Fuelling floating reactors

Barge-mounted floating ABV and VBER power stations are very attractive as stand-alone power sources for remote regions. They offer high reliability, radiation and environmental safety, acceptable cost-effectiveness and a fuel life of 8-12 years. Design information, operating characteristics and sketches are provided for both the 10 MWe ABV reactor (carried by barges of 2,500 t displacement) and the 110 MWe VBER reactor (carried by barges of 12,000 t displacement) to illustrate how the reactors were developed to achieve reliability and an extended fuel life. Reducing the core power density and fuel-heating rates helped provide the successful solution. The proven engineering solutions developed for these floating power stations meet the safety, reliability and efficiency standards currently required for the next generation of power plants.