At the power unit No 1 of Leningrad NPP the full-scale commissioning of the emergency power system’s process equipment is in process: the first set diesel generator of the reserve diesel power plant is run at idle. The commissioning is the first stage of putting the diesel power plant into operation that is preceded by the equipment designing, delivery, construction and installation works, and connection to the network.

Commenting on the results of the equipment testing, the Deputy Chief Engineer on Computer-aided Process Control Systems of Leningrad NPP under construction Aleksandr Rudnik said, “The trials were successful. At performance at rated 750 rpm the shaft rotation of the diesel generator is smooth, without seizing. There are no breaks of support system pipelines, unwanted noises, sounds, defects, vibration. All the measured and controlled parameters (pressure, temperature and consumption of fuel, lubricant oil, cooling liquid, oil volume in casing, etc) are confirmed and fall within their working values. We can say for sure that the diesel generator is assembled with high quality, it is able to work, and functions steadily.”
“The testing in idle mode is the final check of both the diesel assembly quality in general and its separate mechanisms. At this stage the details burn-in and the final regulation of the equipment take place. Specialists run a shaft rotation test of the diesel generator from the barring gear and from the starting air system, prove the operability of the main and auxiliary systems (control, fuel, lubricant, cooling systems, etc), determine and eliminate all the possible defects. And the generator is turned off”, the Area Supervisor of the Electrical Shop of Leningrad NPP under construction Pavel Prokoshin said.


At the next stage the equipment will be tested under load. Specialists will check the operability of the diesel generator and its auxiliary systems while working with the network under loads with capacity from 25 to 110% in different modes. After this diesel generator can be considered adjusted and tested in operation.

“Loading tests allow us to determine the problems in the generating unit at early stage, and not to bring the equipment to defects and shutdowns during operation, when shutting down is absolutely unacceptable”, the Chief of the Electric Shop of Leningrad NPP under construction Andrey Morozov explained.

All together five sets of diesel driven generators (DDG) were supplied to Leningrad NPP – four DDG systems of the emergency power system and one DDG system of the reliable electric supply of normal operation. These generators are extremely important for a nuclear plant: in case of emergency (external power cut) they will provide with electric supply all the main process equipment in order to transfer the reactor unit to the safe condition.

The Leningrad NPP is an affiliate company for Rosenergoatom Concern OJSC. The plant is based in the city of Sosnovy Bor, 40 km to the west from Saint Petersburg at the Gulf of Finland shore. The Leningrad NPP is the first Russian nuclear power plant having RBMK-1000 reactors (uranium-graphite channel-type thermal neutron reactors). The NPP exploits 4 power blocks with the electric capacity of 1000 megawatt each. Also, pursuant to the NPP-2006 project, 1,2 VVER-1200 power blocks included into The State Atomic Energy Corporation ROSATOM long-term plan are being constructed. Rosenergoatom Concern OJSC is the owner and developer of the project. Holding TITAN-2 is the primary contractor. ATOMPROEKT is the general designer.


Leningrad  NPP Information and Public Relations Administration.