Russian Facilities Research Articles

Formation of a list of critical facilities in the gas transportation system of Russia in terms of energy security

The paper deals with the formation of a list of critical facilities in Russia's gas transportation system in terms of energy security, and the substantiation of potential ways to minimize the negative effects of emergency situations on operation of these facilities. To date the lists of critical facilities in the energy systems have been formed on the basis of the performance analysis of certain facilities. The paper addresses the problem of identification of such facilities depending on their impact on overall operability of the system. This is accomplished by analyzing the level of negative impact caused by termination or disturbance of operation of a certain facility on consumers. The analysis employs the software “Russia's Oil and Gas” (“ROG”). The principles of identifying critical facilities in Russia's gas transportation system are demonstrated, specific examples are shown, and potential ways to mitigate the negative impact of emergency situations at such facilities on gas consumers are formulated.

Russia destroys last of its stockpile

Russia has destroyed the last of the massive chemical weapons stockpile it inherited from the Soviet Union at the end of the Cold War, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) says. The final artillery projectiles filled with VX nerve agent were dismantled on Sept. 27 at a facility in Russia’s Udmurtia region, wrapping up an effort that spanned two decades. “The completion of the verified destruction of Russia’s chemical weapons program is a major milestone,” says Ahmet Uzumcu, OPCW’s director general. OPCW oversees global efforts to eliminate stockpiles under the Chemical Weapons Convention, which took effect in 1997. The group says that over 96% of declared stockpiles have been eliminated by its 192 member nations. Russia declared an arsenal of 39,967 metric tons of chemical warfare agents, including mustard agent, phosgene, and the nerve agents sarin, soman, and VX. In 2012, the U.S. said it had destroyed

Peculiarities of organizing the construction of nuclear medicine facilities and the transportation of radionuclide

The article is devoted to the organization of construction of nuclear medicine facilities in Russia. The article describes the main methods of nuclear medical diagnostics, as well as the peculiarities of nuclear medicine facilities that determine the need for application of specific methods for organizing and managing the construction, methods of requirements management in the organization of construction of nuclear medicine facilities. Sustainable development of the transport of radioactive isotopes from the place of production to places of consumption is very important for the safety of the population. The requirements management system is an important and necessary component in organizing the construction of complex facilities, such as nuclear medicine facilities. The author developed and proposed a requirements management system for the design, construction and operation of a nuclear medicine facility, which provides for a cyclic sequence of actions. This system allows reducing the consumption of resources including material and energy during construction and operation of complex objects.

PPG completes facility in Russia

PPG completes facility in Russia

The awareness of Russians about iodine deficiency diseases and methods of it’s prevention

Обоснование: Среднее потребление йода жителем России в 3 раза меньше установленной нормы. Недостаточное потребление йода создает серьезную угрозу здоровью 100 млн. россиян, в том числе сохраняется угроза нарушения физического и умственного развития у 32,8 млн. детей, проживающих в Российской Федерации. Сложившаяся ситуация требует проведения систематической йодной профилактики.Цель: Оценка осведомленности россиян о йододефицитных заболеваниях, их последствиях и мерах профилактики, а так же формирование у граждан осознанной необходимости в сбалансированном употреблении йодированной соли и продуктов, богатых йодом.Методы: Проведение опроса россиян разной возрастной категории в рамках Всероссийской акции по профилактике йододефицитных заболеваний и подсчет полученных результатов.Результаты: В опросе приняли участие 34968 россиян. 54,4% респондентов употребляют в пищу йодированную соль. Информированность населения о йододефицитных заболеваниях в среднем составляет 62, 6%. В поддержку закона о всеобщем йодировании соли на производствах России выступили 66, 4% россиян.Заключение: Исходя из оценки полученных данных, даже среди лиц, осведомленных по вопросу йододефицитных заболеваний, далеко не все понимают значимость использования в пищу йодированной соли и влияние этого фактора на общую заболеваемость. С целью предупреждения распространения йодного дефицита и снижения риска развития его тяжелых последствий в России необходима организация системной массовой профилактики и повышение медицинской грамотности населения по данному вопросу.

