IAEA International Atomic Energy Agency Main Challenges Facing Research Reactors Pablo Adelfang IAEA – Research Reactor Section Meeting #1, October 23-24, 2014 The National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC Current Status of and Progress toward Eliminating Highly Enriched Uranium Use in Fuel for Civilian Research and Test Reactors
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IAEA International Atomic Energy Agency
Main Challenges Facing Research Reactors
Pablo Adelfang IAEA – Research Reactor Section
Meeting #1, October 23-24, 2014
The National Academy of Sciences, Washington, DC
Current Status of and Progress toward Eliminating Highly Enriched Uranium Use in Fuel for
Civilian Research and Test Reactors
IAEA
Outline
• Background • Underutilization • Ageing • New Research Reactors • Fuel Cycle
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TOTAL: 674 Operational 247 Temp. shutdown 12 Under construction / Planned 7
Background
Number: ~247 operational
Operational RRs in 56 countries Russia 65 USA 42 China 16 Japan 8 France 10 Germany 8
Source: IAEA RRDB, October 2014
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Background
• Typically, RR cores have small volume • Many have powers less than 5 MW(t)
• ~50% 100kW or less. • Higher fuel enrichments than power reactors • Natural and forced cooling • Pulsing capability • Many different designs • Diversity is a challenge.
IAEA International Atomic Energy Agency
Underutilization
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RR Applications
What are RRs Good For? • Education & Training • Fuel testing and qualification • Supporting power reactor programmes • Radioisotope Production • Material science investigations
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Application Number of RR involved
Involved / Operational, %
Education & Training 176 71 Neutron Activation Analysis 128 52 Radioisotope production 98 40 Neutron radiography 72 29 Material/fuel testing/irradiations 60 24 Neutron scattering 50 20 Nuclear Data Measurements 42 17 Si doping 30 12 Geochronology 26 11 Gem coloration 21 9 Neutron Therapy 19 8 Other 140 56
• Lack of purpose • Lack of funding • Lack of initiative • Lack of QA/QC
• Strategic planning • Often the cause of other
challenges
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Research Reactor Mission
• The origin of most RR came from Government initiatives
• RR justified existence on: • need for utilization; or • national prestige of ownership
• Change in Government perspective of RR over time : • from supportive initiator • to perception of liability
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Sustainability
“A Research Reactor is sustainable if the
Stakeholders say so (and willing to fund it)!”
• Government • Upper Management • Academic Institutions • Commercial and Industrial Clients • Regulatory Body • Personnel • Public
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Sustainability
• Reducing over-reliance on government / public sector subsidy
• Sustainability improved
Govt Subsidy
Revenues from Stakeholders
+
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Justification of the RR
• Type, size, power and cost of the RR should match the needs of the potential Stakeholders
• Meet requirements of a country or serve as a
regional or international centre • Identifying and Involving RR Stakeholders
and adaptation of the RR to meet needs
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Benefits of Improving RR Sustainability
• Improving sustainability of RRs can have important benefits for non-proliferation, nuclear security, and safety.
• Effectively utilized and sustainable RRs have more resources to conform to non-proliferation trends and to fulfill international guidelines for safety and security.
• A well-utilized facility will be motivated to protect its “investment” by maintaining safety and security standards.
• Assisting RRs to improve sustainability would also demonstrate benefits of LEU conversion as well as provide incentive for others to convert.
IAEA International Atomic Energy Agency
Ageing
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Background
16
Research Reactor (RR) Operation and Maintenance (O&M) and Ageing activities Focus on the RR / machine availability and reliability as a platform for • Basic and applied science,
research and development • Production of medical and
than 40 years old, with many exceeding their design life
• The majority of these RRs are challenged by the negative impacts of ageing
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Feedback from IAEA activities: Ageing
• I R S R R : A g e i n g o f components is one of the m o s t i m p o r t a n t r o o t causes of the incidents reported to the IRSRR.
• Safety Review Missions: Need to es tab l i sh a s y s t e m a t i c a g e i n g management programme.
Statistics - Cause of the Events
Human Factor40%
Other Cause of the Events
8%
Mechanical Failures23%
Mechanical Failures and Human Error
29%
• Statistics on root causes of incidents reported to IRSRR
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Specific Safety Guide No. SSG-10
• Provides recommendations and practical guidance on establishing a systematic ageing management for the Systems, Structures and Components (SSCs) important to safety
• It also provides guidance for managing the obsolescence
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Elements of Ageing Management Programme (SSG-10)
• Screening of SSCs for ageing management review: • Based on importance to safety; • Takes into consideration the SSCs replacement ease.
• Minimization of expected ageing degradation: • Prevention actions should have been defined at the design
stage; • Periodic review of the effectiveness of these actions.
• Detection, monitoring and trending of ageing degradation: • Inspections; • Monitoring; • Performance tests; • Periodic testing.
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Elements of Ageing Management Programme (SSG-10)
• Mitigation of ageing degradation:
• Periodic replacement of components, • Refurbishment and modification; • Altering of operating conditions and practices.
• Continuous improvement of the ageing management programme:
• Feedback experience; • Review of programme effectiveness.
• Record keeping.
