World's first NPP and its role in nuclear power development

Full text: On 26th of June 2004, it will be 50 years anniversary of start-up of the World's First Nuclear Power Plant (FNPP). This small size nuclear power plant that was constructed on the site of Laboratory 'V' (now State Scientific Center of the Russian Federation - Institute for Physics and Power Engineering) has become a symbol of peaceful use of nuclear energy. As long ago as before the Second World War and during the War, proposals on the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes including electricity production, were made by Academicians V.I. Vernadsky, S.I. Vavilov and P.L. Kapitsa. Based on these proposals, a Decree was issued by the Council of Ministers of the USSR in December 1946, in which the objectives of peaceful application of nuclear energy were first stated. However, target-oriented, intensive work on the designs of power reactors began after successful nuclear weapon test in 1949. Academician I.V. Kurchatov, manager of Nuclear Project of the USSR, became scientific supervisor of this work, while L.P. Beriya, Head of Special Committee and B.L. Vannikov, Head of the First General Board were administrative leaders. In May 1950, the Governmental Decree was issued on the construction at Laboratory 'V' of 'V-10' facility including three reactor units and separate machine building with a 5000 kW turbine generator. AM facility, the first nuclear power plant, was determined as the first priority. Initial evaluation of AM reactor neutronics was performed at Laboratory 2 under the leadership of I.V. Kurchatov, reactor design was developed at the SKB-5 NIIKHIMMASH under the leadership of Professor N.A. Dollezhal, and the LPI (A.I. Gutov) was the General Architect of the Project. On the proposal of I.V. Kurchatov, in March 1951, Laboratory 'V' became the scientific supervisor of justification of the First NPP physical characteristics. The First NPP was designed and constructed in four and a half years. Under condition of permanent lack of time and hard administrative control, it was necessary to solve very difficult problems related to the design of the fuel elements, reactor channels, the main components, control and safety system, justification of the core neutronics and reactor safety. The reactor construction was started on the stage of its design, nevertheless, the Government had to postpone trice the NPP start-up. On 9 May 1954, AM reactor reached criticality. On 26 June 1954, the turbogenerator of the First NPP was connected to Mosenergo grid. This day was acknowledged as the birthday of Nuclear Power. The main problem of the early stage of operation was caused by the water leaks into the graphite brickwork of the reactor heated up to 500 deg. C - 600 deg. C through the cracks in the tubes of the fuel and control rod channels, where coolant (water) pressure was 10 MPa. Another problem was caused by numerous shutdowns of the reactor by the safety system due to false signals of the system of the coolant flow rate control in the fuel channels. Reactor was shut down for repair of the equipment and after its completion, rated power was reached on October 25, 1954. Later on, experimental studies were started on the First NPP reactor in addition to power generation. Comprehensive experimental studies were conducted on the reactor for justification of the future NPP designs, as well as special purpose facilities including studies on the fuel element characteristics and plant transients. Results of these studies were used in the designs of power units of Beloyarskaya NPP with in-reactor steam superheaters, Bilibinskaya NPP with natural coolant flow, transportable NPP 'TES-3', icebreaker 'Lenin' and reactor of the space unit 'Topaz'. New coolants, structural materials and control systems were tested in this reactor, studies on reactor neutronics and solid body physics were carried out, and production of different isotopes was arranged. Training of specialists has been important activity field of the FNPP staff, as well as the other IPPE employees. Future staff of the Beloyarskaya and Novo-Voronezhskaya NPP, icebreaker 'Lenin', the first teams of the nuclear submarines, specialists from GDR, CPR, CSSR, SRR were trained at the FNPP. Starting from the first days of its operation, FNPP became accessible for the numerous delegations from our country and from abroad. Significant political resonance is not the only result of the FNPP creation; it makes the concrete scientific and technical contribution in the solution of the problems of Nuclear Power, being powerful stimulus of development and implementation of the programs of the NPP creation in many countries, including USSR. Shortly after FNPP start-up, Sibirskaya NPP, transportable NPP 'TES-3', two units of the Beloyarskaya NPP, two units of Novo-Voronezhskaya NPP, NPP VK-50, and BOR-60 in Dimitrovgrad were created. Of course, in the stages of creation and operation of the FNPP, numerous defects of the equipment and errors of personnel were not avoided, however there was no dangerous cases of personnel overdose, and radioactivity release to the environment including the town located at 1.5-3.5 km distance from NPP, has been within natural background value. On 29 April 2002, the reactor of the FNPP was stopped. Preparation work for its decommissioning was started and the experience of this work will become additional important result of operation of the World's First NPP. (author)