and QA packages
Why Bunney’s Inc.
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Proven nuclear and heavy-industrial experience in Arizona and the Southwest
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Cooling tower, concrete, and BOP expertise under rigorous QA programs
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Outage-ready mobilization and schedule discipline
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Safety-first culture with site-specific training and procedures
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Complete documentation to support audits and license extensions
Related Services:
FAQs
What upgrades deliver the fastest performance gains?
Cooling system improvements (tower retrofits, pump/heat-exchanger optimization) typically show quick heat-rate benefits with measurable ROI.
Can structural and piping upgrades happen outside an outage?
Some scopes can proceed under controlled conditions; safety-related work usually aligns with planned outages and defined hold points.
How do you manage documentation for NRC or owner audits?
We maintain traceable QA/QC: procedures, welder quals, material certs, NDE reports, test logs, and as-builts—compiled in a complete turnover package.
Do you work on both safety-related and non-safety systems?
Yes. We classify scope early and apply the appropriate standards, controls, and documentation for each system.
Do you support long-term upgrade roadmaps?
Absolutely—multi-year plans with prioritized scopes, budget phasing, and outage sequencing to minimize impact on production.
