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Nuclear Energy and Technology 3 (2017) 291–296

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Experience of commissioning of the V-392M reactor plant passive heat

removal system
K.F. Galiev, S.V. Yaurov∗, Ye.V. Goncharov, A.S. Volnov
“Novovoronezh Nuclear Power Plant”, Branch of JSC “Concern Rosenergoatom” 1 Promyshlennaya zona Yuzhnaya, Novovoronezh, Voronezh Reg. 396072,
Russia
Available online 15 November 2017

Abstract
The paper considers structural features of components in a passive heat removal system (PHRS) used for the first time in Russia
in the VVER-1200 reactor. It describes the design deficiencies of the system’s air gate valves and regulators detected in the process of
pre-commissioning activities and making it impossible for the system to perform its design functions. The deficiencies are explained by
unpredictable effects of the working fluid’s thermodynamic processes on the movable parts of the equipment. The equipment deficiencies
were eliminated through the installation of additional equipment retainers which respond to the system actuation and by additional debugging
of components. The retainer allows keeping the air gate valves fully opened and prevents their uncontrolled closure under the action of a
rapidly ascending hot air flow inside the PHRS shell.
During the commissioning stage of Novovoronezh NPP II’s unit 1, following an update of the equipment design, the PHRS proved to be
indispensible as the means to remove the reactor core heat in conditions of an unexpected scram and has confirmed its efficiency as part of
an integrated test at 75% of the reactor power. The PHRS heat exchanger total heat removing capacity was over 100 MW at the ambient
air temperature of –13 °C, and the time for the PHRS to reach full capacity did not exceed 90s, which corresponds to the system’s design
performance.
Copyright © 2017, National Research Nuclear University MEPhI (Moscow Engineering Physics Institute). Production and hosting by
Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license. (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

Keywords: AES-200 design; V-392M; VVER-1200; Passive heat removal system; Air gate valve; Regulator; Pre-commissioning.

Introduction components, which is explained by the absence of an analysis

The passive heat removal system (PHRS) of the consid-
ered layout is used for the first time in the AES-2006 design
and represents a protective safety system based on passive ac-
tion with residual heat removed from the reactor core through
the secondary circuit [1,2]. Being unique, with no earlier ex-
perience of operation, the system has structurally imperfect
of the equipment operation in conditions of operating temper-
atures and the working fluid dynamics. The PHRS operation
was tested on a full scale in the process of pre-commissioning
activities and a number of equipment defects were detected
at that stage which prevents the PHRS from performing its
design functions.
PHRS purpose and composition

