POWER November 2016 - 24

TOP PLANTS
1. A site for many " firsts. " When the first AMB-100 unit at the Beloyarsk nuclear power
plant came online in 1964, it was only the second of the Soviet Union's nuclear plants. A second
AMB-200 reactor came online in 1967. Both units have since been decommissioned and defueled.
The site now hosts a BN-600 sodium-cooled fast-neutron reactor (Unit 3) that has been
operational since 1980. Its larger sister BN-800 reactor (Unit 4) was grid-connected in December
2015. Courtesy: Rosenergoatom
highlighted, it is unique because it enables a
number of uses. The BN-800 power unit is
designed for the production of heat and power,
and as part of the grid, it operates at constant
rated load. However, it can also be used
for plutonium consumption and, if necessary,
production; the processing of long-lived supertransuranics
accumulated in the radwastes
of reactors of any type; as well as the production
of isotopes. " No other reactor type combines
so wide a range of functions, " it said.
While the BN-800 design retains all key
Celebrate Those for Whom You're Thankful
During the month of November, when U.S. readers celebrate
Thanksgiving, the POWER magazine Facebook page will keep
a post pinned to the top of the feed called " Giving Thanks for
Power Generation Industry Workers. " Although there are many
outstanding corporate leaders, they have media and PR folks to
get their names, comments, and achievements in the public eye,
but we all know that for every achievement that gets corporate
promotion, there are dozens to hundreds of unnamed staff who
made the achievement possible. Here's a chance to recognize
power generation industry leaders who don't usually stand in the
spotlight.
Anyone who follows our Facebook page can add a " comment "
to our " Giving Thanks " post. Who is eligible? Anyone whose title
doesn't start with a " C, " " VP, " or " D " -from plant and service
managers to entry-level craft and maintenance staff in power
plants and the companies that support them. You can also post
a thank you to a group or team.
Post the person or group's name, title, plant (or service
company) name and-if the person agrees-a photo. Then
tell us in one or two sentences why you are thankful for that
generation industry worker or group. (Note that POWER cannot
be responsible for any unauthorized posting of photos, so please
be responsible in your participation on our Facebook page.)
Let's see and celebrate the wonderful diversity of today's global
power generation industry-men and women who are older and
younger, at every sort of power plant, in every country around the
world. Happy Thanksgiving, from the POWER team!
legacy solutions offered by the now 30-yearold
BN-600 reactor design, it employs new,
noteworthy concepts. Rosenergoatom explained
that the BN-800 has a rated 2,100
MWt compared to the BN-600's 1,470 MWt,
which was achieved without substantial
changes in the reactor pressure vessel design.
It also uses steam reheating and improvements
in auxiliary systems to considerably
decrease the metal intensity of the project-
which in turn enhances its competitiveness.
Compared to the BN-600, the reactor has an
additional passive safety system consisting
of three absorber rods that are hydraulically
suspended in sodium flux, which would drop
into the core if sodium flow decreases to 50%
of rated level. And it has a passive system of
residual heat removal through air-heat exchangers
that are connected to every loop of
the secondary coolant circuit, as well as a corium
catcher that prevents fuel from dropping
onto the bottom of the reactor pressure vessel
and prevents its release outside the primary
coolant circuit in case of a beyond-designbasis
accident.
The Beloyarsk BN-800, like its sister
BN-600 unit, has become pivotal for the
transformation of weapons-grade plutonium
into standard spent fuel. The site is located
in the vicinity of a nuclear recycling facility
at Mayak, which " could assist to settle economical
and, primarily, environmental issues
associated with the storage of plutonium, "
Rosatom said.
Rosenergoatom is now mulling further
expansion of the Beloyarsk plant with
the construction of a fifth unit, possibly a
1,200-MW fast reactor. Many infrastructure
facilities built on the BN-800 unit site are
designed for two power units, the company
noted. " And the team of builders, which accumulated
experience in the course of BN800
construction, will apply its skills at the
next power unit construction, " it added. For
now, the company will continue monitoring
operations at the BN-800 unit and bask in the
achievement of commercializing a cuttingedge
technology that has been decades in the
making. ■
-Sonal Patel is a POWER associate
editor.
24
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POWER | November 2016

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POWER November 2016

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of POWER November 2016