Approved by
Order of the Federal
Environmental, Industrial
and Nuclear Supervision Service
dated December, 17, 2015 No. 521
FEDERAL RULES AND REGULATIONS
IN THE FIELD OF NUCLEAR ENERGY USE "RULES FOR DESIGN
AND SAFE OPERATION OF EQUIPMENT AND PIPELINES
OF NUCLEAR POWER INSTALLATIONS"
(NP-089-15)
I. Purpose and scope
1. These Federal Rules and Regulations in the Field of Nuclear Energy Use "Rules for design and
safe operation of equipment and pipelines of nuclear power facilities" (NP-089-15) " (hereinafter
referred to as the Rules) were developed in compliance with Federal Law dated November 21, 1995
"On nuclear energy use" (Collected Acts of the Russian Federation, 1995, N 48, art. 4552; 1997, N 7,
art. 808; 2001, N 29, art. 2949; 2002, N 1, art. 2; N 13, art. 1180; 2003, N 46, art. 4436; 2004, N 35, art.
3607; 2006, N 52, art. 5498; 2007, N 7, art. 834; N 49, art. 6079; 2008, N 29, art. 3418; N 30, art. 3616;
2009, N 1, art. 17; N 52, art. 6450; 2011, N 29, art. 4281; N 30, art. 4590, art. 4596; N 45, art. 6333; N
48, art. 6732; N 49, art. 7025; 2012, N 26, art. 3446; 2013, N 27, art. 3451), Decree of the Government
of the Russian Federation No. 1511 dated December, 1, 1997 "On approval of the Regulation on
development and approval of Federal rules and regulations in the area of nuclear energy use"
(Collected Acts of the Russian Federation, 1997, N 49, art. 5600; 1999, N 27, art. 3380; 2000, N 28, art.
2981; 2002, N 4, art. 325; N 44, art. 4392; 2003, N 40, art. 3899; 2005, N 23, art. 2278; 2006, N 50, art.
5346; 2007, N 14, art. 1692; N 46, art. 5583; 2008, N 15, art. 1549; 2012, N 51, art. 7203).
2. These Rules establish requirements to the design, manufacture, assembling and operation of
the equipment and pipelines of nuclear power facilities working at excessive, hydrostatic or vacuum
pressure (hereinafter NPF) referred to groups A, B and C according to paragraphs 4–6 hereof.
The terms and definitions used are given in Appendix No. 1 to these Rules.
3. The requirements of these Rules do not apply to:
a) fuel elements and assemblies, control devices of the control system and protection
(hereinafter - CPS) and other structures inside the reactors, process and other channels containing
fissile, absorbing or retarding materials;
b) pipes and devices built in the equipment, whose destruction does not lead to the working
medium getting beyond the limits of this equipment, or to a leakage through the components
separating different media, or a medium with different parameters;
c) mechanical and electrical devices located in the equipment (e.g. refueling devices, CPS
actuators, pump impellers);
d) devices arranged in equipment or in pipelines to check their operability;
e) internal metallic lining of sealed enclosure, refueling and spent fuel pools, storage pools for
spent nuclear fuel, concrete vessels of research reactors;
f) pipelines and equipment housings made of non-metallic materials;
g) turbine housings, cut-off valves for intermediate steam overheating, bypass pipelines within
the turbine, steam extraction pipelines from the turbine to the first shut-off valves, as well as
components and components of the turbine unit hydraulic control system;
h) supports, suspensions, dampers, hydraulic shock absorbers and limit stops of movement of
equipment and pipelines;
i) metalwork and covers sealing internal space of reactors of channel type including the graphite
stack enclosed in a casing and the components related thereto;
j) metalwork of refueling and washing boxes with the equipment contained therein (except for
plugs sealing refueling channels of the reactor) for reactors with liquid sodium coolant (hereinafter,
liquid-metal coolant);
k) sealing components;
l) the metalwork located inside the equipment and not loaded with the coolant pressure in
design modes;
m) parts of equipment that are not independent vessels (e.g. condensers and heat exchangers
structurally embedded in the equipment);
n) hydraulic locks, overflow piping for tanks, hydrostatic pressure vessels;
o) pipelines of systems of measurements and diagnostics, sampling, related to components of
safety class 3, with the nominal internal diameter less than 15 mm;
p) equipment and pipelines used only for commissioning, maintenance and repair.
Individual requirements and provisions of these Rules may be applied by the developer to the
above equipment and pipelines.
4. Group A includes equipment and pipelines referred to components of safety class 1.
5. Group B includes equipment and pipelines referred to components of safety class 2. Group B
also includes equipment and pipelines referred to components of safety class 3:
a) failure or destruction of which leads to leak of coolant immediately in contact with fuel
elements, unrecoverable by normal means of the nuclear power facility;
b) failure or destruction of which leads to a safety system failing to perform its functions;
c) contacting with liquid metal coolant irrespective of consequences of their failure or
destruction.
6. Group C includes non Group B equipment and pipelines referred to safety class 3 components,
failure or destruction of which:
a) leads to leak of coolant immediately in contact with fuel elements, recoverable by normal
means.
b) requires actuation of safety systems;
c) leads to failure of one of the trains of any safety system;
d) leads to exceedence of set values of maximum permissible release or admissible discharges
of radioactive substances or admissible levels of radioactive contamination of working premises of
nuclear power facility.
7. Whether specific equipment and pipelines belongs to a group is established by the developers
of the designs of reactor facility and nuclear power facility.
8. The effect of these Rules, except for conducting of hydraulic, pneumohydraulic and
pneumatic tests (hereinafter - pressure tests), apply to welded joints of equipment and pipelines of
groups A, B and C with non-pressure parts and (or) assembly units.
9. Boundaries between equipment or pipelines of different groups (or equipment and pipelines)
are welded or detachable joints. Boundary welded joints and fixtures must be referred to equipment
(or pipeline) which is subject to more strict safety requirements.
10. Engineering, design and process documentation for the equipment and the pipeline's parts
and assembly units manufactured prior to entry of these Rules into effect or being manufactured as
of entry of these Rules into effect must not be subject to any amendment.
11. Officials and specialists of the organizations performing any works related to design,
development, manufacturing, assembling and operation of pipelines must be subject to regular
knowledge checks with regard to the relevant chapters of these Rules in accordance with the
procedure and time limits established by the organization performing the above-mentioned works but
at least once per five years.
12. Maintenance and repair of specific equipment and pipelines must be performed by the
persons who have passed appropriate training and are admitted to working on their own subject to a
procedure established by the operating organization.
II. Design and engineering
General
13. The strength and functional characteristics of equipment and pipelines must be justified in
the NPF (reactor facility) project for the entire service life of the equipment and pipelines.
14. The operating life and service life characteristics of equipment and pipelines are set by the
developer and must be specified in the design or engineering documentation.
15. The reactor facility (NPF) project developer and the equipment and piping developer must
provide for their inspection, maintenance, repair, diagnostics, pressure testing and nondestructive
testing of metal after manufacture, assembling and operation, as well as replacement of equipment
and pipelines with a service life of less than the design service life of the NPF.
If ultrasonic testing of metal is possible, preference must be given not to automated rather than
manual control.
16. For equipment (except valves) and pipelines of the primary circuit of the water-water
reactor, the cobalt content in the main and surfacing materials of parts and assembly units in contact
with the coolant must not exceed 0.05%.
17. For equipment and piping in contact with radioactive media, draining the coolant and
removing products of contamination, decontamination of surfaces and removal of washing and
decontamination solutions must be provided.
Equipment and pipelines in contact with the liquid metal coolant or products of its release, from
which it is impossible to completely remove the products of contamination under the terms of the
process, must be specified in the reactor facility project.
18. Reactor facilities with water-water type reactors and reactors with liquid metal coolant must
accommodate containers with surveillance specimens of of the metal of the reactor vessel for
assessment of the effects of temperature and exposure to neutron radiation.
19. The number of sets of surveillance specimens containers with surveillance specimens in sets,
locations of containers and frequency of control of characteristics of the metal of surveillance
specimens must be substantiated in the reactor facility project. Witness specimens must be sufficient
for periodic confirmation of each of the controlled characteristics of the metal throughout the service
life of the NPF.
The engineering documentation must include a program for monitoring radiation
embrittlement and thermal aging, the content of which must comply with federal standards and rules
in the field of nuclear energy use, establishing rules for the control of the base metal, welded joints
and deposited surfaces in the operation of equipment, pipelines and other components of nuclear
power plants (hereinafter - NPP).
20. The necessity of placing surveillance specimens in research reactors is determined by the
developers of the NPF project.
21. The developer of the NPF project must provide for the possibility of separate pressure
testing of pipelines connected to the suction and pressure parts of the pumps, if the latter are
designed for different pressures.
22. At the stage of designing and engineering, measures must be taken to protect equipment
and pipelines from corrosion, erosion and corrosion wear or other physical and chemical effects of the
working medium.
23. Equipment and pipelines with a temperature of the outer surface of the walls above 45 °C
located in attended rooms, and above 60 °C located in restricted access areas, must be thermally
insulated. The temperature of the outer surface of the thermal insulation must not exceed the above
values. On the main circulation pipelines throughout their length and on other pipelines in the places
which are subject to nondestructive in-service inspection, thermal insulation must be removable.
24. The spatial arrangement of pipelines, and methods and conditions of fastening of the
equipment and pipelines must prevent their damage owing to mutual displacements.
25. The equipment and piping must enable removing air when being filled with working or test
medium, as well as condensate formed during heating or cooling. The capacity of the air removal
devices must be confirmed by calculation.
26. In the design and engineering documentation on assembly drawings of the equipment and
on drawings of parts and assembly units of pipelines, their affiliation to the corresponding group must
be specified. The assembly drawings of the equipment must indicate the safety class and category of
seismic resistance, as well as the design pressure and test pressure.
The engineering documentation must include tables establishing the scope and methods of
quality control of the metal.
27. The design documentation must include a list of non-replaceable equipment.
28. Engineering documentation for the equipment must be developed in accordance with the
terms of reference of the developer of the NPF (or reactor facility) project.
Engineering documentation for equipment of groups A and B must be agreed upon with the
developer of the NPF (or reactor facility) project.
29. The organization developing design and (or) engineering documentation on the equipment
and pipelines must provide its examination for compliance with requirements of federal standards
and rules in the field of use of nuclear energy by specialists of the specified organization who did not
participate in its development.
30. Organizations that develop design and engineering documentation for equipment and
pipelines must ensure its safety throughout their service life.
31. At the stage of designing and engineering it is allowed to apply other decisions, than those
specified in paragraphs 32 - 35, 41 - 43, 45, 59, 60, 62 - 74, 83 of these Rules subject to meeting the
requirements of strength, maintainability and possibility of performance of control of welded joints at
operation.
Equipment
Covers and bottoms
32. The ratio between the nominal height of elliptical covers and bottoms measured from the
inner surface and the nominal internal diameter of the cylindrical section H/Db must be at least 0.2
(Figure 1a), and the ratio between the nominal diameter of the central aperture (if any) and the
nominal internal diameter of the cover or the bottom d/Db must not exceed 0.6 (Figure 1b).
Fig. 1. Elliptical bottom: a - without aperture;
b - with aperture
33. The ratio between the nominal height of the convex section of torispherical and dish-like
covers and bottoms measured from their inner surface and the nominal internal diameter of the
cylindrical section H/Db must be at least 0.25, and the ratio between the nominal diameter of the
central aperture (if any) and the nominal internal diameter of the cover or the bottom d/Db must not
exceed 0.6. The ratio between the nominal radii R and r of the spherical segment of the torus and the
nominal internal diameter of the cylindrical section of the cover or the bottom Db must be no more
than 1.0 and no less than 0.1 respectively (Figure 2).
Fig. 2. Torospheric bottom: a - without aperture;
b - with aperture
34. Covers and bottoms with shells (pipes) and flanges must be joined by butt welding. Use of
fillet and tee welds is only permitted subject to the possibility of non-destructive testing.
35. Elliptical, spherical, torispheric, dish-shaped, conical and flat covers and bottoms to be
welded to shells, pipes or flanges must have cylindrical flanging or boring.
The minimum height of flanging or boring l of covers and bottoms (Fig. 1 and 2) must correspond
to table N 1, where S is the nominal wall thickness of the cover or bottom at the location of flanging.
