for the period March 22 through April 18, 1997
Prepared by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, Washington

RUSSIA

Representatives of Russian Reactor Sites Complete Course in Training Methodology. On April 11, representatives from Bilibino nuclear power plant (NPP) and Russian research reactors completed a month-long training course covering the Systematic Approach to Training (SAT) and instructor skills. The course, presented by a team from General Physics Corporation and Sonalysts, Inc., was held at General Physics facilities in Aiken, South Carolina. The first two weeks of instruction focused on the SAT methodology. To ensure the methodology?s successful transfer, workshops required students to develop job and task analysis materials for the shift supervisor position at their respective sites. During the second two weeks, participants received training in instructor skills and on-the-job-training techniques. They also toured Catawba NPP and the Savannah River Site, as well as the training facilities associated with those plants. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

Final Pilot Training Course Implemented at Balakovo. The twelfth and final pilot training course for plant operators was implemented this week at Balakovo Training Center. Held April 14 through 17, the course was specific to the position of technical safety inspector at Balakovo NPP. Personnel from Sonalysts, Inc., assisted Balakovo staff in implementing the course. U.S. training experts observed the implementation sessions. Afterward, they reviewed the performance measures for training activities at the Balakovo Training Center.

Establishment of the Balakovo Training Center, coupled with subsequent development and implementation of the 12 plant-specific training courses, represents a significant achievement. These actions have begun a process leading to indigenous support for using the SAT methodology throughout Russia. Work with the Balakovo Training Center will continue, with a new focus on evaluation of training programs and transferring training technology to other NPPs in Russia. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

UKRAINE

Equipment and Training Enhance Ukraine Plant Capabilities in Nondestructive Examination. In late March, the United States provided manual ultrasonic flaw detectors, digital thickness gauges, and hand-held hardness testing instruments to the operating reactors at Ukraine?s five NPPs. In all, 15 sets of the equipment were delivered. Technical specialists from the U.S. team and contractor Davis NDE then conducted a six-day training course at Khmelnytskyy NPP. A total of 19 nondestructive examination inspectors, at least two each from the Chornobyl, Khmelnytskyy, Rivne, South Ukraine, and Zaporizhzhya NPPs, participated in the training. The course covered equipment operation and modern ultrasonic techniques for determining the through-wall extent of defects in pipe. The training course and instrumentation provided by the United States will enable inspectors to obtain reliable diagnostic information about the structural integrity of safety-related piping systems within Ukraine?s NPPs. (Tom Taylor, PNNL, 509-375-4331)

Chornobyl NPP to Get Fire Safety Equipment. U.S. contractor Bechtel National, Inc., has issued a purchase order to Allsafe Company for 90 sets of fire-fighting gear, including coats, pants, boots, and helmets, for fire protection personnel at Chornobyl NPP. The gear is to be delivered to the plant in July. Allsafe also has provided variable-spray hose nozzles for the plant. In addition, penetration sealant material and application equipment produced by Promatec are en route to Chornobyl.

During the first week in April, Bechtel staff and members of the U.S. team met with representatives of Chornobyl NPP, Energoproekt, and Ukraine?s Nuclear Regulatory Administration to define work scope and participant responsibilities in the design of the fire and smoke detection system for Chornobyl. The first steps will involve Energoproekt?s review of Russian certification documents and subsequent approval by the Nuclear Regulatory Administration. The system design is scheduled for completion in August 1997. Delivery of the equipment to Chornobyl NPP is scheduled for November 1997. (Rich Denning, PNNL, 614-424-7412).

CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

Bulgaria: Kozloduy Configuration Management Project Making Scheduled Progress. In early April, representatives of the U.S. technical team and contractor American Technologies, Inc., met with Kozloduy NPP representatives and the Bulgarian subcontractor Risk Engineering Ltd. to review the configuration management project under way at the plant. The plant representatives verified that previous problems with translations, obtaining plant manager approval on procedures, and receiving prompt answers to their technical questions have been resolved. They also reported that the design requirements, design reconfiguration, and records management draft procedures were satisfactory. The project schedule was reviewed, and all activities are on track. Kozloduy representatives also presented a proposal for the project?s implementation phase. That proposal is under review by the U.S. team. (Dennis Meyers, DOE, 301-903-1418; Dan Couch, PNNL, 509-372-4591)

Lithuania: New Protocol Outlines Next Steps in Ignalina Configuration Management Project. The configuration management project under way at Ignalina NPP was reviewed at mid-April meetings in Vilnius and Visaginas, Lithuania. Representatives of Ignalina NPP, the Swedish International Projects office, Stone & Webster Engineering Company, and the U.S. team evaluated the plant?s progress in building the equipment and document indexes. More than 10,000 documents have been entered. In addition, preliminary data have been entered for approximately 90% of the plant?s safety-related equipment. The representatives also evaluated vendor bids for computer software and hardware to be used in implementing the Reliability Maintenance Management System/Configuration Management process. A vendor will be selected and a contract will be awarded by the end of May. Participants signed a protocol documenting agreements reached regarding next steps in the project. These included the description of a process for entering information into the plant?s configuration management database and verifying that information, as well as a schedule for evaluating bids and placing the final contract. (Dennis Meyers, DOE, 301-903-1418; Dan Couch, PNNL, 509-372-4591)

Lithuania: New Projects Considered to Help Address Findings of Ignalina Safety Panel. During the week of April 7, U.S. team representatives held a series of meetings in Visaginas, Kaunas, and Vilnius, Lithuania. Participants included the Swedish International Projects office, Ignalina NPP, the Lithuania Energy Institute, the regulatory agency Vatesi, and the Ministry of Energy. The U.S. team members reviewed current projects and coordinated project activities with those of Sweden and other countries and organizations. The Lithuanian representatives presented their plan of action to address the recommendations contained in the report of the Ignalina Safety Panel. Several new projects that help to deal with the safety panel?s high-priority recommendations were discussed as possibilities for additional U.S. support. The project team will strive to obtain final decisions on the proposed projects by the end of April. Additional information will be available after those decisions have been reached. (Dennis Meyers, DOE, 301-903-1418)

CROSS-CUTTING ACTIVITIES

Seminars Offer Training on Topics Related to Emergency Operating Instructions. During the week of April 14, VNIIAES conducted a training seminar at Novovoronezh NPP. The U.S.-supported seminar, second in a series for NPPs in Russia and Ukraine, was designed to clarify for plant management and staff the reasons for changing from event-based emergency operating instructions (EOIs) to symptom-based EOIs. The seminars also will cover other important topics such as mitigating strategies used in symptom-based EOIs, basic steps needed in developing EOIs, operator rules of usage for EOIs, and operator training. Previous seminars held at Zaporizhzhya and Balakovo NPPs have met with great success. Plans are to provide this training at other NPPs such as Kola, Rivne, South Ukraine, and Khmelnytskyy NPPs. (Kent Faris, PNNL, 509-372-

Scientists from Russia and Ukraine Complete Basic Training on RELAP5. The first of two 4-week training sessions on using the RELAP5 computer code for VVER reactor analyses concluded on April 18. The 10 students who completed this session represented IBRAE and the Electrogorsk Research Center for Nuclear Power Plants Safety in Russia, as well as Derzhkomatom and the Sevastopol Institute in Ukraine. Technical experts from two U.S. national laboratories conducted the training at Idaho Falls, Idaho. The training provided lectures introducing the RELAP5 code and hands-on workshop exercises illustrating use of the code for performing thermal-hydraulic analyses of VVER reactors. A second session begins on April 21; 16 new students from Russia and Ukraine are scheduled to participate. (Don Fletcher, INEEL, 208-526-7652; Ross Jensen, ANL, 208-533-7911)

PLANNED ACTIVITIES

• "*" indicates the event is a new item or has been changed from the last report.
  
• "TBD" means the event date or location is to be determined.
  
• Note: in the interest of providing a timely update on the Soviet-Designed-Reactor Safety Program, no formal document review of this weekly report has been conducted by DOE or PNNL.

