RESEARCH REACTORS – STATUS

AND TRENDS

Ram Sharma, Ram.Sharma@iaea.org

Research Reactor Section

Division of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology

Department of Nuclear Energy

International Atomic Energy Agency

Tsuruga International Symposium 2019, 17-18 October 2019, Tsuruga, Japan

•World-wide trends

•Access to Research Reactors✓Distance Learning and Capacity Building

✓Infrastructure and Planning Development

•Sustainability and Optimisation of existing fleet✓Utilization and Application

✓Operation, Maintenance, Upgrade

✓Fuel Cycle and HEU minimization

•IAEA Safety Program for Research Reactors

•Conclusion

Outline

2

RR stakeholders and users

3

RRs around the World in 2017 / 2019

2019 2019 2019

4

IAEA RRDB Overview

5

Numbers of operational research reactors

24

124

246

288

311 310 306

289

269259 254

245 247239

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

1955 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2018

Nu

mb

er

of

Op

era

tio

na

l R

ese

arc

h

Re

acto

rs

Year

60% of operating RRs are over 40 years old.

43 % of operating RRs are more than 50 years old.

6

IAEA RRDB Overview

Ageing status

4

7 7 7

12

18 17

28

22

17

56

33

11

2

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

0-5 6-10 11-15 16-20 21-25 26-30 31-35 36-40 41-45 46-50 51-55 56-60 61-65 66-70

Num

ber

Age

Number of RRs

Old RRs:

Difficult to

manage

and or replace

Ageing

Management,

Modernization

and

refurbishment

New RR Projects: tentative overview

2019

Phase 1 (Consideration)

Azerbaijan

EthiopiaGhana

Kenya

Malaysia

Mongolia

Myanmar

Tajikistan

PhilippinesNigeria

Saudi Arabia (Multipurpose RR)

Senegal

South Africa

Sudan

TanzaniaTunisia

Phase 2 (Preparatory Work)

Bangladesh

Belarus

BelgiumBolivia

China (2)

Japan

The Netherlands

Tajikistan

Thailand

USA

Viet Nam

Zambia

Phase 3 (Implementation)

Argentina (2)

Brazil

France

India (2)

Republic of Korea

Russian Federation (3)

Saudi Arabia (Low Power RR)

Ukraine (subcrit)

Total:12

Total:13

Total:16

7

Objectives

• To support Member States in ensuring sustainable operation and effective utilization of existing research reactors on long term basis with enhanced availability and reliability

• To support Member States in nuclear capacity building based on the use of and access to RRs

• To support Member States in planning and implementing new research reactor projects, including the development of their national infrastructure

8

• Decrease in number of operating RRs likely to continue

• Age of operating RRs exhibits increasing trend

• Sustainable operation and effective utilization of these facilities in a cost effective manner is a challenging task

• The life of such facilities could reach 60 years and beyond provided adequate life management programmes (ageing management, refurbishment, upgradation) are established well in time.

• Many Member States seek IAEA assistance

Global Trends – Operating RRs

9

• Increasing trend in RRs under permanent or

temporary shut down and decommissioning

• Managing transition from permanent shut

down to decommissioning

• Planning and preparations for

decommissioning - dismantling and disposal

• Radioactive Waste Disposal

• Availability of funds for decommissioning

Global Trends – Shut Down or under

decommissioning

10

Operation, Maintenance,

UpgradeBases:

• Adequate life management programmes (ageing management and refurbishment/upgradation programmes).

• Adequate O&M plans & management system.

• Funding reduction for such facilities and limited succession planning, development, implementation of sound O&M, life management programmes.

• Two thirds of the RRs are in permanent shut-down state and need decommissioning.

Objectives; To assist MSs in developing and implementing

• Operation and Maintenance plans to improve facility's

operational performances and in establishing Management

Systems

• Ageing Management and Renovation/Upgrade

programmes for facility's life management

• Decommissioning

11

• Provides advice to Member States in enhancing the performance of research reactors by identifying areas for improvement, addressing specific operational challenges and creating a space for sharing experiences and good practices.

• Pre-OMARR - A preparatory Mission of 2–3 days

• Main OMARR - main mission of 5–7 days

• Post-OMARR - follow up mission of 3-5 days if required by the facility

• Outcome: More efficient and reliable long-term operation of a research reactor with improved safety culture and optimum utilization of human and financial resources.

