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Activity Report
October 25, 1996 Prepared by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland,
Washington RUSSIA
Final Installation Begins for Kola Unit 2 Confinement Radiation
Monitoring System. October 11 through 19, a program technical expert
and a Victoreen Company representative were at the Kola nuclear power
plant (NPP) assisting staff with final installation of the high-level
confinement radiation monitoring system for Kola Unit 2. The Victoreen
Company of Solon, Ohio, manufactured the system for the Kola plant. The
U.S. team members wired one train of two detectors to the readouts, a
recorder, and two remote indicators and installed it in the confinement
system. Kola staff will wire the second train themselves in exactly the
same configuration as the first train. (George Greene, BNL, 516-344-2296)
Kola Briefs Program Staff on Safety Project Status. While at
Kola NPP to install the confinement high-level radiation monitoring
system, U.S. team members were briefed on the status of program-funded
safety enhancement projects under way at the plant. The chief of the
Kola NPP Localizing Systems Laboratory provided information on
leaktightness upgrades and the confinement isolation valves. During the
reactor outage in June 1996, Kola personnel used U.S.-transferred
technology to correct 15 of the 21 leak sites identified previously in the
confinement system. A total of 15 additional defects have been
identified for correction during the next scheduled outage. At Unit 1,
now undergoing an outage, 80% of the planned work on leaktightness has
been completed. Kola is requesting additional gasket material, sealant
material, and valves. Prior to restart of Unit 1, tests of leaktightness
will be performed as was done for Unit 2 in May 1996. (George Greene,
BNL, 516-344-2296) Novovoronezh Staff Developing RELAP5 Input
Decks. staff members from Novovoronezh NPP Units 3 and 4 and
Gosatomnadzor (GAN) are developing a RELAP5 input deck at Brookhaven
National Laboratory (BNL). The input deck will be used to analyze the
scenarios that will be identified in the probabilistic risk assessment for
Novovoronezh Units 3 and 4, prototypical VVER-440/213 systems. The
probabilistic risk assessment is being done to identify the risks
associated with this reactor type. Data on the plant, provided by
Novovoronezh staff, are being used to create a model for Unit 3. At the
same time, the team is receiving training on the procedures required to
develop an input deck for RELAP5. Staff from Novovoronezh Unit 5 and
GAN are continuing work on the RELAP5 input deck for the prototype
VVER-1000 reactor system. The deck is being modified to simulate all four
primary system loops and to correct problems with the steam generator
model and the decay heat curves. This team also is receiving training
concurrent with the input deck development efforts. (Gregory Slovik,
BNL, 516-344-7983) Balakovo Trainers Develop Instructional
Materials for Host Country Training Program. Representatives from
Balakovo NPP spent the week of October 14 with personnel from Sonalysts,
Inc. at the Sonalysts' facilities in Connecticut to develop materials for
the radiation protection technician training program. The group received
instruction in the systematic approach to training and instructor skills.
The Balakovo group will continue its work on training materials and tour
Indian Point NPP, Millstone Training Center, and Millstone NPP, where
technical discussions with their American counterparts in the training
department will be held. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)
UKRAINE Chornobyl Trainers Participate in Instructional
Materials Development for Balakovo NPP. Two representatives from the
Chornobyl NPP joined the Balakovo contingent at Sonalysts, Inc. to work
on development of a radiation protection training program. The Chornobyl
personnel will receive additional training in instructor skills and the
systematic approach to training. They also will visit the U.S. NPPs and
training center (see related article under Russia, above). (Sonja Haber,
BNL, 516-344-3575) CHORNOBYL SHELTER PROJECT New
Projects, New Program Participants, Announced. In Slavutych during
the week of October 13, U.S. program team members met with Chornobyl NPP
managers and also attended a meeting of the European Commission Chornobyl
shelter project staff. Chornobyl NPP provided a tour of the shelter as
part of the gathering. As a result of the meetings, Chornobyl NPP
representatives approved the start of two new projects--one addressing
dust suppression issues, the other dealing with nuclear/criticality
safety. The two projects are being developed jointly by the plant and
the U.S. program. A third joint effort, the shelter dose reduction
project, was approved previously and is under way. Later that week,
the U.S. team met with leaders and staff of the Khlopin Radium Institute
and VNIPIET (the All-Russian Planning and Design, Research and
Technological Association) in St. Petersburg, Russia, to discuss the two
agencies' capabilities and potential contributions to the shelter
project. The meetings led to agreement that the U.S. program will place
basic ordering agreements with both institutes to enable them to provide
their expertise to the shelter project. The U.S. program has begun
action to place the agreements. (Dennis Kreid, PNNL, 509-375-2170)
CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE Bulgaria: Kozloduy
Training Center Conducts Two Pilot Training Courses. From October 14
through 18, General Physics Corporation and Sonalysts, Inc. assisted the
Kozloduy Training Center in implementing pilot training courses for the
unit shift supervisor and reactor repair technician positions. A U.S.
