Esteemed colleagues, friends!

The Academician B. Verkin Physical and Technical Institute for Low Temperatures at National Academy of Sciences, Kharkov, Ukraine, was founded in 1960. In 1971 upon its basis, there was organized the Special Research and Development Bureau for Cryogenic Technologies (SR&DB), focusing on implementing applied research, developments and manufacture of spacecraft, cryogenic and special application equipment and instruments.

The research, development and equipment produced by SR&DB have sufficiently contributed to the successful efforts gained by the former Soviet Union in realm of the Cosmos.

In addition to aerospace, SR&DB has been focusing their attention to the facilities and equipment intended for use in different industry sectors, including Nuclear Power.

A special feature of SR&DB is the fact that this organization has been becoming financially independent. This has not been achieved conventionally from Government assignments, but from revenues earned private projects. This is especially important now that, under conditions of market-oriented economy. Despite objective hardships and troubles, we are confidently looking ahead!

We seek partners for mutually profitable business relationships. SR&DB is confident that the introduction of our innovative techniques will help you:

• increase your profits
• stay ahead of your competition
• enhance your business.

Be happy and prosperous!

Director of SR&DB CT ILTPE NAS,
UKRAINE
Professor, Dr.Tech.
Stanislav I. BONDARENKO

Basic Directions of SR&DB Activities in Area of Nuclear Engineering, Scientific, Technological and Production Basis, Commercial Value of the Proposed Equipment and Facilities

The background for the creation of science-potential technologies and equipment in SR&DB has been years of scientific research and development across many areas of fundamental and applied science, as well as an esteemed staff including many world renowned science-doctors and candidates.

The production, testing and technological departments of SR&DB with their sufficient contribution to new developments, ensure an entire cycle of new generation products, starting from a scientific idea and finishing with market introduction of the final product. The focus of proven SR&DB activities, multiplied by realized scientific and technological potential, are coinciding with and contributing to:

• a fuel-and-power-engineering complex of the economy,
• special purpose instruments - construction industry.

Today, about 200 of SR&DB personnel are directly engaged in the development and manufacture for nuclear power - engineering branch. SR&DB has contractual agreements with the Ukrainian National Nuclear Power-Engineering Generation Co. and with the nuclear power plant in Zaporozhe, Ukraine. SR&DB has a long list of successful ecologically perfect developments aimed to:

• elevate safety of nuclear power plants operation;
• increase reliability and efficiency of the equipment and facilities, as well as
• update aging technology and equipment.

All these issues are introduced into research models having undergone organizational interior pilot test trials. Among these, there are:

• Highly effective, easily detachable thermal insulation sections used at reactors and pipelines of 1st and 2nd contours of nuclear power plants.
• Fire preventive seismic secure valve devices for application with venting and air-conditioning systems at nuclear power plant rooms and premises under temperatures up to 1,000 degrees C.
• Highly reliable, high precision limit switches and positioning analyzers for regulation and shutter armature, intended for operation in every zone of a reactor, including emergency areas.
• Pulse type multi volume air cooler used to cool rooms or zones in emergency situations.
• Acoustic type contact free fluid level meters, including great fluid capacities with toxic or radiation background.

• mass-spectrometer system for monitoring and control of 1st contour heat-carrier status for WWER-type reactors,
• complex equipment for automated fire-extinguishing based upon usage of pressurized nitrogen.

Both of these developments have been frequently exhibited to Ukrainian and foreign experts with resulting interest and approval (Design Bureau <<GIDROPRESS>>, GROUPE SCHNEIDER). Now, these items are to be mastered to serial production and certification level.

To date, these products have been intended for use at nuclear power plants that have been designed and engineered during Soviet times. Statistics show that the former USSR republics and Eastern European countries have been using about 60 reactors of said type, including 15 reactors on Ukrainian territory. This potential demand is accounting for:

• severe competition in the West,
• exactingness of customers and
• high quality and reliability standards for equipment and facilities

We are confident that above developments can be competitive in the world, provided it is backed by the prestige of supporting U.S. companies. It is also worth mentioning that implementation of said developments is also feasible for small and medium firms active in the nuclear power engineering sector.

The Monitoring and Control System for First Contour Heat Carrier Status at Nuclear Power Plants with WWER- 1000 Type Reactors

The status of a heat carrier for the 1st contour of a reactor is the most critical factor in maintaining the security of a nuclear power plant. The proposed system of monitoring and control for the heat carrier status (of a first contour at a nuclear power plant with WWER-1000 type reactors) is the SKT-1. The SKT-1 is based on mass spectral material analysis method, which is most improved and informative. Until recently, an application of said method had been limited due to extra complexity of equipment and demand for highly skilled personnel.

Revolutionary changes over the latest decade, with microprocessor technologies and software provisions, have elevated the mass spectrometric techniques to a perfected level. In other words, sufficiently obtain automated and secure systems feasible for high-grade analytical records.

Nowadays, the nuclear power branch of engineering, uses the neutron boron meters for measurements of boric-acid concentrations, within 1st contour heat carrier. The neutron boron-meters are conceptually based on monitoring a degree of adsorption, by a control solution, of neutrons emitted by a reference source. Regardless of the fact that neutron meters are, by themselves, the sources of harmful irradiation, they also have a rather low analytical index and, more importantly, a low trustworthiness and measurement reliability.