∗ Corresponding author. The PHRS performs the preset functions during design ba-
E-mail addresses: GalievKF@nvnpp1.rosenergoatom.ru (K.F. sis and beyond design basis accidents requiring passive heat
Galiev), YaurovSV@nvnpp1.rosenergoatom.ru (S.V. Yaurov), removal from the reactor plant to keep it in a safe state while
GoncharovEV@nvnpp1.rosenergoatom.ru (Ye.V. Goncharov), maintaining and monitoring the major critical safety functions
VolnovAS@nvnpp1.rosenergoatom.ru (A.S. Volnov).
at the NPP [3].
Peer-review under responsibility of National Research Nuclear University
MEPhI (Moscow Engineering Physics Institute). The PHRS has four independent circuits each including
Russian text published: Izvestiya vuzov. Yadernaya Energetika (ISSN two heat-exchange modules with air ducts (Fig. 1). In accor-
0204-3327), 2017, n.3, pp. 162–170. dance with the adopted design characteristics of the equip-
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nucet.2017.11.003
2452-3038/Copyright © 2017, National Research Nuclear University MEPhI (Moscow Engineering Physics Institute). Production and hosting by Elsevier
B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license. (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
292 K.F. Galiev et al. / Nuclear Energy and Technology 3 (2017) 291–296
Fig. 1. PHRS air ducts (top view of the reactor building): 1 – PHRS air
duct.
ment, three functional circulation circuits will be enough for
the system to perform its functions to the full extent in any
operating mode.
The PHRS is responsible for continuous residual heat re-
moval during accidents involving a failure of the steam gener-
Fig. 2. PHRS heat exchanger – steam generator communication pipeline.
ator emergency cooldown system channels (active safety sys-
tem) when there is normal or emergency power supply, as
well as during beyond design basis accidents with a loss of
all ac power sources. As designed, the PHRS starts to oper-
ate 30 s after all ac power sources are lost. The PHRS heat
exchangers are connected to the steam generators directly by
a pipeline (Fig. 2) and are in the waiting mode having the
same parameters as the steam generators.
The PHRS key components [4] are the steam and con-
densate path pipelines with valves (Fig. 2), air ducts, and
heat-exchange modules.
Each heat-exchange module includes (Fig. 3)
− Air gate valves (at the module inlet and outlet).
− A heat exchanger.
− A regulator with a passive-action drive.
− A heat-exchange module shell.
The air duct is intended to transport heated air from the
PHRS heat exchangers to the outlet header and is designed
as a collapsible structure composed of individual links and
thermally insulated on the outside.
The heat-exchange module shell is intended to organize the
air flow through the PHRS heat exchanger and to reduce the
heat loss in rooms accommodating the heat-exchange mod-
ules. A heat-exchange module shell is a collapsible structure
made from metal plates and thermally insulated on the out-
side.
 K.F. Galiev et al. / Nuclear Energy and Technology 3 (2017) 291–296
Fig. 3. PHRS circuit components: 1 – reactor building; 2 – heat-exchange module shell; 3 – heat exchanger; 4 – air duct; 5 – air gate valve (upper);
6 – regulator; 7 – air gate valve (lower).
The steam from the steam generator is condensed during
the system operation in the PHRS heat exchanger thanks to
its cooling by atmospheric air.
The air gate valves are installed at the heat-exchange mod-
ule inlet upstream of the heat exchanger and at the outlet
downstream of the heat-exchange module. The gate valves
are intended to maintain the integrity and thermal insulation
of the heat exchanger which is in the waiting mode during
normal operation of the reactor plant. The upper and the lower
gate valves are equipped with electromagnets that keep them
closed.
The regulator is equipped with two drives: a passive-action
drive and a back-up active drive. The active drives are pow-
ered from the emergency power supply system of category 1
which makes it possible for the operator to control the regu-
lator. The regulator operation is ensured by the passive-action
drive from the secondary circuit fluid.
The regulator’s passive-action drive is designed for long-
term operation during an accident. The drive is a piston mech-
anism with a retracting spring. The piston rod movement (and
293
further the regulator damper rotation) is achieved by the ac-
tion of the steam pressure onto the piston on one side and of
the spring on the other side. The rod movement direction and,
accordingly, the regulator opening and closure depend on the
relation of the forces created by the spring and by the steam
pressure onto the rod.
No system operation is required during normal operation
and the PHRS is in the waiting mode. In this mode, the air
gate valves are closed and the regulator position depends on
the magnitude of pressure in the respective steam generator
[5]. In emergencies, the PHRS design permits two operating
modes of the system:
− Steam generator’s pressure maintenance in the limits of
5.8 to 6.75 MPa.
− The reactor plant cooldown.
The PHRS automatically starts to operate in response to the
initiating event, the air gate valves open, the heat exchangers
reach the design capacity, and the regulator keeps the sec-
ondary circuit pressure in the limits of 5.8 to 6.75 MPa. The
294 K.F. Galiev et al. / Nuclear Energy and Technology 3 (2017) 291–296

Fig. 4. PHRS air gate valve. Initial design (side view): 1 – gate valve damper;
2 – gate valve frame; 3 – electromagnet to keep the damper closed.

regulator is changed over to the reactor plant cooldown mode

by the main control room’s operating personnel by switch-
ing on the electric drive on the regulator and the regulator
opening takes place independent of the passive-action drive
position. The SG pressure maintenance mode is changed over
to by the electric drive reset. The design thermal power of
one PHRS heat exchanger is 8 MW and it decreases with
the steam generator pressure decrease (as the reactor plant is
cooled down).

