A visit to Nuclear Reactor in Russia

Seversk is a closed Russian town with a captivating place to visit – nuclear reactor, which used to produce plutonium for the army.

A group of bloggers were invited to the town. To get to Seversk one has to be checked for about 2 months.  The town is to that extend closed, that even close relatives has to undergo the same procedure. The town is enclosed with high fence with barbed wire and other protection means, which are asked not to take pictures
of.

The town seems deserted.

Private sector.

One of the biggest Lenin monuments in Russia.

Reactor plant.

The group got allowed to enter only with photo equipment agreed beforehand. A briefing what not to take pictures of was given.

Everyone got an individual dosimeter.

And headed to the chemical works territory.

From the outside the reactor looks like the building of a club.

Everyone put an overall, gloves and a cap on. It is the very room, from which the reactor is operated. A whole lot of various devices and instruments, which are to be followed al the time.

The group was virtually the first to have been allowed to take pictures inside.

Then everyone got a pair of disposable shoe-covers and the group entered the very reactor.

Behind this “window” there is a workplace of the operator, who charges the blanks into the reactor. The glass is about 1,5 meters thick.

This little spot is that “window” from the hall.

Former reactor, partly dismantled, though.

The hall is that high to load the long pipes with charged materials inside.

The pipes themselves, there are  ribbings inside so that uranium blanks get well quenched with waer from every side.

Plan of the new reactor.

To get out of the reactor one has to go through such a small door.

On leaving everyone undergoes mandatory check.

“Clean”.

0,13 is not even a “dose”. The workdose is said to make 20 points on the average.

Nuclear plant museum.

A real graphite block cross-section with the inserted pipe and “material”.

A very interesting container. Finished plutonium blanks for a nuclear bomb were carried in such containers.

via gitanes