Parts prepared for Novovoronezh II
14 August 2013
The reactor vessel for the second new reactor at Novovoronezh Phase II has gone through pressure testing, one of the final stages of its manufacture.
Made by OMZ subsidiary Izhorskiye Zavody, the pressure vessel was placed on a test stand and subjected to internal pressure of 24 MPa to prove the durability of the metal as well as its welds. Having successfully completed this test, the next step for OMZ is the assembly of the reactor internals and the completion of the vessel head.
Delivered together to the construction site in south-eastern Russia, these parts will be installed towards the end of this year. OMZ is making all the major components for the two new reactors at Novovoronezh II. In total the primary circuit gear for each amounts to 3500 tonnes.
Another manufacturing event took place today at the facilities of AtomEnergoMash's AEM Technology, which is responsible for making the containment gateways for the new reactors. These are large horizontal cylindrical chambers that span the airtight containment of the reactor building and can be opened like an airlock to allow the passage of large components for construction, maintenance and eventual decommissioning.
Today, AEM assembled the hatch for the first unit of Novovoronezh II, testing its mechanism, valves, control system and leak lock chamber. This 280 tonne component is 14 metres long with a diameter of 9 metres.
Novovoronezh II is the lead project for the deployment of the AES-2006 design incorporating a Gidropress-designed pressurized water reactor, an evolutionary development from the VVER-1000. Construction of Novovoronezh II units 1 and 2 began in June 2008 and July 2009, respectively, with start-ups expected in 2014. The original Novovoronezh site nearby already hosts three operating reactors and two that are being decommissioned.
Researched and written
by World Nuclear News