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Advanced Nuclear Reactor Safety Issues and Research Needs Advanced Nuclear Nuclear Safety 2002 AIEA IAEA AIEA IAEA Advanced Nuclear Reactor Safety Issues and Research Needs Advanced Nuclear Reactor Safety Issues and Research Needs Advanced Nuclear New nuclear reactor designs are expected to have a higher level of safety than current designs. As part of the efforts to achieve this, important safety issues related to the new designs need to be Reactor Safety Issues identified at an early stage, and research required for problem resolution defined. and Research Needs These proceedings bring together the papers presented at the OECD/NEA Workshop on Advanced Nuclear Reactor Safety Issues and Research Needs. Conclusions of the workshop discussions are offered at the end of the book, which will be of particular interest to all those involved Workshop Proceedings in planning and designing the next generation of nuclear reactors. Paris, France 18-20 February 2002 AIEA IAEA (66 2002 08 1 P) E 75.00 -:HSTCQE=V^\]V\: ISBN 92-64-19781-8 NUCLEAR•ENERGY•AGENCY Nuclear Safety Workshop on Advanced Nuclear Reactor Safety Issues and Research Needs Paris, France 18-20 February 2002 Co-sponsored by the International Atomic Energy Agency and Organised in collaboration with the European Communities NUCLEAR ENERGY AGENCY ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT Pursuant to Article 1 of the Convention signed in Paris on 14th December 1960, and which came into force on 30th September 1961, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) shall promote policies designed: − to achieve the highest sustainable economic growth and employment and a rising standard of living in Member countries, while maintaining financial stability, and thus to contribute to the development of the world economy; − to contribute to sound economic expansion in Member as well as non-member countries in the process of economic development; and − to contribute to the expansion of world trade on a multilateral, non-discriminatory basis in accordance with international obligations. The original Member countries of the OECD are Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. The following countries became Members subsequently through accession at the dates indicated hereafter: Japan (28th April 1964), Finland (28th January 1969), Australia (7th June 1971), New Zealand (29th May 1973), Mexico (18th May 1994), the Czech Republic (21st December 1995), Hungary (7th May 1996), Poland (22nd November 1996), Korea (12th December 1996) and the Slovak Republic (14 December 2000). The Commission of the European Communities takes part in the work of the OECD (Article 13 of the OECD Convention). NUCLEAR ENERGY AGENCY The OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) was established on 1st February 1958 under the name of the OEEC European Nuclear Energy Agency. It received its present designation on 20th April 1972, when Japan became its first non-European full Member. NEA membership today consists of 27 OECD Member countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. The Commission of the European Communities also takes part in the work of the Agency. The mission of the NEA is: − to assist its Member countries in maintaining and further developing, through international co-operation, the scientific, technological and legal bases required for a safe, environmentally friendly and economical use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, as well as − to provide authoritative assessments and to forge common understandings on key issues, as input to government decisions on nuclear energy policy and to broader OECD policy analyses in areas such as energy and sustainable development. Specific areas of competence of the NEA include safety and regulation of nuclear activities, radioactive waste management, radiological protection, nuclear science, economic and technical analyses of the nuclear fuel cycle, nuclear law and liability, and public information. The NEA Data Bank provides nuclear data and computer program services for participating countries. In these and related tasks, the NEA works in close collaboration with the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, with which it has a Co-operation Agreement, as well as with other international organisations in the nuclear field. ©OECD 2002 Permission to reproduce a portion of this work for non-commercial purposes or classroom use should be obtained through the Centre français d’exploitation du droit de copie (CCF), 20, rue des Grands-Augustins, 75006 Paris, France, Tel. (33-1) 44 07 47 70, Fax (33-1) 46 34 67 19, for every country except the United States. In the United States permission should be obtained through the Copyright Clearance Center, Customer Service, (508)750-8400, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, USA, or CCC Online: http://www.copyright.com/. All other applications for permission to reproduce or translate all or part of this book should be made to OECD Publications, 2, rue André-Pascal, 75775 Paris Cedex 16, France. FOREWORD On 18-20 February 2002, the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) organised, with the co- sponsorship of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and in collaboration with the European Commission (EC), a Workshop on Advanced Nuclear Reactor Safety Issues and Research Needs. It was attended by a broad range of parties with a potential stake in the development and deployment of advanced nuclear power plants, including designers, utility executives, regulators and researchers. Currently, advanced nuclear reactor projects range from the development of evolutionary and advanced light water reactor (LWR) designs to initial work to develop even further advanced designs which go beyond LWR technology (e.g. high-temperature gas-cooled reactors and liquid- metal-cooled reactors). These advanced designs include a greater use of advanced technology and safety features than those employed in currently operating plants or approved designs. The objectives of the workshop were to: • facilitate early identification and resolution of safety issues by developing a consensus among participating countries on the identification of safety issues, the scope of research needed to address these issues and a potential approach to their resolution; • promote the preservation of knowledge and expertise on advanced reactor technology; • provide input to the Generation IV International Forum Technology Roadmap. In addition, the workshop tried to link advancement of knowledge and understanding of advanced designs to the regulatory process, with emphasis on building public confidence. It also helped to document current views on advanced reactor safety and technology, thereby contributing to preserving knowledge and expertise before it is lost. The meeting was structured into four main sessions: • Session 1 focused on basic safety principles, and requirements, and on the implementation of defence-in-depth. It also provided an introduction to major novel designs and their safety cases. • Session 2 was devoted to the identification of issues important for nuclear safety and their assessment. • Session 3 investigated how to deal with these safety issues and identified questions and concerns, while stressing those that could be solved through research and identifying research needs. • Session 4 developed conclusions and recommendations regarding safety issues and research needs. The role of international co-operation in the field of safety research was emphasised, as was its role in preserving knowledge and competence. 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword ...................................................................................................................................... 3 Summary and Recommendations .............................................................................................. 9 Session Summaries ...................................................................................................................... 13 Session 1. Safety Principles, Safety Requirements and Implementation of Defence- in-depth – Introduction to Major Novel Design and their Safety Cases ................ 13 Session 2. Issues Important for Safety and their Assessment.................................................. 14 Session 3. How to Deal with Safety Issues, Questions and Concerns? – Identification of Research Needs ........................................................................... 17 Session 1: Safety Principles, Safety Requirements and Implementation of Defence-in-depth – Introduction to Major Novel Designs and their Safety Cases ............................................................................................................. 23 Chairman: M. Bonaca A. Carnino and M. Gasparini Defence-in-depth and Development of Safety Requirements for Advanced Nuclear Reactors....................................................................................................... 25 M. Bonaca Defence-in-depth and New Reactors ........................................................................ 39 C.E. Ader and N.P. Kadambi Building a Safety Case for Advanced Reactor Designs............................................ 43 K. Kugeler,
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