July 25, 1997
Prepared by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, Washington

RUSSIA

Instructor Skills Workshop Implemented at Novovoronezh Training Center. Training experts from the Balakovo and Novovoronezh training centers and the United States implemented the Instructor Skills Workshop during the week of July 21. Attendees included training personnel from each of the Russian nuclear power plants (NPPs) and training centers. After attending this workshop, the trainers at each site are better able to transfer this course to their own plants. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

Research Institute for Atomic Reactors Starts Work on Training Course. Training specialists from the Balakovo training center and the U.S. team began work with Russia's Research Institute for Atomic Reactors (NIIAR) during July. The specialists are collaborating with NIIAR staff to develop training materials for the Shift Supervisor training course. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

Soviet-Designed Reactors in Russia to Receive Nondestructive Evaluation Equipment. Equipment for performing nondestructive evaluations of reactor components is being purchased for all operating reactors at participating Russian NPPs. The equipment includes 25 compact flaw detectors, 25 hand-held digital thickness gauges, and 20 hardness testers. Diaprom, the Russian center for nondestructive monitoring and diagnostics, developed the specifications for the equipment purchase. Delivery of the equipment in Russia is anticipated for mid-September. (Greg Trosman, DOE, 301-903-3581; Tom Taylor, PNNL, 509-375-4331)

Computer Equipment Ordered for Russian Reliability Database Development. In mid-July, computers to support data entry for the Russian reliability database effort were ordered. Delivery is expected by early August. (Tom Vehec, PNNL, 509-372-4072)

Pilot Analysis of Fire Hazards Begins at Smolensk. Representatives of Rosenergoatom, Atomenergoproekt, VNIIAES, and Smolensk NPP met with U.S. team members during the week of July 14 to begin work on the safe shutdown study planned for Smolensk NPP. The effort at Smolensk is a pilot fire hazards analysis for all Russian plants with RBMK reactors. Bechtel National, Inc., will provide training on the analysis methodology starting in Moscow on August 18. Follow-up training and consultation will be held in October at the Smolensk plant. Equipment to support the analysis--including computers and a scanner, copy machine, and digital camera--will be delivered to VNIIAES around the end of July. Meetings to review the analysis results are planned tentatively for January, April, and July 1998. (Andrew Minister, PNNL, 509-376-4938)

Installation Nears Completion for Kola Radiation Monitors. U.S. specialists from Brookhaven National Laboratory and Victoreen, Inc., recently worked with Kola NPP staff to complete the installation of the four-channel high-level confinement radiation monitor system in Kola Unit 2. Each of the four detector channels was calibrated electronically, and the output of each detector was verified with the cesium field calibrator. The Kola engineers were instructed and trained in these operation and calibration procedures concurrently with the system calibration by the Victoreen field service engineer. All four channels of the radiation monitor system now are installed, operating, and performing within specified tolerances. Improvements to some of the cable terminations, with the United States to supply the necessary hardware, will complete the project. These remaining tasks are expected to be accomplished by the Kola engineers prior to the end of the current outage for Unit 2. (George Greene, BNL, 516-344-2296)

Installation Date Set for First Novovoronezh Safety Parameter Display System. The U.S. team recently made final plans to install a safety parameter display system in Novovoronezh Unit 3 in September. In preparation for that installation, factory acceptance testing of the system hardware will be conducted in early August at the Science Applications International Corporation test facility near Columbus, Ohio. After the test is completed, the integrated system will be shipped to Novovoronezh for installation during the fall outage. Upon completion of the test sequence at the plant, the system should be fully operational by early February 1998. (Mike Durst, PNNL, 509-372-4698)

Regulatory Requirements for Circuit Breaker Certification Discussed. Regulatory requirements for certifying 400-volt and 6-kilovolt circuit breakers and associated equipment were discussed in a mid-July meeting in Moscow. Participants included representatives from Rosenergoatom, Gosatomnadzor, and Atomenergoproekt; Russian circuit breaker equipment suppliers ABB/Moselectro, ELOX, and Plant Progress; French circuit breaker supplier Groupe Schneider; Smolensk NPP personnel; and U.S. team representatives. The circuit breakers are being developed for use in Soviet-designed NPPs in Russia. In addition, information was gained on the required number and types of circuit breakers and how the circuit breakers would be installed at Smolensk for the licensing phase of the effort. The work at Smolensk will improve the safety of that plant by providing reliable safety-related circuit breakers. (Norman Fletcher, DOE, 301 903-3275)