Ultrasonic control of welded joints in a Du800-type pipeline. Part I: Restoring reflector images by digital focusing with an antenna

The reliability of ultrasonic nondestructive testing can be improved by acquiring reflector images that can be used to solve the defectometry problem, that is, to determine the type, size, and coordinates of a reflector deep in the sample. Welded pipelines with a diameter of 840 mm (Du800 type) are used at nuclear power facilities in Russia; ultrasonic testing of these pipelines is thus a topical problem. In model experiments, echo signals were registered by two antenna arrays, situated on the opposite sides of a welded joint (the N- and P-sides). The arrays performed scanning along and across the welded joint. The following techniques were used to reconstruct reflector images by the DFA method in a homogeneous isotropic medium: registering echo signals for all emission–reception combinations of elements in the two antenna arrays with the aim of merging partial images into a single image by different methods; reconstructing images on different acoustic schemes with allowance for wave-type transformation; and registering echo signals in a triple-scanning mode with subsequent coherent summation of partial images. It has been shown that the above techniques are insufficient for producing high-quality images.

Implementation of methadone therapy for opioid use disorder in Russia \u2013 a modeled cost-effectiveness analysis

BackgroundOpioid agonist therapy using methadone, an effective treatment of opioid use disorders (OUD) for people who inject drugs (PWID), is recommended by the World Health Organization as essential to curtail the growing HIV epidemic. Yet, despite increasing prevalence of OUD and HIV, methadone therapy has not yet been implemented in Russia. The aim of this modeling study was to estimate the cost-effectiveness of methadone therapy for Russian adults with a diagnosed OUD.Methods/DesignWe modeled the projected program implementation costs and estimated disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) averted over a 10-year period, associated with the provision of methadone therapy for a hypothetical, unreplenished cohort of Russian adults with an OUD (n = 249,000), in comparison to the current therapies at existing addiction treatment facilities. Our model compared four distinct scenarios of treatment coverage in the cohort ranging from 3.1 to 55%.ResultsProviding methadone therapy to as few as 3.1% of adults with an OUD amounted to an estimated almost 50,000 DALYs averted over 10 years at a cost of just over USD 17 million. Further expanding service coverage to 55% resulted in an estimated almost 900,000 DALYs averted, at a cost of about USD 308 million.ConclusionOur study indicated that implementing opioid agonist therapy with methadone to treat OUD at existing facilities in Russia is highly cost-effective.

Results of an International Postmarketing Surveillance Study of pl-VEGF165 Safety and Efficacy in 210 Patients with Peripheral Arterial Disease.

IntroductionThe effective treatment of chronic lower limb ischemia is one of the most challenging issues confronting vascular surgeons. Current pharmacological therapies play an auxiliary role and cannot prevent disease progression, and new treatment methods are needed. pl-VEGF165, a gene therapy drug, was approved in Russia for the treatment of atherosclerotic peripheral arterial disease (PAD) after clinical studies in 2011. The study drug is an original gene construction in which pl-VEGF165 1.2 mg is the active substance.ObjectiveThis postmarketing surveillance study was undertaken to evaluate the safety (identification of uncommon side effects) and efficacy of gene therapy in patients in routine clinical practice.MethodsIn total, 210 patients with stage II–III chronic limb ischemia (according to the Fontaine classification modified by AV Pokrovsky) in 33 healthcare facilities in Russia and the Ukraine were enrolled in the study. The control group (n = 60) received conservative therapy without prostaglandins and prostacyclins, and the treatment group (n = 150) received treatment with pl-VEGF165 as two intramuscular injections for a total dose of 2.4 mg. Pain-free walking distance (PWD) (the primary efficacy criterion for Fontaine stages II–III), blood flow linear velocity (BFLV), and ankle-brachial index (ABI) were monitored for 6 months. The safety of pl-VEGF165 gene transfer in terms of the trial protocol was initially evaluated 6 months after the start of the study; adverse events (AEs) and serious adverse events (SAEs) were recorded during both routine visits and unscheduled requests for medical care.ResultsOverall, PWD increased by 177%, from 100.3 ± 6.9 to 277.1 ± 16.2 m (p = 0.0001), in the treatment group, whereas the mean value was unchanged in the control group (p = 0.218). Both BFLV and ABI values increased by 24% (p = 0.0001) in the treatment group but decreased in the control group. The greatest therapeutic effect was observed for stage III disease: PWD increased by 683% (p = 0.0001). No angiogenic therapy-related AEs or side effects were recorded, and target limb salvage was 96 and 97% in the treatment and control groups, respectively. The results obtained in this study are not significantly different from those observed in the phase IIb/III registration clinical study completed in 2011.Conclusionpl-VEGF165 intramuscular gene transfer is an effective treatment for moderate to severe claudication due to chronic lower limb ischemia in routine clinical practice.ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02369809.

