Fridtjov ØwreGeneral Manager

Halden Reactor Projectfridtjov.owre@hrp.no

Introduction to the Halden Reactor Project

Presentation at U.S. NRC Regulatory Information Conference Presentation at U.S. NRC Regulatory Information Conference (RIC) March 10(RIC) March 10--12 200912 2009

03.03.2009 2

Halden – Washington D.C – ca. 6300 km

03.03.2009 3

Norway• Location: Northwest in

Europe• Neighbors to the east:

Russia, Finland and Sweden and the Atlantic ocean to the west

• Halden – South-eastcorner

• Area: about 1/30 of USA• Norway has same size

as Japan and Italy• Population: 4,7 million• Income: Oil and gas,

Shipping, Fish export• First Norwegian oil

discovery in 1969, since 1971

• Norway becomes the 8th largest oil & gas producer in the world

• 3rd biggest exporter

Halden

3500 km

03.03.2009 4

Halden – the Gateway to Europe

03.03.2009 5

Halden & the Halden Reactor site

03.03.2009 6

HBWR is located in a Mountain Cave

03.03.2009 7

OECD Halden Reactor Project• International collaborative research for Safe and

Reliable Operation of Nuclear Power Plants • affiliated to OECD NEA in Paris• located in Halden, Norway• operated by Institute For Energy-technology, IFE

• Halden Agreement first signed in 1958• Renewed every 3rd year • Current program period from 2009 to 2011

• (2008: Reached 50 years :>))• Countries, through a Signatory organization, signs the

Agreement• Jointly funded by its Members:

• 18 countries • > 100 nuclear organizations world wide

• Participant types• Utilities, Vendors, Licensing Authorities and R&D

centers

03.03.2009 8

HRP Members – Signatories and Associated PartiesSignatory members:• Norway – IFE - Institutt for energiteknikk• Belgium - SCK/CEN - Belgian Nuclear

Research Centre• Denmark - Risø DTU• Finland - MITI - Finnish Ministry of Trade

and Industry, operated by VTT• France - EDF - Electricité de France• Germany – GRS - Gesellschaft für

Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit mbH • Japan - JNES - Japan Nuclear Energy

Safety Organization• Korea - KAERI - Korean Atomic Energy

Research Institute• Spain - CIEMAT - Spanish Centro de

Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas

• Sweden - SSM - Swedish Radiation Safety Authority

• Switzerland - HSK - Swiss Federal Nuclear Safety Inspectorate

• UK - NNL – National Nuclear Laboratory• USA - US NRC - United States Nuclear

Regulatory Commission

Associated Parties:• USA

• GE - Global Nuclear Fuel• EPRI - Electric Power Research Inst.• Westinghouse Electric Power

Company (WEC-LLC)• Japan

• JAEA, CRIEPI, Mitsubishi HI and11 utilities

• France• IRSN - French Institut de

Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire• Czech Rep. - (NRI) Czech Nuclear

Research Institute• Slovakia - Slovakian VUJE - Nuclear

Power Plant Research Institute• Hungary - Hungarian Academy of

Sciences, KFKI Atomic Energy Res. Inst.• Russia - Russian Research Centre

“Kurchatov Institute”, “TVEL” Co.• Kazakhstan – Ulba Manufacturing

company

03.03.2009 9

Possible new Associated Parties to the HRP-work in progress

• DOE – Department of Energy• DOE-labs (INL, Oak Ridge and Pacific North West)

• China (CNPEC and CNPRI) • India (BHARC)

• Other possible member candidates• Italy (4 EPRs announced 24.02.09)• Canada (CNSC, dependant on Bruce Power goes to PWR)• Argentine (ARN) • Emirates (2 EPRs announced 30.1.09)• Mexico• South Africa• Turkey

03.03.2009 10

Sponsors18 countries~ 100 org.

Sponsors18 countries~ 100 org.

