UNPP-300 (underground nuclear thermal power plant)

The idea to place a nuclear power plant in the subsurface area to reduce the risk of radioactive pollution of the environment in case of a reactor accident appeared in the 50s of the XX century. A reliable shelter for a nuclear power facility and storages of spent nuclear fuel and radioactive against any anthropogenic or naturally occurring forces can be provided by the earth stratum. In that case the hermitisation of the subsurface area that incorporates them guarantees that any radiation accident will be localized in such a volume.

Such is the essence of the UNPP-conception, which places above all public safety and environmental protection.

The ecological advantages of nuclear-power engineering inherent to standard running condition of hundreds of nuclear power plant units on the one hand, and appeared in the 80s production capabilities of shipbuilding technologies conversion on the other hand, were premises for efficient adoption of the equipment of atomic vessel machine-building and instrument into the structure of commercial purpose nuclear power plants.

The competitiveness of UNPP is based on maximal efficient (up to 80%) use of its thermal energy and unique radiation services, as well as thanks to the practiced technologies of construction, operation and replacement upon expiration of service life.

Shipbuilding technologies in UNPP:

• Compactness, which is provided by turnkey factory made atomic electric modules, offers the challenge of underground placement for their operating cycle and removal for further utilization at a factory.
• Modularity, which is conducive to unification of equipment being mass produced and supplied, as well as centralized short-term maintenance on ship-repair and shipbuilding factories.
• Manoeuvrability, which provides a full adaptation of the plant power to any loading schedule of consumer mains.
• Tested on ships: all equipment is tested. That provides a very short-term of UNPP packaging arrangement and its investment attractiveness.
• Impact resistance, which guarantees a reliable use of the UNPP in every seismic dangerous region.

The socio-economic status of the UNPP includes:

• high consumer merits due to multimodule structure of the UNPP, what gives a reliable guarantee for uninterrupted production not only of electricity but of commodity heat practically independent of seasonal and transport conditions.
• a possibility of placement of the UNPP in area with any density of population, due to the strength of the underground shelter with radiation-dangerous elements (reactor units, storage of SNF and RW) in any possible situation: such as external natural occurring or anthropogenic influences. Any internal accident on the radiation-dangerous elements can be localized just by only one structurally strong barrier, which prevents the emission of radioactive substances into the environment without risk.
• the investment attractiveness of the project, which is based on operating experience of nuclear unit prototypes, short-term energy module fabrication on existing shipbuilding enterprises and their portability; and on industrial methods of sinking and drifting of underground areas, allowing the building and maintenance of plants in any area of the planet.
• the possibility of involvement of existing shipyards for maintenance of plants, by eliminating the need for building of repair shops directly on the power plant, as well as the simplification of UNPP decommissioning, consisting in quick replacement of worked out power units by new.

The competitiveness of the commercial activities of UNPP on the base of shipbuilding technologies makes it a profitable area of domestic atomic vessel machine building and instrument making.

By the export of UNPP the Russian side provides:

• The training of the national staff.
• The utilization of equipment and worked off nuclear fuel at its own factories.

More detailed information about the characteristics of the UNPP-300 you can get by clicking MAIN CHARACTERISTICS AND USE