Theoretical computation background for transformation of foundations using pile drains

In the design of foundations for buildings and structures of various purposes, including improved risk, weak water-saturated clay soils with low mechanical characteristics are often found on a construction site. One of the possible ways of using them as a foundation is to seal them in various ways, including using pile drains of sand or rock stone material that are capable of both absorbing the load at the base and accelerating the process of filtration consolidation. This paper describes an analytical solution to the problem of interaction between the pile and the mattress with the surrounding soil of the foundation, taking into account the possibility of expanding the pile shaft. Solutions are obtained for determining the stresses in the shaft of the pile drain and in the soil under the mattress. The solution takes into account the influence of the pre-stressed state of the foundation after compaction on the formation of a stress-strain state during the erection and operation of structures. The solutions are relevant for consolidating pile drains made of rubble or for jet grouting piles, the rigidity of which is comparable to the rigidity of the surrounding soil. The paper describes the technique for determining the characteristics of the strength and deformability of the converted foundation and the results of large-scale tests at the experimental site for the construction of a large energy facility in Russia.

Design and Qualification of an Anechoic Facility in PNRPU

The paper describes the anechoic facility built in Perm National Research Polytechnic University (PNRPU) in 2014-2015 with the objective of studying noise of turbulent jets, vortex rings, and airframe noise. At present, the only other analogous facility in Russia is anechoic chamber AC-2 of TsAGI built in 1970s. One of the most important characteristics of an anechoic facility is a region where inverse square law spreading holds within some tolerance, i.e. where the free-field conditions are observed. Acoustic qualification is aimed at determination of this region in the facility. The present paper provides the results of acoustic qualification of the anechoic chamber in PNRPU, which show that the free-field conditions in the facility are realized within 3 m radius from the sound source for broadband noise in the frequency range 125 Hz – 20 kHz. Therefore, the study demonstrates that the anechoic facility in PNRPU allows aeroacoustic experiments to be performed for obtaining quantitative results. The present work restores domestic competences in design of aeroacoustic experimental facilities, which is important in view of the plans to build in Russia an anechoic wind tunnel with hot flow AKT TsAGI for large-scale aeroacoustic tests.

Errors, Defects and Safety Control at Construction Stage

The analysis of construction work defects is conducted according to reasons, time and place of manifestation, and type of structures. It is found out that the greatest number of defects is observed in the combinations of different structures. The main reason for critical defects is human errors. According to the practice of operation of construction facilities in Russia and abroad, the actual probability of an accident with account of human errors exceeds the theoretical probability by an order of magnitude. Accordingly, an effective strategy for building control with an emphasis on blocking gross errors during the process design and construction is proposed. A probabilistic model of the hazardous situation development in case of any defects and errors is proposed. The model allows predicting hazards, reducing the probability of errors and accidents, and improving the methods of building control.

Improving Processes of Design and Construction of Nuclear Medicine Facilities

The article describes the organisation of the design and construction processes for nuclear medicine facilities in Russia. One of the key problems in this field has to do with the need to use custom-designed equipment whose specifications must be tailored to specific design solutions early on in the design process. However, this factor is ignored by the design-in-stages approach and by the legislation that regulates this area in Russia. Based on our vast experience drafting and analysing regulations, we have come up with a solution to this problem. The idea is to include a preliminary pre-design stage in the process. This preliminary stage would comprise a preliminary assessment of the safety of the healthcare facility, a feasibility study, a selection of the manufacturer to produce the required custom equipment and a draft sketch of the equipment. This would eliminate problems and errors at the later design and construction stages, eliminating non-conformances and the need to make amendments to existing documentation. At the same time, the proposed solution would not increase the time needed for design and construction.

