: The second reactor of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP), which is undergoing leak containment test now, will be ready for the mandatory ‘hot run’ during the first half of February, said Site DirectorR.S. Sundar.
Mr. Sundar, who was here on Tuesday to participate in a discussion with Collector M. Karunakaran on conducting disaster management drill in a village ‘near the project site, told The Hindu that the second reactor, its associated closed primary coolant pipelines, secondary coolant circuits and the concrete reactor containment building required to demonstrate the strength and integrity prior to reactor start-up.
The integrity test was started recently and the reactor’s inner containment building was tested at a pressure of 4.60 kg/sq. cm, though the actual pressure which would establish inside during power generation would be only 50 per cent of it.
The reactor containment of KKNPP is hermetically sealed with steel liner inside the concrete wall and the dome.
To ascertain the inadvertent presence of any microscopic holes in the containment, specially made soap solution was poured abundantly from the top even as pressure was phenomenally mounting inside and a large number of personnel were posted at various points to closely look for bubble emission.
