An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team of experts has concluded an Operational and Maintenance Assessment for Research Reactors (OMARR) mission in Indonesia. Conducted at the request of the Indonesian Government, the mission aimed to strengthen operational and maintenance practices at the TRIGA 2000 research reactor.
During the review that concluded last week in Bandung, capital of West Java province, the OMARR team identified areas for enhancement, addressed operational challenges and made recommendations and suggestions that may be used in the preparation of strategic plans for ageing management, refurbishment and modernization.
“This mission is very useful for our plan for long term operation of the reactor and timely in support of ongoing activities. It is especially important in connection with the resumption of reactor operation at full power when fresh TRIGA fuel will be available. In case this fuel is not available, the reactor core will be converted to indigenous plate-type fuel,” said Anhar Riza Antariksawan, Chairman of the National Nuclear Energy Agency of Indonesia (BATAN), which owns the reactor. “We benefitted from having the world's leading experts look at our reactor, and their experience. We believe that it will also be useful for our other two reactors at Yogyakarta and Serpong.”
“BATAN has worked hard to continue to improve the operational performance of the TRIGA 2000 reactor and strengthen safety,” said Ram Sharma, OMARR Team Leader and Acting Head of the Research Reactor Section at the IAEA. “The results of the mission will be beneficial in preparing a plan for core conversion and improving the reliability and availability of the reactor for long term operation and effective utilization.”
The team’s recommendations included establishing and implementing a systematic and effective ageing management programme as well as a detailed plan for the core conversion. These initiatives should be based on IAEA guidelines and relevant codes and standards, and continuously evaluated and strengthened.
The TRIGA 2000 research reactor, located at Indonesia’s Centre for Applied Nuclear Science and Technology (CANST) in Bandung, is used for applications including radioisotope production, neutron activation analysis, training and education. CANST is known for research in the areas of labelled compounds and radiometric technology as well as radiopharmacology and nuclear techniques for environmental and nutritional analysis.
The IAEA provides support to Indonesia in enhancing the operational performance and use of the country’s research reactors through human resource capacity building as well. The IAEA is also assisting BATAN in establishing the KARTINI-PSTA research reactor as a host reactor for the IAEA’s Internet Reactor Laboratory (IRL) programme. The IRL programme facilitates remote access to research reactors by students and young professionals, typically from countries without a research reactor, for education and training purposes.
The OMARR peer review service is aimed at assisting Member States in improving their operational and maintenance practices for research reactors. Based on their reviews, OMARR teams may make recommendations to enhance the availability and reliability of research reactors as well as the application of human and financial resources throughout the operational life cycle of the facilities. The expected results include more efficient long-term operation, better performance, improved safety and safety culture and optimized utilization of human and financial resources.
