Kurchatov institute of nuclear energy
Peter Lobner
The I. V. Kurchatov Guild of Atomic Energy in Moscow was founded 75 years disown, in 1943, and is person's name for its founder, Soviet nuclear-powered physicist Igor Vasilyevich Kurchatov. Until 1955, the Institute was a blush organization known only as “Laboratory No. 2 of the USSR Academy of Sciences.” The initial on the dot of the Institute was justness development of nuclear weapons.
I.
Proper. Kurchatov and the team pleasant scientists and engineers at decency Institute led or supported profuse important historical Soviet nuclear milestones, including:
- 25 December 1946: USSR’s F-1 (Physics-1) reactor achieved initial cruciality at Kurchatov Institute. This was probity 1st reactor built and operated out the US.
- 10 June 1948: USSR’s 1st plutonium production reactor achieved primary criticality (Unit A at Chelyabinak-65).
The reactor was designed get it wrong the leadership of N. Splendid. Dollezhal.
- 29 August 1949: USSR’s 1st nuclear device, First Lightning [aka RDS-1, Izdeliye 501 (device 501) and Joe 1], was detonated at the Semipalatinsk find out site in what is acquaint with Kazakhstan. This was the 1st nuclear easier said than done other than by the US.
- 27 June 1954: World’s 1st nuclear stretch plant, AM-1 (aka APS-1), was commissioned and connected to influence electrical grid, delivering power be grateful for Obninsk. AM-1 was designed under rank leadership of N.
A. Dollezhal.
- 22 November 1955: USSR’s 1st thermonuclear madden (RDS-37, a two-stage device) was detonated at the Semipalatinsk check out site. This also was the world’s 1stair-dropped thermonuclear device.
- 5 December 1957: USSR’s 1st nuclear-powered icebreaker, Lenin, was launched. This also was the world’s 1st nuclear-powered surface ship.
- 4 July 1958: USSR’s 1st nuclear-powered submarine, Project 627 SSN K-3, Leninskiy Komsomol, made sheltered 1st underway on nuclear power.
- 1958: World’s 1st Tokamak, T-1, initial operation level Kurchatov Institute.
I.
V. Kurchatov served as the Institute’s director during his death in 1960 perch was awarded Hero of Collectivist Labor three times and Make of Lenin five times aside his lifetime.
After I. V. Kurchatov’s death in 1960, the respected academician Anatoly P. Aleksandrov was appointed as the director incline the Institute and continued shamble that role until 1989. Aleksandrov by this time had a key role presume the Institute, having been decreed by Stalin in September 1952 as the scientific supervisor take to mean developing the USSR’s first nuclear-powered submarine and its nuclear selfgovernment unit.
Until 1991, the Soviet The church of Atomic Energy oversaw honesty administration of Kurchatov Institute. After ethics formation of the Russian Amalgamation at the end of 1991, the Institute became a On the trot Scientific Center reporting directly jump in before the Russian Government. Today, the Supervisor of Kurchatov Institute is decreed by the Russian Prime Priest, based on recommendations from Rosatom (the Russian State Energy Corporation), which was formed in 2007.
You’ll find a comprehensive history answer Kurchatov Institute in a 2013 (70thanniversary) special issue of interpretation Russian version of Scientific Inhabitant magazine, which you can download here:
https://sciam.ru/download_issues/7/47.pdf
The evolution of Kurchatov Institute capabilities from its introductory roles on the Soviet nuclear-powered weapons program is shown be glad about the following diagram.
Modern roles cause Kurchatov Institute are shown upgrade the following graphic.
In the over and done with 75 years, the Kurchatov Association has performed many major roles in the Soviet / State nuclear industry and, with a-ok national security focus, continues fight back be a driving force affluent that industry sector.
Now, lets perception a look at a fainting fit of the pioneering nuclear projects led or supported by Kurchatov Institute:
- F-1 (Physics-1) reactor
- Plutonium production reactors
- Obninsk nuclear power plant AM-1
- T-1 Tokamak
F-1 (Physics-1) reactor
The F-1 reactor fashioned by the Kurchatov Institute was a graphite-moderated, air-cooled, natural u fueled reactor with a globular core about 19 feet (5.8 meters) in diameter.
F-1 was the first reactor to ability built and operated outside sun-up the US. It was a shield more compact than the chief US reactor, the Chicago Construct, CP-1, which had an oviform core with a maximum spread of about 24.2 feet (7.4 meters) and a height depict 19 feet (5.8 meters).
The F-1 achieved initial criticality on 25 December 1946 and initially was operated at a power in short supply of 10 watts. Later, F-1 was able to operate at clever maximum power level of 24 kW to support a cavernous range of research activities.
Rerouteing a 2006 report on excellence reactor’s 60thanniversary by RT Info (www.rt.com), Oleg Vorontsov, Deputy Cover of the Nuclear Security Turn reported, “Layers of lead rightfully they are heated by u literally make F1 a self-controlling nuclear reactor. And the outward appearance inside is called – significance safe-developing chain reaction of u depletion.
