|
Kurchatov, East Kazakhstan Oblast, former Semipalatinsk
Test Site
National Nuclear Center
Baykal-1 complex (IVG-1M
and RA research reactors)
IGR complex (IGR research
reactor)
A good
overview of past and present activities of
the Institute of Atomic Energy may
be found in the brochure National Nuclear Center of the Republic of
Kazakstan 1992..., distributed at the Second International Conference
on Non-Proliferation Problems, 14-17 September 1998. The scanned
full text of this brochure is available, as are selected abstracts
from the conference, in the Kazakhstan:
Full-Text Documents section of the database.
Semipalatinsk Test Site
Institute of Atomic
Energy
Operator: Institute of Atomic Energy [1]
Director: A. Tikhomirov [2]
Chief Engineer: Dr. Vyacheslav Ganzha
[1]
Deputy Chief Engineer: Dr. Alexander
Kolbayenko [1]
The Baykal-1 complex houses two research
reactors (IVG-1M and RA) and one
subcritical assembly
(Angara). During the Soviet era, the Baykal-1
reactor complex was a branch of Luch
Scientific Production Association set up to test fuel elements of experimental nuclear
rocket engines and fuel assemblies.[1] According
to Yuriy Cherepnin, General Director of the National Nuclear Center of
Kazakhstan, nuclear projects have accounted for no more than half of the
activities at the test site since 1980.[2] The Soviet nuclear rocket engine
program ended in the late 1980s, and today, funding for Baykal-1 comes
primarily from the Kazakhstani government.[3] A
photograph
of the Baykal facility is available, excerpted from a September
1997 presentation by Dr. Yuriy Cherepnin.
According to one source, three fresh fuel assemblies, each containing 200g of 90%
HEU, are stored at Baykal-1.[1]
Another source indicates that all fresh fuel (64 non-irradiated fuel
assemblies containing 44kg of U-235) was returned to Russia by May 1998.[2]
Under the DOE MPC&A
program, US specialists provided the Baykal-1 Reactor Complex with
material accounting software and provided assistance in developing
comprehensive MC&A procedures.[1] Physical protection upgrades,
including metal and nuclear material detectors, hardened portals and access
points, and alarm and communications systems, were also implemented.[2] The three-kilometer perimeter of the Baykal-1 facility is fenced and patrolled
by a guard force from the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
There have been no attempted thefts of material from this facility.[3]
(Please click the links for photographs of the
fences
and microwave
detection system at Baykal-1.)
According
to the US Department of Energy, all MPC&A upgrades were completed and the site was commissioned
on 13 September 1997.[1] For more information on the MPC&A work
performed at this site, please see DOE's September 1998 document, Partnership
for Nuclear Security: United States/ Former Soviet Union Program of Cooperation
on Nuclear Material Protection, Control, and Accounting.
From 1996 to 1998, 221 irradiated fuel assemblies
containing 138kg of HEU were transferred in three shipments from Baykal-1 to the
Sverdlovsk
branch of NIKIET by VNIITF.
The last shipment occurred on 25 May
1998.[1,2]
In accordance with Kazakhstani government plans to
develop nuclear power, most of the work at the Baykal-1 complex is
focused on reactor safety research under the International
Thermonuclear Energy Reactor (ITER) program and
the Cotels project. Scientists at Baykal-1 have proposed building a 7MW, water-cooled prototype
nuclear power station at the site as part of Kazakhstan's
nuclear power program. As of October 1997, about 250 people were
working at the Baykal-1 facility (including support personnel).
Two
IVG-1M (Please
click the link to see a photograph of the
IVG-1M reactor.)
One gas-cooled channel and 29 light water-cooled
channels, water-moderated, heterogeneous vessel, thermal
reactor with beryllium reflector; also referred to as tank.
60MW
Approximately 4.6kg of U-235 enriched to 90%.
