September 20, 1996
Prepared by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington

RUSSIA

Safety Parameter Display System for Novovoronezh. Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) was selected as the vendor for a safety parameter display system for Novovoronezh Unit 3. The bid specification for the system was prepared by Burns & Roe, Inc., who is the prime contractor for this project. ConSyst, a Russian design organization, will work with SAIC to develop the software and displays. In addition to the system that will be installed at Novovoronezh, a developmental unit will be provided to ConSyst to assist in developing the Novovoronezh system and for use in future system upgrades. (Rich Denning, PNNL, 614-424-7412).

Training Technology Transfer Project. u.S. program team members and representatives from VNIIAES, Rosenergoatom (REA), Minatom, Balakovo nuclear power plant (NPP), Atomtechenergo, and Obninsk traveled to Bilibino NPP as part of the training technology transfer project in Russia. The Bilibino station director expressed much enthusiasm toward participating in the project and has indicated that support for plant training is needed and welcomed. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

Balakovo Training Center Activities. u.S. experts from Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) implemented the training course on management and supervisory skills for middle management at the Balakovo NPP on September 10 and 11. Representatives from many different divisions at the plant were present and evaluated the course positively, especially for use in training new managers. Balakovo personnel made requests for additional training modules, which are under consideration.

During the same timeframe, Balakovo NPP instructors implemented the eighth pilot training program, Electrical Maintenance, at the training center. Representatives from Ukraine's Khmelnytskyy NPP also attended the course.

Sonalysts, Inc., and Balakovo NPP instructors implemented the Simulator Instructor Training Course. Representatives from Kozloduy NPP in Bulgaria also attended this course. Kozloduy NPP staff will receive this course next month at the Zaporizhzhya NPP (where they receive their simulator training). (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

IBRAE Review of Kola NPP Safety Analysis. Program staff are reviewing final comments received from IBRAE on the project plan for the Kola in-depth safety analysis (KOLISA) project. When the review is completed, the plan will be transmitted to the project staff at Kola. The quality assurance plan for the project has been translated into Russian; the draft peer review plan is being translated now. (Ted Ginsberg, BNL, 516-344-2620)

Kola and Kalinin Full-Scope Simulators. During the week of September 9, Customs cleared the computers for the full-scope simulator projects at Kola and Kalinin NPPs. The equipment has arrived at the subcontractor's facility in Moscow. (Ken Erickson, PNNL, 509-372-4063, or James Anderson, PNNL, 509-372-4721)

UKRAINE

Sevatopol Institute Site Visit. A U.S. program delegation visited the Sevatopol Institute, a former military facility for training nuclear submarine officers. The Ukrainians are converting the institute to an educational facility for power plant operations personnel. The institute has excellent provisions for a large student body, including a pool reactor facility equipped for educational use and a thermal hydraulic test facility capable of accommodating a VVER type of fuel bundle. The institute requested U.S. program assistance for obtaining modern training methodology and computer hardware and software. (Walt Pasedag, DOE, 301-903-3628)

Full-Scope Simulator for South Ukraine NPP. on September 16, a contract was signed with S3 Technologies to develop a full-scope simulator for South Ukraine Unit 3. (Ken Erickson, PNNL, 509-372-4063, or James Anderson, PNNL, 509-372-4721)

Fire Safety Upgrades at Zaporizhzhya NPP. The Asken Company in Ukraine has completed the manufacture of 125 fire doors for the Zaporizhzhya NPP. As a quality check, two of the doors were selected at random for testing. One door was examined destructively to check dimensions and materials of construction. The other door was subjected to an International Standards Organization fire test in Sweden. The doors passed the tests with a substantial margin. The doors now will be installed in the plant. Asken also has begun to manufacture fire doors for the Chornobyl NPP. (Rich Denning, PNNL, 614-424-7412).

