Scientific and Technical Council

15.06.2015

Scheduled meeting of Scientific and Technical Council of SEC NRS

Decisions of Scientific and Technical Council of SEC NRS

On the first issue

Having heard and discussed the information presented by Sergey V. Komarov, Director of Dimitrovgrad Office of Research and Development Company “Sosny” on the topic “Demonstration of the air transport possibility in respect to the irradiated fuel assemblies from research reactors” (according to the inputs from Ph.D. thesis),

Scientific and Technical Council has noted that

The dissertation work prepared by S.V. Komarov is focused on justification of the possibility to transport by air the irradiated fuel assemblies from research reactors (RR SFA) as well as the development of a new solution in respect to RR SFA combined shipments (land and sea transportations and air shipments) in the Type B(U) packages (TUK-19) placed in the heavy-tonnage freight container (SGKK), which is specially designed for this purpose (with the significant contribution of the dissertation author).

Besides that, the conceptually new design of the Type C package for transport of RR SFA by air (ТUK-145/С) is put forward by the dissertation of S.V. Komarov. This package is the improvement on the basis of SKODA VPVR/M cask placed in Energy Absorption Container (EAC) intended for absorption of intensive mechanical impacts owing to introduction into the internal volume of EAC of the energy-absorbing elements in the form of hollow spheres made of titanium alloy. Design-basis calculations for ТUК-145/С package that were previously carried out by the author, are confirmed by the results of simulation experiment (on a scale 1:2,5).

Scientific and Technical Council has decided

to take note of the information presented and to approve this dissertation work. Sergey V. Komarov is recommended to take into consideration the discussion results in the course of the thesis defense.

On the second issue

Having heard and discussed the response to dissertation prepared by S.V. Komarov “Demonstration of the air transport possibility in respect to the irradiated fuel assemblies from research reactors” that is prepared by the group of SEC NRS experts (presentation made by Anton V. Kuryndin, Ph.D., Head of Nuclear and Radiation Safety Division),

Scientific and Technical Council has noted that

the topicality and scientific novelty of this dissertation is certain; its outcomes which stitch together the calculation and the experimental best practices will facilitate and make it possible to carry out the well-timed removal of SNF from research reactors sites for processing and to comply with the guarantees in the course of ‘fresh’ fuel shipment to the foreign research reactors. Such opportunity substantiates the doubtless practical relevance of the work performed taking into account the SC “ROSATOM” programme on construction of new research reactors abroad.

The dissertation prepared by S.V. Komarov complies with the criteria to thesis submitted for a PH.D. degree in Engineering Science established by Section II (para. 9-11 and 13-14) “Provision on Awarding of the Ph.D. Degree” adopted by Resolution of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 842 “On the Procedure for Conference of a Science Degree” dated of September 24, 2013 and passport on specialization No. 05.14.03 “Nuclear Power Installations, including Design, Operation and Decommissioning” (fields of research № 1, № 2 and № 6).

Scientific and Technical Council has decided

To recommend for approval the response prepared by SEC NRS considered to be as the leading organization in relation to the dissertation work developed by Sergey Vladimirovich Komarov “Demonstration of the air transport possibility in respect to the irradiated fuel assemblies from research reactors” submitted for a degree of PH.D. in Engineering Science for specialization No. 05.14.03 “Nuclear Power Installations, including Design, Operation and Decommissioning”.

On the third issue

Having heard the information presented by Anna V. Talitskaya, senior researcher of Division for Safety of Fuel Cycle Facilities and after speaking in debates,

Scientific and Technical Council has noted that

safety assessment in respect to the storage facilities and the disposal facilities for radioactive waste is being performed by Division for Safety of Fuel Cycle Facilities on the basis of a methodology developed by the IAEA within the frames of several international projects (ISAM, ASAM, PRISM, PRISMA, GEOSAF, GEOSAF II) in which the specialists of the Division have been involved and continue to take an active part. The methodological approach applied is tailored to the specificity of requirements provided by the federal regulations and rules in the part of radioactive waste management and with taking into consideration the specific features of the Russian facilities under assessment.

