The installation of four main pump units of the technical water supply system has been completed at the 2nd power unit coastal pump station of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant (NGP), built by the Russian State Nuclear Energy Corporation Rosatom.
Vertical centrifugal pumps will supply seawater to the cooling system of the turbine condensers, according to a statement from the company. Reliable operation of these pumps is of great importance for effective cooling of the equipment in the turbine building and stable operation of the turbine unit.
Coastal pump stations contain the largest pump units used in nuclear power plants. The components of the pump units, whose total height is approximately equivalent to the height of a five-storey building, are placed at different levels. While the lower part of the pump is mounted 21 meters below ground level, the electric motors with a power of 6,500 kilowatt-hours are mounted at minus 5 meters. This design solution ensures reliable protection of pump station equipment against any external factors, including floods and tsunamis.
During the operation phase of the power unit, high-capacity pump units will make a significant contribution to the stable and efficient operation of the nuclear power plant by providing cooling of the turbine condenser. The total capacity of the four pumps will reach 260 thousand cubic meters of water per hour. This amount is equivalent to enough volume to fill approximately 100 Olympic swimming pools.
The main equipment of Akkuyu NPP will be cooled with water from the Mediterranean. Some of the water will pass through desalination complexes. For this purpose, a complex consisting of marine and coastal hydraulic structures was designed and construction started. The complex consists of 4 pump stations, one for each unit, a drainage channel, siphon wells, a distribution room, and a water intake and discharge structure.
Akkuyu Nükleer AŞ General Manager Sergei Butckikh, whose views were included in the statement, stated that the coastal pump station is one of the most important elements of the power unit infrastructure and said, “The completion of the installation of the main circulation pump units enables a planned transition to the next stage in the preparation works of the technical water supply systems. While the preparations for the commissioning works in the first power unit continue intensively, we simultaneously continue to create engineering systems that will ensure the reliable operation of the other power units of Akkuyu NPP.” he said.