program training representative was present to review the pilot programs
and plan future training activities with Kozloduy Training Center
management. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575) Bulgaria:
Visiting Scientist Assists Project. A host country scientist from the
Bulgarian Institute for Nuclear Research and Nuclear Energy is working on
the nuclear plant analyzer at BNL. To check out the input deck developed
for Kozloduy Unit 6, the NPP staff requested that simulations of several
transients be performed. Operator responses to these transients are
dealt with in the emergency operating instructions (EOIs) developed for
the plant. The scenario for loss of all four main circulation pumps,
with cooldown of the primary circuit by natural circulation only, is
being developed. (Gregory Slovik, BNL, 516-344-7983) Hungary:
Report Documents Accident Localization System Project. Program staff
from Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) have prepared Containment Loads
and Structural Response for a Large Pipe Break Accident in a VVER-440/213
Nuclear Power Plant, which documents ANL's substantive peer review of
Hungarian analyses of reactor containment loads and strengths. The
report presents comparisons of peak containment loadings with containment
strength predictions to determine the extent of margin to failure.
Loadings were calculated for a double-ended break in a large (500-mm)
pipe. The report is the final deliverable for the Hungary accident
localization system project, a joint U.S.-Hungarian effort. The report is
being reviewed by program technical experts at Pacific Northwest National
Laboratory. Following the review and resolution of any comments, the
report will be issued as a DOE document. (Jeff Binder, ANL,
630-252-7265) Slovakia: Study Completed for Bohunice NPP
Instrumentation and Controls Upgrade Project. U.S. contractor
Scientech submitted its draft final report on the Bohunice NPP
instrumentation and controls upgrade study. The final report should be
available to program team members before the end of November. (Bob
Fitzpatrick, BNL, 516-344-7204) CROSS-CUTTING ACTIVITIES
Plant Representatives Complete Training on Laser and Mechanical
Alignment Equipment. October 14 through 17, U.S. contractor
Mechanical Maintenance Products, Inc., and program team members conducted
a class on use of the pump/motor shaft alignment equipment being provided
to the RBMK NPPs. Representatives from all plants with RBMK reactors
were sent to the Smolensk Training Center for the class. In addition,
staff from the Novovoronezh Training Center, who were visiting the
Smolensk center at the time, attended as well. All feedback received on
the class has been positive. The Novovoronezh personnel were especially
complimentary of the professional presentation methods, the practical
application demonstrations conducted in the Smolensk NPP, and the high
quality of the equipment provided by the project. (Francis Buck, PNNL,
509-372-4002; Tom Vehec, PNNL, 509-372-4072) Maintenance Advisory
Board Meeting Set. The next meeting of the RBMK Maintenance Advisory
Board will be conducted during the week of November 3, with Chornobyl NPP
acting as host at its Kyiv offices. Project progress to date will be
discussed, and project activities for 1997 will be determined and
prioritized. All board members have indicated their intent to attend.
