Research Reactors: Addressing Challenges and Opportunities To
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3.57 mm spine Research Reactors: Addressing Challenges and Opportunities to Ensure Effectiveness and Sustainability Summary of an International Conference Buenos Aires, Argentina, 25–29 November 2019 INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY VIENNA RESEARCH REACTORS: ADDRESSING CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES TO ENSURE EFFECTIVENESS AND SUSTAINABILITY The Agency’s Statute was approved on 23 October 1956 by the Conference on the Statute of the IAEA held at United Nations Headquarters, New York; it entered into force on 29 July 1957. The Headquarters of the Agency are situated in Vienna. Its principal objective is “to accelerate and enlarge the contribution of atomic energy to peace, health and prosperity throughout the world’’. PROCEEDINGS SERIES RESEARCH REACTORS: ADDRESSING CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES TO ENSURE EFFECTIVENESS AND SUSTAINABILITY SUMMARY OF AN INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ORGANIZED BY THE INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY AND HOSTED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF ARGENTINA THROUGH THE NATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION AND HELD IN BUENOS AIRES, 25–29 NOVEMBER 2019 INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY VIENNA, 2020 COPYRIGHT NOTICE All IAEA scientific and technical publications are protected by the terms of the Universal Copyright Convention as adopted in 1952 (Berne) and as revised in 1972 (Paris). The copyright has since been extended by the World Intellectual Property Organization (Geneva) to include electronic and virtual intellectual property. Permission to use whole or parts of texts contained in IAEA publications in printed or electronic form must be obtained and is usually subject to royalty agreements. Proposals for non-commercial reproductions and translations are welcomed and considered on a case-by-case basis. Enquiries should be addressed to the IAEA Publishing Section at: Marketing and Sales Unit, Publishing Section International Atomic Energy Agency Vienna International Centre PO Box 100 1400 Vienna, Austria fax: +43 1 26007 22529 tel.: +43 1 2600 22417 email: [email protected] www.iaea.org/publications © IAEA, 2020 Printed by the IAEA in Austria December 2020 STI/PUB/1927 IAEA Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Names: International Atomic Energy Agency. Title: Research reactors : addressing challenges and opportunities to ensure effectiveness and sustainability / International Atomic Energy Agency. Description: Vienna : International Atomic Energy Agency, 2020. | Series: Proceedings series (International Atomic Energy Agency), ISSN 0074–1884 | Includes bibliographical references. Identifiers: IAEAL 20-01377 | ISBN 978-92-0-131820-6 (paperback : alk. paper) | ISBN 978-92-0-131920-3 (pdf) Subjects: LCSH: Nuclear reactors — Safety measures — Congresses. | Nuclear reactors — Congresses. | Nuclear power plants — Safety measures. | Sustainability. Classification: UDC 621.039.58 | STI/PUB/1927 FOREWORD Since the 1950s, research reactors have been centres of innovation and development for nuclear science and technology programmes around the world. Research reactors primarily generate neutrons — rather than power — for research, education and training purposes, as well as for applications in areas such as industry, medicine and agriculture. According to the 2019 figures in the IAEA Research Reactor Database, 247 research reactors are in operation in 53 countries, and around 30 new research reactor programmes are being planned and developed. The International Conference on Research Reactors: Addressing Challenges and Opportunities to Ensure Effectiveness and Sustainability was organized by the IAEA and the National Atomic Energy Commission of Argentina and held in Buenos Aires on 25–29 November 2019. The conference was attended by 300 participants from 53 Member States. It brought together experts from across the field — from operators and users to regulators, designers and suppliers. Feedback from IAEA activities indicates that ensuring the safety, security, effectiveness and sustainability of research reactors involves several challenges. The main challenges facing the research reactor community include the need to ensure regulatory effectiveness, manage the ageing of the facilities and staff, and improve utilization programmes and strategic planning. Leadership and management for safety and security, management of spent fuel, the need to ensure supply of fresh fuel for some research reactors and the need to establish sustainable nuclear infrastructure for new research reactor programmes also pose challenges. The conference provided a forum for reactor operators, managers, users, regulators, designers and suppliers to exchange best practices and to learn from each other, particularly in addressing common issues, challenges and strategies. The conference, which is held every four years, is one of several IAEA activities supporting countries in addressing the opportunities and challenges related to research reactor programmes. The IAEA develops safety standards, and security and technical publications for research reactors and supports their application through peer reviews on safety, security, operation and maintenance, utilization, and national infrastructure building. The IAEA also organizes capacity building activities, including meetings, workshops and training activities. This publication provides a summary of the conference, the major findings and conclusions of the sessions, and the opening and closing addresses. The supplementary files available on-line include the individual technical papers and presentations. The IAEA wishes to express its appreciation to the members of the Technical Programme Committee, the chairs of the technical sessions, the authors of the submitted papers and all those who gave presentations and provided posters for their contributions to the success of the conference. The IAEA officers responsible for this publication were A.M. Shokr of the Division of Nuclear Installation Safety, R. Sharma of the Division of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology and N. Pessoa Barradas of the Division of Physical and Chemical Sciences. EDITORIAL NOTE The contents of this publication have not been edited by the editorial staff of the IAEA. The views expressed remain the responsibility of the named authors or participants. In addition, the views are not necessarily those of the governments of the nominating Member States or of the nominating organizations. Although great care has been taken to maintain the accuracy of information contained in this publication, neither the IAEA nor its Member States assume any responsibility for consequences which may arise from its use. The use of particular designations of countries or territories does not imply any judgement by the publisher, the IAEA, as to the legal status of such countries or territories, of their authorities and institutions or of the delimitation of their boundaries. The mention of names of specific companies or products (whether or not indicated as registered) does not imply any intention to infringe proprietary rights, nor should it be construed as an endorsement or recommendation on the part of the IAEA. The authors are responsible for having obtained the necessary permission for the IAEA to reproduce, translate or use material from sources already protected by copyrights. Material prepared by authors who are in contractual relation with governments is copyrighted by the IAEA, as publisher, only to the extent permitted by the appropriate national regulations. Any accompanying material has been prepared from the original material as submitted by the authors. The IAEA has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third party Internet web sites referred to in this book and does not guarantee that any content on any such web sites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate. CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .................................................................................................................. 1 OPENING SESSION ............................................................................................................................ 2 SUMMARY OF TECHNICAL SESSIONS AND PRESENTATIONS ........................................... 9 Session 1: Utilization and applications ............................................................................................... 9 Session 2: Operation and maintenance ............................................................................................. 15 Session 3: New research reactor programmes .................................................................................. 20 Session 4: Safety of research reactors ............................................................................................... 23 Session 5: Security of research reactors ............................................................................................ 31 Session 6: Fuel management and decommissioning ......................................................................... 33 Session 7: Common management consideration............................................................................... 36 SUMMARY OF CONFERENCE SIDE EVENTS........................................................................... 40 Side Event 1: Safety enhancement of research reactors based on the Integrated Safety Assessment for Research Reactors (INSARR) missions ............................................................... 40 Side Event 2: Nuclear security enhancement of research reactors based on IAEA International Physical Protection Advisory Service (IPPAS) missions