Beloyarsk NPP BN-600 Unit 3 Reaches Full Power After Maintenance, New Liquid Sodium Electromagnetic Pump Commissioned

Recently, Unit 3 of the Beloyarsk NPP equipped with the BN-600 reactor reached 100% power after scheduled maintenance. More than 1,000 employees participated in the maintenance, from the nuclear power plant's maintenance department, “Uralatomenergoremont” Company (Uralatomenergoremont), and other contracting organizations.

It is understood that the main work during the outage included: completing the refueling of 120 fuel assemblies containing nuclear fuel, performing major overhaul of the reactor facility and replacing 9 guide tubes of the control and protection system, as well as performing major overhaul of generator No. 6. One of the most important modernization efforts was the replacement of the electromagnetic pump (EMN, electromagnetic pump) used for transporting liquid metal sodium in the secondary loop.

The new electromagnetic pump was developed by the “Alm Special Machinery” design bureau according to the technical specification of Reactor Shop No. 2, and its operating principle is based on electromagnetic induction: an alternating magnetic field traveling along the pump channel interacts with the current generated in the liquid sodium, forcing the sodium to flow through the pump. The new electromagnetic pump has higher safety and strength, and possesses additional power margin, helping to ensure reliable operation of the BN-600 at least until 2040.

Alexander·Belov, First Deputy Chief Engineer for Maintenance at the Beloyarsk NPP, pointed out that this year the Rosenergoatom Concern faced the task of optimizing the scheduling of maintenance activities. Thanks to reliable operation and high-quality scheduled maintenance, in the first 9 months Unit 3 generated more than 93 million kWh above the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) plan, equivalent to seven days of electricity consumption for all residents of Sverdlovsk Oblast. Unit 4 continues to operate in normal mode according to the dispatch load curve, with no violations of safe operation limits and conditions. It is reported that the completion of this maintenance and the commissioning of the electromagnetic pump have improved the operational reliability of the BN-600 unit and provided key equipment assurance for its life extension to 2040.