All four hydraulic tanks of the emergency core cooling system (ECCS) have been installed at unit 1 of Russia’s Kursk-II NPP, the plant announced on 12 March. “The installation of hydraulic tanks will allow us to proceed to the next stage of work on the construction of structures in the containment area of the reactor,” said plant director Vyacheslav Fedyukin. “The timely completion of the arrangement of the reactor shaft in the unit 1 building depends on the implementation of these works, which is the next scheduled state task for 2021."
The ECCS consists of passive and active parts. Hydraulic tanks are passive NPP safety systems that operate without the involvement of personnel or the use of external sources of power supply. During the plant operation, these containers store an aqueous solution of boric acid (neutron absorber). The tanks are designed for emergency flooding of the reactor core in case of emergency situations associated with the loss of coolant. This prevents damage to the fuel rods and melting of fuel. Each hydraulic reservoir of the emergency core cooling system is a vertical pressure vessel. The volume of the container is 60 cubic metres.
“Fulfilment of the state schedule on time indicates well-coordinated work between the customer and the general contractor,” noted Oleg Shperle, Vice President and Director of the Kursk-II construction project. “Only with a single united team will we be able to ensure the timely start-up of the power units.”
