[en] During this week, we have heard of progress in many important areas: safety and security, use of research reactors in education and training, scientific and industrial applications, maintenance practices and core fuel conversion to LEU. However, issues and challenges remain. Some of these include: lack of new fuel for TRIGA reactors and continued challenges in development of LEU fuel for high–performance research reactors; completion of safety reassessments in light of the Fukushima–Daiichi NPP accident and implementation of needed improvements; ageing of many research reactors, with the potential impact on safety and reliability and supply of important medical isotopes; and lack of planning for decommissioning in many cases. As always, the Secretariat stands ready to assist the Member States in working to address these issues and challenges.

[en] The International Conference on Research Reactors: Safe Management and Effective Utilization was organized by the IAEA and held in Vienna on 16-20 November 2015. It is the major networking event for the research reactor community worldwide taking place every four years. The multidisciplinary scientific and technological applications that research reactors supported and continue supporting have spawned advances in academia, industry, medicine, food and agriculture. On the other hand, research reactor organizations need to address challenges such as: the management of ageing of facilities and staff; the need to enhance regulatory effectiveness and to address the relevant lessons from the Fukushima Daiichi accident; the security of fuel supply and the management of spent fuel; the need for increased vigilance to prevent malicious acts; and the need for more effective and efficient utilization of the facilities to justify operation and maintenance costs; as well as the strain of shrinking resources, both financial and human, while fulfilling an expanding role in support of nuclear science and technology development. New research reactor projects also challenge Member States in developing their national infrastructure and human resources to ensure a successful implementation. This publication provides a summary of the conference, the major findings and conclusions of the sessions, and the opening and closing addresses. The accompanying CD-ROM includes the individual technical papers and presentations. These proceedings are expected to serve as a valuable source of information for specialists involved in research reactor operation and utilization as well as for regulatory authorities in the IAEA Member States.

[en] For more than 60 years, research reactors have been centres of innovation and productivity for nuclear science and technology programmes in 67 countries around the world. Research reactors provide a multidisciplinary environment to catalyse scientific, industrial, medical and agricultural development. They are facilities for nuclear education and training of young scientists and technicians, and they can contribute to the development of nuclear power programmes. According to the IAEA Research Reactor Database, there are 246 research reactors currently in operation in 55 countries, and close to 30 new research reactor projects are at different stages of implementation. Many of the operating reactors are several decades old and face ageing management issues. These reactors must be operated and maintained with due regard to safety and security. Some reactors face challenges with sustainable supply of fresh fuel. Others are looking to improve utilization, which is linked to justifying adequate resources for operation, maintenance and refurbishment. As some of the fuel return programmes are expected to wind down in the near term, the community will need to find solutions for spent fuel and waste management. And taking into account the large number of reactors, about 140, no longer in operation, as well as ageing reactors coming to the end of their lifecycles, decommissioning is an important area of sharing experience and best practice. You will have an opportunity to discuss these and other issues over the course of the conference.

[en] The International Conference on Research Reactors: Safe Management and Effective Utilization was organized by the IAEA and held in Vienna on 16-20 November 2015. It is the major networking event for the research reactor community worldwide taking place every four years. The multidisciplinary scientific and technological applications that research reactors supported and continue supporting have spawned advances in academia, industry, medicine, food and agriculture. On the other hand, research reactor organizations need to address challenges such as: the management of ageing of facilities and staff; the need to enhance regulatory effectiveness and to address the relevant lessons from the Fukushima Daiichi accident; the security of fuel supply and the management of spent fuel; the need for increased vigilance to prevent malicious acts; and the need for more effective and efficient utilization of the facilities to justify operation and maintenance costs; as well as the strain of shrinking resources, both financial and human, while fulfilling an expanding role in support of nuclear science and technology development. New research reactor projects also challenge Member States in developing their national infrastructure and human resources to ensure a successful implementation. This CD-ROM includes the individual technical papers and presentations from the conference. These proceedings are expected to serve as a valuable source of information for specialists involved in research reactor operation and utilization as well as for regulatory authorities in the IAEA Member States.

