for the period May 31 through June 27, 1997
Prepared by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, Washington

RUSSIA

Smolensk Training Center Receives New Server. A Digital Equipment Corporation computer server, intended for use to facilitate the training of maintenance personnel on the Desna-Remont work controls system, was delivered to the Smolensk Training Center on May 29. The server enables simultaneous training of entire crews of maintenance personnel at the center, while leaving the work controls system at the plant available for shift usage. The server also will facilitate the testing of software upgrades to the work controls system with no disturbance to that system. (Grigory Trosman, DOE, 301-903-3581; Tom Vehec, PNNL, 509-372-4072)

Computer Equipment Delivered to VNIIAES. The initial delivery of computer equipment to support development of the Russian reliability database was received at the VNIIAES Institute on May 29. The computer equipment will facilitate entering the existing reliability data and records at the Institute into the Microsoft Access format. Additional equipment has been ordered to support the development of the database. (Tom Vehec, PNNL, 509-372-4072)

Safety Parameter Display System Installed at Kursk. In late May, representatives of Parsons Power Group, Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Russia's Research and Development Institute for Power Engineering, and the U.S. team visited Kursk nuclear power plant (NPP) to review progress on installation of the safety parameter display system for Kursk Unit 2. During the plant's scheduled outage in April and May, the system was fully installed. Site acceptance testing is now under way. Successful completion of the site acceptances tests is expected in mid-July. The system then will undergo a three-month trial period before it is considered operational. The Kursk Unit 2 safety parameter display system, which displays data collected from more than 8000 sensors, is the prototype for systems to be installed at each host country plant with an RBMK-1000 reactor. (Norman Fletcher, DOE, 301-903-3275; Rich Denning, PNNL, 614-424-7412 )

Validation, Verification, and Certification of Safety Analysis Codes Discussed. On June 10, U.S. team members held discussions with Rosenergoatom representatives regarding the process for validating, verifying, and certifying computer codes used for safety analyses. Participants determined that Rosenergoatom plans to have a leadership role in implementing the safety analysis code validation, verification, and certification process. Further, as the utility and owner of the Russian nuclear power plants, Rosenergoatom will ensure that the appropriate documentation package is prepared and submitted to Gosatomnadzor for safety analysis code certification. (Jeff Binder, ANL 630-252-7265)

Steering Committee for Kursk In-Depth Safety Assessment Meets. The steering committee for the Kursk NPP safety and risk assessment met on June 11 in Moscow, Russia, to determine assessment strategy and plans. Representatives of the U.S. team joined with staff from the Kursk plant, the Research and Development Institute for Power Engineering, Rosenergoatom, and other Russian organizations. Participants agreed that more detailed planning discussions will be held shortly after the arrangements with the Kursk plant for contracting were completed. (Jeff Binder, ANL, 630-252-7265; Walt Pasedag, DOE, 301-903-3628)

Leningrad Decommissioning Study Team Assesses Progress. From June 16 through 21, a technical meeting was held at the Kurchatov Institute in Moscow to assess progress on the Leningrad site-specific RBMK decommissioning study. Representatives from the Kurchatov Institute, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, and Brookhaven National Laboratory participated in the discussions. They developed and agreed to detailed plans for the remaining work and finalized content and format of the project's final report. The project team expects to deliver its final report at the end of September 1997. The team also reviewed the work plan for the next phase of the project. That phase will involve developing a costing model and performing an cost estimate for decommissioning an RBMK. (Robert Lavelle, BNL, 516-344-7747)

Gosatomnadzor Staff Participate in Workshops. June 16 through 20, thirty-five Gosatomnadzor staff attended a workshop on inspection techniques in Obninsk, Russia. The workshop drew staff from Gosatomnadzor headquarters and regional offices, providing the first opportunity for senior managers to meet with representatives from all of the agency's regional offices. Technical experts from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and Science Applications International Corporation conducted the inspection techniques workshop.

In Moscow on June 23 through 27, representatives of DOE, Argonne National Laboratory, and Science Applications International Corporation presented the third in a series of workshops on quality assurance for fuel cycle facilities and research reactors. Conducted at Gosatomnadzor headquarters, this workshop focused on auditing and inspection activities. (Ed Branagan, Jr., DOE, 301-905-6509)

UKRAINE

Signing of Memorandum of Understanding Begins Ukraine Reliability Database Project. The initial meeting for the Ukraine reliability database project was held in Kyiv on June 1 through 5, less than one month after discussions about this project first were conducted. The meetings were held at the new offices of the Energoatom company. The meeting concluded with the signing of a comprehensive Memorandum of Understanding between Energoatom, the Ministry of Energy, INIT (the primary contractor in Ukraine for the project), and the U.S. program office.

