Friday, 29 march 2019
On March 22, 2019, the reactor of the second unit of the Novovoronezh NPP-II nuclear power plant has reached the minimum controlled output. It is already the third VVER-1200 III + reactor.
Achieving the minimum controlled performance can be referred to as the “heart of the block”, a nuclear reactor. It opens the way to the second part of the physical launch, which in this case started on February 19, 2019 exactly as the work schedule. Before this start-up phase could be started, the Russian supervisory authority Rostechnadzor had to give permission to carry out the start-up work.
Novovoronezh power plant director Vladimir Povarov said: “Our team has prepared a new block to achieve the minimum controlled performance by the deadline. Achieving critical status safely and on time was possible thanks to the quality and timely execution of all planned work.”
ARAKO also has a share in the construction of new units of Novovoronezh NPP, which has been supplying special nuclear valves for the nuclear power plant for several years. The contract between mother company ATOMENERGOMASH and ATOMENERGOPROJEKT has been signed back in 2010 guaranteed valve supplies for new units at Novovoronezh NNP. ARAKO was enabled to take such a great oportunity, joining the project in its very beginning and consult all technical parametres to meet the main designer´s requirements for all implemented systems including valves.
In 2016, Unit 1 of the Novovoronezh power plant was launched as the first VVER-1200 reactor of the III + generation and was followed in 2017 by Unit 1 of the Leningrad II power plant. In the field of safety, the main feature of the VVER-1200 units is the combination of active and passive safety systems, which make the plant highly resistant to both internal and external risks. In fact, passive systems are capable of operating without high voltage power and without operator intervention. These include a melt trap (a facility for the localization of the molten active zone), a passive heat transfer system to the atmosphere through steam generators (providing long-term cooling of the reactor in the event of a failure of all high voltage sources) and others.
With launching the next unit at Novovoronezh, work lasting for several years was completed, during that ARAKO proved itself not only as a supplier of valves, but mainly as a knowledgeable partner for the construction of nuclear power plants of the Russian type worldwide.