Cooperative safety programme to enhance operational effectiveness, safety performance and human resources effectiveness of NNEGC Energoatom and its nuclear power plants

The general objective of this Cooperative Safety Programme was to support improvement of nuclear safety of the Ukrainian nuclear power plants (NPPs).

The support provided included:

• Transferring the best international knowledge and capabilities the NNEGC ENERGOATOM (the programme End User)
• Implementing specific measures at the pilot NPPs related to plant safety management, operation and maintenance.

The Programme was implemented through five projects having the following specific objectives:
Project U1.05/10 T1 – Development and implementation of a Reliability Centred Maintenance strategy

• Develop a Maintenance Strategy for NNEGC Energoatom (EA) nuclear power plants (NPP) following principles of a Reliability-Centred Maintenance (RCM)
• Develop a comprehensive framework for transfer from Interval Based Maintenance to Condition Based Maintenance for the NPP Structures, Systems, and Components (SSC) important to safety
• Enhance the reliability and availability of the plant SSC important to safety
• Reduce the radiation exposure to the NPP maintenance personnel

Project U1.05/10 T2 – Improvement of operational Plant Configuration Information Management processes

• Develop a computer-based information system of plant operational configuration (Automated Plant Configuration Data System – APCDS). This system should reliably inform NPP operations personnel about actual operating condition and configuration of NPP equipment subject to Limiting Conditions of Operation (LCO)
• Provide for registration and on-line transmission of information on the actual plant equipment condition/configuration to the APCDS during the regular field operator walk-downs
• Develop an advanced plant walk-down methodology
• Prepare technical specifications for the APCDS hardware and walk-down data acquisition equipment
• Train Beneficiary/End User personnel in the new walk-down methodology and in use of APCDS

Project U1.05/10 T3 Introduction of Computer Aided Training and Qualification Control for operating personnel in the area of nuclear and radiation safety

• Develop an e-learning system including:
• web based network architecture
• hardware requirements and specifications (servers, PC, tablet PC etc.)
• course data base
• course creation tools for designing training courses
• knowledge test data base - training part (teaching library)
• strategies for learning and for learner evaluation
• Develop interactive Multimedia Training Courses on selected EA normative documentation
• Develop and implement pools of Nuclear and Radiation Safety (NRS) examination questions and answers approved by the Nuclear Regulatory Authority for the selected normative documentation
• Develop and implement an automated Staff Knowledge Verification (software) system certified by the Ukrainian Nuclear Regulatory Authority
• Train selected End-user personnel in development of training courses and materials.
• Disseminate results within EA NPPs and divisions and Chernobyl NPP.

Project U1.05/10 T4 Improving the process for the control of Design Documentation and NPP Configuration Management

• Develop generic guidance documents for implementation and performance of a plant configuration management system at EA NNPs. The system should ensure consistency between plant design requirements, actual configuration of the plant SSC and the SSC documentation.
• Check compliance of physical configuration of a NPP system with its design requirements and configuration information (specifications, drawings, procedures)
• Establish design bases and requirements for three NPP systems, identify deficiencies and propose corrective actions
• Propose a plant configuration information system and develop a specific software (SW) module of the system
• Train Beneficiary/End User personnel in the configuration management system and its selected components; disseminate the sub-project results to personnel not directly involved in the project

Project U1.05/10 T5 Reviewing and Optimizing practices for Integrity Testing of Reactor Primary Pressure Systems for EA’s NPPs

• Review the analysis (developed under a national sub-project) a possibility to extend intervals between the strength hydraulic tests (HT) of the reactor coolant system (RCS) and to decrease the test coolant pressure
• Verify whether the analysis complies with international standards and international best practice
• Develop an action plan including a set of measures necessary to justify extending the interval between the HT at the reduced pressure.

In the strength hydraulic test, RCS components are shortly subject to a pressure higher than the normal operating one. The main purpose of the periodic strength (integrity) HT is to reveal defects, which could endanger safe operation of the NPP.

