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Threading on RPV for RNPP done


Published : 05 Mar 2021 09:13 PM | Updated : 06 Mar 2021 01:31 AM

The Volgodonsk Branch of JSC "AEM-technology has completed threading for the main joint studs on the Reactor Pressure Vessel for the second unit of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, according to Rosatom, a subsidiary of Russia’s State Atomic Energy Corporation.

Rooppur nuclear power plant is the country’s first nuclear power plant. The power plant is being implemented by Rosatom. The main construction work of the power plant is continuing at Rooppur in Pabna district while its essential machinery is being made in Russia.

It is a top priority project on the Bangladesh government’s agenda, all the way up to the Prime Minister’s Office. The project will host two units and the total capacity of the plant is to be 2,400 MW. It is expected that the power plant will start operation by 2024. 

A Rosatom official said the boring of threaded holes is required to seal and secure the main vessel joint to the Upper Unit Cover, which is one of the defining factors for the safe operation of complex equipment. In 10 days, specialists formed a high-precision metric thread with a diameter of 170 mm on 54 holes.

After machining, the specialists performed metalworking and brought the surface of the thread to a perfect mirror-like condition. The Quality Control Department checked the thread coating and confirmed the high quality of the work performed. During hydraulic tests, two-meter studs will be screwed into the threaded holes and tightened with 50-kilogram nuts. The thread on the main joint ensures that the reactor is completely sealed.

The Reactor is an item of the first safety class. It is a vertical cylindrical Vessel with an elliptical bottom. The Core and Internals are located inside the Vessel. The top of the Reactor is hermetically sealed with the Cover with drives of mechanisms and controls and protection of reactors installed on it and nozzles for outputting cables of sensors for in-reactor monitoring. A complete set of main equipment - a Reactor and four Steam Generators for the first unit of the "Rooppur" NPP were shipped to the customer in 2020.

The plant will consist of two power units with VVER-1200 reactors, the life cycle of which is 60 years with the possibility of extending the service life for another 20 years.