Cold tests, another important milestone in the Spent Nuclear Fuel Dry Storage Facility (ISF-2) construction project, has been completed. Their duration was almost four months, from May 6 to August 29.

Cold testing is a mandatory part of ISF-2 pre-commissioning test and consists of three main steps.

During the first stage the operability of the equipment of all major process systems and their ability to handle dummies of spent fuel assembly (hereinafter: SFAs) were tested. At the second stage of the test all auxiliary systems ensuring operation of the main ones were tested. The third stage of "cold" tests was aimed at identification of the maintainability of all ISF-2 equipment — whether its components and parts can be repaired remotely (without direct personnel involvement) in the case of their failure in the operating conditions of the facility.

All three stages of testing were supervised by a commission consisting of representatives from the Contractor, the Employer and the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine.

According to Denys Khomenko, the Deputy Head of the Spent Nuclear Fuel Management Shop for ISF-2, the commission issued remarks based on the tests results, some of which have already been eliminated, while others are in the process of being eliminated.

"In the case if some equipment demonstrated improper functioning, the commission made comments and the Contractor involved its employees or subcontractors and eliminated the problem. In particular, some software was improved. After elimination of the remarks relevant to the equipment it was retested and these tests were, as a rule, successful," said Denys.

After elimination of the remarks based on the cold tests results, development and approval of the Preliminary Safety Analysis Report, and obtaining of the corresponding certificate from the State Construction Inspection, the stage of "hot" test with real SFAs will begin. It is scheduled for December 2019.