UKRAINE

Plant Staff Receive Training in Simulator Verification and Validation. During the week of July 14, U.S. specialists from Brookhaven National Laboratory and General Physics Corporation presented a one-week training course on verification and validation procedures for nuclear power plant simulators. Training was presented at Khmelnytskyy NPP. Staff from Khmelnytskyy, South Ukraine, and Chornobyl NPPs and the Engineering Technical Center on Personnel Training for Nuclear Energy in Kyiv attended the training course. The course objective was to help the NPP staff in performing the verification and validation tasks for their respective NPP simulators. (Peter Kohut, BNL, 516-344-4982)

Participants Review Khmelnytskyy Full- Scope Simulator Development. A review meeting was held in Neteshin, Ukraine, during the week of July 14 to discuss development of a full-scope simulator for Khmelnytskyy NPP. Staff from Khmelnytskyy NPP, GSE Systems, Inc., and the U.S. team discussed the acceptance test phase of the project and reached agreements on translation and maintenance activities that will provide vital support during the test period. (Peter Kohut, BNL, 516-344-4982)

Khmelnytskyy Implements Eighth Training Course. During the week of June 23, staff of the Khmelnytskyy training center implemented the Control Room Reactor Operator course. General Physics Corporation specialists assisted with the implementation. Observers included training specialists from Chornobyl and Zaporizhzhya NPPs, the Engineering Technical Center on Personnel Training for Nuclear Energy, and training experts from the U.S. team. The course consisted of modules covering reactor and system fundamentals and operator administrative actions, as well as a full-scope simulator operational-event exercise.

The course presentation marks the eighth and final implementation of training courses developed at the Khmelnytskyy training center. Establishment of the center and implementation of the plant-specific training courses are intended to lead to use of the Systematic Approach to Training throughout Ukraine. Work with Khmelnytskyy NPP will continue; U.S. specialists will collaborate with plant training staff in evaluating the training program and in transferring the methodology for the Systematic Approach to Training to other NPPs in Ukraine. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

Coordinators Discuss Ukraine Training Technology Transfer. A coordination meeting on transferring training technology to NPPs in Ukraine was held on June 27 in Kyiv at the offices of the Engineering Technical Center on Personnel Training for Nuclear Energy. Participants included a representative from Derzhkomatom; training specialists from Khmelnytskyy, Zaporizhzhya, and Rivne NPPs; Engineering Technical Center staff; and U.S. training team representatives. Issues discussed and decisions made covered project funding, first working visit dates, and specifications for basic and course-specific equipment. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

Chornobyl Implements First Training Course. Training staff from Chornobyl NPP presented the Chornobyl-specific Radiation Protection Technician training course during the week of July 14. U.S. training experts observed the presentation, which represented the first course implementation at Chornobyl. This pilot course will form the basis for more extensive training that will be developed for Chornobyl Shelter workers. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

South Ukraine Technicians Pleased with Performance of New Equipment. In March 1997, the U.S. team delivered manual ultrasonic instruments to all NPPs in Ukraine. In late-July discussions with South Ukraine personnel concerning nondestructive evaluation (NDE) and testing, technicians indicated that they were extremely happy with the new instruments. They stated that the instrumentation was much more sensitive than that previously available for use at the plant. NDE technicians reported that they had used the new instrumentation to inspect the turbine blade attachments and had found several unacceptable cracks. Plant staff now are replacing those defective turbine blades. (Tom Taylor, PNNL, 509-375-4331)

Computer Equipment Delivered for Ukraine Reliability Database Development. During the week of July 14, INIT, the primary contractor for the Ukraine reliability database project, delivered the required computer equipment within one week after receiving the U.S. team's purchase requisition. Work on actual database development is already under way. (Tom Vehec, PNNL, 509-372-4072)

Plans Finalized for Installing First Safety Parameter Display Systems into Ukraine's VVER-1000 Plants. Plans for installing the first of 11 safety parameter display systems into NPPs in Ukraine were finalized in a meeting held in Kyiv in late June. The hardware will be installed into 11 operating VVER-1000 reactors in Ukraine, with the first two plant installations occurring at Zaporizhzhya Unit 5 and Khmelnytskyy Unit 1 in spring 1998. Because both units will be installed in parallel, U.S. contractors Burns & Roe and Westinghouse Electric Corporation are aggressively managing an expedited schedule. At the meeting, schedules also were established for the remaining nine units. The schedule includes completing the installation of all 11 units by 2001, with most of the technology for in-country work transferred by 1998. (Mike Durst, PNNL, 509-372-4698)