*April 19-30 -- Kyiv and Slavutych, Ukraine.
Technical experts from the U.S. team and contractor Fluor Daniel Northwest will hold discussions with leaders from the Chornobyl Center for Nuclear Safety, Radioactive Waste and Radioecology, the Chornobyl Shelter, and Ukraine?s Ministry for Environmental Protection. Talks and interviews will determine needs for physical and computer-based modeling for the Chornobyl Shelter. (Norm Fletcher, DOE, 301-903-3275)

*April 20-24 -- Kyiv and Slavutych, Ukraine.
A representative of the U.S. team will participate in meetings with the G-7 Nuclear Safety Working Group and Ukraine government officials regarding results of the draft Shelter Implementation Plan. (Dan Giessing, DOE, 301-903-2852)

April 20-26 -- Vienna, Austria.
A U.S. technical expert will participate in a meeting of International Atomic Energy Agency consultants on preparation of guidelines for accident analysis for RBMK reactors. The outcome of this meeting will be integrated into the probabilistic and deterministic safety analyses under way at Leningrad Unit 2 and Kursk Unit 1. (Walt Pasedag, DOE, 301-903-3628)

*April 20-May 10 -- Kyiv and Slavutych, Ukraine.
A nuclear safety expert from the U.S. team will work with representatives of Chornobyl Shelter organizations. They will develop strategies for coordinating and implementing projects under way and proposed for the Chornobyl Shelter. (Dan Giessing, DOE, 301-903-2852)

*April 21-25 -- Slavutych, Ukraine.
U.S. technical specialists and Chornobyl NPP staff will review the design of the nuclear criticality monitoring system being assembled for use in the Chornobyl Shelter. Results of preliminary tests of the monitoring system will be presented and discussed. (Dan Giessing, DOE, 301-903-2852)

April 21-25 -- Bratislava, Slovakia.
The International Atomic Energy Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy will hold their second joint workshop on probabilistic risk assessments for Soviet-designed reactors. The workshop will focus on issues related to reliability data and will be the starting point for a project to develop a robust collection of generic data on probabilistic risk assessments of Soviet-designed reactors. (Jeff Binder, ANL, 630-252-7265) (Workshop No. 97-043; Travel Coordinator Gail Flora, PNNL, 509-375-6554)

April 21-May 16 -- Idaho Falls, Idaho, USA.
Personnel from Ukraine?s Kharkiv Energoprojekt and South Ukraine NPP and from Russia?s Electrogorsk Research Center for Nuclear Power Plants Safety (EREC) will attend an introductory training course in applying the RELAP5 code to thermal-hydraulic safety analysis of nuclear power plants. Specialists from U.S. national laboratories will instruct the course. (Ross Jensen, ANL, 208-533-7911; Don Fletcher, Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory [INEEL], 208-526-7652) (Workshop No. 97-064; Travel Coordinator Melinda Stone, PNNL, 509-375-4391)

*April 23-24 -- Sosnovy Bor, Russia.
The working group for the probabilistic safety assessment at Leningrad NPP will meet. Representatives from ENTEK, AEA Technologies, and ES-Konsult will join Leningrad NPP staff and U.S. team members for reviews of important deterministic safety assessment accident sequences and status reports on the reliability data collection and fault tree development tasks. (Walt Pasedag, DOE, 301-903-3628)

* Date Changed to April 22-25 -- Moscow, Russia.
Representatives from Rosenergoatom will meet with U.S. technical specialists involved in the transfer of circuit breaker technology. They will discuss project scope and coordination with Russian circuit breaker manufacturers and identify a proposed pilot plant to implement the project. They also will discuss the battery technology transfer project and the instrumentation and control module survey on which Rosenergoatom is working. (Norman Fletcher, DOE, 301-903-3275)

*April 23-29 -- Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
Russian and U.S. staff of the training technology transfer effort for Russia will discuss and assign priorities to future planned activities. The group also will tour Palo Verde NPP and its training facilities. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575) (Workshop No. 97-053; Travel Coordinator Gail Flora, PNNL, 509-375-6554)

