| NEWS


MBIR reactor building dome begins


Assembly of


and post-reactor experiments, perfecting technologies for the production of isotopes and modified materials.


The chief designer of the project is the NA


Dollezhal Scientific Research & Design Institute of Power Engineering (JSC Nikiet); the scientific supervisor is the AI Leipunsky Institute of Physics & Power Engineering (IPPE); the general designer is GSPI: and the general construction contractor is JSC Orgenergostroy Institute. The process of erecting the dome includes


the installation of 22 arches about 12 metres high, each weighing 74 tonnes. The span of the arch is 38 metres. The dome elements were manufactured at the Nizhny Tagil Metal Structures Plant, a leading manufacturer of industrial, civil and special-purpose construction products. Sergey Kiverov, NIIAR Deputy Director


Above: The MBIR reactor


Builders have begun to install the dome of the reactor building of Russia’s multipurpose fast neutron research reactor MBIR under at the industrial site of the Research Institute of Atomic Reactors (NIIAR – part to Rosatom) in Dimitrovgrad (Ulyanovsk region). The 150 MWt multipurpose sodium-cooled


fast neutron reactor will be the world’s largest facility of its kind. It is expected to provide the nuclear industry with a modern and technologically advanced research infrastructure for the coming 50 years. Its unique technical characteristics will make


it possible to solve a wide range of research problems to support the development new competitive and safe NPPs, including fast reactors based on closing the nuclear fuel cycle. Research time needed at the new reactor will be several times less in comparison with the currently operating installations. Rosatom says the construction of MBIR is the most important project for the long-term development of the experimental base of Russia’s domestic nuclear industry, “which will ensure Russia’s leadership in the development of innovative reactor technologies for the next half century”.


MBIR will be the basis of an international


research centre (ICC MBIR). It will replace the BOR-60 experimental fast reactor that has been in operation at NIIAR since 1969. BOR-60 is due to close in 2025. MBIR will be used for materials testing for Generation IV fast neutron reactors. It will be capable of testing lead, lead-bismuth and gas coolants and will enable reactor


responsible for facilities under construction, noted that the pre-assembly of the first arch took about 14 days, and its direct installation took four hours. The work was carried out using a heavy crawler crane with a lifting capacity of 750 tonnes.


Gennady Sakharov, Director for Capital


Investments, State Construction Supervision & State Expertise at Rosatom said this process indicates the closing of the thermal circuit of the reactor building. “All arches will be installed by the end of this year. Work on the construction of MBIR is being carried out on schedule, using the planned number of personnel,” he explained. MBIR, under construction at the Research


Institute of Atomic Reactors (NIIAR) in Dimitrovgrad, is expected to be commissioned in 2026, a year ahead of schedule. The reactor pressure vessel was installed in January. MBIR will use vibro-packed mixed-oxide fuel


(VMOX), a Russian variant of MOX fuel in which blended uranium-plutonium oxide powders and fresh uranium-oxide powder are loaded directly into the cladding tube of the fuel assembly instead of first being manufactured into pellets. NIIAR intends to set up on-site closed fuel cycle facilities for MBIR, using pyrochemical reprocessing it has developed at pilot scale. “The work includes 22 stages, each of which is


a complex technological operation and requires extensive preparation,” said This includes pre-assembly of structural elements on the ground, followed by slinging and lifting to the design level. Crane operators, slingers, welders and engineers are involved in the installation, in total more than 100 builders were involved,” added Kiverov. ■


round up


NEW BUILD THE EMIRATES NUCLEAR Energy Corporation says unit 4 at the Barakah NPP in Abu Dhabi has begun its operational readiness preparations. The operations team at Barakah has begun the operational testing required to demonstrate the unit is ready to receive the Operating Licence from the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation.


THE TURBINE BUILDING for unit 1 of Russia’s Kursk-II NPP is almost complete. Danila Rashchenko, Head of the Production & Technical Division of the TITAN-2 Directorate for Construction of Facilities in Kursk Oblast, said the ceiling was concreted in stages over six months including technological processes and equipment installation.


A SUPPORT AGREEMENT has been signed between the Romanian State and nuclear  Nuclearelectrica (SNN), for the development of the National Strategic Project to complete units 3&4 at the Cernavoda NPP. By signing, the state is committed to taking the necessary steps to finance the project.


CHINA’S SHANGHAI NUCLEAR Engineering Research & Design Institute (SNERDI) – a subsidiary of the State Power Investment Corporation, says the CA03 module has been lifted into place at unit 3 of the Haiyang NPP in Shandong province. The CA03 module was installed 31 days ahead of schedule.


HUNGARY’S FOREIGN AFFAIRS & Foreign Economic Relations Minister, Peter Szijjártó, said preparatory works would start at the Paks II NPP project in July. “The European Commission has approved amendments to the contract for the expansion of the Paks nuclear power plant,” he noted. “This will remove all obstacles to continue the project with less bureaucracy, at a faster pace and in full compliance with all nuclear safety rules.”


ROSATOM HAS ISSUED a permit to nuclear utility Rosenergoatom for the first stage of construction of VVER-1200 power units 7&8 of the Leningrad NPP (also known as Leningrad-II 3&4). The permit is valid for five years, until November 2028. In early May Leningrad NPP, received a positive conclusion from the State Expertise on the project for the construction of the new units.


www.neimagazine.com | July 2023 | 7


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49