The proposal to create an AM reactor for a future nuclear power plant was first voiced on November 29, 1949 at a meeting of the scientific director of the nuclear project I.V. Kurchatov, director of the Institute of Physical Problems A.P. Alexandrov, director of NIIkhimash N.A. Dollezhal and the scientific secretary of the scientific and technical council of the industry B.S. Pozdnyakova. The meeting recommended including in the PSU research plan for 1950 “a reactor design using enriched uranium with small dimensions only for energy purposes, with a total heat output of 300 units, an effective power of about 50 units” with graphite and water coolant. At the same time, instructions were given to urgently carry out physical calculations and experimental studies on this reactor.

Later I.V. Kurchatov and A.P. Zavenyagin explained the choice of the AM reactor for priority construction by the fact that “in it, more than in other units, the experience of conventional boiler practice can be used: the overall relative simplicity of the unit makes construction easier and cheaper.”

During this period on different levels options for using power reactors are discussed.

PROJECT

It was considered advisable to start with the creation of a reactor for a ship's power plant. In justifying the design of this reactor and for “confirming in principle... the practical possibility of converting the heat of nuclear reactions nuclear installations in mechanical and electrical energy" it was decided to build in Obninsk, on the territory of Laboratory "B", a nuclear power plant with three reactor plants, including the AM plant, which became the reactor of the First NPP).

By Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the USSR dated May 16, 1950, R&D on AM was entrusted to LIPAN (I.V. Kurchatov Institute), NIIKhimmash, GSPI-11, VTI). In 1950 - early 1951 these organizations carried out preliminary calculations (P.E. Nemirovsky, S.M. Feinberg, Yu.N. Zankov), preliminary design studies, etc., then all work on this reactor was, according to the decision of I.V. Kurchatov, transferred to Laboratory “B”. Appointed scientific director, chief designer - N.A. Dollezhal.

The design provided for the following reactor parameters: thermal power 30 thousand kW, electrical power - 5 thousand kW, reactor type - thermal neutron reactor with graphite moderator and natural water cooling.

By this time, the country already had experience in creating reactors of this type (industrial reactors for producing bomb material), but they differed significantly from power reactors, which include the AM reactor. Difficulties were associated with the need to obtain AM in the reactor high temperatures coolant, from which it followed that it would be necessary to search for new materials and alloys that can withstand these temperatures, are resistant to corrosion, do not absorb large quantities of neutrons, etc. For the initiators of the construction of a nuclear power plant with an AM reactor, these problems were obvious from the very beginning; the question was: how quickly and how successfully they can be overcome.

CALCULATIONS AND STAND

By the time the work on AM was transferred to Laboratory “B”, the project had only been defined in general outline. There remained many physical, technical and technological problems that had to be solved, and their number increased as work on the reactor progressed.

First of all, this concerned the physical calculations of the reactor, which had to be carried out without having many of the data necessary for this. In Laboratory “B”, some issues of the theory of thermal neutron reactors were dealt with by D.F. Zaretsky, and the main calculations were carried out by the group of M.E. Minashin in the department of A.K. Krasina. M.E. Minashin was especially worried about the lack exact values many constants. It was difficult to organize their measurement on site. On his initiative, some of them were gradually replenished mainly due to measurements carried out by LIPAN and a few in Laboratory "B", but in general it could not be guaranteed high accuracy calculated parameters. Therefore, at the end of February - beginning of March 1954, the AMF stand was assembled - the critical assembly of the AM reactor, which confirmed the satisfactory quality of the calculations. And although the assembly could not reproduce all the conditions of a real reactor, the results supported the hope of success, although many doubts remained.

At this stand, on March 3, 1954, a chain reaction of uranium fission was carried out for the first time in Obninsk.

But, taking into account that the experimental data were constantly being refined, the calculation methodology was being improved, and right up to the launch of the reactor, the study of the amount of fuel loading of the reactor, the behavior of the reactor in non-standard modes continued, the parameters of the absorber rods were calculated, etc.

CREATION OF FUEL ELEMENTS

Another important task - the creation of a fuel element (fuel element) - was brilliantly handled by V.A. Malykh and the team of the technological department of Laboratory “B”. Several related organizations were involved in the development of fuel rods, but only the option proposed by V.A. Small, showed high performance. The search for a design was completed at the end of 1952 with the development of a new type of fuel element (with a dispersion composition of uranium-molybdenum grains in a magnesium matrix).

This type of fuel element made it possible to carry out their rejection during pre-reactor tests (special stands were created for this in Laboratory “B”), which is very important for ensuring reliable operation reactor. The stability of the new fuel element in a neutron flow was studied at LIPAN at the MR reactor. The working channels of the reactor were developed at NIIKhimmash.

Thus, for the first time in our country, perhaps the most important and most complex problem nascent nuclear energy - the creation of a fuel element.

CONSTRUCTION

In 1951, simultaneously with the beginning of Laboratory "B" research work for the AM reactor, construction of a nuclear power plant building began on its territory.

P.I. was appointed head of construction. Zakharov, chief engineer of the facility - .

As D.I. recalled Blokhintsev, “the nuclear power plant building in its most important parts had thick walls made of reinforced concrete monolith to provide biological protection from nuclear radiation. Pipelines, channels for cables, for ventilation, etc. were laid in the walls. It is clear that alterations were impossible, and therefore, when designing the building, where possible, provisions were made to accommodate the expected changes. To develop new types of equipment and to carry out research work, scientific and technical assignments were given to “third-party organizations” - institutes, design bureaus and enterprises. Often these tasks themselves could not be complete and were clarified and supplemented as the design progressed. The main engineering and design solutions... were developed by the design team headed by N.A. Dollezhal and his closest assistant P.I. Aleshchenkov..."

