AST reactor

AST reactor
Developer / Manufacturer:	OKBM
Developing country:	Russia
Reactor data
Reactor type:	Boiling water reactor
Design type:	pressure vessel
Cooling:	water
Power classes in MW (gross):	500 or 300 (only thermal)
Copies built:	0

The AST reactor ( Russian АСТ ) is a Russian nuclear reactor that was developed for heating plants . АСТ stands for атомная станция теплоснабжения. The developer is the Russian design office OKBM .

functionality

Gorki nuclear heating plant

The core physical design is similar to that of a boiling water reactor . The AST-500 is water-cooled and has a thermal output of 500 megawatts. Some of the steam is fed through a turbine for the power plant's own use. The steam that has not yet condensed is fed into the district heating network, from which the heat supply for buildings is ensured.

Seawater desalination plants can also be operated with this reactor. Almost 200,000 m ^{3 of} water can be treated per day. After the distillation stage, the steam is passed through a turbine again to generate electricity for internal use. The fuel elements in the reactor have to be replaced every two years. A smaller version of the AST-500 is the AST-300 with 300 megawatts of thermal output.

Data

Technical specifications	AST-500 (district heating power plant)	AST-500 (seawater desalination)	AST-300
Thermal performance	400 MWth	400 MWth	300 MWth
Pressure reactor	1.6 to 2.0 MPa	1.6 to 2.0 MPa	2.0 MPa
Number of fuel assemblies	121	121	85
Primary circuit pressure	2 MPa	2 MPa	2 MPa
Primary circuit temperature	208 ° C	141 ° C	393/471 ° C
Secondary circuit pressure	1.2 MPa	1.2 MPa	-
Secondary circuit temperature	160 ° C	102 ° C	-
Salt water filter performance	-	200,000 m³ per day	-
Process temperature salt water	-	less than 115 ° C	-
Salt concentration after filtering	-	less than 2 mg per liter	-
costs	about $ 446 per kilowatt thermal	about $ 446 per kilowatt thermal	-
lifespan	about 45 years	about 45 years	-

Projects

Voronezh nuclear heating plant

The first four AST-500 were to be built in Voronezh and Gorky , but construction ceased shortly after the fall of the Soviet Union . In cooperation with Škoda , development work was carried out on an AST-200 for Czechoslovakia.