First records of the tropical bed bug Cimex hemipterus (Heteroptera: Cimicidae) from Russia

The tropical bedbug Cimex hemipterus (Fabricius, 1803) was found for the first time in Russia: in many districts of Moscow in 2015–16, in four districts of St Petersburg, in Moscow Prov., Smolensk and Saransk in 2016. Unusual activity during daytime in autumn was characteristic of individuals of this species in different places of St Petersburg. C. lectularius Linnaeus, 1758 was absent in St Petersburg and Moscow in places where C. hemipterus was found, and apparently the former species is displaced by the latter. In all localities, C. hemipterus is resistant to insecticides used for controlling C. lectularius. It may be expected that C. hemipterus will overwinter successfully in heated facilities in Russia and spread to other regions where it can displace C. lectularius.

Hemodialysis practice patterns in the Russia Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study (DOPPS), with international comparisons.

There is little comparable information about hemodialysis (HD) practices in low- and middle income countries, including Russia. Evaluation of HD in Russia and its international comparisons could highlight factors providing opportunities for improvement. We examined treatment patterns for 481 prevalent HD patients in 20 Russian facilities, and compared them to contemporary data for 8512 patients from 311 facilities in seven European countries, Japan, and North America. Data were collected according to the uniform methodology of the Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Patterns Study, phase 5. Compared to other regions, Russian patients were younger (mean age 53.4 years), had a lower percent of males (52.5%), higher arteriovenous fistula use (89.7%), and longer treatment time (mean: 252 minutes, SD: 37 minutes). Mean single pool Kt/V was 1.49 (SD 0.58). Prescription of dialysate calcium 3.5 mEq/L and aluminum-based phosphate binders were high (15.2% and 17.6% of patients, respectively), while intravenous vitamin D and cinacalcet were low (3.3% and 2.2%, respectively). The percents with parathyroid hormone >600 pg/mL (30.9%) and serum phosphate >1.78 mmol/L (37.7%) were high. Use of erythropoetin stimulating agents (78%) was lower, but hemoglobin, ferritin, and transferrin saturation were generally comparable to North America and Europe. These detailed data for hemodialysis in Russia demonstrate that many practice patterns contrasted sharply to those in Europe, Japan, and North America, while other features were similar. Our analysis revealed several positive and some less favorable treatment patterns in Russia that represent opportunities for improving patient care and outcomes.

Nuclear security culture enhancement: the role of culture coordinators at Russian nuclear sites

In 2002, a Nuclear Security Culture (NSC) Enhancement Program with the mission to raise the level of the NSC at sites and facilities in Russia's nuclear complex was launched under the guidance of the Russian State Corporation “ROSATOM” and with support from the US Department of Energy. A Joint Working Group for NSC with both Russian Federation and US members was formed and charged with the design and implementation of the program. The program was implemented at sites and facilities on a pilot basis. Nine sites participated in the Pilot Project. The key program component was an establishment of Culture Coordinators (CCs) with the authority to coordinate and implement NSC enhancement activities at sites and facilities. The CCs have served as the force that has maintained the momentum of the Pilot Project and continuously steered the site NSC enhancement efforts. The contribution of the CCs in achieving the positive outcomes of the program cannot be overstated.

Massive PCDD/F contamination at the Khimprom organochlorine plant in Ufa--a review and recommendations for future management.

