Objectives
In the framework of the “Tacis Nuclear Safety Programme”, it was decided to improve the passive fire protection facilities of the BN-350 NPP (fast breeder) in Aktau, Kazakhstan. The project was divided into three lots:

• Lot 1: Replacement of floor covering material and covering of cables with intumescent paint or similar material
• Lot 2: Replacement of fire protective doors
• Lot 3: Replacement of halon with substitute gases (“clean agents”), replacement & improvement of fire detectors and supply of new equipment for the fire brigade

Lots 1 & 2 were subject to one call for tender, Lot 3 to a different call for tender. Lot 3 is described in a different summary.
Concerning Lot 1 the floor covering material had to be of resinous-epoxy-decontaminable-type paint layers or equivalent decontaminable material and had to meet the following requirements:

• Service life at least 10 years
• Able to cope with the environmental conditions: air temperature between 5 and 50C, relative humidity 70% at 50C; resistance against industrial and marine atmospheres.
• Total thickness of dry paint layers at least 1.5 mm, total spreading rate 2.5 kg/m2
• Decontamination rate 85%, resistance against high pressure water cleaning and against typical decontamination chemical solutions, e.g. boric acid, hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, etc…
• Compatible with underlying floor material, e.g. mortar, concrete, etc…
• Low release rate of toxic gases and aerosols in case of fire
• Meet all applicable codes & standards, e.g. EN, ISO, EN-ISO, etc…

The floor covering was intended for walkable areas, mainly for corridors. The supply of the floor covering also included related services, e.g. appropriate packaging, transport and storage of covering material, documentation, training for Aktau NPP staff, supervision of covering work (performed by Aktau NPP staff) and supply of spare parts, e.g. brushes, rolls, etc…
The covering of cables under Lot 1 had to be of intumescant paints or other heat shielding material and was intended for cables and cable routes in safety relevant areas of the Aktau NPP. The covering material had to meet the following requirements:

• Coating material needs to be tested & certified according to European and international standards.
• Minimum service life and environmental conditions as above for the floor covering material
• Dry coating shall be resistant against water and frost.
• No release of toxic gases and aerosols in case of fire, nor for the dry or wet paint
• Fire resistance of coated cables at least 90 minutes

The supply of cable covering materials included the same related services as for the floor covering material.
The doors falling under Lot 2 involved three different kinds of doors: single leaf swing-out door (referred to as Type A, fire doors), trap door or hatch for crawl space (Type B) and main entrance or escaping door (Type C). They had to meet the following specifications:

• Certification and testing of fire resistance and other properties according European and international standards, i.e. NFPA 80, ISOs 3008, 5925 and 12543
• Cope with normal and abnormal environmental conditions, i.e. 5 – 50C and 90% relative humidity at 50C
• Type A doors shall have mechanical and thermal resistance against fire. Type C doors only need to have mechanical fire resistance. Type A and B doors shall prevent the spread of hot smoke and gases.
• Minimum fire protection rate 90 minutes except for Type C doors.
• All doors need to have self-closing device.
• Type A doors should have the following accessories: Panic hardware according to fire safety standards, self-closing device, one-point latch, door edge intumescent protection, locking system according to European keys layout, identification label with all technical data, inc. fire resistance qualification in minutes (both in English & Russian).
• 5% of panic hardware, door edge intumescent protection and hinges shall be supplied for all type of doors
• Spare parts (accessories) shall be available during 10 years after project execution.

Type C doors embraced two entrance/exit sliding glass doors and four security turning doors. It was requested that the entrance doors could be opened manually. The security doors are controlled by the security personnel and it was requested that they could be unlocked by the personnel through a security code number or manually by the security personnel in case of emergency evacuation.
Each new entrance/exit doors had to be made up by four turning doors and two double glazing side doors with panic hardware. On the top of the doors assembly had to be four fixed double glazing windows. The configuration of all double glazing windows was a layer of laminated glass, air and another layer of laminated glass. Each laminated glass needed to have a minimum thickness of 6mm, special treatment to filter solar radiation and meet the safety standard ISO 12543.
The supply of the above doors also included proper installation of the doors, maintenance training for staff and supply of associated documentation, i.e. on maintenance and on fire resistance certification qualification.
Project Results
The supply tender procedure was once cancelled in 2002 and reopened again. The contract was awarded to Alstom Power Service S.A. on the 23rd January 2004 (effective contract data) and ended on the 10th February 2005 with the successful completion of the project.