Euratom FP7

Research & Training Projects Volume 4

Project Project Project Information Information Information

EUROPEAN COMMISSION Directorate-General for Research and Innovation — G4 Contact: Athanasios PETRIDIS European Commission B-1049 Brussels, CDMA 01/042 E-mail: [email protected] Tel: +32 229 86960 http://ec.europa.eu/research

EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Euratom FP7 Research & Training Projects Volume 4

2014

Directorate-General for Research and Innovation

EUR 26707 EN

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LEGAL NOTICE Neither the European Commission nor any person acting on behalf of the Commission is responsible for the use which might be made of the following information. The views expressed in this publication are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Commission. More information on the European Union is available on the Internet (http://europa.eu). Cataloguing data can be found at the end of this publication. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2014 ISBN 978-92-79-38807-1 ISSN 1831-9424 doi:10.2777/78635 © European Union, 2014 Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. Printed in Belgium Printed on elemental chlorine-free bleached paper (ecf)

CONTENTS INTRODUCTION

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Management of Radioactive Waste

CAST 12 DOPAS 14 SecIGD2 16 Nuclear Installation Safety

ALLIANCE 18 ASAMPSA_E 20 CESAM 22 CHANDA 24 ESNII plus

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MAXSIMA 28 NC2I-R 30 NUGENIA-PLUS 32 NURESAFE 34 PASSAM 36 SAFEST 38 Radiation Protection

CO-CHER 40 COMET 42 Dark.Risk 44 OPERRA 46 PREPARE 48 RISK - IR

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ARCADIA (ex-SARRAH)

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EAGLE 56 MARISA 58 MatISSE 60 PLATENSO 62 SACSESS 64 TALISMAN 66 Education & Training

CINCH-II 68 ENEN-RU 70 ENETRAP III

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EUTEMPE-RX 74 GENTLE 76 PETRUS III

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GLOSSARY

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INDEX OF PROJECTS

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INTRODUCTION This brochure provides an outline of the fourth batch of nuclear research and training activities funded by the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Atomic Energy Community (FP7 Euratom, 2007-2011). The projects described here all address major issues and challenges. This brochure describes the most recent projects with research activities in the thematic areas of management of radioactive waste, nuclear installation safety, radiation protection, support to infrastructures & cross-cutting topics and education & training. The primary goal is to generate and exploit knowledge and develop scientific and technical competences and know-how in applied nuclear science and technology, especially in the areas of safety, reliability, sustainability and cost-effectiveness of nuclear energy systems. Importantly, these projects contribute to the further consolidation of the European Research Area (ERA) in the nuclear energy and radiation protection sectors. Euratom activities on research and development for nuclear fusion are not covered in this publication. World energy demand is increasing rapidly. Over the next 50 years, global energy use is expected to double (at the very least), with electricity demand growing the fastest. Security of energy supply and climate change are both high on the political agenda, and the European Union (EU) has set clear targets for drastically reducing greenhouse gas emissions: 20 % by 2020, and between 60 % and 80 % by 2050. Electricity requires reliable, efficient and clean generation systems. Nuclear fission, which contributes 27 % of the EU’s electricity generation (Eurostat, EU-28 Electricity production by source, 2013) and represents two-thirds of its carbon-free electricity production, can provide a constant base-load electricity supply, thereby reducing dependence on fossil fuels. As a reliable and indigenous source of energy, nuclear power can also contribute to the EU’s energy independence and security of supply. Therefore, nuclear energy is a viable option for countries wishing to use this technology as part of a balanced energy mix. Furthermore, emerging advanced fission technologies offer the potential of significant improvements in the efficiency and sustainability of nuclear energy, while minimising production of the most hazardous radioactive waste, and the possibility of nuclear energy use in areas other than electricity production (e.g. process heat for industrial processes such as hydrogen production). The EU is currently a world leader in the areas of nuclear technology and waste management. Maintaining Europe’s competitiveness over the next decade is key to ensuring that it meets its 2020 energy targets. In the long term, the new generation of nuclear fission reactors can contribute significantly to realising the EU’s 2050 vision of a low-carbon economy. Initiatives such as the Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET-Plan) to accelerate the development and deployment of low-carbon technologies, and the Sustainable Nuclear Energy Technology Platform (SNE-TP) coordinating research and development in nuclear systems and safety in Europe, have highlighted the importance of nuclear energy to Europe’s transition to a low-carbon economy. The Euratom Framework Programme seeks to support these initiatives to the extent possible.

