Technical/Upgrading Activities
Among the activities involving international nuclear firms and agencies are assistance with safety and risk assessments and providing of equipment: fire protection equipment, a control room simulator, a safety parameter display system, and a pipe lathe.
Safety and Risk Assessment
In 1995, agreement was reached with Sweden and the United Kingdom to sponsor a joint in-depth risk assessment of the Leningrad (Unit 2) plant. This is the pilot project of the RBMK plant-specific safety assessments planned under the plant safety evaluation activities. The technical work for this assessment is performed by the Leningrad plant and Russian design and scientific institutes, with technical assistance from U.S., Swedish, and British experts. Sweden and the United Kingdom are funding the probabilistic risk assessment of Unit 2; the United States is providing the necessary deterministic analysis, system descriptions, and selected system engineering assessments to support the assessment. Project objectives are to assess the impact of recent safety improvements to Unit 2 and to establish a common perspective pertaining to RBMK severe accident risk and mitigation.
Fire Protection Equipment
The United States firm Bechtel is providing the Leningrad plant with an improved fire detection system. Work began in August 1995 and will be completed in March 1997. In addition, Finland's Center for Radiation and Nuclear Safety has funded fire-protection improvements, including expert assessment, fire-fighting equipment, and a radiophone that can be used to coordinate fire-fighting operations and other rapid responses.
Safety Parameter Display System
The first safety parameter display system at the Leningrad plant will be installed in Unit 3. The Kursk nuclear power plant was the first chosen to receive a safety parameter display system. The second and third safety parameter display systems will be installed at the Chornobyl and Leningrad NPPs. The Leningrad system will conform to that plant's specific needs and will differ from the prototype system installed at Kursk. Two United States firms, Gilbert/Commonwealth Parsons Power and Westinghouse, are involved in the development of the system. The system is scheduled for completion in early 1997.
A safety parameter display system automatically displays the status of a nuclear power plant's critical safety functions on a display console in the control room. This enables control room operators to pinpoint problems quickly and make informed, timely decisions.
Pipe Lathe
A rapid-response system of providing maintenance equipment brought a needed pipe lathe to the Leningrad plant within a month. A pipe lathe allows cuts and weld preparation with the precision needed for repairing main coolant pipes.
According to the Kozloduy maintenance manager in information presented at a conference in June 1995, up to 42% of safety-related accidents are traceable to errors in the performance of maintenance. The pipe lathe sent to the Leningrad plant was part of a project involving the Leningrad, Kursk, Smolensk, Ignalina, and Chornobyl plants that transfers modern maintenance methods and equipment and provides training for maintenance staff.
