September 6 through September 19, 1997
Prepared by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, Washington

RUSSIA

Novovoronezh Plant Operators Experience Benefits of Emergency Operating Instructions. Earlier this summer, members of the U.S. team received verbal accounts of how operators at Novovoronezh nuclear power plant (NPP) used their newly implemented symptom-based emergency operating instructions (EOIs) in responding to an occurrence at Novovoronezh Unit 3 in mid-June. With assistance from the technical leads for EOIs at Novovoronezh NPP and at VNIIAES, the U.S. team just this week received a hand-written statement from the shift supervisor in charge of Unit 3 at the time of the occurrence. Perhaps the story is told best in the shift supervisor?s own words, translated from Russian:

I would like to inform you on my personal opinion regarding the symptom-based emergency operating instructions (SBEOIs).

On June 18, 1997, the emergency feedwater supply of the primary circuit was actuated. As a result of this event, the control room #3 personnel under my charge, have, for the first time at the Novovoronezh NPP, used the SBEOIs to restore Unit safety, including monitoring of the critical safety functions.

The use of the SBEOIs has decreased the psychological stress aroused during the Unit emergency situation. After addressing ourselves to the instruction A-0 and starting actions in accordance with this instruction, we felt the first relaxation and calm. It is possible that the reason of this quietness was the previous simulator training at the Training Center, but we have not met any difficulties while performing operations regarding the instructions A-0 and A-1.1. After the performance of the diagnostics, we turned quietly to the normal operating instructions. Thus, we can claim a significant help to the personnel when working with the use of the SBEOIs.

The shift supervisor?s first-hand account helps validate statements that U.S. experts have made about the benefits of SBEOIs. It also highlights the need for and importance of a systematic approach to operator training and the use of a simulator in that training. (Kent Faris, PNNL, 509-372-4068)

Work Begins for Kursk Unit 1 In-Depth Safety Assessment. Participants planning the in-depth safety assessment for Kursk Unit 1 met September 2 through 4 in Reston, Virginia. Russian participants included the chief engineer from Kursk NPP and representatives of Rosenergoatom, the Research and Development Institute for Power Engineering, and the Kurchatov Institute. U.S. participants included technical support contractor Science Applications International Corporation and U.S. team members from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and two national laboratories. During the meeting, the Kursk NPP representative signed the Basic Ordering Agreement that allows work to be contracted directly with the plant.

Participants agreed that the in-depth safety assessment work would be based on the framework of the guidelines proposed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and may have to be modified when the requirements of the regulator, Gosatomnadzor, are finalized. Final agreement on management structure and scope require additional detailed planning meetings. A follow-on meeting at the Kursk plant is being planned for October. (Gary L. Smith, PNNL, 509-375-4482)

UKRAINE

Zaporizhzhya Signs Protocol for Configuration Management Effort. In mid-September, U.S. team members traveled to Kyiv to brief representatives of Energoatom and Ukraine?s Nuclear Regulatory Administration on the status of the configuration management project at Zaporizhzhya NPP. They then held detailed discussions at the plant in Energodar concerning project scope, schedule, and responsibilities. Specific hardware and software needs to establish electronic configuration management databases were evaluated; independent plant progress on project tasks was reviewed; and required procedural upgrades were discussed. The meetings culminated in the signing of a protocol outlining the project scope, schedule, and responsibilities. Signatories to the protocol were the deputy plant manager of Zaporizhzhya NPP and U.S. team representatives from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Stone & Webster Engineering Company. (Dan Couch, PNNL, 509-372-4591)

Ukraine Developing Regulation for VVER Emergency Operating Instructions. The development status of a regulation for use of symptom-based emergency operating instructions (EOIs) at Ukraine?s VVER reactors was discussed in Kyiv on September 10 through 12. Representatives of Ukraine?s State Scientific and Technical Center for Nuclear and Radiation Safety (SSTC), the Main State Inspectorate for Supervision on Nuclear and Radiation Safety, and the Nuclear Regulatory Administration met with members of the U.S. team for the discussions. Also present were representatives from Energoatom, Kyiv Energoproekt, and Zaporizhzhya, Rivne, Chornobyl, and Khmelnytskyy NPPs.

SSTC staff discussed the first draft of the regulation with representatives of the NPPs and Energoatom. U.S. specialists presented additional information on EOI verification and validation to the regulators and NPP representatives. The group also discussed the application of the regulation to the symptom-based EOIs for the RBMK reactor at Chornobyl Unit 3.