CHORNOBYL SHELTER PROJECT

Sources of Radiological Protection Equipment Identified for Chornobyl Shelter. In mid-July, U.S. specialists evaluated excess radiological protection equipment at the Savannah River Site and the Federal Emergency Management Agency facility at Mt. Weather, Virginia, for possible use at the Chornobyl Shelter. The evaluation identified equipment that may be transferable to the shelter, pending approval by Chornobyl Shelter management. (George Vargo, PNNL, 509-375-6836)

Remote Systems for Chornobyl Shelter to be Demonstrated. REDZONE Robotics has been selected to develop an initial robotics platform and instrument/tooling suite for a demonstration in the Chornobyl Shelter. REDZONE will be assisted by experts from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and a consortium including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Carnegie Mellon University, and Westinghouse Electric Corporation. The mission will focus on obtaining samples of concrete to determine the level of deterioration experienced in areas of the shelter subjected to high radiation dose and thermal histories. Nondestructive testing capabilities will be incorporated with coring capabilities to establish a correlation of results expected to minimize the number of core samples required. The shelter demonstration is scheduled for March 1998. (John Schmidt, PNNL, 509-372-6377)

CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

Bulgaria: Scientist-Students Complete Basic Training on RELAP5. On July 23, eight scientists from Bulgaria successfully completed basic training on the RELAP5 computer code. Technical experts from two national laboratories presented the course in Idaho Falls, Idaho, to six staff from Kozloduy NPP and two from the Institute for Nuclear Research and Nuclear Energy in Sofia. Lectures introduced the RELAP5 code, and hands-on workshop exercises illustrated use of the code for performing thermal-hydraulic analyses of VVER reactors. Future joint activities in support of the Kozloduy NPP thermal-hydraulic safety analysis efforts now are being defined with the Bulgarian organizations in Sofia and Kozloduy. (Don Fletcher, INEEL, 208-526-7652; Ross Jensen, ANL, 208-533-7911)

Hungary: Human Factors Emphasized in New Risk Characterization Effort. The Nuclear Safety Inspectorate arm of the Hungarian Atomic Energy Commission has directed Paks NPP to characterize risk at other than full-power conditions, with emphasis on operator performance and reliability. In response to this direction, an expert from Scientech, Inc., met in mid-July with staff of Hungary's Institute for Electric Power Research (VEIKI) in Budapest. VEIKI is the lead technical support organization for the Paks training center and Paks probabilistic risk assessments. The discussions covered human factors training and support. The meeting resulted in agreement on the overall task structure for the effort, a visit to the plant site to determine available records and data, and the development of a screening process to facilitate categorization of the data. (Bob Fitzpatrick, BNL, 516-344-7204)

Slovakia: Workshop Held at Trnava Training Center. U.S. training specialists conducted a two-week workshop on the Systematic Approach to Training for staff of the Trnava training center. The workshop focused on the methodology and its application to the training materials, which will be developed in future working visits with Trnava staff. As part of this effort, Trnava training specialists will participate in a two-week course on Instructor Skills Training at General Physics Corporation facilities in Aiken, South Carolina, in late July. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

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.

*July 25-30 -- Rivne and Kyiv, Ukraine.
Members of the U.S. team will meet with staff and management of Rivne NPP. The scope of a possible in-depth safety assessment project for the Rivne VVER-440/213 units will be discussed. In Kyiv, the U.S. team members will meet with representatives of the Ukrainian Ministry of Power, Department of Nuclear Energy. The overall scope, schedule, and approach for the in-depth safety assessment projects in Ukraine will be discussed. (Christian Kot, ANL, 630-252-6151; Walter Pasedag, DOE, 301-903-3628)

*July 26-August 6 -- Vienna, Austria; Trnava, Slovakia.
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 hold initial meetings in Trnava 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. (Greg Trosman, DOE, 301-903-3581)

July 26-August 9 -- Aiken, South Carolina, USA.
Representatives from Slovakia's Nuclear Power Research Institute in Trnava will attend an instructor training workshop. General Physics Corporation will conduct the training. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575) (Workshop No. 97-120; Travel Coordinator Gail Flora, PNNL, 509-375-6554)

