Workshop on the topic: “Strategies for managing severe accidents for VVER-1000 reactors”
From 3 to 5 September, 2024, WANO Moscow Centre together with Kozloduy NPP conducted a workshop on the topic: “Strategies for managing severe accidents for VVER-1000 reactors”. The workshop was held in a video conference format on the Telemost platform.
Working languages: Russian, English. WANO Moscow Centre provided simultaneous translation.
The meeting was attended by more than 40 specialists representing 15 nuclear power plants from seven countries: Armenia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Hungary, India, China, Russia, and representatives of operating organizations Rosenergoatom, JNPC (Jiangsu Nuclear Power Corporation), as well as experts from FSUE Atomflot, VNIIAES, GIDROPRESS, WANO Shanghai office.
The workshop was opened by WANO MC Deputy Director Sergey Vybornov, he noted that it is necessary to remember the causes of the accidents that occurred at Three Mile Island NPP, Chernobyl NPP, and Fukushima NPP.
The workshop purpose is to exchange experiences and information about the organizational approaches and strategies used in the Severe Accident Management Manual.
To manage severe accidents, each plant must have appropriate procedures, trained personnel and operating equipment.
If a severe accident occurs, NPP personnel must be ready to perform tasks to prevent damage to nuclear fuel and prevent releases of fission products, bringing the power unit into a controlled stable state.
During peer reviews, the emergency preparedness of the plant to manage severe accidents is necessarily assessed in accordance with the WANO document “PO&C-2019 – Performance objectives and criteria”. In conclusion, S. Vybornov wished the meeting participants successful work, open mutual exchange of information and good practices.
The Head of the Emergency Procedures and Analysis Sector, Svetlomir Mitkov, presented information on the monitoring and control system for processes during a severe accident at Kozloduy NPP. MC peer review program adviser Viktor Livinsky presented a report on the reasons for AFI on the topic: “Preparedness for emergency situations and severe accidents (EP.2)”.
On the final day, the round table summed up the results of the event: the meeting participants noted the need to analyze the causes of accidents at nuclear power plants, simulate emergency situations using simulators, and practice practical actions by operators in order to develop skills in managing severe accidents at nuclear power plants. It was proposed to conduct the next workshop at the nuclear power plant to cover the following topics:
• Implementation of an instrumentation system for conditions of beyond design basis and severe accidents.
• Modernization of operating nuclear power plants from the point of view of increasing safety and resistance to beyond design basis and severe accidents.
• Calculation and analytical substantiation of emergency instructions, verification of instructions for full-scale simulator, finalization of instructions based on the results of NPP operation.
Closing the workshop, Sergei Loktionov, head of the WANO MC OL&D program, thanked all the experts for their active work and the presented materials (presentations), he said that after the accident at Fukushima NPP, a Regional Crisis Centre (RCC) was created in Moscow Centre, designed to provide supporting emergency response to its members, including in the event of severe accidents.
RCC regularly participates in emergency trainings with participation of operating organizations and nuclear power plants; the Moscow Centre attention is focused on the issues of emergency response and severe accident management.
Working languages: Russian, English. WANO Moscow Centre provided simultaneous translation.
The meeting was attended by more than 40 specialists representing 15 nuclear power plants from seven countries: Armenia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Hungary, India, China, Russia, and representatives of operating organizations Rosenergoatom, JNPC (Jiangsu Nuclear Power Corporation), as well as experts from FSUE Atomflot, VNIIAES, GIDROPRESS, WANO Shanghai office.
The workshop was opened by WANO MC Deputy Director Sergey Vybornov, he noted that it is necessary to remember the causes of the accidents that occurred at Three Mile Island NPP, Chernobyl NPP, and Fukushima NPP.
The workshop purpose is to exchange experiences and information about the organizational approaches and strategies used in the Severe Accident Management Manual.
To manage severe accidents, each plant must have appropriate procedures, trained personnel and operating equipment.
If a severe accident occurs, NPP personnel must be ready to perform tasks to prevent damage to nuclear fuel and prevent releases of fission products, bringing the power unit into a controlled stable state.
During peer reviews, the emergency preparedness of the plant to manage severe accidents is necessarily assessed in accordance with the WANO document “PO&C-2019 – Performance objectives and criteria”. In conclusion, S. Vybornov wished the meeting participants successful work, open mutual exchange of information and good practices.
The Head of the Emergency Procedures and Analysis Sector, Svetlomir Mitkov, presented information on the monitoring and control system for processes during a severe accident at Kozloduy NPP. MC peer review program adviser Viktor Livinsky presented a report on the reasons for AFI on the topic: “Preparedness for emergency situations and severe accidents (EP.2)”.
On the final day, the round table summed up the results of the event: the meeting participants noted the need to analyze the causes of accidents at nuclear power plants, simulate emergency situations using simulators, and practice practical actions by operators in order to develop skills in managing severe accidents at nuclear power plants. It was proposed to conduct the next workshop at the nuclear power plant to cover the following topics:
• Implementation of an instrumentation system for conditions of beyond design basis and severe accidents.
• Modernization of operating nuclear power plants from the point of view of increasing safety and resistance to beyond design basis and severe accidents.
• Calculation and analytical substantiation of emergency instructions, verification of instructions for full-scale simulator, finalization of instructions based on the results of NPP operation.
Closing the workshop, Sergei Loktionov, head of the WANO MC OL&D program, thanked all the experts for their active work and the presented materials (presentations), he said that after the accident at Fukushima NPP, a Regional Crisis Centre (RCC) was created in Moscow Centre, designed to provide supporting emergency response to its members, including in the event of severe accidents.
RCC regularly participates in emergency trainings with participation of operating organizations and nuclear power plants; the Moscow Centre attention is focused on the issues of emergency response and severe accident management.
