Rosatom has announced completion of hydraulic tests on the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) of the second unit at the Rooppur nuclear power plant under construction in Bangladesh. The tests, which confirm the tightness of the base metal and weld joints, were conducted by Atommash, which is part of Atomenergomash, the engineering subsidiary of the Russian state nuclear corporation.

The RPV of Rooppur unit 2 (Image: Rosatom) The RPV of Rooppur unit 2 (Image: Rosatom)

The hydraulic tests were performed on "a three-level underground caisson test bench", Rosatom said. A supporting ring was first installed on the test bench and then the 11-metre high VVER-1200 RPV was placed onto it using an overhead crane with a lifting capacity of 600 tonnes.

The RPV was sealed into place, filled with distilled water and heated to 65 degrees Celsius, creating a maximum pressure of 24.5 MPa, which is 1.4 times greater than the working pressure, and held at that level for 10 minutes, Rosatom said.

The Rooppur plant is under construction on the eastern bank of the river Ganges, according to an agreement Rosatom signed in February 2011 with the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission. The initial contract for the project, worth USD12.65 billion, was signed in December 2015.