Rosatom Service JSC installs witness samples in reactor vessel of 2nd power unit of Armenian NPP

ArmInfo. Rosatom Service JSC, which is part of the electric power division of the Rosatom state corporation, installed witness samples in the reactor vessel of power unit No.  2 of the Armenian NPP.

The work was carried out as part of the currently ongoing scheduled preventive maintenance, the press service of the state corporation reported. According to the source, the data obtained will be used to decide on the possible extension of the service life of the power unit for another 10 years, until 2036. Monitoring changes in the actual characteristics of the metal (strength, brittleness, etc.) is carried out using special samples made of metal identical to the reactor vessel. The samples are installed in the reactor vessel in special containers. As the nuclear power plant is operated, these samples are removed so that they can then be analyzed in laboratory conditions. The unloading of the samples installed at the Armenian NPP for research purposes will begin in 2025 and will be carried out annually.

"Rosatom" has started the second extension of the only nuclear power plant in Armenia. We scrupulously follow safety priorities, starting in 2025, Rosatom specialists will annually extract samples from the reactor vessel of the Armenian NPP and monitor the properties of the metal and changes in its structure. Thus, we ensure reliable control and detailed monitoring of one of the most important devices of the nuclear power plant," said Evgeny Salkov, General Director of Rosatom Service JSC.

In 2021, Rosatom Service JSC and Rosatom industry institutes annealed the reactor vessel of Unit 2 of the Armenian NPP, which allowed restoring the properties of the vessel metal by 85% and ensuring the possibility of its further operation. Currently, the Armenian NPP faces the task of again extending the service life of Unit 2 by 10 years, until 2036. On December 15, a corresponding agreement was signed between Rosatom Service JSC and Armenian NPP CJSC within the framework of the next intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Armenia.  In preparation for the repeated extension of the service life in 2023-2024, JSC Rosatom Service, JSC OKB GIDROPRESS and other industry enterprises have developed research programs, developed and manufactured witness samples from metals and alloys specially selected for the Armenian NPP. It should be noted that scheduled preventive maintenance work is ongoing at the ANPP, which will be completed in the first ten days of August. As part of the 2024 PPR, measures will be taken to improve the operational safety of the plant. In particular, it is planned to carry out a major overhaul of the reactor unit, the 3rd turbine and the 3rd turbogenerator, carry out routine repairs of the 4th turbine and the 4th turbogenerator, major repairs of the reactor vessel, repair and inspection of the base metal of the reactor vessel and internal devices, and a number of other measures. In addition to Rosatom State Corporation and employees of the main NPP workshops, experienced specialists from the companies Armatom, Energoremgarant, Volt Ampere, IS ENERGY, ROTERM, PROMMONTAZH, as well as specialists from Russia, Croatia, the Czech Republic and Ukraine are also participating in the current work.