SSTC NRS Experts Participated in Meetings under EU Cooperation Project
On 11 June 2018, a number of meetings was held in the SNRIU on the project of cooperation with the European Commission “Support to the Ukrainian Regulatory Body”. Experts of the State Scientific and Technical Center for Nuclear and Radiation Safety (SSTC NRS) participated in the discussion of all the three components under the project.
“The main task of Component A is to provide technical support to the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine in safe radioactive waste management”, head of SSTC decommissioning department Serhii Kondratyev stated.
Component A consists of four tasks including technical safety assessments for radioactive waste management. Task 1 concerns clearance of radioactive materials from regulatory control. Task 2 is aimed at the construction, commissioning and operation of radwaste treatment plants; task 3 is related to radioactive waste storage and disposal facilities; task 4 deals with disposal facilities for high-level long-lived radioactive waste in deep geological formations.
The “Guideline for the Structure and Content of the Safety Analysis Reports for Radioactive Waste Treatment Plants” and “Guideline for Correction of the Structure and Content of the Safety Analysis Reports of Radioactive Waste Disposal Facilities” were developed within Component A.
The main part of the project has been already completed. Component A was extended to the end of June 2019 considering the schedule of receiving of the licensing documents.
SSTC NRS researcher Oleksandr Kukhotskyi reported Component B implementation results. The main objective of the Component is to provide support to the national nuclear regulator in licensing of the neutron source, new nuclear subcritical research facility.
“This component consists of three tasks. Task 1 is to study EU experience in the regulation and licensing of ADS-systems. Task 2 is to develop and improve Ukraine’s regulatory framework for the subcritical systems. Task 3 is to develop independent computer models for safety assessment of the neutron source. All the tasks of Component B have been successfully completed as of today”, Oleksandr Kukhotskyi is convinced.
The task was achieved also due to the visit of SNRIU and SSTC NRS experts to SCK•CEN Scientific Center in Belgium where MYRRHA research facility is constructed and licensed. MYRRHA is similar to the neutron source according to the operation principle. Highly qualified specialists of SCK•CEN shared their experience with Ukrainian colleagues in nuclear facility design, construction and licensing.
The national regulatory framework in this area was analyzed based on the results of task 2. SSTC NRS experts supported by European specialists developed 47 amendments and supplements to NP 306.2.183-2012 regulation “General Safety Provisions of Nuclear Subcritical Facilities”. These amendments will be implemented during the next scheduled revision of the regulation.
Task 3 of Component В was also successfully completed. SSTC NRS experts improved the existing computer models of the neutron source in the following areas: thermal and hydraulic safety analysis, neutronic calculations and radiation protection. In addition, experts of the center performed calculations for the new scenarios.
“The support of European colleagues in licensing of the neutron source is very important for Ukraine because we have not put into operation such a type of installations before”, SSTC NRS researcher Oleksandr Kukhotskyi concluded. “Therefore, we express our gratitude to EC representatives once again. I am confident that our further cooperation in this field (UK/TS/51 project) will be no less successful and effective”.
The main task of Component C was to familiarize SNRIU specialists with EU practice in the state oversight of the management system of activities and human factor. EU should provide a number of recommendations on improving the regulatory activity in Ukraine in this area.
The main part of the project was completed as of today. As a result, the fact that the Ukrainian regulatory framework complies with the European one was confirmed. Nevertheless, the improvement is required in the competence of inspectors, methodological base for safety culture assessment and human factor analysis during NPP events, as well as the procedure for involving experts into the inspections.
