The VVER-1200 reactor pressure vessel (RPV) and two steam generatorsfor unit 8 of China’s Tianwan NPP have been shipped from the Atommash production site in Volgodonsk, Russia, and will be transferred to the NPP by road, river and sea. Last year, the RPV and four steam generators for Tianwan unit 7 as well as two steam generators unit 8, were shipped from Atommash. By the end of 2024, internal devices and two upper reactor blocks will be sent from Volgodonsk to the construction site in China.
The RPV is a vertical cylindrical body with an elliptical bottom, inside which the active zone and internal devices are located. The top of the equipment is hermetically sealed with a lid with drives of mechanisms and control and protection elements installed on it, as well as branch pipes for the output of cables and in-reactor control sensors. The 320-tonne RPV is about 13 metres long and 4.5 metres in diameter. Each 340-tonne steam generator is about 15 metres long and 4 metres in diameter. The total weight of the latest shipment was more than 1,000 tonnes.
For Russian machine builders, cooperation with Chinese colleagues is one of the key elements of a development strategy. China is a partner who is truly interested in the quality and mutually beneficial implementation of joint projects. Such an approach undoubtedly serves as a guarantee of accurate adherence to the terms of work and ensures high parameters of product quality. This is a reliable basis for expanding cooperation and determining its new directions,” said Igor Kotov, head of Rosatom’s engineering division.
The agreement for construction of Tianwan 7&8 was signed by Russia and China in 1918 and commissioning is scheduled for 2026-2027. Construction of units 7&8, equipped with VVER-1200 reactors began in May 2021. Units 1-4, with VVER-1000 reactors commissioned between 2007 to 2018 are already in operation. Units 5&6 with Chinese ACPR-1000s were commissioned in 2020 and 2021.