OMARR review missions

12

• New RR projects exhibit increasing trend as

a RR is seen useful in developing national

nuclear infrastructure, nuclear programmes

and strategies including development of

human capital

• Mainly for Radioisotope production and

capacity building activities

• Mostly in new comer countries

Global Trends – New RR projects

13

Access to Research ReactorNuclear Capacity Building based on Research Reactors

14

To support Member States, - to operate Research Reactors- to develop nuclear competences- to embark into a national nuclear programme.

Distance Training:

Internet Reactor Laboratory (IRL)

Basic Training:

Regional Research Reactor Schools

Advanced Training at

International Centres based on Research Reactors (ICERRs)

Intermediate Training:

EERRI Group Fellowship Course

Distance Training: Internet Reactor Laboratory

▪ Connects through internet an operating research reactor (Host reactor) to Guest institutions, generally Universities within the same region.

▪ Opportunity to add a practical component to academic programmes in nuclear engineering and nuclear physics, when access to an operating research reactor in the country is not feasible.

▪ 5 or 6 half day sessions broadcasted every year (Approach to criticality, rod calibration, temperature effect, …)

15

Internet Reactor Laboratory▪ Latín América: Host: CNEA-RA6 (Argentina)

➢Guest: Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador

▪ Europe: Host: CEA-ISIS (France) being shifted to VR-1 (Czech Rep)

➢ Guest: Belarus, Lithuania, Tanzania, Tunisia

▪ Africa: Host: CNESTEN-MA-1 (Morocco)

➢Guest: Kenya, South Africa, Zambia, Senegal

▪ South East Asia and Pacific

Host: ROK-AGN-201K

➢Guest: Philippines, Azerbaijan, Mongolia

Host: BATAN-Kartini (Indonesia)

➢Guest: Bangladesh, Myanmar, Tajikistan

▪ MEPhI (Russian Fed)

Bolivia, Bulgaria, Poland, Niger, Sudan, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Ghana,

Uruguay, Jamaica, Spain 16

ICERR Scheme

17

Already designated ICERRs

• French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy

Commission (CEA) – Research Centres of Saclay and

Cadarache

• Russian Research Institute of Atomic Reactors State

Scientific Centre (RIAR)

• Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK•CEN)

• United State Department of Energy - US DOE Idaho

National Laboratory (INL) and Oak Ridge National

Laboratory (ORNL)

• Korean Atomic Energy Research Institute, Republic of

Korea

18

Support to Infrastructure and Planning

Bases:

Planning or building the first RR in several MSs.

Establishment of national infrastructure to ensure that

national and international commitments and obligations,

particularly regarding safety, security, safeguards and

emergency preparedness, are met during construction,

operation and decommissioning

Objectives:

planning and implementing new RR projects, including

the assessment and development of their national

nuclear infrastructure, Milestones approach, INIR – RR

peer review mission and follow-up

19

Step Wise Approach From Considering

a new RR to Decommissioning

20

Utilization and

Applications

21

IAEA RRDB – Application

22

Fuel Cycle Issues

23

39%

40%

11%

10%

Cause of the events

Ageing and maintenance

Human factors

Design and qualityassurance

Management of safety

Safety issues

24

IAEA Safety Program for

RRs

25

Networking and eLearning

26

Way Ahead

➢ Bare minimum required RR in operation with high

availability and reliability – Assured Fuel supply and

technical support

➢ Enhance operational performance and utilization of RRs

➢ Strengthening Coalitions and Networking (promote IRL,

ICERR, EERRI course, RR Schools and e-Learning)

➢ Ensure back end options

➢ Management of transition between permanent shut

down and decommissioning

➢ Decommissioning of permanently shut-down RRs27

Conclusions

▪ RRs are indispensable tools to support R&D, applications in industry, medicine and agriculture, and human resource development → needed for the next 50 years or more

▪ Agency support available to Member States in all aspects of RRs starting from design to decommissioning

▪ Enhancing regional cooperation, networking and sharing of experience and resources - key to realise in cost effective manner all that RRs can offer

▪ Promoting capacity building activities with use of and access to research reactors

28

Thank you!

More details through

Mr. Nuno Pessoa Barradas, PS, NAPC; RR Utilization

N.Pessoa-Barradas@iaea.org

Mr. Andrey Sitinikov, RRS, RR Infrastructure Project

D.ridikas@iaea.org

Ms. Frances MARSHALL, RRS, RR Fuel Cycle Project

F.Marshall@iaea.org

Mr. Ram SHARMA, RRS, RR Operation & Maintenance Project

Ram.Sharma@iaea.org

Project managers