Rooppur unit 1 hydraulic tests completed

17 July 2020

Atommash has completed hydraulic tests on the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) of unit 1 of the Rooppur nuclear power plant under construction for Bangladesh. Atommash is part of Atomenergomash, the engineering division of Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom.

The RPV for Rooppur unit 1 (Image: AEM Technology)

A watertight chamber, or caisson, was used for the hydraulic tests, during which a maximum pressure of 24.5 MPa was generated in the RPV 1.4 times higher than the operating pressure. A crane with a lifting capacity of 600 tonnes was used to lower the 11-meter RPV into the caisson. The tests confirmed the strength of the base metal and welded joints of the RPV.

Two 1200 MWe (gross) VVER-1200 units are being built at Rooppur, which is on the eastern bank of the river Ganges at Rooppur, 160 km from Dhaka.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News