The style of work on the construction of the first nuclear power plant was characterized by rapid decision-making, speed of development, a certain developed depth of initial studies and methods for finalizing the adopted technical solutions, a wide coverage of variant and insurance areas. The first nuclear power plant was created in three years.

START

In early 1954, inspection and testing began various systems stations.

On May 9, 1954, loading of the nuclear power plant reactor core with fuel channels began in Laboratory "B". When introducing the 61st fuel channel, a critical state was reached at 19:40. A self-sustaining chain reaction of fission of uranium nuclei began in the reactor. The physical start-up of the nuclear power plant took place.

Recalling the launch, he wrote: “Gradually, the power of the reactor increased, and finally, somewhere near the thermal power plant building, where steam from the reactor was supplied, we saw a jet escaping from the valve with a loud hiss. The white cloud of ordinary steam, which was not yet hot enough to rotate the turbine, seemed to us a miracle: after all, this was the first steam produced by atomic energy. His appearance was the occasion for hugs, congratulations on “good steam” and even tears of joy. Our rejoicing was shared by I.V. Kurchatov, who took part in the work in those days. After receiving steam with a pressure of 12 atm. and at a temperature of 260 °C it became possible to study all components of the nuclear power plant under conditions close to design ones, and on June 26, 1954, during the evening shift, at 17:00. 45 minutes, the steam supply valve to the turbogenerator was opened, and it began to generate electricity from the nuclear boiler. The world’s first nuclear power plant has come under industrial load.”

“In the Soviet Union, through the efforts of scientists and engineers, work on the design and construction of the first industrial nuclear power plant was successfully completed useful power 5000 kilowatts. On June 27, the nuclear power plant was put into operation and provided electricity for industry and agriculture in the surrounding areas.”

Even before the start-up, the first program of experimental work at the AM reactor was prepared, and until the closure of the station it was one of the main reactor bases where neutron physics research, research in solid state physics, testing of fuel rods, EGC, production of isotope products, etc. were carried out. The crews of the first nuclear submarines, the nuclear icebreaker "Lenin", and personnel of Soviet and foreign nuclear power plants were trained at the nuclear power plant.

The launch of the nuclear power plant for the young staff of the institute became the first test of readiness to solve new and more complex problems. In the initial months of work, individual units and systems were fine-tuned, the physical characteristics of the reactor, the thermal conditions of the equipment and the entire plant were studied in detail, finalized and corrected various devices. In October 1954, the station was brought to its design capacity.

“London, July 1 (TASS). The announcement of the launch of the first industrial nuclear power plant in the USSR is widely noted in the English press; the Moscow correspondent of the Daily Worker writes that this historical event"has immeasurably greater significance than the release of the first atomic bomb to Hiroshima.

Paris, July 1 (TASS). The London correspondent of Agence France-Presse reports that the announcement of the launch of the world's first industrial power plant running on nuclear energy in the USSR was met with great interest in London circles of nuclear specialists. England, the correspondent continues, is building a nuclear power plant in Calderhall. It is believed that it will be able to enter service no earlier than in 2.5 years...

Shanghai, July 1 (TASS). Responding to the commissioning of a Soviet nuclear power plant, Tokyo radio reports: The United States and England are also planning the construction of nuclear power plants, but they plan to complete their construction in 1956-1957. The fact that the Soviet Union was ahead of England and America in the use of atomic energy for peaceful purposes suggests that Soviet scientists have achieved great success in the field of atomic energy. One of the outstanding Japanese specialists in the field of nuclear physics, Professor Yoshio Fujioka, commenting on the announcement of the launch of a nuclear power plant in the USSR, said that this is the beginning of a “new era.”

Academician N.A. Dollezal: “The design and construction of the reactor plant of the World's First Nuclear Power Plant was the first and probably the most significant achievement in the field of nuclear energy. Its launch proved and demonstrated the practical possibility of generating electricity at nuclear power plants.”

Academician A.P. Alexandrov: “The world’s energy industry has entered new era. This happened on June 27, 1954. Humanity is still far from realizing the importance of this new era.”

GUESTS OF THE FIRST NPP

Among the guests, in different time who visited the Obninsk NPP were outstanding scientists, political and public figures. During the first 20 years of operation, about 60 thousand people visited the First Nuclear Power Plant.

The operation to shut down the reactor in Obninsk took place normally, without violations, in the presence of the scientific community and veterans of the domestic nuclear energy industry.

The results obtained from this operation will be used to perform similar procedures at other reactors.

The production of electricity using a nuclear chain reaction in the Soviet Union first occurred at the Obninsk Nuclear Power Plant. Compared to today's giants, the first nuclear power plant had only 5 MW of power, and the largest operating nuclear power plant in the world today, Kashiwazaki-Kariwa (Japan), had 8212 MW.

Obninsk NPP: from start-up to museum

Soviet scientists led by I.V. Kurchatov, after completing military programs, immediately began creating a nuclear reactor with the goal of using thermal energy to convert it into electricity. They developed the first nuclear power plant in the shortest possible time, and in 1954 the launch of an industrial nuclear reactor took place.

The release of potential, both industrial and professional, after the creation and testing of nuclear weapons allowed I.V. Kurchatov to tackle the problem entrusted to him of generating electricity by mastering the heat generated during a controlled nuclear reaction. Technical solutions to create a nuclear reactor were mastered during the launch of the very first experimental uranium-graphite reactor F-1 in 1946. The first nuclear chain reaction was carried out on it, and almost all recent theoretical developments were confirmed.

For an industrial reactor, it was necessary to find design solutions related to the continuous operation of the installation, heat removal and supply to the generator, circulation of the coolant and its protection from radioactive contamination.

