The technical design of the automated process control system (APCS) for units 1 and 2 of Russia’s Kursk II NPP has been approved, Rusatom Automated Control Systems JSC (RASU JSC) said in a statement on 17 July. “Early submission of the second revision of the technical design of the APCS at Kursk II will allow timely consideration of design decisions when contracting equipment and ensure delivery in accordance with the work schedule,” stressed Vladimir Baranov, Kursk II project manager at RASU JSC. Based on the design the equipment for the APCS for the VVER-TOI project will be developed. Specialists from RASU JSC, Atomenergoproekt JSC, OKB Gidropress JSC, and SRC Kurchatov Institute took part in its development.
The technical design contains key solutions that will provide a sufficient level of automation to guarantee reliable management and safe operation of power units, which will minimise the risk of errors associated with the "human factor", the statement said. It also takes into account the optimised design and technical solutions for automation provided by the suppliers of equipment and ICS systems selected based on the results of competitive procedures.
The design has a number of advantages, said Nikolai Mitrofanov, First Deputy Director for Construction of New Units. It allows you to reduce the cost of developing APCS equipment while maintaining all the requirements for the functions performed. Here, the prospects for modernizing the system, reducing the workload on personnel during its maintenance are laid, the degree of automation of the processes for controlling the operating modes of the power unit and measuring technological parameters has been increased, ”said Nikolai Mitrofanov, First Deputy Director for Construction of New Units, noted the features of the technical project.
Timely approval of the technical design of the process control system will allow us to understand the configuration of the system in the early stages and ensure the purchase of high-quality equipment. The technical project data is also necessary to begin work on the development of a full-scale simulator for power units of the VVER-TOI project.
Earlier in July, Kursk II said the installation of columns of the foundation of the highest cooling tower in Russia had begun. The builders have erected the first four columns of the base of the cooling tower for unit 1. A total of 100 reinforced concrete columns will be installed around the circumference of the ring foundation of the tower. They will carry the load from the reinforced concrete shell of the exhaust tower. Installation of one column with a height of 13.6 metres and a mass of 20 tons now takes from 7 to 10 hours. The process of installing columns requires “jewellery accuracy”, since it is necessary to strictly observe the angles of inclination, the plant noted.
“The design of the Kursk II cooling tower took into account the experience of operating cooling towers of other NPPs, as a result of which we were able to increase the heat removal capacity on our cooling tower by about 22%. This will allow us to work without reducing energy production, even in the hottest summer period,” said Aleksey Volnov, chief engineer at Kursk II. Installation of 100 columns is planned to be completed by early October. After the installation of the inclined colonnade is completed, the builders will proceed with the construction of the lower monolithic belt, on which the exhaust tower will be built. At 179 metres, the Kursk II cooling tower will become the highest in Russia.