A Basic Ordering Agreement also was signed with contractor INIT. INIT is a joint venture company whose partner is in Rochester, New York. The company is very experienced in computer acquisition, software development, and computer training, and has a presence on the Internet. The company also has very close ties with the Kyiv State University and intends to use recent graduates from the university to perform data entry work in support of the Ukrainian reliability database project. Work is to commence immediately. (Grigory Trosman, DOE, 301-903-3581; Tom Vehec, PNNL, 509-372-4072)

South Ukraine NPP Staff Take Simulator Courses. From May 26 through June 20, five staff members of the simulator training center at South Ukraine NPP were in Columbia, Maryland, for course work related to simulators. The courses, presented by staff of GSE Systems, Inc., included

• Simulation Operation Course for XIS
• Unix System Administration for Simulation
• Simulation Support Software (S3) UNIX version
• S3 Systems Analyst
• Preparation of Training Scenarios.

After these courses, training center staff will be able to maintain the simulator software and train plant operators on the full-scope simulator when it is delivered to South Ukraine NPP. The trainers will receive two more weeks of on-site follow-up work in preparation of training scenarios after the simulator is declared ready for training. (Peter Kohut, BNL, 516-344-4982)

Chornobyl Safety Parameter Display System Status Reviewed. On June 2 and 3, representatives of Parsons Power Group, Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Russia's Research and Development Institute for Power Engineering, and the U.S. team were in Kyiv to review the status of the Chornobyl safety parameter display system with staff of Chornobyl NPP and the contractor Westron. To date, cabinets have been assembled at the facilities of Zavod Automatizacni Techniky (ZAT, a private-sector manufacturer of electrical equipment in the Czech Republic and subcontractor to Westinghouse Electric Corporation). The cabinets are ready for shipment to Westron; they will be sent pending resolution of customs issues. Westinghouse Electric Corporation has made two other shipments of equipment to the Westron facility in Kharkiv, but those shipments are being held in Ukrainian customs. The time schedule for this effort is very tight. Before the end of the August/September 1997 outage, the safety parameter display system must be assembled and tested at Westron facilities, shipped to Chornobyl, installed at the plant, and tested. The potential for delays in customs clearance is the greatest obstacle to meeting the schedule. If installation is not completed during the fall 1997 outage, it will be completed in the April 1998 outage. (Norman Fletcher, DOE, 301-903-3275; Rich Denning, PNNL, 614-424-7412)

Vendor Selected to Provide Safety Parameter Display Systems for Ukraine Plants with VVER Reactors. After a competitive bidding process, Burns & Roe has selected Westinghouse Electric Corporation to provide safety parameter display systems to each of the VVER 1000 plants in Ukraine. The lead plants will be Khmelnytskyy Unit 1 and Zaporizhzhya Unit 5. Under subcontract to Westinghouse, the Ukraine State Scientific and Engineering Center of Control System and Emergency Response (SSEC CSER) will develop higher-level software and displays for the monitors.

On June 24 and 25, a coordinating committee meeting was held in Kyiv for this project. Plans were developed for the project team to visit the two plant sites in July to develop conformed specifications. On June 26 and 27, Westinghouse met with the SSEC CSER to discuss roles and responsibilities and to negotiate a subcontract. (Norman Fletcher, DOE, 301-903-3275; Mike Durst, PNNL, 509-372-4698)

Zaporizhzhya's Multi-Assembly Basket Passes Acceptance Tests. In-pool acceptance tests for the multi-assembly storage basket for the Zaporizhzhya NPP spent fuel dry storage system were completed successfully in mid-June. Zaporizhzhya staff were able to demonstrate that a dummy fuel assembly could be inserted into each of the positions of the basket using the fuel-handling machine at the plant. The basket is being supplied to Zaporizhzhya NPP under a U.S. Department of Energy contract with Duke Engineering & Services. The multi-assembly basket is part of a system being developed by Sierra Nuclear Corporation for dry storage of spent fuel at Zaporizhzhya NPP. (Mike McKinnon, PNNL, 509-372-4198)

