October 1999 Highlight

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Ukraine United States Cross-Cutting Activities Planned Activities

Russia

Novovoronezh Completes Test of Mobile Pumping Unit

Site acceptance tests for the Novovoronezh mobile pumping unit were performed on October 7 and 8. A representative of Parsons Power participated as an observer. The mobile pumping unit is the key component in the U.S.-provided system to supply emergency water for the plant in an event in which all other sources of water to the steam generators are lost (such as a seismic event). Before the test, piping had been installed, allowing the mobile unit to be connected to the Unit 3 steam generators. During the test, the pumping unit was transported from its shelter to a flanged connection at a pad outside the auxiliary building. Once the pump was activated and valves were opened, flow to the steam generator line was confirmed and then diverted to a drain. The pump hookup occurred well within the time period required for responding to an accident. This successful test completed U.S. involvement in the project. Over the coming year, plant staff will install piping connections allowing the mobile unit to be connected to Novovoronezh Unit 4 steam generators as well. (Rich Reister, DOE, 301-903-0234; Daniel Couch, PNNL, 509-372-6415)

Safety Parameter Display System Planned for Novovoronezh Unit 5

Novovoronezh Unit 5 staff and management met in early October with representatives of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, DOE, and Burns & Roe Enterprises to discuss development of a safety parameter display system (SPDS) for Unit 5. The SPDS provides a graphical display on computer monitors of key plant information used in operations and during emergency response. The installation will be completed during the summer of 2001; however, much of the work will be done during the summer outage in 2000. The Russian company ConSyst will be the general contractor for the project, which will follow the organizational structure that was used to install an SPDS at Unit 3. As a next step, ConSyst and Rosenergoatom representatives will provide the U.S. team with detailed design information, in draft form by November 1 and in final form by December 23, from which the purchase specifications will be developed. (Norman Fletcher, DOE, 301-903-3275; Frank Panisko, PNNL, 509-372-4472)

Moscow Workshop Focuses on Event Reporting and Analysis Techniques

Twenty-eight field inspectors and headquarters staff from Russia's nuclear regulatory agency, Gosatomnadzor (GAN), attended a course on event reporting and analysis techniques October 25 through 29. U.S. specialists from DOE and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory presented the course in a workshop format. This was the third activity in the area of event reporting and analysis conducted with GAN since 1996, and its completion lays the foundations for GAN to begin a redesign/upgrading of its event reporting system for non-power reactor nuclear facilities. In addition to the U.S. presentations, GAN representatives gave presentations on some of the results obtained from the agency's existing event reporting system and discussed a conceptual framework for upgrading the system used in Russia. (Grigory Trosman, DOE, 301-903-3581; George Vargo, PNNL, 509-375-6836)