Certification safety assessment of research reactors and radioactive facilities

Full text: Owing to the particular characteristics of research reactors with less than 10 MW and radioactive facilities, the licencing process requires some flexibility of the operating organization and of the regulatory body in order to support not only the licence application or even the relicencing and reassessment of existing ones. The text covers the overall safety assessment of the facilities, establishing specific requirements and giving general guidance on the necessary steps towards the licencing, in the framework of the brazilian CNEN Programme, based on the IAEA-RRSP. The certification followed by the necessary application both from the operating organization and from the facility itself achieves compliance with the requirements agreed upon between the operating organization and the regulatory body, previously followed by the analysis and approval of the Security Analysis Committee. The general procedure of the approval emission is presented with reference to the necessary documentation, providing a practical guidance on the acceptance criteria demonstrated by an adequate application of the principles for safe design and operation embodied in the IAEA Safety Standards. Assessment responsibility and criteria are established and an adequate assurance of the safety shall be provided by an adequate legal and regulatory basis which includes the establishment of an independent regulatory body. (author)