The team of Laboratory No. 2, headed by I.V. Kurchatov, together with NIIkhimmash under the leadership of N.A. Dollezhal, worked out all the nuances of the structure. Physicist E. L. Feinberg was entrusted with theoretical development process.

The reactor was started up (critical parameters were reached) on May 9, 1954; on June 26 of the same year, the nuclear power plant was connected to the network, and in December it reached its design capacity.

After operating as an industrial power plant for almost 48 years without incident, the Obninsk NPP was shut down in April 2002. In September of the same year, the unloading of nuclear fuel was completed.

Even during the work at the nuclear power plant, many excursions came, the station worked as a classroom for future nuclear scientists. Today, a memorial museum of nuclear energy has been organized at its base.

The first foreign nuclear power plant

Nuclear power plants, following the example of Obninsk, did not immediately begin to be created abroad. In the United States, the decision to build its own nuclear power plant was made only in September 1954, and only in 1958 the Shippingport nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania was launched. The capacity of the Shippingport nuclear power plant was 68 MW. Foreign experts call it the first commercial nuclear power plant. The construction of nuclear power plants is quite expensive; the nuclear power plant cost the US treasury $72.5 million.

After 24 years, in 1982, the station was stopped, by 1985 the fuel was unloaded and dismantling of this huge structure weighing 956 tons began for subsequent disposal.

Prerequisites for the creation of a peaceful atom

After the discovery of uranium nuclear fission by German scientists Otto Hahn and Fritz Strassmann in 1938, research into chain reactions began.

I.V. Kurchatov, prompted by A.B. Ioffe, together with Yu.B. Khariton, wrote a note to the Presidium of the Academy of Sciences on nuclear issues and the importance of work in this direction. I.V. Kurchatov was working at that time at the Leningrad Institute of Physics and Technology (Leningrad Institute of Physics and Technology), headed by A.B. Ioffe, on problems of nuclear physics.

In November 1938, based on the results of studying the problem and after I.V. Kurchatov’s speech at the Plenum of the Academy of Sciences (Academy of Sciences), a note was drawn up to the Presidium of the Academy of Sciences on the organization of work in the USSR on the physics of the atomic nucleus. It traces the rationale for generalizing all the disparate laboratories and institutes in the USSR, belonging to different ministries and departments, essentially dealing with the same problems.

Suspension of work on nuclear physics

Some of this organizational work was done before the Second World War, but major progress began to occur only in 1943, when I.V. Kurchatov was asked to head the atomic project.

After September 1, 1939, a kind of vacuum gradually began to form around the USSR. Scientists did not immediately feel this, although agents Soviet intelligence they immediately began to warn about the secrecy of accelerating work on the study of nuclear reactions in Germany and Great Britain.

Great Patriotic War immediately made adjustments to the work of all scientists in the country, including nuclear physicists. Already in July 1941, LFTI was evacuated to Kazan. I.V. Kurchatov began to deal with the problem of mine clearance of sea vessels (protection against sea mines). For his work on this topic in wartime conditions (three months on ships in Sevastopol until November 1941, when the city was almost completely under siege), he was awarded the Stalin Prize for organizing a demagnetization service in Poti (Georgia).

After a severe cold upon arrival in Kazan, it was only towards the end of 1942 that I.V. Kurchatov was able to return to the topic of nuclear reaction.

Atomic project under the leadership of I.V. Kurchatov

In September 1942, I.V. Kurchatov was only 39 years old; by the age standards of science, he was a young scientist next to Ioffe and Kapitsa. It was at this time that Igor Vasilyevich was appointed to the post of project manager. All nuclear power plants in Russia and plutonium reactors of this period were created within the framework of the nuclear project, which was led by Kurchatov until 1960.

From point of view today It is impossible to imagine that precisely when 60% of industry was destroyed in the occupied territories, when the main population of the country was working for the front, the leadership of the USSR made a decision that predetermined the development of nuclear energy in the future.

After assessing intelligence reports on the state of affairs with work on atomic nuclear physics in Germany, Great Britain, and the USA, the extent of the lag became clear to Kurchatov. He began to collect scientists across the country and active fronts who could be involved in the creation of nuclear potential.

The lack of uranium, graphite, heavy water, and the lack of a cyclotron did not stop the scientist. Work, both theoretical and practical, resumed in Moscow. High level secrecy was determined by the State Defense Committee ( State Committee defense). To produce weapons-grade plutonium, a reactor (“boiler” in Kurchatov’s own terminology) was built. Work was underway to enrich uranium.

Lagging behind the United States from 1942 to 1949

On September 2, 1942, in the United States, at the world's first nuclear reactor, a controlled nuclear reaction was carried out. By this time, in the USSR, apart from the theoretical developments of scientists and intelligence data, there was practically nothing.

It became clear that catching up with the United States in a short time the country will not be able to. To prepare (save) personnel, create the prerequisites for the rapid development of uranium enrichment processes, the creation of a nuclear reactor for the production of weapons-grade plutonium, and the restoration of the operation of factories for the production of pure graphite - these were tasks that had to be done during the war and post-war times.

The occurrence of a nuclear reaction is associated with the release of a colossal amount of thermal energy. US scientists - the first creators of the atomic bomb - used this as an additional damaging effect during the explosion.

Nuclear power plants of the world

Today, nuclear energy, although it produces a colossal amount of electricity, is widespread in a limited number of countries. This is due to the huge capital investments in the construction of nuclear power plants, from geological exploration, construction, creation of protection and ending with employee training. Payback can occur in tens of years, provided that the station continues to operate continuously.

