Beloyarsk NPP: interesting facts and general information (photo). Stations and projects

The oldest American energy magazine POWER, one of the most influential and authoritative international professional publications in this field, awarded its Power Awards for 2016 to the project of the 4th power unit of the Russian Beloyarsk NPP (a branch of the Rosenergoatom Concern, Zarechny Sverdlovsk region) with a unique fast neutron reactor BN-800, which will be used to test a number of technologies necessary for the development nuclear energy. This was reported by the news agency RIA Novosti.

It should be reminded that recently one of the most important events of the year in the Russian nuclear power industry took place at the Beloyarsk NPP — power unit No. 4 (BN-800) was put into commercial operation on time. The order to this effect was signed on October 31, 2016 by Andrey Petrov, Director General of the Rosenergoatom Concern, on the basis of the permission received from Rosatom State Corporation.

As noted on the magazine's website, the power unit with the BN-800 reactor won in the nomination "Best Plants" (Top Plants). It differs from another nomination of the Plant of the Year award in that the latter involves putting the nuclear power plant into commercial operation within one to two years before the award. In turn, in the nomination "Best Stations" the most promising and innovative projects are determined, which indicate the direction of development of the entire industry.

When determining the winner, the opportunity to solve a set of problems with the help of a nuclear power unit, in particular, for the production of energy and disposal of radioactive waste, was taken into account. The jury also noted the special importance of the BN-800 reactor in the implementation of the Russian approach to closing the nuclear fuel cycle.

Russian nuclear projects this is not the first time they have received recognition in the United States. The completed first block of the Iranian nuclear power plant Bushehr and block No. 1 of the Indian nuclear power plant Kudankulam were previously named projects of 2014 according to another authoritative American magazine Power Engineering. These power units operate Russian thermal reactors VVER-1000.

Great achievement of Russia

“Fast neutron reactors are of the utmost importance for the implementation of Russia's ambitious plans in nuclear energy. The successful construction, connection to the network and testing of the country's first BN-800 reactor at the Beloyarsk NPP is a major achievement in the right direction,”

the magazine notes.

Block No. 4 of the Beloyarsk NPP with a fast neutron reactor with a liquid metal sodium coolant BN-800 (from "fast sodium") with an installed electric power of 880 MW was put into commercial operation on Tuesday. It is the world's most powerful operating fast neutron reactor.

Experts called this event historical not only for Russian, but also for the world nuclear power industry. Experts emphasize that the experience of designing, building, launching and operating fast neutron power reactors, which Russian nuclear scientists will receive at the BN-800, will be necessary for the development of this area of nuclear energy in Russia.

Recognized Leadership

Fast neutron reactors are considered to have great advantages for the development of nuclear energy, providing the closure of the nuclear fuel cycle (NFC). In a closed nuclear fuel cycle, due to the full use of uranium raw materials in fast neutron breeder reactors (breeders), the fuel base of nuclear energy will significantly increase, and it will also be possible to significantly reduce the amount of radioactive waste due to the “burning out” of hazardous radionuclides. Russia, according to experts, ranks first in the world in the technology of building "fast" reactors.

The Soviet Union was a leader in the construction and operation of "fast" power reactors of industrial power level. The world's first such unit with a BN-350 reactor with an installed electrical capacity of 350 megawatts was launched in 1973 on the eastern coast of the Caspian Sea in the city of Shevchenko (now Aktau, Kazakhstan). Part of the thermal power of the reactor was used to generate electricity, the rest went to desalination of sea water. This power unit worked until 1998 - five years longer than the design period. Experience in the creation and operation of this installation made it possible to understand and solve many problems in the field of BN-type reactors.

Since 1980, the third power unit of the station with the BN-600 reactor with an installed electrical capacity of 600 megawatts has been operating at the Beloyarsk NPP. This unit not only generates electricity, but also serves as a unique base for testing new structural materials and nuclear fuel.

History of the BN-800

In 1983, a decision was made to build four nuclear units in the USSR at once with the BN-800 reactor - one unit at the Beloyarsk NPP and three units at the new South Ural NPP. But after Chernobyl, the stagnation of the Soviet nuclear power industry began, the construction of new, including "fast" reactors, stopped. And after the collapse of the USSR, the situation worsened to an even greater extent, there was a threat of loss of domestic nuclear energy technologies, including the technology of BN reactors.

