The accident at the Japanese nuclear power plant "Fukushima-1" once again forced to talk about the safety problems during the operation of nuclear power plants around the world. It seems logical that as long as there is no real alternative to nuclear power, no man-made collisions will stop its development.
Mobile nuclear power plant
Almost half a century ago, the world's first mobile large-unit nuclear power plant TPP-3 of low power was born, which can rightfully be considered a masterpiece of mechanical engineering. In 1957, the design bureau of the Kirovsky plant in St. Petersburg (now OJSC "Spetsmash") received an order from the Ministry of Medium Machine Building (this was the name of the Ministry of the Atomic Industry for reasons of secrecy) for the creation of chassis and other systems for an experimental mobile nuclear power plant intended for supplying electricity remote areas located far from power supply systems (Far East, North and Siberia). Of course, it is possible to create power plants operating on both liquid and solid fuels in these regions as well, but the delivery of these energy carriers is a serious problem.
The mobile power plant received the designation TPP-3 (transportable nuclear power plant), and in the design bureau it was called "Object 27". Since the deadlines for development were extremely tight, it was necessary to find technical solutions that had already been mastered in practice. It was assumed that the power plant will move both off-road and on roads with a conventional surface.
Chief designer of the design bureau Zh. Ya. Kotin used the T-10 tank as a base, which is extremely reliable and widely used in the troops, but its chassis has undergone significant changes due to the specifics of the new facility. Considering that the mass of TPP-3 now significantly exceeded the mass of the base vehicle (let me remind you that the T-10, created under the leadership of the deputy chief designer, laureate of state awards A. S. Ermolaev, had a combat weight of 51.5 tons), a special widened caterpillar, and the undercarriage included an increased number of pairs of road wheels (ten versus seven). The rectangular body looked somewhat like a bulky railway carriage. Leading designer of the machine Zh. Ya. Kotin appointed P. S. Toropatin is an experienced heavy tank builder.
The design and development of the frame for heavy and bulky units became a difficult engineering task. This work was entrusted to B. P. Bogdanov, and the production was entrusted to the Izhora plant. It was possible to create a light and strong bridge-shaped frame. Subsequently, Boris Petrovich recalled: “I am still a young specialist, after graduating from the Polytechnic Institute I was assigned to a group designing the building of the power plant. We worked hard. Often the chief designer came to us, showed us, advised. It was not easy to place this equipment, but I really wanted to complete this task. By the way, the result of my work was the first award - a bronze medal of the Exhibition of Economic Achievements”.
The power plant was designed by the elders of the design bureau - Gleb Nikonov and Fyodor Marishkin. Then they used the most powerful diesel engine B12-6. The young specialist A. Strakhal worked fruitfully. He designed thickened protective screens. The installation was manufactured with the participation of a large number of design and engineering and scientific organizations. The work was carried out under the guidance and with the active participation of a talented engineer, honored Kirov worker N. M. Blue.
It can be said about this man that he was the creator of the atomic age. Doctor of technical sciences, professor and scientist linked his life with the Kirov plant. After graduating from the Moscow State Technical University in 1932. N. E. Bauman, for 30 years, he worked at the Kirov plant, rose from a design engineer to chief designer. Back in the pre-war years, in the special design bureau of the plant, which he headed, they began to create the country's first air-jet engines for aviation. During the Great Patriotic War, Nikolai Mikhailovich worked as deputy J. Ya. Kotina, designed heavy tanks KB and IS. In August 1943, he fulfilled the important order of the tank builders of the tank city - by order of the Headquarters, he delivered the samples of armored vehicles created by them to Moscow for display to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief.
Machines of the TPP-3 complex. In the photo on the right: a car of the TPP-3 complex in Kamchatka. 1988 year
In 1947 N. M. Sinev again actively joined the work on the creation of new technology in Leningrad. Nikolai Mikhailovich is one of the largest talented designers of original domestic equipment for nuclear power, the author of inventions that have found wide application in practice. Many of its developments are superior to their foreign counterparts in terms of technical and economic indicators. 1953-1961 under the leadership of N. M. Sineva, the main turbo-gear units and hermetic circulation pumps for the primary circuit of nuclear ship installations were created. His special merit in the development of an integrated turbine unit for the Lenin nuclear-powered icebreaker and the first mobile nuclear power plant TPP-3 as chief designer.