The Maintenance Advisory Board consists of the deputy maintenance chiefs
from Smolensk, Leningrad, Kursk, Chornobyl, and Ignalina NPPs, as well as
representatives from Rosenergoatom (REA), the Smolensk Training Center,
and the U.S. program office. (Tom Vehec, PNNL, 509-372-4072)
Interprogram Cooperation Enhances RELAP5 Training for Host Country
Participants. During a recent training session on RELAP5 for the
Novovoronezh in-depth safety analysis (NOVISA) team, members of the
three-person Russian team working with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission to develop a RELAP5 input deck for Kalinin NPP were invited to
participate. The combined group reviewed the Kalinin RELAP5/MOD 3.2 input
deck; U.S. technical experts discussed modeling techniques and the
selection of computer program options. Also covered was nodalization of
the reactor system, with particular focus on the steam generators and the
reactor vessel core region. (Gregory Slovik, BNL, 516-344-7983)
VVER-1000 Working Group Makes Progress Toward Calculation Completion.
The VVER-1000 emergency operating instruction (EOI) Working Group met in
Moscow during the week of October 14 through 18. Members from Balakovo,
Zaporizhzhya, and Kozloduy NPPs, as well as VNIIAES, Gidropress,
Kurchatov, and Atomenergoproekt were present. This meeting, hosted by
VNIIAES, continues a series of special EOI analysis coordinating meetings
at which the NPP members and Gidropress attempt to resolve issues
associated with completing the EOI technical bases calculations. The
NPPs continue to move forward with their efforts despite the slow
progress by Gidropress to complete the analytical calculations.
Zaporizhzhya NPP has completed verification of 28 of the 47 EOIs while
similar efforts continue at Balakovo NPP. Kozloduy continues its efforts
to complete first drafts of EOIs; four of 47 have been completed.
Zaporizhzhya NPP has begun attempts to complete its own analytical
calculations using plant resources while waiting on Gidropress. This
information will be used to validate Gidropress results when they become
available. (Kent Faris, PNNL, 509-372-4068) PLANNED
ACTIVITIES "*" indicates the event is a new item or has been
changed from the last report. *October
25-November 2 -- Slavutych and Kyiv, Ukraine. The U.S.
technical lead for operational safety projects at Chornobyl NPP will meet
with plant management to review progress on Chornobyl efforts to
develop plant-specific emergency operating instructions. The
project to develop management and operational controls procedures for the
plant also will be discussed. (Dennis Meyers, DOE, 202-586-7834)
*October 26-November 2 -- Slavutych and Kyiv, Ukraine.
U.S. contractor CIEL Consultants will assist Chornobyl NPP management and
quality assurance staff in training sessions on U.S. and
international quality assurance standards and the possible application of
those standards to Chornobyl NPP. A quality assurance expert from
the U.S. program also will attend and meet with Chornobyl plant
management to review the status of the plant's quality assurance program.
Information collected during the trip will provide the basis for
developing a 2-week training course on performance of internal
quality assurance audits. Course presentation at Chornobyl is planned
for December 1996. (Dennis Meyers, DOE, 202-586-7834)
October 26-November 2 -- Trnava, Slovakia. The validation
program for the V1 simulator upgrade will be performed jointly by U.S.
program team members and Slovakian technical staff. Completion of
this validation program is part of the preparation for transferring
the upgraded simulator to the Slovakian training specialists. (Bill
Shier, BNL, 516-344-2385) October 26-November 2 -- Prague, Czech
Republic. A probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) workshop
will be cosponsored with the IAEA at the Czech Republic's Nuclear
Research Institute. A U.S. team member will coordinate and participate in
the workshop, which is being held to resolve discrepancies in
modeling assumptions and databases among the different PRAs of
VVER-440 reactors. Safety analysis specialists from Russian, Ukrainian,
and CEEC power plants, and technical organizations will address
modeling assump- tions, initiating events, and component reliability
data, with the goal of agreeing on consistent assumptions.
Participation of a limited number of Western European and U.S. experts
also is expected. (Jeff Binder, ANL, 630-252-7265) October
28-November 1 -- Moscow, Russia. Representatives from GAN
will attend a followup workshop on safety analysis for research reactors
and fuel cycle facilities. (Ed Branagan, DOE, 301-903-6509)
October 28-November 1 -- Moscow, Russia. A course on the
systematic approach to training will be given in Moscow for participants
of the training technology transfer program. (Sonja Haber, BNL,
516-344-3575) November 1-8 -- Stockholm, Sweden; St. Petersburg,
Russia. Program staff will participate in the first of a
series of probabilistic safety assessment workshops conducted by the
Swedish International Projects Office in Stockholm. They then will travel
to St. Petersburg to assist in the purchase of equipment for the
project office of the Leningrad NPP probabilistic and deterministic
safety analysis. (Walt Pasedag, DOE, 301-903-0234) *November 2-6
-- Darmstadt, Germany. As part of the European Commission's
Chornobyl shelter project, U.S. program scientists will attend a
meeting to address recent incidents of increased neutron activity observed
in the damaged Chornobyl Unit 4 reactor. Information obtained
during the meeting will provide the basis for designing upgrades to the
real-time monitoring system inside the shelter. (Frank Goldner, DOE,
301-903-2025) November 4-6 -- Kyiv, Ukraine. The
RBMK Maintenance Advisory Board will meet to discuss project progress to
date and to determine and prioritize project activities for 1997.
Chornobyl NPP will host the meeting at its Kyiv offices. U.S.
program team members will attend. (Tom Vehec, PNNL, 509-372-4072)
*November 4-7 -- Wolf Creek NPP, Kansas, USA. Members
of the VVER-1000 EOI working group from Balakovo, Zaporizhzhya, and Rivne
NPPs and REA will attend a management workshop on EOIs and
operational safety. (Kent Faris, PNNL, 509-372-4068) November
4-8 -- Khmelnytskyy NPP, Netishin, Ukraine. Program staff
from Brookhaven National Laboratory and S3 Technologies will inspect
progress of the full-scope simulator work before the start of the
hardware/software integration effort. Meetings also are planned
with Khmelnytskyy plant personnel to discuss issues related to the
project. (Peter Kohut, BNL, 516-344-4982) *November 4-8 --
Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA. Members from regulatory bodies
in Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Hungary, and the Czech Republic,
as well as representatives from plants in these countries with VVER
reactors, will attend an EOI workshop for VVER reactors at the U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory Commission Technical Training Center. (Kent Faris,
PNNL, 509-372-4068) November 4-16 -- Khmelnytskyy NPP,
Ukraine. General Physics Corporation will assist
Khmelnytskyy NPP with the implementation of the pilot Refueling
Operator Training program. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)
*November 5-10 -- Berlin, Germany. The Ignalina
Safety Panel will meet to review the safety analysis report prepared for
the Ignalina plant. The U.S. program technical lead for the RBMK
reactor safety project will attend to assist the safety panel in
drafting the summary for its final report. (Walt Pasedag, DOE,
301-903-3628) *November 7-16 -- Kyiv and Slavutych,
Ukraine. Members of the U.S. team and Chornobyl NPP staff
will continue work on the dose reduction project for the Chornobyl
shelter. Discussions will be held on the selection of radiological
protection equipment for the shelter and data collection needed for
future project work. (Dan Giessing, DOE, 301-903-2852) November
11-22 -- Chornobyl NPP, Ukraine. General Physics Corporation
and Sonalysts, Inc. will work with the Chornobyl NPP training development
group on the development of the Control Room Reactor Operator and
Radiation Protection Technician training programs. (Sonja Haber,
BNL, 516-344-3575) November 11-22 -- Balakovo NPP, Russia.
Sonalysts staff will assist Balakovo in the implementation
of the water chemistry training course. (Sonja Haber, BNL,
516-344-3575) *November 11-14 --Upton, New York, USA.
Thermal-hydraulic representatives from Kozloduy Unit 6 will hold a
calculational review meeting at BNL to discuss a set of transients
requested to be evaluated by a visiting Bulgarian specialist. The draft
results and future calculation support needs for Kozloduy NPP will be
discusssed. (Gregory Slovik, BNL, 516-344-7983) November
11-December 6 -- Aiken, South Carolina. As part of the
training technology transfer program, representatives from Kursk,
Beloyarsk, Leningrad, Smolensk, and Smolensk Training Center will
attend a detailed training course on the systematic approach to
training and instructor skills at the General Physics facility in Aiken.