Table 1
S, mm
S
5<S
5
10
l, mm, at least
3S+5
3 S + 10
10 < S
3 S + 15
20
S > 20
100
36. On the flanged flat covers and bottoms, the radius of curvature of transition from flat to
cylindrical part of flanging must be not less than 5 mm.
Location of hatches
37. The equipment must have removable covers or hatches located in places accessible for
maintenance and repair.
It is allowed to use welded covers of hatches only for internal examination of equipment at
production, assembling and before commissioning subject to control of their welded joints.
38. The equipment with a cylindrical housing, into which tube sheets are welded, may be made
without hatches in cases where no maintenance or repair of its internal cavities is provided.
39. The passage dimensions of oval-shaped hatches along the minimal and the maximal axes
must be at least 320 and 420 mm respectively. Arrangement of round hatches with the internal
diameter of at least 400 mm is permitted.
40. The design of swinging and inserted bolts, collars and clamps of hatches, covers and flanges
must provide their fixation in the required position.
Hole spacing
41. The minimum distance l1 along the median line between the centers of two adjacent holes
must be at least 1,4 half-sums of the diameters of these holes (Fig. 3).
Fig. 3. The location of holes on a curved surface
42. The distance
along the inner surface from the edge of the hole in spherical, elliptical,
torispherical and dish-shaped covers and bottoms to their cylindrical section measured on the
projection must be at least 0,1 of the internal diameter of the cylindrical section Db (Figure 4).
Fig. 4. The location of holes in the bottom
43. The distance l between the center of the bolt or pin hole in flanges, covers or locking rings
and their edge must be at least 0,85 of the hole diameter (Figure 5).
Fig. 5. Location of holes for pins (a) and bolts (b)
Pipelines
44. Detachable joints must be used for connection of pipeline to the equipment (pipeline)
subject to maintenance with periodic disconnections of the equipment (pipeline). In all other cases,
connections of pipeline to equipment, as well as interconnection of pipelines must be welded.
45. Use of welded sector bends, welded tees and junctions is allowed for Group B pipelines with
working pressure up to 1.57 MPa and design temperature up to 100 °C, as well as for Group C pipelines
with working pressure up to 3.9 MPa and design temperature up to 350 °С. In welded sectors angle 9
must be no more than 15°, the distance l-not less than 100 mm (Fig. 6).
Fig. 6. Sector branch arrangement
Use of welded sector branches, welded tees and junctions must be substantiated by the
developer and agreed with the operating organization regarding the control of their welded joints.
46. Horizontal sections of pipelines must have a slope of not less than 0,004 in the direction of
organized drainage. For steam lines drainage must be provided at temperatures not higher than the
steam saturation temperature at operating pressure.
On horizontal parts of pipelines with the rated outer diameter up to 60 mm, made of corrosionresistant austenitic steels and being in contact with water, water-steam mixture and steam, may not
need a slope provided flushing of pipelines is made possible. On horizontal sections of pipelines with
nominal external diameter more than 60 mm from steels of the same structural class or from the clad
steels of the pearlite class in contact with the specified media, it is allowed not to provide a slope if
the ratio of length of the horizontal section to nominal internal diameter of the pipeline does not
exceed 25.
47. It is necessary to install equipment for pipeline drainage in the lower dots of each area
switched off by the pipeline zone gate valves without natural flow due to an incline. The drainage
arrangement must enable their examination for operability.
This requirement does not apply to pipelines with a nominal outer diameter of not more than
89 mm, made of corrosion-resistant austenitic steels.
48. For heating and purging, all sections of steam lines that can be switched off by shut-off valves
must be provided with shut-off valves at the end points. Steam pipelines operated at an operating
pressure above 2,16 MPa and steam lines of group B, regardless of pressure, must be provided with
two valves installed in series: a throttle valve and a shut-off valve. In case a pipeline section can be
heated in both directions, purging must be possible from both section ends.
49. Continuous condensate removal must be assured for saturated steam pipelines and for blind
pipelines of superheated steam.
50. Air (gas) removal lines must be installed at the top points of pipelines, should it be impossible
to remove air or has directly through the equipment. On pipelines operating under vacuum pressure,
no air (gas) removal lines are installed if the air (gas) is removed by other means during pressure tests.
51. On drainage pipelines and lines for removal of air (gas) from circuits with radioactive media,
two units of shutoff valves must be established. On the line of removal of air (gas), it is allowed to
install a single throttle valve and a single shutoff valve.
It is allowed to combine air (gas) removal) lines and drainage lines into a common pipeline
downstream the valves located in their separate parts, with installation of common shutoff valves
thereon. It is allowed to combine air (gas) removal lines from sections of pipelines that can or cannot
be disconnected from each other, located after the first throttle valves along the medium flow.
52. The developer of the NPF (reactor facility) project must provide devices to limit displacement
of the pipeline to avoid damage to nearby equipment and pipelines at places where the consequences
of destruction of the pipeline with a full cross-section (for diameters over 150 mm) are particularly
dangerous.
It is allowed not to place the specified devices if it is proved in the project that destruction of
the pipeline by the full section is preceded by formation of a through crack, and the controlled leak of
the coolant and the time to destruction allow to perform safe cooldown and shutdown of the reactor
facility (NPF).
Welded joints
General
53. Angular welded joints with a structural gap may be used in areas not exposed to bending
loads, as well as in the presence of special fasteners that reduce these loads on the welded joints.
54. T-welded joints with a structural gap may be used for welding of supports and auxiliary parts
(suspensions, brackets, ribs) to equipment and pipelines.
55. Overlapping welded joints are allowed to be used for welding to equipment and pipelines of
such components as reinforcing pads, base plates, backing sheets, plates, strips for platforms, stairs,
brackets, membranes. The rings welded from the inside of houses for strengthening of such
components as hatches, fittings must be made with signal pors for control of tightness of the welded
joint. These signal ports, after a leak test, must be closed with plugs, the plugs must be weld around,
and the resulting seams must be subjected to liquid penetrant test.
56. Butt welds must be made with complete penetration.
Location of welded joints
57. Longitudinal welded joints of housings of equipment intended for operation in horizontal
position must not be located within the lower Central angle equal to 140° except for cases where
inspection and control of the specified joints at operation is provided.
58. Welded joints must be placed outside supports, except for the cases where both of the
following conditions are concurrently met:
a) the design and arrangement of the support does not prevent the control of the welded joint
under the support during operation;
b) at manufacture or assembling of the equipment, the welded joint is exposed to continuous
ultrasonic or radiographic control, and the area of the welded joint located under the support is
exposed to magnetic particle or liquid penetrant test.
Weld joint intersection and adjoining points must not be overlapped with supports.
59. It is not allowed to arrange an annular welded joint on the curvilinear section of the pipeline.
60. In sector branches of welded pipes the distance l between interfaces of a transversal annular
seam of the branch with longitudinal or spiral seams of the connected sectors or pipes must be not
less than 100 mm (Fig. 7). The specified distance is measured between the mating points of the axes
of the corresponding seams.
Fig. 7. Location of welded joints
in sector branches
61. Cross-welded joints on annular collectors and spiral-curved heat transfer tubes must be used
only under the condition of continuous radiographic or ultrasonic inspection of the specified joints.
Distance between welds
62. At the intersection of transversal butt welded joints of parts (or assemblies) with longitudinal
weld joints, the alignment of the axes of the longitudinal seams of two adjacent parts is not allowed.
The axes of these joints must be offset from each other at a distance of not less than three times
the nominal thickness of the more thick-walled of the parts to be joined, but not less than 100 mm.
This requirement does not apply to the joints of parts with a nominal outer diameter of less than
100 mm and parts (or assemblies) with longitudinal seams performed by automatic welding, subject
to radiographic and (or) ultrasonic, as well as liquid penetrant or magnetic particle test of the area of
conjugation or intersection of longitudinal and transversal seams.
63. When welding ends or caps made of several parts with the location of seams along the chord
the distance from the seam center to the end or cap diameter parallel to the chord on the
projection must not exceed 0,2 of the nominal internal diameter of the end or cap D (Figure 8).
Fig. 8. The location of chord joints
The distance b between the center of the circular seam on the bottoms and covers (except for
spherical and dish-shaped ones) and the center of the bottom or cover must be no more than 0,25 of
the nominal internal diameter D of the bottom or cover. The minimum distance c between the centers
of two adjacent radial or circular seams must be not less than three nominal thicknesses S of the
bottom or cover, but not less than 100 mm (Fig. 9). The requirements for location of the
circumferential weld are not applicable to welding the seams of ends and caps to the flanges and pipe
shells.
Fig. 9. The location of radial and circular seams
64. The distance c between the center of the fillet weld of the fitting, manhole, pipe or other
cylindrical hollow parts and the center of the nearest butt joint seam of the equipment or pipeline
must be not less than three times the calculated height of the fillet weld h1, and not less than three
times the nominal wall thickness S1 of the welded part (Fig. 10).
Fig. 10. Location of welded joints
for welding of pipe branches: с 3h1; с 3S1; l 0,9d; b
b 3S2 (S2 > S1, h2 > h1)
3h2;
65. The distance l between the center of the butt joint of the equipment or pipeline and the
center of the nearest hole must be not less than 0.9 of the diameter of the hole d, subject to the
requirement of paragraph 64 of these Rules (Fig. 10).
66. The distance b between the centers of the nearest fillet welds, fittings or pipes to equipment
(or pipelines) must be at least three calculated heights of the fillet weld or three nominal wall
thicknesses of the welded parts (Fig. 10). At different values of the specified heights or thicknesses,
their greater value is to be taken. These requirements do not apply to welding of pipes to tube sheets
(grids) or collectors.
67. The distance between the axes of neighboring transversal butt welds on cylindrical and
conical parts must be at least three-fold nominal wall thickness of the welded parts (for greater
thickness), but at least 100 mm for parts having the nominal outer diameter above 100 mm, and no
less than the specified diameter with its value up to 100 mm, inclusive.
The specified requirement is not applicable for seams of welding pipes to the branch pipes, if
the branch pipes were subject to heat treatment as part of the equipment, and for welded joints for
welding tube sheets and parts of ring type, having thickness more than two times exceeding the
preweld bead forming height.
68. The distance from the center of the weld of the fitting to the edge of the nearest transversal
weld of the pipe, at welding of fittings to chambers of measuring diaphragms, must be not less than
threefold wall thickness of the welded fitting and threefold design height of the fillet weld. This
requirement does not apply to fittings with an outside diameter of up to 30 mm of measuring devices
with nozzles and diaphragms.
69. When welding flat parts not loaded with pressure to the surfaces of equipment and
pipelines, the distance
between the center of the fillet weld for welding these parts and the center
of the nearest butt weld, and the distance between the edges of the fillet welds of the nearest welded
parts must be equal to at least three-fold design height of the fillet welds (Figure 11). The distance b
between the centers of the fillet welds of the nearest welded parts is determined by the maximum
design height of the fillet weld.
When welding parts and devices to the equipment housing, it is allowed to have an intersection
of butt welds of the equipment with the fillet welds with a design height up to 0.5 of nominal wall
thickness of the housing, but not more than 10 mm.
Fig. 11. Location of welded joints for welding of parts
to equipment and pipelines
70. The distance l between the center of the butt joint of the pipeline with a branch pipe or a
fitting of equipment and the center of the nearest butt joint on the pipeline must be not less than 100
mm for pipelines with nominal outside diameter more than 100 mm, but not less than nominal outside
diameter D for pipelines of a smaller diameter (Fig. 12).
Fig. 12. Location of welded joints of a pipeline
with a branch pipe
71. In butt welded joints subject to local heat treatment of cylindrical parts, the length L of a
free straight section in each direction from the axis of the seam (or from the axis of extreme seams
with simultaneous thermal treatment of a group of welds), is found from the following equation:
,
where D is the nominal outer diameter of the parts to be joined; S is the largest of the nominal
thicknesses of the parts to be joined.
The length of the specified sections must be not less than the nominal outer diameter of the
welded parts at its values up to 100 mm inclusive, and not less than 100 mm at values of this diameter
above 100 mm.
A free straight section is a section (with a gradient of not more than 15°) from the seam axis to
the edge of the nearest welded part, the beginning of a bend, the edge of the adjacent transversal
seam.
