The construction of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant is in full swing across all four units. At Unit 1, pre-commissioning operations preceding the first criticality are underway. At Unit 2, workers put an overhead crane into operation and installed a pressurizer. Additionally, a desalination facility became operational on the site.
In mid-March, engines of all four primary coolant pumps were idled at Akkuyu Unit 1, an important phase of the pre-commissioning operations preceding the first criticality. During the idling tests, engineers inspected the lubrication and bearing cooling systems, as well as the monitoring, control and diagnostics systems. Making the pumps ready for operation is a prerequisite for the beginning of circulation flushing and hydraulic pressure tests, during which the primary circuit will be filled with desalinated water to check the tightness and robustness of all its parts.
The reactor’s primary circuit includes four main circulation pumps, one for each loop of the primary coolant pipeline. These pumps will ensure the circulation of coolant through the reactor’s core.
The main overhead crane with a lifting capacity of 350 tonnes was commissioned at the turbine hall of Unit 2. The crane is nearly 57 meters long and has a lifting height of 43 meters. “The service life of the turbine hall’s overhead crane is designed to last the entire lifecycle of the power unit. We will use it to install a turbine generator and other heavy equipment into their designated positions,” said Sergey Butskikh, CEO of Akkuyu Nuclear JSC. Each turbine hall of the Akkuyu NPP has three cranes installed at different levels: one main crane at the upper level and two wide-span cranes at the lower level.
Additionally, workers installed a pressurizer at Unit 2. It is a thick-walled welded vessel weighing 187.4 tonnes and having a volume of 79 cubic meters. The pressurizer is designed to create and maintain pressure in the primary coolant circuit. The pressure compensation system also includes a suppression pool, pilot-operated safety valves, and pipes. The pressurizer was installed using a self-propelled crawler crane via the ‘open top’ method: equipment is delivered to the installation area through the open top of the building. The installation operation lasted approximately 12 hours.
In late March, a seawater desalination facility was put into operation on the plant site. Desalinated water will be used for utility needs and fire safety systems.
The facility consists of two modules, each with a daily capacity of 1,000 cubic meters. Seawater is first evaporated in the specialized evaporators and then condensed to produce high-purity distillate, which is then processed into ultrapure chemically demineralized water. It may also be possible to produce high-quality potable water in the future.
“The launch of the desalination facility is an important event for ensuring uninterrupted water supply, and thus for the reliable operation of the entire nuclear power plant. This is also one of the advantages of nuclear energy: after the plant starts operating, it will provide itself with pure water using the electricity it generates. The desalination process is fully eco-friendly. The water returned to the sea after being used will comply with the Turkish and international standards for both temperature and chemical composition,” emphasized Sergey Butskikh.
To ensure that Akkuyu operates reliably and for a long time, Russian nuclear engineers are developing advanced solutions for the nuclear plant. Specialists from Rosatom Automated Control Systems (RASU) successfully integrated the Turbine Control and Protection System (TCPS) and the Upper-Level Block System (ULBS) for Turkey’s Akkuyu NPP. A European-manufactured turbine to be installed at Akkuyu uses the international OPC protocol for data exchange (the Russian upper-level system uses the DTS protocol). RASU engineers developed a ‘translator’. This is a dedicated hardware and software system that converts signals collected from the turbine sensors and detectors into the DTS standard and transmits them to the operating personnel.
Akkuyu Nuclear is actively involved in the life of local host communities. During the holy month of Ramadan, ahead of the Eid al-Fitr celebration, the company traditionally donated food packages to local residents via local authorities. Assistance was provided to 1,200 families in the Gülnar and Silifke districts of the Mersin Province.
“It is very important to us that the local residents, as well as government and municipal bodies, feel our support during such an important holiday,” Sergey Butskikh commented on the charitable initiative.
Photo by: Akkuyu Nuclear JSC