The feasibility of constructing a nuclear power plant is determined, as a rule, by the governments of countries (naturally, after consideration various options). In the context of the development of industrial potential, in the absence of our own internal reserves of energy resources in large quantities or their high cost, preference is given to the construction of nuclear power plants.

By the end of 2014, nuclear reactors were operating in 31 countries around the world. The construction of nuclear power plants has begun in Belarus and the UAE.

No.	A country	Number of operating nuclear power plants	Number of operating reactors	Generated power
	Argentina
	Brazil
	Bulgaria
	Great Britain
	Germany
	Netherlands
	Pakistan
	Slovakia
	Slovenia
	Finland
	Switzerland
	South Korea

Nuclear power plants in Russia

Today, ten nuclear power plants operate in the Russian Federation.

NPP name	Number of working blocks	Reactor type	Installed capacity, MW
Balakovskaya
Beloyarskaya		BN-600, BN-800
Bilibinskaya
Kalininskaya
Kola
Leningradskaya
Novovoronezhskaya		VVER-440, VVER-1000
Rostovskaya		VVER-1000/320
Smolenskaya

Today, Russian nuclear power plants are part of the Rosatom State Corporation, which unites all structural units industries from uranium mining and enrichment and nuclear fuel production to the operation and construction of nuclear power plants. In terms of power generated by nuclear power plants, Russia is in second place in Europe after France.

Nuclear energy in Ukraine

Nuclear power plants in Ukraine were built during Soviet Union. The total installed capacity of Ukrainian nuclear power plants is comparable to Russian ones.

NPP name	Number of working blocks	Reactor type	Installed capacity, MW
Zaporozhye
Rivne		VVER-440,VVER-1000
Khmelnitskaya
South Ukrainian

Before the collapse of the USSR, nuclear energy in Ukraine was integrated into a single industry. In the post-Soviet period before the events of 2014, they worked in Ukraine industrial enterprises, producing components for Russian nuclear power plants. Due to the breakdown in industrial relations between the Russian Federation and Ukraine, the launches of power units being built in Russia, planned for 2014 and 2015, have been delayed.

Nuclear power plants in Ukraine operate on fuel rods (fuel elements with nuclear fuel, where the nuclear fission reaction occurs), manufactured in the Russian Federation. Ukraine’s desire to switch to American fuel almost led to an accident at the South Ukrainian Nuclear Power Plant in 2012.

By 2015, the state concern “Nuclear Fuel”, which includes the Eastern Mining and Processing Plant (uranium ore mining), had not yet been able to organize a solution to the issue of producing its own fuel rods.

Prospects for nuclear energy

After 1986, when the Chernobyl accident occurred, nuclear power plants were shut down in many countries. Improving the level of safety brought the nuclear energy industry out of stagnation. Until 2011, when the accident occurred at the Japanese Fukushima-1 nuclear power plant as a result of the tsunami, nuclear energy was developing steadily.

Today, constant (both minor and major) accidents at nuclear power plants will slow down decision-making on the construction or reactivation of installations. The attitude of the Earth's population to the problem of generating electricity through a nuclear reaction can be defined as cautiously pessimistic.

On June 27, 1954, the world's first nuclear power plant turned on current in Obninsk near Moscow.

In the fall of 1949, after the successful test of the first atomic bomb, when plutonium was already being produced at the first industrial reactor, when it was organized and mastered in industrial scale production of enriched uranium, an active discussion began on the problems and directions of creating power nuclear reactors for transport use and the production of electricity and heat.

In June 1950, corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Sciences Dmitry Ivanovich Blokhintsev was appointed director of Laboratory "B". In December of the same year, the Academic Council was created to train highly qualified scientific personnel. The council included: A.I. Leypunsky, D.I. Blokhintsev, N.V. Ageev, O.D. Kazachkovsky, A.K. Krasin, P.N. Slyusarev, P.D. Gorbachev.

Laboratory “B” proposed a reactor based on enriched uranium with a beryllium moderator and helium cooling for energy applications; it was also planned to develop reactors using fast and intermediate neutrons with various cooling, including liquid metal.

The Resolution of the Council of Ministers of May 16, 1950 determined the construction of three experimental reactors (uranium-graphite with water cooling, uranium-graphite with gas cooling and uranium-beryllium with gas or liquid metal cooling). According to the original plan, they were all supposed to work in turn for a single steam turbine and a 5000 kW generator.

Technical projects should have been completed in 1950. Thus began the creation of the First Nuclear Power Plant and prototype stands for power plants of nuclear submarines. By order of the head of the PGU dated 08/08/1950, the director of Laboratory “B” D.I. Blokhintsev undertook to begin preparatory work. In general terms, the design of the reactor at the First NPP remained close to what was originally proposed. The beryllium-moderated reactor was implemented with lead-bismuth cooling, uranium-beryllium fuel and an intermediate neutron spectrum. Instead of a helium-graphite reactor, a pressurized water reactor was created - the main type for submarines and icebreakers, as well as future nuclear power plants. On June 12, 1951, a Decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR was issued on the construction of an experimental electric power station (installation V-10) on the territory of Laboratory "B".

At the suggestion of I.V. Kurchatov, on June 27, 1951, all available design materials for a water-cooled uranium-graphite reactor were transferred to Laboratory “B”. On July 12, 1951, by the Decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, Laboratory “B” was entrusted with the task of developing and constructing water-cooled nuclear power plants.

On May 9, 1954, the laboratory began loading the nuclear power plant reactor core with fuel channels. When introducing the 61st fuel channel, a critical state was reached at 19:40. A self-sustaining chain reaction of fission of uranium nuclei began in the reactor. The physical start-up of the nuclear power plant took place.

