Russia is a leading nuclear technology developer. Like many other countries, this nation is planning to increase the number of nuclear power plants – from 31 to 59 by 2020. For this reason, the ATOMEXPO organized by Rosatom, the Federal Atomic Energy Agency, is hosting many experts and companies from all over the world. The lesson of the recent incidents is that the level of nuclear safety needs to be raised even further.
As safety critical components, EPAs from SCHOTT offer an extremely high level of security, thanks to their unique design. They consist of metal conductors, a glass sealant and a metal housing. The preassembled component is heated up to a temperature at which the glass melts to the metal. During the cooling process, the metal housing contracts to a much greater extent than the glass does. This compression creates a highly pressure-resistant and hermetically sealed unit.
“We are the only supplier that produces EPAs using a special compression glass-to-metal seal instead of epoxy as a sealant,” says Thomas Fink, General Manager of the Nuclear Safety Division of SCHOTT Electronic Packaging in Germany. “That means higher safety. Installed once, our cable penetrations that do not age remain maintenance-free due to their unlimited lifetime in terms of their pressure barrier and hermeticity. It is the safest technology for EPAs available today,” he notes.
With its exceptional offering, SCHOTT is able to enhance the safety of both existing and future nuclear power plants. More than 12,000 have already been installed in about 100 nuclear power plants around the world. Among these are the two Russian nuclear icebreakers as well as Hungary’s only nuclear power plant in Paks that is currently upgrading to SCHOTT’s electrical penetration assemblies.
