Russia completes hot tests at Rostov 4

Hot tests have been completed on the reactor equipment of unit 4 of the Rostov nuclear power plant in Russia. The VVER-1000/V-320 reactor is scheduled for start-up this year. Atomproekt, an engineering subsidiary of the state nuclear corporation Rosatom, said the tests are a mandatory part of preparations for the physical start-up, namely fuel loading.

Hot tests have been completed on the reactor equipment of unit 4 of the Rostov nuclear power plant in Russia. The VVER-1000/V-320 reactor is scheduled for start-up this year. Atomproekt, an engineering subsidiary of the state nuclear corporation Rosatom, said the tests are a mandatory part of preparations for the physical start-up, namely fuel loading.

The four units at Rostov (Image: Rosatom)

The Rostov plant is located on the banks of the Tsimlyansk reservoir, nearly 14 km (8 miles) from the city of Volgodonsk. Four 1000 MWe VVER pressurised water reactors have been planned at the Rostov site since the early 1980s. Construction of units 1 and 2 began promptly, but progress faltered. Units 1 and 2 eventually entered commercial operation in March 2001 and October 2010, respectively. Unit 3 was connected to the grid in December 2014, while the reactor pressure vessel was installed at unit 4 in December 2015. Testing of the hermetic enclosure system of the containment building of unit 4 was completed early last month.

In a statement on 16 October, Atomproekt said its specialists had conducted the entire pre-start-up testing phase, which includes testing the protective systems of the first and second circuits against excess pressure, the operation of the main circulating pumps and the power supply systems for auxiliary needs. Comprehensive verification of the reactor control system was also carried out.

"In total, more than 150 tests were carried out for the whole stage of cold and hot testing of the assembled reactor equipment. In the hot phase, which began on September 13, the tests were carried out according to the given operating parameters - the pressure in the primary circuit was 160 kg/sq cm and the temperature was 280 degrees Celsius," Oleg Vysotsky, head of the reactor department for stage two of the Rostov nuclear power plant project, said.

"We have reached the finishing line of the program for preparing the unit for physical start-up," Aleksey Deriys, vice president for Russian projects at Atomproekt's parent company ASE, added. "The next stage after the completion of the hot tests is the revision of the main and auxiliary equipment of the first and second circuits of the power unit," he said.

ASE accounts for more than 30% of the global nuclear power plant construction market, according to the statement. It has projects in 15 countries and almost 80% of its order book is made up of work overseas.

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News