April 26, 1996
Prepared by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington

RUSSIA

VVER-440/230 Working Group. The VVER-440/230 Working Group met at Kozloduy NPP April 15 to 19. Representatives from VNIIAES and Kozloduy (Bulgaria), Novovoronezh (Russia), Bohunice (Slovakia), and Metsamor (Armenia) nuclear power plants (NPPs) reviewed 4 newly drafted emergency operating instructions (EOIs) from Kozloduy NPP. Comments were given on these 4 new procedures, which will be revised and presented again at the July 1996 working group meeting. So far, 7 of 28 VVER 440/230 EOIs have been completed, and 4 more are scheduled to be completed in July. The Kozloduy NPP staff plan to have all of the VVER 440/230 EOIs completed by the end of 1996. The representative from Metsamor NPP in Armenia observed the working group proceedings for the first time and expressed a desire to learn more about the International Nuclear Safety Program (INSP). He also discussed the possibility of becoming a full member of the EOI and Management and Operational Controls working groups. (Kent Faris, PNNL, 509-372-4068)

Novovoronezh EOI Development. EOI development at Novovoronezh NPP is delayed because of lack of analysis work from Gidropress. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is negotiating a change in the deliverables to allow staff at Novovoronezh NPP to satisfactorily complete smaller deliverables for which they will receive payment. This will help their cash flow and allow them to make payments to Gidropress so analysis work can continue. (Kent Faris, PNNL, 509-372-4068)

Comment Resolution for Fire Hazards Evaluation Guide. An international peer review group made up of representatives from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Russia, Ukraine, the U.S. nuclear industry, and Western countries that are providing safety assistance to Soviet-designed NPPs provided comments on Draft B of the Reactor Core Protection Evaluation Guidelines for Fires at Soviet-Designed Nuclear Power Plants. Representatives from DOE, NRC, PNNL, Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Bechtel, Burns and Roe, and Raytheon, completed a preliminary assessment of the comments and assigned responsibilities for comment resolution when they met in Germantown, Maryland, on April 23 and 24. The comments are expected to be incorporated into the text, and the final guidelines are scheduled to be issued in July 1996. After the guidelines are issued, VNIIAES in Russia is assigned responsibility for making any modifications to the guidelines that are necessary to have them adopted as a Russian standard. Meetings will be held in May in Ukraine and in June in Russia to discuss the use of the guidelines in pilot studies. (Rich Denning, PNNL, 614-424-7412; C. Ramsey, DOE, 301-903-5999)

Smolensk NPP. PNNL established a task order with Bechtel Power Corporation on April 4, 1996, to provide self-contained breathing apparatus as part of the fire protection initiatives at Smolensk NPP. It is anticipated that the breathing apparatus will be delivered by June 30, 1996. (Andrea L. Fernandez, PNNL, 509-375-2649)

Gosatomnadzor (GAN) Contract. GAN of Russia has signed a basic ordering agreement with PNNL. This agreement will allow task orders to be established with GAN for any future involvement in projects with INSP. (Andrea L. Fernandez, PNNL, 509-375-2649)

UKRAINE

Safety Analysis. A team consisting of staff from DOE, ANL, and Scientech met with representatives from Energoprojekt (Nuclear Plant Design Organization) in Kyiv, Ukraine, to discuss the next phase of safety analysis code transfer and associated training. In addition, the team also visited the South Ukraine NPP, which had been identified as the lead plant for joint United States-Ukrainian plant-specific safety analysis. Prior to the plant visit, however, Goskomaton informed the team that the South Ukraine NPP would not be the lead plant for in-depth safety analysis, but that a "320" type VVER-1000, perhaps Zaporizhzhya Unit 5, has a higher priority. Accordingly, the team informed representatives from the South Ukraine NPP of this decision. However, representatives from South Ukraine NPP were invited to participate in the training courses for the VVER- 1000/320 project because the plant has a unit of this type ( Unit 3). At the conclusion of the visit, Goskomaton stated that further internal meetings were needed to identify the lead plant for the U.S.-supported safety analysis. (Walt Pasedag, DOE, 301-903-3628)

