The structural integrity and integrated leak rate tests have been completed at the Vigtle-3 nuclear power plant under construction in the US state of Georgia, demonstrating that the containment vessel meets construction quality and design requirements.
The containment vessel serves as a barrier to protect the public and surrounding communities by containing material produced inside the reactor vessel in the unlikely event of an emergency.
The structural integrity test called for the vessel to be pressurised for the first time and then closely monitored. While pressurised, each accessible weld seam on the containment vessel was inspected by specially trained inspectors.
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