Nuclear Energy Agency Online Bulletin

Covers new material for April 2007:

Nuclear safety
Nuclear science
Nuclear development
Data Bank

NEA publications

Management of Recyclable Fissile and Fertile Materials
ISBN 978-92-64-03255-2. 84 pages.

Annual Report 2006
ISBN 978-92-64-99003-6. 52 pages.

Disponible également en français :
Rapport annuel 2006
ISBN 978-92-64-99004-3. 52 pages (1,3 mo).

CSNI Technical Opinion Papers No. 9
Level-2 PSA for Nuclear Power Plants
ISBN 978-92-64-99008-1. 31 pages (157 kb).

 

Disponible également en français :
Avis techniques du CSIN n° 9
EPS de niveau 2 des centrales nucléaires
ISBN 978-92-64-99009-8. 32 pages (160 ko).

Occupational Exposures at Nuclear Power Plants
Fifteenth Annual Report of the ISOE Programme, 2005
ISBN 978-92-64-99010-4. 107 pages (1.4 mb).


Nuclear safety

The NEA Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations (CSNI) has issued the report Nuclear Safety Research in OECD Countries: Support Facilities for Existing and Advanced Reactors (SFEAR). The report provides an overview of experimental facilities that can be used to address nuclear safety research issues in member countries and identifies priorities for organising international co-operative programmes centred on selected facilities. The information has been gathered and analysed by the Senior Group of Experts on Nuclear Safety Research (SESAR), in the context of an ongoing CSNI initiative aimed at maintaining critical experimental infrastructure for nuclear safety studies in member countries. The full report is available at www.oecd-nea.org/nsd/docs/2007/csni-r2007-6.pdf.

The SESAR Thermal-hydraulics (SETH) Project began in 2001. It initially consisted of thermal-hydraulic experiments in support of accident management, which were carried out at facilities identified by the CSNI as those requiring international collaboration to sponsor their continued operation. A follow-up to the project, called SETH-2, has now been launched. The project will aim to resolve key computational issues for the simulation of thermal-hydraulic conditions in reactor containments. To this end, SETH-2 will make use of the Swiss Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) PANDA and French Commissariat à l'énergie atomique (CEA) MISTRA facilities. More information is available at www.oecd-nea.org/jointproj/seth2.html.

The proceedings of the Eighth International Nuclear Regulatory Inspection Workshop held on 1-3 May 2006 in Toronto, Canada are now available. This workshop addressed three topics: how international nuclear regulatory inspections can promote, or not promote, good safety culture; the inspection of interactions between the licensee and its contractors; and future challenges for inspectors (e.g. new techniques, developing competence, etc.). An appendix to the proceedings provides a compilation of responses to pre-conference survey. The proceedings are available at www.oecd-nea.org/nsd/docs/2007/cnra-r2007-1.pdf; the appendix is available at www.oecd-nea.org/nsd/docs/2007/cnra-r2007-2.pdf.

Related links

Documents from the Committee on Nuclear Regulatory Activities (CNRA)
Documents from the Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations (CSNI)

Forthcoming workshops and seminars


Nuclear science

The NEA conference on Nuclear Data for Science and Technology (ND-2007) was held on 23–27 April 2007 in Nice, France. ND-2007 is part of a series of conferences held every three years to bring together scientists and engineers involved in the production or use of nuclear data for various applications. The Nice conference, which was organised by the French Commissariat à l'énergie atomique (CEA), attracted nearly 400 participants. More information is available at www.nd2007.org. The next conference in the series will be held in the Republic of Korea in 2010 (ND-2010).

The NEA Working Party on International Nuclear Data Evaluation Co-operation (WPEC) reviewed the status of the major evaluated nuclear data libraries and worldwide progress in nuclear data measurement during its meeting on 19–20 April 2007 at NEA headquarters in Issy-les-Moulineaux, France. The working party's subgroup on decay heat calculations has completed its work and its final report is now being readied for publication. Two new subgroups were established to examine the following areas: measuring the 235 U capture cross-section in the keV to MeV energy range; and improving the accessibility and quality of the EXFOR database. In addition, data users were encouraged to communicate their data requests to the working party for inclusion in the high priority request list for nuclear data. More information is available at www.oecd-nea.org/science/wpec/.

The NEA Expert Group on the Needs of R&D Facilities in Nuclear Science, which met on 12–13 April 2007 at NEA headquarters, has established a database of nuclear science R&D and test facilities containing close to 800 entries. The entries are currently being verified ahead of the database's public release. The expert group is also drafting a report identifying existing research facilities and those required to satisfy anticipated future needs. Further information is available at www.oecd-nea.org/science/egrfs/.