Implementing the specific tasks of the individual projects, the contractor has achieved the following results:
U1.05/10 T1 – Development and implementation of a Reliability-Centred Maintenance (RCM) strategy

• Developed a Generic Methodological Guidelines (GMG) outlining basic principles, assumptions, criteria, and different phases of RCM
• Performed an RCM analysis of Class 2, 3, and 4 systems and components
• Prepared a list of Class 3 and 4 critical components identified in RCM analysis for which Condition-Based Maintenance (CBM) may be applied
• Developed a set of detailed procedures for implementing CBM at the EA NPPs; prepared a set of criteria to evaluate effectiveness of the preventive maintenance methods
• Specified a software (SW) system to store and analyse data of plant component technical specifications, operating requirements, conditions, maintenance strategies, etc.
• Procured and installed the software on a hardware at the pilot NPP (Khmelnitsky NPP); prepared a software user manual and control interfaces.
• Prepared an action plan for gradual transfer to RCM/CBM at the EA NPPs  Trained EA personnel in the developed documents, methodologies and the software system delivered.

U1.05/10 T2 – Improvement of operational Plant Configuration Information Management processes.

• Developed a new strategy for the operational configuration management (OCM) and monitoring of limiting conditions of operation (LCO) compliance
• Prepared technical specifications of the Automated Plant Configuration Data System (APCDS) hardware
• Developed procedural guideline for field operator’s walk-downs including processing the plant equipment information gathered
• Prepared technical specifications for portable data acquisition devices
• Developed the APCDS software application, including the man-machine interface and user manuals, installed and tested the APCDS software on End User’s hardware at the pilot NPP (Rivne NPP unit 4)
• Trained the End User personnel in the APCDS

U1.05/10 T3 Introduction of Computer Aided Training and Qualification Control for operating personnel in the area of nuclear and radiation safety

• Prepared technical specifications for Automated Computer Aided Training and Knowledge Control System in the Area of Nuclear and Radiation Safety (ASKO)
• Prepared (in collaboration with the End User) 60 multimedia training courses (MTC) with a bank of test questions (BTQ) for selected normative documents (nuclear and radiation safety codes and standards)
• Developed an ASKO software tool, installed and tested it on a hardware supplied by the End User at the pilot NPP (Khmelnitsky NPP); populated the ASKO SW with the prepared MTC & BTQ
• Prepared the ASKO developer’s and user’s manuals
• Trained the ASKO programmers and Training Centre instructors in ASKO use, maintenance and development, including creation of the MTC and test questions

U1.05/10 T4 Improving the process for the control of Design Documentation and NPP Configuration Management

• Developed a Configuration Management (CM) guideline including generic CM procedures and list of VVER-1000 structures, systems and components subject to the configuration management
• Developed a specific procedure for checking actual configuration of a selected NPP system; provided a training in the configuration audit
• Assisted the End User in establishing design basis information for selected plant systems
• Prepared technical specifications and developed a software of Configuration Information System (CIS) to manage and record NPP design changes
• Installed and tested the CIS on a hardware at the pilot NPP (South Ukraine NPP)
• Provided training to the End User personnel in Design Documentation and NPP Configuration Management

U1.05/10 T5 Reviewing and Optimizing practices for Integrity Testing of Reactor Primary Pressure Systems for EA’s NPPs

• Reviewed the supporting analysis on modified primary system integrity testing at the pilot NPP (Zaporizhiya NPP), as prepared by the End User
• Prepared recommendations on necessary additional activities to maintain the NPP reliability and safety, if intervals between the HT are longer and the test pressure is decreased
• Developed an action plan including a set of measures that are necessary to justify extending the frequency of the primary circuit HT from the initial 4 years to 6-8 years, and decreasing the test pressure
• Organized a dissemination meeting with all project stakeholders

CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The contractor has completed all tasks of the individual projects as required by the Terms of Reference of the Programme.

Based on the experience gained in the project implementation, the contractor in the Final Report suggested the following modifications concerning the INSC project management:

1. Clearly specify at beginning of the project the End User’s/Beneficiary’s responsibilities and staff allocation for the project implementation
2. Allocate available EC resources for each individual project
3. Involve End User’s IT experts in a SW development and/or procurement