A new word in the application of a peaceful atom is a floating nuclear power plant - innovations of Russian designers. In the world today, such projects are the most promising for providing electricity to settlements for which there are not enough local resources. And these are offshore developments in the Arctic, and the Far East, and Crimea. The floating nuclear power plant, which is being built at the Baltic Shipyard, is already of great interest. And not only domestic, but also foreign investors.
Peaceful floating nuclear power plant
At the first stages of the development of the nuclear industry, the advantages of its use were considered mainly in relation to the military industry. But with the development of technology, an understanding has come of the effectiveness of its peaceful uses. In particular, as a mobile energy source for sparsely populated or inaccessible places. The experience of mobile power plants was already in the USSR. These are the floating generator power plants of the Northern Lights project based on a gas turbine installation of two GTG-1 generators (each with a capacity of 10 thousand kW). Their production began in 1967 at the Tyumen Shipbuilding Plant, six floating stations that worked in the Arctic zone (Nadym, Eldikan and Cape Schmidt, Pechora) were manufactured and launched. The last floating nuclear power plant "Northern Lights-3" was dismantled in 2008.
Domestic industry
In accordance with the federal program "Energy Efficient Economy" in 2005, the Sevmash enterprise won the tender for the creation of a low-powered floating nuclear power plant. Later, part of the orders was transferred to the Baltic Plant (St. Petersburg). Here today, the Akademik Lomonosov floating station is ready for 96%.
Head project
The Akademik Lomonosov floating nuclear power plant is a key project in the 20870 series of mobile units of the OKMB im. Afrikantov ". And this is just the lead project for a fleet of stations of four vessels: three for Russia and one for Cape Verde ( Cape Verde, West Africa). It was created on the basis of a unit commercially used on icebreakers and tested in the Arctic. Rosatom enterprises and research centers have confirmed the possibility of using ship reactor technologies for the manufacture of a completely new class of energy source. The purpose of mobile power plants is to provide port cities, oil and gas companies in the offshore areas with the necessary energy volumes.
Domestic product
All components for this facility are manufactured at domestic enterprises. Reactors and their components are manufactured by OKBM named after Afrikantov "in Nizhny Novgorod. Steam turbine plants are produced by the Kaluga Turbine Plant. Technical support for the project is St. Petersburg Design Bureau Iceberg, a global brand of nuclear icebreakers.
Design and specifications
A floating nuclear power plant is a smooth-deck non-self-propelled vessel on which two icebreaker-type reactors KLT-40C are installed. The power of each reactor is up to 35 MW, the heat capacity is 140 gigacalories. The station is able to fully provide electricity to a settlement of 200 thousand inhabitants. The vessel is 144 meters long and up to 40 meters wide. The planned displacement is 21.5 tons. The service life is up to 40 years, with a frequency of fuel replacement every 12 years.
Not a single energy
In addition to receiving electric thermal energy, these plants have the capacity to desalinate sea water. It is this area of its activity that in the future opens up great opportunities for foreign buyers, because according to the IAEA forecast in 2025, the annual shortage of fresh water in the world will amount to 1.3-2 trillion cubic meters, and this is from 2 to 7 billion people. And this station is ready to issue 40-240 thousand cubic meters of fresh water per day.
You do not have electricity - FNPP is coming to you
In June 2010, the Akademik Lomonosov floating nuclear power plant was launched on the slipways of the Baltic Shipyard. it was a solemn moment. The Directorate of Floating Nuclear Power Plants of the Rosenergoatom Concern stated that by the fall of 2019 it will be commissioned and its cost will amount to 16.5 billion rubles. Since 2016, coastal infrastructure has been under construction for a nuclear floating power plant in Pevek (Chukotka Autonomous Region of the Russian Federation). By 2021, Academician Lomonosov should completely replace the Bilibino NPP, which will be decommissioned.
Withstand the impact of the aircraft
Innovative technologies to ensure the safety of the station comply with international standards. It will withstand any design dynamic loads. And, in addition, it has a certain “margin of safety” - it is not afraid of tsunami strikes, a wind of 45 meters per second, earthquakes of 8 points on the Richter scale, a collision with ships and the fall of an 11-ton aircraft. The reactors of the design bureau Afrikantov OKBM have a high degree of protection from five circuits, which was confirmed by the situation with the Kursk submarine when the reactor units withstood the explosion. The reactors were taken out of operation and maintained its safety during the long stay of the ship under water. The environmental friendliness of the station is confirmed by experts - no toxic waste will appear in the territory of its location either during operation or after.
Human factor
When the station is put into operation, it will be operated on a rotational basis: for three months, 150 people, 50 per shift. For their comfortable stay at the floating station there is everything you need: comfortable cabins, a cinema, a gym. In the meantime, the preparation of the first 17 specialists has begun, which will last about 2 years. The station will have a director and a management team of five. But the ship's captain will only be responsible for ship safety.
South horizon
Recently, the media has raised the issue of deploying a floating nuclear power plant in Crimea. Opinions of experts on this subject differ. The purpose of these installations is to supply hard-to-reach territories, and Crimea can receive energy through the energy bridge from the mainland. The project can be considered in the serial production of floating nuclear power plants and its cost reduction.
Stream Competitiveness
In order for foreign corporations to buy these stations, developers will have to solve a number of issues. Modernization of the station - either only for electricity generation, or for desalination, will reduce its cost by half. This will help and shorten the construction of floating nuclear power plants. And it is “Akademik Lomonosov” that should become a testing ground for testing technological solutions and the possibilities of interaction with ground-based energy networks.