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Interfaces of ageing management with other technical areas
Ageing management could be achieved by integration of the following technical areas:
• Maintenance, periodic testing and inspection; • Periodic safety review; • Equipment qualification; • Reconstitution of the design basis; • Configuration management; • Continued safe operation.
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Management of obsolescence
Condition Action
Changes in technology - Ensure systematic identification of useful service life and anticipated obsolescence; - Prepare modification projects; - Provide spare parts for the planned service lifetime/identify alternative suppliers.
C h a n g e s i n s a f e t y r e q u i r e m e n t s a n d regulations, advances in knowledge
- Ensure compliance with current safety standards and regulations; - Consider modification of SSCs important to safety as required.
D o c u m e n t a t i o n becoming out of date
- Ensure establishment of an ef fective management system.
IAEA International Atomic Energy Agency
New Research Reactors
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IAEA Nuclear Energy Series No. NP-T-5.1
27
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A New Research Reactor Project
• Like other capital projects, but with special issues:
• Pre-Project • Assessment • Report and • Preliminary
• Strategic Plan
• Preparatory work for a • research reactor after a policy • decision has been taken
• Implementation of a research reactor
• Operations
• Feasibility Study
• Bid • Specification
• Commissioning • Licence
• Research • Reactor Justification
• Ready to make a • knowledgeable
• commitment to a • RR project
• Continuous infrastructure development
• Ongoing assessments of RR technology & fuel cycle
• Decommissioning • Plan
• Considerations before • a decision to launch a research reactor project is taken
• Possibility of a research
reactor • considered
• Research Re
actor
Project
• Infrastructure
Developm
ent P
rogram
• Research Reactor Justified
• MILESTONE 1
• Ready to invite bids for a RR
• MILESTONE 2
• Ready to commission • and operate the RR
• MILESTONE 3 • RR
• Decommissioned
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Research Reactor Justification
• Critical and most sensitive phase • Drivers different / more complex than for NPP • Aiming to gather the minimum set of conditions for
a realistic RR project • Understand stakeholder needs • Build stakeholder support • Develop strategic and business plans for
sustainability and good utilization • Subsequent phases expected to be reasonably
generic
33
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Infrastructure Milestone Issue Examples
34
• National Position
• RRPIC established, staffed and authorised • Safety, security and non-proliferation needs recognised by Government • Appropriate international legal instruments identified • Requirements for participation in the Global Nuclear Safety Regime identified. • Required intergovernmental agreements identified • Government liabilities for radioactive waste management and decommissioning
accepted
• Nuclear Safety
• The importance of nuclear safety recognised including: • Application of the Code of Conduct on the Safety of Research Reactors • Participation in the Global Nuclear Safety Regime • Operator role as the primary responsibility for safety • Accident prevention and mitigation • Emergency preparedness and responsese
• Milestone 1: Ready To Make A Knowledgeable Commitment to a RR Project
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Infrastructure Milestone Issue Examples
35
• National Position
• International legal instruments adopted • Regulatory body established • An effective SSAC established • Policy for spent nuclear fuel management established • Legal & financial arrangements for decommissioning established • Human resources development programme started • Safeguards programme provided • Security programme provided • Radiation protection and emergency plans established • International standards for environmental protection adopted • Commitments and obligations of operator organisations established
• Milestone 2: Ready to Invite Bids for the Research Reactor
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Infrastructure Milestone Issue Examples
36
• Milestone 2: Ready to Invite Bids for the Research Reactor
• Nuclear Safety
• All stakeholders recognise their safety responsibilities • The operating organisation understands the issue of having the prime
responsibility for safety • Legal and governmental framework consistent with Fundamental Safety
Principles implemented • Safety culture evaluated • Regulatory body able to evaluate the safety submission
IAEA International Atomic Energy Agency
Fuel Cycle
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RR Fuel Cycle
• Challenges • Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU)
minimization • Back-end management (esp. for MS
with no nuclear energy programme) • Long term interim storage (wet and dry)
• Fuel supply • Developing countries with limited fuel
procurement capability • TRIGA; unique design with a limited
market
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Spent Fuel “Take Back” Programmes
• Russian Research Reactor Fuel Return Program” (RRRFR)
• Foreign Research Reactor Spent Nuclear Fuel (FRRSNF) Acceptance Program
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Back-end Issues and Challenges
• Accumulation of spent fuel • Reluctance to decommission
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Back-end Issues and Challenges
• Little availability of back-end options for RR spent fuel
• “Take-back” programmes will soon achieve their goals and eventually cease
• As majority of the RRs wish to continue operating using LEU, inventories of LEU spent fuel will continue increasing
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Back-end Issues and Challenges Countries with one or more RRs and no nuclear power programme may have to choose between creating a national final disposition route for relatively small amounts of RR SNF (prohibitive in most cases), or permanently shutting down their RRs before the termination of the SNF take-back programmes
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Back-end Issues and Challenges
Finding appropriate, sustainable and cost effective solutions for the management of the back end of the fuel cycle for these countries is critical to the continued use of RRs in these countries
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RRS Activities on RR Spent Fuel Management • Elaboration of documents gathering examples
of good practices and lessons learned, with a focus on: Ø Proven technology solutions Ø Direct help to RR managers and operators Ø “How to do” rather than on “What has to be done” Ø Contributions from well operated facilities