Impacts of the air medium dynamic processes on the

PHRS air gate valve operation

A drawback of the air gate valves showed itself in the

PHRS testing process at the reactor plant cold and hot trial
stage of Novovoronezh II’s unit 1 (Fig. 4): with the PHRS
heat exchangers heated to 90–120 °C, after all air gate valves
were opened, the upper gate valves, when under the action
of intense hot air flows, were rotating about their axes in an
uncontrolled manner [6]. Such rotations were limited by the
gate valve and frame structural components. Impacts led to
the damage of the components keeping the gate valve shut
and of the end switch pushers which could result in the gate
valve sealing surface damage.
To eliminate this nonconformity, a device was developed
by the designer to retain the gate valves in the opened position
(Fig. 5). The device is designed as a latch or a cylinder and an
electromagnet. There is a structure on the gate valve’s moving
member shaft in the form of a sector with a guide arc in which
there is a hole. In the process of the gate valve opening, the
arc rotates about the latch until the latch enters the arc hole
retaining so the gate valve can prevent its rotation (in the
opened position). As the gate valve closes, the electromagnet
pulls the latch from the arc hole at the time the command
is generated for the gate valve to close remotely and for the
Fig. 5. A modified PHRS air gate valve in the opened position after the
retainer installation: 1 – retainer electromagnet (update); 2 – retainer latch
(update); 3 – lever; 4 – damper; 5 – frame; 6 – arc with latch hole. a) Side
view; b) front view (retainer).
electric drive to actuate. This is how the complete automation
of the air gate valve control is achieved.
Drawbacks were detected in the operation of the air gate
valves at the pre-commissioning stage preventing their normal
operation [7], which has been caused by their design and
local natural factors (low wintertime temperatures). On the
one hand, the gate valve frame and damper metal warms up
to 300 °C (see the medium parameters in Table 1), and, on
the other hand, is cooled down to 25 °C in summer (–25 °C in
winter). Due to the temperature drop, the gate valve and shell
parent metal deforms which leads to the gate valve failure to
open (to close).
 K.F. Galiev et al. / Nuclear Energy and Technology 3 (2017) 291–296
Table 1
Specifications of the PHRS heat exchanger [1].
Option Value
Quantity 8 controlled steam generator cooldown will occur where the
Thermal power of each not less than 8 MW
Tube medium steam, condensate
Annulus medium air
Steam and condensate path design pressure 8.1 MPa
Steam temperature 300 °C
Condensate temperature 300 °C
Heat exchanger inlet air temperature 38 °C
Heat exchanger outlet temperature 300 °C
Weight less working fluid 38.5 t
Fig. 6. A fragment of the PHRS regulator: 1 – passive drive piston mecha-
nism; 2 – retracting spring.
The impact of this shortcoming on the gate valve operation
has been minimized by repeated adjustments of the gate valve
mechanisms and by trimming of the PHRS shell components
both in summer and in winter.
The use of such PHRS design at Russian NPPs requires
an improvement of the shell and gate valve designs, with
regard for natural factors, by increasing the gaps between the
equipment’s movable parts to prevent them from contacting
each other.
Peculiarities of the regulator operation
The passive drive of the PHRS regulators was set up in
the process of the reactor plant cold and hot trials at unit 1
of Novovoronezh II prior to the transition to the hot phase,
with the regulation range set at 5.8 MPa (the regulator is fully
closed) to 6.75 MPa (the regulator is fully opened), which was
fully in compliance with the design secondary circuit pres-
sure regulation range [8]. The retracting spring temperature
(Fig. 6) was about 20 °C.
After six months of the reactor plant being in a hot state, it
was found at the pilot operation stage that the regulation range
failed to meet that specified in the design: the regulators fully
closed only when the secondary circuit pressure decreased to
5.2 MPa [9]. Following the manufacturer involvement and an
attempt to increase the regulator closure pressure by the piston
