ES Group spoke about the experience and special aspects of using compact storage racks for spent nuclear fuel – INUDECO Workshop
Technical Director of ES Group Oleksandr Mazurok presented a joint report “Application of compact spent fuel storage racks in spent fuel pools at Ukrainian nuclear power plants” in the framework of the Spent Nuclear Fuel Management Workshop, which was held on September 21-22, 2023 in Slavutych. The co-authors of the report were partners of our company – ŠKODA JS a.s. and Proatom LLC.
He noted that Ukrainian NPPs have been replacing uncompact racks for quite some time, which have the following advantages: safe storage of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) is ensured in case of a significant increase in the value of nuclear fuel enrichment, the number of spent fuel storage cells and the SNF holding period in the spent fuel pool are increased. The vast majority of compact spent fuel storage racks (CFSR), replaced at Ukrainian NPPs, were manufactured and implemented by ŠKODA JS a.s., particularly with the participation of partners ES Group Europe s.r.o. (power units 1,2 of Rivne NPP) and Proatom LLC (power units 1,2,4 of Rivne NPP, power units 1-5 of Zaporizhzhya NPP, power unit 2 of Khmelnytsky NPP).
Modification of spent fuel pools (SFP) was not limited only with manufacturing of the CFSR. The CFSR design and manufacture was accompanied by a great amount of calculation and analytical justifications: neutron-physical, strength, thermal-hydraulic and others.
Thus, a specifity while replacing the SFP removable racks to CFSR at Rivne NPP-1,2, where ES Group participated, was impossibility to unload the spent nuclear fuel from the lower CFSR. Replacement of the SFP removable racks to the CFSR was carried out under a 4-meter layer of water. The same process will take place when the latest CFSR are introduced at power units 1 and 2 of the South Ukraine NPP.
The issue of spent nuclear fuel management is very relevant, especially given the challenges that arose after russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the seizure of nuclear facilities by the occupiers.
The workshop participants also included specialists from the Chernobyl NPP, IPB NPP, SS “Atomremontservice”, STE “Nuclear Fuel Cycle” of NSC “KhIPT”, LLC “Teplatom”, IDOM Nuclear Services, Plejades GmbH, LLC “Holtec Ukraine”. In total, according to the organizers, 39 people joined the work, 11 reports were presented, and a thematic discussion took place.
Organizers of the workshop: Regional Development Agency of the Slavuty City Council, Chernobyl NPP, IPB NPP, SS “Atomremontservice”, Slavutych branch of NTUU KPI, NGO “Ukrainian Nuclear Society”.
