The first electrical installation work has begun at the construction site of unit 2 of Russia’s Kursk II NPP. The work involves installing sensors for an automated stress-strain state monitoring system (ASC VAT) - one of many systems designed to ensure the safety of the unit.
Dmitry Koshelev, Deputy Chief Engineer of the Novovoronezh representative office of LLC Corporation ES CSM, from the contracting organisation performing the work, said19 sensors will be installed under the base plate. “As the reactor building is erected, sensors will be installed in the base plate and in the containment shell. The system will monitor the state of the entire structure – roll and pressure on the base. This is important for the safety of the power unit.”
The same system has already been installed at unit 1. Two parts of the ASK VAT were mounted there (19 sensors under the “base” of the foundation, and 10 in the basement plate itself), as well as at the Novovoronezh and Belarusian NPPs. The sensors are metal "pancakes" with a complex filling. Nikolay Bobelev, chief engineer for capital construction at Kursk II, said: “Taking into account the experience gained in the construction of the 1st unit, the work on the second will be optimised. In December, a key event is expected at this site - the beginning of the reinforcement of the base plate of the reactor building.”
Earlier this year the core catcher was delivered for unit 1. It was the first large-sized component delivered to the construction site. Installation is scheduled for December 2018.
Kursk II will replace the current Kursk NPP, where four RBMK units are approaching the end of their operating lives. The aim is to synchronise the new type of VVER-TOI reactor, planned for Kursk II with decommissioning of Kursk 1&2 at the existing plant. Kursk II-1 is provisionally scheduled to enter service in 2020, unit 2 in 2023, unit 3 in 2024 and unit 4 in 2026. Kursk II comprises pilot generation 3+ VVER-TOI units (water-powered reactors with standard optimised information) with an electric capacity of 1255MWe and a design life of 60 years.
