Rosatom Automated Control Systems JSC (RASU JSC, the
Instrumentation & Control and Electrical Engineering Division of
Rosatom) completed the supply of equipment for engineered safety features
actuation system computerized subsystems (ESFAS CS) for Units 3 and 4 of
Kudankulam NPP in Tamil Nadu state, India. The role of the general designer and
supplier of equipment in this project belongs to Atomstroyexport JSC (ASE JSC,
the Engineering Division of Rosatom State Corporation). In total, about 300
items of equipment were manufactured and delivered to the plant – four sets of
ESFAS CS, in accordance with the number of Safety I&C trains, per each
power unit featuring VVER-1000 reactors. To avoid simultaneous failure, they
are physically separated, i.e. located in different rooms, and have autonomous
power supply from separate diesel generators.
Specialists developing the ESFAS CS for Units 3 and 4
relied on the operating experience of the same system at Kudankulam NPP Units 1
and 2, which allowed them to implement a number of optimized solutions. One of
such solutions is the application of non-programmable modules that process
signals from sensors without the use of microprocessors. This helps to reduce
the dependence of safety functions on application software and increases the
resistance of equipment to potential common cause failures.
The final delivery of ESFAS CS equipment was yet another step of equipping the power units with Russian automation, control and safety systems, implemented through industrial cooperation coordinated by ASE JSC, with the participation of Atomenergoproekt JSC (part of the Engineering Division of Rosatom), Atomtechenergo JSC (part of the Electric Power Division of Rosatom), RASU JSC, and equipment manufacturers. Installation on the site will be followed by the pre-commissioning stage, which includes the off-line and integrated tests of the systems. Following the tests, the systems will be prepared for commissioning and further operation at Units 3 and 4 of Kudankulam NPP.
ESFAS is the system which monitors the process parameters
of a power unit when there is a deviation from normal operation conditions. In
case of an accident, the system automatically initiates the start of safety
instrumentation and control systems and sends commands to actuators (boron
injection pumps and other active protection means) in order to prevent a
beyond-design-basis accident and bring the reactor plant to a safe state. The
system also ensures reactor cooldown, which is a controlled decrease of coolant
temperature and pressure down to safe values after the shutdown.
Kudankulam NPP is located in Tamil Nadu state in the
south of India. The project features six power units with VVER-1000 reactors,
with the total installed capacity of 6,000 MW. The developer and technical
customer of the facility is the Nuclear Power Corporation of India LTD. The
general designer and the supplier of equipment is Atomstroyexport JSC (part of
the Engineering Division of Rosatom State Corporation). The first phase (Units
1 and 2) was commissioned in 2013 and 2017, respectively. The second phase
(Units 3 and 4) is under construction. New power units of Kudankulam NPP meet
the latest IAEA safety requirements.
The Engineering Division of Rosatom comprises the leading
companies of the nuclear industry: Atomstroyexport JSC (Moscow, Nizhny
Novgorod, branches in Russia and abroad), the Joint Design Institute –
Atomenergoproekt JSC (Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, St. Petersburg branches – design
institutes, branches in Russia and abroad, survey branches), and subsidiary
construction organizations. The engineering division has the world's largest
nuclear new build portfolio with the biggest number of simultaneously constructed
nuclear power plants in different countries. About 80% of the division's
revenue comes from non-Russian projects. The engineering division builds large
nuclear power plants in Russia and abroad, provides the full range of EPC, EP,
EPC(M) services, including project management and design, and develops Multi-D
technologies for managing complex engineering facilities. The division relies
on the achievements of the Russian nuclear industry and state-of-the-art
innovative technologies. www.ase-ec.ru
The Instrumentation & Control and Electrical Engineering Division of Rosatom (”I&C and Electrical Engineering”, managing company – Rosatom Automated Control Systems JSC, RASU) unites the industry's competences in the industrial automation, instrumentation and electrical engineering, establishing the technological foundation for control of nuclear energy and production facilities. The Division acts as a full-scope supplier of monitoring, control and energy distribution systems for nuclear power plants at all lifecycle stages for dozens of operating and new build power units in Russia and abroad, as well as industrial enterprises, solar and wind power plants. The Division includes a research institute with its own production facilities; a manufacturer of radioisotope devices; and a leading company specializing in converters and EV charging infrastructure.
