ROSATOM’s machine engineering works ZiO-Podolsk (the leading foreign trade engineering company of the publicly owned corporation), Atomstroyexport (the prime construction contractor of the plant in China), and the Jiangsu Nuclear Power Corporation (JNPC, China) signed a contract for manufacture of steam generators for the third and fourth reactors of Tianwan Phase II as far back as February.
Before signing the contract, ZiO-Podolsk capability to fulfill the order was checked. The Chinese specialists visited the works to inspect its quality assurance and availability of all necessary process and engineering documentation, skills and qualifications of the staff, as well as the level its welding processes were qualified. They also made a tour of the works’ laboratories and inspected their accreditation documents. The customer representatives had a look at the production shops where they scrutinized the sufficiency of the equipment, production standards, housekeeping and testing capabilities against the design documentation requirements.
The Chinese team visited the welding and assembling shop, which manufactures steam generators (SGs). They had a look at the coil fabrication section, SG final assembling section and welding store. During the inspection, the JNPC specialists focused on improvements of the procurement department’s activities as regards the assessment and selection of vendors of structural materials.
After the inspection the experts produced a positive record indicating that ZiO-Podolsk was ready to start manufacturing of four steam generators for Tianwan Phase II.
The steam generator is designed to remove heat from the primary coolant and generate dry saturated steam, which is utilized in the turbine generator to produce electricity. A reactor installation includes four steam generators.
The items made for Tianwan Phase II weight 308 tons each. It is a challenge for the vendor to deliver over-sized items. A combined route is plotted for each item. The steam generators will go to China first by rail to arrive at St. Petersburg. Then, they will be put on board of a ship and will travel via waterways.
Upon ROSATOM’s order Incotec Cargo made especially designed first set of transportation cradles. They ensure safe storage of the steam generators in the St. Petersburg Seaport, as well as installation, anchoring and transportation on board of a ship (with the account taken of inertia forces arising during ship motions) and their storage on the NPP construction site in China. Incotec Cargo undertook to ship the items to China by December this year.
ROSATOM has a great experience in delivering oversize items to nuclear build sites. For instance, this summer four steam generators for Leningrad II were shipped from ZiO-Podolsk site employing three modes of transport. The equipment was delivered to the city of Serpukhov in Moscow Region by rail and then sent further by road. The steam generators were delivered by waterways to Sosnovy Bor where Leningrad II is being built, and then to the destination by road again. What is interesting is that this cargo was shipped right through the heart of Russia’s capital.
Reactors and Papers
In October 2009 ROSATOM and the Chinese National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) signed a protocol where they confirmed their wish and intend to continue the cooperation in construction of Tianwan NPP Phase II, i.e. its 3rd and 4th reactors. They will be built to Tianwan I project and technology: two power units of the Russian design with VVER-1000 reactors.
In September, the Izhorskiye Zavody (state-of-the-art machine engineering works, which designs and manufactures equipment for nuclear facilities, high-energy physics research, as well as heavy industry and petrochemical machine-building) has started trial assembling of the first VVER-1000 reactor pressure vessel intended for Tianwan II. The trial assembling operation where the reactor pressure vessel, its internals and upper block head are put together is one of the final stages before the item is shipped to the customer. Operation results are to be judged upon by an ad hoc commission.
Also this month, the Russian specialists have sent 80 sets of working documents on the essential nuclear island systems of Tianwan NPP to China. In particular, the working documents on the reactor vault structures up to elevation +33.9 meters have been sent. The customer has received drawings of the reactor building, which deal with the annulus, and installation and assembling drawings of service drains, fire-extinguishing systems, storm sewage collection and draining system, and installation drawings for the lifting equipment in the safety systems building.
The Chinese party also was sent working documents on the control building, steam chamber, auxiliary building, back-up diesel generator station of the plant, nuclear services building (as relates to floors, walls and reinforced concrete staircases). All documents successfully passed the technical acceptance procedure. According to the plan, Tianwan II is to be started up in 2018.
