Background
The Technical Cooperation Project, RER/3/008, Strengthening Safety and Reliability of Nuclear Fuel and Nuclear Materials in Nuclear Power Plants, including Water-Cooled Water-Moderated Power Reactor Components and Piping, aims at providing the Member States with the necessary tools and means to assist them in:
Fulfilling their own fuel and material licensing needs
Ensuring safe operation of Water-Cooled Water-Moderated Power Reactor (WWER) components and piping
The Halden Reactor Project (HRP) has been involved since many years in the area of fuel behavior under normal and accidental conditions. The Halden Reactor Project is operated under the umbrella of the OECD and runs an advanced joint programme for its members. It provides experimental facilities for bilateral and multilateral activities aimed to improve the understanding of the fuel behavior under steady state and transient conditions.
Overall Objective
The overall objective of this regional project is to assist project counterparts with the preparation of fuel and reactor material licensing programmes and to ensure safe operation of Water-Cooled Water-Moderated Power Reactor (WWER) components and piping. This includes providing quality data on fuel and materials irradiated in power reactors, promoting improvements in examination, safe and efficient management of spent fuel, and upgrading the internationally harmonised procedure for maintaining WWER components and piping.
This workshop was specifically aimed at discussing the latest developments related to steady and transient operation of nuclear fuel. Nuclear renaissance is fostering interest of fuel designers and utilities worldwide to research on more efficient use of nuclear fuel, while at the same time also placing due attention to safety matters. Results and data obtained from the experiments at the Halden Reactor Project are restricted. The intent of this first workshop, with the collaboration of the HRP, was to facilitate access to unrestricted information to the workshop participants.
Activities & Outcome
The participants have systematically reviewed and discussed the latest research information and data available within the field of fuel safety criteria setting and accident evaluation methodologies.
A visit to the test facilities (reactor, control room, lab) was carried out and a CD containing the workshop's materials was distributed accordingly to the participants.