Operational
According to a discussion with the deputy chief engineer
in September 1997, the IVG-1M reactor was completed in 1972 and reached first
criticality on 7 March 1975 with a power rating of 40MW.[1,3] The core
of the reactor has 30 cells for fuel channels, one of which is gas-cooled.
The remaining channels are water-cooled.[3] According to reports, this reactor was previously
run by the Soviet Ministry of Medium Machine Building to fill orders from
the Ministry of Defense. It was used primarily for experiments on
developing nuclear rocket engine prototype. Reconstruction
of the reactor to investigate accidents at nuclear power stations (for
example, changing to gas-cooling from a water-cooling system) was stopped in
1996 due to a lack of funds.[2] In 1997, the
reactor was in operation for only brief periods, about two or three times per
year.[3]
According to a 1997 interview with Timur Zhantikin, Director General of the Kazakhstan
Atomic Energy Agency, IVG-IM is likely to be shut down due to financial
problems.[4] One source identifies another research reactor
at this location as the Sphinx, a 200MW channel type reactor. The year
of criticality is not indicated. According to the source, the reactor
is operated by the Kazakhstan Atomic Energy Agency.[2] This
may have been a reference to a planned third research reactor at the Baykal-1
Complex, which was begun, but never finished.[3]
RA (Please click the link to see a photograph of the
RA reactor before it was
dismantled and shipped to Russia)
High temperature, gas-cooled, thermal neutron, zirconium hydride-moderated,
heterogeneous vessel reactor with beryllium reflector.
The reactor had a capacity of
200MW, although it only reached 60MW.
The RA reactor core, with 10kg of U-235
enriched to 90%, was shipped to a storage facility in Russia in
1998.[1,2,3]
Non-operational
The reactor reached first criticality in 1989 with a power rating of 500 kW. The RA reactor was converted from a nuclear rocket engine prototype
into a research reactor in 1987, after the Soviet nuclear rocket engine
project had ended. The reactor was previously run by the Soviet Ministry
of Medium Machine Building to fulfill orders from the Ministry of Defense. (Please
click the link to see a photograph of the
RA reactor
being prepared for an experiment.)
Angara
The Angara (sub)critical assembly
consists of two components, Lava and Slava.
The Angara assembly was built in 1996. It is
used to conduct research under the Cotels
program on nuclear accidents at water-cooled reactors,
by modeling the core of a reactor. A furnace liquefies up to 60kg
of a mixture of zirconium oxide, uranium oxide and steel, and forces it
into water. The experiments conducted using Angara are done under contract
with a Japanese firm, Marumel (name as given). Roughly 10-12 people
work at Angara on a regular basis, increasing to 20-25 people when preparing
for an experiment. As of 1997, Angara was put into operation about every two weeks.
North central portion of the Semipalatinsk
Test Site, not far from the "experimental field" where the majority
of Soviet above-ground nuclear tests were conducted. The IGR reactor
is located in an underground facility in the middle of the complex. (see
photo of the IGR complex)
Operator: Institute of Atomic Energy, National Nuclear Center. Formerly
operated by a branch of NPO
Luch based in Podolsk, Russia.
Seven kilograms of fresh fuel is
stored at the IGR Complex.
One (Please click the
link to see a photograph of the IGR
reactor.)
IGR (Impulse Graphite Reactor)
Pulsed (tank WWR)[1,2]
The reactor runs at 1GW in steady mode and 10GW in
pulsed mode.
The IGW reactor core contains 10.06258kg of 90% enriched fuel (9.05632kg of
U-235). Fuel is made from uranium-graphite blocks. Graphite blocks are
placed in a uranium solution, and the uranium is gradually absorbed into the
graphite.
Operational
Under the DOE MPC&A
program, US specialists provided the IGR Reactor Complex with AIMAS
software and worked with facility software engineers to customize
the code to meet facility requirements. This customization supported
electronic reporting to the National Nuclear Center and IAEA and facilitated the internal transfer
of materials between the IGR and Baykal complexes. According to the US
Department of Energy, all MPC&A upgrades were completed and the site was commissioned
on 13 September 1997.[1] For a description of
MPC&A activities
at this site, please see DOE's September 1998 document, Partnership
for Nuclear Security: United States/ Former Soviet Union Program of Cooperation
on Nuclear Material Protection, Control, and Accounting. Also
see the developments section below.
