Kola Nuclear Power Plant (82 photos)

KoAES - the northernmost nuclear power plant in Europe. In Russia, there is another station in the Arctic - Bilibino, Chukotka. 4 power stations provide about 50% of installed capacity in the region. KoAES is 12 km from the city Polar Zori, which is home to around 15,000 people. The plant has about 2, 5000, not including contractors.





Starts Kola NPP woman - Galina Pyatkevich (pictured - left, bottom), the only woman in the USSR, who has worked in '22 shift supervisor. And the only woman in the world, launching a nuclear reactor!





Began our tour with a visit to the information center.



Chief Information Officer Tatiana Rozontova told us "the basics." How does a nuclear power plant, what kind of equipment is used as the station produces electricity, etc.



If Kola NPP reactor could use different types of fuel, then for his work during the day it would take 60 wagons of coal or fuel oil tanks 40 or 30 kg of uranium!



VVER - a VVER. VVER-s are widely used in nuclear power plants not only in Russia but also worldwide.



As we were told, not all visitors to the station knows that the final product of nuclear power electricity.







The fuel assembly - a huge "pencil", inside which are TVEL-s - fuel elements (pictured - zeleenye cylinders). Inside TVEL-s - uranium "pills" (uranium dioxide UO2). It is in TVEL-ah nuclear reaction takes place, accompanied by the release of heat energy, which is then passed to the coolant. TVEL reactor is a tube filled with pellets of uranium dioxide UO2 and hermetically sealed. TVEL tube made of zirconia doped with niobium.



In the reactor core occurs controlled chain reaction.



Tatiana stands on the "reactor" and explains how it works.



Several exhibits are devoted to national culture.



Protective suits for work at the station.



Well, finally, the attention ... Mystery of the Yellow BUG, ​​which I promised to reveal))) No area of ​​the Kola NPP has a unique object, KP LRW - complex processing of liquid radioactive waste. Kola nuclear power plant - the only station in Russia and in the world (!), Where there is both LRW. And yellow turtle is made of the final product processing - non-radioactive salt melt. View recycling scheme at the Kola nuclear power plant here. Another article on the subject - here.
A small comment: very good that at Kola NPP started to recycle. Reducing the volume of waste produced - it is right. But! Application of this technology does not solve the fundamental problem of waste through. Firstly, it is still necessary to store solid waste obtained in the filtration step. Secondly, the problem of the spent nuclear fuel can not be solved. SNF is still being taken to the "Lighthouse". And still it affects human health. The problem of waste - an important point for critics of the industry. It is ethical and reasonable to produce hazardous waste if no one knows what to do with this waste? While, as viable alternatives. And many countries have their full place in the life!



One aspect of the data center, designed for children. Protoshka Elektroshka and demonstrate that different devices consume different amounts of power. Yes, the boys have a girlfriend - Neytroshka)))



Our accompanying told that not all plant workers know who the bloggers)) Moreover, I can imagine their surprise when they met in the corridors of our company, hung with cameras. Incidentally, employees KoAES forbidden to carry cameras to the power station.



After the data center, we went directly to the station. A short briefing on safety (it held the deputy chief of the security services), distribution of helmets and we went directly to the production facilities.



Computer room. Here are installed turbine (yellow cylindrical structure on the top left), which enters the heated steam. The steam drives a turbine shaft connected to a generator that produces electricity. Next, electricity is passed through transformers to the network





Turbine TA-1 is older than me)))







What surprised me in the engine room. This is a huge number of all kinds of switches devices, similar gauges, valves, motors, etc. antediluvian I admit that the old = reliable. But for some reason I am not sure that since there was not anything new, more modern and reliable.





And, of course, affects the ease (at least apparent ease) equipment used. I wonder how quickly you can look into this maze of pipes in the event of any emergency situation.



computer room - the most noisy and hot at the station. Summer temperatures are increased too much over forty. Therefore, Bubbler - more than relevant.





The next room - a block control panel (control room, it - on the cover photo), by which parameters are controlled unit and is used to manage the process. In many places, the station cameras are installed,



... An image from which is fed to the control room monitors.







Panorama control room.



The culmination of the tour - visit the main reactor hall! Engineer of the reactor department Aleksandr Pavlovich Aptakov and head of the Public Information Centre Nigorenko Victoria Y. rsskazali us how the reactor as load and unload the rods from the reactor, etc.



Ladder on the reactor lid.



Here it is - the lid of the reactor.





Fotobloger the work)



Each participant is given a tour dosimeter. I have to say that at the end of the tour, he showed the same zeros, as in the beginning.



In some places, the station should not be delayed. For example, these "shelving". If I understand correctly, here put fuel assemblies, when taken out of the reactor.



Assembly is raised and lowered from the reactor back to using this thing.







Here again, it is interesting. Vintage telephone in the reactor hall. His left, as in the case of an accident rather digital counterparts will fail or for some other reason?



In the distance is visible cover of the second reactor.



Yes, I forgot to say. When you log in ZKD - controlled access zone, we put protective clothing: gowns, socks, boots and gloves.



When you exit the "dirty" areas all are checked for special devices.







Thank Avezniyazov Rinatovich. This man - the foreman of recycling. He led us to the KP liquid and show the work of the control room complex. Construction of plant for waste processing was carried out on the basis of what he has to withstand earthquakes of up to 7 points (the entire station - up to 6 points).



Bloggers heed the story of Glory Rinatovich about recycling.



Control panel CP LRW.







One of the employees of the newly born daughter)



But the former waste themselves.



In barrels - salt melt, which they bug) Of course, turtles do on an industrial scale. And you can use the resulting melt. For example, in road construction.





All kinds of grips for loading drums and containers.





Many rooms on the floor NPP applied informative layout: what, where, and what weight can and should be put.



In general, for any work on the station has special plates.



The output - control again.



Red box - "dirty" right foot. The girl did not wiped their feet on a special mat.



Radiometer. They checked the purity of the tripod in one of the photographers.





Warehouse overalls.





We leave the area controlled access.



The next item on the program - a simulator. Training facility, on which training of plant personnel. Every year the staff stations are here fortnightly sessions. The cost of the complex $ 6 million. Works complex since 2000. Head of the complex - Yuri Gorbachev explained what and how. And even organized a "crash", then "shut down the reactor».

Next will be a lot of pictures with buttons, levers, dials, etc. All this in the hall yansto training complex.

















In the last two photos - the flip side of the simulator.



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