Regional Meeting on Periodic Safety Reviews for Research Reactors

Date: 26 – 30 August 2019
Location: Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL, USA
Language: English

Application Deadline for Nominee(s) of Invited IAEA Member States: 7 June 2019

Introduction

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) promotes networking and foster exchange of knowledge and experience through regional cooperation aiming at safety enhancement of research reactors.

The IAEA Code of Conduct on the Safety of Research Reactors states that the regulatory body should "require the operating organization to undertake periodic safety reviews at intervals determined by the regulatory body" and that the operating organization should 'carry out safety reviews at appropriate intervals throughout a research reactor's life’.

The IAEA Safety Standards Series No. SSR-3, Safety of Research Reactors requires that “Systematic periodic safety reviews of the research reactor in accordance with the regulatory requirements shall be performed throughout its operating lifetime, with account taken of operating experience, the cumulative effects of ageing, applicable safety standards and safety information from all relevant sources.”

The IAEA Safety Standards Series No. GSR Part 4 Safety Assessment for Facilities and Activities requires that "the safety assessment is to be updated in the periodic safety review carried out at predefined intervals in accordance with regulatory requirements. Continuation of operation of such facilities or conduct of such activities is subject to being able to demonstrate in the reassessment, to the satisfaction of the operating organization and the regulatory body that the safety measures in place remain adequate."

In recent years, research reactor organizations have initiated processes for periodic safety review (PSR) of their research reactors in response to regulatory requirements on conducted these processes or equivalent alternative measures. These organizations, including those at the Asia and the Pacific region, are facing challenges in establishing such reviews in view of non-availability of adequate experience at research reactors. In responding to this need, the IAEA has completed the development of a Safety Report Series on Establishing Periodic Safety Review for Research Reactors, which provides practical information on planning, conduct, reporting of results of PSR and implementation of the findings. In the past few years, IAEA also has conducted advisory missions at several research reactor organizations on this topic. In this context and in the frame of the IAEA activities on safety enhancement of research reactors, the IAEA is organizing this meeting on Periodic Safety Review for Research Reactors, Argonne National Laboratory, Illinois, USA, 26-30 August 2019.

Objectives

The meeting is to provide the participating countries with a forum to discuss and share experience on establishing Periodic Safety Review (PSR) for research reactors as well as to provide guidance on the application of IAEA safety standards in this area.

In addition to presentations by the IAEA representatives on the basis of the IAEA safety standards, the meeting will include presentations by the participants on their national practices and experiences in conducting PSR or equivalent safety review for research reactors, and in assessing the results of such reviews. The topics that are expected to be covered by this meeting include:

  • Application of the IAEA safety standards relevant to PSR of research reactors;
  • PSR process and methodology with application to research reactors;
  • Safety factors of PSR for research reactors and their review;
  • Management system for PSR (management responsibility, resources management, and process implementation);
  • Regulatory oversight of PSR for research reactors;
  • Implementation of the findings of PSR;
  • Application of a graded approach in application of the requirements on PSR. The meeting will also include practical discussion and exercises in working groups on establishing and implementing a PSR process at their research reactor facilities based on the IAEA safety standards.