SSTC representatives emphasized the center?s intent to complete and implement the EOI regulation by early 1998. They noted that achieving this goal will require providing all key members of the Ukrainian regulatory organization and Energoatom with additional technical information on the purpose and methodology of symptom-based EOIs. (Kent Faris, PNNL, 509-372-4068)

Chornobyl Fire Safety Upgrades Progress. During the week of September 14, Bechtel National, Inc., placed an order with the Ukrainian organization Askenn Concern for the purchase of structural steel coating material (manufactured by the Brandshutz Company). Askenn staff will apply the material to the steel structures in the Chornobyl Unit 3 turbine hall. In the event of a major fire, the coating will help prevent collapse of the roof (as occurred in the 1991 fire at Unit 2).

Two-thirds of the fire doors (also produced by Askenn Concern) have been delivered to Chornobyl NPP. The remaining doors are expected to arrive in October. Bechtel National, Inc., has completed negotiations with the Ukrainian organization Energoproekt for the design of a fire detection and alarm system. In Switzerland earlier in September, Energoproekt staff witnessed certification tests of Cerberus equipment for that system. Also during the month, cable coating material manufactured by Promatec received certification from the Ukrainian fire testing facility. (Rich Denning, PNNL, 614-424-7412).

Participants Agree on First Task for Rivne In-Depth Safety Assessment. During an early September planning meeting held at Argonne, Illinois, the in-depth safety assessment project for Rivne Unit 1 began. Representatives of Rivne NPP, the Ukrainian subcontractor Energorisk, Ltd., and the U.S. team initiated the task that will develop the detailed project plan. (Charles Dickerman, ANL, 630-252-4622)

Ukrainian Specialists Complete Basic Training on RELAP5. On September 17 in Idaho Falls, Idaho, thirteen specialists from Ukraine completed the training course, ?Introduction to Reactor Safety Analysis Using RELAP5.? This session?s participants included six staff from Zaporizhzhya NPP, two from Rivne NPP, two from Khmelnytskyy NPP, and three from the Engineering and Technical Center for the Training of Nuclear Industry Personnel (ETC) in Kyiv. U.S. team members from Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) and Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) conducted the class, the fifth such session provided as part of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) efforts to improve the safety of Soviet-designed reactors. The U.S. team and ETC staff held preliminary discussions on the possibility of conducting an advanced training course on RELAP5 in Kyiv. (Don Fletcher, INEEL, 208-526-7652; Ross Jensen, ANL, 208-533-7911)

CHORNOBYL INITIATIVES

Specification Packages for Early Biddable Projects Nearing Completion. In Kyiv during the week of September 7, U.S. members of the early biddable projects (EBP) team held discussions with staff from the Ukrainian Nuclear Regulatory Administration and the Chornobyl Shelter on the specification packages for the early biddable projects under the Shelter Implementation Plan. Concurrence on the specification packages was obtained from the Ukrainian representatives. The EBP team from the United States and Trischler und Partner convened in Darmstadt, Germany, during the week of September 14 to make the agreed-upon changes to the specification packages. The EBP team plans to meet in Kyiv in early October to complete bid packages and support the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in reviewing responses to the call for capabilities and interest. The outcome of this meeting will be a short list of bidders who will receive the EBP bid packages. (Dennis Kreid, PNNL, 509-375-2170)

Neutron Monitoring System for Chornobyl Shelter Undergoes Testing. During the first week of September, representatives of the Chornobyl Shelter and the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences? Interdisciplinary Scientific and Technical Center-Shelter (ISTC-Shelter) were in Richland, Washington, to observe testing of the neutron monitoring system being developed for the Shelter. In general, the system was found to be satisfactory; however, several suggested modifications were accepted to increase its ruggedness. Testing was not completed because insufficient humidity in the detector pods caused ionization and arcing of the air molecules, resulting in unacceptable noise at the neutron energy levels of interest. To resolve the problem, the detector pods will be disassembled and the original desiccant will be removed. Pod reassembly and the completion of final calibrations and testing will delay shipment of the system to Ukraine until mid-October. (John Schmidt, PNNL, 509-372-6377)