Activities concerned with the long-term predictive evaluation of safety of the storage facilities and the disposal facilities for RAW considered within the period prior to and after their closure, are under implementation by Division for Safety of Fuel Cycle Facilities for more than 10 years and, specifically, in the frames of the Federal Target Program “Provision of Nuclear and Radiation Safety for the Year 2008 and up to 2015”, as well as under the contracts with the industry enterprises concluded to carry out safety assessment in respect to RAW storage facilities and disposal facilities.

The long-term assessment of safety is based on the predictive calculation of radionuclides migration from RAW confinement facility into the environment and their exposure on humans.

Calculations of the radionuclides migration are performed using software tools. The Division for Safety of Fuel Cycle Facilities operates the following software tools: for the one-dimensional simulation and the effective dose computation – the Ecolego software; for the purposes of one-, two- and three-dimensional simulation – the Comsol software ; for the purposes of two- and three-dimensional simulation – the ModFlow software. Licenses for all above-mentioned software tools are available in SEC NRS; but software tools are not certified within the established procedure.

Safety assessment within the period after the near-surface disposal facility closure is only the part of the safety assessment of a facility. For the first time the Division for Safety of Fuel Cycle Facilities has implemented the safety assessment in the course of the facility operation using the IAEA methodology developed as a part of the SADRWMS and CRAFT projects which led to the introduction of General Safety Guide "The Safety Case and Safety Assessment for the Predisposal Management of Radioactive Waste” (No. GSG-3); this safety assessment was carried out through the work in respect to the near-surface disposal facility of “Novouralsk” branch of the FSUE NO RAO.

The Division for Safety of Fuel Cycle Facilities has performed complex of works on safety assessment of radioactive waste disposal facilities for:

  • Deep disposal facility for liquid radioactive waste (LRW DDF) of “Dimitrovgradsky” branch of the FSUE NO RAO;
  • LRW DDF of “Seversky” branch of the FSUE NO RAO;
  • the near-surface disposal facility of “Novouralsk” branch of the FSUE NO RAO;
  • radioactive waste storage facility of the cementation facility of the FSUE “PO Mayak”.

The objective of activities in respect to LRW DDF of the “Dimitrovgradsky” and the “Seversky” branches of the FSUE NO RAO was to determine the permissible characteristics of liquid radioactive waste on the grounds of the predictive calculation of radionuclides migration in the geological environment and the long-term assessment of LRW DDF safety. Maximum total activity of liquid radwaste and permissible content of the long-lived radionuclides in the disposed liquid radwaste were collected due to the efforts of the works conducted; they were determined following the outcomes of the predictive evaluation of the long-term safety.

Aiming to carry out the predictive calculations in respect to the assessment of maximum possible amount of radionuclides subject to disposal in the mining levels of the “Seversky” DDF, the three-dimensional model was developed on the basis of ModFlow software; it includes as follows:

  • the model of the “Seversky” DDF location area, including catchment area and discharge area of the mining levels (the model of the Ist grade);
  • the model of the “Seversky” DDF, which dimensions were conditioned by the area of possible spreading of the neutral component after injecting of the anticipated volumes of liquid radioactive waste (the model of the IInd grade);
  • models of separate injection wells which dimensions were conditioned by spreading of the neutral component after injecting of the anticipated volumes of liquid radioactive waste (the model of the IIIrd grade).

In order to perform the predictive calculations in respect to the assessment of maximum acceptable amount of radionuclides subject to disposal in the mining levels of the “Dimitrovgradsky” DDF, the two-dimensional model was developed on the basis of Comsol software. The long-term predictive evaluation of consequences with regard to operation of deep disposal facility for liquid radioactive waste was carried out in which the following was simulated:

  • migration of the beta-emitting sorpbing long-lived and short-lived radionuclides;
  • migration of the alpha-emitting sorpbing long-lived radionuclides.

