JSC ZiO-Podolsk (part of Rosatom’s mechanical engineering Atomenergomash) has manufactured and shipped to unit 3 of the Beloyarsk NPP the fifth module of the evaporator for the steam generator PGN-200M, Atomenergomash has announced.
The equipment is designed to replace similar elements at the unit’s BN-600 sodium-cooled fast neutron reactor. Modernisation of the modules will make it possible to extend the service life of the reactor plant up to 60 years.
The module is a shell-and-tube heat exchanger with straight vertical tubes and a lens compensator on the body. It is manufactured from pearlite grade alloy steel. The modules generate steam for the turbines that generate electricity. The 20-ton device is 17 metres long and 1 metre in diameter. Its service life is 15 years.
During refurbishment of Beloyarsk 3, it will be necessary to replace another 16 such modules, which are already being manufactured at ZiO-Podolsk. They will generate 660 tons of high-pressure steam per hour. ZiO-Podolsk is Russia’s only manufacturer of steam generator modules for fast neutron reactors. The first time such equipment was manufactured was in the 1970s during the construction of Beloyarsk 3.
Beloyarsk NPP will replace 24 steam generator modules to prepare for the life extension of the BN-600. The work will be completed over three years. The first eight evaporation modules will be replaced this year. The Beloyarsk nuclear plant started operation in 1964. Units 1 and 2 – AMB-100 and AMB-200 thermal neutron reactors – have been closed for decommissioning. Beloyarsk 3, with a BN-600 fast neutron reactor began operation in 1980 and Beloyarsk 4 with a BN-800 fast reactor started up in 2015.
Image: The replacement evaporator for the steam generator at unit 3 of Beloyarsk NPP (courtesy of Atomenergomash)
