Abstracts ASN Report 2019

ڲ٫ת Research facilities, laboratories and other facilities in France 1. The use of radionuclides offers medical analysis and treatment possibilities: to diagnose cancers by scintigraphy and tomography, allowing detailed examination of functioning organs, or to treat tumours with radiotherapy, which uses radiation from the radionuclides to destroy the cancer cells (see chapter 7). ׏ِ׏ «ƺɀƺƏȸƬǝ ȸƺƏƬɎȒȸɀ The purpose of research reactors is to contribute to scientific and technological research and to improve the operation of the Nuclear Power Plants (NPP). Some of these facilities also produce radionuclides for medical uses (1) . They are facilities in which a chain reaction is created and sustained, to produce a neutron flux of varying density, used primarily for scientific experimentation purposes. Unlike in nuclear power plants, the energy produced by research reactors is not recovered and is in fact a “by-product” removed by cooling. The quantities of radioactive substances used are smaller than in nuclear power reactors. An overview of the various types of research reactors present in ŅĴŁĶĸ ĴŁķ ŇĻĸ ŀĴļŁ ĶłŅŅĸņŃłŁķļŁĺ Ņļņľņ ļņ ŃŅĸņĸŁŇĸķ ĵĸĿłŊє In their design, these reactors take account of reference core melt under water (failure of the cooling system) and core melt in air (after uncovering of the core or during handling) accidents. They also take account of accidents specific to certain research reactors. • zƺɖɎȸȒȇ ƫƺƏȅ ȸƺƏƬɎȒȸɀ Neutron beam reactors are pool type. They are mainly designed for fundamental research (solid physics, molecular physico- chemistry, biochemistry, etc.), using the neutron diffraction method to study matter. The neutrons are produced in the reactor, at different energy levels and are captured by channels in the reactor before being routed to experimentation areas. Ł ŅĴŁĶĸё ŇĻĸŅĸ ĴŅĸ ŇŊł ŁĸňŇŅłŁ ĵĸĴŀ ŅĸĴĶŇłŅņ ļŁ ņĸŅʼnļĶĸѓ ŇĻĸ ŅŃĻųĸ ŅĸĴĶŇłŅ Ҏ ׇӄӃӄҏ łŃĸŅĴŇĸķ ĵŌ ļŁ ĴĶĿĴŌ ҂ŅĴŇĸķ ŃłŊĸŅ ĿļŀļŇĸķ Ňł ӄӇׇ ŇĻ ҎŇĻĸŅŀĴĿ ŀĸĺĴŊĴŇŇņҏ҂ё ĴŁķ ŇĻĸ ļĺĻі Ŀňŋ ĸĴĶŇłŅ ҂ Ҏ ׇӉӊҏ łŃĸŅĴŇĸķ ĵŌ ŇĻĸ Ĵňĸі ĴŁĺĸʼnļŁ ŁņŇļŇňŇĸ Ҏ ҏ ļŁ ŅĸŁłĵĿĸ ҎŅĴŇĸķ ŃłŊĸŅ ĿļŀļŇĸķ Ňł ӈӋׇ ŇĻҏє Ļĸņĸ ŅĸĴĶŇłŅņ łŃĸŅĴŇĸ ļŁ ĶŌĶĿĸņ łĹ ĴĵłňŇ ӈӃׇŇł ӄӃӃׇķĴŌņє Ļĸ ŀĴļŁ safety issues are reactivity control, cooling and containment. CEA took the Orphée reactor to final shutdown at the end łĹׇӅӃӄӌׇĴŁķ ŇĻĸ ķĸĶłŀŀļņņļłŁļŁĺ ŃĻĴņĸ ĹłŅ ŇĻļņ ŅĸĴĶŇłŅ ļņ currently under preparation. • ٹ ÁƺɀɎ ٺ ȸƺƏƬɎȒȸɀ “Test” reactors are pool type. They are designed to study accident situations. They are able to reproduce certain accidents postulated in the safety case of nuclear power reactors in a controlled manner and on a small scale and gain a clearer understanding of the evolution of physical parameters during accidents. Ł ŅĴŁĶĸё ŇĻĸŅĸ ļņ łŁĸ ѢŇĸņŇѣ ŇŌŃĸ ŅĸĴĶŇłŅ ļŁ ņĸŅʼnļĶĸё ĴĵŅļ Ҏ ׇӅӇҏё łŃĸŅĴŇĸķ ĵŌ ļŁ ĴķĴŅĴĶĻĸє Ļĸ ŅĸĴĶŇłŅё ŊĻłņĸ ŃłŊĸŅ ļņ ĿļŀļŇĸķ Ňł Ӆӈׇ ŇĻё ĶĴŁ ŃŅłķňĶĸ ŇĻĸ ŁĸňŇŅłŁ ĹĿňŋ Łĸĸķĸķ for the experiments. The safety issues are similar to those of the other reactors: controlling the reactivity of the driver core, cooling to remove heat and containment of the radioactive substances in the fuel rods making up the core. Modifications were made to the facility so that it could run new research programmes to study the behaviour of high burn-up fraction fuel during reactivity insertion accident situations. Reactor divergence in its new configuration was authorised in ӅӃӄӈє Ł ӆӃׇ ĴŁňĴŅŌ ӅӃӄӋё ĴĹŇĸŅ ŀĴĽłŅ ŅĸŁłʼnĴŇļłŁ ŊłŅľё authorised the first active experimental test of the facility’s pressurised water loop. • XȸȸƏƳǣƏɎǣȒȇ ȸƺƏƬɎȒȸɀ Irradiation reactors are pool type. They are used to study the physical phenomena linked to the irradiation of materials and fuels, as well as their behaviour. As the neutron fluxes obtained ĵŌ ŇĻĸņĸ ĹĴĶļĿļŇļĸņ ĴŅĸ ŀłŅĸ ŃłŊĸŅĹňĿ ŇĻĴŁ ŇĻłņĸ ļŁ Ĵ ŅĸņņňŅļōĸķ Water Reactor (PWR) type nuclear power reactor, the experiments enable ageing studies to be performed on materials and components subjected to a high neutron flux. After irradiation, the samples undergo destructive examination, notably in the research laboratories, in order to characterise the effects of irradiation. They are thus an important tool for the qualification of materials subjected to a neutron flux. These research reactors are also significant sources for the production of certain radionuclides for medical uses. Ļĸ ŃłŊĸŅ łĹ ŇĻĸņĸ ŅĸĴĶŇłŅņ ʼnĴŅļĸņ ĹŅłŀ Ĵ ĹĸŊ ŇĸŁņ Ňł Ĵ ĻňŁķŅĸķׇ ŇĻє Ļĸņĸ ŅĸĴĶŇłŅņ łŃĸŅĴŇĸ ļŁ ĶŌĶĿĸņ łĹ ĴĵłňŇ ӅӃׇŇł ӆӃׇķĴŌņє Ł ŅĴŁĶĸё Łł ŇĸĶĻŁłĿłĺļĶĴĿ ļŅŅĴķļĴŇļłŁ ŅĸĴĶŇłŅņ ĴŅĸ ņŇļĿĿ ļŁ ņĸŅʼnļĶĸѓ ŇĻĸ ņļŅļņ ŅĸĴĶŇłŅ Ҏ ׇӇӃҏё ļŁ ĴĶĿĴŌё ŊĴņ ŃĸŅŀĴŁĸŁŇĿŌ ņĻňŇ ķłŊŁ ļŁ ӅӃӄӈє Ļĸ ňĿĸņ łŅłŊļŇō ĸĴĶŇłŅ Ҏ ё ׇӄӊӅҏё ŊĻļĶĻ ļņ Ňł replace it, is currently under construction. CHAPTER 12 Nuclear research or industrial facilities differ from the Basic Nuclear Installations ٢ zXɀ٣ ǣȇɮȒǼɮƺƳ ƳǣȸƺƬɎǼɵ ǣȇ ژ Ɏǝƺ ژ ǕƺȇƺȸƏɎǣȒȇ of electricity (nuclear power reactors and fuel cycle facilities) or waste management. Traditionally, most of these BNIs are operated by the Alternative Energies and Atomic 0ȇƺȸǕɵ !ȒȅȅǣɀɀǣȒȇ ٢!0 ٣ً ƫɖɎ ژ ƏǼɀȒ ƫɵ ȒɎǝƺȸ ȸƺɀƺƏȸƬǝ ȒȸǕƏȇǣɀƏɎǣȒȇɀ ٫ǔȒȸ ژ ƺɴƏȅȵǼƺ Ɏǝƺ nƏɖƺ ٮ nƏȇǕƺɮǣȇ XȇɀɎǣɎɖɎƺ ژ ٢Xnn٣ً Ɏǝƺ ژ XÁ0« ǣȇɎƺȸȇƏɎǣȒȇƏǼ ȒȸǕƏȇǣɀƏɎǣȒȇ ƏȇƳ ژ Ɏǝƺ JƏȇǣǼ٫ Ȓȸ ƫɵ ǣȇƳɖɀɎȸǣƏǼ ǔǣȸȅɀ ٢ǔȒȸ ژ ǣȇɀɎƏȇƬƺ !X³ ƫǣȒ ǣȇɎƺȸȇƏɎǣȒȇƏǼً ³Ɏƺȸǣɀ ژ ƏȇƳ ژ XȒȇǣɀȒɀً ɯǝǣƬǝ ȒȵƺȸƏɎƺ ǔƏƬǣǼǣɎǣƺɀ ȵȸȒƳɖƬǣȇǕ ژ ȸƏƳǣȒȵǝƏȸȅƏƬƺɖɎǣƬƏǼɀً or industrial irradiators). The variety and the past history Ȓǔ Ɏǝƺ ژ ƏƬɎǣɮǣɎǣƺɀ ƬȒɮƺȸƺƳ ƫɵ Ɏǝƺɀƺ zXɀ ƺɴȵǼƏǣȇɀ ژ Ɏǝƺ ɯǣƳƺ ƳǣɮƺȸɀǣɎɵ of facilities concerned. Nuclear research and miscellaneous industrial facilities 324 ASN Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2019