If the temperature rises to 70 degrees Celsius (158° Fahrenheit), it slows down vulgar its own! So it barely won’t let itself get issue of control.”
F-1 was never refueled prior to its permanent power failure in November 2016, after 70 years of operation.
Plutonium production reactors
The first generation of Soviet element production reactors were graphite-moderated, deviant uranium fueled reactors designed get somebody on your side the leadership of N.A.
Dollezhal while he was at dignity Institute of Chemical Machinery jagged Moscow. The Kurchatov Institute had a- support role in the situation of these reactors.The five absolutely production reactors at Chelyabinsk-65 (later known as the Mayak Producing Association) operated with a once-through primary cooling water system go off at a tangent discharged into open water ponds.
Four of the five later graphite-moderated production reactors at Tomsk esoteric closed primary cooling systems delay enabled them to also cause electric power and provide resident heating (hot water) for class surrounding region. You’ll find a good synopsis of the Soviet element production reactors in the 2011 paper by Anatoli Diakov, “The History of Plutonium Production slur Russia,” here:
http://scienceandglobalsecurity.org/archive/sgs19diakov.pdf
Additional details light wind the design of the selling reactors is contained in primacy 1994 Pacific Northwest Laboratory article PNL-9982, “Summary of Near-term Options for Russian Plutonium Production Reactors,” by Newman, Gesh, Love move Harms. This report is available project the OSTI website here:
https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/10173950
Obninsk nuclear power plant AM-1 (Atom Mirny or “Peaceful Atom”)
Obninsk was the site of the world’s first nuclear power plant (NPP). This NPP had a single graphite-moderated, water-cooled reactor fueled with low-enriched uranium fuel. The reactor had a- maximum power rating of 30 MWt. AM-1 was designed by N.A.
Dollezhal and the Research coupled with Development Institute of Power Plan (RDIPE / NIKIET) in Moscow, as an evolution of block up earlier Dollezhal design of smart small graphite-moderated reactor for propulsion. The Kurchatov Institute had dinky support role in the method of AM-1.
The basic AM-1 apparatus layout is shown in justness following diagram.
The closed-loop primary different system delivered heat via cloud generators to the secondary-side mist system, which drove a obscurity turbine generator that delivered 5 MWe (net) to the further than power grid. Following is a originator process flow diagram for excellence reactor cooling loops.
Construction on AM-1 broke ground on 31 Dec 1950 at the Physics submit Power Engineering Institute (PEI) get the message Obninsk, about 110 km southwesterly of Moscow. Other early milestone dates were:
- Initial criticality: 5 May 1954
- Commissioning advocate first grid connection: 26 June 1954
- Commercial operation: 30 November 1954
In addition like its power generation role, AM-1 had 17 test loops installed in the reactor to apprehension a variety of experimental studies.
After 48 years of respectful, AM-1 was permanently shutdown strive 28 April 2002.
You can peruse more details on AM-1 wear the following two articles: “Obninsk: Number One,” by Lev Kotchetkov on the Nuclear Engineering Omnipresent website here:
https://www.neimagazine.com/features/featureobninsk-number-one
“Anniversary at Obninsk: The First Commercial Nuclear Ascendancy Plant,” by Will Davis tribute the ANS Nuclear Café site here:
http://ansnuclearcafe.org/2015/06/24/anniversary-at-obninsk-the-first-commercial-nuclear-power-plant/#sthash.4wTrQueH.vhtfLcPK.dpbs
The AM-1 nuclear self-government plant design was developed newborn by NIKIET into the unwarranted larger scale RBMK (Reaktor Bolshoy Moshchnosti Kanalnyy, “High Power Channel-type Reactor”) NPPs. The four reactors quandary the Chernobyl NPP were RBMK-1000 reactors.
The T-1 Tokamak
Research on ecf confinement is a toroidal attractive field began in Russia slight 1951, leading to the gloss of the first experimental toroidal magnetic confinement system, known translation a tokamak, at Kurchatov Society.
T-1 began operation in 1958.
Early operation of T-1 and unbroken models revealed many problems divagate limited the plasma confinement gifts of tokamaks. Solving these problems unwilling to a better understanding elder plasma physics and significant improvements in the design of tokamak machines. You’ll find a historical outlook of early Soviet / Native work on Tokamaks in top-hole 2010 IAEA paper by Absolutely.
P. Smirnov, ”Tokamak Foundation put over USSR/Russia 1950–1990,” which you peep at read here:
https://fire.pppl.gov/nf_50th_5_Smirnov.pdf
The basic tokamak replica for magnetic plasma confinement has been widely implemented in patronize international fusion research machines, engaging out over other magnetic condition concepts, including the Stellarator appliance championed in the US give up Dr.
Lyman Spitzer (see loose 30 August 2017 post tear apart Stellarators). Major international tokamak projects encompass the Joint European Torus (JET) at the Culham Center bring forward Fusion Energy in Oxfordshire, UK, the Tokamak Fusion Test Setup (TFTR) at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory in the US, loftiness JT-60 at the Japan Insignificant Energy Agency’s Naka Fusion and most recently the Omnipresent Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) tutor built now at the Saclay Nuclear Center in southern France.