Today Russia is the only country in the world which has nuclear fleet and all needed for atomic ship-building. The demand in new vessels grows constantly: a large hydrocarbon reservoir was found on the Arctic Shelf, the development is planned. Under these conditions the extraction of commercial minerals in the areas that are rich but covered with ice become commercially prospective. An important strategic task is sustainment of inhabited localities, mining enterprises, sea and airports, military installations in Siberian and Far Eastern coastal areas.
In order to fulfill those tasks a universal icebreaker with a reactor installation of the next generation – RITM-200 – will be built in Russia. The vessel was designed at OKBM Afrikantov (Experimental Design Bureau of Machine Building), a part of Atomenergomash (AEM) – machine-building division of Rosatom), the former known to be soon performing not only the functions of a designer but as an equipment supplier for the new icebreaker. The tender for the reactor and other package units of RITM-200 was won by another AEM enterprise – ZiO-Podolsk Machine-Building Plant.
Demanding Challenge
ZiO-Podolsk is one of the major Russian sites for the production of package units. The plant was certified by Russian Maritime Register of shipping. For the reactor there will be used the pattern of Energomashspetsstal (Ukranian enterprise of AEM), which went through production modernization in 2012.
“The struggle for the contract was pretty tough, however we managed to offer not only a competitive price, but also prove that we do have the most rich and long-term experience in producing equipment for atomic energy plants, including ship-based ones, – said Igor Kotov, ZiO-Podolsk General Director. – the task we have is very demanding, but I’m sure we’ll be able to handle it and make our contribution into the realization of such an important and ambitious project as next generation nuclear ship creation.” The power of RITM-200 is different from the previous models, first of all, in terms of its margin of strength (40 years) and capacity. It consists of two atomic reactors with the heating power of 175 MW each, which surpasses the corresponding figures of reactor installations used for modern atomic icebreakers (140-150 MW).
Those two plants can produce enough energy to illuminate and heat a whole city with the population of 300,000 people. Another important advantage of RITM-200 is safety. The reactor is located inside a containment made of steel, water and concrete, at the same time being two times lighter and more compact, which opens new horizons for its use for other types of vessels – gigantic lash barge carriers, for instance. This is possible due to steam-generators that earlier were outside the reactor and now are inside (integral packaging).
“The reactor’s integral packaging, reduced power density of active section along with other design solutions significantly increase its safety, efficiency and cost effectiveness. Besides the installation is highly updatable, it determines prospects of ship-based atomic energetics for the decades to come” , says Dmitry Zverev, the Director – OKBM’s General Constructor. The cost of the reactor installation production – RUB 1.3 billion. It is supposed to be supplied to client in 2016.
Icebreaker Ventilation Fan
The Venta Plant, another Atomenergomash enterprise (a major producer of ventilation and heating equipment for atomic industry) sent to production a batch of ventilation fans for LK-60YA universal dual draft atomic icebreakers of next generation. Special screw-type ventilators ВО-13-280-6,3 are designed for reactor containment heat removal. They have to meet the demands of the fourth class of safety, function efficiently in the conditions of long-lasting heel, rolling and pitching motions. The first batch of this ventilator type was issued in 2010 for the “Academician Lomonosov”, floating nuclear co-generation plant.
The construction of the first atomic icebreaker of next generation LK-60YA will be started at the Baltiysky Zavod Shipyard in the middle of 2013. The icebreaker is to provide all-year-round pilotage of tanker ships, bulk-carriers and other transport vessels to the natural resources mining sites in the Arctic Shelf. The 34 m beam is chosen taking into consideration its possible operation as a liner icebreaker in the Western sector of the Arctic ocean and superbulkers’ pilotage.
One of the important advantages of the universal icebreaker of next generation is its capability to operate both in the open ocean and in Siberian rivers’ estuaries. Filling the flooding tank with water and downing for 2 meters this vessel becomes a heavy icebreaker. Approaching river’s estuary and draining ballast water, the ship goes up and can be used as shallow-draft icebreaker.