Russian Institute Representatives Briefed on Shelter Implementation Plan and Tendering Process. During the week of September 8, representatives of the U.S. team briefed prospective Russian bidders on the Shelter Implementation Plan tasks to be tendered by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The presentations covered both the structure and logic of the plan and the European Bank?s contracting process. The briefings were held in St. Petersburg with representatives of the Khlopin Radium Institute, the All-Russian Planning and Design, Research and Technological Association, the Kurchatov Institute, Institute of Physics and Power Engineering, Research and Development Institute for Power Engineering, the Russian Academy of Sciences Nuclear Safety Institute, Gosatomnadzor, and the Minatom State Education Center. (John Schmidt, PNNL, 509-372-6377)

AREMENIA

Floor Coating and Fire Doors to Enhance Fire Safety at Armenia. U.S. contractor Keeler and Long, Inc., has manufactured floor coating for Armenia NPP to replace the flammable plastic floor covering now used in the plant. The first batch of material will be transported by air to Armenia on September 27 under the support of the United Armenian Fund. A large sanding machine, manufactured by Blastrac, will be included in the same shipment. Staff from Keeler and Long, Blastrac, and Burns & Roe will be at the plant during the week of September 29 to train plant staff in the preparation of the floor surface and application of the coating material. The remainder of the coating material will be shipped by sea in early October under the auspices of the United Armenian Fund. In addition, a contract was awarded in mid-September to the Russian organization Atomremmash for the production of 140 fire doors for Armenia NPP. (Rich Denning, PNNL, 614-424-7412)

CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

Lithuania: Prototype Electronic Module Produced for Ignalina NPP. Scientech, Inc., has designed an electronic analog-to-relay module for Ignalina NPP. The new modules will replace the aging modules in the plant?s process control instrumentation. Scientech will produce the first 100 modules for the plant. Following transfer of the technology, the Center for Electromagnetic Compatibility in Lithuania will produce 200 additional modules. During the week of September 7, Scientech specialists went to Vilnius to review the quality assurance program being developed by the Center for Electromagnetic Compatibility. The center must implement the program before it begins manufacturing the 200 modules. Scientech staff also delivered the proof-of-principle module to Ignalina NPP for plant inspection and testing. (Ronald Wright, PNNL, 509-372-4076; Norman Fletcher, DOE, 301-903-3275).

CROSS-CUTTING ACTIVITIES

IPPE Hosts Exchange of Safety Assessment Information in Obninsk. The second Information Exchange Forum, ?Analytical Methods and Computational Tools for NPP Safety Assessment,? took place during the week of September 7 at the Institute of Physics and Power Engineering in Obninsk, Russia. The forum, sponsored jointly by DOE and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), was devoted to topics related to analysis methods and computational tools for safety assessments of Soviet-designed NPPs. In attendance were approximately 100 specialists from the IAEA, the Nuclear Energy Agency of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and seven project host countries, as well as Canada, Finland, Romania, Sweden, and the United States. The attendees included representatives of NPPs with Soviet-designed reactors; the Bulgarian, Hungarian, Slovakian, Russian, and Ukrainian regulators; and the technical support organizations. Fifty papers were presented in six topic areas:

• Level 1 and Level 2 probabilistic risk assessment results and applications

• validation of western safety analysis codes for Soviet-designed NPP applications

• overview of NPP safety assessment programs

• overview of regulatory safety analysis programs and needs

• development of the technical basis for emergency operating instructions

• development and application of structural analysis methods.

The 1997 forum expanded and capitalized on the success of the first forum held last year by providing an overview and insight into the broad scope of activities ongoing in the area of Soviet-designed-reactor safety assessment. The forum?s main objective, to provide a mechanism for communicating the results of various safety analysis programs carried out in the countries with Soviet-designed reactors, was accomplished. The increased participation of NPP staff in attendance, the delivery of presentations, and in the demonstrated their high level of interest in this type of forum. In addition, they also jointly wrote a letter to the U.S. team requesting a continued and expanded focus on NPP safety assessment issues in future information exchanges. The request is significant evidence of their increased awareness of the importance of safety analysis in gaining insights for enhancing safe operation of the NPPs.

Transactions for the meeting are being prepared and will be distributed. (Jeff Binder, ANL, 630-252-7265)

Supplemental Funding Convention Adopted. In Vienna on September 12, member countries of the IAEA agreed to raise the level of compensation for victims of nuclear catastrophes. The convention adopted raises to (US) $400 million the level of minimum compensation available to such victims. The member countries also set up a supplementary compensation fund, to which all signatory nations are expected to contribute at a rate commensurate with the extent of their nuclear power generation.

