here - Atomic Energy Regulatory Board

CHAPTER 11
INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
11.1 AERB – USNRC NUCLEAR SAFETY
COOPERATION PROGRAM
The nuclear safety co-operation between AERB
and USNRC was resumed in February 2003. A total of 7
meetings took place between the two regulatory
bodies during the years 2003 to 2006; the meetings are
being held alternatively in India and USA every year. The
objective of these meetings continues to be furthering the
dialogue on nuclear safety between Indian and US
Governments.
The 8 th discussion meeting under the Program was
held at the USNRC Headquarters, in Rockville, Maryland
from January 8 – 16, 2007. The Indian delegation,
consisting of members from AERB, BARC and NPCIL and
one member from Indian Embassy in Washington, D.C.
was led by Shri S.K. Chande, Vice Chairman, AERB. A
total of 41 delegates, led by Mr. James Edward Lyons,
Director Division of Site and Environmental Reviews, office
of New Reactors participated from USNRC. The two AERB
engineers deputed in USNRC also attended the meeting.
The topics covered in the meeting were: Digital Systems
Reliability and New Control Room Designs, Experience in
Construction of New Nuclear Power Plants, Flow
Accelerated Corrosion and Erosion-Corrosion in Primary
and Secondary Systems and Proactive Materials
Degradation Study Programs. The Status of work done on
Standard Problem Exercise on Containment Performance
Under Severe Accident Conditions, Severe Accident
Analysis Exercise utilizing TMI-2 data and Thermal
Hydraulics Exercise utilizing data from the PANDA Test
Facility was discussed.
NRC and AERB participants agreed that the
ongoing cooperation is helping in improving understanding
of issues relating to safety of NPPs in both the countries. It
was agreed that the following topics are for ongoing areas
of cooperation.
New Reactor Designs (LWRs) (e.g., technical
basis for certification for a design, models/
reviews/technology-independent safety criteria,
experimental work for developing enabling
technologies for advanced reactor designs and
reliability evaluation of passive safety systems).
PRA Methods and Applications (including
seismic evaluations)/ Severe Accident Analysis
& Management (for both operating reactors and
new designs).
Proactive Materials Degradation Programs
(including concrete aging and temperature
effects).
Digital Systems (both hardware/software)
Reliability and Qualification (including control
room designs and operator support systems).
Experience in License Extension and up-rating
of Old Plants and Development of Operating
Procedures for Management of Severe
Accidents.
Operating Experience Feedback in India and the
U.S.
Safety criteria for High Temperature Reactors
(HTRs) and Strategies for Knowledge Preservation may be
considered at a later date. The work on the standard
problems will continue.
It was decided that next AERB-USNRC Meeting
will be held in Mumbai in last quarter of 2007 and involve
a three day seminar covering the topics of interest including
Advanced Reactors and Digital Instrumentation and
Control Systems, and a 2 day workshop covering the 3
standard problem exercises now underway.
After the meeting, AERB delegation visited the
Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth, Massachusetts
and held technical discussions and toured research
facilities at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston.
As part of this cooperation programs, USNRC is
hosting 2 young AERB engineers at its head office in
Washington D.C. for a period of 1 year starting from July
2006.
11.2 OTHER COOPERATIVE ACTIVITIES
AERB also has nuclear safety cooperative
programme with ASN; the French Regulatory Body. Under
this co-operation, a French delegation of 5 members headed
by Mr. Andre Claude Lacoste, Director General, ASN
visited AERB on October 25, 2005. Presentations were
made and discussions were held on topics like Flooding
Events, Safety and Leak Tests of Pre-stressed Concrete
Containments, and Safety and Transport of Radioactive
Materials. A Seminar under Nuclear Safety Cooperation
between AERB and ASN is planned during May 8-10, 2007
covering the topics of licensing process of new projects,
EPR design assessment, severe accident management and
instrumentation and control system.
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