Seven kilograms of spent fuel has been stored since the
reactor was modernized in 1966. It is located in a separate building, together
with 7kg of fresh fuel.
The complex is about 500 by 800 meters, and is surrounded
by a double fenced topped by barbed wire. A guard force
from the Ministry of Internal Affairs guards the perimeter and buildings
within the complex. As of September 1997, about 100 people are working
at the IGR complex, 30 of whom are scientists. The reactor was first brought
into operation in 1960 and was initially built to study nuclear reactor
accidents. The reactor was designed by the Kurchatov
Institute in Moscow and constructed by NIKIET
and VNIPIET.
The reactor was designed to run for about one year, after which a major
accident was to be simulated and the reactor destroyed in the accident. IGR's location was chosen so that the simulated accident would take place
far from any populated area. However, during the first year of operation
it was noted that in the simulation of minor accidents the characteristics
of the reactor were such that even fairly major accidents could be simulated
without destroying the reactor. Therefore, it was decided to keep the IGR
in operation.
The IGR can be run according to three regimes: regular,
irregular, and combined. The reactor will most likely be able to
run until the end of its service life on the existing fuel. In addition,
7 kg of fresh fuel is stored at the reactor site. Prior to the
dissolution of the Soviet Union, the reactor was used for conducting military-related
experiments (linked to the rocket engine program), experiments on nuclear
accidents, and biological experiments on animals (to examine the effects
of high radiation levels). The radiation level in the core can reach
15 megarads. The IGR reactor simulated an accident very similar to that
at Chornobyl long before the Chornobyl accident. But because the
IGR was a military research reactor, the results of the experiment were
secret and were not shared with the civilian power sector. Until
1991, the IGR was put into operation about 120-130 times per year.
Since 1991, the number of experiments and tests have significantly decreased.
In 1996, the IGR was brought into operation 37 times. In the first
eight months of 1997, it was used 20 times. Most experiments now
are connected with nuclear reactor safety issues, although some work is
conducted under the ITER project. IAEA inspections have been conducted
on a regular basis since 1995.
4/2001: KAZAKHSTAN AND JAPAN TO STUDY REACTOR
SAFETY
The National Nuclear Center of the
Republic of Kazakhstan (NNC) and the Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute
agreed to collaborate on a reactor safety project called Experimental
Acquisition of Generalized Logic to Eliminate Recriticalities (EAGLE).
According to the agreement, experiments will be conducted using NNC's
experimental Impulse Graphite Reactor (IGR). IGR is capable of fusing up to 60
fuel rods (about 10kg of experimental fuel) by applying high-energy pulses within a short time,
which simulate fuel failures in light-water and fast reactors.
6/5/2000: POWER SHUTDOWN CONSTRAINS OPERATIONS
AT BAYKAL-1
On 5 June 2000, an official of the East Kazakhstan
electricity distribution company VK REK announced that the safety of the
Baykal-1 reactor was not jeopardized when VK REK shut down power to the
pumping station operator, Teplovodokanal, disrupting water supply to the
reactor. The disruption of water supply, however, interrupted personnel
activities and constrained the operation of the test assembly at Baykal-1.
9/14/98: RUSSIAN NUCLEAR
MATERIALS SHIPPED BACK TO RUSSIA
Presentations at the 2nd International Conference
on Non-proliferation Problems (held from 14 to 17 September 1998) examined
NNC activities to support nonproliferation and safeguard nuclear materials.