Second Planning Meeting Held for Zaporizhzhya In-Depth Safety Assessment. A second planning meeting for the in-depth safety assessment of Zaporizhzhya Unit 5 was held in Energodar, Ukraine, on June 17 through 19. Participants included staff of Zaporizhzhya NPP and its subcontractors as well as Scientech, Inc., the U.S. technical assistance contractor for this project. Details of all the tasks encompassing the first project phase, i.e., the Level 1 internal events probabilistic risk assessment, were discussed. The scope, schedule, and labor for the tasks were agreed upon. The tentative organization of the Ukrainian project team was presented. (Christian Kot, ANL, 630-252-6151)

CHORNOBYL SHELTER PROJECT

European Commission Chooses Developer. During the week of June 8, the European Commission announced it will fund Trischler und Partner to continue work on developing the specifications for the early biddable projects at the Chornobyl Shelter. Those projects were identified in the recently completed Shelter Implementation Plan. The U.S. team, consisting of experts from Parsons Power Group and Science Applications International Corporation, met in Darmstadt the week of June 23 to begin the team effort. The bid packages are scheduled tentatively to be turned over to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development by the end of September. (Dennis Kreid, PNNL, 509-375-2170)

Work Plans Finalized for Stabilization of Chornobyl Unit 3/4 Ventilation Stack. A delegation of U.S. experts worked with the Ukrainian constructor and Chornobyl Shelter staff to assess personnel exposures and the work plan for the stack stabilization effort. Personnel exposure estimates for the job were reduced from about 4500 to 500 manRem based on recommendations of the team. The recommendations are being incorporated into the work plan design. A significant reduction in job duration also was achieved. This reduction preserves the ability to complete the redesign and approvals and still accomplish the physical work during favorable weather conditions this calendar year. (John Schmidt, PNNL, 509-372-6377)

ARMENIA

Training Technology Transfer Discussed with Armenian Representatives. Representatives of the International Atomic Energy Agency, DOE, and Armenia NPP met June 2 through 6 in Vienna, Austria. Their discussions were focused on proposed cooperative activities between the United States and the International Atomic Energy Agency for training Armenia NPP personnel. The representatives reached agreement on specific proposed cooperative training activities. These activities were developed in the interest of providing a more cost-effective and timely transfer of the technology and methodology for the Systematic Approach to Training to the Armenia NPP. Initiation of the cooperative training activities is contingent upon final agreement with the Armenia plant manager. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

Safety Projects Reviewed at Armenia NPP. From June 16 through 20, representatives of the U.S. team met with staff of Armenia NPP to obtain design specifications for safety projects at the plant. The efforts include replacing the existing flammable floor-covering material and providing fire doors, a fire detection and alarm system, a cooling water system for safety-related loads (spray ponds), diesel pumps for a seismically qualified auxiliary feedwater system, and fast-acting main steam isolation valves.

After reviewing efforts already under way (fire safety, auxiliary feedwater, and cooling system for safety-related loads), the team began work on the main steam isolation valve project. Design, contracting, and purchasing activities are under way. Joint plans were updated for each project, including next steps and schedules. U.S. team members worked with staff of Armenia NPP and representatives of the Armenian Nuclear Regulatory Authority to coordinate regulatory aspects of the projects. Projects were coordinated with the on-site representative of Technical Assistance to the Commonwealth of Independent States (TACIS). The DOE-provided main steam isolation valves will be installed under the same design change and at the same time as the TACIS-provided steam generator relief valves. A summary of project status and issues was discussed with the Deputy Minister of Energy. (Dennis Meyers, DOE, 301-903-1418)

CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

Bulgaria: Basic Training on RELAP5 Provided for Bulgarian Analysts. A fourth basic training course in the use of RELAP5 is in progress in Idaho Falls, Idaho. U.S. national laboratory personnel are training six students from Bulgaria--five from Kozloduy NPP and one from the Institute for Nuclear Reactors and Nuclear Energy in Sofia. The course began June 26 and will end on July 23. The course format remains the same as used in the previous courses but has been tailored to meet the specific needs of the current students. Emphasis will be given to the VVER-1000 input model development activity and to analysis of results. (Don Fletcher, INEEL, 208-526-7652; Ross Jensen, ANL, 208-533-7911)

Hungary: Research Institute to Use U.S. Computer Code to Analyze Stored Spent Fuel. In late May, a copy of Version 3 of the COBRA-SFS code was made available to the KFKI Atomic Energy Research Institute in Budapest, Hungary. The code will be use to predict the thermal performance of the Paks NPP spent fuel storage system. Representatives of KFKI indicate they were successful in running the test cases and expressed their thanks to the U.S. team for providing access to the code. (Mike McKinnon, PNNL, 509-372-4198)

