| dc.description.abstract | The goals of the Arctic Military Environmental Cooperation (AMEC) Project 1.5-1 are to
enhance and improve the technical means of the Russian Navy for measuring and controlling
radiation exposure of personnel, the local population and the environment at sites involved in
decommissioning and dismantlement of nuclear submarines and handling and disposition of
spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and liquid radioactive waste (LRW). This has been accomplished by the
development, demonstration and installation of an automated centralized radiological monitoring
system based on the Norwegian software package PICASSO at the Federal State Unitary
Enterprise (FSUE) Atomflot, in Murmansk, Russia. This completed installation constitutes the
first part of AMEC project 1.5-1: Radiation control at facilities: Application of the PICASSO
system.
FSUE Atomflot is the service base for the Russian Federation fleet of nuclear powered
icebreakers and is involved in preparing SNF for transportation by rail and receiving, processing
and temporary storing of liquid and solid radioactive waste. Under AMEC Projects 1.1 and 1.1-
1, an interim storage pad for up to 19 casks containing naval SNF was commissioned at this site
in November 2003. Installation of an integrated radiation monitoring system at this site was
based on a three-step process that extended over almost four years.
The project began by developing a “Working Model” of both the hardware and software
systems. The working model demonstrated the viability of linking the Norwegian PICASSO
software system with Russian monitoring equipment. It also demonstrated the utility of this
system to the Russian Federation Ministry of Defence (RF MOD) and to the operators of the
FSUE Atomflot site. Following the successful demonstration of this Working Model, technical
design documents for installing the PICASSO System at FSUE Atomflot were prepared. Based
on these studies, an acceptable design was agreed upon under the AMEC framework and the
system installed.
The final installed system consists of 15 monitoring points including detectors for gamma
emissions, radioactive particles present in the air, and in water discharges from the plant. FSUE
Atomflot staff has been trained to operate and maintain both the hardware and software
components of this system. The system was commissioned on 25 September 2003 and
completed six months of trial operation on 25 March 2004. The State Acceptance Commission
authorized the official acceptance of this system in April 2004. The installed system provides
for continuous radiation monitoring. FSUE Atomflot data from one set of monitors can be
provided to Murmansk regional authorities to help protect the health of citizens living near to
this facility. The total cost of this project, including all three stages was 770,000 U.S. dollars. | en_GB |