The foundation for the turbine of Unit 4 was poured at the site of
Akkuyu NPP (under construction by Rosatom).
In preparation for the concrete pour, experts installed 308 tons of rebar, 69 tons of embedded parts, and set up anchoring equipment to secure the turbine plant. The operation itself continued nonstop for more than a day – over that time, the construction workers poured 2 241 cubic meters of concrete using nine concrete pumps.
Dense reinforcement, the foundation’s complex geometry, and plenty of embedded parts determined the method used to place the concrete mix. Throughout the entire operation, the concrete plants at the Akkuyu NPP site ensured an uninterrupted supply of concrete mix, while the specialists involved in the work coordinated the operation of the pumps and the placement of concrete in various sections.
"For the project team, this is already the fourth turbine foundation at Akkuyu NPP. The reliability of a turbine set is established as early as the construction of its foundation. The structure must be able to support not only the weight of the turbine and generator, but also the loads generated by their operation. Special spring assemblies reduce the transmission of vibrations to the turbine hall structures. The foundation will ensure the reliable operation of the equipment which is expected to generate electricity for Türkiye for decades to come. That is why, in the turbine hall, as at other NPP facilities, the quality requirements for each component are determined with the entire service life of the power units in mind," Akkuyu Nuclear JSC Chief Executive Officer Sergei Butсkikh noted.
Once the concrete has been poured, the foundation will begin to reach its design strength – this will take about 60 days. After that, the specialists will remove the formwork and inspect the structure. The quality of the work will be checked by a committee comprising experts fr om the Turkish Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NDK) and an independent supervision organization. Following the inspections, operations will begin on installing the components of the turbine set.
Akkuyu NPP is the first nuclear power plant being built in the Republic
of Türkiye. The Akkuyu NPP project
includes four power units equipped with Generation 3+ VVER reactors of Russian
design.
The capacity of each power unit is 1200 MW. Akkuyu NPP is the first project in the global nuclear industry being implemented according to the Build-Own-Operate business model.
The turbine hall or turbine compartment is one of the main components of
the power units of a nuclear power plant. This
is wh ere the energy of the heated steam coming from the reactor building is
converted into the mechanical energy of the turbine's rotation and then, in the
turbo generator, into electrical energy.
The turbine unit foundation is a massive reinforced concrete structure that supports the weight of the turbine and generator and distributes the loads generated during their operation. The stable operation of the equipment depends largely on the strength of the base, the precision of its geometry, and the layout of the fasteners. The design incorporates a vibration-isolation system with special spring assemblies. They reduce the transmission of vibrations from the operating turbine set to the civil structures of the turbine hall and contribute to higher seismic resistance.
