NEWS |
round up
UPGRADES FRANCE’S FRAMATOME HAS been awarded a contract to modernise the Reactor Protection System (RPS) in the emergency control building at Switzerland’s Gösgen NPP. The contract also includes the enhancement of battery capacity.
THE RPS MONITORS vital reactor operation parameters and in the event of any deviation safely powers down the reactor. Framatome’s TELEPERM XS digital instrumentation and control (I&C) platform will be used for the upgrade.
PLANT OPERATION SOUTH AFRICA’S NATIONAL Nuclear Regulator board has approved the 20-year life extension for unit 1 of state power utility Eskom Holdings’ Koeberg NPP, but deferred a decision on unit 2 until late 2025 because an assessment of the reactor’s safety case is still ongoing. The decision came only days ahead of the expiry of unit 1’s licence and effectively extended its operating life until 21 July 2044.
FOUR RUSSIAN NUCLEAR power units with first generation RBMK-1000 reactors have been closed after 45 years of service and are being decommissioned. However, the NA Dollezhal Scientific Research & Design Institute of Power Engineering (Nikiet) has proposed extending the operating life of second generation RBMK’s from 45 to 50 years.
EQUIPMENT INDIAN HEAVY ENGINEERING company Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has despatched a second steam generator to the Kaiga Atomic Power Station in Karnataka for units 5&6 under construction at the plant, both indigenous 700 MWe pressurised heavy water reactors.
POLICY
US PRESIDENT JOE Biden has signed into law the Fire Grants and Safety Act , which includes bipartisan legislation known as the Accelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy (ADVANCE). The legislation is expected to speed up the timeline for licensing new nuclear reactors and cut fees that companies have to pay to do so.
FIVE SERBIAN MINISTRIES and 20 academic institutions and state energy companies have signed a memorandum of understanding on nuclear energy development. The Ministries included: Mining & Energy; Science, Technological Development & Innovation; Education; Environmental Protection; and Health.
Russia strengthens co-operation
Increased nuclear energy co-operation was discussed between India and Russia during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent state visit. In a statement Rosatom said: “New areas of cooperation are being discussed as well. On the table is the construction in India of six more Russia-designed high-powered power units and Russia-designed small nuclear power plants. Joint work on closing the nuclear fuel cycle seems promising.” Russia is already constructing India’s largest
nuclear power plant, Kudankulam NPP in Tamil Nadu. It will comprise six VVER-1000 units. Work began following a 1988 intergovernmental agreement between India and Russia. Units 1&2 (Phase I) are already in operation and work is underway to build units 3-6 (Phases II and III). Work on units 5&6 began in 2021 and the plant is expected to be operating at full capacity by 2027. The roadmap for nuclear cooperation between Russia and India provides for the construction of a total 12 units in India, including 4-8 at Kudankulam. “Energy is an important pillar of cooperation between India and Russia and we are eager to further cement ties in this sector,” Modi posted on his official X platform. “Prime Minister Modi was also shown the ‘Atomic Symphony’, a permanent working model of the VVER-1000 reactor, which is the heart of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant,” a statement from India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. “We are ready for a serious expansion of cooperation with India in the field of using
United States General Atomics new fuel cladding General Atomics-Electromagnetic Systems (GA- EMS) – with support from the US Department of Energy (DOE) – has developed silicon carbide nuclear fuel cladding tubes that can withstand extreme temperatures. Currently zirconium alloy is widely used
as cladding because of its mechanical properties and corrosion resistance. While improvements have been made over time, there is an interest in developing new cladding material to significantly improve the operating performance, economic efficiency, and safety. GA-EMS is developing a new fuel cladding
called SiGA with the help of funding, irradiation testing, and post-irradiation examination support from DOE’s Accident Tolerant Fuel Programme. SiGA cladding is made from silicon carbide in a high-purity crystalline composition. Silicon carbide can survive temperatures
hotter than molten lava but can be brittle in its pure form, historically limiting its use as a structural material. GA-EMS solved this problem
8 | August 2024 |
www.neimagazine.com
nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, Likhachev noted. “This is, first of all, serial construction of high-capacity Russian-designed NPP power units at a new site in India, implementation of small-scale generation projects in land- based and floating design, cooperation in the field of the nuclear fuel cycle, as well as in the field of non-energy applications of nuclear technologies.” The Russian President’s website confirmed that new areas of interaction discussed included the construction in India of six more units of Russian design nuclear units on a new site and low-power NPPs as well as cooperation in the field of closing the nuclear fuel cycle.
Another important topic was the serial
construction in India of power units for a Russian-designed NPP based on VVER-1200 reactors. “Profile organisations are in the process of preparing the terms of reference for the construction in India of a new Russian design NPP with VVER-1200 reactor facilities.” The report said Russia and India have great
potential for the development of cooperation in scientific and technical spheres, including nuclear fusion and India’s involvement in Russia’s fast neutron multi-purpose research reactor (MBIR), which is being built in Dimitrovgrad. At the same time, there is a dialogue with
Indian partners on the joint development of the transit potential of the Northern Sea Route (one of Rosatom’s responsibilities). ■
by incorporating silicon carbide reinforcing fibre into the cladding. The combination creates a tough and durable engineered composite which can withstand temperatures up to 3800˚F (2100˚C). GA-EMS has already created 6-inch-long
(14cm) SiGA rodlets and 3-foot (87cm) cladding samples that meet reactor-grade requirements and will undergo irradiation testing at DOE’s Idaho National Laboratory. Recent work demonstrated the process is scalable to full- length 12-foot (3.5m) fuel rods. SiGA cladding contains the solid fuel and any
gasses that are produced during operation. GA- EMS will continue to scale up its manufacturing technology and further analyse SiGA both before and after irradiation. Accelerated fuel qualification methodology is underway using research reactors, commercial reactors, and modelling and simulation. GA-EMS believes that SiGA cladding could be demonstrated by the end of this decade, with commercialisation in early 2030. The company is also developing domestic manufacturing capability for SiGA.
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