72. In butt welded joints subject to ultrasonic testing of pipelines, the length of the free straight
section in each direction from the axis of the weld must not be less than specified in table N 2.
Table 2
Value S, mm
S
15
The length of free straight section L, mm
100
15 < S
30
5S + 25
30 < S
36
175
S > 36
4S + 30
73. The distance from the butt weld edge to the beginning of the curvilinear section of the bend
on pipes with the nominal outer diameter 100 mm and above must be at least 100 mm, and for pipes
with the nominal outer diameter up to 100 mm - at least equal to the nominal pipe diameter.
74. At welding of branch pipes or fittings with the pipelines of group C made of pipes with spiral
or longitudinal seams, it is not allowed to have seams of pipes come to angular points of the
intersection forming the pipes and the fittings. The minimum distance
measured on the outer
surface from the specified points to the axes of the pipe seams must be at least 100 mm (Figure 13).
Fig. 13. Welding of branch pipes (fittings) with pipelines
with spiral seams: a - no spiral seam is allowed;
b - a spiral seam is allowed; 1, 2 - angular
intersection points.
At welding of overlays under supports and suspensions with pipelines made of pipes with spiral
seams, the minimum distance between the edge of a fillet seam for welding of an overlay and the
edge of a butt spiral seam of a pipe must be not less than three nominal pipe wall thicknesses.
Additional requirements for equipment and pipelines
with liquid-metal coolant
75. The reactor vessel must be enclosed in a safety housing. The piping adjacent to the vessel
must be enclosed in safety jackets. The height of the safety housing must exceed the maximum
possible level of coolant in the reactor vessel.
Safety jackets must be used on pipelines up to the second shut off valves, inclusive.
76. Connection of auxiliary pipelines to the reactor vessel, as well as arrangement of hatches in
the safety housing within the zone (by height) filled with the liquid-metal coolant below the level at
which there occurs disruption of circulation of the primary circuit coolant is not allowed. Joining
branch pipes of auxiliary pipelines to the safety housing below the level of the coolant in the primary
circuit is allowed subject to their removal and plugging of branch pipes on the safety housing after
filling the reactor with the coolant. Arrangement of hatches within the zone filled with the liquid-metal
coolant to the maximum possible level is not allowed.
77. Measures for prevention of solidification of the coolant must be provided. Equipment and
pipelines filled with sodium continuously or periodically must be equipped with heating and
temperature control systems.
Heating systems must provide consistent heating of equipment and pipelines, starting with the
cavities with a free surface of the coolant.
It is allowed not to install a heating system on equipment and pipelines operated in the coolant
vapors provided the safety of operation is substantiated. The heating and temperature control
systems of the primary circuit must have the necessary redundancy.
78. Control of leaks of the coolant from equipment and pipelines, and control of tightness of
their safety housings and jackets must be provided. Control devices must have 100% redundancy.
79. The possibility of a rise of pressure above the designed value in the pipelines completely
filled with coolant, those having electric heating and those that can be cut off from the cavities with a
free surface must be prevented.
80. At the stage of engineering of equipment, solutions must be used to prevent the ingress of
water and oil product contamination from the cooling and lubrication systems into the coolant above
the limits set in the project.
81. All the pipelines for gas blow-off from cavities with coolant must be provided with metal
vapor traps.
82. Fillet welded joints for welding of safety houses (jackets) to equipment and pipelines may
be implemented with a structural gap.
83. Welding of pipelines with nominal outside diameter of more than 300 mm to the reactor
vessel or to the safety housing must be performed with a butt weld to the flanged part of the vessel.
III. Materials
84. Materials for manufacture of NPF equipment and pipelines must be used with regard to their
physical and mechanical and processing characteristics, as well as operating conditions to assure the
availability of equipment and pipelines throughout their service life.
85. Quality and properties of the basic, welding and surfacing materials used for manufacturing
of NPF equipment and pipelines must comply with the requirements of standardization documents
establishing the requirements for products, processes and other standardization objects in the field
of nuclear energy use prescribed in par. 7 of "Provisions for standardization of products (works,
services) subject to the requirements related to safety assurance in nuclear energy use as well as
processes and other standardization objects associated with such products" approved by Decree of
the Government of the Russian Federation dated July, 12, 2016 N 669 (Collection of legislation of the
Russian Federation, 2016, N 29, Art. 4839), and to be confirmed with certificates of manufacturers.
(Clause 85 as revised by Rostechnadzor Order No. 11 dated January 17, 2017)
86. In case of handover of some of materials stated in the certificate by the manufacturing plant
to another manufacturing plant, a copy of certificate must be issued for the mentioned part of
materials, bearing the seal of the original certificate holder, indicating the actual scope of delivered
materials - both in the copy and in the original certificate.
The original certificate must be handed over in case of handover of the entire amount (or the
remaining part) of materials.
In case of loss of the original certificate it is not subjected to re-issue, and the material can be
used for manufacture of components only based upon the certificate duplicate issued by
manufacturer of the material.
87. For application of new basic materials it is necessary to carry out tests of a pilot batch of
material; to prepare a report justifying application of the new material according to Appendix N 2
hereto; to have the report approved by the head material science organization.
Possibility of use of new materials is realized in the form of a resolution agreed upon with the
NPF project development organization and head organization responsible for materials study, which
resolution is to be approved by the operating organization.
Any new material may be admitted for use subsequent to inclusion of the material
standardization document into the consolidated list of standardization documents as stipulated in par.
12 of the Regulations on standardization for the products (works, services) subject to requirements
related to safety assurance in the area of nuclear energy use as well as processes and other
standardization objects associated with such products, approved by Decree of the Government of the
Russian Federation dated June 12, 2016 No. 669 (Collected legislation of the Russian Federation, 2016,
No. 29, Art. 4839).
(as amended by the Order of Rostechnadzor No. 11 on January 17, 2017)
88. For manufacture of specific equipment or pipeline, application of new materials according
to a technological solution prepared by the developer with involvement of the head material science
organization is allowed. The above technological solution with substantiating documents confirming
the possibility of manufacture of the equipment and pipelines up to the required quality, must be
submitted for approval to the operating organization. At the same time, the scope and nomenclature
of information to be submitted (from the information stated in appendix No. 2 hereto) must be
determined by organizations that prepared the technological solution, depending on specific
conditions of operation of the equipment or pipeline.
The approved technological solution must be attached to the equipment certificate or to the
certificate of manufacture of parts and assembly units of the pipeline, and the substantiating materials
must be kept with the operating organization throughout the period of operation of the equipment
or pipeline.
89. Materials having different structural classes (pearlite and austenite steel, non-ferrous
metals) must be transported and kept in conditions preventing contact between them.
IV. Manufacture and assembly
General requirements
90. Manufacture and assembling of equipment and pipelines must be carried out according to
process documentation, and the results of technological and control operations must be documented.
91. The methods and scopes of control of the basic materials, as well as the quality assessment
standards must be established in technological and engineering documentation.
92. Welding, surfacing, heat treatment and control of welded joints and surfacing at the
manufacture and assembling of equipment and pipelines must be carried out in accordance with
federal standards and rules in the field of nuclear energy use establishing requirements for welding
and surfacing of equipment and pipelines of NPF, as well as establishing rules for the control of welded
joints and surfacing of equipment and pipelines of NPF.
93. Upon the receipt of materials and (or) component parts by the manufacturer, materials must
pass incoming inspection for mechanical, corrosion and other kinds of damage, for compliance of
marking, quantity, weight and dimension parameters with data stated in the certificate, with
inspection results documented, as well as inspection before release for manufacture or assembling.
94. Transportation and storage of materials intended for the manufacture, assembling and
repair of equipment and pipelines must be carried out in accordance with the requirements of
standardization documents for specific materials.
Measures must be provided to avoid errors in the transfer of marking, inter-operational storage
of materials.
95. Parts and assembly units must be marked to identify them during manufacture and
assembling. Marking of parts and assembly units must be carried out with paints, electrographic or
impact (branding) methods. Marking of parts and assembly units of austenitic steels and iron-nickel
alloys by electrographic method is not allowed.
Places and methods of marking must be specified in the engineering documentation.
96. The manufacturer must carry out the complete delivery of equipment, including
components, surveillance specimens, control technological samples, spare parts and tools for
assembling and maintenance, unless otherwise provided by the terms of delivery.
97. Acceptance and acceptance-handover tests of the equipment must be carried out on stands
in conditions as close as possible to the actual operating conditions.
For equipment whose detachable components are manufactured by different manufacturers,
the operating organization must appoint a head company to carry out control assembly and testing.
98. In cases where delivery of the equipment in separate parts is provided under the terms of
transportation, its reworking with application of welding must be carried out by the manufacturer on
a site allocated by the operating organization and equipped specifically for this purpose.
99. In cases where delivery of the equipment in separate parts is provided under the terms of,
its assembling and reworking with application of welding must be carried out by the assembling
company with the participation of the manufacturer's representatives in the assessment of conformity
of elaboration work.
100. The technology of assembling of pipelines, in cases where it is technically possible, must
provide for the performance of work on joining of individual parts and assembly units into preassembled on a specially dedicated and equipped site with the use of automated and (or) automatic
welding methods during the necessary non-destructive testing of welded joints.
101. The manufacturer must install a plate on the equipment housings, on which at least the
following must be indicated:
a) manufacturer’s name or trademark;
b) name of equipment;
c) factory identification number and year of manufacturing;
d) design pressure, design temperature and test pressure values;
e) working medium.
Places of installation of plates must be specified in engineering documentation and be available
for visual inspection at operation.
The requirements of this paragraph do not apply to housings of valves.
Methods of manufacture
102. Cutting semi-finished products (blanks) and cutting holes must be carried out by a
technology, excluding formation of cracks. Following thermal cutting, edges must be machined.
103. After cutting and machining, the ends of the parts and (or) assembly units and the surfaces
of the holes must be checked for cracks, delaminations and other defects.
104. Bottoms, covers and parts thereof must be made by stamping from a single sheet or welded
sheet blanks made of sheets pre-welded between themselves.
It is possible to produce bottoms, covers and parts by open machine forging, subject to their
subsequent continuous ultrasonic testing.
105. Upsetting of necks in shells, bottoms, covers and other parts or assembly units must be
carried out by machine.
106. Cold expanding (compression) of pipes is allowed, the minimum value of the relative metal
elongation at 20 °C is not less than 18%. At the same time, engineering and process documentation
must specify the maximum size of permissible expansion (compression).
The possibility and conditions of application of hot expansion (compression) of the ends of pipes
are established in engineering and (or) process documentation.
107. Mating surfaces of welded parts (for example, linings, ribs, brackets, suspensions) must
have the same configuration as the surface at the points of welding of the specified parts.
The permissible gap between the edges of the surface of the welded part and the surface of the
article must not be more than half of the design height of the fillet welded, but not more than 5 mm,
unless more strict requirements are set in the engineering documentation.
108. Cold draw of pipelines (if provided by design documentation) must be carried out after
performance of all welded joints (except for the closing seam) on the site of draw, their heat treatment
(if provided), quality control of the fulfilled welded joints and final fastening of fixed supports on the
ends of the site of draw. The permissible value of cold draw of pipelines (the distance between the
ends of the pipes approached) must be specified in design documentation. Assembly and welding of
the closing seam in the assembly fixture must be carried out in presence of a representative of the
operating organization. The assembly fixture may only be removed off the closing seam after its
complete cooldown.
109. If draw is applied for assembling of the final welded joint of the pipeline, the parameters
characterizing the same must be entered on the certificate on assembling and the passport of the
pipeline.
110. Assembling of pipelines must be carried out so that the welded joint of the equipment with
the pipeline is not constituted by the closing welded joint.
111. Welded joints of parts or assembly units of the pipeline with the equipment must be
additionally controlled by radiographic method, and the results of control must be attached to the
certificate of assembling of the pipeline.
112. Welding, weld deposition and thermal treatment of welded joints of 10GN2MFA,
10GN2MFAL, 15Х2NMFA, 15Х2NMFA-А, 15Х2NMFA Grade 1 steel parts must be performed in
accordance with a standardized procedure.
113. Commissioning works on the equipment and pipelines must be carried out according with
the program which is specially developed by the operating organization.
Tolerances
114. The deviation of the outer diameter of cylindrical parts (except pipes) made of sheets,
forgings and castings must not be more than 1% of its nominal value, but not more than 20 mm. The
ovality of the above cylindrical parts must not exceed 1%.
