In Seversk, Tomsk Region, Rosatom has launched a full-scale simulator for
operation of the lead-cooled BREST-OD-300 fast neutron reactor and its power
unit. This innovative fourth-generation nuclear power plant will make an
integral part of the Pilot and Demonstration Energy Complex, which is under
construction at the Siberian Chemical Combine, an enterprise of Rosatom’s Fuel
Division – TVEL). The project is underway as part of the strategic
"Breakthrough" initiative.
The simulator is a sophisticated complex replicating the main and the backup control panels. It includes servers, software models, audio-visual monitoring, and a personnel action registration system for training review. The simulator accurately simulates physical processes, reflecting both normal operations and emergency protocols for the reactor installation.
Evgeny Adamov, scientific director of the "Breakthrough" project, emphasized the simulator is unique, stating, "No comparable simulators exist globally, as this has been specifically developed for the lead-cooled BREST-OD-300 reactor, representing a critical training asset for personnel licensing."
VNIIAES, an enterprise of Rosatom's Power Division, became the supplier of the advanced training complex due to their expertise, as they had already developed over 40 such simulators for various nuclear power units of Russian design. This simulator will enable to prepare the operational personnel for the BREST-OD-300 power unit before the reactor's physical start-up, in compliance with the Russian regulatory standards.
The "Breakthrough" initiative by Rosatom aims to improve nuclear
energy quality through the development and implementation of a closed nuclear
fuel cycle based on fast neutron reactors. The project is led by
prominent Russian scientists and engineers in collaboration with various
research institutes. For the first time, molten lead will serve as coolant in a
fast nuclear reactor, with its core fully loaded with dense uranium-plutonium nitride
fuel. This approach leverages unique physical, thermal, and operational
benefits that enable the closed nuclear fuel cycle and enhance reactor safety.
The Pilot Demonstration Complex consists of three unique nuclear facilities: a unit for nuclear fuel fabrication and refabrication, a power unit with the innovative lead-cooled BREST-OD-300 fast neutron reactor, and a unit for spent nuclear fuel reprocessing. This marks the first nuclear power plant featuring a "fast" reactor with a closed nuclear fuel cycle on a single site.
Generation IV nuclear power systems are a generation of nuclear power systems (as defined by the IAEA Convention) that utilize various technologies united by a common outcome. Generation IV nuclear power systems have the potential to radically transform nuclear energy, primarily through new levels of safety, expanded fuel options, and increased radioactive waste generation. Russia is a leader in the development of G4NS technologies: pre-design work is underway at the Beloyarsk NPP for the BN-1200M power unit, and in the Tomsk Region, for the first time in global practice, one of the potential options for a NPP with a BREST-OD-300 reactor and an on-site closed nuclear fuel cycle has been implemented.
