Nuclear Physics, as a science arose after the discovery in 1986 of radioactivity scientists Becquerel and Marie Curie, became the basis not only of nuclear weapons but also the nuclear industry.
Home for Nuclear Research in Russia
Already in 1910, was created Radium Commission in St. Petersburg, which included well-known physicists NN Beketov, AP Karpinski, Vernadsky.
study of the processes of radioactivity with the release of the internal energy carried out the first stage of development of nuclear power in Russia, in the period from 1921 to 1941.Then, it proved the possibility of neutron capture by protons, theoretically justified by the possibility of a nuclear reaction of uranium fission.
Under the leadership of Kurchatov employees of institutions of various departments have carried out specific work for the chain reaction of uranium fission.
When created nuclear weapons in the USSR
By 1940, has accumulated a huge statistical and practical experience, will allow scientists to offer the country's leadership is technically a huge atomic energy use.In 1941 in Moscow it was built the first cyclotron, which allowed a systematic investigation of the excitation of nuclei accelerated ions.At the beginning of the war equipment was moved to Ufa and Kazan, and staff should go.
By 1943 there was a special atomic nucleus laboratory under the direction of Igor Kurchatov, the purpose of which was the creation of a nuclear bomb or uranium fuel.
use of atomic bombs by the United States in August 1945 in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, has created a precedent monopoly ownership superweapon this country and, consequently, forced the Soviet Union to speed up work on the creation of its own nuclear bomb.
result of organizational measures was the launch of Russia's first uranium-graphite nuclear reactor in the town of Sarov (Gorky Region) in 1946.In a test reactor F-1 and carried out its first nuclear reaction is controlled.
industrial reactor plutonium enrichment was built in 1948 in Chelyabinsk.In 1949, a test was conducted plutonium nuclear charge at the test site in Semipalatinsk.
This was the preparatory stage in the history of domestic nuclear energy.And already in 1949, it was initiated design work to build a nuclear power plant.
in 1954 in Obninsk launched the first in the world (demo) installation of nuclear power is relatively small (5 MW).
Industrial dual-purpose reactor, where in addition to generating electricity and accumulating more weapons-grade plutonium, was launched in the Tomsk region (Seversk) at the Siberian Chemical Combine.
Russian atomic energy: types of reactors
nuclear power the Soviet Union initially focused on the use of high power reactors:
- channel thermal reactor RBMK (high-power channel reactor);fuel - slightly enriched uranium dioxide (2%), the reaction retarder - graphite, coolant - boiling water, stripped of deuterium and tritium (light water).
- VVER reactors (VVER) thermal neutron within an enclosure pressurized fuel - uranium dioxide enriched with 3-5% retarder - water, it is also the coolant.
- BN-600 - a fast neutron reactor, fuel - enriched uranium, coolant - sodium.The world's only commercial reactor of this type.Installed at the Beloyarsk station.
- EGP - thermal reactor (energy heterogeneous loop), only works on Bilibino.Characterized in that the superheating of coolant (water) takes place in the reactor itself.Recognized as unpromising.
In total in Russia for ten nuclear power plants in operation today are 33 power units with total capacity of over 2300 MW:
- VVER - 17 units;
- reactors RMBK - 11 units;
- with BN - 1 block;
- reactors EGP - 4 blocks.
list of Russian nuclear power plants and the Union Republics: the period of entry from 1954 to 2001.
- 1954, Obninsk, Obninsk, Kaluga region. Purpose - Demonstration and industry.Reactor type - AM-1.Stopped in 2002
- 1958, Siberian, Tomsk-7 (Seversk) Tomsk region. Purpose - to develop weapons-grade plutonium, additional heat and hot water for the Seversk and Tomsk.Type reactors - EI-2 and ADE-3, ADE-4 and ADE-5.Finally it stopped in 2008 under an agreement with the United States.