At the places of welding of fittings, branch pipes, pipes, bearings, axles and other parts, the
deviation of the outer diameter must be not more than 1.5% of its nominal value, but anyway not
more than 30 mm; the ovality must not exceed 1.5%.
115. The deviation of the internal diameter of spherical bottoms and covers must not be more
than 1% of its nominal value, but anyway not more than 20 mm.
116. The deviation from the profile of the bottoms and covers (except spherical ones) must be
no more than 1% of the nominal value of the internal diameter of the bottom (cover), but anyway no
more than 20 mm.
117. The radius of the fillet on the outer surface of the neck R must be not smaller than the
nominal wall thickness of the part at the site of upsetting of the neck, but anyway not less than 20 mm
(Fig. 14).
It is allowed to set the value of R from the following equation:
provided that after upsetting of the neck the part is subjected to heat treatment and liquid
penetrant or magnetic particle control of the outer and inner surfaces of the neck within the zone
specified in Fig. 14.
Fig. 14. The scheme of upset neck, L
30 mm
The sizes of this zone are set by process documentation. For parts made of austenitic steels, or
carbon and silicon-manganese steels of the pearlite class it is allowed to combine hot upsetting of the
neck and heat treatment. Liquid penetrant and magnetic particle inspection must be carried out after
machining of the neck.
Requirements for the radius of the fillet must be maintained both before machining of the neck
and after it.
118. The ovality of bent sections of pipes must not exceed 6% on parts of pipelines of group A,
8% - on parts of pipelines of group B and 12% - on parts of pipelines of group C.
The ovality of bent sections of heat exchange equipment pipes of all groups must not exceed
12%.
These requirements do not apply to thin-walled cylindrical parts that change their shape under
the effect of its own weight and (or) the weight of attached parts, with a ratio of the nominal wall
thickness to the nominal outer diameter of less than 0.02.
119. Steeply bent elbows (branches) with a nominal outer diameter of more than 57 mm and
normally bent elbows with a nominal outer diameter of more than 150 mm, intended for the
manufacture of equipment and pipelines of groups A and B, are subject to continuous monitoring of
ovality and thinning of the wall. In other cases, the control of ovality and thinning of the elbow wall
on the curved sections must be carried out selectively in the amount of not less than 10% of elbows
of each size made under the same order and the same technology (but not less than two elbows).
An elbow is considered to be steeply bent (normally curved) if the average radius of its curvature
is less than 3,5 (not less than 3.5) from the nominal outer diameter of the elbow.
Heat treatment
120. The need for heat treatment of assembly units and parts in the course of manufacture,
assembling or repair is established by the engineering and (or) process documentation.
121. The type of heat treatment and its modes are established by documents on standardization
of materials and semi-finished products and articles made thereof, as well as engineering and (or)
process documentation for assembly units and parts.
Types and modes of heat treatment established by the engineering and (or) process
documentation, must be agreed with the head material organization.
Control of the set modes of heating, storage and cooling must be carried out with the
registration of their parameters.
122. The mechanical characteristics of heat-treated metal must be determined by testing
specimens cut from blanks or specially manufactured control samples. Samples must be made of
metal of the same batch (melt) as the controlled part and (or) assembly unit. Samples must be heat
treated to the same extent and under the same conditions as the product during manufacture or
assembling (together with or separately from the controlled product), taking into account tempering
in cases of correction of metal defects.
123. Shells, bottoms, covers and other parts made of carbon and silicon-manganese steels after
cold rolling or stamping must be heat treated if the ratio of the nominal wall thickness to the nominal
inner radius of the shell or to the smallest radius of curvature of the bottom or cover exceeds 0.05.
124. Bended pipes of carbon and silico manganese steel are to be heat-treated if the ratio of the
mean bend radius to nominal outer diameter of the pipe is less, than 3.5 and the ratio of pipe wall
thickness to its outer diameter is exceeding 0.05.
125. In cases not specified in paragraphs 123 and 124 hereof, the need for heat treatment of
parts after deformation is established by the documents on standardization of materials, engineering
and (or) process documentation.
126. Heat treatment of parts made of carbon and silicon-manganese steels after hot rolling,
bending or stamping is not allowed, if at the end of the deformation the temperature of the metal
was not below 700 °C. This provision does not apply to branch pipes made by bending with heating by
high frequency currents.
Heat treatment of the bottom and parts of austenitic steels after stamping or rolling is not
allowed if the temperature of the metal was not below 900 °C at the end of deformation.
127. It is allowed to combine heat treatment after deformation of parts (assembly units) of
carbon and silicon-manganese steels, as well as austenitic steels, with subsequent heat treatment of
the product after other process operations.
128. At quenching and normalizing the entire product must be placed in a thermal furnace.
129. At tempering and austenization of a high-length product, its heat treatment in the furnace
in parts is allowed with providing a drop of the temperature of metal in the heating interface zone and
at a distance of 1 m from edge of the furnace no more than 100 °C under a technology approved by
the head material science organization.
130. At tempering and austenization of bent sections of pipes, local heat treatment is allowed
of the bending section and the straight sections of pipes adjacent thereto on both sides, with a length
not less than three times nominal wall thickness, but anyway not less than 100 mm.
131. At process tempering of control samples it is allowed to reduce the duration of exposure
compared to exposure set for the products, but by no more than 20%.
132. If the controlled products are subject to multiple process tempering operations at the same
temperature with identical total duration of exposure, the control sample is allowed to be subject to
a single tempering operation at the same temperature with duration of exposure not less than 80%
and no more than 100% of the total duration of exposure of tempering operations.
133. If the controlled products are subject to multiple process tempering operations at different
temperatures with the same (total) duration of exposure at the same temperature, the control sample
may be subjected to a single tempering operation with a duration of exposure at each temperature of
not less than 80% and not more than 100% of the (total) duration of exposure of the corresponding
tempering operation(-s). First, exposure must be carried out at a lower temperature, then - at a higher
temperature. The time of transition from one temperature to another is not counted in the duration
of exposure.
If among the provided multiple process tempering operations at different temperatures there
are tempering operations with the same temperature and the same total duration of exposure, at a
single tempering operation of control sample the duration of exposure at each such temperature must
make not less than 80% and no more than 100% of the total duration of tempering operations.
134. It is allowed to carry out control of characteristics of metal on one control sample with
observance of requirements of paragraphs 131 - 133 of these Rules in cases where the duration
provided at the same temperature (total duration) of exposure of tempering operations is different,
but the difference between the maximum and minimum duration (total duration) of exposure does
not exceed 20% of the maximum duration (total duration) of exposure. During the tempering of a
control sample the duration of exposure must be not less than 80% and not more than 100% of the
maximum duration of exposure of the tempering operation (a maximum total duration of exposure of
the respective tempering operations).
135. If the controlled products are to be tempered at different temperatures (except as specified
in paragraph 133 hereof) and (or) with different exposure durations times (except as specified in
paragraph 134 hereof), the metal characteristics must be tested on two separate control samples:
a) the first control sample must be subjected to the same tempering as the product for which
the lowest tempering temperature and (or) the minimum duration of exposure of a single tempering
are provided, or the lowest temperatures and (or) the shortest total duration of exposure at the
highest tempering temperature are provided for the product at multiple tempering operations;
b) the first control sample is not subject to tempering if among the controlled products there
are both those that are subject, and not subject to tempering;
c) it is allowed to skip examination of characteristics of the metal in the first sample, if prior to
construction (assembling) of products the characteristics of the metal of blanks were tested and were
found to comply with the requirements;
d) the second control sample must be subjected to the same tempering as the product for which
the highest tempering temperature and (or) the maximum duration of exposure of a single tempering
are provided, or the highest temperatures and (or) the longest total duration of exposure at the
highest tempering temperature are provided for the product at multiple tempering operations;
At determination of the maximum total duration of endurance all tempering operations
provided in process documentation, including tempering operations after correction of defects in
metal, must be considered.
136. If the controlled products made of carbon and silicon-manganese steels are subject to
multiple normalization (hardening) or heating for deformation at temperatures of normalization
(hardening), the control sample is allowed to be subjected only to normalization (hardening) under
the latest regime used.
137. After heat treatment, the mechanical properties of the metal and its resistance to
intergranular corrosion (the latter - only for corrosion-resistant austenitic steels and iron-nickel alloys)
must be determined. The need, scope and temperature of tests, characteristics and parameters to be
determined, as well as the types and number of samples are established by engineering
documentation (quality control tables) and process documentation.
Documentation
138. Process documentation for manufacturing and assembling must regulate the content and
procedure for performing all process and control operations.
139. Assembling documentation for pipelines and equipment referred to groups A and B
(including modifications introduced thereto) must be approved by the NPF (reactor facility) project
developer.
140. Process documentation for smelting and casting, thermal cutting, pressure treatment,
welding, surfacing and heat treatment of metal equipment or pipeline of groups A and B must be
approved by the head material science organization.
141. The equipment must be supplied with a passport, which must contain:
a) name of the manufacturer;
b) name of equipment and its designation, documents on standardization;
c) factory identification number and date of equipment manufacturing;
d) information on the group, safety class, category of seismic resistance;
e) technical characteristics and parameters of equipment;
f) information on chemical composition and mechanical parameters of parts, welded joints and
buildups (only technical composition for the latter) including information on certificates on materials
used;
g) data on thermal treatment;
h) information on the results of non-destructive testing of metal;
i) information on correction of manufacturing defects;
j) pressure testing parameters and results;
k) equipment operation period and service life characteristics;
l) information on preservation and packaging;
m) opinion on compliance of manufactured equipment with requirements of these Rules and
engineering documentation;
n) warranty obligations;
o) other information on request of the operating organization.
If the equipment is manufactured on the assembling site, the passport must be issued by the
manufacturer after reworking. If reworking is carried out by the assembling organization, the scope of
information on reworking is established in coordination with the manufacturer.
In passports of the equipment into which surveillance specimens are placed, data on
surveillance specimens must be provided to a scope necessary for their identification.
142. During the service life of the equipment the owner or operator must enter information on
its location, registration, performed pressure tests, technical inspections, maintenance, operational
inspection of condition of metal as well as the values of service life characteristics determined at
operation, on its passport.
The operating organization must enter data on unloading and loading of surveillance specimens
throughout the service life of the equipment into the passports of the equipment into which
surveillance specimens are placed.
143. The equipment passport must be accompanied by:
a) operation, maintenance and repair manuals, as well as other documents stipulated by the
terms of delivery;
b) the list of fittings and (or) control and instrumentation devices ("C&I") necessary for
retrofitting of the equipment if their delivery together with the equipment is not provided;
c) a copy of the certificate of conformity, if the equipment is subject to conformity assessment
in the form of mandatory certification;
d) calculation of strength or extract therefrom with reference to the calculation and description
of initial data and results;
e) equipment drawings;
f) metal quality control tables;
g) passports of valves and (or) C&I installed on the equipment;
h) certificates for materials in use.
In case of application of a new material in accordance with paragraph 88 hereof, a technological
technical solution must be attached to the equipment passport.
If there are deviations from engineering documentation, the passport of the equipment must
be accompanied by documents containing information about the eliminated deviations, as well as
documents on the results of conformity assessment and a report on non-conformities.
144. The requirements of paragraphs 141 - 143 of this regulation do not apply to passports of
valves.
145. The manufacturer must provide the operating organization with certificates of
manufacture of parts and assembly units of pipelines, a set of drawings (general view and (or)
assembly drawings with quality control tables). The assembling organization must hand over the
certificates on assembling of the equipment and (or) pipelines to the operating organization.
146. The certificate of manufacture of parts and assembly units of pipelines must contain:
a) name of the manufacturer;
b) name of parts and assembly units of pipelines, date of manufacture;
c) information on the working medium, design pressure and temperature;
d) information on the group, safety class and category of seismic resistance of the pipeline;
e) data on pipes, profiled parts and fasteners, including certificate data on materials;
e) data on valves and (or) C&I installed by the manufacturer on assembly units of the pipeline;
g) information on heat treatment of assembly units and parts;
h) information on correction of manufacturing defects;
i) pressure test results;
j) information on the results of non-destructive testing of parts, welds and surfacing;
k) opinion on compliance of manufactured parts and assembly units with requirements of these
Rules and engineering documentation;
In case of application of a new material in accordance with paragraph 88 hereof, a technical
solution must be attached to the certificate of manufacture of parts and assembly units of pipelines.
If there are deviations from engineering documentation, documents must be attached
containing information about the eliminated deviations, as well as documents on the results of
conformity assessment and a report on non-conformities.
147. The certificate of assembling of equipment (or pipeline) must contain:
a) name of the assembling organization;
b) name of the equipment (or pipeline);
c) information about the equipment (or pipeline), including its group, safety class and category
of seismic resistance, information about the working medium;
d) data on fasteners and (or) other parts not included in the passport of the equipment or the
pipeline;
e) data on the welded joints, surfacing and heat treatment performed at assembling;
f) information on correction of defects at assembling;
g) information on fittings and (or) C&I installed during assembling;
h) information on supports and suspensions;
i) amount of cold draw of the pipeline (if applied);
k) pressure test results;
l) certificate on completion of assembling and on compliance of the performed works with
design and (or) engineering documentation approved by the operating organization.
148. A spatial as-built diagram of the pipeline with indication of parameters of the working
medium, the geometrical dimensions and arrangement of welded joints, places of removal of thermal
insulation, assembling of supports, reference points, valves and I&C must be attached to the certificate
of assembling of the pipeline.
If there are deviations from engineering and (or) design documentation, the certificate of
assembling of equipment (pr pipeline) must be accompanied with documents containing information
about the eliminated deviations, as well as documents on the results of conformity assessment and a
report on non-conformities.
149. Pipeline passports must be issued by the operating organization. The pipeline passport
must contain:
a) data on the pipeline, including its purpose, working medium, safety class, group, category of
seismic resistance; date of the end of assembling, the name of the assembling organization;
b) designation of the drawing of the pipeline and the name of the manufacturers of parts and
assembly units;
c) information on design pressure and temperature;
d) pressure test parameters and results;
e) pipeline operation period and service life characteristics;
f) information on valves and (or) I&C if their delivery along with assembly units of the pipeline
is not provided;
g) amount of cold draw of the pipeline (if applied);
h) the list of documents attached to the passport.
150. During the service life of the pipeline the operating organization must enter information
on its location, registration, performed pressure tests, technical inspections, maintenance,
operational inspection of condition of metal as well as the values of service life characteristics
determined at operation, on its passport.
151. The pipeline passport must be accompanied with:
a) certificate of manufacture for parts and assembly units of pipelines;
b) a set of drawings and diagrams of the pipeline;
c) the certificate on assembling of the pipeline with the documents attached thereto;
d) passport(s) on valves and (or) C&I;
e) certificate on acceptance of assembling.
152. The form of passports of the equipment (or pipeline), certificates of manufacture of parts
and assembly units of pipelines, certificates of assembling of the equipment (or pipeline) is established
according to requirements of documents on standardization.
153. The operating organization must ensure the safekeeping of passports of equipment and
pipelines, as well as the documents attached to them throughout the service life of the equipment
and pipelines.
Surveillance specimen
154. Sets of surveillance samples must be produced and handed over to the operating
organization for loading into the reactor vessel as well as at least two additional sets of surveillance
samples.
Additional sets cannot be loaded into the reactor vessel. The number of surveillance samples in
these sets must be sufficient to identify the initial state of the metal.
155. Surveillance specimens of the base metal must be made of regular blanks, which are
intended for production of controlled areas of equipment.
156. The surveillance specimens of welded joints must be made with welding materials of the
same batch (wire of one batch in combination with flux of one batch in case of automatic submergedarc welding, electrodes of one batch in case of manual arc welding, wire of one batch in case of argonarc welding) as welds of controlled areas of the reactor vessel. If the wire of the same brand, the same
melt, the same diameter and the same type of surface is delivered in different batches, it must be
considered as wire of the same batch (melt), with a common number assigned thereto.
If the engineering documentation provides for the placement of witness specimens of the root
part of the seam, performing welded joints with welding of the root part of the seam with low-alloy
filler materials; the above requirement must be met separately for materials for welding of the root
part of the seam and materials for welding of the rest of the seam.
157. Billets (including welded joints) for the production of witness witness specimens must be
subjected to the same heat treatment as the metal of the controlled zones in the process of
manufacturing and assembling of the reactor vessel zones.
158. A certificate on production of witness specimens must be issued for the set of witness
specimens.
146. The certificate of manufacture of witness specimens must contain:
a) marking and purpose of witness specimens;
b) information on places of cutting of witness specimens;
c) information on places of installation of witness specimens;
d) factory number of reactor vessel associated with the set of witness specimens.
V. Pressure tests
General
159. Pressure tests, depending on the test medium, are classified as hydraulic, pneumohydraulic
and pneumatic, their purpose being to check the strength and tightness of equipment and pipelines.
160. Strength tests are held:
a) at production of the equipment and (or) details and Assembly units of pipelines by the
manufacturer;
b) after assembling of equipment and pipelines;
c) at technical examinations in the course of operation.
161. It is not allowed to test the strength of the primary circuit system of water-water reactors
with the core unloaded, if the safety of the NPP is not substantiated.
162. Tightness tests must confirm that there is no leakage of equipment or piping.
Strength tests are held:
a) after dismantling and sealing of detachable joints;
b) on detection of leaks in detachable joints;
c) after repair (except for repair with plugging of tubes of heat exchange equipment) with
welding (surfacing).
163. Pneumohydraulic tests must be carried out for equipment and pipelines in contact with the
liquid metal coolant, as well as for safety housings (jackets).
164. Pneumatic tests, if their safe is assured, must be carried out for equipment and pipelines
loaded with gas pressure, as well as those operating under vacuum pressure.
165. Pressure tests for tanks, vessels, as well as adjacent pipelines and hydraulic locks before
the first stop valves operating under hydrostatic pressure must be carried out by filling after
assembling and during operation.
166. The need for pressure testing and the choice of test medium and test parameters of
equipment and pipelines containing diesel fuel and media for lubrication, cooling and start-up control
systems is determined by the developer.
167. Components of the equipment, parts and assembly units of pipelines operating under
external pressure, may be tested in the course of manufacture under internal pressure, the value of
which must be specified in the engineering documentation.
168. In the course of manufacture and assembling, pressure tests must be carried out prior to
the application of protective anti-corrosion coatings and installation of thermal insulation on
equipment and pipelines, unless otherwise specified in the engineering.
169. If there is thermal insulation, pressure tests during operation must be carried out without
removing it for equipment and pipelines with liquid metal coolant, in other cases - after its removal in
the places specified in the engineering documentation or in the spatial scheme of the pipeline.
170. Pressure tests of assembly units of pipelines integrated on assembly platforms are allowed
to be combined with pressure tests after completion of their assembling.
171. It is allowed not to carry out hydraulic tests of vessels of research reactors operating the
pressure of weight of the liquid contained therein, on condition of 100% ultrasonic or radiographic
control of all welded joints, liquid penetrant or magnetic particle control in the course of manufacture.
172. Pressure tests after completion of assembling of equipment and pipelines may be
combined with pressure tests at their initial technical inspection prior to registration and putting in
operation.
173. Pipelines for discharge (supply) of process medium into a container with hydrostatic
pressure, as well as areas of sprinkler systems and drains after the last valves to the end of the pipeline
having a gravity drain.
174. For housings of centrifugal pumps and sections of pipelines at the delivery side of
centrifugal pumps to the check valve, it is allowed to hold hydraulic tests with a pressure formed
during operation of the pump on the closed shut-off valves during the time allowed by the
manufacturer for operation of the pump in the non-flow mode.
175. Pressure testing of individual parts and assembly units of equipment and pipelines of
groups B and C at manufacture of the same is not carried out in the following cases:
a) the manufacturer performs tests of the specified parts and assembly units as part of preassembled units;
b) the manufacturer of equipment of group C of pearlite and high-chromium steels carries out
ultrasonic inspection of all welded joints, as well as their radiographic control to the double volume
compared to the volume provided by the federal standards and rules in the field of nuclear energy use
establishing rules for the control of welded joints and surfacing of equipment and pipelines of nuclear
power plants, and for austenitic steels and iron-nickel steels - radiographic control of all welded joints;
c) the manufacturer of parts and assembly units of pipelines of groups B and C from steels of
pearlite class and high-chromium steels carries out ultrasonic testing of all welds, and radiographic
inspection of welded joints of categories IIa, IIna to 100%, categories IIb, IInv and IIIa to 50%, category
IIIb to 25%, and for austenitic steels - radiographic inspection of all welded joints, ultrasonic inspection
of metal in stress concentration zones and in areas subjected to deformation of more than 5% during
manufacture, and additional liquid penetrant or magnetic particle testing of machined surfaces (for
group C pipelines, this additional inspection may be skipped).
Categories of welded joints are assigned in accordance with the requirements of federal rules
and regulations in the field of nuclear energy use establishing rules for the control of welded joints
and surfacing of equipment and pipelines of nuclear power facilities.
The scope of control and assessment of the quality of base metal must be presented in
engineering documentation.
176. Pressure during tests must be measured by two independent measuring channels. The
error of measuring pressure at tests must not exceed
5%;
Testing pressure
177. Hydraulic test pressure Ph at the strength test must be at least:
(lower limit)
and not higher than the pressure, at which total membrane stresses will arise in the article under
testing equal to
achieve
, and the sum of total or local membrane and total bending stresses will
(upper limit).
In the equation, pressure P is equal to designed pressure at tests by the manufacturer, or to
operating pressure after assembling and in the course of operation;
,
- rated permissible stresses in metal at hydraulic test temperature Th and at design
temperature T, respectively. Kh
The values of total and local membrane stresses, total bending stresses, nominal permissible
stress in the metal must be determined in accordance with federal standards and rules in the field of
nuclear energy use establishing the rules of calculation of the strength of equipment and pipelines of
NPF.
178. Pressure of hydraulic or pneumatic tests P at the check of the strength of equipment and
pipelines loaded with external pressure must not exceed:
,
where Pv is the permissible external pressure determined in accordance with federal standards
and rules in the field of nuclear energy use establishing standards for calculating the strength of
equipment and pipelines of NPF.
178. Pressure of pneumatic and pneumohydraulicatic tests Pp at the check of strength must be
at least:
(lower limit),
where
The upper limit of Pp is as specified in paragraph 177 hereof.
For pneumatic and pneumohydraulic tests, pressure P is equal to designed pressure at tests by
the manufacturer, or to operating pressure after assembling and in the course of operation.
180. At the tightness test, the test pressure must be not lower than the operating pressure
value, and not higher than the design pressure value.
181. If a system consisting of equipment and pipelines operating at different operating
pressures and/or design temperatures, or made of materials with different nominal permissible
stresses at the design temperature or test temperature, is subjected to tests, the test pressure of this
system shall not be lower than the maximum value of the totality of minimum pressures for all the
components of the system. In this case, the test pressure of the system must not exceed the maximum
test pressure for any element of the system.
Testing temperature
182. Strength tests at the manufacture or assembling must be carried out at a temperature of
the metal of the equipment and pipelines not lower than 5 °C, unless otherwise specified in the
production test program.
183. The permissible temperature of the metal during testing at operation is set by the operating
organization on the basis of strength calculation data, passports of equipment and pipelines, the
number of loading cycles recorded during operation, the neutron fluence, the results of testing of
witness specimens.
184. The permissible temperature of metal at tests of the equipment and pipelines as a part of
the system is taken equal to the maximum of the values of temperature specified in passports of the
equipment and certificates on manufacture of parts and assembly units of pipelines.
185. Tests during operation must be carried out at a temperature of the test medium for which
the temperature of the metal of equipment and pipelines will not be lower than the minimum
permissible temperature to be determined in accordance with federal standards and rules in the field
of nuclear energy use establishing standards for strength calculations for equipment and pipelines of
NPF. In all cases, the test medium temperature must not be below 5 °C.
Testing
186. In the process of hydraulic tests, pressure fluctuations due to changes in the temperature
of the liquid are allowed. The permissible temperature and pressure variations in each case must be
determined by calculation or experimentation, and the pressure must not exceed the lower and upper
limits defined in paragraph 177 hereof. The temperature must not be allowed to fall below the value
specified in paragraphs 182 to 185 hereof.
The pressure drop caused by leaks through seals of the pump shafts during the test may be
compensated by boost-pumping of the test medium.
