Steam generator on route to second Leningrad II unit

04 February 2015

The first of four steam generators destined for the second unit of the Leningrad II nuclear power plant in western Russia has begun its journey from the manufacturing plant near Moscow.

Leningrad-II 2 SG - 460 (Atomenergomash)
The component leaves ZIO-Podolsk's manufacturing plant (Image: Atomenergomash)

The steam generator - measuring almost 15 metres in length and weighing some 430 tonnes - was manufactured by Atomenergomash (AEM) subsidiary ZIO-Podolsk. The steam generator will initially be moved by rail from ZIO-Podolsk's plant to the city of Serpukhov, about 100km south of Moscow, and then loaded onto a barge for its journey to Sosnovy Bor in Leningrad Oblast.

Leningrad Phase II is a new nuclear power plant adjacent to the existing Leningrad nuclear plant site. Two 1200 MWe AES-2006 design units are being built there, which should begin operation in 2016 and 2018 respectively. Two further AES-2006 units are planned for the site. Each AES-2006 unit will employ four steam generators.

Steam generators are used in pressurized water reactors to transfer heat from the reactor's primary coolant circuit to a secondary circuit - turning water into steam that goes on to drive turbines and generate electricity.

In addition to the steam generators, ZIO-Podolsk is also supplying the separation system, reheating system and high-pressure heaters for the Leningrad II plant.

Unit 1 progress


Meanwhile, subcontractor Titan-2 has today announced that welding of the main circulation pipeline (MCP) at the first Leningrad II unit has been completed ahead of schedule.

Work to weld the pipeline - which connects equipment in the unit's primary circuit, including the reactor, steam generators and main circulation pumps - had been scheduled to take 140 days to complete. However, Titan-2 said that it took only 105 days to weld all 28 joints in the pipeline.

"The works at the first nuclear unit have now entered the final and most intensive stage of the project," Titan-2 said. "Completion of the MCP welding project opens the way for the installation of the MCP-associated systems used for the post-installation flushing of the cooling water loop and commencement of the preparations for the nuclear reactor assembly works."

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News