Location: Kurchatov, East Kazakhstan Oblast, former Semipalatinsk Test Site
Subordination: National Nuclear Center
Structure:
--Baykal-1 complex (IVG-1M and RA research reactors)
--IGR complex (IGR research reactor)
Location: Semipalatinsk Test Site
Subordination: Institute of Atomic Energy
Background: 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] Sources:
[1] "Tests Conducted Under the Programs of Space Nuclear Power Plant Development," Brochure distributed at the 2nd International Conference on Non-Proliferation Problems, Kurchatov, Kazakhstan, 14-17 September 1998.
[2] Gennadiy Chumachenko, "Teleutro," Russian PublicTelevision and Orbita networks, 21 July 1997; in "Semipalatinsk Nuclear Rocket Engine Facility Outlined," FBIS-SOV-97-205.
[3] "Invitation for Cooperation," an undated National Nuclear Center of Kazakhstan marketing brochure. {Updated 2/4/98 EB, 3/17/99 CF, 7/26/00 KB}
Fissile Material: 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]
Sources:
[1] Emily Ewell, "International Conference on Nonproliferation Problems," NISNP trip report, September 1997, KAZ970900, pp. 10-12.
[2] "Transfer of the Research Reactor Highly Enriched Nuclear Fuel to Russia," 2nd International Conference on Non-Proliferation Problems, (Conference Brochure) Kurchatov, Kazakhstan, 14-17 September 1998, p. 14.
MPC&A: 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] According to the US Department of Energy, all MPC&A upgrades were completed and the site was commissioned on 13 September 1997.[1]
Sources:
[1] Boris Kuznetsov et al., "Implementation of Material Control and Accounting at the Nuclear Facilities in Kazakhstan," Partnership For Nuclear Security: United States/Former Soviet Union Program of Cooperation on Nuclear Material Protection, Control, and Accounting (Washington, DC: Department of Energy, September 1998), pp. 237-242.
[2] "Department of Energy Nuclear Material Physical Protection Program in the Republic of Kazakhstan," Partnership For Nuclear Security: United States/Former Soviet Union Program of Cooperation on Nuclear Material Protection, Control, and Accounting (Washington, DC: Department of Energy, September 1998), pp. 243-247. {entered 4/15/99 FW}
[3] Emily Ewell, "International Conference on Nonproliferation Problems," NISNP trip report, September 1997, KAZ970900, pp.12, 14. {Entered 2/5/98 EB} {Updated 7/28/2000 KB}
Spent Fuel: 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]
Sources:
[1] "Transfer of the Research Reactor Highly Enriched Nuclear Fuel to Russia," 2nd International Conference on Non-Proliferation Problems, (Conference Brochure) Kurchatov, Kazakhstan, 14-17 September 1998, p. 14.
[2] V. Ganzha et al., "Problems on Shipping High-Enriched Nuclear Materials," abstract of a paper presented at the 2nd International Conference on Non-Proliferation Problems, Kurchatov, Kazakhstan, 14-17 September 1998, pp. 35-37.{Entered 10/9/2000 KB, Updated 4/12/2001 KB}
Activities: 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).
["Invitation for Cooperation," an undated National Nuclear Center of Kazakhstan marketing brochure.] {Updated 2/4/98, EB}{Added 3/17/99 CF}{Updated 7/26/2000 KB}
Reactors: Two
Name: IVG-1M
Type: One gas-cooled channel and 29 light water-cooled channels, water-moderated, heterogeneous vessel, thermal reactor with beryllium reflector; also referred to as tank.
[Emily Ewell, "International Conference on Nonproliferation Problems," NISNP trip report, September 1997, KAZ970900, p. 15.]{Entered 2/4/98, EB}
Power: 60MW
[NNC official, Presentation on the National Nuclear Center of Kazakhstan, CNS Seminar for Journalists, Almaty, Kazakhstan, 8-9 June 2001.]{Entered 6/26/2001 KB}
Fuel: Approximately 4.6kg of U-235 enriched to 90%.
["Nuclear Safety: Concerns With Nuclear Facilities And Other Sources of Radiation in the Former Soviet Union," GAO Report to the Honorable Bob Graham, GAO/RCED-96-4, November 1995, p. 23.]
Status: Operational
Comments: 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] For more information, see the National Nuclear Center's description of the reactor.
Sources:
[1] Report done for CISNP, Kazakhstan Atomic Energy Agency, 7 July 1995.
[2] Sergey Borisov, "Ni zhuravlya v nebe, ni sinitsy v rukakh," Kazakhstanskaya Pravda, 2 February 1996, p. 3.
[3] Emily Ewell, "International Conference on Nonproliferation Problems," NISNP trip report, September 1997, KAZ970900, p. 11. {Entered 2/5/98, EB}
[4] NISNP Interview with Kazakhstani government official, 12 May 1997.{Updated 10/9/2000 KB}
Name: RA
Type: High temperature, gas-cooled, thermal neutron, zirconium hydride-moderated, heterogeneous vessel reactor with beryllium reflector.
[Report done for NISNP, Kazakhstan Atomic Energy Agency, 7 July 1995.]
Power: The reactor had a capacity of 200MW, although it only reached 60MW.
[Emily Ewell, "International Conference on Nonproliferation Problems," NISNP trip report, September 1997, KAZ970900, p. 11.] {Entered 2/5/98, EB}
Fuel: 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]
Sources:
[1] "Transfer of the Research Reactor Highly Enriched Nuclear Fuel to Russia." 2nd International Conference on Non-Proliferation Problems, (Conference Brochure) Kurchatov, Kazakhstan, 14-17 September 1998, p. 14.
