Approaches Developed to Build TSO Capabilities in Morocco and to Assess the Safety of Experiments in Its TRIGA Research Reactor

The Moroccan National Centre of Nuclear Energy, Sciences and Technologies (CNESTEN) has been licensed to operate a 2 MW TRIGA Research Reactor since January 2009. This reactor is mainly used for training, basic and applied research, neutron activation analysis and radioisotope production. The TRIGA reactor is operated by CNESTEN Reactor Operation Unit whereas safety of operation and experiments is assessed by CNESTEN Safety Committee (SC). The main expected utilizations of the reactor for the short term are neutron activation analysis and production of I-131. In conformance to internal CNESTEN policies, the safety fields for both experiments were assessed by CNESTEN Safety Committee with regard to their relevant safety aspects. In order to achieve independent and robust safety assessment of experiments in the TRIGA reactor and to confirm the conclusions of Safety Committee, CNESTEN Safety and Security Pole (PSS) has organized, within the framework of international cooperation, three expert missions (one with the International Atomic Energy Agency and two with the Institut de radioprotection et de Surete Nucleaire-France). The first IRSN mission, held in December 2009, was an opportunity to confirm the interest of the CNESTEN organisation in which roles of the Reactor Operation Unit and the Safety and Security Pole are explicitly separated. The other main mission, shared between CNESTEN Safety and Security Pole (PSS) and IRSN during this visit, was the establishment of an approach which purpose is to categorise experiments into different classes. For each class of experiments, CNESTEN Safety and Security Pole, with the support of IRSN and in accordance with IAEA safety standards, had defined the field of safety issues that have to be considered as well as the review and approval route. The goal of the second IRSN mission, held in March 2010, was the assessment of preliminary elements from the I-131 production safety demonstration achieved by CNESTEN Reactor Operation Unit in accordance with the approach previously presented and of the Safety Committee (SC) conclusions. Finally, the mission has led to the proposal of several technical requirements regarding the safety of I-131 production operations. Besides, links between CNESTEN and IRSN are to be reinforced in the near future in order to consolidate TSO's competences of the CNESTEN Safety and Security Pole (PSS) in sight of the development of an electronuclear program in Morocco. In that perspective, several CNESTEN Safety and Security Pole (PSS) engineers would follow training and tutoring in safety analysis through a total immersion into IRSN operational divisions. This paper focuses on the development of TSO's competences of the CNESTEN Safety and Security Pole (PSS) and on the experience feedback learned from the assessment of new experiments (neutron activation analysis, production of I-131). (author)