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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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