Developing safety in the nuclear fuel cycle

The nuclear fuel cycle had its origins in the new technology developed in the 1940s and 50s involving novel physical and chemical processes. At the front end of the cycle, mining, milling and fuel fabrication all underwent development, but in general the focus of process development and safety concerns was the reprocessing stage, with radiation, contamination and criticality the chief hazards. Safety research is not over and there is still work to be done in advancing technical knowledge to new generation nuclear fuels such as Mixed Oxide Fuel and in refining knowledge of margins and of potential upset conditions. Some comments are made on potential areas for work. The NUCEF facility will provide many useful data to aid safety analysis and accident prevention. The routine operations in such plants, basically chemical factories, requires industrial safety and in addition the protection of workers against radiation or contamination. The engineering and management measures for this were novel and the early operation of such plants pioneering. Later commissioning and operating experience has improved routine operating safety, leading to a new generation of factories with highly developed worker protection, engineering safeguards and safety management systems. Ventilation of contamination control zones, remote operation and maintenance, and advanced neutron shielding are engineering examples. In safety management, dose control practices, formally controlled operating procedures and safety cases, and audit processes are comparable with, or lead, best industry practice in other hazardous industries. Nonetheless it is still important that the knowledge and experience from operating plants continue to be gathered together to provide a common basis for improvement. The NEA Working Group on Fuel Cycle Safety provides a forum for much of this interchange. Some activities in the Group are described in particular the FINAS incident reporting system. (J.P.N.)