The TES-3 mobile complex was mounted on four tracked chassis using, as already mentioned, the nodes of the T-10 heavy tank. The first machine was equipped with a nuclear reactor with operating systems, the second - steam generators, a volume compensator and circulation pumps for feeding the primary circuit, the third - a turbine generator, and the fourth - the central control panel of the nuclear power plant. The peculiarity of TPP-3 was that there was no need to build special buildings and other infrastructure for its operation.
The energy part was created at the Physics and Technology Institute. A. I. Leikunsky (Obninsk, now - FSUE "SSC RF - IPPE"), In the early 1960s. two such nuclear power plants were manufactured. The reactor itself was a cylinder 600 mm in height and 650 mm in diameter, which housed 74 fuel assemblies with highly enriched uranium.
To protect against radiation, an earthen shield was to be built around the first two machines of TPP-3 at the site of operation. The reactor vehicle was equipped with a transportable biological shielding, which made it possible to carry out assembly and disassembly work within a few hours after the reactor was shut down, as well as to transport the reactor with a partially or completely burnt-out core. During transportation, the reactor was cooled using an air radiator, which provides removal of up to 0.3% of the nominal power of the installation.
In 1961, at the Physics and Power Engineering Institute named after V. I. A. I. Leikunsky, TPP-3 with a pressurized pressurized reactor was put into operation. This unit has successfully completed the entire cycle, having exhausted its design resource. In 1965 TPP-3 was shut down and decommissioned. Subsequently, it was supposed to serve as the basis for the development of power plants of this type.
After trial operation in Obninsk, the two most "dangerous" machines were mothballed, but after a few years it was necessary to send them for experimental research to Kamchatka (to thermal steam geysers). For this purpose, L. Zakharov, a test engineer from the LKZ design bureau, and the deputy head of the SI testing department, were sent to Obninsk. Lukashev with driver mechanics. Engineer Vanin was sent to Kamchatka.
It should be emphasized that this mobile nuclear power plant was not afraid of the strongest earthquakes: the tank suspension does not withstand such a thing when fired.
Technical characteristics of mobile TPP-3
Total weight, t ………………………………. More than 300
Equipment weight, t …………………….about 200
Engine power, HP …………………………… 750
Thermal power, kW ……………………… 8, 8 thous.
Electric power
turbine generator, kW ……………………………….1500
Cooling water consumption
in the primary circuit, t / h ………………………………… 320
Water pressure, atm ………… 130, at a temperature
cooler 270'C (inlet) and 300 * C (outlet);
Steam pressure ……… 20 atm with a temperature of 280 С
Duration of work
(campaigns) …………………………….. About 250 days
(with incomplete loading of elements - up to one year)
VTS "Ladoga"
Highly protected vehicle "Ladoga"
The highly protected vehicle (VTS) "Ladoga" was born almost 20 years after the creation of a mobile nuclear power plant. It occupies a special place among caterpillar power-packed vehicles specially designed for work in emergency situations.
The assignment for the development of a highly protected vehicle at KB-3 of the Kirov plant was received at the end of the 1970s. The requirements for the new car were extremely tough and difficult to fulfill. The military-technical cooperation was supposed to have good mobility, high security and the ability to work in an autonomous mode for a long time. The most important requirement was the availability of reliable protection of the crew from radiation, chemical and bacteriological influences, while maximum comfort was to be provided for the people. Of course, given the expected difficult operating conditions of the product, increased attention was paid to communications. In addition, the military-technical cooperation should have been prepared in a short time, while, if possible, unified it with other machines of the plant.
VTS "Ladoga", which worked in the area of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. 1986 year
It is no exaggeration to say that thanks to the accumulated experience, powerful production and testing bases, Leningrad designers managed to create a unique tracked vehicle that has no analogues in the world.
The work on Ladoga was headed by V. I. Mironov, a talented engineer and an excellent organizer. For 45 years of his career, he has gone from a design engineer to a deputy general designer, head of a special bureau. In 1959, immediately after graduating from the Leningrad Polytechnic Institute (specializing in tracked vehicles), before retiring to a well-deserved rest, he actively participated in almost all the works of the Kirovsky plant design bureau. He was repeatedly awarded, and for special services in the creation of special machines he was three times awarded the title of Laureate of the State Prize.
