01.07.2016
The Balakovo NPP Information and Public Relations Administration
The Balakovo NPP: the innovative REMIX fuel has been loaded into the 3rd power block’s reactor
The first fuel assemblies containing the innovative REMIX fuel have been loaded into the Balakovo NPP 3rd power block’s reactor, which means that uranium will be used in the nuclear power industry in a more efficient way.
The core fueling operation was carried out as a part of the planned maintenance reparations at the power block. Upon its completion on August 9, 2016, the pilot production of the new VVER reactor nuclear fuel will start.
The REMIX fuel is produced from an indiscrete mixture of reprocessed uranium and plutonium derived from spent nuclear fuel reprocessing. A small amount of enriched uranium is added to the mixture.
Thus, both the plutonium contained in the irradiated fuel and the unburned uranium-235 are re-used. When implemented in production on a large scale, this technology will potentially serve to cut the natural uranium consumption in the nuclear power industry.
“All in all, along with the standard fuel, three fuel assemblies, each of them containing both ordinary uranium fuel pins (an assembly accommodates over 300 of them) and six REMIX fuel elements, have been loaded into the reactor”, Alexander Ermolaev, the head of the Balakovo NPP nuclear security and reliability department, commented. “This amount is pretty much enough to confirm the new fuel pins’ designed capabilities based on the outcomes of the pilot production”.
It is planned that the loaded REMIX fuel will remain at the Balakovo NPP 3rd power block’s reactor core for at least 2 fuel campaigns, which is around 3 years. During that time, operation inspection will be in place. Once the irradiated fuel assemblies are offloaded from the reactor, they will be delivered to a special place for post-reactor investigation.
Over a dozen of Russian nuclear power companies have been involved in the project, including but not limited to the V.G. Khlopin Radium Institute, the NRC “Kurchatov Institute”, the OKB “GIDROPRESS”, the TVEL fuel companies, the Rosenergoatom Concern, and many more. The TVS-2M fuel assemblies for the VVER-1000 reactor were manufactured and equipped with the new fuel pins at the Novosibirsk Chemical Concentrates Plant.
The Balakovo NPP is an affiliate for the Rosenergoatom Concern OJSC. The plant is located on the left bank of the Saratov water reservoir, 10 kilometers to the north-east from the city of Balakovo, the Saratov Region. The NPP has four power block with modern VVER-1000 reactors (B-320 modification) boasting an electric capacity of 100 megawatts each. The first power block was launched operational in 1985, with the second, the third, and the fourth one being started in 1987, 1988, and 1993 respectively. The Balakovo NPP is one of the biggest and most contemporary power companies in Russia accounting for 25% of the electric power output in the Volga federal district, which caters to the population of the Volga region, the Central region, the Ural, and the Siberia.
The Balakovo NPP Information and Public Relations Administration.
The core fueling operation was carried out as a part of the planned maintenance reparations at the power block. Upon its completion on August 9, 2016, the pilot production of the new VVER reactor nuclear fuel will start.
The REMIX fuel is produced from an indiscrete mixture of reprocessed uranium and plutonium derived from spent nuclear fuel reprocessing. A small amount of enriched uranium is added to the mixture.
Thus, both the plutonium contained in the irradiated fuel and the unburned uranium-235 are re-used. When implemented in production on a large scale, this technology will potentially serve to cut the natural uranium consumption in the nuclear power industry.
“All in all, along with the standard fuel, three fuel assemblies, each of them containing both ordinary uranium fuel pins (an assembly accommodates over 300 of them) and six REMIX fuel elements, have been loaded into the reactor”, Alexander Ermolaev, the head of the Balakovo NPP nuclear security and reliability department, commented. “This amount is pretty much enough to confirm the new fuel pins’ designed capabilities based on the outcomes of the pilot production”.
It is planned that the loaded REMIX fuel will remain at the Balakovo NPP 3rd power block’s reactor core for at least 2 fuel campaigns, which is around 3 years. During that time, operation inspection will be in place. Once the irradiated fuel assemblies are offloaded from the reactor, they will be delivered to a special place for post-reactor investigation.
Over a dozen of Russian nuclear power companies have been involved in the project, including but not limited to the V.G. Khlopin Radium Institute, the NRC “Kurchatov Institute”, the OKB “GIDROPRESS”, the TVEL fuel companies, the Rosenergoatom Concern, and many more. The TVS-2M fuel assemblies for the VVER-1000 reactor were manufactured and equipped with the new fuel pins at the Novosibirsk Chemical Concentrates Plant.
The Balakovo NPP is an affiliate for the Rosenergoatom Concern OJSC. The plant is located on the left bank of the Saratov water reservoir, 10 kilometers to the north-east from the city of Balakovo, the Saratov Region. The NPP has four power block with modern VVER-1000 reactors (B-320 modification) boasting an electric capacity of 100 megawatts each. The first power block was launched operational in 1985, with the second, the third, and the fourth one being started in 1987, 1988, and 1993 respectively. The Balakovo NPP is one of the biggest and most contemporary power companies in Russia accounting for 25% of the electric power output in the Volga federal district, which caters to the population of the Volga region, the Central region, the Ural, and the Siberia.
The Balakovo NPP Information and Public Relations Administration.
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