Attempts to resume the construction of at least one BN-800 unit were made more than once, but in the middle of the 2000s it became clear that the nuclear industry alone might not be enough for this. And here the decisive role was played by the support from the country's leadership, which approved new program development of nuclear energy in Russia. It also found a place for the BN-800 at the fourth unit of the Beloyarsk NPP.

It was not easy to complete the block. To finalize the project, taking into account improvements, the purpose of which was to increase its efficiency and safety, a real mobilization of the forces of scientific, design and design organizations of the nuclear industry was required. Difficult tasks were also faced by equipment manufacturers, who had to not only restore the technologies by which the BN-600 reactor equipment was created, but also master new technologies.

And yet the power unit was built. In February 2014, loading of nuclear fuel into the BN-800 reactor began. In June of the same year, the reactor was launched. Then it was necessary to modernize the design of the fuel assemblies, and at the end of July 2015 the BN-800 reactor was restarted, specialists began to gradually increase its power to the level necessary to start generating electricity. On December 10, 2015, the block was connected to the grid and gave out its first current to the Russian power system.

The BN-800 unit is to become a prototype for more powerful commercial BN-1200 power units, the decision on the feasibility of building which will be made on the basis of BN-800 operating experience. The BN-1200 head unit is also planned to be built at the Beloyarsk NPP.

— one of the most influential and authoritative international professional publications in this field — awarded its Power Awards for 2016 to the project of the fourth power unit of the Russian Beloyarsk NPP with a unique BN-800 fast neutron reactor, which will test a number of technologies necessary for the development of nuclear energy .

This is not the first time Russian nuclear projects have received recognition in the United States. The completed first block of the Iranian nuclear power plant Bushehr and the first block of the Indian nuclear power plant Kudankulam were previously named projects of 2014 according to another authoritative American magazine Power Engineering. These power units operate Russian thermal reactors VVER-1000.

Great achievement of Russia

"Fast neutron reactors are essential for the implementation of Russia's ambitious plans in nuclear energy. The successful construction, inclusion in the network and testing of the country's first BN-800 reactor at the Beloyarsk NPP is a major achievement in the right direction," the magazine notes.

Block No. 4 of the Beloyarsk NPP with a fast neutron reactor with a liquid metal sodium coolant BN-800 (from "fast sodium") with an installed electric power of 880 MW was put into commercial operation on Monday. It is the world's most powerful operating fast neutron reactor.

Recognized Leadership

Russian nuclear workers celebrate their holiday with new unique achievementsThe Day of the Nuclear Industry Worker is a symbol of recognition of the strategic contribution of the industry to the development of the country, the national economy and scientific potential, and to strengthening the defense capability of Russia.

Fast neutron reactors are considered to have great advantages for the development of nuclear energy, providing the closure of the nuclear fuel cycle (NFC). In a closed nuclear fuel cycle, due to the full use of uranium raw materials in fast breeder reactors (breeders), the fuel base of nuclear energy will increase significantly, and it will also be possible to significantly reduce the volume of radioactive waste due to the burning of hazardous radionuclides. Russia, according to experts, ranks first in the world in the technology of building "fast" reactors.

History of the BN-800

In 1983, a decision was made to build in the USSR four nuclear units with the BN-800 reactor at once: one at the Beloyarsk NPP and three at the new South Ural NPP. But after Chernobyl, the stagnation of the Soviet nuclear power industry began, the construction of new, including "fast" reactors, ceased. And after the collapse of the USSR, the situation worsened even more, there was a threat of losing domestic nuclear energy technologies, including the technology of BN reactors.

Attempts to resume the construction of at least one BN-800 unit were made more than once, but in the middle of the 2000s it became clear that the capabilities of the nuclear industry alone might not be enough for this. And here the decisive role was played by the support from the Russian leadership, which approved a new program for the development of nuclear energy. It also found a place for the BN-800 at the fourth unit of the Beloyarsk NPP.

It was not easy to complete the block. To finalize the project, taking into account improvements, the purpose of which was to increase its efficiency and safety, a real mobilization of the forces of scientific, design and design organizations of the nuclear industry was required. Difficult tasks were also faced by the equipment manufacturers, who had to not only restore the technologies by which the BN-600 reactor equipment was created, but also master new technologies.