The NEA Expert Group on Nuclear Fuel Cycle Transition Scenarios met on 4–5 April 2007 at NEA headquarters to assess the key technologies needed to progress from light water reactors to Generation IV type advanced reactors. A final version of the group's overview report was reviewed at the meeting, as was the status of two benchmarks, one comparing scenario codes and one on a simulation of a regional area approach. More information is available at www.oecd-nea.org/science/wpfc/index_fcts.html.


Nuclear development

As climate and energy security issues continue to grab the headlines, nuclear power is becoming an increasingly attractive option for some countries. Worldwide, more than 400 nuclear power plants are already providing 16% of the electricity supply. New capacity is under construction. Is nuclear technology advancing fast enough? How can public perceptions of nuclear be enhanced? Are we likely to see a shortage of uranium if nuclear becomes a more widespread choice? These are some of the questions that the International Energy Agency OPEN Bulletin put to Stan Gordelier, Head of the NEA Nuclear Development Division at the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency. Read the full interview at: www.iea.org/impagr/cip/pdf/Issue41NuclearInterview.pdf.


Data Bank

During the NEA conference on Nuclear Data for Science and Technology (ND-2007) held on 23–27 April 2007 in Nice, France, Data Bank staff conducted a well-attended workshop on the third version of Janis, the NEA-developed nuclear data display tool. More information is available at www.oecd-nea.org/janis/.

Computer program services

A page listing all new programs in the last 12 months can be found at: www.oecd-nea.org/tools/abstract/new. .

24-APR-2007 ESTS1678 MCSLTT, Monte Carlo Simulation of Light Transport in Tissue
(Arrived)
23-APR-2007 NEA-1676 ERRORJ, Multi-group covariance matrices generation from ENDF-6 format
(Arrived)
22-APR-2007 NEA-1210 ZZ HATCHES-18, Database for Radio Chemical Modelling
(Arrived)
16-APR-2007 NEA-1142 WADOSE, Radiation Source in Vitrification Waste Storage Apparatus
(Now tested)
16-APR-2007 ESTS0551 TMAP4, Tritium Migration Analysis Program Version 4
(Now tested)
16-APR-2007 NEA-0915 COGEND, Decay Data Generated in ENDF-6 Format
(Now tested)
16-APR-2007 NEA-1727 BULK-I Radiation Shielding Tool for Proton Accelerator Facilities
(Now tested)
12-APR-2007 NEA-1777 IFPE/CANDU-IRDMR, In-Reactor Diameter Measuring RIG EXP-FIO-118 and EXP-FIO-119 Fuel Behaviour under LOCA Conditions
(Arrived)
12-APR-2007 NEA-1783 IFPE/CANDU-FIO-131, CANDU Experiment FIO-131 Fuel Behaviour under LOCA Conditions
(Arrived)
12-APR-2007 NEA-1773 IFPE/IFA-591, JAEA Power Ramp Tests of MOX Fuel Rods IFA-591
(Arrived)

Instructions on retrieving material from the NEA may be found at www.oecd-nea.org. Please note that scientific database access is only available to residents of OECD/NEA Data Bank member countries.


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ESTS1678
MCSLTT, Monte Carlo Simulation of Light Transport in Tissue
(Arrived)
NEA-1676
ERRORJ, Multi-group covariance matrices generation from ENDF-6 format
(Arrived)
NEA-1210
ZZ HATCHES-18, Database for Radio Chemical Modelling
(Arrived)
NEA-1142
WADOSE, Radiation Source in Vitrification Waste Storage Apparatus
(Now tested)
ESTS0551
TMAP4, Tritium Migration Analysis Program Version 4
(Now tested)
NEA-0915
COGEND, Decay Data Generated in ENDF-6 Format
(Now tested)
NEA-1727
BULK-I Radiation Shielding Tool for Proton Accelerator Facilities
(Now tested)
NEA-1777
IFPE/CANDU-IRDMR, In-Reactor Diameter Measuring RIG EXP-FIO-118 and EXP-FIO-119 Fuel Behaviour under LOCA Conditions
(Arrived)
NEA-1783
IFPE/CANDU-FIO-131, CANDU Experiment FIO-131 Fuel Behaviour under LOCA Conditions
(Arrived)
NEA-1773
IFPE/IFA-591, JAEA Power Ramp Tests of MOX Fuel Rods IFA-591
(Arrived)