Chennai, Aug 11 (IANS): Russia's integrated nuclear power company, Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation on Tuesday said it has started manufacturing a set of steam generators for the fifth 1,000 MW atomic power plant to be set up in Kudankulam, Tamil Nadu.

India's atomic power company, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL), is building four more plants of 1,000 MW each in Kudankulam in Tirunelveli district -- Units 3,4,5 and 6.

The first two units of similar power generation capacity had gone on stream long back and the construction of 3rd and 4th units are underway.

According to Rosatom, machining of the shells of the vessel and large nozzles, which are the parts of the steam generator have been completed.

Welding work is underway on the shells of the steam generator vessel.

Rosatom has already manufactured and shipped two sets of steam generators for the third and fourth units coming up at Kudankulam.

The steam generator belongs to the products of the first class of safety.

The diameter is more than four metres, the length of the apparatus is about 15 metres.

The weight of the equipment is 340 tons.

The vessel of the steam generator is a horizontal cylindrical vessel with two elliptical heads, in the middle part of which there are headers for the supply and removal of the hot coolant.

In the upper part of the vessel there is a space for steam, and the heat exchange surface which consists of 11,000 stainless pipes is in the lower part of the steam generator vessel.

The pipes are 16 mm in diameter and 10 to 14 meters long. The ends of the pipes are fixed in two headers. The equipment of one power unit includes four steam generators.