Temperature Standard for VVÉR-440

The properties and advantages of using a measurement system intended for monitoring the coolant temperature at the exit and entrance of the reactor are compared. The error in measuring the coolant temperature is 0.18°C and the heating 0.14°C, respectively, with probability 0.95. The temperature sensors in the measurement system are metrologically coupled with high-order standards. The measurement error is monitored in each measurement cycle of the system. The system is intended for metrological support for design measurements of the reactor temperature and has been installed in 12 units of nuclear power plants with VVÉR-440 reactors in Slovakia, Czechoslovakia, and Bulgaria.     

Tritium Doses to VVÉR-1000 Staff

Translated from Atomnaya Énergiya, Vol. 68, No. 4, pp. 301–304, April, 1990.     

Parametrization of VVÉR-440 group constants

Translated from Atomnaya Énergiya, Vol. 68, No. 2, pp. 90–94, February, 1990.     

Improving VVÉR-440 reactor control systems

Translated from Atomnaya Énergiya, Vol. 67, No. 4, pp. 281–288, October, 1989.     

Xenon Oscillations in a VVÉR-1000 Core

Xenon oscillations – periodic redistribution of the power over the core volume – can occur in a VVÉR-1000 core because of the large size of this core. The xenon oscillations can be conventionally divided into axial, radial, diametral, and azimuthal. In the present paper, methods are described for initiating the oscillations and the results of experimental investigations of the characteristics of free axial, diametral, and azimuthal xenon oscillations in the reactor core in the No. 1 unit of the Rostov nuclear power plant are presented; the experiments were performed at the start of burnup of the first (head) fuel load, completely consisting, for the first time, of improved fuel assemblies. Among other things, it is established that the periods of all oscillations investigated are the same. The azimuthal xenon oscillations are most rapidly damped.     

Neutron emission from spent VVÉR-1000 fuel

Translated from Atomnaya Énergiya, Vol. 67, No. 3, pp. 219–220, September, 1989.     

Radiation Embrittlement of VVÉR-1000 Vessel Materials

Radiation embrittlement of VVÉR-1000 vessel materials has been studied much less than for VVÉR-440 reactors. In the present paper the results of an investigation of the first batches of control samples of VVÉR-1000 vessel materials are discussed. The chemical composition of the materials is characterized by a low content of harmful impurities (copper and phosphorus) and a high nickel content (up to 1.9% in some weld seams). The actual rate of radiation embrittlement of the material studied is comparable to the embrittlement calculated using the Russian standards. The dependence of radiation embrittlement of VVÉR-1000 vessel materials on the metallurgical variables and the damaging dose is studied. The investigation showed that nickel greatly intensifies the radiation embrittlement. New relations were developed for determining the actual rate of radiation embrittlement of VVÉR-1000 reactor vessel materials and assessment of its conservativeness.     

Improving fuel utilization in the VVÉR-440

I. V. Kurchatov Institute of Atomic Energy (IAÉ). Translated from Atomnaya Énergiya, Vol. 72, No. 1, pp. 104–106, January, 1992.     

Updating the VVÉR-440 temperature monitoring system

Translated from Atomnaya Énergiya, Vol. 67, No. 5, pp. 354–355, November, 1989.     

From VVÉR-210 to VVÉR-2000: Experience in the development and improvement of reactor designs for nuclear power plants

Special Design Office “Gidropress.” Translated from Atomnaya énergiya, Vol. 76, No. 4, pp. 310–318, April, 1994.     

Raising power levels at VVÉR-440 power stations

Translated from Atomnaya Énergiya, Vol. 69, No. 2, pp. 79–81, August, 1990.     

Use of weapons plutonium in VVÉR-1000 reactors

One scenario for using excess Russian weapons plutonium is to load it into VVéR-1000 reactors. It is proposed that up to 40% of the fuel assemblies with uranium fuel be replaced with structurally similar fuel assemblies with mixed uranium-plutonium fuel. The stationary regime for burning fuel has the following characteristics: the run time is about 300 or 450 eff. days, the yearly plutonium consumption reaches 450 kg, the neutron-physical characteristics are close to the corresponding regimes with uranium fuel. The nuclear safety criteria and the irradiation dose for workers handling fresh and spent mixed fuel remain within the limits of the normative values. The use of mixed fuel makes it necessary to upgrade certain systems at nuclear power plants. A substantial quantity of weapons plutonium can be loaded every year into VVéR-1000 reactors, effectively using the energy potential of this plutonium. __________ Translated from Atomnaya énergiya, Vol. 103, No. 4, pp. 215–222, October, 2007.     

Features of major accidents in VPBÉR-600 reactors

Materials Safety Design Office. Translated from Atomnaya Énergiya, Vol. 74, No. 4, pp. 294-302, April, 1993.