187. Valves of the filling pipeline and instruments for measuring pressure and temperature
intended for pneumatic tests must be taken outside the zone in which the equipment is tested, to a
place safe for the personnel. During the rise of the gas pressure in the equipment and pipelines under
testing, exposure under pressure and reducing the pressure to the value set for inspection, the
personnel must stay in a safe place.
188. The time of exposure under pressure at hydraulic tests must be at least 10 minutes. After
the exposure, the pressure must be reduced to 0.8Ph, and examination of equipment and pipelines
must be held.
189. The time of exposure under pressure at pneumatic and pneumohydraulic tests must be at
least 30 minutes. After the exposure, the pressure must be reduced, and examination of equipment
and pipelines must be held. The inspection shall be carried out at a pressure determined on the basis
of safety conditions, but in all cases this must not exceed 0.85 Pp.
190. The time of exposure under pressure at filling tests must be at least 24 hours.
Test programs
191. Before testing the equipment and (or) parts and assembly units of pipelines, the
manufacturer must develop a production test program and have it approved by the developer.
192. For testing of equipment and pipelines after assembling and during operation, the
operating organization must develop a comprehensive test program and have it approved by the
developers of the NPF (reactor facility) projects before the tests.
193. On the basis of a comprehensive test program, the operating organization must develop
working test programs.
194. The production test program must contain:
a) name of equipment or assembly units and parts of pipelines;
b) values of the upper and lower limits of test pressure and temperature;
c) information on testing media and requirements to their quality;
d) information on the method of heating of testin medium (if this is to be heated);
e) values of permissible rates of rising and falling of pressure and temperature;
f) information on the pressure source and its connection;
g) time of exposure to pressure;
h) pressure at which examination must be performed;
i) list of pressure and temperature control instruments and information on places of their
installation;
i) acceptable limits of variation of pressure and temperature during exposure period;
j) information on installation of process plugs;
k) list of organizational measures including appointment of persons in charge of testing;
l) rejection principles;
m) occupational safety requirements;
n) requirements to registration of results.
195. In addition to information enlisted in subparagraphs "b" to "n" of paragraph 194 hereof,
the comprehensive testing program must contain:
a) name and diagram of process system (part of system, equipment, pipeline);
b) requirements for radiation and nuclear safety assurance.
196. In addition to information enlisted in paragraph 195 hereof, the working testing program
must contain:
a) procedure for filling equipment and (or) pipelines with a testing medium and procedure for
draining the same;
b) list of measures for preparing equipment and (or) pipelines for testing;
с) nuclear and radiation safety assurance measures;
d) list of zones of removal of thermal insulation;
e) list of measures for protection from excess of pressure above the test value;
f) list of places of bringing test medium;
g) rejection criteria.
Test results assessment
197. Equipment and pipelines are considered to have passed the tests, if in the process of testing
and inspection no test medium leaks, residual deformation or metal failures were detected, and the
pressure value did not go beyond the limits set by the program.
During tests of equipment and assembly units (parts) of pipelines, leakage through process seals
intended for testing, is not a rejection criteria.
198. If during the tests in the course of manufacture there occurred leakage in a detachable
joint, it is necessary to re-seal the joint and repeat the strength test.
199. Upon completion of testing, a certificate must be issued including:
a) name of the system tested (part of system, equipment, pipeline, assembly units, parts);
b) operation period as of the time of test at the stage of operation;
c) design pressure and design temperature values;
d) values of test pressure and minimum temperature of metal of equipment (pipeline) at testing;
e) information on testing medium;
f) time of exposure to pressure;
g) number of working (production) testing program;
h) test results.
Passports of the equipment and the pipeline and the certificate of manufacture of parts and
assembly units of pipelines must include records on results of tests with reference to the report.
VI. Furnishing with valves
and control and instrumentation
General requirements
235. The purpose, quantity and places for installation are determined by the developer of the
NPF (reactor facility) project.
201. Valves of groups A, B and C must comply with requirements hereof as well as federal
standards and rules in the field of nuclear energy use establishing general technical requirements for
NPP pipeline valves.
202. Sections of pipelines and equipment that can be disconnected for inspection and repair, as
well as low pressure pipelines connected to lines with a pressure above 2.16 MPa, must be
disconnected by two consecutive shut-off valves with drainage arranged between them.
Pressure pipelines of the safety systems connected to the main circulation circuit (repeated
forced circulation circuit) must be disconnected from it by two back-pressure valves and shutoff valves
installed in sequence. The drainage system with throughput capacity exceeding back-pressure valve
design leakage at least 10 times must be installed between shutoff valves and the first downstream
back-pressure valve.
In case of performance of repair work during power operation of the unit, the shutoff valves
must be closed and the valves on the drainage line must be opened.
Requirement of installation of drainage system between shutoff valves on high and low pressure
boundaries shall not apply to the I&C control lines.
203. Pipeline sections and equipment connected to higher pressure lines (if their pressure does
not exceed 2.16 MPa) and available for inspection and repair can be disconnected with one shut-off
valve. In case of disconnection of the equipment and pipeline sections for inspection or repair, the
shutoff valves must be closed.
204. At shutdown for repair or inspection of the shutoff valves specified in paragraphs 202 and
203 of these Rules, technical and organizational measures excluding a change of the state of shutoff
valves at erroneous actions of the personnel must be provided and implemented:
a) shutoff valves must be closed, and displacement of moving parts must be prevented
mechanically, with flywheels removed or secured with a lock;
b) cocks on the drain line are open;
с) electric power supply circuits and control circuits are dismantled;
d) power supply cabinets are close and sealed;
e) records are entered on operation logs.
Safety devices
205. Equipment and pipelines, the pressure in which may exceed the working pressure must be
equipped with safety devices, which include direct-acting or forced-acting membranes and safety
valves (safety and pulse valves).
206. The number of safety devices, their throughput, opening pressure and closing pressure are
determined by the developers of the NPF (reactor facility) projects based on the fact that the pressure
in the protected equipment and pipelines with an operating pressure of more than 0.3 MPa must not
exceed the operating pressure by 15% when these devices are activated.
In the equipment and pipelines with operating pressures up to 0.3 MPa, pressure must not be
exceeded by more than 0.05 MPa.
At determination of the number and throughput of safety devices there must be taken into
account the total capacity of all the potential pressure rise sources with consideration of design basis
accidents.
The inner flow diameter of safety valves must be at least 15 mm.
207. The number of safety valves and forced-rupture safety membranes protecting equipment
and pipelines of groups A and B must be increased by at least one of the number specified in
accordance with the requirements of paragraph 206 hereof.
208. If a safety device protects several units of equipment, it is selected and adjusted according
to the lowest operating pressure for these units of equipment.
209. The safety valve must be closed after actuation when the pressure reaches a value of not
less than 0.9 of the operating pressure.
210. Safety devices must be capable of being blocked during pressure testing of equipment and
pipelines.
After the tests, the safety devices must be brought into the working condition, which must be
recorded in operational logs.
211. A safety valve must be installed on pressure pipelines between the shutoff valves and the
positive displacement pump that has no safety valve.
212. It is not allowed to install shutoff valves between the safety device and the equipment or
pipeline protected by it, or on discharge or drainage pipelines.
213. It is allowed to use pilot-operated relief valves (hereinafter, PORV) with two safety valves
configured for different opening and closing pressures, and the difference between their opening
pressures must be set by the developer of the NPF (reactor facility) project.
214. It is allowed to install shut-off valves upstream pulse-operated valves of pilot-operated
relief valves (PORV), and downstream such valves, if PORV are provided with at least two pulseoperated valves, and protection from overpressure above the permissible value is provided as one of
these valves is taken out of operation.
215. The possibility of unauthorized adjustment of the spring and other adjustment components
of the safety valve must be prevented. Safety valve springs must be protected against direct impact
of medium and overheating.
216. It is not allowed to use safety valves with a weight lever drive.
217. When several safety devices are installed on the same header branch (or pipeline) the
cross-section area of the header (pipeline) must be at least 1.25 of the total cross-section area of
connection brancghes of safety devices.
218. Equipment and pipelines with liquid-metal coolant, as well as equipment and pipelines of
group C are allowed to be equipped with safety membranes that are broken when the pressure in the
protected equipment increases by 25% of the working pressure of the medium. It is allowed to install
safety membranes in front of the safety valve, if a device is placed between them excluding the ingress
of parts of the membrane into the safety valve. The operability of a safety valve in combination with
a safety membrane must be confirmed by test.
The flow cross-sectional area of the safety membrane must be not less than cross-sectional area
of the inlet pipe of safety valve. Places of installation and marking of the membrane must be accessible
for visual inspection.
219. Equipment being under a pressure below the supply source pressure must have an
automatic pressure reducing device with a pressure gage and safety valves installed on its supply
pipeline from the lower pressure side.
A group of equipment operating from the same supply source and at the same pressure is
allowed to be provided with a single automatic pressure-reducing device with a pressure gage and
safety valves located on the same general line upstream the first branch. When maintaining a constant
pressure downstream the pressure-reducing device is either not possible for technological reasons or
not required, pipelines from the supply source can be equipped with uncontrolled reducing devices.
On pipelines of heating steam condensate connecting the regenerative heaters of turbine sets,
it is allowed to install valves regulating the level of condensate instead of reducing devices.
220. If the pipeline on a section from the automatic reducing device to the equipment is
designed for the maximum pressure of the supply source and the equipment is provided with a safety
device, it is allowed not to install a safety device downstream the pressure-reducing device on the
pipeline.
212. In case the design pressure in equipment is equal to the supply source pressure or exceeds
it and the possibility of pressure increase due to external and internal sources is eliminated,
installation of safety devices is not necessary.
222. Installation of safety and automatic regulating devices is not required:
a) on pump recirculation pipelines;
b) on pipelines downstream level control devices;
c) on purge, drain pipelines, and pipelines for gas removal during medium dumping into the
equipment provided with safety devices.
223. Discharge pipes that have no natural slopes must be provided with a drainage device. The
inner diameter of a discharge pipeline must be no less than the inner diameter of the outlet branch
pipe of the safety valve. The medium coming out of the safety devices and drains must be discharged
to a place provided in the design with explosion and fire safety observed.
224. The operability of safety valves, including control circuits, must be checked with release of
the working medium before the first start-up of equipment and pipelines with the operating
parameters and during operation at intervals established by the operating organization and agreed
upon with the developers of the valves, but not less than the frequency of preventive maintenance of
the NPP power unit. If defects or failures of operation of safety valves are revealed during inspection,
causes must be established of the defects or failures, repair must be performed, and a repeated check
must be carried out.
225. The check of the settings of the safety valve, including the control circuits, must be carried
out after assembling or repair affecting the settings, but not less frequently than the check of the
operability of the safety valves. Settings of safety valves must be configured by increasing the pressure
in the equipment (or pipeline) or with by means of special devices, or testing on a special stand. After
a safety valve is adjusted for actuation, the adjustment module shall be sealed. The configuration
parameters must be documented.
226. If it is not possible to check the safety valve on operating equipment, switching devices
installed upstream the valves and disconnecting them for inspection must be used. At any position of
switching devices, connection of equipment and pipelines with safety valves necessary for their
protection must be provided.
In all other cases, it must be possible to check the safety valves and PORV pulse valves on the
operating equipment.
Furnishing with control and instrumentation
227. Equipment and pipelines must be equipped with instrumentation for measuring pressure,
temperature, flow rate, level of the working medium, the chemical composition of the coolant and
control of displacements, as well as medium-sampling devices.
Parameters and methods of control, places of installation of sensors and devices for sampling
of the working medium must be determined by the developer and specified in the design (engineering)
documentation.
228. On steam generators, pressure compensators, drum separators, deaerators, at least three
independent working medium level meters must be installed, and sound and light alarms of the upper
and lower permissible levels must be provided.
229. On the equipment and pipelines operated at a temperature above 150 °C, for which the
engineering documentation regulates the rate of temperature change, the measurement and
recording of the temperature change of the coolant and (or) the wall metal must be provided. Places
and methods of temperature measurements must be specified in the engineering and design
documentation.
230. The reactor vessels, steam generators, drum separators, as well as the pipelines of groups
B and C with an outer diameter of more than 300 mm, operating at a temperature above 250 °C must
be provided with periodic monitoring of displacement of the specified equipment and pipelines, as
well as fixation of the maximum displacements. If pipelines are located in unattended rooms,
displacement control must be performed remotely.