The U.S. Departments of Energy and State strongly support a supplementary fund. Such a fund will facilitate humanitarian assistance to countries with Soviet-designed reactors, as well as encourage commercial agreements in the commercial nuclear industry. U.S. companies previously have been reluctant to participate in some DOE efforts to upgrade safety at plants with Soviet-designed reactors because of concerns that current international laws provide insufficient protection in case of accidents.

When the supplemental funding convention is opened for signature this fall, the United States and other countries are expected to sign. Subsequent ratification by the U.S. Congress is expected. (Jim Wiborg, PNNL, 509-375-6745)

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 SafetyProgram, no formal document review of this weekly report has been conducted by DOE or PNNL.

*September 22-24 -- Kyiv and Zaporizhzhya NPP, Ukraine.
Staff from Burns & Roe and the U.S. team will meet with staff of Zaporizhzhya NPP, Derzhkomatom, and Askenn Concern to begin the second phase of the Zaporizhzhya fire safety upgrade project in which a number of additional fire doors will be provided to the plant. (Rich Denning, PNNL, 614-424-7412)

*September 22-24 -- Kyiv, Ukraine.
The coordinating committee for the Zaporizhzhya safe shutdown analysis will initiate the project. Participants include representatives of Derzhkomatom, Energoproekt, the Ukraine State Department for Fire Safety, the Nuclear Facility Licensing Department of the Nuclear Regulatory Administration, Zaporizhzhya NPP, U.S. contractor Burns & Roe, and U.S. team members. (Andrew Minister, PNNL, 509-376-4938; Chuck Ramsey, DOE, 301-903-5999).

*September 22-October 3 -- Energodar, Ukraine.
U.S. specialists from Scientech, Inc,. will meet with management and technical staff of Zaporizhzhya NPP to continue planning the in-depth safety assessment project for Zaporizhzhya Unit 5, the lead VVER-1000/320 unit in Ukraine. Organization and management of the project team will be finalized, and the scope, level of effort, and schedule for initial project tasks will be defined. (Christian A. Kot, ANL, 630-252-6151)

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 25-27 -- Kyiv, Ukraine.
U.S. team members will meet with Derzhkomatom?s Head of Maintenance. They will discuss a cooperative agreement between the National University of Ukraine and Derzhkomatom to establish a central training and certification program. (Greg Trosman, DOE, 301-903-3581)

September 25-28 -- Kyiv, Ukraine.
U.S. technical experts and representatives of Energoatom will discuss issues related to a cooperative agreement between Energoatom and the National University of Ukraine. The agreement would to establish a centralized training and certification program in nondestructive examination for Ukraine. (Tom Taylor, PNNL, 509-375-4331)

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 28-October 3 -- Konstantinovka, Ukraine.
U.S. team members and the head of South Ukraine NPP?s Metals Department will meet to discuss a pilot study of risk-based inspection at South Ukraine NPP. (Greg Trosman, DOE, 301-903-3581)

September 28-October 4 -- Konstantinovka, Ukraine.
A pilot study of risk-based inservice inspection will begin at South Ukraine NPP. U.S. technical experts will collaborate with plant staff to get the study under way. (Tom Taylor, PNNL, 509-375-4331)

*September 29-30 -- 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 29-October 3 -- Armenia NPP, Armenia.
Specialists from the U.S. manufacturing firm of Keeler and Long will provide training at Armenia NPP on the installation of fire-resistant floor coating material. (Dennis Meyers, DOE, 301-903-1418)

September 29-October 10 -- Kalinin NPP, Russia.
U.S. training experts will assist in preparing training materials for the plant?s Mechanical Maintenance course. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

September 29-October 10 -- Novovoronezh NPP, Russia.
A U.S. training specialist will assist in preparing training materials for the Shift Supervisor training course. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

*September 30-October 3 -- Moscow, Russia.
Representatives of the U.S. team and key staff of Rosenergoatom will discuss status and management responsibilities for several projects involving circuit breakers and instrumentation and controls in Russian NPPs. (Norman Fletcher, DOE, 301-903-3275)

*October 2-4 -- Trnava, Slovakia.
U.S. team members will meet with representatives of VUJE at the Trnava Training Center. They will finalize responsibilities for upgrading the existing Bohunice Unit 3/4 full-scope simulator. (John Yoder, DOE, 301-903-5650)