[2] "Fuel for Rocket with Nuclear Propulsion Shipped Out of Kazakhstan," Bellona: Nuclear Chronicle from Russia, September/October 1998, p. 14.{entered 3/22/99 FW}
[3] "Nuclear Safety: Concerns With Nuclear Facilities And Other Sources Of Radiation In The Former Soviet Union," GAO Report to the Honorable Bob Graham, GAO/RCED-96-4, November 1995, p. 23.{Entered 7/10/98 jl}{Updated 10/6/2000 KB}
Status: Non-operational
Comments: 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.
[Emily Ewell, "Trip Report - Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine," 21 June 1995, p. 18.]
(Sub)critical Assemblies
Name: Angara
Type: The Angara (sub)critical assembly consists of two components, Lava and Slava.
[Emily Ewell, "International Conference on Nonproliferation Problems," NISNP trip report, September 1997, KAZ970900, p. 12.] {Entered 2/5/98, EB}
Comments: 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.
[Emily Ewell, "International Conference on Nonproliferation Problems," NISNP trip report, September 1997, KAZ970900, p. 12.] {Entered 2/5/98, EB}
Location: 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.
[Emily Ewell, "International Conference on Nonproliferation Problems," NISNP trip report, September 1997, KAZ970900, p. 13.] {Entered 2/5/98, EB}
Administration: Operator: Institute of Atomic Energy, National Nuclear Center. Formerly operated by a branch of NPO Luch based in Podolsk, Russia.
[Emily Ewell, "International Conference on Nonproliferation Problems," NISNP trip report, September 1997, KAZ970900, pp. 10-12.] {Entered 2/4/98, EB}
Fissile Material: Seven kilograms of fresh fuel is stored at the IGR Complex.
[ Emily Ewell, "International Conference on Nonproliferation Problems," NISNP trip report, September 1997, KAZ970900, p. 13.]{Entered 10/9/2000 KB}
Reactors: One
Name: IGR (Impulse Graphite Reactor)
Type: Pulsed (tank WWR)[1,2]
Sources:
[1] Report done for NISNP by the Kazakhstan Atomic Energy Agency, 7 July 1995.
[2] Vincent Kiernan, "Americans Shop For Technology At Semipalatinsk," Space News, 30 November - 6 December 1992, pp. 24, 29.
Power: The reactor runs at 1GW in steady mode and 10GW in pulsed mode.
[NNC official, Presentation on the National Nuclear Center of Kazakhstan, CNS Seminar for Journalists, Almaty, Kazakhstan, 8-9 June 2001.]{Updated 7/26/2001 KB}
Fuel: 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.
[Emily Ewell, "International Conference on Nonproliferation Problems," NISNP trip report, September 1997, KAZ970900, p. 13.]{Updated 2/5/98, EB}
Status: Operational
MPC&A: 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]
[US General Accounting Office, "Nuclear Nonproliferation: Limited Progress in Improving Nuclear Material Security in Russia and the Newly Independent States," GAO/RCED/NSIAD-00-82, GAO Website, http://www.gao.gov, 6 March 2000, p. 28.]{entered 4/15/99 FW; Updated 7/21/2000 KB}
Spent Fuel: 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.
[Emily Ewell, "International Conference on Nonproliferation Problems," NISNP trip report, September 1997, KAZ970900, p. 13.] {Updated 2/5/98, EB}
Comments: 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. For more information, see the National Nuclear Center's description of the IGR reactor.
[Emily Ewell, "International Conference on Nonproliferation Problems," NISNP trip report, September 1997, KAZ970900, pp. 13-14]{Entered 2/5/98, EB}
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.
["Japan-Kazakhstan in Fast Reactor Research program," Nuclear Europe Worldscan, March-April 2001, p.18.] {Entered 9/11/01 DK}
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.
["Power Shutdown did not Jeopardize Safety in East Kazakhstan Region," Interfax, No. 1, 5 June 2000.]{Entered 8/16/2000 KB}
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.)
Sources:
[1] "Transfer of the Research Reactor Highly Enriched Nuclear Fuel to Russia," 2nd International Conference on Non-Proliferation Problems, (Conference Brochure) Kurchatov, Kazakhstan, 14-17 September 1998, p. 14.
[2] V. Ganzha et al., "Problems on Shipping High-Enriched Nuclear Materials," abstract of a paper presented at the 2nd International Conference on Non-Proliferation Problems, Kurchatov, Kazakhstan, 14-17 September 1998, pp. 35-37.{Entered 1/8/99 CF; updated 3/17/99 CF, updated 6/8/99 FW, 4/12/2001 KB}
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.
[Emily Ewell, "International Conference on Nonproliferation Problems," NISNP trip report, September 1997, KAZ970900, p. 12.] {Entered 2/5/98, EB}
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.)
["Cooperative Threat Reduction Assistance to Kazakhstan," Stimson Center Nuclear Roundtable Website, http://www.stimson.org/rd-table/ctr-kaz.htm, 16 January 1997, p. 8.]{Entered 7/28/2000 KB}
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.
[Yuriy Kirinitsiyanov, "Konversiya yadernogo poligona," Rossiyskaya gazeta, 30 July 1995, p. 7.]
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.
["Institute to Study Core Meltdown in Kazakhstan," FBIS-EAS-95-109, 4 June 1995.]
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.
[Emily Ewell, "Trip Report - Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine," 21 June 1995, p. 19.]
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.
[William C. Potter, interview with US government official, 16 March 1993; Alan Newhouse cited in V. Kiernan, "Americans Shop For Technology At Semipalatinsk, Space News, 30 November - 6 December 1992, p. 4.]
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