The Khimprom plant in Ufa was one of the largest organochlorine production facilities in Russia. This paper summarises the residual pollution of the site with polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and highlights the current and future challenges in relation to remediation of the site. Preliminary assessment of the pollution shows large-scale PCDD/F contamination at the site from half a century production of organochlorine pesticides and solvents. This contamination is affecting the city, and 2500 residents live within 3 km with a further 350,000 living within 7 km of the factory. The current PCDD/F pollution of the site and the continuing releases highlight the urgent need for further investigations, for the site to be secured and for the contamination to be remediated. The production history of the plant means that also other unintentionally POPs, mercury and chlorinated solvents need to be considered. The current regulatory framework for PCDD/F-contaminated soil and for defining hazardous waste in the Russian Federation is not appropriate for the management of PCDD/F-contaminated sites. It is therefore suggested that a science-based regulatory framework should be developed. The Russian Federation recently ratified the Stockholm Convention providing a foundation for the development of appropriate regulations and for further assessment, securing and remediation of the site. The impacts of pollution from the Khimprom plant demonstrate that the assessment and management of the organochlorine production sites should be a priority in the implementation of the Stockholm Convention by the Russian Federation and other countries.

Modernization of mass-exchange equipment by new packings in chemical engineering

The solution of the topical problem on the modernization of the industrial mass-exchange equipment at enterprises of the petrochemical complex using the Inzhekhim contact packings has been considered. The hydraulic and mass-exchange characteristics of packings and comparison with counterparts are given. Research and development projects on the contact units of rectification and absorption equipment and their adoption at some industrial facilities in Russia are presented. The commercialization results of increasing the quality of the product, productivity, as well as saving energy costs, are given.

Dependence of Characteristics of SURA Induced Artificial ULF/VLF Signals on Geomagnetic Activity

A comprehensive study of artificial ionospheric signal generation in the ULF/VLF bands at SURA facility in Russia was conducted during the past 4 years. We investigated the influence of geomagnetic activity on the characteristics of artificial low-frequency signals under the background of increasing solar activity. No correlation of artificial ULF signals with variations of Earth’s magnetic field was observed for weak geomagnetic disturbances \((Kp \le 3)\) while the VLF signals increased in the growth phase of the geomagnetic perturbation. In case of strong magnetic storm \((Kp \ge 5+)\) a tendency of the amplitude of the ULF/VLF signals decrease with increasing magnetic disturbance was observed. Sometimes, the modulation of artificial ULF signals with a period of 15–30 s was detected in the decay phase of magnetic storms. During storm time, a change in the polarization of artificial VLF emissions was detected. The right polarization becomes predominant. Interpretation of observed peculiarities of artificial VLF signals is given in the context of the physical mechanism of ionospheric current drive by RF pumping.

Diagnostic monitoring in a distribution network

At present, a steady trend toward aging of the equipment fleet has been revealed at electroenergetics facilities in Russia. This makes it necessary to develop reliable and effective diagnostic approaches. Unfortunately, implementation of specialized diagnostic monitoring systems at distribution substations is not always economically viable. At the same time, modern terminals of relay protection automation (RPA) and automatic process control systems (APCS) are rather widely used at such substations. For this reason, it is very important to use these meansto monitor the main equipment. Possibilities of diagnostic monitoring of distribution substation equipment by IEC 60076-7:2005 using APCS and RPA primary sensors are considered. An increase in top-oil (TO) temperature and hot-spot (HS) temperature estimation errors is analyzed for the IEC 60076-7:2005 transformer, when current and voltage are used as primary sensors of RPA transformers. It is shown that, at nominal transformer load, a calculation error, for example, of top-oil temperature is less than 2.5%. However, it should be taken into account that a transformer usually operates with a load factor of less than 1. The absolute errors of TO temperature and HS temperature calculations, which are caused by the load factor control errors, are unaffected by ambient temperature. The considered computation models are more sensitive to primary measurement errors when a load factor increases and when a threat of overheating appears. The possibility of using APCS and RPA more effectively for diagnostic monitoring of a distribution substation is shown.

EZRAZ ZSMK – 50 Years of Success

EVRAZ Consolidated West-Siberian Metallurgical Combine is one of the largest metallurgical enterprises in Russia. It is part of the vertically integrated international mining-metallurgical company EVRAZ, which operates facilities in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, the U.S., Canada, Italy, and South Africa.