The Atommash plant has manufactured a set of separator-superheaters for the steam turbine unit of the Akkuyu NPP under construction in Turkey. According to Rosatom, the enterprise has for the first time manufactured equipment in a horizontal design and is now launching its serial production.
The unusual design is related to the layout of the steam turbine unit. Two traditional scheme apparatuses were combined in one horizontal casing, so instead of four SPPs, two are required per power unit. For Akkuyu, this configuration was chosen considering the use of slow-speed turbines.
The design change allowed for approximately halving the metal intensity of production and simultaneously increasing the stated efficiency, reliability, and economic performance.
The separator-superheater operates as part of the auxiliary systems of the steam turbine. It serves to maintain the temperature and humidity parameters of the steam supplied to the turbine equipment. Moisture separation occurs due to centrifugal acceleration: larger water droplets are separated from the flow and removed from the apparatus.
The equipment has impressive dimensions: the diameter of one apparatus is 4.5 m, the length is over 22 m, and the mass is about 320 tons. During manufacturing at Atommash, digital modeling of part geometry and new welding solutions were applied; according to the enterprise, this reduced assembly labor intensity by 8.4%, and for individual operations, up to 27%.