A corium catcher (CC, core catcher) has been installed into the design position at Akkuyu NPP Power Unit 4. It is an important stage of construction works on the Power Unit, which enables to continue building the reactor cavity.
Sergei Butckikh, First Deputy Chief Executive Offices of AKKUYU NUCLEAR JSC — Director of the NPP under Construction: “Akkuyu NPP, a joint project of Russia and Türkiye, grows, develops and visibly changes every day. We are the world’s largest nuclear construction site, where four power units are being simultaneously built using modern technologies. The corium catcher is a unique technological development that ensures environmental and human safety under any operation scenarios of the NPP. It has been installed through smooth team work of Turkish and Russian specialists. I would like to point out that the catcher installation followed thorough inspection: a quality control was conducted at the manufacturing plant in the presence of AKKUYU NUCLEAR JSC representatives, and upon arrival to the Akkuyu NPP Site, a mandatory incoming inspection procedure was conducted, which resulted in confirmation of integrity and reliability of the equipment”.
Reference
The corium catcher is a container in the form of a 6.14-meter-high steel cone of 5.83-meter-diameter. This 144-ton equipment is designed to hold molten core fragments reliably and prevent their release into the environment in case of emergency. During Akkuyu NPP operation, the core catcher is filled with special materials. When a nuclear fuel interacts with them, it firstly loses part of its accumulated heat, which is followed by instant termination of the fuel’s chain reaction and fuel cooling due to chemical processes. The corium catcher features maximum values safety characteristics, namely improved seismic resistance, hydrodynamic and impact strength.
Akkuyu NPP is the first-ever nuclear power plant in the Republic of Turkey. The Akkuyu NPP project includes four power units equipped with Generation 3+ VVER reactors of Russian design. The capacity of each NPP power unit will be 1200 MW.
Akkuyu NPP is the first project in the global nuclear industry being implemented according to the Build-Own-Operate model.
According to the terms and conditions of the Inter-Governmental Agreement between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Turkey, the NPP’s first power unit is supposed to be commissioned within 7 years after obtaining all construction authorizations. With regard to the construction license for Unit 1 was obtained in 2018, the deadline is 2025. At the same time, the project stakeholders are making their best efforts to ensure readiness for the commissioning works at Unit 1 in 2023, a jubilee year for the Republic of Turkey.
Russia continues a constructive dialogue with its foreign colleagues, developing cooperation with countries from all over the world and actively forming a multipolar system of international relations. The implementation of major foreign energy projects also continues. Rosatom and its enterprises are actively involved in this activity.
