A European Commission funded project to upgrade the reactor control and protection system (RCPS) and the nuclear flux monitoring system (NFMS) at Khmelnitsky NPP in Ukraine has been completed.
The contract worth more than EUR 10 million was awarded to contractor CJSC RADIY (Ukraine) on 14 December 2006. The project was implemented with: the European Commission (EC), EC Joint Research Centre (JRC), a consortium of Iberdrola (Spain) and Sogin (Italy) and the Khmelnitsky NPP.
The main project objective was to replace the existing, old, analogue equipment with modern software and hardware to meet Ukrainian and international codes and standards, to improve system maintainability, and to increase the plant reliability, availability and overall safety.
The following systems were replaced: the emergency protection system (EPS); the preliminary protection system (PPS-1 and PPS-2) and accelerated preliminary protection system (APPS); the reactor unload and power limitation system (UPLS); the automatic reactor power controller (ARPC) and the neutron flux monitoring system (NFMS)
The upgraded systems were approved for commercial operation in September 2009.
On-site assistance continues
Sogin and Iberdrola are also involved in a EUR 1.5 million, on-site assistance (OSA) project at Khmelnitsky NPP. The project, also funded by a European Commission programme, aims to provide direct material and professional support to the former Soviet Union’s countries in improving safety of their operating nuclear power plants. The project will run from 2008 to 2011.
The general objective of the OSA project has been to support the plant, upon its request, in any aspect related to nuclear safety.
The consultant has implemented several specific activities to improve safety of the Khmelnitsky NPP, including:
- Development and introduction of the operator information support system-software that assists personnel to respond to alarms received at the main control room. The system provides useful information related to the causes of alarm occurrence and provides guidance for actions to be taken by the operator.
- Optimization of technical maintenance and repair of safety systems by using risk-informed approaches.
- Safety improvement during operation and maintenance of liquid radioactive waste treatment facilities, which has involved training of Khmelnitsky NPP personnel in operation of the Liquid Radwaste Treatment Station (LRWTS), which was recently completed in another TACIS project.
