On September 10, “hot tests” commenced at the new Interim Spent Fuel Storage Facility No.2 (hereinafter referred to as ISF-2), under the specific permit for commissioning of the nuclear facility issued by the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine.
The day before, the first batch of 9 spent fuel assemblies was loaded into the transfer basket at ISF-1, in the presence of the IAEA inspectors, and this morning the basket was transferred from the wet-type storage facility (ISF-1) to the new facility (ISF-2) for further spent fuel handling.
Spent fuel is transported by a special railcar which also serves as biological shielding to protect personnel from radiation exposure.
ChNPP Acting Director General Volodymyr Pieskov notes that the start of hot testing was preceded by long preparatory work at both ISF-1 and ISF-2. Spent nuclear fuel handling at both storage facilities and its transportation is a comprehensive set of quite serious and interconnected operations, whereas the “hot” tests represent an important procedure which from now on will use the real spent fuel assemblies, not the dummies.
All the operations to be performed at ISF-2 are new to the personnel, and processing of spent fuel assemblies at the new facility is quite complex and involves cutting the assemblies, their repacking, drying, and sealing in custom-made canisters which will be then placed horizontally into the dry concrete storage modules.
This milestone event is the start of activities to be carried out within about ten years, and in future will ensure safe storage for 100 years of the spent fuel resulted from ChNPP operation.
It should be noted, that ChNPP staff makes every effort to successfully and, above all, safely perform these important works.
