Technical/Upgrading Activities
Assistance to the Kursk plant has focused on bringing safety and maintenance up to current international standards. To this end, foreign suppliers and experts have provided equipment and expertise for upgraded emergency systems and training in maintenance operations. Some ongoing representative issues at the Kursk plant are noted below.
Safety Parameter Display System
A safety parameter display system is being developed by several United States firms, in cooperation with RDIPE, for Kursk Unit 2, with a plan to install the system in all RBMKs. Gilbert/ Commonwealth-Parsons Power is the contractor and a Westinghouse/RDIPE joint venture is supplying the system. The Kursk system is a prototype for other units and will evenually be provided to all RBMK reactors in Russia and Ukraine. A developmental safety parameter display unit has been provided to RDIPE to be integrated with an RBMK plant simulator. Work began in January 1994 and is scheduled for completion in December 1999.
Fire Safety Upgrades
The U.S. firm Burns & Roe is providing ultrasonic testing equipment for pipe weld inspection, an emergency water supply system, and a direct current (battery) power supply system for back-up instrumentation and control power during shut-downs. Hand-held ultrasonic equipment allows quick detection of leaks in piping; plans call for installation of an automated ultrasonic system for regions inaccessible during plant operations. The emergency water supply system can provide a back-up in case of loss of water to the steam drum separators or for fire suppression. Nearing completion (scheduled for December 1996), the project providing a reliable DC power source is supplying a seismically-resistant direct current (DC) system, including batteries, racks, and switchboards with switchgear.
Steam Suit
At the Kursk nuclear facility, workers are receiving a protective "steam suit" for performing repairs in areas such as beneath the reactor. Developed in the United States, the suits are designed to withstand the high temperatures and humidity found under the reactor yet provide flexibility to enable staff to accomplish their work.
Dry Fuel Storage Facility
Rosenergoatom, the Russian nuclear operating organization, awarded a contract in 1994 to the French company SGN/ Reseau Eurisys to build a spent fuel dry storage facility at Kursk. The facility will be capable of storing 8,000 metric tons of spent fuel.
Pressure Tube Upgrades
Upgrades similar to those completed on Leningrad (Sosnovyy Bor) Unit 1 began in Kursk Unit 1 in 1993. The upgrades involve the replacement of 1600 pressure tubes.
