ASN considers that the level of safety of BNI 40 is satisfactory, particularly with regard to control of the fire risk and the equipment modifications. Improvements are expected however in the management of the fire load in the premises and the implementation of the periodic inspections and tests of certain items of equipment involved in the control of fire propagation. The organisation in place for tracking the decommissioning preparation operations is appropriate. The licensee’s control of the decommissioning preparation operations, the management of waste and the continuation of the studies aiming to reduce the water consumption of the facilities shall be among the themes to which ASN will be attentive in 2024. Orphée reactor The Orphée reactor (BNI 101), a neutron source reactor, was a pool-type research reactor with a licensed power of 14 MWth. The highly compact core is located in a tank of heavy water acting as moderator. Creation of the reactor was authorised by the Decree of 8 March 1978 and its first divergence took place in 1980. It was used for conducting experiments in areas such as physics, biology and physical chemistry. The reactor allowed the introduction of samples to be irradiated for the production of radionuclides or special materials, and to perform non-destructive tests on certain components. The Orphée reactor, which was definitively shut down at the end of 2019, is now in the decommissioning preparation phase. The licensee submitted its decommissioning file in March 2020. The last irradiated fuel from the Orphée reactor was removed in 2020, greatly reducing the risks the facility represents. The continuation of the decommissioning preparation operations and the facility decommissioning scenario were discussed following the CEA’s re-prioritising of the decommissioning operations and its consequences on the updating of the decommissioning strategy of BNI 101. A new decommissioning file was submitted at the end of 2023. Based on the facility inspections and monitoring carried out in 2023, ASN considers that the level of safety of the Orphée reactor is on the whole satisfactory. However, vigilance is required with regard to organisational and human factors and document updating, particularly on the fire theme. The significant events show that greater attention must be paid to waste monitoring and the maintenance of leak detection equipment. Following reactor shutdown, the decommissioning preparation phase is subject to particular scrutiny by ASN, notably the adaptation of the organisation and the personnel skills to manage new activities while maintaining the level of safety of the facility and keeping the activity schedules on track. Spent fuel testing laboratory The Spent Fuel Testing Laboratory (LECI) was built and commissioned in November 1959. It was declared a BNI on 8 January 1968 by the CEA. An extension was authorised in 2000. The LECI (BNI 50) constitutes an expert assessment aid for the nuclear licensees. Its role is to study the properties of materials used in the nuclear sector, whether irradiated or not. From the safety aspect, this facility must meet the same requirements as the nuclear installations of the “fuel cycle”, but the safety approach is proportional to the risks and drawbacks it presents. Further to the last periodic safety review, ASN issued the resolution of 30 November 2016 (amended on 26 June 2017) regulating the continued operation of the facility through technical prescriptions relating in particular to the improvement plan that CEA had undertaken to implement. Some of the CEA’s commitments have not been fulfilled within the deadlines. The installations and activities to regulate comprise: • Basic Nuclear Installations regulated by the Orléans division: •the CEA Saclay site of the CEA Paris‑Saclay centre, •the UPRA (Artificial Radionuclide Production Plant) operated by CIS bio international in Saclay, •the CEA Fontenay‑aux‑Roses site of the CEA Paris‑Saclay centre; • small-scale nuclear activities in the medical sector regulated by the Paris division: •26 external-beam radiotherapy departments, •12 brachytherapy departments, • 48 in-vivo nuclear medicine departments and 12 in-vitro nuclear medicine departments (medical biology), • 148 centres practising fluoroscopy-guided interventional procedures, • more than 200 centres possessing at least 1 computed tomography scanner; • small-scale nuclear activities in the industrial, veterinary and research sectors under the oversight of the Paris division: • 8 industrial radiology companies using gamma radiography devices, • about 160 authorisations and 25 registrations relative to research activities; • activities associated with the transport of radioactive substances; • ASN-approved laboratories and organisations: • 3 organisations approved for radiation protection controls. Chapter 7 p. 204 Chapter 8 p. 240 Chapter 9 p. 270 ASN Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2023 63 Regional overview of nuclear safety and radiation protection • ÎLE-DE-FRANCE •
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