Guidance for the application of an assessment methodology for innovative nuclear energy systems. INPRO manual - Safety of nuclear fuel cycle facilities. Vol. 9 of the final report of phase 1 of the International Project on Innovative Nuclear Reactors and Fuel Cycles (INPRO)

The International Project on Innovative Nuclear Reactors and Fuel Cycles (INPRO) was initiated in the year 2000, based on a resolution of the IAEA General Conference (GC(44)/RES/21). The main objectives of INPRO are (1) to help to ensure that nuclear energy is available to contribute in fulfilling energy needs in the 21st century in a sustainable manner, (2) to bring together both technology holders and technology users to consider jointly the international and national actions required to achieve desired innovations in nuclear reactors and fuel cycles; and (3) to create a forum to involve all relevant stakeholders that will have an impact on, draw from, and complement the activities of existing institutions, as well as ongoing initiatives at the national and international level. The INPRO manual is comprised of an overview volume (No. 1), and eight additional volumes covering the areas of economics (Volume 2), infrastructure (Volume 3), waste management (Volume 4), proliferation resistance (Volume 5), physical protection (Volume 6), environment (Volume 7), safety of nuclear reactors (Volume 8), and safety of nuclear fuel cycle facilities (laid out in this report) (Volume 9).This report elaborates on the guidance given in the INPRO report 'Methodology for the assessment of innovative nuclear reactors and fuel cycles', IAEA-TECDOC-1434, and the previous INPRO report 'Guidance for the evaluation for innovative nuclear reactors and fuel cycles', IAEA-TECDOC-1362 (2003), in the area of safety of nuclear reactors. The present version of this manual deals with safety issues related to design and operation of mining, milling, refining, conversion, enrichment, fuel fabrication, fuel storage and fuel reprocessing facilities. The INPRO Manual starts with an introduction in Chapter 1. Chapter 2 sets out the necessary input for an INPRO assessment of the safety of an innovative nuclear fuel cycle facility. This includes information on the design for the plant and the safety assessment (including the safety analysis). This chapter also discusses the timing of the INPRO assessment. Chapter 3 identifies the different types of facilities that can form part of the nuclear fuel cycle. This chapter also provides an overview of the safety aspects of these facilities, discusses the defence in depth approach and discusses the differences between nuclear reactors and nuclear fuel cycle facilities. Chapter 4 presents the basis for the INPRO safety basic principles. This starts from the IAEA Safety Fundamentals, identifies the specific requirements applicable to innovative nuclear fuel cycle facilities and derives the INPRO safety basic principles, user requirements and criteria that need to be applied in the assessment process. Chapter 5 discusses specific fuel cycle operations from the point of view of safety indicating possible innovations. This relates to INPRO safety criteria (with indicators and acceptance limits) as they apply to the following fuel cycle activities: mining and milling, enrichment, fuel fabrication, and fuel reprocessing. Chapter 6 provides a summary and also recommends future activities, which could be undertaken by IAEA, which would enable a robust assessment of the safety of nuclear fuel cycle facilities in the framework of INPRO. In Annex A, application of INPRO methodology to a hypothetical fuel fabrication facility using sol-gel process is given as an illustration. In Annex B a few ideas are laid out how to modify the INPRO methodology in the area of safety to increase consistency. In Annex C a table is presented that could be used by an assessor to summarize his assessment