Russia’s OKB Gidropress tested three dummy fuel assemblies for the AES-2006 reactor, which are designed to be used at unit 1 of Leningrad NPP Phase II, the company said on 29 July. In 2015, these dummies were used in start-up and adjustment at unit 1 of Novovoronezh II (unit 6 of Novovoronezh NPP). The tests were carried out at the test bench for massive flooding of fuel bundles and the hot trials tests bench.

Russia’s OKB Gidropress tested three dummy fuel assemblies for the AES-2006 reactor, which are designed to be used at unit 1 of Leningrad NPP Phase II, the company said on 29 July. In 2015, these dummies were used in start-up and adjustment at unit 1 of Novovoronezh II (unit 6 of Novovoronezh NPP). The tests were carried out at the test bench for massive flooding of fuel bundles and the hot trials tests bench.

The purpose was to determine hydraulic characteristics of FA dummies after their use at Novovoronezh II. The dummies were also checked to ensure compliance with design documents of their geometric characteristics and the characteristics of the spring unit of the dummy top nozzle. Leningrad II will receive a total of 163 dummies. The first batch of 24 was delivered in June.

In late July, installation began of a bridge electric crane which will be used to transport fresh and used nuclear fuel. This is the last cranes designed to handle nuclear fuel at unit 1, Leningrad NPP said on July 21. The polar crane and cranes on the ramp of the transportation airlock and fresh fuel storage have already been commissioned. The bridge crane will be used for reloading transportation packages with fresh nuclear fuel from railcars into a specially equipped truck and for reloading transportation packages with used nuclear fuel from a truck into a special train, Andrey Kolychev, deputy head of nuclear safety and reliability department of Leningrad II, explained.

The first (passive) stage of unsealed reactor tests (filling the process systems with water) was been completed at unit 1 in mid July. Pipelines running from the pressurizer and four accumulator tanks of the emergency core cooling system (ECCS) to the reactor were filled with water, nuclear utility Rosenergoatom said on 18 July.

The second (active) stage of the unsealed reactor tests is now due to start. During the tests 12 emergency pumps and two make-up and boron control pumps will be trialled, loops of the main circulation pipeline will be washed along with MCP line connecting to the emergency systems, and functioning of these systems will be checked.