RITM-200N | SMRs & ADVANCED REACTORS
to use the plant for automatic regulation of grid frequency. This includes normal and general primary regulation, power regulation as per dispatcher commands, and operation on a daily or weekly schedule. Refuelling of core assemblies is carried out once every six
years. Prior to refuelling, the control rod drives, the reactor cover, and the tube and device block are removed. The tube and device block is removed from the reactor and placed in the storage and inspection shaft which is designed for this purpose. The inner surface of the shaft is provided with an anti-corrosion coating and can be decontaminated. The tube and device block is stored under water. Transportation of the tube and device block from the reactor to the storage shaft and back is carried out using a protective container within the refuelling complex. After unloading the spent fuel assemblies, a crane
installs a container for fresh fuel assemblies on a device installed on the reactor for loading fuel assemblies, after which the assembly is loaded into the reactor. After loading the fuel assembly, the tube and device block and reactor cover are re-installed. The reactor cover is sealed, after which the control rod drives are installed. During a refuelling procedure the complete core is
unloaded from the reactor. The spent fuel assemblies are stored in a spent fuel pool or tanks up to three years to reduce decay heat and radioactivity. After the retention period, the spent fuel assemblies are loaded into transport casks and may be moved to a storage site.
The world’s first pilot power plant based on the RITM-
200N reactor plant is being implemented in Russia and has been approved by the government. On 11 February, 2020, the Rosatom signed an order to the start the implementation of the SMR pilot plant. Technical designs for the reactor plant, core and nuclear fuel handling equipment have been developed, and the safety analysis reports for the project have been prepared. In April 2023, Rosenergoatom obtained a license issued by the Federal Service for the Supervision of Environment, Technology and Nuclear Management (Rostekhnadzor) for siting the SMR in the Ust-Yansky region and the pilot with an RITM-200N will be built near the village of Ust-Kuiga, Ust-Yansky ulus in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). Commissioning is planned for 2028. Based on the experience gained in the design and
operation of the floating power unit ‘Akademik Lomonosov’ with the KLT-40S reactor plant, the possibility and prospects of using small modular reactors based on marine reactor technologies to provide power supply to remote regions has been demonstrated. The design and operating experience gained shows
that RITM type reactor plants are capable of providing technical and economic viability with proven technical solutions. Meanwhile, the safety of these plants has been fundamentally demonstrated and confirmed by many years of successful operation of previous generations in marine nuclear reactor technology. ■
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