Within the frames of the expert assessment of the reporting materials on justification of the safe level of the specific activity of alpha-emitting nuclides in the cement compound of the cementation facility for liquid intermediate-level waste (CF ILW) of the Radiochemical plant (FSUE “PO Mayak”) that were submitted by CJSC “Geospetsekologiya” under the contract with SEC NRS, the correspondence analysis of the substantiated (calculated) specific activity of the alpha-emitting radionuclides in the cement compound of the cementation facility for liquid intermediate-level waste (CF ILW) of the Radiochemical plant (FSUE “PO Mayak”) with the requirements of the federal regulations and rules in the field of the use of atomic energy and the state-of-the-art was carried out.

This expert assessment has revealed certain deficiencies concerned with not only the construction of the CF ILW behaviour models developed by CJSC “Geospetsekologiya” , but also the selection of input parameters applied for the predictive calculation fulfilling.

Scientific and Technical Council has decided

  1. To take note of the information presented.
  2. To endorse the implementation of the safety assessment in respect to the storage facilities and the disposal facilities for radioactive waste.
  3. To continue accumulation and periodic updating of information in respect to the radiation hazardous facilities; to detect the critical points of their safety status on the basis of the predictive evaluations and to be active within the application of the gained results in the course of safety assessments and on-site inspections.
  4. The Division for Safety of Fuel Cycle Facilities is recommended to make better use of the practical experience already accumulated during development of regulatory documents and safety guidelines, concerned with the assessment and justification of safety of the storage facilities and the disposal facilities for radioactive waste.
  5. The Division for Safety of Fuel Cycle Facilities is recommended to prepare the required materials and to provide the Ecolego software for certification within the established procedure (this software is used for safety assessment of the storage facilities and the disposal facilities for radioactive waste ).
  6. The Division for Safety of Fuel Cycle Facilities is recommended to develop and to provide the Department for Safety Regulation of Nuclear Fuel Cycle Facilities, Nuclear Power Installations of Vessels and Radiation Hazardous Facilities with proposals on reasonability of development and application of the “special criteria” considered to be the levels of radiation impact (including those exceeding the value of 10µSv/year for population) in respect to the near-surface storage facilities, RAW storage facilities located on the territory of such facilities as the FSUE “PO Mayak”, Siberian Chemical Combine and others, where the accommodation of population is impracticable in the foreseeable future . This work is to be performed on the basis of the activities completed.

On the fourth issue

Following the information presented by A.A. Afanasiev, Scientific Secretary of SEC NRS, and after speaking in debates,

Scientific and Technical Council has noted that

the scientific rankings are being introduced with the purpose to improve the effectiveness of scientific research, to develop the scientific subdivisions performance directed at collection and making use of new knowledge in major directions of activity as well as to encourage the professional growth of the scientific employees.

The scientific rankings considered to be as the quantitative indicators of efficiency of the scientific activity were introduced in SEC NRS in December of 2013, then they passed evaluation on the basis of activity results for the year 2013 and the obtained findings of the determination of the employees rankings and the summarized rankings of the scientific subdivisions were considered during the Scientific and Technical Council meeting in March of 2014.

The STC generally welcomed the application of rankings regarded as the additional way to encourage the scientific activity of the subdivisions’ specialists. It was suggested that the methodology on scientific ranking determination should be completed by the group of experts (the working group) in the light of the subdivisions’ proposals. This working group presented the modified methodology on determination of the scientific rankings at the beginning of 2015. After series of discussions and coordination, the Order No. 25 “On the Scientific Rankings for the Subdivisions and Employees of SEC NRS” (dated of April 01, 2015) was issued to approve Provision on determination of scientific ranking (including the methodology to earn points for the particular type of the scientific activity). Following this Order, the process on annual determination of the scientific rankings and their practical application by the management of organization was introduced.

The results collected in April of the current year in respect to the determination of the scientific rankings of the subdivisions and specialists were analyzed and clarified by Scientific and Administration Division. The typical errors made by SEC NRS subdivisions under the calculation of rankings and inaccuracies of the methodology adopted and applied were revealed.

