"Mayak", Ozersk Bashny.Net

Sorry for the logo, because the author wanted

A stay at "Mayak" I always wanted. No joke, this place is one of the most high-tech enterprises in Russia, there was in 1948 launched the first nuclear reactor in the USSR, a specialist in "Mayak" was released charge plutonium for the first Soviet nuclear bomb. When the Ozersk called Chelyabinsk-65, Chelyabinsk-40, in 1995 he became Ozersk. We Triokhgorny once Zlatoust-36, the city which is also closed, Ozersk always called "sorokovke" treated with respect and awe.

It is now possible to read much into the official sources, and even more in informal and there was a time when even the approximate location and the name of the city were kept in the strictest confidence. I remember me and my grandfather Yakovlev Eugene M., went fishing, duck on local issues - where we are, my grandfather always told that from Yuryuzan (a nearby town with Trehgornyi), and at the entrance to the city there were no signs other than constant "brick" . My grandfather was one of the best friends, called him Mitroshin Yuri Ivanovich, why I did it all my childhood called it as "Vanaliz" I do not know why. I remember I asked my grandmother, and why Vanaliz, a bald, because not a single hairs? Grandmother then told me in a whisper that Yuri Ivanovich served in "sorokovke" and eliminate the consequences of major accidents in 1957, received a large dose of radiation, the procedure spoiled his health, and his hair grow longer ...

... And now, many years later, I, as a photojournalist to shoot the same food plant RT-1 for the Agency "Photo ITAR-TASS". Time changes everything.

Ozersk - modal city, enter a pass, my profile was more than a month to check and now everything is ready, you can go. I met the press officer at the checkpoint, as opposed to our normal there is a computerized system call in any PPC traveling as any. After that we drove to the administrative building of the press service, where I left my car, and I was advised to leave the cell because inside the plant with mobile communications is prohibited. Said done, go to the RT-1.

The plant long toiled at the checkpoint, as it is not just we have missed with all of my photographic equipment, but it happened. We were given a stern man with a black holster on his belt and a white dress. We met with the administration, we have formed a team of escorts and we moved to the rank. propusknik. Unfortunately, the exterior of the plant, and what a security complexes is strictly forbidden to take pictures, this all this time my camera was lying in a backpack.

Here, I took this picture at the very end, there begins conventionally "dirty" area. This division is indeed arbitrary, but follow very strictly, that is what makes it possible not to take away radioactive dirt all over the neighborhood.

San. propusknik separate women from one entrance to another man. I showed my companions in the cupboards, and said shoot all (absolutely all), wear rubber flip flops, lockers and move out to the window. So I did. I stand completely naked, in one hand, I have the key, another backpack with a camera, and the woman out of the window, which is why it is too low for that my position is interested in what my shoe size. Long did not have to be embarrassed, I was promptly given something like drawers, light shirts, overalls and shoes. All white, clean and very pleasant to the touch. He dressed, pinned to the breast pocket dosimeter tablet and felt confident. You can be nominated.

Guys I immediately instructed that the backpack on the floor is not to bet too much not to touch, photograph only what will help. No problem - I tell me the backpack is too early to throw, and the secrets of the problem I also do not need.

Here is the place where to attach and remove dirty shoes. At the heart of clean, dirty on the edges. Conditional threshold of the territory of the plant.

On the territory of the plant, we moved to a small bus. Foreign territory without any embellishment, blocks of shops galleries related to the passage of personnel and transfer of chemicals through the pipes. On the one hand there is a large gallery finishing intake air from the nearby forest. This is done so that the people in the shops outside breathing fresh air.

RT-1 is just one of seven factories "Mayak", the appointment of its reception and processing of spent nuclear fuel (SNF).

This shop where it all begins, here come the containers with spent nuclear fuel. On the right car with the lid open. Experts unscrew top screws with special equipment. After that, all of this space is removed, the door closes large thickness about half a meter (unfortunately rezhimschiki asked her to remove the pictures). Further work is cranes, which are controlled remotely via the camera. Cranes remove the lid and remove spent nuclear fuel assemblies.

Crane assemblies are transferred here in these hatches. Pay attention to the crosses, they are painted, make it easier to position the position of the valve. Under the hatches assembly immersed in the liquid - condensate (simply put into distilled water). After this assembly trolleys are moved to a nearby swimming pool, which is a temporary warehouse.

...

I do not know exactly what it's called, but the point is clear - a simple device, so as not to drag the radioactive dust from one room to another.

On the left, the same door:

And this is the adjacent room. Underfoot employees is a pool, with a depth of 3, 5 and 14 meters filled with condensate. Yet there can be seen two blocks from the Beloyarsk NPP, their length of 14 meters. AMB called - "a great peaceful atom»

When you look between the metal plates, you see something like the following picture. Under the condensate can see the assembly of fuel cells by shipping the reactor.

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Insipid frame, just like the way the elements are arranged

But these assemblies come only from nuclear power plants. When turned off the light, they glowed a pale blue glow. Very impressive. This is the Cerenkov radiation, the essence of this physical phenomenon can be found in Wikipedia.

General view of the shop

Go ahead. Transitions between departments through the corridors with dim yellow light. Underfoot quite specific coating, roll all the angles. People in white. In general, I like that once, "Black Mass" remembered))). By the way, about the coverage, a very reasonable decision, on the one hand it's more convenient to wash, do not get stuck anywhere, and most importantly, in the event of any leakage or accident, dirty floor can be easily disassembled.

As I explained further operations with SNF are indoors in an automatic mode. The whole process, when it ruled here with these consoles, but now everything happens on three terminals. Each of them works in its stand-alone server, all the functions are duplicated. In case of failure of the operator terminal will be able to complete the process from the console.

Briefly about what happens to the spent nuclear fuel. Build understand, stuffing removed, sawn into pieces and placed in a solvent (nitric acid), then dissolved spent fuel passes a complex chemical transformations, there is extracted from the uranium, plutonium, neptunium. Not soluble portion that can not be processed and compressed osteklenyayutsya. And stored at the plant under constant observation. At the exit after all these processes form an assembly ready already "charged" with fresh fuel, which is produced here. Thus Lighthouse provides a full cycle of the nuclear fuel.

Department on work with plutonium.

From the active elements of the operator protects eight layers of 50 mm leaded glass. The manipulator is connected exclusively electrical connections, no "holes" connecting with the inner compartment no.