- 1958, Krasnoyarsk, Krasnoyarsk-27 (Zheleznogorsk). types of reactors - ADE, ADE 1, ADE-2.Purpose - to develop weapons-grade plutonium to heat processing plant in Krasnoyarsk.The final stop took place in 2010 under an agreement with the United States.
- 1964, Beloyarsk NPP, Zarechny, Sverdlovsk region. types of reactors - AMB 100, AMB-200, BN-600 and BN-800.AMB-100 stopped in 1983, the AMB-200 - in 1990 action.
- 1964, Novovoronezh NPP. type of reactor - VVER five blocks.The first and second stop.Status - acting.
- 1968 Dimitrovogradskaya, city Melekess (Dimitrovgrad since 1972) of the Ulyanovsk region. Types established research reactor - the world CM, RBT-6, BOR-60 RBT-10/1, the RBT-10/2, VC-50.BOR-60 and VK-50 produce additional electricity.Constantly extended period of stoppage.Status - the only station with research reactors.Estimated closing - 2020.
- 1972, Shevchenko (Mangyshlak), Aktau, Kazakhstan. BN, stopped in 1990.
- 1973 Kola NPP, Polar Zori Murmansk region. four VVER.Status - acting.
- 1973, Leningrad, Sosnovy Bor, Leningrad region. Four reactor RMBK-1000 (the same as at Chernobyl).Status - acting.
- 1974.Bilibino NPP, Bilibino, Chukotka autonomous way edge. types of reactors - AMB (currently stopped), BN and four EGP.Action.
- 1976.Kursk, Kurchatov Kursk region. established four reactors RMBK-1000.Action.
- 1976.Armenian, city Metsamor, Armenia SSR. two VVER first stopped in 1989, the second act.
- 1977.Chernobyl, Chernobyl, Ukraine. established four reactors RMBK-1000.The fourth block destroyed in 1986, the second unit is stopped in 1991, the first - in 1996, the third - in 2000
- 1980.Rivne, Kuznetsovsk, Rivne region., Ukraine. Three blocks with VVER reactors.Action.
- 1982.Smolensk, Smolensk Oblast Desnogorsk , two power reactors RMBK-1000.Action.
- 1982.South Ukrainian NPP Yuzhnoukrainsk, Mykolaiv region., Ukraine. Three VVER.Action.
- 1983.Ignalina, Visaginas (formerly Ignalina district), Lithuania. two reactors RMBK.It stopped in 2009 at the request of the European Union (with entry into the EEC).
- 1984.Kalinin NPP Udomlya Tver region. two VVER.Action.
- 1984.Zaporozhye, Energodar, Ukraine. six blocks on the VVER.Action.
- 1985.Balakovo, Balakovo, Saratov region. four VVER.Action.
- 1987.Khmelnytsky, Neteshin, Khmelnitsky region., Ukraine.One VVER.Action.
- 2001.Rostov (Volgodonsk), Volgodonsk, Rostov region. By 2014, work on two units of VVER reactors.Two block under construction.
Nuclear power after Chernobyl accident
1986 proved fatal for the industry.The consequences of man-made disaster were so unexpected humanity that natural impulse was the closure of many nuclear power plants.The number of nuclear power plants around the world fell.They were stopped under construction project of the USSR not only domestic stations, but also overseas.
list of Russian nuclear power plants, the construction of which was suspended:
- Gorky AST (heating plant);
- Crimea;
- Voronezh AST.
list of Russian nuclear power plants, canceled at the design stage and preparatory earthworks:
- Arkhangelsk;
- Volgograd;
- Far East;
- Ivanovo AST (heating plant);
- Karelian and Karelian NPP-2 nuclear power plant;
- Krasnodar.
Abandoned nuclear power plants in Russia: causes
Finding a construction site on a tectonic fault - the cause of the indicated official sources in the preservation of building nuclear power plants in Russia.Map of seismic tension areas of the country isolates Crimea-Caucasus-Kopetdag zone Baikal rift, Altai-Sayan Far East and Priamurskaya.