And yet the power unit was built. In February 2014, loading of nuclear fuel into the BN-800 reactor began. In June of the same year, the reactor was launched. Then it was necessary to modernize the design of the fuel assemblies, and at the end of July 2015 the BN-800 reactor was restarted, specialists began to gradually increase its power to the level necessary to start generating electricity. On December 10, 2015, the unit was connected to the grid and gave out its first current to the Russian power system.

The BN-800 unit is to become a prototype of more powerful commercial power units BN-1200, the decision on the feasibility of building which will be made on the basis of BN-800 operating experience. The BN-1200 head unit is also planned to be built at the Beloyarsk NPP.

The newest power unit No. 4 of the Beloyarsk NPP with a BN-800 fast neutron reactor was put into commercial operation on time.

This is one of the most important events of the year in the Russian nuclear power industry, the press service of the Beloyarsk Nuclear Power Plant reports.

This order was signed on October 31, 2016. CEO Concern "Rosenergoatom" Andrey Petrov on the basis of the permission of the State Corporation "Rosatom". Prior to this, the regulatory body "Rostekhnadzor" carried out all the necessary checks, and issued a conclusion on the compliance of the facility being commissioned project documentation, technical regulations and legal acts, including energy efficiency requirements.

Power unit No. 4 of the Beloyarsk NPP with a BN-800 reactor was included in the country's unified energy system for the first time and began generating electricity on December 10, 2015. During 2016, there was a gradual development of power at the stages of power start-up, and then at the stages of pilot operation, checks and tests of equipment and systems were carried out at various power levels and in various operating modes.

The tests ended in August 2016 with a 15-day comprehensive test at 100% power level, during which the power unit confirmed that it was able to stably carry the load at rated power in accordance with the design parameters, without deviations.

By the time it was put into commercial operation, the fourth power unit of the Beloyarsk nuclear power plant had generated more than 2.8 billion kWh since its inclusion in the power system.

It should become a prototype of more powerful commercial power units BN-1200, the decision on the feasibility of building which will be made based on the experience of operating the BN-800. It will also work out a number of technologies for closing the nuclear fuel cycle, which are necessary for the development of nuclear energy in the future.

Russia, according to experts, ranks first in the world in the technology of building "fast" reactors.

Thus, in Russia there is one more nuclear power unit in operation. Now, a total of 35 power units are in operation at 10 nuclear power plants (excluding NVNPP power unit No. 6, which is at the stage of pilot operation), with a total installed capacity of all power units of 27.127 GW.

Beloyarsk NPP (BNPP) put into operation in April 1964. This is the first nuclear power plant in the country's nuclear power industry, and the only one with reactors of different types on the same site. The first power units of the Beloyarsk nuclear power plant with thermal neutron reactors AMB-100 and AMB-200 were shut down due to exhaustion. The only power unit in the world with a fast neutron reactor of industrial power level BN-600 is in operation , as well as BN-800, put into commercial operation in October 2016. power units nuclear power plants based on fast neutrons are designed to significantly expand the fuel base of nuclear power and minimize radioactive waste through the organization of a closed nuclear fuel cycle.

The unique Russian fast neutron reactor operating at the Beloyarsk nuclear power plant has been brought to a capacity of 880 megawatts, the press service of Rosatom reports.

The reactor operates at power unit No. 4 of the Beloyarsk NPP and is now undergoing scheduled testing of generating equipment. In accordance with the test program, the power unit maintains electric power at a level of at least 880 megawatts for 8 hours.

The power of the reactor is being raised in stages, in order to eventually obtain certification at the design power level of 885 megawatts based on the test results. On the this moment the reactor is certified for a capacity of 874 megawatts.

Recall that two fast neutron reactors operate at the Beloyarsk NPP. Since 1980, the BN-600 reactor has been operating here - long time it was the only reactor of this type in the world. But in 2015, the phased launch of the second BN-800 reactor began.

Why is this so important and considered a historic event for the global nuclear industry?

Fast neutron reactors make it possible to implement a closed fuel cycle (at present, it is not implemented in the BN-600). Since only uranium-238 is "burned", after processing (the extraction of fission products and the addition of new portions of uranium-238), the fuel can be reloaded into the reactor. And since more plutonium is produced in the uranium-plutonium cycle than has decayed, the excess fuel can be used for new reactors.