The course will be presented by General Physics and Sonalysts. A
visit to a training center at a U.S. nuclear power plant will be
included. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575) *November 16-27
-- Garching, Germany. U.S. program technical staff will
participate in two meetings sponsored by the International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA). Topics to be covered are three-dimensional computer
code validation/modeling of the RBMK reactors and the use of
Japanese data provided to the IAEA for validating the RELAP5 computer
code for phenomena related to the potential for multiple tube ruptures
in RBMK reactors. The meeting objectives are to review the state of
development of three-dimensional computer codes used for core and
system analysis of nuclear power plants with RBMK reactors, to assess the
status of code validation, to identify code requirements, to promote
the exchange of information among experts working in this field, and
to propose additional activities in this field. (Walt Pasedag, DOE,
301-903-3628) *November 17-23 -- Zurich and Murten,
Switzerland. The U.S. manager for instrumentation and
controls projects will participate in the reactor instrumentation
working group meeting of the International Electrotechnical Commission's
Technical Committee 45 in Zurich. Presentations will be made by
representatives from Sweden, Germany, and the United States.
Commission members from Finland, Hungary, Austria, Japan, and the United
Kingdom will attend. In Murten, the project manager will travel to
the KKM plant to observe a demonstration of SIMON, a computer
program that monitors reactor core instability. The director of the
Ignalina NPP has expressed interest in implementing SIMON at the
plant. (Norman Fletcher, DOE, 301-903-3275) *November 18-22 --
Vienna, Austria. At the invitation of the IAEA, a
representative from the program's training projects will participate in
the final meeting of the advisory group for the IAEA world survey of
nuclear power plant personnel training. Survey results will be
published after this meeting. (Dan Giessing, DOE, 301-903-2852)
November 18-22 -- Zaporizhzhya NPP, Ukraine. There will be a
VVER-1000 EOI working group meeting at Zaporizhzhya NPP. Representatives
from all VVER-1000 NPPs are scheduled to attend. (Kent Faris, PNNL,
509-372-4068) November 18-22 -- Smolensk NPP, Russia.
There will be an RBMK EOI working group meeting at Smolensk NPP.
Representatives from all RBMK NPPs are scheduled to attend. (Kent
Faris, PNNL, 509-372-4068) November 18-22 -- Bohunice NPP,
Slovakia. The VVER-440/213 EOI working group will meet.
Representatives from all VVER-440/213 NPPs are scheduled to attend.
(Kent Faris, PNNL, 509-372-4068) November 25-29 -- Kozloduy NPP,
Bulgaria. Sonalysts, Inc. staff will present a followup
workshop for Kozloduy plant staff to continue efforts to draft a
plant-specific EOI Writer's Guide and User's Guide. (Kent Faris, PNNL,
509-372-4068) *December 2-6 -- Indian Point NPP, New York,
USA. VVER-440/230 working group members from Kozloduy,
Novovoronezh, and Bohunice NPPs will attend an EOI workshop. (Kent
Faris, PNNL, 509-372-4068) December 2-6 -- Richland, Washington,
USA. U.S. program staff, in cooperation with the IAEA, will
sponsor a week-long seminar for selected host country regulatory
agency representatives. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory experts
will train participants to use the COBRA-SFS code, a computer program
for predicting in-cask storage temperatures of nuclear fuel. U.S.
experience with programs supporting dry storage of spent fuel also will
be covered during the seminar. (Mike McKinnon, PNNL, 509-372-4198)
December 2-6 -- St. Petersburg, Russia. A team
representing the United States, Rosenergoatom, VNIIAES, the Novovoronezh
Training Center, and Balakovo NPP will conduct a needs assessment for
training technology transfer at Leningrad NPP. (Sonja Haber, BNL,
516-344-3575) December 2-12 -- Moscow, Russia.
