BN-600 reactor

BN-600 reactor is a sodium-cooled fast breeder reactor, located at the Beloyarsk Nuclear Power Station, in Zarechny, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia. Operational since 1980, it is the oldest fast breeder reactor in service, and the second largest fast breeder reactor in terms of its power output of 600 MW.

Design and Operation

The BN-600 reactor uses a plutonium-uranium mixed oxide (MOX) fuel, surrounded by a uranium blanket. The reactor core is cooled by liquid sodium, which also serves as a neutron reflector. The reactor's design includes three independent cooling circuits, each equipped with its own sodium pump and steam generator.

The BN-600 reactor is designed to generate electrical power while simultaneously producing new fissile material. This is achieved through the conversion of fertile uranium-238 into plutonium-239, a process known as breeding.

Safety Features

The BN-600 reactor incorporates several safety features. These include a passive shutdown system, a containment structure capable of withstanding a core meltdown, and a core catcher to prevent a nuclear meltdown from breaching the containment.

Performance and Future Plans

The BN-600 reactor has demonstrated a high level of performance and reliability throughout its operational life. It has also played a crucial role in the development and refinement of fast breeder reactor technology in Russia.

Russia plans to replace the BN-600 reactor with the more advanced BN-800 reactor, which has a higher power output and improved safety features. The BN-800 reactor became operational in 2016.

See Also

• Nuclear power in Russia
• Fast breeder reactor
• Beloyarsk Nuclear Power Station