The Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) has announced that the second unit of the Barakah nuclear project has successfully passed the thermal performance test according to the highest international standards of quality, safety and efficiency, as the first station did before.
The company also said that the test of thermal performance is one of the most important tests that precedes the operation phase. This achievement was achieved as a result of cooperation between the UAE’s (ENEC) and the Korean Electric Power Company (KEPCO), the main contractor for the peaceful nuclear energy project that is being developed in Abu Dhabi. This was also achieved under the supervision of the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR), an independent federal body that regulates nuclear energy activities in the UAE.
The thermal performance test takes several weeks and includes about 200 independent and comprehensive tests to verify that all major systems are fully operational, but without the use of nuclear fuel. The test involves running most of the reactor systems for the first time at a temperature of about 300 ° C and an operational pressure of 150 kg per square centimeter, which is equivalent to the pressure generated at a depth of 1500 meters below water level. During the test, turbines are also run for the first time at the maximum speed of 1500 rpm, to ensure that they are ready to operate once the reactor enters normal operation.
Eng. Mohamed Ibrahim Al Hammadi, Chief Executive Officer of ENEC, said that the successful completion of the thermal performance test, for the second station in the nuclear power project, “demonstrates the commitment to the highest levels of safety and efficiency”. He also stressed the desire to continue efforts to strengthen the status of the nuclear energy project, as a role model, and a reference to all projects of new nuclear power stations around the world.
