Electrochemical Plant PA starts complex testing of Russia’s first depleted uranium hexafluoride processing system
Release Date: 2009-05-26
Atomenergoprom OJSCElectrochemical Plant PA has started complex testing of Russia’s first depleted uranium hexafluoride processing system
May 21 Electrochemical Plant PA started complex testing of Russia’s first depleted uranium hexafluoride processing system “W-EKhZ”
“W-EKhZ” complex is based on French technology and is being created in the framework of a contract of Techsnabexport OJSC with AREVA-NC (former COGEMA) and SGN (France).
The complex testing was preceded by the bare testing of equipment supplied by AREVA-NC. The bare testing was completed in Apr and confirmed the readiness of the system for the final tests.
The French manager of the project, the director of the Russian office of SGN (part of AREVA) Marie Paul Brossard says that at first they tested local units then bigger systems (furnaces, uranium oxide concentrate packaging system and acid processing equipment).
The automated control and general failure tests have shown that in case of problems with electricity, air, steam or cooling water supply, the system automatically switches to safe mode.
The complex testing is supposed to be finished by the end of May. At first the testing will be carried out without hydrogen and uranium hexafluoride, then in real operating mode.
Note
The new complex is the first in Russia and the third in the world. It converts depleted uranium hexafluoride into uranium oxide concentrate, a safer and easier to transport and store chemical matter used for production of nuclear fuel for fast-breeder reactors.
The full capacity of the complex is 10,000 tons of depleted uranium hexafluoride a year.
The contract with AREVA-NC/SGN for the supply and installation of equipment was signed in Mar 2005. The installation of the complex was started in June 2007, the launch is scheduled for the second quarter of 2009.
The project is financed by Electrochemical Plant.
The Joint Stock Company “Production Association “Electrochemical Plant” is a unique Russian enterprise uniting in its activity the most progressive achievements in the scope of production and industrial engineering. It has a great stock of market solidity. “PA ECP” is a part of integrated JSC “Atomenergoprom.”
For today the main lines of the JSC “PA “ECP” activity are:
* enriched uranium production for NPP;
* production of stable and radioactive isotope of different elements;
* development of perspective equipment on the base of centrifuge technology for uranium enrichment, stable isotope separation and manufacturing particularly pure substances.
Atomenergoprom OJSC (Atomny Energopromyshleny Kompleks) is a state holding that is supposed to comprise 89 nuclear companies and to cover the whole range of nuclear services: from uranium mining to NPP construction and electricity production. Atomenergoprom’s companies will have a total of 175,000 employees and an annual production of 200bln RUR (5.5bln EUR). Atomenergoprom is one of the biggest players on the world market: it has a 40% share in the world’s uranium enrichment services, 17% in nuclear fuel production, 8% in uranium mining, 28% in NPP construction (10 reactors). The director of Atomenergoprom is Vladimir Travin, the chairman of the board of directors – Sergey Kiriyenko.
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