President of the Kurchatov Institute Mikhail Kovalchuk announced the need to revive the direction of channel nuclear reactors in Russia, calling them the only alternative for a number of nuclear energy tasks. The statement was made on February 14 at a meeting of the scientific and expert council of the Marine Board, which was held by Kovalchuk and presidential aide Nikolai Patrushev.
The topic was raised in connection with the 123rd anniversary of the birth of Academician Anatoly Alexandrov, a nuclear scientist under whose leadership RBMK reactors (high-power channel reactor) were created in the USSR. These installations also operated at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. After the 1986 accident, the project was improved and its safety was ensured, but the direction of channel reactors was still considered dangerous, which Kovalchuk called unreasonable.
These reactors are an extremely interesting project. And today we are returning to them. This is our national treasure. And with NIKIET, with Rosatom, we are closely promoting this very important issue
A channel reactor is designed differently than common vessel reactors: its core consists of a set of technological channels placed in the volume of a neutron moderator. The main advantage is the possibility of continuous fuel reloading without stopping the reactor. This gives an economic effect: the installation operates continuously, and not in separate fuel campaigns, the fuel burns out deeper and more evenly. In addition, channel reactors allow the production of target radioisotopes in parallel with energy production, for example, for nuclear medicine.
For solving a number of tasks, this type of reactor, channel reactors, is absolutely the only alternative
NIKIET is the main designer of RBMK reactors, the Kurchatov Institute is their scientific supervisor. Both organizations previously participated in the development of promising MKER projects (multi-loop channel power reactor) that meet modern safety requirements. However, these projects were frozen. Now, judging by Kovalchuk's words, the topic of channel reactors is being brought out of oblivion again.
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