October 2-10 -- Moscow and Novovoronezh NPP, Russia.
A U.S. specialist and representatives of Parsons Power Group, Inc., will meet with representatives of Rosenergoatom, Gosatomnadzor, and Novovoronezh NPP to discuss the Novovoronezh configuration management project. (Dennis Meyers, DOE, 301-903-1418)

*October 3-5 -- Kyiv, Ukraine.
U.S. team members will meet with a representative of Derzhkomatom for discussions on the risk-based inspection pilot study at South Ukraine NPP. (Greg Trosman, DOE, 301-903-3581)

*October 4-10 -- Kyiv and Slavutych, Ukraine.
Technical specialists from the U.S. team and representative staff of Chornobyl NPP will hold discussions related to the Shelter dose reduction effort. Topics will include selection of radiological protection equipment for the Shelter, data collection necessary for future dose reduction work, and detailed planning for delivery and evaluation of related equipment. (George Vargo, PNNL, 509-375-6836)

*October 5-8 -- Konstantinovka and Kyiv, Ukraine.
U.S. technical team members will meet with management of South Ukraine NPP to discuss the status of two full-scope simulator projects at the plant. They then will meet with representatives of Energoatom and the Engineering and Technical Center for the Training of Nuclear Industry Personnel for discussions related to simulator projects under way at South Ukraine and Rivne NPPs. (John Yoder, DOE, 301-903-5650)

*October 5-10 -- Kyiv, Ukraine.
Representatives of the U.S. team will participate in evaluating the short list for the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development early biddable projects. They also will participate in meetings of the G-7 related to effecting the Shelter Implementation Plan. (Dennis Kreid, PNNL, 509-375-2170)

*October 5-15 -- Moscow, Russia.
U.S. specialists in nondestructive examination will conduct an inventory of manual equipment for nondestructive examination being shipped to Diaprom. They also will conduct and supervise training for Diaprom staff on the equipment. (Greg Trosman, DOE, 301-903-3581)

*October 6-15 -- Moscow, Russia.
The project team for the Kola in-depth safety assessment (KOLISA) will meet at the offices of Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC). Representatives from Kola NPP, IBRAE, SAIC, and the U.S. team will participate. The work plan for the deterministic safety assessment of Kola Units 1 and 2 will be finalized. Project guidelines and initial task orders will be discussed. Participants also will discuss the draft work plan and initial task orders for the Level 1 external events probabilistic risk assessment for Unit 4. The technical tasks currently under way for the Level 1 internal events probabilistic risk assessment for Unit 4 will be addressed, as will issues related to KOLISA management, quality assurance audit, and peer review. (Philip Pizzica, ANL, 630-252-4847)

*October 6-16 -- Kyiv and Slavutych, Ukraine.
Members of the U.S. team will hold technical and planning discussions with key management of Chornobyl NPP and Energoproekt regarding completion of the heat plant at Chornobyl NPP. (Ray Hunter, DOE, 202-586-2240)

*October 8-11 -- St. Petersburg, Russia.
Simulator specialists from the U.S. team will conduct reviews of the full-scope simulator projects for Kola and Kalinin NPPs. They also will review the manufacturing status of the control panels for both simulators. (John Yoder, DOE, 301-903-5650)

*October 8-18 -- Kyiv and Slavutych, Ukraine.
U.S. team representatives will meet with representatives of the U.S. Embassy, the Chornobyl Center for Nuclear Safety, Radioactive Waste and Radioecology, and the Slavutych Laboratory for International Research and Technology. Discussions will cover planned DOE support for the Chornobyl Center/Slavutych Laboratory during fiscal year 1998 as well as plans for initial occupancy and use of the renovated building in Slavutych for the laboratory. (Brian Kremer, DOE, 202-586-9096)

*October 9-12 -- Helsinki, Finland.
Members of the U.S. team and representatives of Gosatomnadzor, STUK (the Finnish regulator), and Gesellschaft fur Anlangen und Reaktorsicherheit mbH (a German nuclear safety firm) will meet to organize the initial tasks involved in the external peer review of the Leningrad NPP probabilistic and deterministic safety assessments. (Walt Pasedag, DOE, 301-903-3628)

*October 10-18 -- Slavutych, Ukraine.
A U.S. specialist will meet with the director of the Slavutych Laboratory. They will review progress on renovation of the former Finnish hospital to ensure that work is completed by November 17 as scheduled. (John Fallon, PNNL, 509-375-6445)

