At the first power unit of the Rooppur NPP, which is being built by Rosatom State Corporation in Bangladesh, dummy fuel assemblies (DFA) are being loaded into the reactor. They are a copy of the fuel assemblies, but do not contain nuclear fuel, the state corporation's press service reported.
DFAs are needed to check the hydraulic characteristics of the reactor plant and to test various operations using a refueling machine. Their use is part of the commissioning works at the nuclear facility.
The press service explained that loading DFAs is a lengthy process. In the next few days, nuclear scientists will load 163 assemblies. Specialists are working around the clock.
After all the characteristics of the reactor plant have been confirmed using simulators, nuclear fuel will be loaded.
The NPP is being built 160 km from the capital of Bangladesh, Dhaka, on the Padma River. The nuclear facility is being built according to a Russian project, which includes two power units with VVER-1200 reactors with a capacity of 1200 MW each.
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