[en] Internet-based practical courses on research reactors are under implementation within the framework of the Internet Reactor Laboratory (IRL) project from the IAEA. The objective of the IRL is to give the opportunity to countries without research reactors to access reactor laboratories to contribute to the development of human resources in nuclear areas. For the implementation of the IRL project in Europe, the IAEA has been working with the French Atomic Energy and Alternative Energies Commission (CEA) since 2013. Under the agreement signed between the IAEA and CEA, the ISIS reactor located at Saclay CEA Centre in France will carry out IRL experiments starting in 2016. The background and an overview of the IRL project implementation at the ISIS reactor will be provided in this paper. (author)

[en] The Budapest Research Reactor (BRR) as the other research reactors in the world plays a vital role for the society, producing radioisotopes for the medical purposes, for industrial applications and neutron beams for fundamental and applied research. BRR is a research and development base for the energy sector. In Hungary more than 40% of electric energy is produced by the Paks Nuclear Power Plant. The expertise and knowledge accumulated at BRR is the basis for scientific and safety support for the Paks NPP as well as for the national nuclear regulatory body. BBR also serves as a scientific and development tool in other fields of energy research, both in energy saving and production (e.g. development of new materials for energy production and storage, research of materials and structural components for fusion energy or reactors of new generation, development of new energy saving technologies such as superconductors).

[en] The title “RRAF” represents a diverse category of non-power reactors that can include a wide variety of co-located facilities that can complicate a security system. These facilities may include: • Nuclear reactor; • Radioisotope production facilities; • Fuel research and fabrication facilities; • Storage of fresh fuel, spent fuel, or radioactive sources; • Radioactive waste storage and disposal; • Laboratories and hot cells; • Irradiation facilities; • Other non-nuclear related facilities and activities. RRAFs, due to their diverse objectives, settings, funding, and staffing present a unique set of challenges to the implementation and maintenance of an effective nuclear security programme and management.

[en] The Multipurpose Sodium Fast Research Reactor MBIR is under construction at the site of SSC RIAR, Dimitrovgrad, Ulyanovsk region in the framework of the Russian Government’s funded Federal Target Program «New Generation Nuclear Power in 2010-2015’s and up to 2020». The MBIR Reactor which would be the most powerful research facility amongst the group of research reactors both operative, under construction or planned worldwide is intended to replace the world’s unique fast research reactor BOR-60, which was built about half a century ago and has been safely operating all these years at the SSC RIAR’s site. The top intended mission of the MBIR Reactor is the significant expansion of the ROSATOM’s experimental capabilities and the overall enhancement of international R&D infrastructure for future innovative nuclear power system development.

[en] The systematic safety assessments of the Nuclear Research Facility (NRF) should be performed periodically against current safety standards and operating practices on the basis of graded approach with due account to potential hazard associated with a specific facility. The regulatory body should establish regular intervals of safety assessment performed by the operating organization and identify safety aspects and issues to be considered during the assessment (reassessment). The regulatory body should review the results of safety assessment (reassessment) and make decision with regard to the acceptability of the present safety of the NRF and its continued operation for the period until the next review of safety or final shutdown of the NRF. If the safety requirements are not fully met, measures must be taken by the operating organization to provide the required level of safety, including NRF modifications. The report presents the methodology of the Periodic Safety Reviews (PSRs) for a NRF that cover assessment of all aspects of NFR safety, and take into account the cumulative effect of various factors affecting safety. The PSRs make it sure that operation of a licensed NRF will continue in appropriate high safety manner until the planned termination of its activity. (author)

[en] Nuclear Material Accounting and Control (NMAC) is a vital element of a facility’s Nuclear Security. NMAC systems and methodologies focus on deterring and detecting malicious uses of nuclear materials and are particularly necessary as a measure to counter “insider” threats. Physical protection systems and NMAC systems should be designed and implemented in a coordinated manner. A nuclear facility NMAC system is designed to maintain an inventory of all nuclear material, including information related to its location; to provide knowledge of the quantity, type, location, use, movement, and transformation of all nuclear material; and to register an alarm and initiate a response if the alarm indicates that nuclear material may possibly have been removed without authorization or otherwise used in an unauthorized manner. NMAC is particularly important at research reactors, particularly where nuclear materials are used as target materials, or the nuclear fuel is easily reconfigured or accesses.