mechanism spring loading to the design value of 5.8 MPa, the
full opening pressure also increases to over 6.8 MPa.
It is not possible to set up separately the closure pressure
and the opening pressure, and the entire regulation range is
defined by the physical properties of one spring. So, the most
likely cause for the regulation range change is a change in
295
the metal spring performance as the result of its heat-up (to
over 70 °C).
As the result of a too low regulator closure pressure, un-
secondary circuit pressure maintenance using the PHRS will
be needed.
Avoidance of equipment defects at the design and
manufacturing stage
Defects and design shortcomings occurred in the PHRS
components due to omissions in the equipment bench testing
at the manufacturer’s site. It is possible to heat components
of equipment to heat up during service on the test bench in
factory conditions but this is by far not a universal practice.
Bench tests of large-size equipment are rather hard to conduct
in conditions of the ascending hot air flow dynamics. In this
case, a detailed study of the equipment operation is required,
using a nearly realistic computer model. It should be noted
that the PHRS components have not been bench tested to the
full extent in the design temperature conditions. The effects of
the air dynamics on the PHRS air gate valves in the cooldown
mode were not taken into account as well at the detailed and
working design development stage. No bench tests of the gate
valves using air flows were conducted.
The said omissions in the design of systems, safety systems
in particular, may lead to a failure in the performance of the
safety functions and further catastrophic consequences. In this
connection, the attention of the designers needs to be drawn
to the use of computer models with a capability to take into
account as many operating parameters of components and the
system as the whole as possible, and to simulate the equip-
ment functions in conditions of the environment dynamics.
The manufacturer needs to use test benches with such pa-
rameters as these are the closest to the operating conditions.
These arrangements contribute to the reduced costs and labor
input involved in production, transportation and debugging of
warranty components, as well as in dismantling and disposal
of nonstandard equipment.
Conclusion
It is the first time that a passive heat removal system in
the considered configuration is used in the V-392M reactor
plant design. Due to being unique, the equipment’s initial
design had a number of drawbacks that prevented the system
from operating as designed, and it turned out to be necessary
during pre-commissioning to install additional components,
such as a device for retaining the air gate valves in the opened
position. The retainer allows keeping the air gate valves fully
opened without their uncontrolled closure under the action of
a rapidly ascending hot air flow in the PHRS shell.
Besides, in the process of the PHRS equipment debugging,
the system’s movable parts required repeated setups in cold
and hot states, as well as in summer and in winter.
During the commissioning stage of Novovoronezh II’s unit
1, following an update of the equipment design, the PHRS
296 K.F. Galiev et al. / Nuclear Energy and Technology 3 (2017) 291–296
proved to be indispensible as the means to remove the re-
actor core heat in conditions of an unexpected scram and
has confirmed its efficiency as part of an integrated test at
75% of the reactor power. The PHRS heat exchanger total
heat removal capacity was over 100 MW at the ambient air
temperature of –13 °C, and the time for the PHRS to reach
full capacity did not exceed 90s, which corresponds to the
system’s design performance [10].
References
[1] Novovoronezh NPP II Unit 1. Chapter 12. Safety Systems, JSC Atom-
energoproekt Publ., Moscow, 2013, p. 240. (in Russian).
[2] S.A. Andrushechko, A.M. Afrov, B.Yu. Vasilyev, et al., An NPP With
the VVER-1000 Reactor. From Physical Basics of Operation to Evolu-
tion of the Design, Logos Publ., Moscow, 2010, p. 604. (in Russian).
[3] A.M. Afrov, S.A. Andrushechko, V.F. Ukraintsev, et al., VVER-1000:
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Moscow, 2006, p. 488. (in Russian).
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