A special design unit, KB-A, was formed in the design bureau. Since 1982, it has begun to fulfill the assigned task. The head of the laboratory N. I. Burenkov, chief designers of the project A. M. Konstantinov and A. V. Vasin, leading experts V. I. Rusanov, D. D. Blokhin, E. K. Fenenko, V. A. Timofeev, A. V. Aldokhin, V. A. Galkin, G. B. Beetle and others.
Layout work, one of the most difficult stages of design, was performed by A. G. Janson.
In the course of designing original systems and assemblies that ensure high compactness and reliability of the machine, the design talent of the hereditary designer KB O. K. Ilyin (by the way, his father, K. N. Ilyin, participated in the development of the first heavy tanks and artillery systems under the leadership of N. L. Dukhov). It is safe to say that the contribution of Oleg Konstantinovich to the creation of this revolutionary machine is unusually high.
The base for the MTC "Ladoga" was the well-tested and well-proven chassis of the main T-80 tank. It was equipped with a body of an original design with a salon, in which comfortable chairs, individual lighting, air conditioning and life support systems, communication equipment, observation devices and measurements of various parameters of the external environment were placed. This made it possible to ensure normal working conditions in a fully sealed cabin volume. An analogue of such a life support system can be found, perhaps, only in astronautics.
Video camera
The gas turbine engine GTD-1250 with a capacity of 1250 hp, developed at NPO named after V. I. V. Ya. Klimov. A system for blowing off dust with compressed air from the guide vanes of the turbine nozzle is provided, which allows for quick and efficient decontamination. A gas turbine power unit with a capacity of 18 kW is located behind the left fenders, which supplies electricity to all Ladoga systems in the parking lot.
It is possible to provide the crew with air not through the filtering unit, but from a cylinder attached to the rear wall of the hull. On the inner surface of the case, elements of the lining are attached - anti-neutron protection. In addition to periscopes and night vision devices, Ladoga has two video cameras.
In the early 1980s. MTC "Ladoga" passed difficult tests in the Kara-Kum desert, the Kopet-Dag and Tien Shan mountains and in the regions of the Far North. However, Ladoga was able to fully demonstrate its capabilities during the liquidation of the consequences of the disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant (ChNPP) that occurred on April 26, 1986. As a result of the destruction of the fourth power unit, a large amount of radioactive substances were released into the environment. In such a situation, it was decided to use Ladoga for reconnaissance and assessment of the situation directly at the reactor.
The workplace of the driver-mechanic and the interior of the VTS "Ladoga"
In the area of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant "Ladoga" has covered more than 4000 km, having performed a number of studies
Kirovtsy in Chernobyl, second from left - G. B. Bug. June 1986
On May 3, the car (tail number 317) was delivered to Kiev by special flight from Leningrad. On the ninth day after the accident, she arrived at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant on her own. From the KB of the Kirov plant, the work was headed by the deputy chief designer for scientific work B. A. Dobryakov and lead tester V. A. Galkin. A special detachment was created, which included the crew of the car, dosimetry, sanitation, food and medicine services. The crews leaving for the site included the chairman of the government commission I. S. Silaev, head of the chemical service of the Ministry of Defense V. K. Pikalov, academician E. P. Velikhov, representative of the Ministry of Medium Machine Building E. P. Slavsky and others.
B. A. Dobryakov was especially interested in the technical parameters, the degree of contamination, the results of processing, the assessment of the operational capabilities of the Ladoga systems. He, together with G. M. Hajibalavim performed the most complex calculations for security.
Test engineer G. B. Zhuk later said: “The devastation of the villages, the vegetable gardens overgrown with weeds were striking, but the main thing is the scale of destruction: there is no block roof, no walls, one corner of the building collapsed to the very foundation. Steam swirled over everything and - complete desertion around. While in the car, everyone watched through observation devices and television cameras."
Having worked from May to August 1986, "Ladoga" covered more than 4 thousand km, overcoming areas with an extremely high background of radioactivity, while conducting reconnaissance of the area, making video recordings and performing a number of other studies, including in the ChNPP turbine hall.
In less than four months of work with the use of "Ladoga", 29 specialists from the design bureau of the Kirov plant have visited the Chernobyl NPP area. I would like to recall the active participants of the Chernobyl expedition: the chiefs of the laboratories O. E. Gerchikov and B. V. Kozhukhov, test engineers A. P. Pichugin, as well as Yu. P. Andreeva, F. K. Shmakova, V. N. Prozorova, B. C. Chanyakova, N. M. Mosalov.
