27.02.2023
THE SMOLENSK NPP INFORMATION AND PUBLIC RELATIONS DEPARTMENT
The Smolensk NPP sent the first batch of valuable cobalt-60 isotope
The Smolensk NPP sent the first ever batch of cobalt-60 from 4 containers - two additional cobalt absorbers with cobalt-60 capsules out of 80 available to the Leningrad NPP. This is a key event in achieving the strategic goal of Rosatom State Corporation to create new products for the Russian and international markets.
Cobalt-60 is used in the production of gamma radiation sources widely used in medicine, industry and agriculture. The most widely used Co-60 of Rosenergoatom is in the production of IRS (ionizing radiation sources) Co-60 for irradiation plants that sterilize medical devices, food and other products. One shipment of Co-60 from the SNPP will allow sterilizing at least 30,000 m3 of medical products.
“Cobalt-60 does not exist in nature, it is a product of high technology. Its experience is included in the large-scale project of Rosenergoatom, which is part of the strategy of the isotope business of the State Corporation Rosatom and the industry program "Development of Nuclear Medicine and Technologies", which is operated by Rusatom Healthcare JSC. Rosenergoatom is one of the main producers of cobalt-60 in the world. RBMK-type reactors operated at the Smolensk NPP have a competitive advantage over other types of power reactors in terms of isotope production. Without changing the design technological cycle of power generation, our reactor plants can reliably irradiate materials and ensure stable supplies of the valuable isotope,” Pavel Lubensky, director of the Smolensk NPP, noted.
The Smolensk NPP began to practically master a new type of activity for itself in 2017. Rods of additional cobalt absorbers (SDPK) manufactured by JSC Mashinostroitelny Zavod (part of the Fuel Company TVEL of Rosatom State Corporation) were loaded into the reactor plants of three power units in stages.
Each additional absorber is 144 nickel-plated natural cobalt-59 capsules. In total, 80 SDPK were loaded into the reactors of the Smolensk NPP in 2017-2019. The first unloaded batch - 2 SDPK, 4 containers. Permission from Rostekhnadzor was received to increase the load in the reactor of power unit No. 3. The planned period of "maturation" - the transformation of the starting material into the cobalt-60 isotope - is about 5 years.
“Since 2017, a huge amount of work has been done to prepare for the extraction of irradiated cobalt-60. A set of domestic handling equipment for handling irradiated rods was designed, manufactured, assembled and tested. At the beginning of 2023, we started to generate irradiated products that have accumulated the required level of activity. The entire volume of additional absorbers loaded into SNPP power units in 2017-2019 will be removed within 2.5-3 years and new ones will be gradually loaded,” said Anatoly Karpinsky, deputy chief engineer for safety and reliability of SNPP. Now the rods of additional absorbers are being removed from the reactors of power units No. 1 and 2. In the at-reactor storage pools under a protective layer of water, they are disassembled into separate links, then placed in transport and packaging containers. On specialized transport, in compliance with all safety requirements for handling radioactive materials, they were sent to the Leningrad NPP to prepare consignments for shipment to the customer.
The volumes of cobalt-60 planned for production at the Smolensk NPP are contracted for the entire period of operation of the power units.
In addition to the production of cobalt-60, the Smolensk NPP is preparing to create new products - the production of medical isotopes of iodine-131, molybdenum-99 and lutetium-177 to provide Russian manufacturers of radiopharmaceuticals.
Pictures and videos on the topic can be found at the links:
https://disk.yandex.ru/d/B3MbMX5ywAHybQ (фото)
и https://disk.yandex.ru/d/O52jmAA-cfItHw (видео).
For reference:
JSC Rusatom Healthcare (JSC RHC) is a division that accumulates the expertise of the State Corporation Rosatom in the sphere of healthcare. The company was created on the basis of enterprises and institutes of Rosatom with the aim of comprehensive development of medical technologies in Russia and abroad. Rusatom Healthcare is developing in four main areas: integrated solutions for turnkey medicine from high-tech nuclear medicine centers to mobile feldsher and obstetric stations in hard-to-reach areas; production and supply of medical isotopes and radiopharmaceuticals (80% of the market in Russia, deliveries to 50 countries of the world); equipment for diagnostics and therapy; solutions for ionizing treatment of medical products.