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Informing and protecting the public Nuclear safety is top priority. The EU has an outstanding nuclear safety record; however, research continues in order to maintain this high level of safety and to better understand the risks and hazards associated with the use of radiation in medicine and industry. In all uses of radioactive materials, the overriding principle is to protect citizens and the environment. The tragic Fukushima nuclear accident in March 2011 only further reiterated the fundamental importance of safety and now many EURATOM projects are developing methodologies based on the lessons learned from the disaster. Nuclear fission is a major contributor to Europe’s carbon-free energy mix, but it is not a technology that is widely understood outside scientific circles. High on the list of public concerns are operational reactor safety and the management of long-lived radioactive waste. Radiation protection research focuses on assessing and mitigating the risks from low and protracted exposure to radiation, including from medical uses as part of diagnostic or therapeutic techniques. The main objective is to ensure a robust and socially acceptable system of radiation protection that protects both those working in the industry and citizens and at the same time does not unnecessarily limit the beneficial uses of nuclear technology. Research in this area combines a wide range of disciplines, covered both as part of Euratom and the rest of the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7), such as epidemiology, radiobiology, cellular and molecular biology and radioecology. The issue of emergency management in the highly unlikely event of a severe accident at a nuclear facility and the rehabilitation of any resulting contaminated territories are two important areas of radiation protection research.

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Managing radioactive waste safely is a concern for all countries, whether it relates to the waste from electricity production or from radiation use in research, industry and medicine. At present, all irradiated fuel and associated wastes from nuclear reactors are safety managed according to very strictly enforced regulatory requirements. Low-hazard waste is disposed of at the industrial scale, while the most hazardous waste (e.g. spent nuclear fuel or the residues from the recycling of this fuel), which exists in much smaller volumes, is safely stored temporarily in surface or near-surface facilities. At the same time, research and development (R&D) into final disposal in deep geological repositories is also progressing. The study of various host rocks and barrier systems has come a long way, and there is consensus within the technical community that there is now sufficient acquired scientific and engineering knowledge to progress towards actual implementation. The R&D associated with this final phase is becoming an increasing focus of the Euratom programme. Euratom and its EU Member States are also committed to maintaining a high level of safety of nuclear installations, both for currently operating reactors and future innovative reactors, in which the emphasis will be on passive rather than active safety systems that are designed into the fundamental concept at a very early stage. Upholding this commitment also relies on supporting the ongoing training of a highly skilled workforce, and ensuring that a steady stream of new and highly skilled scientists and engineers adds to its numbers. In all these areas, effective communication is needed between the public and industry, researchers, engineers and policymakers. The nuclear community needs to explain relevant scientific facts clearly and dispassionately, particularly in relation to safety and waste. As part of this process, the European Commission takes its role in disseminating and communicating the results of Euratom programmes very seriously. There is a growing EU dimension to all environmental and energy-related issues, though the decision to use nuclear power remains essentially a political one taken at the national level. Many considerations, ranging from socio-economic to technical, must be taken into account. Crucially, such decisions need to be supported by good quality science; they must be taken from a position of knowledge, not one of ignorance. Research, such as that supported by FP7 Euratom, is supplying this knowledge.

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The program FP7 Euratom was formally adopted at the end of December 2006, and covers the five-year period 2007-2011. The legislative basis of the FP7 Euratom programme is described in the Decision of the Council of the EU No. 2006/970/Euratom. Of FP7 Euratom’s total budget of EUR 2.75 billion, EUR 287 million was earmarked for the programme on nuclear fission and radiation protection research and training activities, and the fourth batch of supported projects are described in this brochure. This programme is implemented through calls for proposals followed by evaluations carried out by independent experts. A range of funding schemes (see box) are available, promoting cooperation and synergy through multi-partner consortia. The basis for financial support is shared cost and non-profit. On 19 December 2011 the Council of the European Union extended FP7 Euratom for two more years. This aim of this prolongation was to align Euratom with the end of the EU’s current financial cycle in 2013. Although the Commission’s general framework programme for research lasts for seven years, the Euratom treaty limits Euratom programmes to five years. This extension therefore means Euratom is now in line with the wider FP7, which was running until the end of 2013. A maximum amount of EUR 2.5 billion was allocated for the implementation of the Euratom programme for 2012 and 2013 out of which EUR 118 million is dedicated for the programme on nuclear fission, safety and radiation protection. Many of the activities in FP7 Euratom are a continuation of long-term research supported in previous Euratom programmes. In addition, FP7 builds on the progress made during the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6) towards establishing the ERA in nuclear science and technology, particularly as a result of new funding instruments such as Integrated Projects and Networks of Excellence. A significant development in this respect has been the creation of technology platforms, initiated as proposals from the stakeholder community and studied in pilot actions supported during FP6. During FP7, this strategy has been actively pursued and has culminated in the successful launch of SNE-TP (www.snetp.eu) and the Implementing Geological Disposal Technology Platform (IGD-TP; see below). These forums have been established around agreed visions for future scientific and technical development in the respective fields, and members collectively define the platform’s Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) and Deployment Strategy in order to realise these visions. This includes R&D in nuclear systems and safety as well as in geological disposal. Such strategic planning enables FP7 Euratom to remain as effective as possible by focusing on priority activities. Similarly, with regard to the research on radiation protection and the risks from low doses and protracted exposures, the Multi-Disciplinary European Low Dose Initiative (MELODI; see below) is defining its own SRA. This agenda will also help prioritise Euratom support.

