At BN-800 unit under construction of Beloyarsk NPP in June there passed two more important stages: the main and safety reactor vessels passed strength, tightness and leakage tests, and in the turbine island there were installed vibration dampers connected as “turbine-generator”.  

Tests of the main and safety reactor vessels were the next stage of the quality conformance inspection. Particular attention was paid to the installation quality check of support assemblies of the pump, heat exchangers and corrugated expansion joints. First, the vessel was filled up with pressurized air, then the pressure was relieved, and instead of air the vessel was refilled with helium, after which all the weld seams and reactor vessel were checked by special equipment detecting leakage of helium. The tests have passed successfully, and the next ones will take place in 2013, when the main and safety reactor vessels will be tested all-round with other equipment.    

And in the turbine island of the unit under construction there was carried out a unique mounting of vibration dampers under the combination of “turbine-generator”. The vibration dampers are designed for partial absorbing of vibration of the operating assembly on the foundation of the unit. One turbine generator producing electric power of 880 MW will be installed at the new unit. Such high capacity of the machine has led to the installation of additional systems for damping the vibration.

The vibration dampers installation process passed involving the representatives of the German manufacturer. Now the base plate, which will be supported by these vibration dampers, is being prepared for the filling up. Then the mounting of the turbine and generator will be started.

Under the current schedule of works, in autumn of 2013 there will take place the first criticality of BN-800 (the beginning of the controlled-chain reaction), and in 2014 – energy startup of the unit (the beginning of electric energy production).

Beloyarsk NPP was commissioned in April 1964. It’s the first nuclear power plant of the largest nuclear power industry of the country and the only one with different operating reactors at the same plant. The first Beloyarsk NPP power units with thermal reactors AMB-100 and AMB-200 have been stopped due to resource exhaustion. The power unit with BN-600 fast neutron reactor of industrial power level nowadays operates as the unique in the world. The power unit with BN-800 fast neutron reactor is at present under construction. Fast neutron power units are designed to significantly expand the fuel base of the nuclear power engineering and minimize RAW by means of closed NFC management.

On line data on the radiation environment near nuclear power plants in Russia and other nuclear facilities are provided on website www.russianatom.ru