COUNTRY FOCUS | RUSSIA Replacing Russia
Russia’s nuclear sector continues its steady development despite ongoing hostilities in Ukraine and the associated sanctions regime which has, so far, not included nuclear. However, longer term, prospects remain cloudy
By Eugene Gerden
THE RUSSIAN NUCLEAR SECTOR HAS been steady developing this year, despite the ongoing hostilities in Ukraine and growing isolation of the country in the international arena. In fact, the nuclear industry is one of the few industries in Russia, which – so far – has not been included in the EU and US sanctions lists. This has ensured its generally good level of development in 2022 and the first half of the current year. Still, despite this, further prospects of the industry remain cloudy. Currently the development of the industry in Russia is
mainly carried out within the existing state programme: ‘Development of equipment, technologies and scientific research in the field of the use of atomic energy in the Russian Federation’ (RTTN) – which is designed to run until 2030.
The programme was launched in 2020, being designed
by Rosatom together with the National Research Center the ‘Kurchatov Institute’, the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. Initially, it was designed to run until 2024, but was extended by another six years. The programme consists of five major federal projects. The first project – ‘New Nuclear Energy’ – is aimed at
Below: Russian reactor technology continues to be exported
creating new types of next-generation reactors. Last year, for example, Rosatom completed technical design for the RITM- 200N reactor, which will become the basis for its low-power nuclear power plants (LNPPs). As part of the second project, work is currently ongoing on the multi-purpose fast neutron research reactor MBIR. It will become the world’s most powerful reactor of its type considering the existing, under construction and projected
fast neutron installations. In April 2022, the reactor unit – a unique product 12 m long, 4 m in diameter and weighing more than 83 tonnes – was delivered to the MBIR construction site ahead of schedule. In January 2023, its installation in was completed. Rosatom plans to complete construction works in 2026, a year ahead of the planned schedule. In the meantime, particular attention is also being paid
to work in the field of thermonuclear fusion and plasma technologies. As part of the project, so far, Rosatom R&D enterprises – the State Research Center of the Russian Federation TRINITI (Troitsk Institute for Innovation and Fusion Research) together with AO NIKIET (Research and Design Institute of Power Engineering) – have developed and manufactured an in-chamber protection element for the first wall of the Russian T-15MD tokamak, Russia’s largest thermonuclear plant at the Kurchatov Institute. Under the terms of the project programme on the small tokamak T-11M, located in TRINITI, specialists have conducted experiments to study the effect of injection of finely dispersed lithium on plasma parameters. The technology under development will be used for the design of the Russian Fusion Power Demonstration Reactor. In the case of TRINITI, recently its scientists have also
made progress on the development of a prototype plasma rocket engine. After completion of all works, scheduled for 2024, the institute will produce a prototype engine with increased thrust, they say. In the meantime, another promising area of development
for Rosatom in years to come will involve work in the field of accident tolerant fuel. This was recently confirmed by Viktor Ilgisonis, director of the R&D department at Rosatom. For this purpose, Rosatom plans to accelerate its R&D work in this field with the aim of increasing safety and efficiency of nuclear power plant operation. Among other developments that involves a switch from zirconium as a material for fuel assembly cladding to silicon carbide. Alexey Dub, First Deputy General Director of JSC “Science and Innovations” (management company of “Rosatom’s R&D division) in an interview with Russian Rossyiskay Gazeta business paper said that Rosatom has achieved some progress in this field. “In 2022 we obtained silicon carbide samples with a very low oxygen content as an impurity, which is extremely important for the operation of this material in nuclear reactors. Moreover, we were able to obtain quasi-viscous condition of silicon carbide with the high level of strength and elasticity, which, according to specialists of the High-Technological Research Institute of Inorganic Materials will meet the necessary requirements during the manufacture of shells for the so-called tolerant fuel,” Dub explained.
18 | August 2023 |
www.neimagazine.com
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