Proryv Project: progress in Rosatom work on industrial implementation of closed nuclear fuel cycle
June 22, 2020
Rosatom reported that pilot batch of fuel assemblies with Mixed Nitride Uranium-Plutonium fuel (MNUP-fuel) successfully passed the reactor testing in June 2020. The MNUP-fuel is based on nitrides - chemical compounds of uranium and plutonium with nitrogen. It was developed for fast reactors of Russian design within the framework of the strategic Rosatom Proryv (“Breakthrough”) Project.
“Tests of the pilot batch are going well. More than one thousand fuel rods have been irradiated. The fuel burnup is more than 8%. There are no cases of depressurization”, - according to Vycheslav Pershukov, Deputy Director General of Proryv Project.
The Proryv Project is aimed at achieving a new quality of nuclear energy, development, creation and industrial implementation of closed nuclear fuel cycle based on fast reactors that will lead to development of a large-scale nuclear power industry. Within the Proryv Project, Rosatom develops nuclear-energy complexes that include NPP, spent nuclear fuel reprocessing plant and fuel re-fabrication plant, and preparation of all types of radioactive waste to the final disposal into geological formations.
The Pilot-demonstration energy complex, which includes BREST-OD-300 lead cooled reactor and an on-site closed nuclear fuel cycle facility, is being built at the in Siberian Chemical Combine site (SCC) in Seversk. The facility consists of a plant for reprocessing spent mixed nitride uranium-plutonium fuel and a fuel fabrication/refabrication plant. The fuel fabrication/refabrication plant manufactures initial startup fuel assemblies from offsite materials and, eventually, nuclear fuel from reprocessed spent nuclear fuel products from adjacent BREST reactor.
To date, the construction of the module for fuel fabrication and refraction has been completed at SCC. The final work on finishing the building is in progress. The first equipment has already been manufactured and prepared for installation. The launch of the module is planned in 2022.
The start of the BREST-OD-300 construction was planned for Summer 2019. However, the general contractor of the reactor building, Concern Titan-2, was determined only in November 2019. The contract price amounted to almost 26.4 billion Rubles (USD $333 million).
To date, Rosatom approved the project design and budgets. The procedure for obtaining a Rostechnadzor license for construction is underway. At the same time, preparatory work for construction of the reactor building has been going on since last year.
Rosatom blame the quarantine measures for delay in the project deadlines. However, the BREST-OD-300 is planned to be launched on time, in 2026.
Sources:
“Rosatom told about testing the ‘future fuel’”, June 22, 2020 https://ria.ru/20200622/1573301388.html
“Management of Proryv Project plans to obtain a license on reactor construction by the end of June”, June 25, 2020 https://gt-tomsk.ru/news/rukovodstvo-proekta-proryv-rasschityvaet-poluchit-licenziyu-na-stroitelstvo-reaktora-do-konca-iyunya/
About Proryv Project http://proryv2020.ru/en/o-proekte/