SIPPING EQUIPMENT FOR LEAK TESTING OF FUEL ASSEMBLIES IN VVER-440 REACTORS

Sipping equipment for the Soviet-type VVER-440 pressurized water reactors was developed on the basis of the proven in-core sipping technique used for boiling water reactor fuel assemblies. The main components of the system are the sipping hood with seven test positions, the control panel for system operation and sample collection, and the manifold connection line. During testing the upper ends of the hexagonal fuel assemblies are lifted into the air-filled sipping hood to interrupt the coolant flow by means of pneumatically actuated grippers. The first equipment of this kind has been in use in the nuclear plant Jaslovske-Bohunice, Czechoslovakia, since 1986.