Lithuania: More Pipe Lathes Delivered to Ignalina NPP. Four additional pipe lathes were delivered to Ignalina NPP on May 27. The lathes are used in the removal and replacement of defective sections of pipe and weld joints in main coolant piping. Removal of these defective areas increases the integrity of the main coolant system and minimizes the potential for leakage from these locations. (Grigory Trosman, DOE, 301-903-3581; Tom Vehec, PNNL, 509-372-4072)

CROSS CUTTING

International Workshop Discusses How to Measure Reliability of Nondestructive Evaluation. A European-American workshop, Determination of Reliability and Validation Methods of NDE [nondestructive evaluation], was held June 17 through 21 in Berlin, Germany. One representative each from South Ukraine NPP, Diaprom, and the U.S. team participated. The U.S. team member presented a paper, "The Impact of Performance Demonstration on U.S. Codes and Standards." He also co-chaired a session on "NDE Reliability in the Nuclear Industry" and a panel session on "Organization of Practical Trials." The workshop provided an international forum in which to discuss the problems related to measuring NDE reliability. The workshop also provided an opportunity for representatives from Russia and Ukraine to evaluate western technology and current regulations related to NDE reliability. (Grigory Trosman, DOE, 301-903-3581)

Guidelines Under Development for Selecting Nuclear Power Plant Managers. A U.S. training expert participated in an International Atomic Energy Agency project meeting, "Selection and Development of Nuclear Power Plant Managers," June 2 through 6 in Vienna. During this meeting, participants completed the second draft of a guidelines document for selecting and developing NPP managers. The guidelines are intended to increase awareness of the impact of NPP management on plant safety. The document highlights the importance of selecting the NPP manager and supervisory staff based on management skills and competence in addition to technical achievement. The final document is being designed for direct use by organizations to establish competency-based NPP manager selection criteria and selection processes, development programs, and performance evaluation criteria. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

Plant Operating Staff Receive Computer Software Training. From May 26 through June 20, four staff members each from Chornobyl and Novovoronezh NPPs received computer software training in Columbia, Maryland. Presented by GSE Systems, Inc., the training focused on UNIX, C, and system executive programming. Information specific to the Silicon Graphics Inc. computers used in the plants' analytical simulators also was presented. (Peter Kohut, BNL, 516-344-4982)

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.

  June 30-July 10 -- Columbia, Maryland, USA.
  Members of training staff at Chornobyl and Novovoronezh NPPs will participate in training sessions for simulator instructors. GSE Systems, Inc., will provide the training. (Peter Kohut, BNL, 516-344-4982) (Workshop No. 97-089; Travel Coordinator Gail Flora, PNNL, 509-375-6554)

  June 30-July 11 -- Dimitrovgrad, Russia.
  Sonalysts, Inc., experts will work with training specialists of the Research Institute of Nuclear Reactors (NIIAR) to develop a training program for shift supervisors as part of the training technology transfer program. This is the first of three visits to the institute that will occur as part of the development of this training course. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

  June 30-July 11 -- Kozloduy NPP, Bulgaria.
  U.S. specialists will visit Kozloduy NPP to work on the development of the Control Room Reactor Operator training course. This is the second of four visits to Kozloduy NPP that will occur as part of the development of this training course. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

  *July 8-18 -- Slavutych, Ukraine.
  A U.S. telecommunications expert will install the video-conferencing system for the Chornobyl Center on Nuclear Safety, Radioactive Waste and Radioecology/Slavutych Laboratory and provide training in system use to Center administrators and technical staff. He then will co-facilitate the first use of the video-conferencing system with a cultural exchange event scheduled to include school children from Ukraine and the United States. (Brian Kremer, DOE, 202-586-9096)

  *July 9-19 -- Kyiv, Ukraine.
  A delegation from the U.S. team will meet with representatives of the Chornobyl Center/Slavutych Laboratory. They will review the status of ongoing safety projects at the Chornobyl Shelter. The delegates also will participate in an international meeting intended to increase worldwide visibility of the Chornobyl Center/Slavutych Laboratory. (Dan Giessing, DOE, 301-903-2852)

  *July 12-18 -- Moscow and Desnogorsk, Russia.
  U.S. technical experts will gather data for the Russian circuit breaker upgrade project at Smolensk NPP. Participants will include Rosenergoatom, Bechtel National, Inc., and the U.S. team. Data collected during the site visit will be analyzed later to define specific needs for project management, engineering, and equipment to satisfy project requirements. (Norman Fletcher, DOE, 301-903-3275)

