Russian reactor down for life extension work

Thursday, 30 September 2010 The fifth reactor at Russia's Novovoronezh nuclear power station has entered a 260-day outage for modernization work that should see the 30-year old VVER-1000 reactor's operating life extended to 2040.

 

A general view of Novovoronezh

Novovoronezh 5 is the prototype of the VVER-1000 V-187 model, and is the first VVER-1000 to undergo modernization work to enable its life to be extended. A long list of work that will be carried out during the outage includes modernization of reactor management and protection systems, emergency reactor core cooling and emergency power supply and active components of security systems and radiation safety systems, as well as the installation of supplemental security and standard operation systems and improved diagnostics systems.

Russia's nuclear reactors were generally licensed for thirty years of operation, meaning that Novovoronezh 5 officially reached the end of its operating life on 6 September 2010. Since 2000, work has been under way to refurbish reactors in order to extend their operating lives, generally aiming for the goal of 15-year extensions for the older RBMK and VVER units and 25 years for VVER-1000s. So far 15-year extensions have been granted to Novovoronezh 3 and 4 (VVER-440s), Kursk 1 and 2 (RBMKs), Kola 1 and 2 (VVER-440s), and Leningrad 1-4 (RBMKs). According to the plant's public information centre, the modernization work on Novovoronezh 5 will extend its life by another 30 years.

Preparation for Novovoronezh 5's life extension began in 2003, including safety evaluations and feasibility studies. A plan for refurbishment, upgrade and life extension including total replacement of the reactor control system and 80% of electrical equipment, and fitting upgraded safety systems, was announced in mid-2009 with an initial cost estimate of 1.66 billion roubles ($52 million), which had grown to $300 million a few months later.

The Novovoronezh nuclear power plant is on the bank of the Don River, 42 kilometres south of the city of Voronezh. The first two units at the site, prototypes for the V-210 and V-365 VVER-440 units, closed in 1988 and 1990. Work started on a second plant, Novovoronezh II, in 2007. This is the lead site for deployment of the AES-2006 power plant design using VVER-1200 units. The first of the new units is due to be commissioned in 2012, with unit 2 following in 2013 and more units to come.

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News