From this perspective, the construction of the Crimean station (the first block of readiness - 80%) started really unreasonable.The real reason for the preservation of power as the rest of the costly became unfavorable situation - the economic crisis in the USSR.In that period they were conserved (literally thrown in for embezzlement), many industrial sites, despite the high degree of readiness.
Rostov NPP: the resumption of construction in spite of public opinion
plant construction was started in 1981. In 1990, under pressure from an active public Regional Council adopted a decision on building conservation.The readiness of the first block at the time was already 95% and the 2nd - 47%.
Eight years later, in 1998, was adjusted the original draft, the number of units is reduced to two.In May 2000, construction was resumed, and in May 2001 the first unit is switched on to the grid.Starting next year, it has resumed construction of a second.The final launch postponed several times, and only in March 2010, held its connection to the grid of the Russian Federation.
Rostov NPP unit 3
In 2009, a decision was made on the development of the Rostov nuclear power plant with the installation of her four more blocks on the basis of VVER reactors.
Given the current situation is currently a supplier of electricity on the Crimean peninsula should become Rostov NPP.3 unit in December 2014 was connected to the grid is the minimum RF power.By the middle of 2015 it is planned to start commercial operation (1011 MW), which should reduce the risk of short supply of electricity from Ukraine in Crimea.
Nuclear power in modern Russian
By early 2015, all Russian nuclear power plants (existing and under construction) are subsidiaries of the concern "Rosenergoatom".The crisis in the industry with difficulties and losses have been overcome.By the beginning of 2015 in Russia has 10 nuclear power plants under construction - 5 ground and one floating station.
list of Russian nuclear power plants operating in the beginning of 2015:
- Beloyarsk (start of operation - 1964).
- Novovoronezh NPP (1964).
- Kola NPP (1973).
- Leningrad (1973).
- Bilibino (1974).
- Kursk (1976).
- Smolensk (1982).
- Kalinin NPP (1984).
- Balakovo (1985).
- Rostov (2001).
Russian nuclear power plants under construction
- Baltic NPP, Neman Kaliningrad region.Two blocks on the basis of the VVER-1200.Construction started in 2012.Start - in 2017, with the designed capacity - in 2018
planned that the Baltic NPP will export electricity to European countries: Sweden, Lithuania, Latvia.Sale of electricity in Russia will be made through the Lithuanian power system.
- Beloyarsk NPP-2, Zarechny, Sverdlovsk region, on the current site.One unit - based on the BN-800 reactor.Originally planned for 2014 launch was moved because of short supply in Ukraine in connection with the political events of 2014.
- Leningrad NPP-2 in Sosnovy Bor, Leningrad region.Chetyrehblokovaya station based on VVER-1200.Will substitute for the SELA (Leningrad).The first unit is scheduled to enter in 2015, later - in 2017, 2018, 2019.respectively.
- Novovoronezh NPP-2 in Novovoronezh Voronezh region, not far from the action.It will replace the planned construction of four blocks, the first - on the basis of the VVER-1200, following - VVER-1300.Getting the design capacity - in 2015 (the first unit).
- Rostov (See above.).
Nuclear Power Industry Worldwide: overview
In the European part of the country are built almost all Russian nuclear power plants.Map location of the nuclear power plants of planetary shows the concentration of facilities in the following four regions: Europe, the Far East (Japan, China, Korea), the Middle East, Central America.According to the IAEA, in 2014 there were about 440 nuclear reactors.
Nuclear plants are concentrated in the following countries:
- in US nuclear power plants generate 836.63 billion. KWh. / Year;
- in France - 439 730 000 000. KWh / year;
- Japan - 263.83 billion. KWh / year;
- in Russia - 160.04 billion. KWh / year;
- in Korea - 142.94 billion. KWh / year;
- in Germany - 140.53 billion. KWh / year.
