Establishment of the Russian Methodology and Training Centre, Phase 3 & Production strategy of instrumentation for accounting and control of nuclear materials

R5.01/95: Establishment of the Russian Methodology and Training Centre (RMTC), Phase 3

This project is the continuation of the projects R5.01/94 (see contracts 23425 and 23498).
Within the framework of the collaboration between the European Commission and the Russian Federation, this project was oriented at supporting the Russian Federation to transform and reinforce the State System of Accountancy and Control of nuclear materials (SSAC).

The project was part of a comprehensive programme, aimed at establishing the Russian Methodology and Training Centre (RMTC) at the Institute of Physics and Power Engineering (IPPE), Obninsk, to provide educational, training and technology transfer in Nuclear Material Accountancy and Control (NMAC) for a major part of the Russian fuel cycle.

The tasks of the RMTC were the following:

• Education, training and technology transfer
• Development and testing of methods
• Calibration of instruments and test of procedures
• Traceability of field measurements to primary standards

R5.02/95: Production strategy of instrumentation for accounting and control of nuclear materials

Within the framework of the collaboration between the European Commission and the Russian Federation, this project was oriented at supporting the Russian Federation to transform and reinforce the State System of Accountancy and Control of nuclear materials (SSAC).

For political and financial reasons, a significant part of the NMAC instrumentation with appropriate performance characteristics had to be produced in Russia. To this end, the cooperation with the EU industry, in specific excellence areas, was expected to be beneficial.

This project was the first of a comprehensive TACIS programme aimed at enabling the Russian industry to produce the instrumentation necessary for the Nuclear Material Accountancy and Control (NMAC) system in the Russian Federation, by contributing to the creation of the logistics, technical know-how, infrastructures and technical conditions, and identifying the potential for joint manufacturing/ collaboration with the EU industry.

At the time of the project implementation, the supervisory management of the major part of the nuclear facilities came under the Ministry of Atomic Energy of the Russian Federation (MINATOM). In this context MINATOM assigned to the All Russia Research Institute of Automatics (Russian VNIIA), the role of monitoring the suitability and quality of instrumentation procured for NMA&C in the Russian Federation. Part of the work of this project was performed by VNIIA under subcontract from the Contractor.

The project was followed by the project R5.01/96 (see contract 25661).

The present service contract was complemented by the equipment supply project, managed by the Procurement Agent (PA), "Gamma spectrometry instrumentation" (see R5.03/95B).

R5.01/95

The specific objectives of the project were to provide instruments, methodologies, fissile material standards, appropriate laboratory and training facilities to the RMTC, as detailed in the previous phase study (Project R5.01/94, contracts 23425 and 23498), such that calibration and training activities could be carried out by Russian Federation staff autonomously.

This third phase of the project for the establishment of the Russian Methodology and Training Centre (RMTC) comprised four sub-activities:

1. Procurement of fissile material standards (RMTC reference materials):

• 55 UO2 standards and certification reports,
• 16 PuO2 standards and certification reports,
• 4 Am-Li neutron sources.

The sources were procured through a subcontract to IPPE.

2. Modification of IPPE engineering systems:

Renewal/refurbishment of required IPPE engineering systems (ventilation, electrical supply lines, safety and physical protection systems, safety systems for U-Pu samples, safes, cameras),
Tanks, pipe-lines, wall structures for TAMSKA laboratory (mass/volume calibration system for liquid accountancy tanks).
The work was performed through a subcontract to IPPE.

3. Training and seminars:

• 5 training courses at Obninsk (8-10 trainees, two interpreters, one week),
• 4 training courses at JRC-Ispra (8-10 trainees, two interpreters, one week),
• 1 international seminar at Obninsk (50-70 people),
• 1 data base for training,
• Manuals;

4. Project monitoring, coordination and training equipment:

• Coordination of the overall RMTC project,
• Delivery of special JRC training equipment and software to RMTC:
  • Instrumentation and software for TAMSKA laboratory,
  • "Russified" version of WECALSKA code for weight calibration,
  • "Russified" version of SAMBA code for computerised nuclear material accounting,
  • Small NDA equipment (2 CdTe detectors, 2 MCAs, dedicated electronics and specific software),
  • C/S systems (seals, 2 JRC seal reading systems, 1 JRC surveillance system, dedicated software),
  • Testing tools for technical reception tests (2 oscilloscopes, 1 pulse generator, electronics, statistical tools, dedicated software).
• Follow-up of the separate equipment supply project R5.01/95A "Equipment for Russian methodology and training centre":
  • provision of technical specifications and assistance to PA for the tender/ procurement phase,
  • technical reception tests of the equipment,
  • supervision of the equipment installation at the RMTC.

For information on the separate equipment supply contracts see R5.01/95A (2 separate contracts).

R5.02/95

The overall objective of the project (and indeed of the comprehensive programme of projects) was to contribute to the creation of the logistics, technical know-how, infrastructures and technical conditions to allow the Russian industry to produce the instrumentation necessary for the Nuclear Material Accountancy and Control (NMAC) system in the Russian Federation, and to consider the value of joint manufacturing / collaboration with EU industry.

The specific objectives of the comprehensive programme were to:

• Evaluate instrumentation needs throughout the Russian fuel cycle;
• Review available Russian and foreign instrumentation;
• Recommend development priorities and define manufacturing specifications (for the present contract: gamma instrumentation);
• Recommend infrastructure for measurement quality control;
• Analyse factors affecting potential collaboration with EU industry.

Additional specific objectives of the present contract were to:

• Design the Masterplan document, the strategic framework for the establishment of the industrial production of NMAC instrumentation in the Russian Federation, to be submitted to Russian government and industrial authorities (the document itself was produced in the follow-on contract, see 25661);
• Procure (in collaboration with the PA), the equipment of the supply project R5.03/95B:
  • Development of the technical specifications for the tender for industrial production of two mini-series of gamma instruments (project R5.03/95B);
  • Technical and financial evaluation of the offers for the mini-series;
  • Follow-up of the supply contract(s)
  • On-site testing of the mini-series, to be carried out by Russian facilities and institutes, and by the contractor for specific environmental and electromagnetic aspects;

R5.01/95

While the activities foreseen in the contract ToR were successfully carried out and the deliverables were all provided, significant delays occurred mainly due to the long time required to establish the equipment supply contracts and long delays related to customs clearance at the Russian border. For this reason, the Contractor continued to perform some activities related to the equipment supplies, installation and testing of the equipment at site, at his own expense, after the expiry of the contract.
The equipment, worth € 902,308.00 in total, was finally delivered to the Beneficiary, installed and put into operation. For further information on the equipment supply contracts, see R5.01/95A (2 separate contracts).

For the next phase of the project see follow-on project R5.01/96 & R5.03/96 (contract 25661).

Project R5.03/95: Production strategy of instrumentation for accounting and control of nuclear materials

R5.02/95

While the activities foreseen in the contract ToR were successfully carried out and the deliverables were provided, significant delays occurred mainly due to the long time required to establish the equipment supply contracts and long delays related to customs clearance at the Russian border. For this reason, the Contractor continued to perform the activities related to the equipment supplies, installation and testing of the equipment at site in the framework of the follow-on contract.

The equipment, worth € 96,260.00 in total, was finally delivered to the Beneficiary, installed and put into operation. For the equipment supply contract, see R5.03/95B.

For the next phase of the project see follow-on project R5.01/96 & R5.03/96 (contract 25661).