Cobalt-60 is used in the production of gamma radiation sources widely used in medicine, industry and agriculture. The most widely used Co-60 of Rosenergoatom is in the production of IRS (ionizing radiation sources) Co-60 for irradiation plants that sterilize medical devices, food and other products. One shipment of Co-60 from the SNPP will allow sterilizing at least 30,000 m3 of medical products.
“Cobalt-60 does not exist in nature, it is a product of high technology. Its experience is included in the large-scale project of Rosenergoatom, which is part of the strategy of the isotope business of the State Corporation Rosatom and the industry program "Development of Nuclear Medicine and Technologies", which is operated by Rusatom Healthcare JSC. Rosenergoatom is one of the main producers of cobalt-60 in the world. RBMK-type reactors operated at the Smolensk NPP have a competitive advantage over other types of power reactors in terms of isotope production. Without changing the design technological cycle of power generation, our reactor plants can reliably irradiate materials and ensure stable supplies of the valuable isotope,” Pavel Lubensky, director of the Smolensk NPP, noted.
The Smolensk NPP began to practically master a new type of activity for itself in 2017. Rods of additional cobalt absorbers (SDPK) manufactured by JSC Mashinostroitelny Zavod (part of the Fuel Company TVEL of Rosatom State Corporation) were loaded into the reactor plants of three power units in stages.
Each additional absorber is 144 nickel-plated natural cobalt-59 capsules. In total, 80 SDPK were loaded into the reactors of the Smolensk NPP in 2017-2019. The first unloaded batch - 2 SDPK, 4 containers. Permission from Rostekhnadzor was received to increase the load in the reactor of power unit No. 3. The planned period of "maturation" - the transformation of the starting material into the cobalt-60 isotope - is about 5 years.
“Since 2017, a huge amount of work has been done to prepare for the extraction of irradiated cobalt-60. A set of domestic handling equipment for handling irradiated rods was designed, manufactured, assembled and tested. At the beginning of 2023, we started to generate irradiated products that have accumulated the required level of activity. The entire volume of additional absorbers loaded into SNPP power units in 2017-2019 will be removed within 2.5-3 years and new ones will be gradually loaded,” said Anatoly Karpinsky, deputy chief engineer for safety and reliability of SNPP. Now the rods of additional absorbers are being removed from the reactors of power units No. 1 and 2. In the at-reactor storage pools under a protective layer of water, they are disassembled into separate links, then placed in transport and packaging containers. On specialized transport, in compliance with all safety requirements for handling radioactive materials, they were sent to the Leningrad NPP to prepare consignments for shipment to the customer.
The volumes of cobalt-60 planned for production at the Smolensk NPP are contracted for the entire period of operation of the power units.
In addition to the production of cobalt-60, the Smolensk NPP is preparing to create new products - the production of medical isotopes of iodine-131, molybdenum-99 and lutetium-177 to provide Russian manufacturers of radiopharmaceuticals.
Pictures and videos on the topic can be found at the links:
https://disk.yandex.ru/d/B3MbMX5ywAHybQ (фото)
и https://disk.yandex.ru/d/O52jmAA-cfItHw (видео).
For reference:
JSC Rusatom Healthcare (JSC RHC) is a division that accumulates the expertise of the State Corporation Rosatom in the sphere of healthcare. The company was created on the basis of enterprises and institutes of Rosatom with the aim of comprehensive development of medical technologies in Russia and abroad. Rusatom Healthcare is developing in four main areas: integrated solutions for turnkey medicine from high-tech nuclear medicine centers to mobile feldsher and obstetric stations in hard-to-reach areas; production and supply of medical isotopes and radiopharmaceuticals (80% of the market in Russia, deliveries to 50 countries of the world); equipment for diagnostics and therapy; solutions for ionizing treatment of medical products.
career
Innovations
Projects
INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS