January/February 2000 - Highlight

Armenia - Bulgaria - Czech Republic - Hungary

- Kazakhstan - Lithuania - Russia - Slovakia

- Ukraine - United States - Cross-Cutting Activities - Planned Activities

Russia

Meeting focuses on emergency operating instructions for Russian nuclear power plants

In February, representatives from Balakovo, Kola, and Novovoronezh NPPs, as well as Rosenergoatom, VNIIAES, Gidropress, and the Kurchatov Institute, met in Moscow to discuss the development, implementation, and analytical validation of symptom-based emergency operating instructions for the Russian pilot nuclear power plants.

Participants discussed the status of emergency operating instructions being developed for Balakovo, Kola, and Novovoronezh Units 3 and 4. Rosenergoatom representatives presented the priorities and needs for current development, and VNIIAES representatives presented Gosatomnadzor requirements for implementing emergency operating instructions. Members of Gidropress presented their approach to thermal-hydraulic validation of the instructions, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory specialists described the current status of emergency operating instruction analysis in Ukraine and Bulgaria.

Participants discussed areas of possible U.S. assistance, which include analytical validation, operational verification and validation, training, and final implementation. The question of whether RELAP or Russian computer codes would be used for analytical validation still is under consideration.

Balakovo NPP and Kola Units 1 and 2 are going through the relicensing process, and each is required to implement symptom-based emergency operating instructions before a new license is issued. Symptom-based emergency operating procedures equip the plant operators to respond to a wider range of emergency situations than do event-based procedures. (Dennis Meyers, DOE, 301-903-1418; Larry Sherfey, PNNL, 509-372-4080)

Request for proposal issued for Novovoronezh Unit 5 safety parameter display system

On February 25, Burns & Roe Enterprises, Inc., of New Jersey issued a request for proposal for two experienced U.S. vendors to supply Novovoronezh NPP with a safety parameter display system to be installed in 2001. Burns & Roe prepared the request for proposal with assistance from the Russian firm ConSyst and Novovoronezh NPP.

The safety parameter display system will be similar to those used in U.S. commercial nuclear power plants and will assist plant operators during abnormal conditions.

Proposals are due April 3, and the contract is expected to be awarded by May 1. (Rich Reister, DOE, 301-903-0234; Rich Denning, PNNL, 614-424-7412; Frank Panisko, PNNL 509-372-4472)

Paging and radio communication system installed at Smolensk

During the week of February 21, U.S. specialists from ProCom completed setup, testing, and training in the use of a new communication system for the Smolensk NPP fire brigade. Under subcontract to Bechtel National, ProCom designed the system for the Smolensk plant. From the top of a sixteen-story apartment building in the neighboring town, the paging system can alert staff to a radius of approximately 25 kilometers. The U.S. team provided 60 paging units for use by the fire brigade. The radio system allows communication among fire fighters external to the plant. A radio base station transmits to up to 16 hand-held radio units. Bechtel staff provided oversight of system testing at the plant. (Grigory Trosman, DOE, 301-903-3581; Rich Denning, PNNL, 614-424-7412)