Smolensk Nuclear Power Plant

Writes blogger nikultsev:

This Friday I was able to visit the Smolensk Nuclear Power Plant (SNPP).
This is my first press tour (blog-tour) in my life, I will try very detailed, and most importantly interesting to tell you about this trip.
34 photos





Honestly, I did not expect such purity, security, organization, and I thought, "I'll come and see the devastation, the dirt and the like." But even came to town, I began to realize that I was terribly wrong in their assumptions.



Smolensk NPP is located in the Smolensk region is 3 km from the city of Desnogorsk. Smolensk NPP - the largest energy companies of Northwest region.

The total plant capacity of 3000 MW. Type reactor is operated RMBK-1000. The first unit was put into commercial operation in December 1982, the second - in 1985, the third - in 1990.

Originally it was planned to build two queues on two blocks, but in 1986 the construction of the fourth unit has been terminated due to an accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.



We got on peresmenku. Each shift works 8 hours, the station is working around the clock.

At the entrance to each person must pass a metal detector, then go to a special booth to make a pass. When the doors open the employee comes into the booth, enter the secret code and puts his hand to that scans biometric hand. Also checked the picture the person as well as the weight of the employee! no more than the allowable discrepancy 10kg!



There are Hall of Fame.



The city is home to about 30 thousand people, is a city-forming enterprise. Employees station about 4.5 thousand people! About 4 million people cooperate with the station.

Also, fish are bred at the station! The annual discharge of 40 tonnes of fish around! Reservoir year-round water temperature of 28 degrees Celsius!



There is a zone around the plant observing a radius of 30 kilometers! Continuing the analysis of soil, water and measuring the background radiation.

Also landscaped 11 springs, they enjoy local fame holy sources.

All the dress in a special white clothing: hats, socks, shirts, overalls, shoes, gloves, earplugs and helmets.



Also issued a special counter which measures the radiation background.



Then we go through a special room where the door closes automatically and runs a quick check for contamination. Just like in the movies, or video games!

The main circulation pump is a continuous circulation of the coolant in each loop multiple forced circulation circuit. A total of 4, but works 3, the other - a reserve.



Pump water to the discharge manifold, and from there to dispensers group headers from which is supplied to the technological channels of the reactor where it is heated and partially vaporized outlet pressure: 70 kgf / cm2, temperature: 284.5 ° !! ..

Steam mixture is then fed into the drum separator, where the water is separated from the steam. Separated water standpipe pipeline back in the intake manifold main circulation pumps, carrying out its multiple circulation through the reactor. The steam from the heat conductors Drum separators is sent to the turbines.

Performance of the main circulation pump - 8000 m3 / h !!!, engine power 5.5 MW. MCP is a sophisticated unit with an autonomous system of oil supply and sealing systems, eliminating the external contour of water leakage.



Rises to a height of 35.5 meters.



A couple of turns through the corridors, and we find ourselves in the reactor hall. Going through the corridors, we step on a special adhesive paper that sticks to the dust from the soles.



The reactor is placed in a concrete pit dimensions 21.6 * 21.6 * 25.5 m. In the reactor shaft - graphite stack. Graphite acts as a neutron moderator and reflector of neutrons to return to the active zone, followed by their participation in a chain reaction of nuclear fission of the atom U 235.



Inside the graphite columns are through holes that accommodate technological channels. Inside each channel placed fuel assemblies consisting of fuel elements - ampoule with fuel - has a diameter of about 12 mm with a height of 3.5 m. The two series-connected fuel assemblies, each containing 18 fuel elements each form a fuel cartridge, the length of which is 7 m. < br />


Uranium-graphite, channel-type RBMK reactor at Smolensk NPP is a source of heat energy, and manufacturer of steam. The fuel for the nuclear reaction in the reactor, uranium is U-235 enriched to 2.6-2.8%. Originating in the decay of U-235 nuclei nuclear reaction is accompanied by the release of huge amounts of energy, which is used to produce steam.



The advantage of RBMK reactors before the vessel type, the replacement of spent cartridges which requires shutdown of the reactor, is the ability to overload tapes during reactor operation at nominal capacity. Congestion made unloading and loading machine (REM), which is controlled remotely. The machine is hermetically joined to the top part of the production channel, the pressure therein is equalized with the pressure in the channel, then the spent fuel cartridge is removed and replaced with a fresh set.



The spent fuel is placed first in the storage pools, located in the central hall, and then transported to the storage of spent nuclear fuel.

Unfortunately we were not given to photograph the glow in the water pools.
At a depth of 20 meters you can see a blue glow. This is the Cerenkov effect - the glow induced in a transparent medium of charged particles that move at a speed exceeding the phase velocity of light in this medium. Cherenkov radiation is widely used in high-energy physics to register relativistic particles and determine their velocities.

The radiation background in rekatornom Hall 7 micro-roentgen per hour!



Transferred to a block of the control point.
In the elevator notice about the numbers keys - is the height on which the floor.



Block remote control for automated process control. In the event of failure of the remote - stopping block and control the state of its systems and equipment is carried from the backup control panel.



Smolensk NPP is the safest nuclear power plants in Russia and is one of 10 best in the world NPP!
In fact, from its reactors it has only the title, after the disaster at Chernobyl reactors were greatly upgraded.



If all the workers, the management station, try to bring the station before the explosion, such as Chernobyl, it will not work because the system of automated management shut down the reactor and nothing will happen.



On the unit control panel is 3, each of which operates a leading engineer in charge of the allotted equipment.



Lead Engineer unit control: direct control and management of equipment
security panels: multiple forced circulation circuit, a system of drainage and steam distribution, etc.



Leading engineer turbine control: direct control and management of turbine generators and their auxiliary systems and the needs of consumers own block.



Leading engineer of reactor control: direct control and management of the reactor through a system of control and protection, control and regulate the flow of coolant through the channels of the reactor systems, temperature control, etc.



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We put on earplugs and stomp to the turbine hall.
Hall length of about 600 meters. There are installed turbines, generators and a complex system of piping, then heated by the water in the loop reactor is converted into electricity.



Turbine is a five-cylinder unit: high-pressure cylinder and four-cylinder low pressure. First steam is triggered in the cylinder high-pressure (to 69.5 kg / cm 2 to 2.5 kgf / cm2 at a temperature of 280 degrees), then dried and heated in the separator-reheaters and distributed to the four cylinders of low pressure.



Generator - phase, with hydrogen cooling of the rotor and the stator water cooling. The output voltage of the generator 20 kV 50 Hz. After the generator voltage rises block transformers up to 500 kV outdoor switchgear through the electricity supplied to the integrated power system.



All cylinders turbine rotors and generator are combined into a single shaft. Shaft speed - 3000 rpm / min. The total length of the turbogenerator 39 m, its mass - 1200.



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To return to your usual clothes need to go through a dual system of radiation control.
Primary extends clothing can be measured background art.



If the control system you seemed clean enough, she will not let you and you have to clean off dirt from a certain point of the body.

Second pass, when you are stripped to their underwear, if you are dirty, you must bathe in a special soul.



The key to the Smolensk NPP in the local museum



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