*April 24-30 -- Darmstadt, Germany.
Members of the International Chornobyl Shelter project will meet with representatives of the European Commission to discuss and implement any revisions required to the draft Shelter Implementation Plan. (Dan Giessing, DOE, 301-903-2852)

*April 25 -- Helsinki, Finland.
A coordinating meeting will be held to discuss the external review of the Leningrad probabilistic safety assessment. Representatives of STUK, GRS, and the U.S. team will participate. (Walt Pasedag, DOE, 301-903-3628)

April 26-May 7 -- Idaho Falls, Idaho, USA.
Representatives from Ignalina NPP will participate in meetings on quality assurance auditing. NUS Instruments will host the sessions. (Ron Wright, PNNL, 372-4076) (Workshop No. 97-070; Travel Coordinator Gail Flora, PNNL, 509-375-6554)

*April 28-30 -- Visaginas, Lithuania.
Representatives from Ignalina NPP, ENTEK, RELCON, and the U.S. team will meet to discuss completion of Ignalina?s emergency operating instructions. The U.S. team will assist in creating a schedule of activities and support required of Ignalina NPP to complete the effort. Ignalina plant management will review the plan for approval. (Dennis Meyers, DOE, 301-903-1418)

*April 28-May 9 -- Reston, Virginia, USA.
Technical specialists from Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) and Argonne National Laboratory will meet with personnel from Kola NPP and the Kurchatov Institute at SAIC?s offices. They will address technical details and planning activities for the Kola in-depth safety analysis project. A specialized technical assistance meeting will be held to discuss the success criteria effort for the Level 1 internal events probabilistic risk assessment for Unit 4. Planning meetings will be conducted for Phase 2 of the Kola in-depth safety analysis project (the Level 1 external events probabilistic risk assessment for Unit 4). In addition, plans will be developed for the deterministic accident analysis for Kola Units 1 and 2. (Philip Pizzica, ANL, 630-252-4847) (Workshop No. 97-013; Travel Coordinator Gail Flora, PNNL, 509-375-6554)

*May 1-2 -- Stockholm, Sweden.
Representatives of the U.S. effort will meet with Swedish International Projects staff to coordinate and plan implementation of the cooperative Swedish/U.S. in-depth safety assessment of Leningrad NPP. (Walt Pasedag, DOE, 301-903-3628)

*May 1-10 -- Kyiv and Slavutych, Ukraine.
U.S. specialists will work with Chornobyl Shelter staff to select radiological protection equipment for the shelter. They also will collect data necessary for future dose reduction work. (Dan Giessing, DOE, 301-903-2852)

*May 5-9 -- Energodar, Ukraine.
Scientech staff and U.S. team members will meet with staff of the Zaporizhzhya NPP at the plant to continue planning the in-depth safety analysis project for Zaporizhzhya Unit 5. Details of the work scope for the Level 1 probabilistic risk assessment will be developed, and the work scope, organization, and schedule for the overall project will be defined. (Walt Pasedag, DOE, 301-903-3628; Christian Kot, ANL, 630-252-6151)

*May 5-9 -- Khmelnytskyy NPP, Ukraine.
General Physics Corporation specialists will work with staff from Khmelnytskyy NPP on the Control Room Reactor Operator training course. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

*May 5-13 -- Idaho Falls, Idaho; Oak Ridge, Tennessee; and Washington, D.C., USA.
Personnel from Russian research reactors will meet with U.S. team members and representatives of four American research reactors (Advanced Test Reactor, High Flux Irradiation Reactor, Experimental Breeder Reactor-II, and the research reactor at the National Institute of Standards and Technology). The meetings are intended to familiarize Russian research reactor participants with U.S. research reactor training programs and operational policies and practices. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575) (Workshop No. 97-017; Travel Coordinator Melinda Stone, PNNL, 509-375-4391)

*May 11-17 -- Energodar, Ukraine.
Initial training and planning meetings will be held at Zaporizhzhya NPP for the Ukraine configuration management project. A needs assessment for the project also will be conducted. A U.S. specialist and a Stone & Webster Engineering Company representative will participate. (Dennis Meyers, DOE, 301-903-1418)

