First Circular Bridge Crane at Akkuyu NPP Put into Operation

Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant puts first 390-tonne capacity gantry crane into service. According to statements issued, the crane will be used throughout all stages of the lifecycle of Unit 1 at Akkuyu NPP. The gantry crane, also known as a polar crane, is considered one of the most important mechanisms in the reactor compartment. The crane, which will be used for reactor refueling and maintenance, will also be deployed in lifting and transport operations in the area, in delivering a special refueling machine responsible for loading nuclear fuel into the reactor to its work area, and in transporting various equipment. The crane will move along a circular rail path mounted on the upper cylindrical section of the reactor building. This mechanism enables transport operations to be carried out at any point within the center of the reactor building. The mechanism on which the crane is mounted can also move along a bridge 41.5 metres in length. During preparation for commissioning, static tests of the main transport mechanism were carried out with a simulated load of 487.5 tonnes. The total weight of all components of the crane is approximately 500 tonnes. Sergey Butckikh, Deputy General Director of Akkuyu Nuclear and Director of NPP Construction Operations, said that the gantry crane, which will be used to conduct transport and technological operations for the assembly of the nuclear reactor, has successfully passed commissioning tests and is now fully ready for operation.

Butckikh made the following remarks on the matter:

'This crane will be involved in the multi-stage nuclear reactor assembly process and subsequently in the physical startup phases. The crane is a complex technological engineering structure comprising various components such as the bridge, service carriage, touchscreen control cabin, and special control cabins mounted in a separate room outside the pressurized area of the reactor compartment. I should also note that, as always, our priority is safety. In the use of such cranes, only specially trained and certified operators with experience and expertise in this field are permitted to operate the crane.' Source