Programmatic review meetings are planned for a number of ongoing simulator
projects. Staff from Kola, Kalinin, Novovoronezh, and Chornobyl
NPPs will meet with S3 Technologies, VNIIAES, and U.S. program team
members to discuss the progress of the simulator projects at each
respective plant. (Peter Kohut, BNL, 516-344-4982)
December 9-10 -- Dimitrovgrad, Russia. DOE and BNL will
meet with representatives of the Scientific Research Institute of Atomic
Reactors (NIIAR) to discuss establishing training programs based on
the systematic approach to training to improve the performance of
research reactor personnel and the safety of the research reactors.
(Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575) December 11-12 -- Moscow,
Russia. U.S. program staff will meet with the training
technology transfer participants to discuss program progress.
(Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575) December TBD -- Charlotte,
North Carolina, USA. Plans are being made to bring
nondestructive examination specialists from Russia and Ukraine to the
United States to observe U.S. nondestructive examination practices.
Tentative plans include visits to the Electric Power Research
Institute Nondestructive Examination Center in Charlotte and a U.S. NPP,
as well as to the Savannah River Site to observe how its inspection
program has been upgraded. (Robert Moffitt, PNNL, 509-372-4108)
ACRONYMNS/ABBREVIATIONS ANL
| Argonne National Laboratory | BNL | Brookhaven National
Laboratory | CEEC | Central and Eastern European Countries | Derzhkomatom | Ukrainian State Committee
on Nuclear Energy Utilization | DOE |
U.S. Department of Energy | EBRD | European Bank for Reconstruction
and Development | EOI | emergency operating instruction (EOIs aid in the operation,
management, and control of plant emergencies; they define the actions
that reactor operators must take to stabilize the reactor and mitigate
the consequences of an accident or abnormal event.) | GAN | Gosatomnadzor (Russian
organization responsible for regulating the safety of nuclear
reactors and fuel cycle enterprises) | GET
| General Energy Technologies (a joint venture of
VNIIAES and S3 Technologies) | Gidropress
| Experimental Design Institute (responsible for VVER
reactor design, steam generator design and manufacturing, and
thermal-hydraulic code development and testing) | Goscomatom | Ukrainian State Committee on
Nuclear Power Utilization | IAEA | International Atomic Energy Agency | IBRAE | Russian Academy of Sciences
Nuclear Safety Institute (independent organization specializing in the
development of nuclear safety computer analysis methods) |
INPO | Institute of Nuclear Power
Operations | INSP | U.S. International Nuclear Safety Program | IPPE | Kola in-depth safety
analysis | KOLISA | Institute of Physics and Power Engineering (Obninsk,
Russia) | Kurchatov Institute | Russian scientific center that designs power reactors, research
reactors, fuel, fuel cycle facilities, space nuclear reactors; conducts
economic and policy studies, metallurgical research, fusion
research | LEI | Lithuanian Energy Institute | Minatom | Ministry of Atomic Energy of
the Russian Federation (responsible for developing nuclear reactors and
for fuel cycle enterprises) | MOHT |
consortium of 7-8 companies that include Gidropress,
Kurchatov Institute, and VNIIAES | NDE
| nondestructive evaluation | NIIAR | Research Institute of Atomic
Reactors | NOVISA | Novovoronezh in-depth safety analysis | NPA | nuclear plant analyzer |
NPP | nuclear power plant
| PNNL | Pacific
Northwest National Laboratory | PRA |
probabilistic risk assessment | RDIPE | Research and Development Institute
of Power Engineering (the research branch of NIKIET; main designer of
Russian RBMK reactors ) | RBMK | Reaktor Bolshio Moschnosti Kipyashchiy (Soviet-designed,
graphite-moderated, boiling water-cooled, channel reactor) |
REA | Rosenergoatom (a business
concern of Minatom responsible for all nuclear power plant operations
except the Leningrad nuclear power plant) | TBD | to be determined |
USAID | U.S. Agency for
International Development | VNIIAES
| Russian Institute for Nuclear Power Plant Operations
(assists in nuclear power plant startup, operations, and training;
manufactures full-scope and analytical simulators) | VNIPIET | All-Russian Planning and Design,
Research and Technological Association | VVER | Vodo-Vodyanoy Energeticheskyi Reactor
( Soviet-designed pressurized water reactor) | WANO | World Association of Nuclear
Operators | 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.
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