At Akkuyu NPP, the dismantling of the diaphragm separating the pumping stations of the first power unit from the Mediterranean Sea has been completed. This diaphragm, a reinforced concrete wall 16 meters high and 1 meter thick, was necessary as a temporary fence for the coastline to protect the pumping stations that provide technical water supply and cooling to the station using seawater.
Now that the pumping stations of the first power unit are ready for operation, the need for most of the diaphragm has disappeared. The station's water supply requires unimpeded access of 272,000 cubic meters of seawater per hour, so the diaphragm had to be dismantled.
To accomplish this task, divers used a cable cutting method: first, they drilled holes in the diaphragm through which diamond cables with sleeves containing diamonds were passed. Then, using a wall cutting machine and the cables, they made horizontal and vertical cuts, dividing the wall into 80 blocks that could be easily transported.
This operation is complete, and now the pumping stations can operate at maximum efficiency, providing the necessary amount of water for cooling the NPP.
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