August 30, 1996
Prepared by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington

RUSSIA

RBMK Safety Parameter Display Systems. On August 19, the safety parameter display system project team (Parsons Power, Westinghouse, RDIPE, and program staff) met with representatives of the Smolensk nuclear power plant (NPP). The meeting was held at the plant to begin activities aimed at equipping Smolensk Units 1, 2, and 3 with safety parameter display systems. Smolensk Unit 3 will be the first to be equipped. Project team representatives signed a memorandum of understanding with the Smolensk plant for this project.

The project team then met with Kursk NPP staff in Moscow on August 21 and 22. Rosenergoatom was also represented at this meeting. Draft conformed specifications for Kursk Units 3 and 4 were discussed. Issues associated with the ongoing Kursk Unit 2 project were discussed. These included upgrading of the power supply, the implications of a planned upgrade of the plant computer, and a delay by Atomenergoproekt in completing the engineering design packages. (Rich Denning, PNNL, 614-424-7412)

Kursk Mobile Pumping Unit. Contractor Burns & Roe is leading a project to equip Kursk NPP with a mobile pumping unit. The pumping unit, mounted on a trailer, can be moved rapidly to any plant location in response to an emergency (such as a problem with the reactor coolant system or a fire) for which a large amount of water is needed quickly. The unit, once in place, can be connected to an emergency water source through flexible piping. A John Deere diesel generator installed on the trailer provides electric power to the pump, independent of any plant power source.

The unit has been shipped to Russia. It is now in transit by truck from St. Petersburg to the plant. The pump vendor, Godwin, will visit the site in September to work with plant staff on the pumping unit's startup tests. (Rich Reister, DOE, 301-903-0234)

PRONET Training. Contract negotiations were completed with Halliburton NUS to provide PRONET software and training to four sites in Russia. The PRONET software, developed by Halliburton NUS to facilitate updates to the emergency operating instructions, is now licensed and ready for installation at VIINAES and the Novovoronezh, Kola, and Balakovo NPPs. (LaDonna James, PNNL, 509-375-4372)

Novovoronezh NPP Basic Ordering Agreement. On August 29, 1996, Novovoronezh NPP and the U.S. team signed a Basic Ordering Agreement. With this agreement now in place, specific program tasks for Novovoronezh can be started. (Kerry Cullerton, PNNL, 509-375-2951)

UKRAINE

Chornobyl Shelter Project. U.S. specialists supporting the European Commission Chornobyl Shelter Project participated in the project status review meeting held in Slavutych during the week of August 26-30, 1996. A highlight of the meeting was a tour of the Shelter on August 27. The U.S. specialists and the U.S. Working Group Coordinator also took part in sessions held to define the project's technical objectives, reach consensus on Shelter design criteria, and identify scenarios for the final design screening process. (Dennis Kried, PNNL, 509-375-2170)

Ukrainian Engineering Training Center Equipment. Computer hardware and developmental software purchased for this center have passed acceptance testing. They were packaged and shipped from S3 Technologies on August 27, 1996. When the equipment and software arrive at the center, S3 Technologies representatives will travel to Kyiv to work with center staff on installation and training. (Peter Kohut, BNL, 516-344-4982)

PRONET Training. Contract negotiations were completed with Halliburton NUS to provide PRONET software and training to two sites in Ukraine. The PRONET software, developed by Halliburton NUS to facilitate updates to the emergency operating instructions, is now licensed and ready for installation at the Rovno and Zaporizhzhya NPPs. (LaDonna James, PNNL, 509-375-4372)

CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

Czech Republic Thermal Hydraulic Calculations. On August 20, 1996, under a new basic ordering agreement between the U.S. program team and the Czech Republic's Nuclear Research Institute (REZ), REZ was tasked to provide RELAP5 thermal hydraulic calculations to support the development of emergency operating instructions. (Robert Breneman, PNNL, 509-375-5994)

Slovakia Thermal Hydraulic Calculations. The first task order under the program's new basic ordering agreement with the Trnava Training Center (VUJE) was accepted by fax on August 15, 1996. VUJE will provide RELAP5 thermal hydraulic calculations to support the development of emergency operating instructions. (Robert Breneman, PNNL, 509-375-5994)

PRONET Training. Contract negotiations recently completed with Halliburton NUS will provide PRONET software and training to staff of the Kozloduy NPP. (LaDonna James, PNNL, 509-375-4372

PLANNED ACTIVITIES

"*" indicates the event is a new item or has been changed from the last report.

