The third 1,000 MW nuclear power plant coming up in Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu reached another milestone with the installation of reactor pressure vessel dry shielding, said Russia’s integrated nuclear power company, Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation.
Rosatom said Indian contractor Larsen & Toubro, under technical support of Russian experts, completed the works on installation into position of the reactor pressure vessel dry shielding.
Dry shielding is a cylindrical shield in metal cladding filled with serpentine concrete and located around the reactor pressure vessel. This structure serves for the neutron flux attenuation, and facilitates prevention of overheating of the reinforced concrete reactor pit structure.
The equipment was manufactured at Tiazhmash JSC in Syzran town.
The cylindrical shield filled with serpentine concrete weighs 140 tons.
According to Rosatom works on dry shielding preparation for installation are completed in time as scheduled.
The Russian company said installation of the reactor pressure vessel dry shielding is an essential process operation in the construction of a nuclear power plant.
After its completion, the installation of the reactor support truss and other assembly operations were performed, which were followed by the installation of the reactor pressure vessel into position.
India’s atomic power company, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) is building four more plants of 1,000 MW each in Kudankulam in Tirunelveli district – Units 3,4,5 and 6.
The first two units of similar power generation capacity has been functional for sometime now.
Manufacture of steam generator for 5th Kudankulam n-plant begins
Rosatom on Tuesday said it has started manufacturing a set of steam generators for the fifth 1,000 MW atomic power plant unit in Kudankulam.
According to Rosatom, machining of the shells of the vessel and large nozzles, which are the parts of the steam generator have been completed.
Welding work is underway on the shells of the steam generator vessel.
Rosatom has already manufactured and shipped two sets of steam generators for the third and fourth units coming up at Kudankulam.
The steam generator belongs to the products of the first class of safety.
The diameter is more than four metres, the length of the apparatus is about 15 metres.
The weight of the equipment is 340 tons.
The vessel of the steam generator is a horizontal cylindrical vessel with two elliptical heads, in the middle part of which there are headers for the supply and removal of the hot coolant.
In the upper part of the vessel there is a space for steam, and the heat exchange surface which consists of 11,000 stainless pipes is in the lower part of the steam generator vessel.
The pipes are 16 mm in diameter and 10 to 14 meters long. The ends of the pipes are fixed in two headers. The equipment of one power unit includes four steam generators.
