Metal-water protection tanks have been installed on the under-construction "Leningrad" nuclear icebreaker, Project 22220. The structures were installed at the Baltic Shipyard (St. Petersburg) as part of the vessel's construction. The operation was carried out by the shipyard's employees together with contractors using a modular rigging lifting system.
The tanks were manufactured by specialists from the special energy workshop of the Baltic Shipyard. Their installation in their regular places on the port and starboard sides is an important stage of construction, after which the formation of the reactor compartment hull will begin.
These structures are complex engineering barriers that are part of the foundations of reactor plants. They are designed to protect the environment and crew from ionizing radiation. Inside the tanks are steel plates that form cavities that are filled with chemically purified water. This layered structure effectively absorbs radiation and slows down neutrons.
In addition to its main function, the MWP tanks provide heat removal from the reactors. The level and purity of the water in them are constantly monitored by automatic systems. The "Leningrad" icebreaker is being built by order of the state corporation "Rosatom" and will become one of the most powerful in its class.