Novosibirsk Chemical Concentrates Plant is a huge nuclear material producing plant in Russia. It is one of the leading nuclear fuel producers in the world and exports it to a number of countries in addition to fulfilling Russian fissile requirements. Nuclear energy, despite its problems, is one of the cheapest forms of energy available for us and many countries are more than willing to have nuclear power plants but they haven’t been inducted into the Nuclear Suppliers Group, an international body of nuclear manufacturers. Russia is one of the largest producers of nuclear material. The plant we are going to see is a part of State Corporation Rosatom.
The whole clothing and masks to protect workers from radiation
A nuclear hazard sign at the main facility.
A brief description of the plant in Russian.
A standard set of tools.
These bicones are used to store and mix Uranium with a plasticizer.
A basket full of Uranium tablets.
Tablets that are to be “fired”.
A Hydrogen flame heats the oven at 1750 degree centigrade and releases Hydrogen to the atmosphere. It takes about twenty hours to achieve this.
Finished bits are polished and shaped to follow strict size regulations.
One tablet weighs 4.5 grams and is equivalent to the energy of about 2 barrels of oil.
Here are zirconium tubes filled with uranium dioxide tablets or fuel rods.
There are several soviet-era machines here too like a soda vendor and a water dispenser.
Wonder what happened to this chicken? #radiation?
There are over 2277 employees in the facility and they all seem patriotic enough.
These tubes are a part of the reactor protection system. A total of 312 fuel rods would be installed in them.
The head and parts of the nuclear fuel rod. All 312 are in place now.
Now they are placed in such containers. There are two in each hole.
Now the Uranium is ready to be transported.
Doesn’t seem like such a radiation threat area at all. Just a normal factory where people go to work.