Today in Russia there are 10 nuclear power plants operating, with a total number of 33 power units: 17 VVER reactors (11 of them are VVER-1000 and 6 -VVER-440 units of different modifications); 15 power units with channel-type reactors (11 power units with RBMK-1000-type reactors, 4 units with EGP-6 –type); 1 power unit with a BN-600 sodium-cooled fast reactor. The nuclear plants’ part of the electricity produced is about 17%.
It is quite possible that the next year Russian NPPs will have their results even higher, since ROSATOM is planning the introduction of new units. Thus, before the end of the next year, the Rostov NPP’s unit 3 start-up is planned to be done; in December it was brought to a minimum controllable power level.
Connected to the grid
The power unit №3 of the Rostov NPP was included into the unified energy system (UES) of Russia on December 27. The electricity, produced by the turbo-generator of the power unit, began to flow into the UES of the country at 00 hours 24 minutes Moscow time. Thus, the first part of the program “start-up and development of energy capacity” was successfully implemented.
At this stage of the process the program of work includes: testing and development of power modes; check in the amount of security systems to ensure the safety of the reactor at the rated output power level, including practicing out safe and dynamic stability of passage transients at all stages of capacity development.
The next stage is the beginning of the development of capacity from 35 to 50%. It is estimated for the power unit №3 to be adopted into the commercial operation in July 2015 after the development of the nominal power (100%) and proceeding the acceptance tests.
Implementation of the program start-up and commissioning of the third power unit of the Rostov nuclear power plant began on Nov. 14, 2014. When the first fuel assembly (FA) was installed into the reactor, it gave the start of the physical launch of the reactor (in full all 163 assembly were loaded on November 19). The reactor plant of the power unit was brought to minimum controlled power level (MCP) on December 7.
Power units №1 and №2 of the Rostov NPP are currently carrying the load in accordance with the dispatch schedule.
Rostov-4 dome portion
The work at Rostov’s NPP unit 4, which is to be started in 2017, is going full pace. In December they mounted the cornice part of the dome’s containment area of the unit.
The cornice is the part where the containment pre-tensioner system will go through; it provides additional containment resistance in case of any accident, involving main circulation circuit decompaction and protects the power unit and reactor system from any external action, including plane crash.
“We are also currently conducting erection of interior walls at the elevation of 36.6 and overpassing it, so we can pass to the reactor building dome installation. The 185 tons dome was assembled at a pre-assembly site and now is going through the client’s service quality control. The 36 elevation mounting and dome installation are the main tasks for the nearest future”, – Alexander Masalykin, the Trest Rosspetsenergomontage Mounting Organization Chief Engineer, told us.
Meanwhile, the polar crane is being mounted for closing the dome containment; the crane bridge with crane rail has already been assembled.
Waiting for water pouring
The first power unit of the Novovoronezh NPP-2 is planned to be launched next year, in December there was a command group meeting. One of the immediate goals is to open a so-called A-1 stage of the pre-commission work program – “system and equipment trial and testing”. An emphasis here was made on preparing technological systems of reactor department to the “first open reactor water pouring” operation, planned for March 2015.
There also was operational mode introduced at the fresh fuel storage facility (FFSF) at the Novovoronezh NPP. The FFSF is among the NPP’s major objects and is meant for operations, connected with receiving new fuel at the plant, its storage, control and preparation of fuel assemblies and their loading into reactor. Introduction of operational mode at the FFSF, when systems and equipment work in accordance with the project, is a necessary condition for obtaining regulatory bodies’ permission for nuclear fuel delivery. Today all fuel assemblies imitators have been fully delivered to the FFSF, to be used while conducting precommissioning works of the reactor system.
Grid innovations
FGC UES connected a 500 kW “Iset” sub-station in Sverdlovsk region, meant for providing capacity of the Beloyarsk NPP new power unit with its 800MW fast breeder reactor. The introduction of the NPP new unit is expected to decrease energy deficiency in Sverdlovsk and Chelyabinsk regions along with increasing energy supply in the Urals on the whole. The energy start-up of the Beloyarsk NPP unit 4 with BN-800 fast breeder reactor is expected shortly.
BN-800 is not the first fast reactor to be connected to Russian grid, however it boasts several innovations. Thus, active system of reactor’s automatic protection is now supplied with hydraulic absorber rod-based passive system, “floating” in the stream of sodium; while, in case the pressure of liquid metal coolant reduces due to stop of pumps, the rods will go down to the active zone with the help of gravity and stop the nuclear reaction.
Among other developments there is natural draft reactor cooling which doesn’t depend on pumps, that’s why the power unit has three additional air-vent stacks besides the usual one.
Ahead of schedule
At the Leningrad NPP-2 site, which is about to be launched next year, there are currently welding works of the main circulation line, joining reactor system equipment, going on ahead of schedule. The key event of the year was installing the next-to last reinforcing overcoat block of the inner containment to its proper location. The works of interior constructions are under way. Until the end of the year they are planning to finish foundation works and set the travelling crane to work. Currently there are more than 4000 people working at the Leningrad NPP-2 site, this amount is planned to be expanded by 2000 people shortly.
