Rosatom is actively involved in the construction of new nuclear units in China, but cooperation between Russian and Chinese nuclear engineers is not limited to this field alone. For instance, Chinese specialists have recently studied the Russian experience in nuclear decommissioning and radioactive waste management.

Operating personnel of Tianwan Units 7 and 8 started a simulator-­based training course. The simulator is an accurate imitation of the main and backup control rooms of Unit 7, which is equipped with a Russian-­designed VVER 1200 reactor.

The simulator was developed at the JET Engineering and Technical Center (part of Rosatom) and subsequently manufactured at a factory of China Techenergy Corp (CTEC). After the software was loaded onto the equipment and tested, the simulator was delivered to the nuclear station’s training center, assembled, test-run and put into operation.

The system was commissioned six months ahead of the contract deadline due to the concurrent development of the two components, a mathematical model simulating all power unit operation modes and software for the instrumentation and control (I&C) systems.
The Tianwan operators will now be trained in the closest-to-real conditions. They will use the simulator to practice the actions to be taken during normal operation of the plant, responses to accidents, and interaction between shift employees. The simulator also serves to check the correctness of instructions, to conduct certifications, etc. The training course is taught by instructors from China’s Jiangsu Nuclear Power Corporation (JNPC), an operator of the Tianwan NPP.

Steam generators

On October 15, three steam generators were shipped from Volgodonsk, Russia to Xudabao Unit 4 in China. Weighing a total of 1,000 tonnes, the steam generators will travel by river, sea and road to reach their point of destination. This is the second shipment of critical equipment for this power unit. The first one, which comprised a VVER 1200 reactor pressure vessel and the first steam generator, was shipped in mid-­August this year. There will be more to come as Rosatom’s mechanical engineering companies in Petrozavodsk and Saint Petersburg are manufacturing a pressurizer, primary coolant pipes, and a primary coolant pump for the Xudabao Nuclear Power Plant. The process is fully on schedule, so the equipment will be shipped to the construction site in accordance with the contract terms.

“The companies of Rosatom’s mechanical engineering division are working at pace to manufacture equipment for the nuclear power plants the nuclear corporation is building abroad. Hardly a month goes by without our production sites in Volgodonsk, Saint Petersburg and Petrozavodsk shipping nuclear and turbine island components for the nuclear stations under construction. Regular shipments are owed to the well-coordinated work of nuclear engineers and once again confirm the outstanding quality of Russian nuclear technologies,” said Igor Kotov, head of the mechanical engineering division.

As our readers know, four power units with VVER 1200 reactors are under construction in China, two at each of the Tianwan and Xudabao nuclear power plants. The service life of Russian-­designed nuclear power units is 60 years and can be extended up to 80 years.

Graphite waste

In late October, representatives of the CNNC Environmental Protection Company (CEPC) arrived in Seversk, Russia to visit the Experimental Decommissioning Center for Uranium-­Graphite Reactors (EDC UGR, part of Rosatom). The purpose of the visit was to study the experience of decommissioning graphite-­moderated reactors and managing radioactive graphite waste. The Chinese environmentalists saw the results of applying one of the decommissioning methods, the so-called ‘in-situ disposal’, and learned how Rosatom conducts comprehensive engineering and radiation surveys of the graphite pile. Russian experts demonstrated approaches and techniques for dismantling the graphite pile and the results of radiation studies on irradiated graphite, for which special software programs and analytical tools were used.

Also during the visit, the parties shared their experience in the design, construction and procurement of radioactive waste treatment systems and discussed further cooperation.

“We maintain a broad dialog with our Chinese partners across many areas of the nuclear fuel back-end management. Cooperation between our countries in this field sets long-term trends for the global nuclear power industry and promotes the adoption of best practices and solutions,” said Eduard Nikitin, Director for Nuclear Decommissioning and Radioactive Waste Management at TVEL.

“We have extensive experience in studying mechanical, radioactive and thermodynamic properties of irradiated graphite, planning safe management of graphite waste, and developing solutions for dismantling graphite piles. We are open to cooperation and are confident that our solutions will be in demand in the international market,” said Sergey Markov, CEO at EDC UGR.