Russian fuel company TVEL (past of state nuclear corporation Rosatom) said on 15 June that work has begun to install equipment at the fuel fabrication/re-fabrication unit of the Pilot Demonstration Energy Complex (ODEK), which is under construction at the site of Siberian Chemical Plant in Seversk.
ODEK, part of the Proryv (Breakthrough) project, will include three linked facilities, making up a closed nuclear fuel cycle at one site: a fuel fabrication/re-fabrication unit (FRU), a 300MW nuclear power plant with the lead-cooled fast neutron BREST-OD-300 reactor, and a unit for used fuel reprocessing.
The first shop-floor prepared for equipment installation is the decontamination section of the fuel rods production line. Currently, there are over 40 items of equipment with total weight about 110 tons at the FRU site.
“There is no other such equipment anywhere else in the world, and, thus, no typical approach for construction of such facilities. This project is unique completely, from the drawings to the installation schemes”, said Alexander Gusev, deputy director general of Siberian Chemical Plant in charge for the “Proryv” project.
Instalation of the main equipment is being planned using digital 4d modelling, to minimise any possible mismatches and optimise the sequence of works.
The installation phase at the FRU will last about 18 months, TVEL said. Meanwhile, the site of the future BREST-OD-300 reactor, is being prepared for the start of construction.
The Proryv project targets creation of the new technology platform for the industry with closed nuclear fuel cycle, as well as tackling the issues of used nuclear fuel and radioactive waste.
Photo: Pilot Demonstration Energy Complex (Credit: Rosatom)
