Rooppur plant unit-2: Body parts of core safety system manufactured

The manufacture of the first body parts of hydro accumulators for passive core flooding system for the second unit of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant has been completed in Russia.

Passive core flooding system is the latest technology to provide safety, which is not affected by human errors.  It is a crucial element designed to release decay heat in the event of a serious coolant accident in the reactor's primary circuit.

Petrozavodsk Branch of "AEM-Technology," a concern of Atomenergomash, the machine-building division of the Russia's State Corporation Rosatom, has been manufacturing the system.

The parts will be sent to Bangladesh by the end of this year once the corresponding infrastructure is ready to install the parts in the reactor area, said a source at the Rooppur project.

The system comprises of eight thick-walled hydro accumulators, each having a capacity of 120 cubic metres. During operation, the accumulators are filled with boric acid solution designated for core cooling.

The body of each hydro accumulator is composed of three shells, each weighing 15.5 tonnes. Assembled with the in-vessel and bottom components, a passive core flooding system accumulator weighs about 77 tonnes.

Light water reactors are the most used at nuclear power generation plants and it is known as conventional technology too.

The nuclear power plant at Ishwardi in Pabna will have two power units, each having 1,200 megawatts of capacity, and the first unit of the plant is scheduled to come into operation by October 2024.

The power units will be equipped with both active and passive safety systems, including Molten Core Catcher. Latest 3+ generation Russian VVER 1200 reactors will be used in the first ever nuclear power plant of Bangladesh. 

Atomenergomash is the single-source manufacturer for the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant reactor hall and a supplier for most of the turbine island equipment.