On the administrative side, and in common with the much larger FP7, the European Commission has also put in place simplified and standardised procedures to facilitate access to and implementation of the programme (e.g. managing calls and evaluation, project management, as well as administrative and financial guidelines and requirements). Regarding key EU policy objectives, FP7 Euratom continues to contribute to:

> PROTECTION OF SOCIETY AND ENVIRONMENT This principle lies at the heart of all EU policy making, and is reinforced in the founding treaties for both Euratom and the European Community.

> ENERGY SUPPLY AND CLIMATE CHANGE Securing the EU’s energy supply, establishing sustainable economic growth, and fighting climate change are essential. The Commission’s energy policy for Europe entitled ‘Energy for a Changing World’ (published in January 2007), and the comprehensive ‘climate and energy package’ (approved by the Council of Ministers in April 2009) support a strategy based on a diverse mix of low-carbon energy sources. The Community’s Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET-Plan) is an integral part of this policy and through a technology neutral approach is promoting research and innovation in all low carbon energy sources that can help to respond to the EU’s energy challenges.

> EUROPE’S 2020 STRATEGY The key headline targets of Europe’s 2020 strategy for ‘smart, sustainable and inclusive growth’ include the energy objectives already expressed in EU energy policy (i.e. targets for CO2 reduction, efficiency measures, growth of renewables) together with the goal of 3 % of the EU’s GDP to be invested in R&D. These will therefore be key policies of the EU over the next decade and are of clear relevance to research in all low carbon energy systems.

> INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION The Euratom Framework Programme is making full use of the opportunities offered through ultilateral (e.g. Generation IV International Forum – GIF) and bilateral agreements on nuclear R&D cooperation and peaceful uses of nuclear technology between Euratom and third countries. It is also working with other international organisations and bodies such as OECD/ NEA, IAEA or ISTC and STCU. Third-country partners are welcome in Euratom projects, though normally they would receive no funding from the Euratom programme. Euratom has been also adopted a structured dialogue approach with key third countries that led to specific topics of mutual interest being included in the 2009 and 2010 calls.

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FP7 research activities The overall aims of the programme are to establish a sound scientific and technical basis to advance practical developments for the safe management of long-lived radioactive waste, to promote the safe, resource-efficient and competitive exploitation of nuclear energy, and to ensure a robust and socially acceptable system of protection of man and the environment against the effects of ionising radiation. Research activities are proposed under five main themes: management of radioactive waste, reactor systems and safety, radiation protection, and the key cross-cutting areas of research infrastructures and human resources, mobility and training. The latter activities are increasingly embedded within the projects funded under the thematic priorities.

Looking forward Euratom is a key part of Horizon 2020, the Commission’s new EUR 80 billion framework programme for research that followed on from FP7, which ran until the end of 2013. It will be a key cornerstone of the EU’s Innovation Union initiative, a Europe 2020 flagship policy that aims to secure Europe’s science and technology base and industrial competitiveness. Unlike previous research programmes, Horizon 2020 brings together all EU research and innovation funding under a single programme for the first time. And the focus is very much on turning scientific breakthroughs into innovative products and services that provide business opportunities and improve European citizens’ lives.