September 2-6 -- Bilibino NPP, Russia.
Russian participants will accompany U.S. personnel on this site visit that is part of the project involved with transferring training technology. (John Yoder, DOE, 301-903-5650)

*September 2-12 -- Kyiv, Sevastopol, and Konstantinovka, Ukraine.
Members of the Soviet-Designed-Reactor Safety (SDRS) project team will meet with the Ukrainian State Committee on Nuclear Power Utilization to discuss the pilot projects for safety analysis that will begin at designated plants in Ukraine. Details of the scope of work for the safety analysis project at South Ukraine Unit 1 will be discussed with plant staff and their consultants. In Sevastopol, the team will meet with the Sevastopol Institute of Nuclear Power and Industry to discuss their involvement in plant safety analysis and training support for NPP staff. At South Ukraine NPP in Konstantinovka, the U.S. team and plant staff will discuss scope and implementation details of the safety analysis project for South Ukraine Unit 1. (Walt Pasedag, DOE, 301-903-3628; Christian Kot, ANL, 630-252-6151)

September 2-13 --Balakovo NPP, Russia.
Three pilot training programs will be implemented during the second week of this two-week session at Balakovo NPP. Pilot courses to be implemented include electrical maintenance, simulator instructor, and a management overview course for mid-level managers at the Balakovo NPP. The U.S. provided special Heathkit training equipment for the electrical maintenance pilot program, which focuses on problems with automatic bus transfer and repair of thyristors. These items have been ongoing problems at the VVER-1000 plants. Personnel from the Minatom Institute for Training are being invited to attend the pilot management course. The institute plans to develop a management training program for all NPP managers and will review the course for use in the basic NPP management training program. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

September 3-7 -- Trnava, Slovakia.
A meeting will be held to plan for the Trnava simulator upgrade project. Participants will review the status of the current simulator, discuss the project tasks and schedules, and finalize the roles of the project players in a memorandum of understanding. (Ken Erickson, PNNL, 509-372-4063)

*September 7-28 -- Kyiv, Ukraine, and Khmelnytskyy and Chornobyl NPPs, Ukraine.
An SDRS program nuclear safety expert will meet in Kyiv with representatives of the Chornobyl Center and the Ukraine Ministry of Environmental Protection and Nuclear Safety (MEPNS) Engineering Training Center, followed by meetings at the Khmelnytskyy and Chornobyl NPPs with plant representatives. The objective of the meetings is to complete the first phase of the SDRS Safety Works Database at Ukrainian NPPs, compile a list of potential fuel cycle safety projects, and assist in drafting a business plan for Chornobyl Center development. (Dan Giessing, DOE, 301-903-2852)

September 8-12 -- Moscow, Russia.
The semiannual coordinating meeting with Minatom and other Russian contacts will take place in Moscow. These meetings will cover the status of ongoing projects and future cooperative efforts. (Dan Giessing, DOE, 301-903-2852)

September 8-11 -- Moscow, Russia.
Meetings related to the deterministic safety analysis for the Leningrad NPP Unit 2 will be held in Moscow. INSP staff will provide technical assistance for the development and conduct of selected deterministic analyses for supporting the creation of a level 1 probabilistic and deterministic safety analysis. (Walt Pasedag, DOE, 301-903-3628)

September 9-12 -- Balakovo NPP, Russia.
Balakovo NPP staff and Sonalysts staff will implement the training courses for electrical maintenance and simulator instructors. Representatives from INSP will implement the specialized training course for management/supervisory skills. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

September 9-13 -- Kozloduy NPP, Bulgaria.
The VVER-1000 EOI working group will meet at Kozloduy NPP. Representatives from all VVER-1000 NPPs are scheduled to attend. (Kent Faris, PNNL, 509-372-4068)

September 9-14 -- Brussels, Belgium.
Members of the European Commission Chornobyl Shelter Project will hold feasibility assessment meetings. (Dennis Kried, PNNL, 509-375-2170)

September 11-22 -- Vienna, Austria.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) RBMK Steering Committee meets 2-3 times per year to evaluate and review proposed IAEA support to RBMK nuclear power plants. INSP technical staff will represent the United States at this mid-September meeting in Vienna. (Walt Pasedag, DOE, 301-903-3628)

September 14-20 -- Kyiv, Ukraine.
Program review meetings will take place in Kyiv with representatives from the Chornobyl Center, DOE, Goscomatom, and INSP technical staff. (Dan Giessing, DOE, 301-903-2852)

September 14-20 -- Kyiv, Ukraine.
Ukrainian government and parliament officials will meet with INSP staff to discuss the possibility of a conference on U.S.-Ukraine nuclear relations. (Mike Congdon, PNNL, 202-646-5285)

September 14-21 -- Ignalina NPP, Lithuania.
Members of the U.S. project team will visit Ignalina NPP to reach agreement on the design, manufacture, and testing of two prototype analog-to-relay electronic modules. These modules will help establish a more reliable instrumentation and control system. (Norm Fletcher, DOE, 301-903-3275)

