4. Conclusion

The condenser tubes are at the heart of its performance:

• the loss of their integrity leads to the introduction of impurities into the plant's secondary circuit, which can be detrimental to the proper operation of steam generators;

• heat exchange (condensation of steam from the turbine's low-pressure casings by contact with the tubes cooled by the cooling water) determines the efficiency of the water-steam cycle, and therefore ultimately the number of megawatts produced by the plant.

The main diseases that can affect tube integrity are now relatively well known and under control:

• brass tubes have gradually been replaced by grades that are more resistant to abrasion caused by the passage of cooling water;

• ...