HEALTH AND SAFETY COMMISSION NUCLEAR SAFETY ADVISORY COMMITTEE SUB-COMMITTEE ON RESEARCH 4 TH APRIL 2006

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1 Open Government Status NuSAC/SCR/06/06 OPEN HEALTH AND SAFETY COMMISSION NUCLEAR SAFETY ADVISORY COMMITTEE SUB-COMMITTEE ON RESEARCH 4 TH APRIL 2006 UKAEA: 2006/7 PROGRAMME OF NUCLEAR SAFETY RELATED RESEARCH PAPER BY UKAEA BACKGROUND 1 UKAEA is the Site Licensee Company for Dounreay, Windscale, Harwell and Winfrith, as well as managing the programme for the Culham site. 2 The UKAEA arrangements for the management of nuclear safety research require that UKAEA submits a copy of the UKAEA Technology Plan to the HSE and to the NDA. 3 Site Technology Plans were first produced in September 2005 to meet the NDA requirement to identify key research and development activities needed to support the delivery of the site lifecycle baseline. The UKAEA Technology Plan (1) is primarily a summary of the Site Technology Plans. 4 The aim of the UKAEA Technology Plan is to help ensure that appropriate development work is being identified and planned for implementation in the site programmes. Collation of the site plans also allows for synergies between the sites to be identified enabling transfer of technology and avoiding duplication of effort. The UKAEA Technology Plan is also intended to provide reassurance to NII that adequate nuclear safety research is being undertaken by UKAEA. 5 As well as collating the technology needs from all the sites in one document, the UKAEA Technology Plan incorporates cross-site and generic development work requirements, technical exchange and collaboration initiatives and potential cross-industry development needs. The intention is to update the UKAEA Technology Plan on an annual 1

2 basis following the production of the site technology plans for the lifetime plan. UKAEA TECHNOLOGY PLAN 6 In developing the overarching UKAEA Technology Plan, the technology requirements in the site plans have been segregated into the topics and sub-categories as outlined in the Quintessa report QRS-1131b-2, A Workshop on Technical Issues in Nuclear Liabilities Management in the UK, 24th and 25th November This segregation is aimed at facilitating the identification of synergies, duplication and opportunities for technology transfer. The list of topic areas is given below. 1. Radioactive materials inventory, characterisation and behaviour 2. The management of radioactive waste and other nuclear materials 3. Plant termination and decommissioning 4. Site restoration management 5. Asset management 6. Organisation and communication 7. Policy and regulatory-driven issues 7 The full list of UKAEA technology requirements currently envisaged has been compiled from the tables in each Site Technology Plan (STP) supplemented with items of key generic development work managed by Technical Services Group of Major Projects and Engineering Division. 8 The document remains Restricted Commercial. SUMMARY OF UKAEA TECHNOLOGY PLAN 9. The individual Site Technology Plans have been reviewed and the key research and development activities in the site 2005/2006 LCBLs are summarised below. At Dounreay: - Waste characterisation and assessment Wasteform development work Robotics Remote handling technology Ion exchange technology Waste retrieval systems Size reduction techniques At Culham: - Remote handling equipment Waste handling facilities Techniques for the detritiation of wastes Package development for tritiated ILW At Harwell: - 2

3 Waste characterisation and assessment Wasteform development work In-cell decontamination equipment Robotics for operation of remote decommissioning/sampling equipment At Windscale: - Knowledge base of the piles (radiological and chemical data maps) Visual survey techniques Dismantling equipment for Pile 1 fuel and isotopes Safe Storage of Piles, B14 Cells and WAGR Wastes Surface decontamination techniques At Winfrith: - Development of 3-D models and radiological data maps of SGHWR and Dragon Development of full scale models of SGHWR and Dragon core and spatial surrounds Cementation trials for thorium grouting Development of ILW containers for decommissioning wastes. KEY GENERIC DEVELOPMENT WORK 9 The programme of generic development work managed by TSG has been reviewed and is summarised below: Encapsulation grout development and performance Development of land remediation techniques including land quality characterisation, remediation and records management Assessment of remediation technologies Development of the parametric cost estimating system PRICE Development of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) Development of land quality data management system IMAGES Input to development of the British Radioactive Waste Management System (BRIMS) TECHNICAL EXCHANGES 10 UKAEA recognises the need for external benchmarking, collaboration and sharing of information. This provides opportunities for accessing new ideas and technologies and benefiting from others experience. Information exchange agreements form part of the UKAEA s strategy to adopt solutions and practices which have been developed and proven by others, or share development costs. 11 UKAEA has signed formal Collaboration agreements in the fields of decommissioning and waste management with the following organisations: CEA Commissariat à l Energie Atomique 3

4 EDF Electricité de France INEEL Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory Sogin Società gestione impianti nucleari USDoE United States Department of Energy 12 In the past UKAEA has taken the lead in the UK for international collaboration on: Fast breeder reactors Destruction of alkali metals Geographical Information System (GIS) - IMAGES (Information Management & Geographical Evaluation System) Parametric cost estimating system PRICE FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS /07 will be a year of significant change for UKAEA as the company is separated into the Site Licence Companies, the NewCo which will function as the Management and Operations contractor to the NDA and Culham which will remain with the remainder of UKAEA as an NDPB. Despite these changes the safety related responsibilities of the site licensee remain largely as before. 14 The management of research and technology development may change within the company as will the future representation at NuSAC. This will become clear as the year progresses. CONCLUSIONS 15 It can be concluded that 15.1 UKAEA continues to recognise the fundamental importance of appropriate nuclear safety research, although it is difficult to separate this from the fundamental development work being undertaken to support waste management and decommissioning. All of these activities are progressing continued hazard reduction on UKAEA sites UKAEA have provided a copy of the UKAEA Technology Plan to the NII and NDA The arrangements are underpinned by close and detailed exchanges with NII for both technical and co-ordination issues The arrangements are also underpinned by continued dialogue with the NDA and other Site Licence Companies. ACTION REQUIRED 16 The sub-committee is invited to note and comment on the paper. 4

5 REFERENCES 1. CTTF(05)P25 Issue 2 UKAEA Technology Plan, February