Abstracts ASN Report 2019

«…x z³ ٳ ³È« X³?«0 ³XÁ0 Framatome operates two BNIs on its Romans-sur-Isère site in the Drôme département , namely the research reactor fuel ǔƏƫȸǣƬƏɎǣȒȇ ɖȇǣɎ ٢ zX בהژ ٣ ƏȇƳ Ɏǝƺ ¨á« ȇɖƬǼƺƏȸ ǔɖƺǼ ǔƏƫȸǣƬƏɎǣȒȇ ɖȇǣɎ ٢ zX זחژ ٣ً ƏȇƳ Əȇ XȇɀɎƏǼǼƏɎǣȒȇ !ǼƏɀɀǣǔǣƺƳ ǔȒȸ ¨ȸȒɎƺƬɎǣȒȇ Ȓǔ the Environment (ICPE) called the “cavities” facility which manufactures specific components such as the “cavities” or “LHC collimators” for the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). IȸƏȅƏɎȒȅƺ ȇɖƬǼƺƏȸ ǔɖƺǼ ǔƏƫȸǣƬƏɎǣȒȇ ȵǼƏȇɎɀ The fabrication of fuel for the nuclear power reactors necessitates transforming the UF 6 ژ ǣȇɎȒ ɖȸƏȇǣɖȅ ȒɴǣƳƺ ȵȒɯƳƺȸِ The pellets fabricated from this powder in Framatome’s «ȒȅƏȇɀ ٮ ɀɖȸ ٮ Xɀljȸƺ ȵǼƏȇɎً ƬƏǼǼƺƳ ٹ I I! ٺ ٢ zX זחژ ٣ً Əȸƺ ȵǼƏƬƺƳ ǣȇ zirconiummetal clads to constitute the fuel rods, then brought together to form assemblies for use in the NPP reactors. In the case of experimental reactors, the fuels used are more varied, with some of them using, for example, highly-enriched uranium in metal form. These fuels are also fabricated in the «ȒȅƏȇɀ ٮ ɀɖȸ ٮ Xɀljȸƺ ȵǼƏȇɎً ǔȒȸȅƺȸǼɵ ƬƏǼǼƺƳ !ٹ ƺȸƬƏ ٺ ٢ zX בהژ ٣ِ In 2019, Framatome kept up an ambitious work programme within the two plants in order tomeet the commitments made further to the periodic safety reviews. Investments have been made (“New Uranium Zone - NZU”, new oxidation furnace CAPADOX), along with reinforcements of existing buildings (fire risk management, paraseismic reinforcements, improvement inmaterial containment). The way in which the commitments are tracked and fulfilled is on the whole satisfactory. Áǝƺ ǣȇɀȵƺƬɎǣȒȇɀ ƬȒȇƳɖƬɎƺƳ ǣȇ א ׎׏ ژח ƬȒȇǔǣȸȅƺƳ ɀƏɎǣɀǔƏƬɎȒȸɵ performance of the work and the putting in place of new organisational measures. An improvement was observed in the qualification process for new equipment important to the protection of people and the environment. The monitoring of service providers must nevertheless be further improved, particularly on the New Uranium Zone worksite. Several significant events relating to control of the criticality risk and ȸƏɎƺƳ ǼƺɮƺǼ ׏ ژ Ȓȇ Ɏǝƺ XȇɎƺȸȇƏɎǣȒȇƏǼ zɖƬǼƺƏȸ ƏȇƳ «ƏƳǣȒǼȒǕǣƬƏǼ Event Scale (INES scale) were reported in 2019. A storage bunker adjoined to a laboratory (L1) was com- missioned in summer 2019. This arrangement represents a major improvement in safety, as it enables themass of uranium ǣȇ Ɏǝƺ ǼƏƫȒȸƏɎȒȸɵ ɎȒ ƫƺ ǼǣȅǣɎƺƳ ɎȒ ה ׎׎ ژ ǕȸƏȅɀً ǣȇ ƏƬƬȒȸƳƏȇƬƺ ɯǣɎǝ Ɏǝƺ ³z ȸƺɀȒǼɖɎǣȒȇ Ȓǔ ژג hɖȇƺ א ׎׏ ח ِ With regard to environmental protection, ASN considers that the Romans-sur-Isère site must further improve its control of the waste management routes, particularly