23 Apr (NucNet): Test installation has begun of the reactor pressure vessel internals of the Leningrad 2-2 nuclear power unit under construction in Sosnovy Bor, western Russia, state nuclear operator Rosenergoatom said.
Work began with the insertion of the core shroud, a stainless-steel cylinder surrounding the nuclear reactor core whose main function is to direct the cooling water flow.
It will continue with the setting of the RPV head with instrumentation, control rods, and the control rod drives.
The work is scheduled to take about two weeks, Rosenergoatom said.
The components will then be removed for primary system flushing before being reinstalled with dummy fuel elements, so cold and hot hydraulic testing can be carried out.
Leningrad 2-2 is a Generation III+ VVER-1200 nuclear unit with a net design power capacity of 1,085 MW and a gross capacity of 1,199 MW. Construction began in April 2010.
The existing Leningrad nuclear station, Leningrad 1, has three commercially operating RMBK-1000 units and a permanently shut-down RBMK unit. Leningrad 2 will have four VVER-1200 units.