Moreover, this method can process surplus weapons-grade plutonium, as well as plutonium and minor actinides (neptunium, americium, curium) extracted from the spent fuel of conventional thermal reactors (minor actinides currently represent a very dangerous part of radioactive waste). At the same time, the amount of radioactive waste in comparison with thermal reactors is reduced by more than twenty times.

Why, with all their merits, fast neutron reactors are not widely used? First of all, this is due to the peculiarities of their design. As mentioned above, water cannot be used as a coolant, since it is a neutron moderator. Therefore, in fast reactors, metals are mainly used in a liquid state - from exotic lead-bismuth alloys to liquid sodium (the most common option for nuclear power plants).

“In fast neutron reactors, thermal and radiation loads are much higher than in thermal reactors,” PM explains. Chief Engineer Beloyarsk NPP Mikhail Bakanov. - This leads to the need to use special construction materials for the reactor pressure vessel and in-reactor systems. TVEL and TVS cases are not made of zirconium alloys, as in thermal reactors, but of special alloyed chromium steels, which are less susceptible to radiation ‘swelling’. On the other hand, for example, the reactor vessel is not subjected to loads associated with internal pressure - it is only slightly higher than atmospheric pressure.

According to Mikhail Bakanov, in the first years of operation, the main difficulties were associated with radiation swelling and cracking of the fuel. These problems, however, were soon resolved, new materials were developed - both for fuel and for fuel rod casings. But even now, campaigns are limited not so much by fuel burnup (which on BN-600 reaches 11%), but by the resource of materials from which fuel, fuel elements and fuel assemblies are made. Further operational problems were mainly associated with leakage of sodium in the secondary circuit, a reactive and flammable metal that reacts violently to contact with air and water: “Only Russia and France have a long experience in operating industrial power reactors on fast neutrons. Both we and the French specialists faced the same problems from the very beginning. We successfully solved them, from the very beginning foreseeing special means monitoring the tightness of the circuits, localization and suppression of sodium leaks. And the French project turned out to be less prepared for such troubles, as a result, in 2009, the Phenix reactor was finally shut down.”

“The problems really were the same,” adds the director of the Beloyarsk NPP, Nikolai Oshkanov, “but they were solved here and in France different ways. For example, when the head of one of the assemblies bent on Phenix to capture and unload it, French specialists developed a complex and rather expensive system of 'vision' through the sodium layer. And when we had the same problem, one of our engineers suggested using a video camera placed in the simplest structure such as a diving bell - a pipe open from below with argon blowing from above. When the sodium melt was expelled, the operators were able to capture the mechanism via video link, and the bent assembly was successfully removed.”

The core of a fast neutron reactor is arranged like an onion, in layers

370 fuel assemblies form three zones with different enrichment in uranium-235 - 17, 21 and 26% (initially there were only two zones, but in order to equalize the energy release, they made three). They are surrounded by side screens (blankets), or breeding zones, where assemblies containing depleted or natural uranium, consisting mainly of the 238 isotope, are located. reproduction).

Fuel assemblies (FAs) are a set of fuel elements (TVELs) assembled in one housing - tubes made of special steel filled with uranium oxide pellets with various enrichment. So that the fuel elements do not touch each other, and the coolant can circulate between them, a thin wire is wound around the tubes. Sodium enters the fuel assembly through the lower throttling holes and exits through the windows in the upper part.

In the lower part of the fuel assembly there is a shank inserted into the collector socket, in the upper part there is a head part, by which the assembly is captured during reloading. Fuel assemblies of various enrichment have different seats, so it is simply impossible to install the assembly in the wrong place.

To control the reactor, 19 compensating rods containing boron (neutron absorber) are used to compensate for fuel burnup, 2 rods automatic regulation(to maintain a given power), as well as 6 active protection rods. Since uranium's own neutron background is small, for controlled launch of the reactor (and control at low power levels) "backlight" is used - a photoneutron source (gamma emitter plus beryllium).

Power units with fast neutron reactors can significantly expand the fuel base of nuclear power and minimize radioactive waste through the organization of a closed nuclear fuel cycle. Only a few countries have such technologies, and the Russian Federation, according to experts, is the world leader in this field.

The BN-800 reactor (from "fast sodium", with an electric power of 880 megawatts) is a pilot industrial fast neutron reactor with a liquid metal coolant, sodium. It should become a prototype of commercial, more powerful power units with BN-1200 reactors.

sources