A 144-tonne core catcher (melt trap), designed to safely retain molten core fragments in a severe accident scenario, was installed at Unit 4 of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant in October 2023.
A significant milestone was reached in October 2023 at Unit 4 of the Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant, Turkey's first nuclear power station under construction in Mersin province. A 144-tonne core catcher (melt trap), one of the last lines of defence in severe accident scenarios, was installed in its design position at the unit. Akkuyu Nuclear JSC announced the completion of the core catcher installation on its official website on 11 October 2023 (Source).
A steel cone 6.14 metres high and 5.83 metres in diameter
According to a report by Nuclear Engineering International dated 13 October 2023, the cone-shaped steel component stands 6.14 metres high with a diameter of 5.83 metres. The core catcher was manufactured with increased seismic and hydrodynamic resistance, allowing it to withstand both earthquake loads and potential hydrodynamic effects (Source).
Passive safety equipment for retaining molten core material
The core catcher is designed to safely retain molten core fragments in the event of a severe accident and to prevent their release into the environment. Special materials inside the equipment disperse heat and stop the chain reaction. Even in the most adverse scenario involving damage to the reactor core, the release of radioactive material is intended to be contained. The approach is regarded as a tangible example of the passive safety philosophy that characterises modern nuclear plant designs.
First major technological equipment installed at Unit 4
The installation marked the first major piece of technological equipment to be erected at Unit 4. It signalled that work at the plant's fourth unit had moved from civil construction into the large-equipment installation phase. Since the core catcher must be positioned at the lowest elevation of the reactor shaft before other major components, it forms the first link in the unit's installation sequence.
Significance for the heavy logistics sector
Handling a steel cone weighing 144 tonnes and standing more than six metres tall on a construction site, and lowering it into position inside a reactor building, ranks among the precision-critical applications of heavy-lift engineering. Equipment movements of this scale for nuclear construction sites call for specialised planning, certified equipment and strict quality documentation in the field of nuclear project transportation.
The core catcher installation at Akkuyu Unit 4 featured prominently in both the international trade press and the operator's official announcements as one of the notable nuclear construction developments of October 2023.