September 14-28 -- Moscow, Russia.
Acceptance testing of the Kalinin full-scope simulator will take place at the simulator manufacturing factory of VNIIAES/GET in Moscow. INSP technical staff will attend. (John Yoder, DOE, 301-903-5650)

September 16 -- Smolensk NPP, Russia.
The first classes on vibration analysis and shaft alignment will be held at the Smolensk training center. (Tom Vehec, PNNL, 509-372-4072)

*September 16-19 -- Moscow, Russia.
Staff from Parsons Power, Westinghouse, RDIPE, Atomenergoproekt, Kursk NPP, and Rosenergoatom will meet to discuss the plan for installing the safety parameter display system at Kursk Unit 2. Chornobyl NPP staff also will travel to Moscow to discuss the conformed specification for the Chornobyl Unit 3 safety parameter display system. (Rich Denning, PNNL, 614-424-7412)

*September 16-19 -- Ignalina NPP and Vilnius, Lithuania.
Project team representatives and Halliburton NUS staff will meet with Ignalina NPP staff to discuss the project in which the plant's original instrumentation and control modules will be replaced with modules manufactured using current technology. The project and contractor staff then will travel to Vilnius to meet with a potential host-country manufacturer of updated control modules. (Rich Denning, PNNL, 614-424-7412)

September 16-20 -- Kalinin NPP, Russia.
Russian participants will accompany U.S. personnel on this site visit that is part of the project involved with transferring training technology. (John Yoder, DOE, 301-903-5650)

September 16-20 -- Moscow, Russia.
Representatives from Gosatomnadzor will attend a workshop on quality assurance for the transport of nuclear materials. (George Sherwood, DOE, 301-903-4162, or George Vargo, PNNL, 509-375-6836)

September 20-22 -- Moscow, Russia.
A project review meeting for the Kola in-depth safety analysis (KOLISA) project will be held in Moscow. INSP technical staff will attend. (Walt Pasedag, DOE, 301-903-3628)

*September 20-29 -- Moscow and Smolensk NPP, Russia.
U.S. experts from the program team and contractor Mechanical Maintenance Products, Inc., will travel to Moscow and on to Desnagorsk, to the Smolensk NPP. There they will oversee and assist in classroom and field training on U.S. supplied mechanical and optical alignment equipment systems for representatives of training departments from the five RBMK reactor sites in Russia, Ukraine, and Lithuania. (Grigory Trosman, DOE, 301-903-3581)

September 20-29 -- Kozloduy NPP, Bulgaria.
A VVER-440/230 EOI working group meeting is tentatively scheduled. Representatives from the Armenia Nuclear Power Station and the Kozloduy, Novovoronezh, and Kola NPPs will attend. (Kent Faris, PNNL, 509-372-4068)

September 21-October 4 -- Ignalina NPP, Lithuania and Kozloduy NPP, Bulgaria.
INSP staff will participate in configuration management meetings at Ignalina NPP. Then staff from INSP, Kozolody NPP, and Risk Engineering Limited will meet at Kozloduy NPP to discuss the configuration management and seismic upgrade projects. (Dan Couch, PNNL, 509-372-4591)

*September 23-24 -- Kyiv, Ukraine.
Burns & Roe staff and U.S. program team members will meet with Goscomatom and Ukrainian nuclear power plant representatives to discuss safety parameter display systems for VVER-1000 plants in Ukraine. (Rich Denning, PNNL, 614-424-7412)

*September 24-25 -- Novovoronezh NPP, Russia.
A member of the program team will represent the United States at a general coordinating meeting of G-24 members of the Nuclear Safety Advisory Council for nuclear power plants with VVER-440/230 reactors. The meeting was called specifically for the Novovoronezh and Kola NPPs. Participating international organizations include the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the European Commission, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), as well as the G-24 countries. (Dan Giessing, DOE, 301-903-2852)

September 24-26 -- Obninsk, Russia.
DOE will hold an information exchange,"Analytical Methods and Computational Tools for NPP Safety Assessment," at the Institute of Physics and Power Engineering (IPPE). The primary purpose is to provide an open forum for the exchange of information between experts involved in the safety evaluation of Soviet-designed reactors and communicate the results of the safety analyses carried out under INSP sponsorship in Russia, Ukraine, and Central European countries with Soviet-designed reactors. Papers will be presented on a number of topics including probabilistic risk assessment, thermal hydraulic analysis, structural analysis, and neutronic analysis. Safety analysis specialists from Russian, Ukrainian, and Central and Eastern European power plants and technical organizations will participate actively. Participation of a limited number of Western European and U.S. experts is also expected. (Walt Pasedag, DOE, 301-903-3628, or Jeff Binder, ANL, 630-252-7265)

September 30-October 4 -- Place TBD
Representatives from BNL, DOE, GAN, INPO, and NRC will attend training technology transfer meetings. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