On June 26, 1954, at 17:30, the steam supply valve to the turbogenerator was opened and the generator was synchronized with the Mosenergo network. The world's first nuclear power plant was put into operation, which operated for 48 years and opened the way to the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

On June 27, 1954, the world's first nuclear power plant with a 5 MW AM-1 reactor (Atom Peace) produced current and opened the way to the use of atomic energy for peaceful purposes, successfully operating for almost 48 years.

On October 13, 1954, the station was brought to its design parameters. The electricity generated by the world's first nuclear power plant went to external consumers - to the Mosenergo network. The commercial operation of the first nuclear power plant (NPP) in the USSR and in the world began in the city of Obninsk, Kaluga Region.

On April 29, 2002, the reactor of the first nuclear power plant was shut down forever. The station was closed for economic reasons. The experience of its operation fully confirmed the technical and engineering solutions proposed by industry specialists, which made it possible to carry out the construction and commissioning of the Beloyarsk NPP in 1964 electrical power 300 MW.

Igor Vasilyevich Kurchatov (1903-1960) - Soviet physicist, one of the creators of nuclear physics in the USSR.

Born on January 12, 1903 (December 30, 1902) in the city of Sim (now Chelyabinsk region) in the family of a land surveyor.

In 1908 he and his family moved to Simbirsk, and in 1912 to Simferopol.

In 1920, after graduating from high school, he entered the Crimean University, from which he graduated in 1923 with a degree in physics.

In parallel with his studies, he worked first in a woodworking workshop, then as a teacher in orphanage and a preparator in the physical laboratory at the university.

At the end of 1923 he moved to Petrograd and entered the shipbuilding department of the Polytechnic Institute.

He worked at the Slutsk Magnetic Meteorological Observatory (the city of Pavlovsk was called Slutsk from 1918 to 1944). The first one was done here Scientific research scientist - about the radioactivity of snow.

In 1924, Kurchatov returned to Crimea and worked in Feodosia at the hydrometeorological bureau of the Black and Azov Seas.

In the fall of the same year, he was invited to the Department of Physics of the Azerbaijan Polytechnic Institute, where in just six months he conducted two studies concerning the passage electric current through solid dielectrics.

This work was closely related to the problems developed by Ioffe, and in 1925 Kurchatov was invited to the Physico-Technical Institute in Leningrad. Here he worked until 1942, from 1930 - head of the laboratory.

Kurchatov's scientific research during these years went in two directions: until 1932, he studied electrical properties solids, after 1932 - issues of radiation from the atomic nucleus. He studied the electrical conductivity of solids and the mechanism of breakdown of solid dielectrics; laid the foundations of the doctrine of ferroelectricity; made a great contribution to the study of the electrical properties of crystals.

In 1931-1932 together with K.D. Sinelnikov carried out research on the physics of semiconductors.

In 1932, Kurchatov's scientific interests moved to the field of nuclear physics. Greater support for organizing research in this area, which at that time was considered very far from practical application, rendered by A.F. Ioffe, who obtained permission to organize a department of nuclear physics at his institute and for some time headed it himself, and six months later appointed Kurchatov as head of the department.

In 1933, a high-voltage installation and an accelerating tube were built to accelerate protons to an energy of 350 keV, and high-voltage installations were designed at the Kharkov Physicotechnical Institute.

In 1934, Kurchatov began research on neutron physics.

In 1935, together with L.I. Rusinov, B.V. Kurchatov and L.V. Mysovsky discovered the phenomenon of nuclear isomerism in artificially radioactive bromine. Studying nuclear reactions involving fast and slow neutrons, Kurchatov, together with Artsimovich, proved the capture of a neutron by a proton and obtained the value of the effective cross section of this process, which had great importance to construct a theory of the structure of the deuteron.

In 1937, under the direct leadership of Kurchatov, a large Soviet cyclotron was launched.

Since 1939, the scientist has been working on the problem of fission of heavy nuclei.

In 1940, under his leadership G.N. Flerov and K.A. Pietrzak discovered the phenomenon of spontaneous decay of uranium nuclei, and in the same year the possibility of a nuclear chain reaction in a system with uranium and heavy water was proven.

With the outbreak of the war, Kurchatov had to leave nuclear physics for a while and deal with the problem of creating a mine protection system for ships.

In 1943, work began in the USSR to overcome the US nuclear monopoly. Their organization was entrusted to Kurchatov. Work began in the so-called Laboratory No. 2 of the USSR Academy of Sciences (LIPAN), which later became the Institute of Atomic Energy, and in 1946, in the suburbs of Arzamas, under conditions of the strictest secrecy, it was organized science Center under the code name KB-11, now known as the All-Russian Research Institute of Experimental Physics (Arzamas-16). Here above creation atomic weapons such scientists as Yu.B. Khariton, A.D. Sakharov, I.V. Tamm, L.B. Zeldovich, D.A. Frank-Kamenetsky and others. In record time, the goal was achieved, and tests of the Soviet atomic bomb took place in 1949, and a hydrogen bomb in 1953.

In 1946, in LIPAN, under the direct leadership of Kurchatov, the first Soviet uranium-graphite reactor was launched, followed by more powerful nuclear reactors.

In 1954, the world's first nuclear power plant came into operation. In the early 1950s, research began in the USSR on the problem of controlled thermonuclear fusion, which was also under the constant supervision of Kurchatov.

Kurchatov's scientific achievements were marked by many government awards (three times Hero of Socialist Labor, Lenin Prize, State Prize). In 1959 he was awarded the F. Joliot-Curie Gold Medal.

The Presidium of the USSR Academy of Sciences established a gold medal and prize named after. Kurchatova.

Kurchatov named the 104th element periodic table Mendeleev.

Igor Vasilyevich Kurchatov died in Moscow on February 7, 1960, and was buried near the Kremlin wall on Red Square.

