In 2009, the Commission under the President of the Russian Federation for the modernization and technological development of the Russian economy made a decision to implement the project "Creation of a transport and energy module based on a megawatt-class nuclear power plant".
JSC NIKIET was appointed Chief Designer of the reactor plant.
The Federal Space Agency issued NIKIET license No. 981K dated August 29, 2008 to carry out space activities.
From an interview with Yu. G. Dragunov RIA Novosti. Published on 2012-28-08
Russia is actively developing nuclear energy, relying on the colossal experience and knowledge accumulated over the decades of the domestic nuclear program.
One of the pioneers in creating breakthrough technologies in our country and in the world is the N. A. Dollezhal (NIKIET), celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. The Institute's specialists made an invaluable contribution to the defense capability of our country, developed projects for the first reactor for the production of weapons-grade isotopes, the first reactor plant for a nuclear submarine, and the first power reactor for a nuclear power plant. Under the projects and with the participation of NIKIET, 27 research reactors have been created in Russia and abroad.
And today the Institute designs completely new reactors, works on the creation of a reactor installation for a unique nuclear power plant of a megawatt class for a spacecraft, which has no analogues in the world.
Director - General Designer of NIKIET, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Yuri Dragunov told RIA Novosti about the progress of work in the breakthrough areas of Russian nuclear science and technology.
- All 60 years of its existence, the Institute follows the motto of the founder and first director of NIKIET, academician N. A. Dollezhal: "If you can, go ahead of the century." And this project is a confirmation of this. The creation of this installation is a complex work of the State Research Center FSUE "Keldysh Center", OJSC RSC Energia, KBHM im. A. M. Isaev and the enterprises of the State Corporation "Rosatom". Our Institute has been identified as the sole executor for the reactor facility and has been identified as the coordinator of the work from the organizations of Rosatom. The work is really unique, there are no analogues today, so it is going on quite difficult. Since we are a design organization, we have certain stages, stages and we go through them step by step. Last year we completed the development of the draft design of the reactor plant, this year we are carrying out the technical design of the reactor plant. A huge amount of testing is required, especially of fuel, including studies of the behavior of fuel and structural materials under reactor conditions. The work on the technical design will be quite long, about 3 years, but we will prepare the first stage of the technical design, the main documentation this year. Today we have identified and made a technical decision on the choice of a design option for the fuel element and the final technical decision on the choice of a design option for the reactor. And just a couple of weeks ago, a technical decision was made on the choice of the core design option and its layout.
- Today we have a fairly wide cooperation, more than three dozen organizations are involved in the development of the reactor plant design. All agreements on this topic have been concluded, and there is complete confidence that we will do this work on time. The work is coordinated by the council of the project manager under my chairmanship, we review the status of work once a quarter. There is one problem, I cannot help but mention it. Unfortunately, as elsewhere on all topics, our contracts are concluded for a period of one year. The confinement process is stretched out, and, taking into account the time spent on the competitive procedures, in fact, we eat up our time. I made a decision at NIKIET, we open a special order and start working on January 11. Participants, however, are much more difficult to attract. There is a problem, so today we puzzled our members so that they give plans before the development is completed, at least for a three-year period. We formulate these proposals, and we will go to the government with a request to switch to a three-year contract for this project. Then we will clearly see the schedule and better organize and coordinate the work on the project. Solving this problem is very important for the successful implementation of the project.
- I think that the project will be purely Russian. There is still a lot of know-how, a lot of new solutions and, in my opinion, the project should be purely Russian.
- Basically, at this stage of the technical design, we adopted the version of dioxide fuel. The fuel that has experience in operating in installations with thermal emission. We made the fuel element sectional to ensure the conditions that have already been tested in operating reactors. Yes, this is a novelty, yes, this is an innovative project, but in terms of key elements it must be worked out and must be in time within the timeframes set by the presidential project.
- No, we are not considering an overload option for today. It can be reusable, but we are counting on 10 years of operation, and I believe, judging by the results of the discussion in the scientific community, with Roskosmos, that today the task of making the installation work longer is not set. Roskosmos is discussing an increase in the plant's capacity, but this, in general, will not be a problem if we do this project, implement it and, most importantly, test a ground prototype at the stand. After that, we can easily process it to high capacity.
Creation of nuclear power and power propulsion systems for space purposes
At the Semipalatinsk test site, from 1960 to 1989, work was carried out to create a nuclear rocket engine.
IGR reactor complex;
bench complex "Baikal-1" with the IVG-1 reactor and two workstations for testing 11B91 products;
reactor RA (IRGIT).
IGR reactor
The IGR reactor is a pulsed thermal neutron reactor with a homogeneous core, which is a stack of graphite blocks containing uranium, assembled in the form of columns. The reflector of the reactor is formed from similar blocks that do not contain uranium.
The reactor does not have forced core cooling. The heat released during the operation of the reactor is accumulated by the masonry, and then through the walls of the reactor vessel is transferred to the water of the cooling circuit.
IGR reactor
IVG-1 Reactor and Component Supply Systems
Reactor RA (IRGIT)
1962-1966 years
In the IGR reactor, the first tests of model fuel elements of the NRM were carried out. The test results confirmed the possibility of creating fuel elements with solid heat exchange surfaces operating at temperatures above 3000K, specific heat fluxes up to 10 MW / m2 under conditions of powerful neutron and gamma radiation (41 launches were carried out, 26 model fuel assemblies of various modifications were tested).
1971-1973 years
In the IGR reactor, dynamic thermal strength tests of high-temperature fuel NRE were carried out, during which the following parameters were implemented:
specific energy release in fuel - 30 kW / cm3
specific heat flux from the surface of fuel elements - 10 MW / m2
coolant temperature - 3000K
the rate of change in the temperature of the coolant with increasing and decreasing power - 1000 K / s
duration of the nominal mode - 5 s
1974-1989 years
In the IGR reactor, the tests of fuel assemblies of various types of reactors NRE, nuclear power plant and gas-dynamic installations with hydrogen, nitrogen, helium and air coolants were carried out.
1971-1993 years
Research has been carried out on the release from the fuel into the gaseous coolant (hydrogen, nitrogen, helium, air) in the temperature range 400 … 2600K and the deposition of fission products in the gas circuits, the sources of which were experimental fuel assemblies located in the IGR and RA reactors.
the USSR
Period of active action on the topic 1961-1989
Funds spent, billion $ ~ 0, 3
Number of manufactured reactor units 5
The principles of development and creation elementwise
Fuel composition
UC-ZrC,
UC-ZrC-NbC
Heat density of the core, average / maximum, MW / l 15 / 33
Maximum reached temperature of the working fluid, K 3100
Specific thrust impulse, s ~ 940
Service life at the maximum temperature of the working fluid, s 4000
USA
Period of active action on the topic 1959-1972
Funds spent, billion $ ~2, 0
Number of manufactured reactor units 20
The principles of development and creation integral
Fuel composition Solid solution
UC2 in graphite
matrix
Heat density of the core, average / maximum, MW / l 2, 3 / 5, 1
Maximum reached temperature of the working fluid, K 2550 2200
Specific thrust impulse, s ~ 850
Service life at the maximum temperature of the working fluid, s 50 2400