September 30-October 10 -- Waterford, Connecticut.
Balakovo specialists will travel to Sonalysts to continue development of the training course for instrumentation and control operations. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

September TBD -- Leningrad NPP, Russia.
Representatives from INSP, Parsons Power, Westinghouse, Leningrad NPP, and RDIPE will meet to reach agreement on specifications for the Leningrad Unit 3 safety parameter display system and sign a memorandum of agreement on roles and responsibilities. (Rich Denning, PNNL, 614-424-7412)

October 7-18 -- Kozloduy NPP, Bulgaria.
General Physics and Sonalysts staff will assist Kozloduy NPP with the implementation of training courses for the shift supervisors and reactor repair technicians. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

October 14-18 -- Smolensk NPP, Russia.
Russian participants will accompany U.S. personnel on this site visit that is part of the project involved with transferring training technology. (John Yoder, DOE, 301-903-5650)

October 14-25 -- Waterford, Connecticut.
Balakovo NPP specialists will travel to Sonalysts to continue development of the radiation protection training course. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

October 21 -- Place TBD.
A KOLISA project status review will be presented to the project steering committee. The steering committee consists of the Kola plant manager, the DOE program manager, and a technical consultant from IVO-Finland. (Jeff Binder, ANL, 630-252-7265)

October 21-25 -- Novovoronezh NPP, Russia.
Russian participants will accompany U.S. personnel on this site visit that is part of the project involved with transferring training technology. (John Yoder, DOE, 301-903-5650)

*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 (REZ). 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 PRA studies of VVER-440 reactors. Safety analysis specialists from Russian, Ukrainian, and Central and Eastern European power plants, and technical organizations will address modeling assumptions, 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 is also expected. (Jeff Binder, ANL, 630-252-7265)

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)

October TBD -- Place TBD.
An EOI workshop for regulatory personnel tentatively is being scheduled at a U.S. location. Representatives from Russian, Ukrainian, and CEEC regulatory agencies will attend to observe, learn, and discuss regulator involvement with EOIs associated with the VVER reactors. (Kent Faris, PNNL, 509-372-4068)

October TBD -- Kozloduy NPP, Bulgaria.
An EOI workshop tentatively is scheduled for Kozloduy NPP. Representatives from Sonalysts will present the principles of the U.S. "User's Guide" to staff from Kozloduy VVER-1000 and VVER-440/230 units. (Kent Faris, PNNL, 509-372-4068)

October TBD -- Dukovany NPP, Czech Republic.
In a tentatively scheduled EOI workshop, Sonalysts representatives will present the U.S. principles of verification and validation to staff from the Dukovany NPP VVER-440/213 units. (Larry Sherfey, PNNL, 509-372-4080)

October TBD -- Moscow, Russia.
A special meeting of the VVER-1000 working group will be held at VNIIAES. Working group members from the Balakovo, Kozloduy, and Zaporizhzhya NPPs will meet with VNIIAES and Gidropress to review and discuss results of analysis calculations completed by Gidropress. (Kent Faris, PNNL, 509-372-4068)

November 4-8 -- Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA.
A VVER Regulator EOI Workshop has been scheduled for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Technical Training Center. The workshop participants will be regulators with primary responsibilities for reviewing and approving VVER EOIs. Workshop objectives are to

• educate/familiarize regulator on symptom-based EOI concepts
• provide demonstrations on the use of EOIs to mitigate accidents
• build regulator confidence in the quality of the EOI development process
• provide answers to questions the regulators may have concerning symptom-based EOIs
• demonstrate the U.S. approach to regulator involvement in EOI development/implementation
• encourage regulator involvement/priority in EOI development, approval, and implementation.

A combination of classroom lectures and simulator scenarios will be used to demonstrate these key points. (Kent Faris, PNNL, 509-509-372-4068)

November 4-8 -- Kozloduy NPP, Bulgaria.
There will be a VVER-440/230 EOI working group meeting at Kozloduy NPP. Representatives from all VVER-440/230 NPPs are scheduled to attend. (Kent Faris, PNNL, 509-372-4068)

November 4-8 -- 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 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-December 6 -- Place TBD.
A workshop on the systematic approach to training will be held for participants of the Training Technology Transfer Program. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

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)

December 9-13 -- Bohunice NPP, Slovakia.
There will be a VVER-440/213 EOI working group meeting at Bohunice NPP. Representatives from all VVER-440/213 NPPs are scheduled to attend. (Kent Faris, PNNL, 509-372-4068)

Dec. 11 - 12 -- Moscow, Russia.
A meeting will be held with the training technology transfer participants to discuss the progress of the program. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

December TBD -- Charlotte, North Carolina.
Plans are being made to bring NDE specialists from Russia and Ukraine to the United States to observe U.S. NDE practices. Tentative plans include visits to the Electric Power Research Institute NDE 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

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.