The first nuclear power plant in the world

On June 27, 1954, the first in the world gave current in Obninsk near Moscow.

nuclear power plant.

In the fall of 1949, after a successful test, when plutonium was already produced at the first industrial reactor, when the production of enriched uranium was organized and mastered on an industrial scale, an active discussion began on the problems and directions for creating power nuclear reactors for transport use and generating electricity and heat.
In June 1950, corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Sciences Dmitry Ivanovich Blokhintsev was appointed director of Laboratory "B". In December of the same year, the Academic Council was created to train highly qualified scientific personnel. The council included: A.I. Leypunsky, D.I. Blokhintsev, N.V. Ageev, O.D. Kazachkovsky, A.K. Krasin, P.N. Slyusarev, P.D. Gorbachev.
Laboratory “B” proposed a reactor based on enriched uranium with a beryllium moderator and helium cooling for energy applications; it was also planned to develop reactors using fast and intermediate neutrons with various cooling, including liquid metal.
The Resolution of the Council of Ministers of May 16, 1950 determined the construction of three experimental reactors (uranium-graphite with water cooling, uranium-graphite with gas cooling and uranium-beryllium with gas or liquid metal cooling). According to the original plan, they were all supposed to work in turn on a single steam turbine and generator with a capacity of 5000 kW.
Technical projects should have been completed in 1950. Thus began the creation of the First Nuclear Power Plant and prototype stands for power plants of nuclear submarines. By order
the head of the PSU dated 08.08.1950, the director of Laboratory “B” D.I. Blokhintsev undertook to begin preparatory work. In general terms, the design of the reactor at the First NPP remained close to what was originally proposed. The beryllium-moderated reactor was implemented with lead-bismuth cooling, uranium-beryllium fuel and an intermediate neutron spectrum. Instead of a helium-graphite reactor, a pressurized water reactor was created - the main type for submarines and icebreakers, as well as future nuclear power plants. On June 12, 1951, a Decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR was issued on the construction of an experimental electric power station (installation V-10) on the territory of Laboratory "B".
At the suggestion of I.V. Kurchatov, on June 27, 1951, all available design materials for a water-cooled uranium-graphite reactor were transferred to Laboratory “B”. On July 12, 1951, by the Decree of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, Laboratory “B” was entrusted with the task of developing and constructing water-cooled nuclear power plants.
On May 9, 1954, the laboratory began loading the nuclear power plant reactor core with fuel.
channels. When introducing the 61st fuel channel, a critical state was reached at 19:40. A self-sustaining chain reaction of fission of uranium nuclei began in the reactor. The physical start-up of the nuclear power plant took place.
On June 26, 1954, at 17:30, the steam supply valve to the turbogenerator was opened and the generator was synchronized with the Mosenergo network. The world's first nuclear power plant was put into operation, which operated for 48 years and opened the way to the use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.
On June 27, 1954, the world's first nuclear power plant with a 5 MW AM-1 reactor (Atom Peaceful) produced industrial current and opened the way to the use of atomic energy for peaceful purposes, successfully operating for almost 48 years.
On April 29, 2002, the reactor of the first nuclear power plant was shut down forever. The station was closed for economic reasons. The experience of its operation fully confirmed the technical and engineering solutions proposed by industry specialists, which made it possible to carry out the construction and commissioning of the Beloyarsk NPP in 1964 with an electrical capacity of 300 MW.

This day was the coldest in the history of meteorological observations.1881 year, when the average daily temperature in Moscow was +4.1 degrees Celsius, and the warmest was in 1911 year. That day the temperature rose to +31.4 degrees.

See also:

Nuclear power plant (NPP)

a power plant in which atomic (nuclear) energy is converted into electrical energy. The energy generator at a nuclear power plant is a nuclear reactor (see Nuclear reactor). The heat that is released in the reactor as a result of a chain reaction of fission of the nuclei of some heavy elements is then converted into electricity in the same way as in conventional thermal power plants (See Thermal power plant) (TPP). Unlike thermal power plants operating on fossil fuels, nuclear power plants operate on nuclear fuel (See Nuclear fuel) (mainly 233 U, 235 U. 239 Pu). When dividing 1 G uranium or plutonium isotopes released 22,500 kW h, which is equivalent to the energy contained in 2800 kg standard fuel. It has been established that the world's energy resources of nuclear fuel (uranium, plutonium, etc.) significantly exceed the energy resources of natural fossil fuel reserves (oil, coal, natural gas and etc.). This opens up broad prospects for meeting rapidly growing fuel demands. In addition, it is necessary to take into account the ever-increasing volume of consumption of coal and oil for technological purposes in the world. chemical industry, which is becoming a serious competitor to thermal power plants. Despite the discovery of new deposits of organic fuel and the improvement of methods for its production, there is a tendency in the world towards an increase in its cost. This creates the most difficult conditions for countries with limited reserves of fossil fuels. There is an obvious need for the rapid development of nuclear energy, which already occupies a prominent place in the energy balance of a number of industrial countries peace.

The world's first nuclear power plant for pilot industrial purposes ( rice. 1 ) power 5 MW was launched into the USSR on June 27, 1954 in Obninsk. Before this, the energy of the atomic nucleus was used primarily for military purposes. The launch of the first nuclear power plant marked the opening of a new direction in energy, which received recognition at the 1st International Scientific and Technical Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy (August 1955, Geneva).

In 1958, the 1st stage of the Siberian Nuclear Power Plant with a capacity of 100 MW(total design capacity 600 MW). In the same year, the construction of the Beloyarsk industrial nuclear power plant began, and on April 26, 1964, the generator of the 1st stage (unit with a capacity of 100 MW) supplied current to the Sverdlovsk energy system, 2nd unit with a capacity of 200 MW commissioned in October 1967. Distinctive feature Beloyarsk NPP - steam overheating (until the required parameters are obtained) directly in a nuclear reactor, which made it possible to use conventional modern turbines on it almost without any modifications.