*October 11-16 -- Moscow, Russia.
Details associated with the development of simulators for three NPPs in Russia will be discussed in review meetings. Participants will include representatives of VNIIAES, the three plants (Novovoronezh, Balakovo, and Bilibino NPPs), and U.S. contractor GSE Systems, Inc. (John Yoder, DOE, 301-903-5650)

*October 13 -- St. Petersburg, Russia.
U.S. team members will participate in meetings with management of Leningrad NPP to discuss organizational issues related to the safety assessment efforts under way at the plant. (Walt Pasedag, DOE, 301-903-3628)

*October 13-17 -- Kyiv and Neteshin, Ukraine.
Members of the U.S. team will meet with representatives of the Scientific and Technical Center for Nuclear and Radiation Safety and Khmelnytskyy NPP. Participants intend to reach agreement on the technical approach for conducting an in-depth safety assessment of Khmelnytskyy NPP. They also will develop plans for the first phase of the assessment. (Charles Dickerman, ANL, 630-252-4622)

*October 13-17 --Kozloduy NPP, Bulgaria.
U.S. training experts will assist in developing training materials for a Control Room Reactor Operator training course. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

*October 13-17 -- Stockholm, Sweden.
U.S. team representatives will participate in the biannual meeting of the steering committee for the safety assessment work under way at Leningrad NPP. Other participants will include representatives of Gosatomnadzor, the Swedish International Projects office, ENTEK, AEA-Technologies, and Leningrad NPP. (Walt Pasedag, DOE, 301-903-3628)

*October 13-24 -- Chornobyl NPP, Ukraine.
U.S. training experts will assist in developing training materials and then observe implementation of the Control Room Reactor Operator training course. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

*October 15-18 -- Zagreb, Croatia.
U.S. specialists will inventory a remote eddy-current inspection system for steam generators being assembled by Inetec. They also will audit the training course Inetec will use to train Ukrainian inspectors on use of the system. (Greg Trosman, DOE, 301-903-3581)

*October 16-25 -- Kyiv and Slavutych, Ukraine.
U.S. experts will work with the directors of the Chornobyl Center and the Slavutych Laboratory to develop management systems and administrative procedures for the center and the laboratory. Draft manuals of management processes and procedures will be developed. (Brian Kremer, DOE, 202-586-9096)

*October 18-November 2 -- Moscow and Desnogorsk, Russia.
A member of the U.S. team and technical experts from SKF Condition Monitoring will present classroom and field training on the vibration monitoring and analysis systems provided earlier to participating RBMK plants. Representatives from the training department of each of the five RBMK sites will receive the training. (Greg Trosman, DOE, 301-903-3581)

October 19-November 1 -- Desnogorsk, Russia.
U.S. technical specialists and representatives of SKF Condition Monitoring will conduct a workshop at the Smolensk training center and Smolensk NPP. The workshop will train participants on the use of vibration monitoring and analysis equipment provided to RBMK reactors by the U.S. effort. (Greg Trosman, DOE, 301-903-3581)

*October 20-29 -- Leningrad NPP, Russia.
U.S. training experts will assist in developing training materials and then observe implementation of the Shift Supervisor training course. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

*October 20-31 -- Kola NPP, Russia.
U.S. training experts will assist in developing training materials for a Mechanical Maintenance training course. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

TBD -- Bilibino NPP, Russia.
U.S. training experts will assist in preparing training materials for the plant?s Shift Supervisor training course. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

October 30-November 26 -- Idaho Falls, Idaho, USA.
An introductory training course in applying the RELAP5 computer code to safety assessments of Soviet-designed NPPs will be conducted for specialists from the Slovakia Nuclear Regulatory Authority, Kalinin NPP, and the Research Institute of Nuclear Reactors (NIIAR) in Dimitrovgrad. (Don Fletcher, INEEL, 208-526-7652; Ross Jensen, ANL, 208-533-7911)

November 1-8 -- 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) (Workshop No. 97-141; Travel Coordinator Gail Flora, PNNL, 509-375-6554)

December 8-12 -- Armenia NPP, Armenia.
The U.S. team will take the next steps on current projects and plan activities for 1998 at a project meeting at Armenia NPP. A representative from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission plans to attend to coordinate regulatory support activities. (Dennis Meyers, DOE, 301-903-1418)