Russian Atomenergomash welds reactor vessel for Belarusian nuclear power plant

The Volgodonsk-based branch of AEM Technologies (part of Atomenergomash, the mechanical engineering division of the Russian nuclear industry corporation Rosatom) has finished the key stage in welding the reactor vessel for the first power-generating unit of the Belarusian nuclear power plant, the Atomenergomash press service told BelTA.

According to the source, another important stage in manufacturing the reactor for the Belarusian nuclear power plant has been completed. All the tests indicate 100% quality of the welding seam. “It is now extremely important to keep up the pace, complete the remaining manufacturing operations on time, and ship the equipment to the customer,” the press service quoted Atomenergomash Director General Andrei Nikipelov as saying.

The assembly of the top and bottom parts of the reactor with the total weight of 320 tonnes had been completed before. After that an automatic welding operation took nine days to complete. The welding seam area was constantly heated.

The production of internal components of the reactor proceeded at the same time.

The reactor is a vertical cylinder with an elliptical bottom. The reactor core and the internal components will be located inside. The reactor is hermetically sealed by a lid that also bears the actuators and mechanisms meant to regulate the process and protect the reactor. The lid also contains pipe sleeves that will be used to feed cables from internal reactor control sensors.

The Belarusian nuclear power plant is a project to build an AES-2006 type nuclear power plant 18km away from Ostrovets, Grodno Oblast. The reactor unit has been designed by OKB Gidropress, which is part of Atomenergomash and provides designer supervision and support services. The first power-generating unit of the Belarusian nuclear power plant is scheduled for commissioning in 2018, with the second one to go online in 2020.

AEM Technologies was established in 2007. It has an engineering division in Saint Petersburg and two manufacturing divisions in Petrozavodsk and Volgodonsk. Among other products AEM Technologies makes equipment for the nuclear energy industry, heat energy industry, gas, oil, and chemical industries.