Baykal-1 (Baikal) Research Reactor Complex

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

According to one source, three fresh fuel assemblies, each containing 200g of 90% HEU, are stored at Baykal-1. ⁴ Another source indicates that all fresh fuel (64 non-irradiated fuel assemblies containing 44kg of U-235) was returned to Russia by May 1998. ⁵

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. ⁶ Physical protection upgrades, including metal and nuclear material detectors, hardened portals and access points, and alarm and communications systems, were also implemented. ⁷ 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. ⁸ According to the US Department of Energy, all MPC&A upgrades were completed and the site was commissioned on 13 September 1997. ⁹

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. ¹⁰

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). ¹¹

Reactors

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. ¹²
Power: 60MW ¹³
Fuel: Approximately 4.6kg of U-235 enriched to 90%. ¹⁴
Status: 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. ¹⁵ The core of the reactor has 30 cells for fuel channels, one of which is gas-cooled. The remaining channels are water-cooled. 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. ¹⁶ In 1997, the reactor was in operation for only brief periods, about two or three times per year. ¹⁷ 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. ¹⁸ 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. This may have been a reference to a planned third research reactor at the Baykal-1 Complex, which was begun, but never finished.

RA

Type: High temperature, gas-cooled, thermal neutron, zirconium hydride-moderated, heterogeneous vessel reactor with beryllium reflector. ¹⁹
Power: The reactor had a capacity of 200MW, although it only reached 60MW. ²⁰
Fuel: The RA reactor core, with 10kg of U-235 enriched to 90%, was shipped to a storage facility in Russia in 1998. ²¹
Status: 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. ²²

(Sub)critical Assemblies

Angara

Type: The Angara (sub)critical assembly consists of two components, Lava and Slava. ²³

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. ²⁴