Places of installation of displacement sensors must be specified in the engineering and design
documentation.
231. Sensors and sampling devices in contact with the liquid metal coolant must be installed in
such a way that the sensor installation location is not the coldest point of the circuit. If the length of
the coolant-containing lines from the sensor to the place of connection to the circuit is more than five
times the nominal outside diameters of tubes of these lines, heating of the pipes to the circuit
temperature must be provided.
232. Sensors operating continuously at the interface between liquid metal and gas must be
resistant to slagging of their surfaces with contaminations located on the free surface of the liquid
metal.
233. Measuring channels of control and instrumentation systems must enable their periodic
metrological verification and calibration in laboratory conditions and (or) at the place of installation.
The procedure and terms of verification and calibration must be specified in the operating manuals of
specific measuring channels.
234. The accuracy of measurement of parameters under control are set by the NPF (reactor
facility) project developers and must be specified in the design or engineering documentation.
VII. Technical examination
235. Technical examination is carried out by the operating organization to establish that the
equipment and pipelines comply with the requirements of this Regulation and the reactor facility
(NPP) project, are in good condition and can be further operated.
The technical examination must be performed after non-destructive or operational testing.
236. Technical examination is subdivided as follows:
a) primary technical examination, to be performed before commissioning works, as well as after
replacement or modernization of equipment;
b) regular technical examination, to be performed during operation;
c) unscheduled.
237. Unscheduled technical examination is performed:
a) after dynamic impacts having human induced or natural origin, intensity of which complies
with design basis values or exceeds them;
b) in case of any deviations from safe operation of equipment and pipelines, and in case of
equipment failure.
238. Technical examination includes:
a) verification of documentation;
b) inspection of equipment and pipelines;
c) pressure tests;
d) presentation of results.
239. Locations inaccessible for examination because of radiation conditions shall be determined
by the operating organization. External examination inaccessibility for other reasons shall be
determined by the development organization and the Operating organization.
The Operating organization shall make the list of the equipment and pipeline parts, which are
not accessible for internal and (or) external examinations because of structural peculiarities or
radiation situation. In each particular case for such equipment or pipelines, the Operating organization
shall develop technical examination guidelines.
This list must be submitted to the inspection department of the interregional territorial
administration for supervision of nuclear and radiation safety of Rostekhnadzor carrying out
continuous supervision of safety of NPP for consideration and approval.
240. During verification of documentation:
a) passports of equipment and pipelines are checked along with the documents attached
thereto;
b) documentation is analyzed, which contains results of pre-operation inspection of metal
condition;
c) documentation is analyzed, which contains results of previous operational inspections of
metal condition.
241. Inspection of equipment and pipelines includes:
a) external and internal visual examination of equipment, including supports, in accessible
locations;
b) external examination of pipelines, including supports and suspensions, in accessible locations;
c) inspection of the state of fasteners and detachable connections of equipment and pipelines;
The purpose of inspections is to identify traces of coolant leaks, as well as surface defects
including mechanical, corrosion damage and erosions, as well as to assess the readiness of equipment
and pipelines for commissioning works and further operation.
242. Primary technical examination of equipment and pipelines having protective housings and
covers, shall be performed before welding of the latter.
243. Technical examination during operation should be carried out with the same frequency as
the in-service inspection of the metal by non-destructive methods.
A delay in performing technical examination of equipment and pipelines is allowed for a period
of up to 12 months, taking into account the schedule of preventive maintenance of NPF and the results
of previous non-destructive testing and technical examinations.
244. Should the reactor facility with the liquid-metal coolant contains means of control of
tightness of equipment and pipelines, at technical examination it is allowed not to carry out visual
inspection:
a) of the inner surface of equipment from the side of the coolant;
b) of the inner surface of safety housings;
c) of outer surfaces of equipment in safety housings and pipelines in safety jackets.
245. Before the technical examination equipment must be emptied from the working medium
contained therein.
The above-mentioned requirement does not apply to equipment with liquid metal coolant.
246. Equipment and pipelines in contact with radioactive media (except for liquid metal coolant)
must be decontaminated before the beginning of technical examination.
247. In case of detection of defects during inspection or pressure testing, a certificate is issued
on examination of defective unit, which is sent to the developers of the NPF (reactor facility) projects,
the developer and, in the case of equipment (pipeline) referred to to groups A and B, to the structural
unit of the central staff of Rostekhnadzor, which regulates the safety of nuclear power plants and
research facilities (hereinafter - Rostekhnadzor).
Scope and contents of the faulty component inspection report shall comply with the
requirements of federal rules and regulations in the area of nuclear energy use establishing the rules
for control of the basic metal, weld joints and deposited surfaces during operation of equipment,
pipelines and other components of the NPP.
248. Technical examination must be recorded in the technical examination certificates, with
protocols of pressure testing attached.
Based on the above certificate, the operating organization must make a decision about the
possibility and conditions of further operation and the date of the next technical examination, with
making relevant entries in the equipment (or pipeline) certificate.
249. After original technical examination the equipment (or pipeline) shall be subject to
registration in accordance with the federal rules and regulations in the area of nuclear energy use
establishing the rules of conformity assessment for the products subject to the requirements related
to safety assurance in the area of nuclear energy use.
The equipment and pipelines registered prior to entry of these Rules into force shall not be
subject to re-registration.
VIII. Operation
General
250. The operating organization, on the basis of design and project documentation, assembling
instructions and manuals on operation, maintenance and repair of equipment and pipelines, prior to
commissioning works, must ensure the development of operating, maintenance and repair
instructions (hereinafter - the instruction on operation of the equipment or pipeline (system)).
251. The instruction on operation of equipment or pipeline (system) must contain:
a) brief description;
b) description of operation modes;
c) process limits and safety measures;
d) procedure for preparation of start-up, procedure of start-up, shutdown, maintenance and
repair;
e) procedure for personnel actions in case of disturbances in operation of the pipeline (system)
and equipment failures;
f) list of situations when the equipment and pipelines have to be disconnected, agreed upon
with the developer of the NPF (reactor facility) project.
252. The equipment and pipelines must be disconnected at least in the following situations:
a) in case of detection of leakage of the working medium in excess of the values set by the
project;
b) if supports and suspensions are damaged;
c) if the pressure, temperature, humidity or absorbed dose rate in unattended premises exceeds
the values set in the project;
d) in case of malfunctions or failures of safety devices;
e) in case of occurrence of noise, vibration or shocks uncharacteristic of normal operation;
f) if pressure exceeds the working pressure by more than 15% and continues increasing despite
all the requirements of the instructions are met;
253. Starting with the stages of commissioning works, the operating organization should
organize the accounting of the number of loading cycles of equipment and pipelines, neutron fluence
and exposure temperature, time of operation at power and service life characteristics.
254. Control of the condition of metal of equipment and pipelines must be performed in
accordance with the requirements of the federal rules and regulations in the field of nuclear energy
use establishing the rules of control of basic metal, weld joints and deposited surfaces during
operation of equipment, pipelines and other NPP components.
255. Detachable connections of equipment and pipelines must be sealed in accordance with the
operating instructions with the use of special tools. The values of studs tightening with controlled
extension must be documented in instructions on operation of equipment.
256. Before raising the pressure in high-pressure systems, low-pressure equipment and
pipelines and auxiliary systems, such as cooling, filling, emptying, low-pressure compressed gas supply
systems, must be disconnected from them. The operating instructions must provide for measures to
prevent erroneous connection of low-pressure systems to high-pressure systems.
257. It is forbidden to carry out various kinds of research and experiments on operating
equipment or pipelines without substantiation of safety of NPF, coordination with the developer of
the project of the NPF (reactor facility), consideration by Rostekhnadzor and introducing amendments
to the terms of the license for operation of NPF.
258. Control of service life of equipment and pipelines must be performed in accordance with
federal standards and rules in the field of nuclear energy use establishing requirements to control of
service life of NPF equipment and pipelines.
259. On a shut down water-water reactor with a sealed primary circuit, the safety devices of the
pressure compensator shall be in working condition, except for performance of pressure tests.
260. NPF water chemistry parameters must be kept within the normal values established by the
documents on standardization.
261. When carrying out works related to depressurization of equipment and pipelines
containing radioactive liquids, gases or aerosols, as well as hydrogen and other gases in explosive
concentrations, the requirements of radiation safety and fire and explosion safety must be observed.
262. In case of detection of defects of equipment and pipelines, a certificate is issued on
examination of defective unit, which is sent to developers of NPF (reactor facility) projects, to the
developer and, for the equipment (pipeline) referred to groups A and B - to Rostekhnadzor.
The decision on measures for identification and elimination of the causes of defects, on
elimination of defects and on possibility of further operation of the equipment and pipelines is made
by the operating organization.
263. The operating organization must ensure the safekeeping of reporting documentation
(results of maintenance, repair and in-service inspection of metal) on equipment and pipelines
throughout their service life.
Organization and implementation of repair
264. On the basis of maintenance and repair manuals, the operating organization must develop
a procedure and establish the scope and timing for preventive maintenance of equipment and
pipelines, taking into account the results of commissioning works and pre-in-service inspection.
The scope and terms of performance of scheduled preventive maintenance must be specified
based on results of in-service inspection and the actual condition of metal.
265. Repair works must be carried out according to the documentation regulating the
maintenance and the procedure of performance of process and control operations, as well as
registration of reporting documentation.
Repair work with the use of welding should be carried out according to the technology
developed and approved by the operating organization and agreed upon with the NPI (reactor facility)
project developers and the parent material science organization.
266. For equipment and pipelines under pressure, work with detachable connections or repair
is not allowed, except for special operations for remote reloading of fuel assemblies without shutdown
of the reactor by means of special machines or mechanisms.
267. When carrying out repair work on the equipment and pipelines, measures must be taken
to prevent contamination of their internal cavities or ingress of foreign objects into them.
Appendix 1
to federal rules and regulations
in the field of nuclear energy use
"Rules for arrangement
and safe operation of
equipment and pipelines
of nuclear power plants",
approved by Order of the Federal
Environmental,
Industrial and Nuclear Supervision Service
dated December, 17, 2015 No. 521
TERMS AND DEFINITIONS
Nuclear power facility is an NPP unit with a water-water reactor, or with a channel-type reactor,
or with a fast neutron reactor with a liquid-metal sodium coolant, or an installation with a research
reactor of these types.
Head material science organization is an organization recognized by the body in charge of
management of use of nuclear energy competent to render services to organizations in the field of its
specialization on the choice and substantiation of application of the basic and welding materials,
technologies of smelting and pouring of metal, thermal cutting, processing by pressure, welding,
surfacing, heat treatment at design, manufacture, assembling and operation of the NPF equipment
and pipelines.
Reworking is a process of completion of manufacture of equipment, which is to be delivered to
the NPF site in parts under the terms of transportation or assembling.
Set of witness specimens is a totality of witness specimens unloaded concurrently from the
reactor vessel.
Materials are basic materials in the form of semi-finished products of steels and alloys (forgings,
pipes, sheets, rolled steel, castings), welding and surfacing materials (electrodes, welding and
surfacing wires and tapes, fluxes, protective gases) used for the manufacture of equipment and
pipelines of NPF, as well as their assembling and repair.
Installation organization is an organization that installs equipment and pipelines at the NPI
and/or develops the installation procedure.
Irreplaceable equipment is equipment that cannot be replaced during the operation of the NPP
unit as this is technically impossible or economically unfeasible.
Equipment is reactor vessels, safety containments, vessels, heat exchangers, tanks, valves and
pump and filter housings of a NPI operating under (gauge, hydrostatic or vacuumetric) pressure.
Pneumohydraulic tests are pressure tests of equipment and pipelines of NPF with liquid metal
coolant, which are produced by compressed gas without removing the coolant.
Manufacturer is an organization that manufactures equipment and (or) assembly units and parts
of pipelines.
Operating pressure is the maximum excessive pressure in the equipment and piping under
normal operation conditions defined with allowance for hydraulic resistance and hydrostatic pressure.
Developer is an organization that designs and (or) constructs equipment and (or) pipelines.
