CNSC Research Report 2016-17
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
The Science of Safety: CNSC Research Report 2016–17 © Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) 2018 Cat. No. CC171-24E-PDF ISSN 2369-4351 Extracts from this document may be reproduced for individual use without permission provided the source is fully acknowledged. However, reproduction in whole or in part for purposes of resale or redistribution requires prior written permission from the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. Également publié en français sous le titre : La science de la sûreté : Rapport de recherche de la CCSN 2016-2017 Document availability This document can be viewed on the CNSC website. To request a copy of the document in English or French, please contact: Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission 280 Slater Street P.O. Box 1046, Station B Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5S9 CANADA Tel.: 613-995-5894 or 1-800-668-5284 (in Canada only) Facsimile: 613-995-5086 Email: [email protected] Website: nuclearsafety.gc.ca Facebook: facebook.com/CanadianNuclearSafetyCommission YouTube: youtube.com/cnscccsn Twitter: @CNSC_CCSN Publishing History June 2018 Edition 1.0 Table of contents Message from the President .......................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................... 2 Ensuring the safety of nuclear power plants ................................................................................................. 6 Protecting workers ...................................................................................................................................... 13 Protecting the environment ......................................................................................................................... 16 Spotlight on CNSC staff ............................................................................................................................. 22 Terry Jamieson, MASc, P.Eng ................................................................................................................ 22 Steve Mihok, PhD ................................................................................................................................... 23 Advancing regulatory perspectives ............................................................................................................. 24 International commitments ......................................................................................................................... 34 Strengthening the next generation............................................................................................................... 40 Future research at the CNSC ....................................................................................................................... 47 Glossary of terms ........................................................................................................................................ 48 Annex: CNSC technical papers, presentations and articles ........................................................................ 51 Message from the President I am pleased to introduce the fourth annual research report of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), which summarizes the various research projects and initiatives we have supported and completed during the 2016–17 fiscal year. The regulatory research outlined in this report plays an essential role in the continued fulfillment of our mandate to protect health, safety, security and the environment; implement Canada’s international commitments on the peaceful use of nuclear energy; and disseminate objective scientific, technical and regulatory information to the general public. Many of the projects and activities highlighted in this report have associated technical papers that are publicly available on our website, posted in the form originally submitted by their authors. No matter your level of technical knowledge or expertise, I invite you to read through this report and, should you have an interest in exploring any of the research further, download the more detailed papers that are found linked in their corresponding summaries. With my time as the CNSC’s President and Chief Executive Officer coming to a close, this is the last annual research report to be published during my tenure. I take great pride in the growth in the variety of work and versatility achieved by our research program over the past four years. I am also very proud of how these reports have evolved to clearly communicate to the public the important work being done by our research program – and I expect them to continue to do so for many years to come. That’s the science of safety. Michael Binder President 1 Introduction Purpose of this report Part of the CNSC’s mandate is to disseminate scientific, technical and regulatory information to the general public. While information on the CNSC’s research and research-related projects is publicly available on its website, the associated research documents often contain very technical and scientific language. Therefore, the CNSC publishes The Science of Safety report each year to summarize the research and make the results more accessible to a general audience. A glossary of terms is provided to further assist readers in understanding the technical language used in this document. Words that are underlined are linked to their respective definition in the glossary. Regulatory research The CNSC uses regulatory research in many ways. It supports regulatory decisions. It helps protect the health, safety and security of Canadians and the environment by identifying issues that may lead to eventual hazards – and developing tools and techniques to address those issues. It is also used to create stronger safety standards for the benefit of the nuclear industry and the general public alike. The three main objectives of the CNSC’s research program are to: • collect independent advice in support of regulatory decisions • develop tools capable of addressing health, safety, security or environmental issues • develop nuclear safety standards These objectives can be further defined into 10 main goals: • strengthening the CNSC’s licensing, compliance and regulatory framework in preparation for long-term/post-refurbishment operation of Canadian nuclear power plants • enhancing the CNSC’s capability to independently assess hazards and to analyze/respond to severe reactor accidents • supporting CNSC staff in preparation and conduct of vendor design reviews • enhancing the CNSC’s understanding of the environmental transport and behaviour of hazardous/nuclear substances and associated environmental exposures • informing the CNSC’s radiation protection knowledge base to reflect the best available science with respect to the protection of workers and the public • supporting CNSC staff in their evaluation of licensing or other submissions related to waste repositories • furthering the CNSC’s understanding of the long-term behaviour of both uranium mining and milling waste • supporting the update of the CNSC’s regulatory framework to reflect modern human performance approaches • supporting Canada’s safeguards commitments and influencing international safeguards efforts • strengthening Canada’s nuclear forensics capability 2 The research projects conducted or supported by the CNSC are categorized according to the CNSC’s 14 safety and control areas. By evaluating how well licensees meet their regulatory requirements and safety performance standards in each of the 14 safety and control areas, the CNSC has been able to direct its research to those areas where more attention may be required, specifically: • human performance management • fitness for service • physical design • safety analysis • environmental protection • radiation protection • waste management • safeguards By categorizing research in this way, the focus of a given project can be quickly and generally conveyed. This categorization also allows major areas of focus in research overall to be tracked. The following graph and table depict the eight safety and control areas in which the CNSC conducts its research as well as the number of projects completed in each area over the past four fiscal years. CNSC research by safety and control area 25 20 15 10 FY 13-14 FY 14-15 5 FY 15-16 Number of projects completed FY 16-17 0 3 Safety and control Area Fiscal year FY 13–14 FY 14–15 FY 15–16 FY 16–17 Human performance management 2 1 1 1 Fitness for service 9 9 16 8 Physical design 12 10 13 6 Safety analysis 11 17 22 12 Environmental protection 2 2 1 2 Radiation protection 8 9 11 9 Waste management 5 13 14 11 Safeguards 0 1 1 3 More information about the safety and control areas is available on the CNSC website. Links to research projects previously completed by the CNSC are sorted by their categorized safety and control area on the CNSC “Scientific and technical information” Web page. That page also includes links to previous years’ annual research reports. Each chapter of this report provides quick summaries of all the research projects and similar work completed by the CNSC from April 1, 2016 to March 31, 2017. Project topics are not limited to commercial nuclear power; there are multiple projects spread across every aspect of the Canadian nuclear industry that is regulated by the CNSC, including waste management facilities, nuclear research facilities and more. 4 The CNSC’s research universe The CNSC funds research