Roundtable “30 Years of Shelter Object – 30 Years of Feat” will be held on 07 November 2016 at SSE ChNPP, with participation of government officials, regulatory authorities’ representatives, scientists, international organizations, managers and engineers of the projects, and veterans of Shelter object construction.
The Roundtable is devoted to the 30th anniversary of Shelter object construction and operation. It will discuss the current status of Shelter object, options of further implementation of the strategy on Shelter object transformation into environmentally safe system, and particularly the stabilization and dismantling of structures inside the Shelter, as well as management of fuel containing and radioactive materials.
We invite interested media to cover the event. For accreditation and further information contact the International Cooperation and Information Department, tel. 04593 42254, e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
According to the design cooling pools were intended for Spent Fuel Assemblies (SFA) temporary storage and storage of special items, irradiated in a reactor or being in contact with radioactive coolant (spent additional absorbers, control rods, internal monitoring sensors and other equipment). The water in the cooling pools ensures removal of residual heat from Spent Fuel Assemblies, as well as serves as biological protection against the ionizing radiation impact on the staff working in the Central Hall.
Since Units 1, 2, 3 are completely emptied from Spent Nuclear Fuel, including the damaged fuel, as well as taking into account the positive experience in operation of Unit 3 cooling pools for technological channels in the dry mode of special items storage shafts, it was considered possibility of emptying Units 1, 2, 3 cooling pools and storage of active special items in them without water filling, that is, cooling pools operation in dry mode of storage in shafts for special items.
Within the period from June to October of this year at Units 1, 2, 3 works on the cooling pools emptying were carried out, and above the cooling pools, containing highly active special items, protective coverings were assembled, providing biological protection against ionizing radiation.
Currently, Units 2 and 3 cooling pools are transferred in the mode of dry storage shafts for special items according to the relevant technical solutions agreed by SNRIU. The similar technical solution for Unit 1 is under development.
Cooling pools operation in the mode of dry storage shafts for special items will significantly reduce the cost for water chemistry and temperature maintenance in them, for Main building premises heating with a water-filled equipment in the winter, and will allow reducing the risks of the equipment damage in case of emergency situations in the heating systems of ChNPP industrial site during the winter.
After the work performance radiation situation in the Central Halls is within established limits.
Works related to the cooling pools emptying were performed by SSE Chernobyl NPP personnel.
The main works on erection of end walls (first stage) under the NSC enclosing perimeter project were completed at the Chernobyl NPP. This will allow sliding the Arch into its design position within the established deadlines.
The work scope included the reinforcement and sealing of the existing II Stage ChNPP (Power Units No. 3 and No. 4) structures, upon which the Arch end walls will be abutted, design and construction of new dividing walls within the existing structures of the Turbine Hall, Deaerator Stack, Block “V” and auxiliary systems of reactor compartment of ChNPP II Stage, as well as preparation of the existing surfaces for installation and attachment of sealing anchors.
WANO Technical Support Mission on “RAW Management, Radiation Safety” started its work at the Chernobyl NPP on September 12. The main objective of the Mission – sharing experience in using techniques and procedures for sampling and characterization of solid RAW up to their conditioning/ immobilization, and receiving recommendations on sampling and laboratory studies of solid RAW.
Urgency of such topic of the Mission is determined by activities on the commissioning of Industrial Complex for Solid Radioactive Waste Management (ICSRM) at the SSE ChNPP. Today the ICSRM commissioning activities are to a wide extent complicated by duration of waste characterization at the process radiation monitoring system. This commissioning stage provides for management of non-uniform streams of radioactive waste retrieved from a “light” compartment of a solid waste storage facility with unknown radiation and physical parameters, their characterization and preparation of packages meeting the disposal criteria.
Works on draining of central halls’ cooling pools are in progress. These unique works are being performed at RBMK units for the first time, since Chernobyl NPP is the first NPP with reactors of this type which has reached the stage of decommissioning.
Currently, cooling pools of power units 2 and 3 of the plant have already been drained. The purpose of these activities is in confirming the capability of storing active special items, accumulated during the units’ operation period, in cooling pools without filling them with water (operation of cooling pools as “drywells for special items storage”).