It is pointed out that maximum contribution to the summary scientific ranking in relation to some subdivisions work was made through the following types of activities (indices): the defense of a thesis and guidance to dissertations; submission of articles to the Russian and foreign periodicals, guidance to graduation works of students and provision of consultations in respect to graduation works.

The negligible contribution or its total absence (against to the highest points frequently assigned) was made through the following types of activities: awarding of the academic rank, national or international registration of the intellectual property rights; writing of books, preparation of response to the scientific article and development of response from the leading organization.

The summarized points are distributed between the subdivisions in the following manner:

  1. Nuclear Power Plants Safety Division (M.Yu. Lankin) 386
  2. Nuclear and Radiation Safety Division (A.V. Kuryndin) 243
  3. Division for Safety of Fuel Cycle Facilities (A.V. Guskov) 183
  4. Division of Accounting, Control and Physical Security (N.P. Petrovsky) 164
  5. Radiation Safety Division (V.V. Bochkarev) 123
  6. External Impacts Stability Division (E.G. Bugaev) 102
  7. Risk Analysis Division (G.I. Samokhin) 98
  8. Quality and Reliability Division (V. Sh. Plekhanov) 54
  9. Nuclear Research Installation Safety Division (D.N. Polyakov) 54
  10. Strength Division (V.S. Rubtsov) 42
  11. Building Structure Reliability Division (S.S. Nefedov) 25
  12. Transport and Transportable Nuclear Installations Safety Division (A.Ya. Shulgin) 21

Scientific and Administration Subdivisions

  1. Scientific and Administration Division (T.V. Shishkova) 128
  2. Safety Review Division (S.O. Volkovitsky) 79
  3. Drafting Regulations Division (A.V. Belousov) 12

In prospect the collected rankings of the subdivisions and for specialists are to be examined taking into consideration the headcount, experience in scientific work, the scope and nature of activities under implementation (which are not covered by the methodology on ranking calculation), the job position, etc. Based on the conducted analysis, the proposals on financial rewards in respect to the specialists which possess high scientific ranking and on ranking points consideration in the course of personnel matters solution, competence assessment, competition to fill the vacancies and others are to be provided to SEC NRS management.

Scientific and Technical Council has decided

  1. to take into account the information presented by A.A. Afanasiev, Scientific Secretary of SEC NRS, concerned with the results of SEC NRS employees scientific rankings consolidation for the year 2014.
  2. Scientific Secretary of SEC NRS, A.A. Afanasiev, is recommended to analyse the obtained results and after coordination with Deputy Director, R.B. Sharafutdinov, to provide SEC NRS Director, A.A. Khamaza, with proposals on application of the determined scientific rankings of employees and the generalized rankings for scientific subdivisions in the frames of practical work on effectiveness enhancement of the scientific and technical activity of organization.

Deadline: June 15, 2015.

Chairman: А.А. Khamaza

Scientific Secretary: А.А. Аfanasiev


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Scientific and Technical Council of SEC NRS is considered to be the permanent advisory body, which includes its Chairman (SEC NRS Director), Deputy Chairmen (Deputy Directors), Scientific Secretary, members of STC (regular members) and Council of Elders – the honorable members of STC from among scientific workers who have made significant contribution to the development of the main directions of SEC NRS activity.

Basic tasks of Scientific and Technical Council:

  • shaping of scientific and engineering policy of SEC NRS;
  • improvement of effectiveness and scientific level of works under implementation by SEC NRS;
  • R&D activities directions-finding, formulation of proposals for their fulfillment;
  • coordination of activities between SEC NRS subdivisions ;
  • assessment of achievements within R&D finalized.

In accordance with basic tasks of STC, it summarizes and analyses domestic and international experience in nuclear and radiation safety regulation, makes recommendations for its enhancement and advance; addresses issues and makes proposals in respect to the directions of SEC NRS activities including compilation, analysis and dissimilation of scientific experience and knowledge in the field of nuclear and radiation safety regulation.

Consequently, Scientific and Technical Council is considered to be as the biggest internal platform for scientific discussions regarding agenda issues.

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