[en] Materials testing problems arised and solved in the course of design and operation of the WWER-440 and WWER-1000 reactor vessels and NPP steam generator shells are briefly considered. It is emphasized that the 15Kh2MFA-A and 15Kh2NMFA-A steels are characterized by necessary properties and provide for the reactor vessel design service life. Application of the 08Kh18N10T steel ensures high efficiency of steam generator heat exchanging tubes. This steel is recommended for application in manufacturing the steam generator collectors

[en] The main principles of designing the floating block-moduli for siting of different NPP objects, are considered. The considered blocks are divided into two categories with respect to the way of providing floatability: blocks with inherent floatability (special building, administrative and service building) and blocks, which require additional means to support their floatability (reactor compartment, machine room). Peculiarities of transportation of platforms of mentioned types are discussed. It is concluded that the use of floating block-modili provides sufficient reduction of NPP construction cost

[en] The history and status of the World nontraditional power engineering development are discussed. The reasons of the Russian noticeable loosening in utilization of renewable energy resources (solar, geothermal and wind power) are analyzed. The ways for improving the present situation are suggested

[en] The effects of the main operational factors (temperature, ionizing radiation, increased humidity) on some most widely applied fibrous materials are investigated. The samples were irradiated by ⁶⁰Co gamma photons at the PKhM-gamma-20 device in air at temperature of 40±1 deg C in order to analyze the radiation resistance of thermal insulating materials. The analysis and generalization of the results of laboratory tests give an opportunity to make the following conclusions. The thermal insulation articles and constructions made of superfine basalt fiber may be used in the zones of rigorous regime. The superfine glass fibers (GF) are recommended to be used for equipment and pipeline shielding in the zones of rigorous control only as a part of multilayer insulation as the second or next layers and only in places where leaks are impossible

[en] The main aspects of forecasting of ground water contamination by radioisotopes during NPP operation at the stage of selection of place and site for construction are considered. Predicting estimation of contamination at maximum credible accident is made for the most long-living radioisotopes ⁹⁰Sr and ¹³⁷ Cs taking into account rock heterogeneities

[en] The main aspects, which should be analyzed when making an expert estimation of NPP pipeline reliability under earthquakes, are considered. It is emphasized that it is necessary to reorganize the existing norms and develop the special instructions for design of pipelines at NPPs located in seismic regions, especially when the level of possible earthquake magnitudes may be greater than 7, in order to provide the problem complex solution

[en] A brief review of the results of studies realized in Japan within the frameworks of the program dealing with design of seismic isolation for NPP reactor compartments is given. The construction variants and main characterisitics of elastic supporting elements for the seismic isolation system are considered. The particular attention, which was paid to estimation of the reliability of the damper construction variants in the process of design, is emphasized

[en] An underground NPP (UNPP) with 500 MW_(el) power units and PWR type reactors is considered. Principle diagrams of the UNPP complex comprising a reactor room which incluons a sealed compartment (the surface analogue is intercontainment shell systems) and anxilliary system compartment, a special compartment (special water treatment system, waste solidification system) and a turbine compartment, are described. The fresh fuel unit, waste and spent fuel storage facilities contaminated shops can be both of general-plant and unit destination and be located in a separate shaft. The further investigations related to selection of the UNPP layout should be linked with the selection of their optimization criteria, indkvidualization of the variable parameters and their variation boundaries, development of calculation algorithm

[en] Main trands in developing power engineering, in particular, solar power plants are considered. The greatest attention among solar power plants with direct conversion of solar radiation energy into electric one, is paid to power plants with photoelectric cells, namely, the solar batteries assembled of solar elements on the basis of monocrystal, polycrystal and amorphous silicon. The problems of improving the production technology of the power plant basic elements and related cost decrease are discussed

[en] The complex of problems connected with design, construction, operation and decommissioning of underground NPPs is discussed. The criterion for selection of sites for the NPP main compartments and requirements for rock masses in respect to stability towards external actions are formulated. The program package for evaluation of rock geomechanical properties at the stage of NPP design is briefly described