The Pilot Demonstration Engineering Centre for decommissioning of NPP units channel-type reactor units, ODITs RBMK (Opitno Demonstratsionnii Inzhenernii Tsentr RBMK) is installing ultrasonic liquid decontamination dismantling equipment at Russia’s Leningrad NPP.
Work has begun on the modernisation of the liquid decontamination facility of the chemical workshop at the plant in preparation for the dismantling of Leningrad units 1&2. Currently Leningrad NPP has four units in operation – units 3&4 with Soviet RBMK-1000 reactors, as well units 5&6 with new VVER-1200 units. Units 5&6 replaced units 1&2 with RBMK-1000 reactors, which were closed in 2018 and 2020.
In February, experts from ODITs RBMK began dismantling the decontamination baths. In their place, it is planned to install a complex of automatic decontamination lines that automate the process of cleaning and preparing equipment for further work. In addition, an ultrasonic decontamination unit in the baths will be installed, which will speed up the decontamination process several times.
“By using ultrasonic decontamination, the amount of liquid radioactive waste generated will decrease, the number of reagents, the dose load on personnel working in the decontamination site will decrease, and the time for the decontamination process will also be reduced,” said the head of the chemical workshop of the Leningrad NPP Sergey Ushakov. “The new equipment will not only increase the efficiency of decommissioning the RBMK-1000 power units, but also provide a high level of protection for personnel and the environment.”
Andrey Kurnosov, head of the department of dismantling and decontamination at ODITs RBMK, noted: “To carry out the main work on the decommissioning of the RBMK-1000 units, it is necessary to prepare a site for decontamination of equipment pieces. Together with the specialists of the chemical workshop of the Leningrad NPP, we are modernising the existing section for liquid decontamination. The use of modern technologies not only increases the efficiency of dismantling, but also provides additional safety for personnel and minimises the environmental impact.”
ODITs RBMK was established in July 2020 and is part of nuclear utility Rosenergoatom. Its main activity of is to ensure the serial decommissioning of nuclear based on replicating standard technologies at nuclear units with channel-type reactor facilities. It is based at Leningrad NPP.
This is the second ODITs created by Rosenergoatom. The first was established in 2013 at units 1&2 of the Novovoronezh NPP Novovoronezh NPP to focus on VVER reactors.
