[en] AST-500 is designed for heat generations and supply for heating and hot water applications

[en] History of heating reactor developments in two sites, Gorky and Voronezh, using AST-500 was reviewed. After interruption of construction for several years, decisions were made to resume the constructions. At Voronezh, based on the environmental assessment and the review of the IAEA OSART mission, the construction was resumed in 1996. In the course of construction resumption, design upgrading has been implemented in the following aspects: reclassification of station-level equipment concerning its importance for safety; control and instrumentation systems retrofitting with reliance on new generation element bases; application of self-actuated safety devices; and implementation of additional instrumentation for extended operating conditions. In Tomsk, Siberia, feasibility study is underway, which aims to replace the currently operating reactors with a twin-unit heating stations with AST-500 in order to provide heat to the district heating grids. In the study the NHP design is being assessed by a joint Russian-American Study Team from evaluation criteria such as design applicability and constructability, maturity of the design, safety aspects, technical uncertainty, available infrastructure, engineering and construction capabilities, site suitability, cost and schedule. Positive possibilities are foreseen to reuse the components previously delivered to the Gorky site, according to the assessments of structures and technological tools necessary for the re-erection work were, man-power needed for the equipment dismantling, inspection and re-erection and storage conditions. The construction cost is estimated as US$446 per KW(th). (author)

[en] Development activity in the field of nuclear reactors for district heating purposes was initiated in the ex-USSR in the middle 1970s. It was stimulated by a growing deficiency of fossil fuels needed to provide for the heating of large cities in the European regions of the country. Construction of two pilot twin-reactor nuclear district stations was started in the early 1980s in the cities of Gorky and Voronezh. Nuclear heating reactor AST-500, developed by OKB Mechanical Engineering, has a number of unique engineering features, e.g. integral lay-out of primary system's components, natural coolant circulation, steam-gas self-pressurizing system, additional safety vessel around the reactor unit, etc. All these specific features, which were adopted in order to assure enhanced safety of the reactor plant, required fulfilment of an extensive R and D program. Description of the reference AST-500 design features is given in this paper, as well as respective R and D activities carried out for the design solutions and safety validation. Currently, activity in the field is directed to AST-500 design upgrading and development and also to a whole series of heating-only and co-generation reactor plants ranging from 30 to 600 MW(th) for the new generation nuclear stations. (orig.)

[en] NHR development activities in the ex-USSR were initiated in the 1970s mainly due to a growing deficiency of organic fuels needed for heating large cities in the European part of the country. Construction of two pilot nuclear district heating plants with AST-500 NHRs was started in the early 1980s, and by 1989 the first unit in Gorky NDHP was nearly 90% completed. Current activity in this field is concentrated on upgrading the AST-500 design and on the development on this basis of a whole series of heating-only and co-generation reactor plants of unit power ranging from 30 to 600 MW. A brief description of the AST-500 reference NHR design features is given, as well as of the R and D activities that have been carried out for the design decisions and safety validation. (author). 12 refs, 1 tab

[en] Experimental Design Bureau of Mechanical Engineering (OKBM) specializes in the development of small and medium power reactors having different purposes. They include reactor plants for NPHPP, nuclear district heating power plants and propulsion plants. Small and medium power plants have simpler processes of electricity and heat production, less systems, simpler control algorithms and considerably enhanced inherent safety properties. These plants are mainly equipped with passive safety systems. These properties are especially characteristic for reactor plants of nuclear district heating power plants and HTG reactor plants. The designs of small and medium power plants actually provide a high degree of control automation which considerably reduces workload on the personnel in both normal and abnormal operation conditions. All this allows the reduction in personnel for small and medium power reactors if compared to high capacity reactor plants. But due to objective reasons the specific number of personnel (man/MW) for average and especially small capacity reactors considerably exceeds the value for high capacity reactor plants. At the same time one can propose a set of organization - technical measures allowing the increase in this value in future. Safety requirements imposed for small and average capacity reactors are the same or more strict than those for high capacity reactors. That's why the requirements to the training of personnel for such reactor plants are not allowed to be lowered if compared to the requirements imposed to the personnel of high capacity reactors. (author)

[en] This report deals with design features of nuclear plants on the basis of integral light water reactors (LWRs) of AST, ATEC and VPBER types developed by OKBM. Special attention is given to environmental safety of the power plants. Their significant advantages in terms of environmental impacts are shown compared with conventional plants using fossil fuels. (orig.)

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[en] Presented are the design features for plant protection from impacts of external events used in the design of the VBER-300 reactor, a small PWR for land-based and floating co-generation nuclear power plants (NPPs) thoroughly based on the experience in design and operation of marine modular reactors and NPPs with reactors of the VVER type. The VBER-300 reactor unit has a double protective shell (double containments) with spatially separated and redundant penetrations of process system channels and is designed in strict compliance with the Russian Federation regulatory codes and standards defining NPP performance under external events. The analysis of excitation frequencies and load distributions within the reactor unit under extreme external impacts caused by a maximum design earthquake and a maximum postulated aircraft crash provides a proof that the VBER-300 design ensures the implementation of all basic requirements to NPP performance under external event impacts. (author)

[en] The concept of WBER reactor facilities of block type for regional power production is considered, it is based on combination of technologies of transport nuclear steam generating plants with solutions developed in civil nuclear power industry for core and fuel cycle. Design, technological and operational characteristics of WBER-600 reactor, confirmed by referentiality on the base of ship facilities and WWER fuel, are aimed at ensuring competitive technical-and-economic characteristics of midsize NPP (safety, reliability, maneuverability, flexibility in application, duration and cost of construction, operating cost values). The achieved midsize NPP characteristics allow to consider them as a promising direction of nuclear energy use in addition to the high-power NPP power units

[en] Paper describes the basic designing approaches and parameters of the WBER-300 reactor plant for 150-300 MW power units of the NPP and the nuclear heat power plants. The modular reactor facility is based on the proven technologies and approaches to design and to construct vessel reactor facilities (ice breakers). One substantiates the engineering and economical advantages of the floating power plants