Of greater interest are the entries in the "logbook", which were kept by the specialists operating the "Ladoga". Here are some excerpts for May-September 1986:
Test engineer V. A. Galkin (business trip from May 9 to May 24, 1986):
“… 05/05/86, the first trip to the NPP zone for reconnaissance, the speedometer readings 427 km, the engine hour meter 42, 7 m / h. The radiation level is about 1000 r / h, decontamination. There are no comments on the car.
… 16.05.86 Departure to the NPP zone with the members of the commission. Operating time for departure: 46 km, 5.5 m / h. The radiation level is about 2500 r / h, the speedometer readings are 1044 km, 85, 1 m / h. There are no comments on the car. Deactivation. The technical indicators are formalized by the act”.
Test engineer A. P. Pichugin:
… 6.06.86. Exit to the NPP area 16-00, return 18-10. The goal is to familiarize Comrade Maslyukov with the area of the accident. Speedometer readings 2048 km, hour meter 146, 7 m / h. During the exit, they covered 40 km, 2, 2 m / h, temperature + 24 ° С, radiation level about 2500 r / h, no comments, decontamination was carried out. The rest of the indicators are activated.
… 06/11/86 Departure to the NPP zone with c. Aleksandrov. Ambient temperature + 33 ° С, clarification of the area of infection.
Instrument readings: 2298 km, 162, 1 m / h. For the exit 47 km, 4, 4 m / h. No comments. Deactivation.
Leading engineer S. K. Kurbatov:
“… 07/27/86 Departure to the NPP zone with the Chairman of the State. commissions, instrument readings 3988 km, 290, 5 m / h, operating time of the auxiliary engine GTD5T - 48, 9 m / h. Radiation levels up to 1500 r / h. Filming, recording noise and vibration acceleration at a car speed of 30-50 km / h. For the exit: 53 km, 5.0 m / h, 0.8 m / h on the auxiliary.
The tension of the caterpillar belts was carried out, the right bracket was bent, the lantern was torn off. Defects have been eliminated. Deactivation. The rest of the parameters in the act."
Leading engineer V. I. Prozorov:
“… 19.08.86, 9-30 - 14-35, departure of the head of the garrison and the head of the chemical service. Completed 45 km, 4.5 m / h, 0.6 m / h auxiliary unit (total 56.8 m / h). No comments, cleaning the control compartment and the passenger compartment, draining about 100 g of condensate from the evaporator of the air conditioning system. The backpressure was checked - normal, the oil level: engine 29.5 liters, transmission 31 liters, generator brushes GS-18 - 23 mm. Other parameters in the act."
Test engineer A. B. Petrov:
“… 6.09.86 - departure to the NPP zone, determination of the effect of ionizing radiation on the ionic composition of the air. Composition: Maslov, Pikalov. Readings 4704 km, 354 m / h. For the exit 46 km, 3, 1 m / h, 3.3 m / h of the auxiliary engine (total 60, 3 m / h). A protocol was drawn up.
… 8.09.86, departure to the zone of the village of Pelev (4719 km, 355, 6 m / h) for the exit 15 km / 1, 6 m / h. Deactivation. Parameters in the act.
On September 14, "Ladoga" was shipped to the plant, after thoroughly decontaminating the outside and inside. Later it was used in research work in the design bureau at site No. 4 (near Tikhvin).
Summing up some results, we can say that the creation of the VTS "Ladoga" design bureau Kirovtsy anticipated the need for a highly protected vehicle for the Ministry of Emergency Situations. In world practice, there are not many examples when the properties and capabilities of such a special technique would be tested in real conditions. The creators of Ladoga have gained invaluable experience of working in extreme conditions. And today this machine is unmatched in terms of the duration of operation in conditions of increased radiation hazard.
I would like to express the hope that a technique similar to the one described above will still be in demand, especially in the face of more and more frequent natural and man-made disasters.
Technical characteristics of the VTS "Ladoga"
Weight, t …………………………………………………….42
Crew, people ……………………………………………….2
Cabin capacity, people ……………………………….4
Engine, type …………………………………. GTD-1250
Autonomy of work, h ……………………………….48
Cruising range, km ………………………………………….350
Specific power, hp D ………………….about 30
Speed, km / h …………………………………………… 70
Additional power unit, type, power ……………………………….. GTE, 18 kW