In September 1964, the 1st unit of the Novovoronezh NPP with a capacity of 210 MW Cost 1 kWh electricity (the most important economic indicator of the operation of any power plant) at this nuclear power plant systematically decreased: it amounted to 1.24 kopecks. in 1965, 1.22 kopecks. in 1966, 1.18 kopecks. in 1967, 0.94 kopecks. in 1968. The first unit of the Novovoronezh NPP was built not only for industrial use, but also as a demonstration facility to demonstrate the capabilities and advantages of nuclear energy, the reliability and safety of nuclear power plants. In November 1965, in the city of Melekess, Ulyanovsk region, a nuclear power plant with a water-cooled reactor came into operation (See Water-cooled reactor) "boiling" type with a capacity of 50 MW, The reactor is assembled according to a single-circuit design, which facilitates the layout of the station. In December 1969, the second unit of the Novovoronezh NPP was launched (350 MW).

Abroad, the first nuclear power plant for industrial purposes with a capacity of 46 MW was put into operation in 1956 at Calder Hall (England). A year later, a nuclear power plant with a capacity of 60 MW in Shippingport (USA).

Schematic diagram of a nuclear power plant with a nuclear reactor having water cooling, shown on rice. 2 . The heat released in the core (See Core) of reactor 1 is taken away by water (coolant (See Coolant)) of the 1st circuit, which is pumped through the reactor circulation pump 2. Heated water from the reactor enters the heat exchanger (steam generator) 3, where it transfers the heat obtained in the reactor to the water of the 2nd circuit. The water of the 2nd circuit evaporates in the steam generator, and the resulting steam enters the turbine 4.

Most often, 4 types of thermal neutron reactors are used at nuclear power plants: 1) water-water reactors with plain water as a moderator and coolant; 2) graphite-water with water coolant and graphite moderator; 3) heavy water with water coolant and heavy water as a moderator; 4) graphite-gas with gas coolant and graphite moderator.

The choice of the predominantly used type of reactor is determined mainly by the accumulated experience in reactor construction, as well as the availability of the necessary industrial equipment, raw material reserves, etc. In the USSR, mainly graphite-water and water-cooled reactors are built. At US nuclear power plants, pressurized water reactors are the most widely used. Graphite gas reactors are used in England. Canada's nuclear power industry is dominated by nuclear power plants with heavy water reactors.

Depending on the type and aggregate state of the coolant, one or another thermodynamic cycle of the nuclear power plant is created. The choice of the upper temperature limit of the thermodynamic cycle is determined by the maximum permissible temperature of the shells of fuel elements containing nuclear fuel, the permissible temperature of the nuclear fuel itself, as well as the properties of the coolant adopted for a given type of reactor. At nuclear power plants, the thermal reactor of which is cooled by water, low-temperature steam cycles are usually used. Gas-cooled reactors allow the use of relatively more economical steam cycles with increased initial pressure and temperature. The thermal circuit of the nuclear power plant in these two cases is 2-circuit: the coolant circulates in the 1st circuit, and the steam-water circuit circulates in the 2nd circuit. With reactors with boiling water or high-temperature gas coolant, a single-circuit thermal nuclear power plant is possible. In boiling water reactors, water boils in the core, the resulting steam-water mixture is separated, and the saturated steam is sent either directly to the turbine, or is first returned to the core for overheating ( rice. 3 ). In high-temperature graphite-gas reactors, it is possible to use a conventional gas turbine cycle. The reactor in this case acts as a combustion chamber.

During reactor operation, the concentration of fissile isotopes in nuclear fuel gradually decreases, i.e., fuel rods burn out. Therefore, over time they are replaced with fresh ones. Nuclear fuel is reloaded using remote-controlled mechanisms and devices. Spent fuel rods are transferred to a spent fuel pool and then sent for recycling.

The reactor and its servicing systems include: the reactor itself with biological protection (See Biological protection), a heat exchanger, and pumps or gas-blowing units that circulate the coolant; pipelines and fittings of the circulation circuit; devices for reloading nuclear fuel; special systems ventilation, emergency cooling, etc.

Depending on the design, reactors have distinctive features: in vessel reactors (See Pressure Reactor), the fuel rods and moderator are located inside the vessel, which carries the full pressure of the coolant; in channel reactors (See Channel reactor) fuel rods, cooled by a coolant, are installed in special channel pipes that penetrate the moderator, enclosed in a thin-walled casing. Such reactors are used in the USSR (Siberian, Beloyarsk nuclear power plants, etc.).

To protect nuclear power plant personnel from radiation exposure, the reactor is surrounded by biological shielding, the main materials for which are concrete, water, and serpentine sand. The reactor circuit equipment must be completely sealed. A system is provided to monitor places of possible coolant leaks; measures are taken to ensure that the occurrence of leaks and breaks in the circuit does not lead to radioactive emissions and contamination of the nuclear power plant premises and the surrounding area. Reactor circuit equipment is usually installed in sealed boxes, which are separated from the rest of the NPP premises by biological protection and are not maintained during reactor operation. Radioactive air and a small amount of coolant vapor, due to the presence of leaks from the circuit, are removed from unattended rooms of the nuclear power plant special system ventilation, in which cleaning filters and holding gas tanks are provided to eliminate the possibility of air pollution. The compliance with radiation safety rules by NPP personnel is monitored by the dosimetry control service.