*May 12-23 -- Kalinin NPP, Russia.
General Physics Corporation specialists will work with Kalinin NPP training staff to develop a training program on mechanical maintenance as part of the training technology transfer program. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

*May 12-23 -- Novovoronezh Training Center, Russia.
Sonalysts, Inc., experts will work with Novovoronezh Training Center staff to develop a training program for shift supervisors as part of the training technology transfer program. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

*May 12-23 -- Novovoronezh NPP, Russia.
Sonalysts, Inc., will work with Novovoronezh NPP training staff to develop a training program for shift supervisors as part of the training technology transfer program. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

*May 12-23 -- Smolensk Training Center, Russia.
Sonalysts, Inc. staff will work with Smolensk Training Center staff to develop a training program on mechanical maintenance as part of the training technology transfer program. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

*May 12-23 -- Kozloduy NPP, Bulgaria.
Staff of General Physics Corporation and Sonalysts, Inc. will work with training staff from the Kozloduy NPP to continue development of the Control Room Reactor Operator and Mechanical Maintenance training courses. During the second week of the visit, Kozloduy training staff will implement the pilot Mechanical Maintenance training course. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

*May 13-20 -- Kyiv and Slavutych, Ukraine.
A U.S. team member will meet with Chornobyl NPP management to coordinate efforts related to the heat plant and deactivation, decontamination, and decommissioning of the Chornobyl plant. (Riaz Awan, DOE, 301-903-2687)

* Date Changed to May 14-24 -- Charlotte, North Carolina; Atlanta, Georgia; and Fulton, Missouri, USA.
Representatives of various agencies and NPPs in Ukraine will attend meetings on event analysis reporting and lessons learned. U.S. participants hosting the meetings include Duke Power Company, the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations, and Calloway NPP. (Donnie Draper, PNNL, 509-372-4079) (Workshop No. 97-075; Travel Coordinator Gail Flora, PNNL, 509-375-6554)

*May 15-23 -- Moscow, Russia.
A U.S. expert will meet with designers of RBMK reactors, Russian regulators, and scientific institutes involved with experimental databases and analyses of RBMK reactors to plan specific details of a code assessment effort for RBMK reactors. (Walt Pasedag, DOE, 903-301-3628)

*May 18-23 -- Voronezh, Russia.
A U.S. expert and a representative of Parsons Power, Inc., will participate in meetings at Novovoronezh NPP related to the Russian configuration management project. They will provide initial training, refine the project plan, and conduct a needs assessment for the project. (Dennis Meyers, DOE, 301-903-1418)

*May 19-June 30 -- Kyiv and Slavutych, Ukraine.
A nuclear safety expert from the U.S. team will work with representatives of Chornobyl Shelter organizations. They will develop strategies for coordinating and implementing projects under way and proposed for the Chornobyl Shelter. (Dan Giessing, DOE, 301-903-2852)

*May-June Dates TBD -- Moscow, Russia.
U.S. technical specialists and personnel from Novovoronezh NPP, Atomenergoproekt, OKB Gidropress, and the Kurchatov Institute will hold the initial team meeting for the Novovoronezh Units 3 and 4 in-depth safety analysis project. Expected topics to be discussed will include collection of plant-specific data to support the analyses, development of the system description documentation, and generation of the Novovoronezh project guidelines. In addition, planning will be finalized for a training workshop on probabilistic risk assessment to be held in Reston, Virginia. (Jordi Roglans, ANL, 630-252-3283)

*May 26-June 6 -- Smolensk NPP, Russia.
Sonalysts, Inc. staff will work with Smolensk NPP staff to develop a training program on mechanical maintenance as part of the training technology transfer program. This visit is the second of three to Smolensk NPP as part of the development of this training course. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

*June 23-27 -- Trnava, Slovakia.
A training course on the PACER and NEPTUNE codes will be presented by technical staff from Argonne National Laboratory. The training course is the final activity in the transfer of the codes and related documentation to the Slovakians. PACER and NEPTUNE are state-of-the-art codes for calculating containment loads from pipe-break loading and containment structural response/ultimate strength, respectively. (Nicholas Grossman, DOE, 301-903-3299)