In October, Public Joint-Stock Company Mashinostroitelny Zavod (MSZ, a subsidiary of Rosatom’s TVEL Fuel Company) based in Elektrostal near Moscow successfully completed acceptance tests of fuel assembly components to be used in the BN-800 fast neutron reactor at Beloyarsk Unit 4. These components are wrapper tubes, which serve as fuel assembly structural parts, and bottom nozzles. “The commission confirmed the possibility of using MSZ products in mixed nitride fuel assemblies designed for fast neutron reactors. MSZ is thus given a green light to start commercial production of these components,” noted Mikhail Egorov, Lead Engineer at MSZ Production Planning Department.
Since the BN-800 sodium-cooled breeder is meant for refining the MOX-based fast-breeder technology, experts believe that the expertise gained by MSZ is of extreme importance for the Russian and global nuclear power industry.
The fuel components will be sent to Rosatom’s Mining and Chemical Plant (MCP) in Krasnoyarsk Krai for the final assembly. MCP is a manufacturer of MOX fuel for the BN-800 reactor. The use of MOX fuel turns uranium-238 into an energy carrier and paves the way towards waste-free technology in the nuclear power industry. Fast neutron reactors operating on mixed nitride fuel make it possible to re-use nuclear materials multiple times and reduce nuclear materials in circulation hundredfold. This fuel also makes a substantial contribution to safety improvement by cutting down civil plutonium reserves.
The MOX fuel project involves over 20 industry companies, including subsidiaries of TVEL Fuel Company. The MOX production process is based on the pilot technology devised by VNIINM, which played the main role in designing MOX fuel pellets and assemblies and developing the MOX manufacturing process.
According to experts, Russia is a global leader in fast reactor technologies. Its BN-800 based Beloyarsk Unit 4 was put in commercial operation in 2016. The BN-800 reactor is a prototype of BN-1200, a more powerful fast neutron reactor. The decision to construct a BN-1200 reactor unit will depend on BN-800’s operation experience.