IFE,NorwayOwnerExecutionOperationLiabilities

IFE,NorwayOwnerExecutionOperationLiabilities

Halden Board ofManagement

Halden Board ofManagement

Halden ProgramGroup

Halden ProgramGroup

Man Technology Organization

Fridtjov Øwre

Man Technology Organization

Fridtjov Øwre

Halden Project ManagementFridtjov Øwre

Margaret McGrath

Halden Project ManagementFridtjov Øwre

Margaret McGrath

Fuel and Material Research

Margaret McGrath

HBWR HAMMLABVR Centre

OECD NEAOECD NEA

Halden Project Organization

03.03.2009 11

HRP is also an international collaborative network• Halden Board meetings

• Administrative matters - Long term direction - Meets twice per year• International network

• Halden Program Group• Technical Steering committee• Decides on program – follow up program progress – have some subcommittees

• Secondee arrangement • Training – participates in experimental work - link to home organisations

• Specialist Workshops• Recommend details of research programs• Follow-up the programs

• Enlarged HPG meetings (EHPG)• Conferences to distribute and discuss results• Last one at Loen, Norway

• 18-23th May 2008 - ca. 300 participants, 170 external participants• HRP 50 years Anniversary!

• Next EHPG in 14-19 March 2010• Storefjell Resort Hotell, Norway www.storefjell.no

• Summer schools• August 2009, Halden: Basic Fuel behaviour

• models, experimental approaches and data• August 2010: Halden: A MTO topic

03.03.2009 12

Halden Project Research Programme Definition

3. Detailed programme 2011

2. Detailed programme 2010

1. Detailed programme 2009

Achievement Report

Programme Programme GroupGroup

Board Board ofofManagementManagement ParticipantsParticipants

3-year frameworkprogramme

Prepare2012-2014

Schedule 2009 - 2011HPG: technical directions

Oct. 2006, March 07Board:general directions

Dec. 2006Draft: June 2007Presentation:

Sep.-Dec. 2007Final: May 2008October 2008

October 2009

October 2010

February 2012

03.03.2009 13

Model illustrating the control-levels of a modern NPP and the Halden Project research areas in this respect

Process

Process-IO

Digital I&C system

Human System Interface

Operators

Safety-system

Human performance

Human System Interfaces

Operation Support

Safety Systems

Halden MTO research areas:

Fuel behavior in normal operations and transients

Clad corrosion and water chemistry issues

Plant lifetime assessments

Halden Fuel and Material research areas:

Fuels and Materials

Fuels and Materials facilities and research areas

03.03.2009 15

Fuels and Material research facilities

• HBWR is only a test reactor• flexible operation cycles• +50% availability• Capability to implement different modes

of operation • Loop systems

• Ability to simulate operation conditions of commercial nuclear power stations

• Hot-lab• Re-instrumentation capabilities• PIE

• Very important asset:• Reliable and versatile in-core

instrumentation

1

23

4

56

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

1920

21

2223

24

25

26

27

28

Halden Boiling Water Reactor - HBWR

03.03.2009 16

Experiments in the Halden reactor

Fuel

Rod

Outlet Coolant Thermocouples

Fuel centre - line Thermocouple (TF)

Double H Coil3

Neutron Detector (V-type)

Diameter Gauge

Differential Transformer (LVDT)(here used as Cladding Extensometer)

Shroud (Ø 73/71mm)

Inlet Coolant Thermocouples

Inlet Turbine Flowmeter

Calibration Valve Core

03.03.2009 17

In-core Connector

Outlet Coolant ThermocouplesFuel Centre - line Thermocouple

Neutron absorber

Pressure transducer (PF)

He-3 coil

Neutron Detector (V-type)

Differential Transformer (LVDT)Inlet Coolant ThermocouplesInlet Turbine Flowmeter

Shroud (Ø 73/71mm)

Calibration Valve

Fuel Rod storageposition

Fuel Rod rampposition

Instrumented test rig

Pick-up coil

03.03.2009 18

When everything is in place ...Spectrum of Halden Reactor

Fuels & Materials investigations

high burnup, operating conditions water chemistry

StainlessStainless steelssteelsNickelNickel base base alloysalloysCrackCrack initiationinitiation&&Time to Time to failurefailureCrackCrack growthgrowth rate rate (IASCC)(IASCC)MechanicalMechanical propprop. . changeschangesEmbrittlementEmbrittlement,,annealingannealing (RPV)(RPV)