Safety Analysis at South Ukraine NPP. Agreement was reached with South Ukraine NPP on the organizational and management structure of a project to complete an in-depth safety analysis for South Ukraine Unit 1. The plant manager designated the plant's chief engineer as the project manager. The next step toward getting the plant safety evaluations under way will be a meeting with Derzhkomatom and the two lead plants for Ukraine (Zaporizhzhya and South Ukraine). That meeting is scheduled for October 8. (Walt Pasedag, DOE, 301-903-3628)

European Commission Chornobyl Shelter Project. The U.S. team of shelter project specialists attended Workshop 4 of the European Commission Chornobyl shelter project in Brussels on September 11-13. Six Ukrainian participants also attended. Participants reviewed the development status of five alternative short- and long-term action scenarios for solving Chornobyl shelter problems. The meeting resulted in an assessment of the relative merits of each scenario, as well as concurrence on methodologies for assessing radiation dose and costs and benefits. Those assessment methodologies will be used for screening and ranking the short- and long-term measures. A key outcome of the meeting was a two-week extension to allow the teams to complete analyses and scenario rankings. Previously scheduled meetings with the G-7 nations and the Ukrainian authorities to seek concurrence on the draft study recommendations were similarly delayed. The G-7 meeting now is planned for October 10 and 11 in Brussels; the meeting with Ukrainian officials will be on October 14 and 15 in Slavutych. Completion of the study is still planned for October 31, 1996. (Dennis Kreid, PNNL, 509-375-2170)

CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

Trnava Full-Scope Simulator Upgrade, Slovakia. In early September, program technical staff met with representatives from the Nuclear Power Research Institute (VUJE) and two contractors, U.S.-based SAIC and CORYS, a simulator manufacturer from France. Program representatives and VUJE signed a memorandum of agreement for the project. (Ken Erickson, PNNL, 509-372-4063)

CROSS-CUTTING ACTIVITIES

Computers for Database Maintenance Delivered to All RBMK Plants. On September 17, the computers for maintaining the information acquired with the vibration analyzers were delivered to the participants. The delivery is the first step in the transfer of the vibration analysis technology to NPPs with RBMK reactors. The vibration analyzers have been purchased and will be delivered in the next six weeks after their readouts are converted to Cyrillic. (Tom Vehec, PNNL, 509-372-4072)

VVER-1000 Working Group Meeting. During the week of September 9, the VVER-1000 emergency operating instruction (EOI) working group met at Kozloduy NPP. In attendance were representatives from Balakovo, Zaporizhyzhya, and Kozloduy NPPs, as well as delegates from VNIIAES, REA, Gidropress, Kurchatov Institute, Atomenergoproekt, and the Bulgarian regulator. The main objective of the meeting was to review results from analytical calculations performed by Gidropress during the past six months to provide the technical basis documents for EOIs. Representatives of Gidropress and the three NPPs agreed on an aggressive schedule to complete the preliminary analysis needed by the NPPs by February 1997. The schedule includes DOE-funded NPP site visits by Gidropress personnel once or twice a month to enable Gidropress staff to become more aware of the NPPs' needs and requirements.

Although the Gidropress calculations are not yet completed, the individual NPPs have proceeded with the EOI development task. Zaporizhzhya NPP staff have completed an initial verification and validation of 24 of the 48 EOIs. That plant also has developed a diagnostic EOI that will couple symptom-based diagnosis with existing event-based procedures. The NPP hopes to implement this procedure by early 1997. Balakovo NPP has approved a verification procedure; plant personnel have begun initial verification of their EOIs. Kozloduy NPP has completed initial drafts of six EOIs. The NPPs will return to verification and validation of the analysis results when Gidropress provides them.

The next meeting of host country members of the VVER-1000 working group will be at VNIIAES in late October 1996. The entire working group, including U.S. representatives, will meet at Zaporizhzhya NPP on November 18-22, 1996. (Kent Faris, PNNL, 509-372-4068)

PLANNED ACTIVITIES

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

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

*September 22-27 -- Darmstadt, Germany.
A program expert in radiation measurements and radiation transport modeling will participate in the European Commission Chornobyl Shelter Project meeting regarding strategies for resolving safety issues at Chornobyl Unit 4. Experts from European countries and U.S. industrial firms will perform the final analysis and comparison of the proposed alternatives. (Frank Goldner, DOE, 301-903-2025)

September 23-27 -- Khmelnytskyy NPP, Ukraine.
General Physics Corporation will conduct a 1-week work session at Khmelnytskyy NPP. The primary objective of the session is to continue development of three training programs: Control Room Reactor Operator, Refueling Floor Operator, and Chemical Operator. General Physics also will provide instruction to Khmelnytskyy plant personnel in the systematic approach to training. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

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 initiate a project to provide safety parameter display systems for VVER-1000 plants in Ukraine. (Rich Denning, PNNL, 614-424-7412)

September 23-October 4- -- Trnava, Slovakia.
U.S. program staff will work with Slovakian specialists from VUJE to develop additional computer terminal displays for the upgraded V1 simulator. The program plan and schedule for the validation and verification process also will be discussed and finalized. (Bill Shier, BNL, 516-344-2385).

