At the power unit No 4 of Rostov NPP, as a part of the pre-launching stage of the equipment review, the fuel assembly imitators (FAI) are being extracted from the core of the reactor facility.

The imitators are items that are used instead of regular fuel assemblies during the commissioning until obtaining a license to load fuel into the reactor. Their design completely repeats that of the standard fuel assemblies in size, weight, and structural materials (except of the nuclear fuel).

At the moment, with the help of a polar crane, the specialists have removed the upper unit and the head of the reactor at the power unit No 4. At the same time, they inspect all the reactor’s units and equipment that passed the hot trial, i.e. worked within a month at the set operational parameters (with the pressure of 160 kg/sq cm and the temperature of +280 degrees Celsius in the primary circuit).

Also, the reactor facility electrics is undergoing the review. The constructors and installers document the commissioning of the premises of the main building.

The review of the main and auxiliary equipment of the primary and the secondary circuits of the reactor unit is in accordance with the plan for the preparation of the power unit No 4 for physical launch. The procedure is carried out by specialists of the contractors engaged in the construction and installation; among them there are such companies as Sezam, Atomenergoremont, Atomtekhenergo as adjusters, and specialists of the Centralized Repair Shop of Rostov NPP as customer service supervisors.

“The equipment review will confirm power unit’s readiness to the physical launch, i.е. to loading of the fuel assemblies with nuclear fuel into the reactor”, the Head of the Reactor Shop of the Phase II Oleg Vysotskiy said.

It is to be recalled that the equipment review stage has begun on 17 October and will last for 25 days.