In 1995 a decision was made by Russia and Kazakhstan to divide nuclear
materials at the reactor sites between the two countries. NNC received
highly enriched nuclear materials from reactor cores and all materials
with less than 20% U-235 enrichment. Russia received other highly
enriched materials, including an RA reactor core. All Russian materials
were placed in a storage facility at Baykal-1. On 25 October 1996 64
fresh fuel assemblies containing 44kg of HEU were shipped by VNIITF
to Luch Scientific Production
Association. From 28 October until 1 November 1996 an IAEA team
inspected nuclear materials at the IGR and Baykal-1 facilities, placing
them under IAEA safeguards. From 1997 to 1998, 221
irradiated fuel assemblies containing 138kg of HEU were transferred in three
shipments to the Sverdlovsk
branch of NIKIET with the assistance of VNIITF.[2]
The final shipment left the NNC on 25 May 1998.[1] (The full text of these sources may be obtained from the Kazakhstan:
Full-Text Documents section of the NIS Nuclear Profiles Database by
clicking on the links below.)
9/97: DECOMMISSIONING OF THE RA REACTOR
Although the Baykal facility received an ISTC grant
to develop a plan for defueling and decommissioning the RA reactor, a formal
decision to decommission has not yet been made by the Kazakhstani government.
The fuel currently loaded in the reactor core is Russian, and will have
to be returned to Russia in the future, whether or not the reactor is decommissioned.
At the International Conference on Nonproliferation Problems, Dr. Kolbayenko,
Deputy Chief Engineer of Baykal-1, expressed the hope that eventually the
NNC will be able to purchase new fuel, and the reactor can continue to
operate. The RA reactor is still being used, and was scheduled to be put
into operation at the end of September for three days and six hours.
9/97: US-KAZAKHSTANI JOINT VENTURE KK INTERCONNECT
KK Interconnect, a defense conversion project, is a joint venture
between the National Nuclear Center and the US company KRAS Corp. The US government provided the initial
funding for the project through the CTR Industrial
Partnerships program and the Defense
Enterprise Fund. The company produces printed circuit boards for universal
remote controls and universal modem adapters. The company is outfitted
with state of the art computers and machinery and employs 33 people
(all former employees of the Institute of Atomic Energy.)
7/30/95: NUCLEAR RESEARCH IN SEMIPALATINSK
It was reported that the research reactors at the Semipalatinsk test site
are used to study nuclear accidents at nuclear power stations in Ukraine (Chornobyl) and other countries. Russia and Kazakhstan, with the participation
of Ukrainian and Belarusian scientists, are working on development of a
program for joint use of the Semipalatinsk site. One difficulty is that
Russian and Kazakhstani legislation differ on issues of nuclear safety,
physical protection, and transportation of nuclear materials.
6/4/95: JAPAN TO CONDUCT RESEARCH AT SEMIPALATINSK REACTOR
It was reported that the Japanese Atomic Power Generation Technology Organization
(APGTO) plans to experiment with a reactor core meltdown using the Semipalatinsk
facilities. The experiment's aim is to melt a simulated reactor core and
nuclear materials with an electric furnace to survey the impact of the
meltdown. The experiment is scheduled to begin in May 1996, and will conclude
by March 1998.
6/95: REACTORS IN KURCHATOV ARE NEAR STANDSTILL
Kazakhstan Atomic Energy Agency officials stated that all three reactors
at Kurchatov (Semipalatinsk) were at or near total standstill, with work
orders trickling in from the medical field and from Russia.
3/93: US TO CONDUCT RESEARCH USING SEMIPALATINSK REACTORS
The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has contracted with the Kurchatov
Institute to conduct safety experiments using one or more of the research
reactors at Semipalatinsk. A senior US Department of Energy official also
has suggested that DOE should evaluate the test reactor at Semipalatinsk
for possible use in the US space nuclear programs. The IWG reactor in particular
was mentioned as appropriate for testing fuel assemblies for use in thermal
propulsion.
Page last updated 3 October 2001
Comments or questions? Contact Kenley Butler at MIIS CNS: Kenley.Butler@miis.edu
|
To return to the main
reactor page, see the 