Design temperature is the temperature of the wall of equipment or pipeline equal to the
maximum arithmetic mean of temperatures on its outer and inner surfaces in one section at normal
operation. For parts of reactor pressure vessels, the design temperature is determined taking into
account the internal heat release as the average integral value of the temperature distribution over
the wall thickness of the reactor vessel.
Design pressure is the maximum overpressure in the equipment or pipelines used in the
strength calculation for choice of basic dimensions, at which normal operation of this equipment or
pipeline is allowed under the design temperature. For safety housings - the maximum overpressure
that occurs during the depressurization of protected equipment or pipelines.
These Rules do not provide definitions of generally accepted technical terms, as well as terms
established in federal laws, or federal standards and rules in the field of nuclear energy use.
Appendix 2
to federal rules and regulations
in the field of nuclear energy use
"Rules for arrangement
and safe operation of
equipment and pipelines
of nuclear power plants",
approved by Order of the Federal
Environmental,
Industrial and Nuclear Supervision Service
dated December, 17, 2015 No. 521
REQUIREMENTS
FOR THE REPORT JUSTIFYING APPLICATION OF NEW MATERIAL
1. When justifying the use of a new base material, the base metal must be tested.
If a new material is intended to be used for the manufacture of parts using welding (surfacing),
information must be provided on the weldability of the proposed material (including other materials
approved for use) and the characteristics of the material in the welded joints (deposited products).
The possibility of performing welded joints and surfacing for this material must be confirmed on
process samples and during testing of the material in the zone of thermal effect of welding (surfacing)
in accordance with federal rules and regulations establishing requirements for welding and surfacing
in the manufacture of equipment and pipelines of NPF.
2. The following must be presented in the report:
a) for the base material:
chemical composition (with specification of the contents of harmful admixtures);
type and method of production of semi-finished products;
standardization documents on the material;
certificate data for semi-finished products used in the tests, numbers of melts, forgings (rolled
stock batches);
data on thermal treatment;
scheme of cutting samples out of semi-finished products;
value of limit temperature Tmax, at which use of material is allowed;
information on working media where use of materials is allowed;
neutron fluence and exposure temperature values to which the material application is justified;
b) in addition to the materials applied in weld joints and deposited products:
welding method;
combination of welding (surfacing) and basic materials (according to their grades);
chemical composition of deposited metal (metal of seam) with specification of limits of the
contents of components and harmful admixtures;
need in and regimes of pre-heating and accompanying heating;
need, type and regimes of heat treatment of weld joints and deposited products;
standardization documents on welding (surfacing) materials;
certificate data for welding (surfacing) materials used in the tests, numbers of melts, batches;
scheme of cutting samples of welded joints and deposited products;
the value of Tmax, to which the material may be used in welding joints and deposited products;
information on working media where use of materials is allowed in welding joints and deposited
products;
neutron fluence and exposure temperature values to which the material application is justified
in welded joints and deposited products;
c) the values of conditional yield strength, temporary resistance, relative elongation, relative
constriction and true strain at break;
d) values of Young's modules, Poisson ratio, linear expansion ratio, heat conductivity ratio,
material density and specific heat capacity;
e) characteristics of resistance to brittle failure;
f) characteristics of change of cyclic strength;
g) ductility, creep and durability characteristics;
h) corrosion resistance characteristics.
3. Semi-finished products of the basic metal and welded (deposited) process samples used for
determination of the characteristics specified in subparagraphs "c" - "h" of paragraph 2 of this
Appendix must be made in industrial conditions. All characteristics must be determined on semifinished products of the base metal after regular heat treatment. For a material intended for welded
structures and deposited products, the characteristics of the base metal and the metal of the zone of
thermal effect of welding (surfacing) after the main and intermediate tempering operations of welded
joints (surfacing) of minimum and maximum duration for welding methods (surfacing) and welding
(surfacing) materials allowed in welded joints and deposited products of this material must
additionally be determined.
4. For the base metal, the characteristics specified in subparagraph "c", paragraph 2 hereof shall
be determined within the temperature range from 20 °C to Tmax with the interval of 50 °C as well as at
the temperatures (Tmax +25) °C and (Tmax + 50) °C.
For welded joints, the temporary resistance values must be determined at 20 °C and (Tmax + 50)
°C. For welded joints and deposited products, the bending angle must be determined at 20 °C.
5. Data must be provided on the modification of the characteristics referred to in paragraph 2
(b) of this Appendix to the maximum permissible neutron fluence. The aforesaid data must be
determined in the temperature range from 20 °C to the radiation exposure temperature with an
increment of 50 °C. The value of the maximum permissible neutron fluence is set by the developer of
the reactor facility project.
6. For the base metal, quantitative data must be provided that characterize the change in time
(during the service life of the AE) of the characteristics specified in paragraph 2 (c) of this Appendix
after thermal aging. The aforesaid data must be determined at 20 °C and (Tmax + 50) °C.
7. For the base metal, the characteristics specified in subparagraph "d", paragraph 2 hereof shall
be determined within the temperature range from 20 °C to Tmax with the interval of 100 °C as well as
at the temperature (Tmax + 50) °C.
8. For the base metal and the metal of the zone of thermal effect of welding (surfacing)
according to subparagraph "e" of paragraph 2 of this Appendix must be determined:
a) TK0 is material critical brittle temperature in the initial state;
b) temperature dependence of the fracture toughness of the material in the initial state in the
temperature range of (TK0 - 100) °C to (TK0 + 50) °C;
c) the shift of the critical temperature of brittleness and (or) the change in the temperature
dependence of the fracture toughness due to thermal aging at the temperature Tmax;
d) the shift of the critical temperature of brittleness and (or) the change in the temperature
dependence of the fracture toughness due to effect of exposure to radiation to the maximum
permissible neutron fluence.
9. Presentation of the characteristics referred to in subparagrpaph "a" of paragraph 8 of this
Appendix is not required for corrosion-resistant austenitic steels, chromium-nickel and aluminium
alloys.
10. Presentation of the characteristics referred to in subparagraphs "b"," c "and" d " of
paragraph 8 of this Appendix is not required for the materials intended for manufacture of products,
which are not exposed to neutron radiation in the following cases:
a) for steels of pearlite, ferrite and martensite classes with a yield limit at a temperature of 20
°С less than 600 MPa and the part wall thickness within 16 mm;
b) for steels of pearlite, ferrite and martensite classes with a yield limit at a temperature of 20
°С less than 450 MPa and the part wall thickness within 20 mm;
c) for steels of pearlite, ferrite and martensite classes with a yield limit at a temperature of 20
°С less than 300 MPa and the part wall thickness within 25 mm;
d) for corrosion-resistant steels of austenitic class, chromium-nickel and aluminium alloys.
11. It must be confirmed that the contact of the material with the working medium does not
reduce the characteristics specified in paragraph 8 of this Appendix, or quantitative data reflecting the
effect of working media must be provided.
12. Information on long-term plasticity, creep and long-term strength is provided when
Tmax exceeds the following temperatures (hereinafter referred to as TP): 450 °C - for corrosion-resistant
austenitic steels, chromium-nickel alloys and heat-resistant chromium-molybdenum steels; 350 °C for carbon and alloy steels (except for heat-resistant chromium-molybdenum steels); 250 °C - for
zirconium alloys; 20 °C - for aluminum and titanium alloys.
13. For the base metal, the values of long-term strength and plasticity limits must be presented
within the temperature range from TP to Tmax with the interval of 50 °C as well as at the temperatures
(Tmax +25) °C and (Tmax + 50) °C.
For the metal of welded joints, there must only presented the values of long-term strength limits
at the temperatures TP and (Tmax + 50) °C.
14. For the base metal and the metal of welded joints at temperatures as specified in paragraph
13 of this Appendix, isochronous creep curves must be presented in the stress-strain coordinates for
10, 30, 102, 3·102, 103, 3·103, 104, 3·104, 105 etc. hours till the service life of the equipment or pipeline
and the strain up to = 3%.
15. Quantitative data reflecting the effect of exposure on the characteristics of long-term
plasticity, creep and long-term strength to the maximum permissible neutron fluence must be
presented.
16. It must be confirmed that the contact of the material with the working medium does not
reduce the characteristics of long-term plasticity, creep and long-term strength, or quantitative data
reflecting the effect of working media must be provided.
17. For the base metal and the metal of the zone of thermal effect of welding and surfacing,
fatigue curves must be determined in the coordinates of the stress amplitude ( strain) - the number
of cycles before the crack origination in the range of 102 – 107 cycles.
18. For materials designed to operate at temperatures below TP, fatigue curves at temperatures
of 20 °C and (Tmax + 50) °C must be presented.
19. For materials intended for operation at temperatures above TP, fatigue curves at
temperatures of 20 °C, TP and in the temperature range from TP to Tmax + 50 °C with an increment of
50 °C must be presented.
20. It should be confirmed that there is no decrease in cyclic strength due to contact with
working media, or quantitative data must be provided to account for the effect of this factor on cyclic
strength.
20. It should be confirmed that there is no decrease in cyclic strength due to exposure to neutron
radiation, or quantitative data must be provided to account for the effect of this factor on cyclic
strength.
22. For the base metal and the metal of the zone of thermal effect of welding (surfacing)
according to subparagraph "h" of paragraph 2 of this Appendix for the supposed operation modes
(including outage modes), there must be presented:
a) solid corrosion rate value;
b) the nature of the resistance of pit corrosion (the rate of growth of the number and depth of
pits);
c) being prone to stress corrosion and corrosion cracking rate;
d) confirmation of resistance against intergranular corrosion (only for corrosion-resistant
steels).
For the metal of the zone of thermal effect of welding (surfacing), only characteristics according
to subparagraph "c" of paragraph 2 of this Appendix must be determined.
23. It must be confirmed that thermal aging does not affect the corrosion resistance
characteristics, or quantitative data reflecting the effect of thermal aging must be provided.
24. It must be confirmed that exposure to neutron radiation does not affect the corrosion
resistance characteristics, or quantitative data reflecting the effect of exposure to radiation must be
provided.
25. Actual data on characteristics of the materials referred to in paragraph 6, paragraph 8 ("c"),
paragraphs 20 and 23 of this Appendix must be obtained after thermal ageing of sufficient duration
to confirm the operability of the material during the service life of the equipment or pipeline.
Presentation of these data is not required for steels and chromium-nickel alloys at Tmax below
250 °C.
26. Actual data on the characteristics of the material referred to in paragraph 5, paragraph 8
("d"), paragraphs 14, 20 and 24 of this Appendix must be obtained after exposure to neutron radiation
to the maximum permissible neutron fluence.
Presentation of these data is not required for materials exposed to neutron radiation with a
neutron fluence below the specified values: 1·1022 neutrons / m2 (with energy E 0.5 MeV) for
pearlite, ferritic and martensitic steels; 1.5·1025 neutrons/m2 (E 0.1 MeV) for austenitic steels and
chromium-nickel alloys.
27. Actual data on the characteristics of the material referred to in paragraphs 11, 16, 20 and 22
of this Appendix must be obtained after exposure to effect of the medium of sufficient duration to
confirm the operability of the material during the service life of the equipment or pipeline.
Presentation of these data is not required for any materials protected from the working medium
with corrosion-resistant cladding or sealed jacket (case).
28. Actual data on the characteristics of materials referred to in paragraphs 13 and 19 of this
Appendix must be obtained from tests of sufficient duration to confirm the operability of the material
during the life of the equipment or pipeline.
29. Materials must be tested according to the methods provided in the federal rules and
regulations in the field of nuclear energy use which establish the norms for strength calculation of
equipment and pipelines of NPF, and in the standardization documents.
30. The number of tests performed and their duration must be sufficient to reliably determine
the relevant characteristics and their dependence on temperature and other factors, to estimate the
limits of the data spread, taking into account the influence of the permissible deviations in the
chemical composition of materials and in the manufacturing technology.
31. The report substantiating the use of the material must contain the actual values of the
characteristics obtained during the tests, as well as the values and dependencies intended for use in
strength calculations performed in accordance with federal standards and rules in the field of nuclear
energy use, establishing the norms for calculating the strength of equipment and pipelines of NPF.
Values and dependencies intended for use in strength calculations must be presented for the
entire service life of the equipment or pipeline.
32. It is allowed to change the scope of the data provided in the report with an obligatory
indication of the temperature, the working medium, the fluence of neutrons and the operation period,
for which the use of the material and its characteristics are substantiated, depending on the expected
operating conditions of the material.