by making a clear distinction between radioactive waste and conventional waste. In 2020, ASN will be particularly attentive to the running of the New Uranium Zone worksite project, linked to the events of 2019. It will also closely monitor restarting of the Triga facility Ȓǔ zX ژבהژ ƏȇƳ ƺȇɎȸɵ ǣȇɎȒ ɀƺȸɮǣƬƺ Ȓǔ Ɏǝƺ ȇƺɯ ɯƏɀɎƺ ɎȸƺƏɎȅƺȇɎ facility (Geode). THE INDUSTRIAL AND RESEARCH FACILITIES RǣǕǝ IǼɖɴ «ƺƏƬɎȒȸ Ȓǔ Ɏǝƺ nƏɖƺ ٮ nƏȇǕƺɮǣȇ XȇɀɎǣɎɖɎƺ The Laue-Langevin Institute (ILL), an international research ȒȸǕƏȇǣɀƏɎǣȒȇً ƏƬƬȒȅȅȒƳƏɎƺɀ Ə ژזד xáɎǝ ǝƺƏɮɵ ٮ ɯƏɎƺȸ High-Flux neutron Reactor (RHF) which produces high- intensity thermal neutron beams for fundamental research, particularly in the areas of solid-state physics, neutron physics and molecular biology. Áǝƺ «RIً ɯǝǣƬǝ ƬȒȇɀɎǣɎɖɎƺɀ zX והژ ً ƏƬƬȒȅȅȒƳƏɎƺɀ the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), an international research laboratory, within its perimeter. 0ȅȵǼȒɵǣȇǕ ɀȒȅƺ ד ׎׎ ژ ȵƺȸɀȒȇɀً Ɏǝǣɀ zX ژ ȒƬƬɖȵǣƺɀ Ə ɀɖȸǔƏƬƺ ƏȸƺƏ Ȓǔ ׏ ژא ǝƺƬɎƏȸƺɀ ɀǣɎɖƏɎƺƳ ƫƺɎɯƺƺȇ Ɏǝƺ ȸǣɮƺȸɀ Xɀljȸƺ ƏȇƳ Drac, just upstream of their confluence, near the CEA Grenoble centre. ASN considers that the safety of the RHF is managed relatively ɀƏɎǣɀǔƏƬɎȒȸǣǼɵً ƫɖɎ ǣȇ א ׎׏ ژח ǣɎ ȒȇƬƺ ƏǕƏǣȇ ȒƫɀƺȸɮƺƳ ƳƺɮǣƏɎǣȒȇɀ concerning the operating organisation, particularly in the areas of waste management, environmental monitoring and periodic inspections. ASN notes the substantial efforts the ILL has made in deploying its integrated quality and safety management system in order ɎȒ ȅƺƺɎ Ɏǝƺ ȸƺȷɖǣȸƺȅƺȇɎɀ Ȓǔ Ɏǝƺ zX …ژ ȸƳƺȸ Ȓǔ ژו IƺƫȸɖƏȸɵ א ׎׏ א ِ During 2019, the licensee finished implementing all these processes and trained the personnel involved. The licensee ǝƏƳ ƫƺƺȇ Ǖǣɮƺȇ ǔȒȸȅƏǼ ȇȒɎǣƬƺ ƫɵ ³z ȸƺɀȒǼɖɎǣȒȇ Ȓǔ ژה IƺƫȸɖƏȸɵ א ׎׏ ژז ɎȒ ȅȒƳǣǔɵ ǣɎɀ ȒȸǕƏȇǣɿƏɎǣȒȇ ǣȇ ȒȸƳƺȸ ɎȒ ƬȒȅȵǼɵ ɯǣɎǝ Ɏǝƺ regulatory provisions concerning physical modifications to ǣɎɀ ǔƏƬǣǼǣɎǣƺɀِ ȇ ǣȇɀȵƺƬɎǣȒȇ ƏɎ Ɏǝƺ ƺȇƳ Ȓǔ א ׎׏ ژז ǝƏƳ ȸƺɮƺƏǼƺƳ that the measures planned by ILL to comply with this notice had not been fully deployed and that they seemed not to have been made sufficiently known to the personnel. The ASN Director General’s Office then had a meeting with ILL senior management so that the ILL could present immediate provisional measures and lasting measures to prevent recurrence of the observed deviations. During summer 2019, the ILL finished updating its modifications management ȵȸȒƬƺɀɀِ Áǝƺ ǣȇɀȵƺƬɎǣȒȇɀ ƬƏȸȸǣƺƳ ȒɖɎ ƫɵ ³z ǣȇ א ׎׏ ژח ƺȇƏƫǼƺƳ the compliance notice to be lifted in October 2019. 40 ASN Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2019 REGIONAL OVERVIEWOF NUCLEAR SAFETY AND RADIATION PROTECTION Èà0«Jz0 «ٳ Rˆz0 ٳ n¨0³