  *July 13-17 -- Moscow, Russia.
  Representatives of Rosenergoatom, Atomenergoproekt, VNIIAES, and Smolensk NPP will meet with U.S. team members to kick off the safe shutdown study planned for Smolensk NPP. Topics for discussion include project schedule, contracts, U.S. support, reports, and other issues related to the study. The effort at Smolensk is a pilot fire hazards analysis for all Russian plants with RBMK reactors. (Chuck Ramsey, DOE, 301-903-5999)

  *July 14-18 -- Neteshin, Ukraine.
  U.S. specialists from Brookhaven National Laboratory and General Physics will present a one-week training course at the Khmelnytskyy NPP on verification and validation procedures for nuclear power plant simulators. Staff from Khmelnytskyy South Ukraine, and Chornobyl NPPs and the Engineering Technical Center in Kyiv have been invited to attend. (Peter Kohut, BNL, 516-344-4982)

  *July 16-25 -- Helsinki, Finland; St. Petersburg and Moscow, Russia.
  Representatives of the U.S. team will establish the scope of work to be conducted by Gosatomnadzor in support of an independent review of the Leningrad NPP probabilistic and deterministic safety assessment. They also will establish and sign a contract for the statement of work for collecting Leningrad NPP reliability data as well as revise the scope of work for the Leningrad deterministic safety analysis under way by ENTEK. (Walt Pasedag, DOE, 301-903-3628)

  *July 19-23 -- Moscow, Russia.
  A delegation from the U.S. team will meet with staff of the Moscow Adjunct Office and Russian counterparts to review issues and progress related to Russian reactor safety initiatives. (Dan Giessing, DOE, 301-903-2852)

  *July 21-24 -- Darmstadt, Germany.
  Representatives of Ukraine, the European Commission, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the United States team will participate in a workshop for the specification team of the early biddable projects for the Chornobyl Shelter. The participants will review the developmental status of the bid packages for the early biddable projects. (Dennis Kreid, PNNL, 509-375-2170)

  *July 21-25 -- Columbia, Maryland, USA.
  Review meetings are planned for the Novovoronezh, Kola, Kalinin, and South Ukraine simulator projects. Staff from the Russian and Ukrainian NPPs, GSE Systems, Inc., VNIIAES/GET, and the U.S. team will participate in the reviews. (Peter Kohut, BNL, 516-344-4982)

  *July 22-23 -- Novovoronezh NPP, Russia.
  The first meeting of the Steering Committee for the Novovoronezh Units 3 and 4 in-depth safety assessment will be held. The second project team meeting also will be conducted at the plant in coordination with the Steering Committee meeting. (Jordi Roglans, ANL, 630-252-3283)

  *July 22 -26 --Slavutych, Ukraine.
  The former Finnish Hospital in Slavutych, Ukraine, is being refurbished to provide offices, conference room space, and training facilities for the Chornobyl Center/Slavutych Laboratory. A member of the U.S. team will meet with staff of the Chornobyl Center/Slavutych Laboratory and the architect/engineer for the refurbishment to review project progress. (Dan Giessing, DOE, 301-903-2852)

  *July 26-August 6 -- Vienna, Austria; Trnava, Slovakia, OR Prague, Czech Republic.
  Representatives from Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania, Hungary , Slovakia, and the Czech Republic will meet with U.S. technical team leaders at International Atomic Energy Agency facilities. They will finalize the guideline for developing the reliability databases for Russian and Ukrainian reactor components. The U.S. representatives also will travel to either Trnava or Prague for initial meetings with representatives of Dukovany NPP and the UJV (Czech Republic regulator) regarding a risk advisory system project at Dukovany. Project scope and methodology will be defined. (Grigory Trosman, DOE, 301-903-3581)

  July 29 -- Moscow, Russia.
  Staff of Burns & Roe and Atomenergoproekt will present results of the battery upgrade projects at Kola and Kursk NPPs. Representatives of U.S. battery manufacturing firms will meet with Russian battery manufacturers to discuss possible joint ventures. (Ron Wright, PNNL, 509-372-4076)

  September 1-12 -- Chornobyl NPP, Ukraine.
  General Physics Corporation staff will work with training staff from Chornobyl NPP to continue development work on the Control Room Reactor Operator training course. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

  September 27-October 3 -- Helsinki, Finland.
  The Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations (CSNI) will hold its second meeting for simulator and plant analyzer specialists. Participants, limited to specialists nominated by delegates to the CSNI, will exchange information and experiences and discuss the future of simulators and plant analyzers. (John Yoder, DOE, 301-903-5650)