Meeting on VVER Accident Analysis Guidelines. International specialists, including a staff member from Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), attended a meeting on Guidelines for Best Estimate Approach to Accident Analysis of VVER Nuclear Power Plants held in Vienna April 15-19. The objective of these guidelines is to establish an international consensus on the proper approach to using best estimate calculations for VVER analysis. These guidelines can be applied to the calculations related to plant safety upgrades, the development of emergency operating procedures and the establishment of success criteria for use in probabilistic risk assessment. The meeting attendees realized that International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) guidelines released earlier did not discuss in detail the influence that the type of computer code being applied for the analysis (based on conservative or realistic models) has on the results. This will necessitate a review of the best estimate approach to accident analysis. The revised draft of these guidelines will be available for review and comment in two weeks. (Walt Pasedag, 301-903-3628)

Ukraine Simulator Support Center. On April 18, PNNL concluded contract negotiations for the Ukraine Simulator Support Center. On April 23, the contract was sent to S3 Technologies for signature. Once the contract is in place, S3 Technologies will purchase, test, and deliver computer hardware and software needed for simulator development at the Ukraine Simulator Support Center in Kyiv, Ukraine. (James A. Anderson, PNNL, 509-372-4721)

Ukrainian Institute for Nuclear Research. PNNL has signed a contract with Manager- A Specialized Language Company to provide two classes in technical English at the Ukrainian Institute for Nuclear Research. It is hoped these classes improve technical communication between the Ukrainian Institute for Nuclear Research in Kyiv, Ukraine, and various portions of INSP. The training will be completed by the end of June 1996. (Andrea L. Fernandez, PNNL, 509-375-2649)

CROSS-CUTTING ACTIVITIES

General Energy Technologies (GET). PNNL established Task Order contracts with GET. So far, two task orders have been signed. Task Order 2 is for the input/output system for the full-scope simulator at Kola NPP. Task Order 5 is for the input/output system for the full scope simulator at Kalinin NPP. Task Order 4 for the power supply for the full-scope simulators at Kola NPP and Task Order 6 for the power supply for the full-scope simulators at Kalinin NPP have been signed by PNNL and were sent to GET for signature on April 11. (Douglas A. Dahl, PNNL, 509-375-6855)

PLANNED ACTIVITIES

April 29-May 3, 1996 -- Columbia, Maryland.
A technical exchange meeting regarding the Chornobyl analytical simulator is tentatively scheduled for the week of April 29. The intent of this meeting is to develop a detailed scope for the Chornobyl analytical simulator project. (Peter Kohut, BNL, 516-344-4982)

May 1-2, 1996 -- Columbia, Maryland.
Staff from S3 Technologies, BNL, PNNL and the Novovoronezh NPP will discuss the technical details of a contract for the Novovoronezh analytical simulator. A representative of the Russian regulator, Gosatomnadzor, may also attend. This meeting will finalize the scope and technical requirements that will be included in the contract PNNL will issue for the simulator. (Peter Kohut, BNL, 516-344-4982)

May 6-9 -- Pennsylvania State University , State College, Pennsylvania.
The American Nuclear Society is sponsoring an International Topical Meeting on Nuclear Plant Instrumentation and Control, which includes a speech by NRC Chairman Shirley Jackson. Representatives from DOE, PNNL, and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) will attend. DOE is also sponsoring three Russian representatives to attend this meeting. (Rich Reister, DOE, 301-903-0234)

* May 7-9 -- Bethesda, Maryland.
Six representatives from GAN's Research Reactor and Fuel Cycle Safety groups will be taking the NRC training course "Inspecting for Performance" in Bethesda, Maryland, under DOE sponsorship. (George Sherwood, DOE, 301-903-4162)

May 11-17 -- Moscow, Russia.
Representatives from DOE and PNNL will participate in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) support group meetings. This group is studying the safety research needs for the VVER and RBMK reactors. (Colette Brown, 301-903-6924)

May 11-25 -- Balakovo NPP, Russia.
Balakovo NPP staff and Sonalysts personnel will continue development of the Electrical Operations and Instrumentation and Control Operations pilot training courses as well as the Administrative Procedures Manual and Simulator Instructor specialized training projects. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

May 12-16 -- Moscow, Russia.
EOI analytical work performed by VNIIAES, Gidropress, and the Kurchatov Institute in support of VVER 440/213 plants will be the focus of meetings to be held in Moscow. U.S. industry representatives will be available to present EOI analysis methodology and offer strategy suggestions. U.S. project representatives will attend to discuss current and future tasks involved in this effort. (Walt Pasedag, DOE, 301-903-3628)

May 12-19 -- Moscow, Russia.
PNNL Contracts staff will meet with MOHT regarding 1) EOI contracts and tasks associated with analytical work performed by VNIIAES, Gidropress, and the Kurchatov Institute in support of VVER 440/213 EOIs, and 2) contracts for the Novovoronezh NPP emergency water supply project. Meetings will also be held with Rosenergoatom about contract issues. (Doug Dahl, PNNL, 509-375-6855)

May 13-14 -- Kyiv, Ukraine.
Representatives of DOE, PNNL, and EPRI will meet with Goskomaton to reach a final position on the safety significance of a Ukrainian requested project for an In-Core Control and Monitoring System (ICCS) for VVER-1000 plants. The team also will initiate new projects in instrumentation and control, specifically the safety parameter display systems for Rivne. (Rich Reister, DOE, 301-903-0234)

* May 13-17 -- Kyiv, Ukraine.
Staff from DOE and PNNL will meet with representatives of Goskomaton to discuss quality assurance and event analysis and reporting. Some NPP representatives may attend. In addition, meetings will be held about the status and issues of the three operational safety projects for Chornobyl NPP, the EOI project, and the management and operational safety project. (Dennis Meyers, DOE, 202-586-7834)

May 14-17 -- Chornobyl NPP, Ukraine.
General Physics staff will travel to the Chornobyl NPP to continue work on training programs. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

* May 17-25 -- Kyiv, Ukraine.
PNNL staff will participate in the RBMK working group meeting. The working group includes representatives from all RBMK NPPs, RDIPE, Rosenergoatom, Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO), GAN and U.S. utilities. At this meeting the working group plans to review assigned EOI development work, provide a management review of development status and planning, and provide an assessment of training needs. (Sam McKay, PNNL, 509-372-4059)

* May 20-22 -- Lithuania.
DOE will meet with representatives from the Ministry of Energy, Ignalina NPP, and other Lithuanian nuclear organizations on the status and issues of current projects within Lithuania. (Dennis Meyers, DOE, 202-586-7834)

May 20-31 -- Aiken, South Carolina.
Staff from the Khmelnytskyy NPP and General Physics will continue development of the Chemical Operator Pilot Training Course. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

* May 26-29 -- Smolensk NPP, Russia.
Staff from PNNL and Nuclid will attend a series of management discussions with the staff and management of Smolensk NPP. Topics include the role of the new contract participant, contracting issues, and the present level of NPP support for EOI development. (Sam McKay, PNNL, 509-372-4059)

June 3-7 -- Moscow, Russia and Kyiv, Ukraine.
DOE, BNL and PNNL representatives will complete agreements with fire safety experts in Russia and Ukraine concerning the implementation of the Reactor Core Protection Evaluation Guidelines. With the planned completion of the final guidelines and these agreements, work can begin on the evaluations at specific plants in Russia and Ukraine. (Rich Reister, DOE, 301-903-0234)

June 3 -- Rivne NPP, Ukraine.
The VVER 440/213 working group will hold its quarterly meeting at Rivne NPP. The group will review EOIs produced at participating NPPs, NPP training plans, and NPP plans for verification and validation of EOIs. U.S. utility representatives will present the U.S. methodology on related topics. The meeting will also follow up on outstanding issues from the last meeting in November 1995. The working group will review information from the EOI analysis meeting held in Moscow, Russia, in May. (Larry Sherfey, PNNL, 509-372-4080)

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"*" indicates the event is a new item or has been changed from the last report.

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.