*July 28-August 8 -- Aiken, South Carolina, USA.
General Physics Corporation staff will conduct a two-week Instructor Skills Training workshop for training specialists from the Trnava training center. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

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) (Workshop No. 97-127; Travel Coordinator Gail Flora, PNNL, 509-375-6554)

*July 31-August 2 -- Yuzhnoukrainsk, Ukraine.
Representatives of the U.S. team and Scientech, Inc., will attend a meeting of the project coordination group for the in-depth safety assessment of South Ukraine NPP. In collaboration with South Ukraine NPP staff and their subcontractors, revised project plans will be developed. (Christian Kot, ANL, 630-252-6151)

*August 1-9 -- Vienna, Austria.
A U.S. technical expert will meet with representatives of the International Nuclear Energy Agency, ENTEK, Gosatomnadzor, Kurchatov Institute, Gesellschaft fur Anlangen und Reaktorsicherheit mbH, Energy Research (a U.S. firm), and the Swiss Inspectorate. They will continue work on drafting guidelines for analysis of transients and accidents in RBMK reactors. (Walter Pasedag, DOE, 301-903-3628)

*August 2-17 -- Seattle, Washington, USA.
Seven senior managers from the Chornobyl Center for Nuclear Safety, Radioactive Waste and Radioecology will participate in a two-week training seminar in research and development management. (Roger Anderson, PNNL, 206-528-3300)

*August 3-8 -- Vilnius and Visaginas, Lithuania.
A team of U.S. engineering specialists will meet with representatives of Ignalina NPP to finalize the scope, schedule, and strategy for installing a compensatory control and protection system in the plant. (Norman Fletcher, DOE, 301-903-3275)

*August 3-16 -- Columbus, Ohio, USA.
The safety parameter display system for Novovoronezh Unit 3 will undergo factory acceptance testing. A Gosatomnadzor representative will participate in the testing with U.S. technical staff. (Mike Durst, PNNL, 509-372-4698) (Workshop No. 97-138; Travel Coordinator Chrissy Garcia, PNNL, 509-372-4013)

*August 4 -8 -- Aiken, South Carolina, USA.
Khmelnytskyy NPP training specialists will attend a coordination meeting in preparation for the first Ukraine training technology transfer visits. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

*August 4-12 -- Richmond, Virginia; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA.
Representatives from the Zaporizhzhya NPP configuration management team will visit North Anna and Catawba NPPs for training and hands-on demonstrations of configuration management tools and implementation. A member of the U.S. team also will attend. The visit is being planned and hosted by Stone & Webster Engineering Company. (Dan Couch, PNNL, 509-372-4591)

*August 12-16 -- Kyiv, Ukraine.
Representatives of Ukraine's State Scientific and Technical Center, the Bulgarian Regulatory Authority, and Rivne, Zaporizhzhya, and Kozloduy NPPs will discuss and finalize the first section of a draft regulation for emergency operating instructions for VVER reactors in Ukraine. U.S. team members will provide technical support during the meetings. (Ed Branagan, Jr., DOE, 301-903-6509)

August 12-16 -- Slavutych, Ukraine.
The technical working group for the Chornobyl NPP deactivation, decontamination, and decommissioning effort will hold its first meeting. Attendees include members of the U.S. technical team and management representatives of Chornobyl NPP. (Riaz Awan, DOE, 301-903-2687)

*August 15-24 -- Moscow and Kurchatov, Russia.
A U.S. technical specialist and representatives of Superior Machine & Valve will conduct a training workshop at Kursk NPP for designated technical training personnel from each of the five RBMK reactor sites. They will provide expert instruction on use of the EFCO valve repair equipment provided to the RBMK sites. (Greg Trosman, DOE, 301-903-3581)

*August 18-22 -- Zaporizhzhya NPP, Ukraine.
U.S. training specialists will conduct a Simulator Instructor Training workshop at Zaporizhzhya NPP. Attendees will include simulator training specialists from Khmelnytskyy NPP, Zaporizhzhya NPP, and the Engineering Technical Center on Personnel Training for Nuclear Energy. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

* Date changed to August 24-29 -- Kyiv, Ukraine.
Technical staff from the U.S. team and Scientech will coordinate the joint project work plan for U.S. support of the Ukraine quality assurance working group. That working group was chartered to improve reactor safety in Ukraine by applying modern quality assurance practices. (Dennis Meyers, DOE, 301-903-1418)