In case of accidents in the reactor cooling system, to prevent overheating and failure of the seals of the fuel rod shells, rapid (within a few seconds) suppression of the nuclear reaction is provided; The emergency cooling system has autonomous power sources.

The presence of biological protection, special ventilation and emergency cooling systems and a radiation monitoring service makes it possible to completely protect NPP operating personnel from the harmful effects of radioactive radiation.

The equipment of the turbine room of a nuclear power plant is similar to the equipment of the turbine room of a thermal power plant. A distinctive feature of most nuclear power plants is the use of steam of relatively low parameters, saturated or slightly superheated.

In this case, to prevent erosion damage to the blades of the last stages of the turbine by moisture particles contained in the steam, separating devices are installed in the turbine. Sometimes it is necessary to use remote separators and intermediate steam superheaters. Due to the fact that the coolant and the impurities it contains are activated when passing through the reactor core, constructive solution The equipment of the turbine room and the turbine condenser cooling system of single-circuit nuclear power plants must completely eliminate the possibility of coolant leakage. At double-circuit nuclear power plants with high steam parameters, such requirements are not imposed on the equipment of the turbine room.

Specific requirements for the layout of nuclear power plant equipment include: the minimum possible length of communications associated with radioactive media, increased rigidity of foundations and load-bearing structures reactor, reliable organization of room ventilation. On rice. shows a section of the main building of the Beloyarsk NPP with a channel graphite-water reactor. The reactor hall houses a reactor with biological protection, spare fuel rods and control equipment. The nuclear power plant is configured according to the reactor-turbine block principle. Turbine generators and their servicing systems are located in the turbine room. Between the engine and reactor rooms there are auxiliary equipment and station control systems.

The efficiency of a nuclear power plant is determined by its main technical indicators: unit power of the reactor, efficiency, energy intensity of the core, burnup of nuclear fuel, utilization factor of the installed capacity of the nuclear power plant per year. With the growth of nuclear power plant capacity, specific capital investments in it (cost of installed kW) decrease more sharply than is the case for thermal power plants. In that main reason the desire to build large nuclear power plants with large unit power units. It is typical for the economics of nuclear power plants that the share of the fuel component in the cost of generated electricity is 30-40% (at thermal power plants 60-70%). Therefore, large nuclear power plants are most common in industrialized areas with limited supplies of conventional fuel, and small-capacity nuclear power plants are most common in hard-to-reach or remote areas, for example, nuclear power plants in the village. Bilibino (Yakut Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic) with electric power of a standard unit 12 MW Part of the thermal power of the reactor of this nuclear power plant (29 MW) is spent on heat supply. In addition to generating electricity, nuclear power plants are also used to desalinate seawater. Thus, the Shevchenko NPP (Kazakh SSR) with an electrical capacity of 150 MW designed for desalination (by distillation method) per day up to 150,000 T water from the Caspian Sea.

In most industrialized countries (USSR, USA, England, France, Canada, Germany, Japan, East Germany, etc.), according to forecasts, the capacity of existing and under construction nuclear power plants will be increased to dozens by 1980 Gvt. According to the UN International Atomic Agency, published in 1967, the installed capacity of all nuclear power plants in the world will reach 300 by 1980. Gvt.

In the Soviet Union it is carried out broad program commissioning of large energy units (up to 1000 MW) with thermal neutron reactors. In 1948-49, work began on fast neutron reactors for industrial nuclear power plants. Physical Features Such reactors allow for expanded reproduction of nuclear fuel (reproduction factor from 1.3 to 1.7), which makes it possible to use not only 235 U, but also raw materials 238 U and 232 Th. In addition, fast neutron reactors do not contain a moderator, are relatively small in size and have a large load. This explains the desire for intensive development of fast reactors in the USSR. For research on fast reactors, experimental and pilot reactors BR-1, BR-2, BR-Z, BR-5, and BFS were successively built. The experience gained led to the transition from research model installations to the design and construction of industrial fast neutron nuclear power plants (BN-350) in Shevchenko and (BN-600) at the Beloyarsk NPP. Research is underway on reactors for powerful nuclear power plants, for example, a pilot reactor BOR-60 was built in Melekess.

Large nuclear power plants are also being built in a number of developing countries (India, Pakistan, etc.).

At the 3rd International Scientific and Technical Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy (1964, Geneva), it was noted that the widespread development of nuclear energy has become a key problem for most countries. The 7th World Energy Conference (WIREC-VII), held in Moscow in August 1968, confirmed the relevance of the problems of choosing the direction of development of nuclear energy at the next stage (conditionally 1980-2000), when nuclear power plants will become one of the main producers of electricity.

Lit.: Some issues of nuclear energy. Sat. Art., ed. M. A. Styrikovich, M., 1959; Kanaev A. A., Nuclear power plants, Leningrad, 1961; Kalafati D.D., Thermodynamic cycles of nuclear power plants, M.-L., 1963; 10 years of the world's first nuclear power plant of the USSR. [Sat. Art.], M., 1964; Soviet atomic science and technology. [Collection], M., 1967; Petrosyants A. M., Nuclear power of our days, M., 1968.

S. P. Kuznetsov.

Big Soviet encyclopedia. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. 1969-1978 .

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See what “Nuclear power plant” is in other dictionaries:

A power plant in which atomic (nuclear) energy is converted into electrical energy. The energy generator at a nuclear power plant is a nuclear reactor. Synonyms: Nuclear power plant See also: Nuclear power plants Power plants Nuclear reactors Financial dictionary... ... Financial Dictionary

- (NPP) power plant where nuclear (nuclear) energy is converted into electrical energy. At a nuclear power plant, the heat released in a nuclear reactor is used to produce water steam that rotates a turbine generator. The first nuclear power plant in the world with a capacity of 5 MW was... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary