Installation of a melt trap (core catcher) has begun at unit 1 of the Bangladesh Ruppur NPP, Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom announced on 20 August. The trap weighs about 200 tons, and installation is scheduled to be completed within six months, according to Alexander Khazin, senior vice president for foreign project management. Construction work at unit 1 is on schedule. To date some 5,000 tons of cement have been used and more than 4,000 people are involved in the construction work.
The trap is a key feature of the passive safety system for the VVER-1200 reactor. It is provided to catch the molten core material – corium – of a reactor in the unlikely event of a meltdown, preventing it from escaping the containment building. The first melt trap was installed by Rosatom at the Tianwan NPP in China.
Ruppur NPP, with two VVER-1200 reactors, is being constructed in accordance with a general contract signed in December 2015. First concrete for unit 1 was poured in November 2017, and for unit 2 in July. Ruppur 1 is scheduled to begin operation in 2023, and unit 2 in 2024. The reactors will use "a unique combination of active and passive safety systems that ensure maximum stability against external and internal factors”, Rosatom said. The general contractor is Atomstroyexport (the engineering division of Rosatom). Ruppur 1 is referenced to unit 1 at Russia.s Novovoronezh-II NPP.
