INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION



JNC has been involved in technological cooperation aimed at improving the safety of nuclear power plants around the world by taking advantage of the know-how, experience, and technological achievements in Fugen project based on Japan's own technologies.

　Bilateral Cooperation with Russia and Lithuania

After the Chernoby1 accident, occurred in the graphite moderated boiling light water cooled reactor (RBMK reactor) built in former USSR, Japan has offered technological support for improving the safety of the same type of reactor. For instance, the reactor coolant leak detection system developed for ATR, which uses a high-temperature-resistant microphone, was provided with the Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant in Russia. The RBMK reactor is a pressure tube type reactor like Fugen, but it differs in the respect that it uses graphite as moderator. The structure of its reactor cooling system is similar to Fugen, so the safety improvement technology developed for ATR could be applied to the RBMK reactor as well.
For the Ignalia Nuclear Power Plant in Lithuania, Japan offered technological support including water chemistry and water level control support system for operational training, as measures against corrosion of pressure tubes and problems in water level control in the steam drum at the point of low power. To cope with the corrosion of pressure tubes, a plant data server system necessary to collect operational and water chemistry data, and a water quality analyzer were supplied, and supporting activities regarding data analysis, investigation into the degree of corrosion, analytical evaluation, etc. were performed. In addition, we installed JNC-developed equipment for measuring the thickness of oxide layer on the pressure tube, which made possible to evaluate the degree of corrosion without drawing out the pressure tube. This development considerably improved the inspection quality of pressure tube integrity. For the water level control, an operational support system based on fuzzy feedwater control technology was provided to serve as an operator training system for the operational safety improvement.
←Support for the safety improvement mission (ASSET) by IAEA held in Leningrad Power Plant (RBMK) in Russia. Recommendations to improve safety were provided based on the analysis/evaluation of accidents and troubles in the past. (May 1993)
Discussing about basic design of the feedwater control support system in Ignalia Power Plant in Lithuania based on the Governmental agreement between Japan and Lithuania. (October 2000)→