This has led to the necessity of permanently controlling the monitoring process by chemical analytical methods. Nevertheless, both neutron meters and chemical methods provide for monitoring of only one index of the heat carrier quality- i.e., boric acid concentration. Moreover, with the drawbacks of neutron meters there are also high costs associated with these instruments. Operation of reactors, of different model developments, requires 14 to 22 neutron boron meters with a cost of $670,000 USD (assuming the neutron boron meters are Russian made).

The SR&DB has engineered, manufactured and internally tested systems for status monitoring of heat carrier, based upon the mass-spectrometric methods. Said systems, the SKT-1, are maximally compatible with WWER-type reactors made in Russia and, can easily be adapted to usage with other reactors of said type. These systems are introduced into sample offtake manifolds used for chemical analysis. Under automated regime, being controlled by its individual hardware processor or by a total computer network, said systems are feasible to monitor:

• boric acid total concentration;
  
• isotope ration of ¹⁰ B/¹¹ B;
  
• composition of heat carrier-dissolved gases (like H₂, He, O₂, NH₃, Ar, Kr, Xe etc);

Main technical data of SKT-1 performance:

1. Boric acid concentration measurements range	0 to 50 g/liter
2. Responsibility	0.1 g/kg
3. Measurements accuracy	4 %
4. Measurements dynamic band	10B/11B
5. Reaction	60 sec
6. Gas component volume measurements band	0.01 to 100%
7. Power consumption	3 kW
8. Weight	140 kg
9. Overall dimensions:
a. analytical block	920 by 1000 by 100 mm
b. hydromultiplexer	1200 by 200 by 300 mm

A price cost of a SKT-1 unit, being Ukraine-made, amounts to about $92,000 USD.

Introduction of the proposed system will ensure: enhanced operational safety for a power reactor block, improvement of technical and economical records, a prolonged life-span of the main equipment and efficient fuel consumption.

Complex Equipment for Automated Fire-Extinguishing Based upon Usage of Pressurized Nitrogen.

The problem of fire extinguishing for electronics and electrotechnic racks and tables, despite some achievements in this field, is still highly relevant. This issue is more urgent still for the nuclear power sector due to specific conditions, for which there should be a 100% reliability guarantee. These problems are now met by conventional methods that eventually result in complete termination of electronic and electric hardware or, at least, with usage of carbon dioxide, and apparatus failure due to corrosion attack or electrostatic discharge impacts.

Practically all means of fire extinguishing are harmfully influencing the personnel health and complicate emergency/rescue and renewal operations following the fire extinguishing itself. The high cost and value of electronic and electrotechnic equipment, multiplied by critical effect and security of processes controlled therewith, contribute to rigid demands of fire extinguishing systems at nuclear power plants.

Less effective are the fire extinguishing systems offered by Cerberus Co., Austria, with application of FM200 gas. This gas, however, belongs to class of freon whose use is prohibited. Additionally, while thermal decomposition in a fire, said freon outgases become volatile substances that are especially hazardous to one's health even in minor concentrations.

Having gained substantial experience in developments of applications for liquefied and pressurized nitrogen, SR&DB has engineered a fire-extinguishing system (FES) free from the above mentioned drawbacks and flaws. Nitrogen is practically inert and is easily available without harmful effects to the personnel or equipment. Harmful compositions never occur, even in a violent fire, and nitrogen content increases of 85 - 90 percent does not seriously affect a human body.

The FES satisfies all requirements of the nuclear power sector and is perfectly adjusted to cabinets and racks of technical processes and automatic control systems at nuclear power plants operating with water/ water type reactors. At the same time, conceptually, the FES equipment is feasible to be used in other types of power plant functional systems.

Technical data of the FES self-sufficient system to be applied with one cabinet or rack: System lifetime at centinel regime

1. Protected capacity	up to 1 cu. m
2. Power consumption at "centinel" regime	50 W; 220 V
10 years
4. System operational lifetime	15 cycles
5. Weight	50 kg
6. Overall dimensions	600 by 600 by 300 mm

Such a system contains warning devices that react upon smoke or an overrated temperature inside a rack or a cabinet. A sprinkler device then ejects a portion of pressurized gas capable of extinguishing a fire within 30 seconds.

The cost of such system amounts to 3-7 percent of total cost of the equipment and facilities being protected. In other words, an average cubic meter protected by FES meter costs about $8.000 - .$10.000 USD.

At the same time, in case of consolidating such FES units intended for cabinets or racks into a group (grouping is rationally plausible in any industry), an addressed spray of pressurized nitrogen is provided that result in duplicate FES- cost reduction.

The experimental FES models have undergone SR&DB-internal test trials in the presence of the Ukraine State Fire Department authorities having received their approval.

The nitrogen-application fire-extinguishing system is a new highly efficient direction to safe and reliable equipment operation!

Our goal is an organized mutual cooperation. SR&DB would submit its developments, knowledge and experience to the contribution of joint projects, along with participation in production and adjustment of client equipment. In turn, SR&DB expects financial support from its partners for the following activities:

• certification formalities for industrial models
• product manufacturing
• marketing and service operations

SR&DB has a strong scientific and research background plus many years of experience in the field of intensive scientific technologies such as aircraft and space applications. SR&DB is confident that we can successfully apply our experience and knowledge for new developments in the nuclear power engineering sector!

Highly qualified SR&DB experts are always ready to help solve your problems using their knowledge and experience!