*August 25-29 --Trnava, Slovakia.
U.S. training specialists will conduct a Simulator Instructor Training workshop at the Trnava training center. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

August 25-September 4 -- Moscow, Russia.
Nuclear safety inspectors from Gosatomnadzor will attend a criticality safety training course. Staff of the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education will present the course at Gosatomnadzor headquarters. (Ed Branagan, Jr., DOE, 301-903-6509; George Vargo, PNNL, 509-375-6836)

*September 1-5 -- Chornobyl NPP, Ukraine.
A U.S. training specialist will work with Chornobyl NPP staff to prepare training materials for the Control Room Reactor Operator training course. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

*September 1-12 -- Novovoronezh Training Center, Russia.
A U.S. training specialist will conduct a working visit to assist in preparation of training materials for the Shift Supervisor training course. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

*September 1-12 -- Novovoronezh NPP, Russia.
A U.S. training specialist will conduct a working visit to assist in preparation of training materials for the Shift Supervisor training course. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

*September 1-12 -- Kalinin NPP, Russia.
U.S. training experts will conduct a working visit to assist in the preparation of training materials for the Mechanical Maintenance training course at Kalinin NPP. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

*September 1-12 -- Kursk NPP, Russia.
U.S. training experts will assist in preparing training materials and then observe the implementation of the Mechanical Maintenance training course at Kursk NPP. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

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 8-12 -- Oradell, New Jersey; Washington, D.C., USA.
Representatives from Armenia NPP will meet with U.S. project team counterparts to conduct a project review meeting. A technical tour of Indian Point NPP is planned. (Dennis Meyers, DOE, 301-903-1418)

*September 8-19 -- Rivne NPP, Ukraine.
U.S. training experts will conduct the first working visit to assist in the preparation of training materials for the Instrumentation and Control training course at Rivne NPP. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

*September 8-19 -- Zaporizhzhya NPP, Ukraine.
U.S. training experts will conduct the first working visit to assist in the preparation of training materials for the Water Chemistry training course at Zaporizhzhya NPP. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

*September 8-19 -- Kozloduy NPP, Bulgaria.
U.S. training experts will assist in preparing training materials and then observe the implementation of the Mechanical Maintenance training course at Kozloduy NPP. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

*September 15-19 -- Sofia and Kozloduy NPP, Bulgaria.
U.S. representatives will meet with representatives from the Ministry of Energy, the regulatory organization, technical support organizations, and Kozloduy NPP to review current projects and to plan activities for 1998. (Dennis Meyers, DOE, 301-903-1418)

*September 15-26 -- South Ukraine NPP, Ukraine.
U.S. training experts will conduct the first working visit to assist in the preparation of training materials for the Instrumentation and Control training course at South Ukraine NPP. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

*September 15-26 -- Argonne, Illinois; Richland, Washington, USA.
Gosatomnadzor representatives will participate in a workshop on decontamination and decommissioning of nuclear facilities. Staff from Argonne National Laboratory and representatives of the Hanford contractors at Richland will conduct the workshop. The development of regulatory requirements for safe conduct of D&D activities will be emphasized. (Ed Branagan, Jr., DOE, 301-903-6509; George Vargo, PNNL, 509-375-6836)

*September 22-October 3 -- Smolensk NPP, Russia.
U.S. training experts will assist in preparing training materials and then observe the implementation of the Mechanical Maintenance training course at Smolensk NPP. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

*September 22-October 3 -- Smolensk Training Center, Russia.
U.S. training experts will assist in preparing training materials and then observe the implementation of the Shift Supervisor training course at the Smolensk training center. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

*September 27-28 -- Smolensk Training Center, Russia.
U.S. experts will participate in a training technology transfer project coordination meeting at the Smolensk training center. Attendees will include representatives from VNIIAES, Rosenergoatom, Balakovo NPP, the Novovoronezh training center, and Minatom. (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)

*September 29-October 10 -- Bilibino NPP, Russia.
U.S. training experts will conduct the second working visit to assist in preparing training materials for the Shift Supervisor training course at Bilibino NPP. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

*October 13-17 -- Vilnius and Ignalina NPP, Lithuania.
U.S. representatives will meet with representatives from the Ministry of Economy, the regulatory organization, technical support organizations, and Ignalina NPP to review current projects and to plan activities for 1998. (Dennis Meyers, DOE, 301-903-1418)