(B(B44C)C)

He release,pressure,swellingRod/

guide tube bowingIRI

Graphite

ZirconiumZirconiumalloysalloys

Creep&Growth

FailureCorrosionCrud, AOA

Rod pressure,lift-offGap conductance

Axial gaps(clad collapse,power peaks)SCC/PCMI

Standard UOStandard UO22UOUO22 + additives+ additives

MOX, inert MOX, inert matrixmatrixFissionFission gas gas releasereleaseFuelFuel temperaturetemperature-- conductivityconductivity-- storedstored energyenergyFuelFuel densificationdensificationFuelFuel swellingswelling

Core Comp. Materials

ControlMaterialsCLADFUEL

Man-Technology-Organisation (MTO) facility and research areas

03.03.2009 20

MTO research facility: MTO-lab

• MTO-lab contains:

• Collaboration Room

• Integration labs

• Hammlab

• Experimenters’ gallery

• VR Centre

• HF analysis room

03.03.2009 21

MTO research areas within HRP

• Human Performance• Design and Evaluation of

Human System Interfaces and Control Rooms

• Mixed Reality technologies

• Computerized Operation and Maintenance Support

• Software systems Dependability

Hammlab 2008

03.03.2009 22

Human Performance Experiments in Hammlab • Shift teams – 3 licensed

operators from the simulated plant

• Experimenters team - 5-6 persons

• Experiments are difficult scenarios, now often PRA relevant• 2009 – Impact of High level of

Automation on Operator performance

03.03.2009 23

MTO Competence Areas

Performance Monitoring

Computerised Procedures

Advanced Alarm Systems

Condition Monitoring

Work Processes

Experimental technologymethods and measures

Function Allocation

Core Monitoring and Simulation

Prognostics

Virtual Sensing

Human reliability, PSFs, Task complexity

Human factors

Human System Interfaces

Control room design

Integrated System Validation

Teamwork

Work practise

Large Display Panels

Innovative HSIs

HSI tools

Outage Control Centres

Handheld devices

Remote collaboration

Simulator technology

Control room design tools

Safety critical SW

Maintenance planning

Knowledge Management

Operational culture

03.03.2009 24

Two work areas @ IFE, Halden

Halden Project

Funded by all member organisations

Results open too all members

Bi- and Multi-lateralprojects

Funded by one/several organizations

Results to customer

Research ”Commercial”

03.03.2009 25

Summary

• Halden Reactor Project a center for nuclear safety research since 1958• 18 countries participate in a jointly

funded research program• Halden Reactor is one of the most

versatile nuclear test reactors in the world

• Hammlab is a unique test bed in the MTO area

Fredriksten fortress @ Halden: The Nuclear Fortess

03.03.2009 26

Nuclear technologyand PhysicsEva S. Dugstad

BoardTerje Overvik GdF

(chairman)

Nuclear Safetyand ReliabilityMargaret McGrath

SafetyMan-Technology-

OrganizationFridtjov Øvre

Petroleum-technology

Dag Thomassen

COEKjell H. Bendiksen

Vice COEEva S. Dugstad

HALDENPROJECTFridtjov Øwre

Energy- and EnvironmentBjørg Andresen

IFE facts:- 5 research sectors

- 2 research reactors

- ca. 630 employees

- Turnover ca. 70 mill Euro

03.03.2009 27

HRP Workshops 2009• (MTO) Common cause failures in safety critical software

• Munich 27-28.1.09• experimental investigations in Hammlab?

• (MTO) International empirical HRA study• Washington 2-5.3.09• Finalize phase 1, report on progress phase 2

• (MTO) Integrated System Validation• Halden 27-28.4.09• Modernisation of old and building new control rooms – how to accept a

proposed control room solution from human factors standpoint?• (Fuels) Loss of Coolant Accidents

• Results from test 9 and further tests• (MTO) Structuring of procedures

• Trnava, Slovakia 13-14.5.09• Can procedures be generalized?

• (MTO) Halden On-line Monitoring User Group• Loviisa, Finland, 7-9th October 2009• HRP and Utilities report on progress and achievements• Visit to the Loviisa plant