September 24-25 -- Novovoronezh NPP, Russia.
A member of the program team will represent the United States at a general coordinating meeting of the 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, as well as the G-24 countries. An exchange of technical information will provide updates on the reactor safety activities of each participating organization. (Dan Giessing, DOE, 301-903-2852, and Doug Timmins, PNNL, 509-372-6415)

September 24-26 -- Obninsk, Russia.
The U.S. Department of Energy 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 among experts involved in the safety evaluation of Soviet-designed reactors and communicate the results of the safety analyses carried out under program sponsorship in Russia, Ukraine, and Central European countries with Soviet-designed reactors. Papers will be presented on 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. Participation of a limited number of Western European and U.S. experts also is expected. (Walt Pasedag, DOE, 301-903-3628, or Jeff Binder, ANL, 630-252-7265)

*September 25-26 -- Moscow, Russia.
U.S. program representatives will meet with Rosenergoatom to review the status of engineering and technology safety projects in Russia. (Rich Denning, PNNL, 614-424-7412).

September 25-26 -- St. Petersburg, Russia.
The steering committee for the Leningrad NPP probabilistic and deterministic safety analysis project will meet to review project schedule and scope. (Sam McKay, PNNL, 509-372-4059)

*September 27 -- Helsinki, Finland.
A U.S. program representative will meet with STUK, the Finnish regulatory agency, regarding that agency's potential participation in the probabilistic and deterministic safety analysis project under way at the Leningrad NPP. Discussions will include review and oversight of both the development activities and deterministic analysis for the probabilistic risk assessment. (Walt Pasedag, DOE, 301-903-3628)

September 30-October 4 -- Slavutych, Ukraine.
Program representatives will attend a meeting of the European Commission Chornobyl Shelter Project. At that meeting, Ukrainian authority concurrence will be pursued regarding project recommendations for the short- and long-term measures. (Dennis Kreid, PNNL, 509-375-2170)

*September 30-October 4 -- Washington, D.C., and Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Representatives from BNL, DOE, GAN, the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations , and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission will attend training technology transfer meetings. (Sonja Haber, BNL, 516-344-3575)

September 30-October 10 -- Waterford, Connecticut, USA.
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 the U.S. program, 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)

*September 30-October 3 -- Armenia Nuclear Power Station, Armenia.
The project team for fire safety will meet at the Armenia Nuclear Power Station to develop a joint plan for making improvements to fire safety at Unit 2. The team also will discuss ideas for potential new projects. The team will coordinate activities with assistance teams from the European Union and Russia. U.S. program staff and Burns & Roe personnel will attend. (Dennis Meyers, DOE, 301-903-1418)

*October 5-10 -- Moscow, Russia.
Program representatives will participate in meetings with senior management of the World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO) to finalize a contract between the U.S. program office and the WANO Moscow Center. (Dennis Meyers, PNNL, 202-586-7834)

*October 6-19 -- Kyiv, Zaporizhzhya, and Yuzhoukrainsk, Ukraine.
Technical leaders from the U.S. program team will meet in Kyiv with representatives of the Ukrainian State Committee on Nuclear Energy Utilization (Derzhkomatom) and other nuclear power organizations involved in plant safety evaluation. Initiation of safety analysis pilot projects for the designated lead plants in Ukraine (Zaporizhzhya and South Ukraine NPPs) will be discussed. Site visits to the two plants regarding project startup and project planning will follow. (Walt Pasedag, DOE, 301-903-3628)

October 7-11 -- Columbia, Maryland, USA.
Staff representing the South Ukraine and Rivne NPPs and S3 Technologies will meet with U.S. program staff to discuss contractual arrangements for the full-scope simulator projects at South Ukraine Unit 1 and Rivne Unit 3. (Peter Kohut, BNL, 516-344-4982)

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 8-12 -- Bilibino, Russia.
Representatives from the U.S. program and the State of Alaska will travel to Bilibino to address concerns of the State of Alaska about emergency preparedness and communications. The team also will review plant needs on which to base new project starts. (Laurin Dodd, PNNL, 509-372-4423, or George Vargo, PNNL, 509-375-6836

*October 9-12 -- Kyiv, Ukraine.
U.S. program delegates will meet with representatives of the Chornobyl NPP and a Ukrainian subcontractor, Technology Application, Inc., to discuss quality assurance activities for Chornobyl. (Dennis Meyers, DOE, 202-586-7834)

*October 11-19 -- Kola NPP, Polyarnie Zori, Russia.
Project team members and Victoreen staff will work with Kola NPP personnel to complete final installation of the confinement high-level radiation monitor system and calibrate the readout and recorder electronics for Unit 2. (George Greene, BNL, 516-344-2296)

October 11-20 -- Moscow and Desnagorsk, Russia.
U.S. experts from the program team and the 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 systems. Trainees will include representatives of the training departments from the five RBMK reactor sites in Russia, Ukraine, and Lithuania. (Grigory Trosman, DOE, 301-903-3581)

*October 14-24 -- Dimitrovgrad, Russia.
Representatives from GAN will attend a course on the management of performance-based training programs. The course will be offered at the Research Institute of Atomic Reactors (NIIAR) in Dimitrovgrad. (George Sherwood, DOE, 301-903-4162, or George Vargo, PNNL, 509-375-6836)

October 14-25 -- Novovoronezh NPP, Russia, and Chornobyl NPP, Ukraine.
Staff representing the Novovoronezh and Chornobyl NPPs will meet with S3 Technologies, VNIIAES, and U.S. program team members to discuss detailed arrangements for the recently awarded analytical simulator projects. (Peter Kohut, BNL, 516-344-4982)

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

October 21 -- Helsinki, Finland.
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 International, Finland. (Jeff Binder, ANL, 630-252-7265)

*October 21-24 -- Moscow, Russia.
Representatives from GAN will attend a workshop on event reporting and analysis for research reactors and fuel cycle facilities. (George Sherwood, DOE, 301-903-4162, or George Vargo, PNNL, 509-375-6836)

October 21-25 -- Kozloduy NPP, Bulgaria.
The project team for developing and implementing management and operational controls procedures will meet. The team will conduct technical reviews of draft procedures and planned steps to complete implementation of the procedures at pilot plants in countries with Soviet-designed NPPs. Attendees include representatives from Armenia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania, Russia, Slovakia, Ukraine, and the United States. The U.S. representatives include staff from the Brunswick NPP, INPO, and DOE. (Dennis Meyers, DOE, 301-903-1418)

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 22-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 23 - 26 -- Genoa Italy.
U.S. program staff and technical specialists for the Slovakian Nuclear Power Research Institute will attend the 8th European Simulator Symposium. There they jointly will present a paper describing the details and applications of the V1 simulator upgrade project. (Bill Shier, BNL, 516-344-2385)

October 26-November 2 -- Prague, Czech Republic.
A probabilistic risk assessment 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 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 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)

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.
U.S. specialists will visit REA in Moscow to assess the capability of Russian-manufactured high-temperature suits to protect personnel for entry into hostile environments at nuclear power plants with RBMK reactors. (Jim Guppy, BNL, 516-344-2698)

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 at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Technical Training Center. Representatives from Russian, Ukrainian, and CEEC regulatory agencies, with primary responsibilities for reviewing and approving VVER EOIs, will attend. They will observe, learn, and discuss regulator involvement with EOIs associated with the VVER reactors. Workshop objectives are to

• educate/familiarize regulators 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, 509-372-4068)

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 5-7 -- Place TBD.
The next meeting of the RBMK Maintenance Advisory Board is set tentatively for November 5-7. The purpose of this meeting will be to discuss the progress of the project to date and determine and prioritize project activities for 1997. The meeting place will most likely be Kyiv, with Chornobyl NPP as host. This is in keeping with the project's desire to rotate the meetings among the plant sites with RBMK reactors. (Tom Vehec, PNNL, 509-372-4072)

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 -- 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)

December 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 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

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.