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Funding Schemes Collaborative Projects (CPs) foster collaborative R&D activities amongst European partners (e.g. industry, research institutes and organisations, academia). Both small/medium-scale focused projects and large-scale integrating projects can be funded. Coordination and Support Actions (CSAs) promote networking and coordination type activities or provide support for such aspects as dissemination of programme results or pilot studies for possible future collaborative projects. CSAs cannot fund R&D activities per se. Networks of Excellence (NoEs) aim to strengthen the European Community’s scientific and technological excellence through developing sustainable capacities at national and regional level. Each NoE will advance knowledge in a particular research area by assembling a critical mass of expertise and organising activities targeted towards long-term, multidisciplinary objectives. A joint programme of activities is developed and implemented that covers three key aspects: joint research, sustainable integration, and the spreading of knowledge. Combinations of schemes are also possible. For each scheme, rules apply regarding minimum numbers of consortium partners from different Member States and associated countries. Apart from the 28 EU Member States, there is currently only one other country – Switzerland – fully associated to FP7 Euratom. Partners from all these countries can be reimbursed by the programme.

The European Research Area (ERA) and Euratom The ‘Euratom experience’ during previous Framework Programmes has been one of support in pursuing excellence in research across a broad range of nuclear topics: waste management, reactor technology and safety, radiation protection, and associated training activities. During the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6), with its new funding instruments, the emphasis was also on facilitating the restructuring of these sectors in line with the objectives of the ERA (e.g. reduced fragmentation, increased critical mass, and more investment in research). These efforts to establish the ERA in nuclear fission science and technology are continuing under the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7). Technology platforms in Sustainable Nuclear Energy and Implementing Geological Disposal as well as joint programming with Member States in the area of low-dose risk are a central aspect of this strategy. This research effort is needed to retain and improve competences and know-how, thereby improving the efficiency and effectiveness of European research in these fields. This in turn contributes to maintaining high levels of nuclear safety and industrial competiveness in these fields. By enabling a coordinated effort, the Euratom Framework Programme ensures the development of a common European view on scientific issues, the harmonisation of approaches and standards, and the promoting of a safety culture across the European Union and beyond.

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Implementing Geological Disposal Technology Platform (IGD-TP) The Euratom Radioactive Waste Directive 2011/70 highlights the role of the Implementing Geological Disposal of Radioactive Waste Technology Platform (IGD-TP) in facilitating access to expertise and technology for the implementation and development of disposal facilities for spent fuel and high-level waste in the Member States. IGD-TP was launched in 2009 under the auspices of the European Commission by ten radioactive waste management organisations (WMOs) and one governmental body. The vision set out by IGD-TP is that “by 2025 the first geological disposal facilities for spent fuel, high-level waste, and other long-lived radioactive waste will be operating safely in Europe”. In line with this vision, the objectives, main priorities and activities of IGD-TP, as defined in its Strategic Research Agenda and Deployment Plan (20112016), aim at addressing key remaining issues for direct use in repository programme implementations. At EU level, the seventh Euratom Framework Programme has increasingly focussed its support on implementation-oriented R&D activities. The projects described in the present brochure thereby largely respond to the IGD-TP strategy and focus. More information on IGD-TP is available at www.igdtp.eu.

Multidisciplinary European Low-Dose Initiative (MELODI) For many years the Euratom programme has been concerned with the fundamental question of the risks from low and protracted exposure to ionising radiation, and has recognised the need for improved structuring of the research effort across Europe in this field. The creation of the ‘High-Level and Expert Group’, with support from the HLEG project above, was the decisive step enabling the establishing of MELODI in 2009. This ‘joint-programming initiative’ brings together the major national funding agencies supporting radiation protection research in Europe. The growing use of radiation in medical diagnostic and therapeutic techniques is responsible for a significant rise in doses to the public, and MELODI will ensure the necessary multidisciplinary approach across the medical sector to understand and mitigate the risks involved. For further details on this major initiative, visit www.melodi-online.eu.

SNETP The Sustainable Nuclear Energy Technology Platform (SNE-TP) brings together some 125 members from 20 European countries, including all the major nuclear, industrial and research players. It was formally launched in September 2007 and represents a major effort to better coordinate research activities in the area of nuclear fission safety and reactor systems, and to collaborate more effectively in implementing research that is strategically important for Europe. By 2020 the aim is to maintain safety and competitiveness in fission technology and provide long-term waste management solutions. The objectives for 2050 are to have completed the demonstration of a new generation of fast neutron fission reactors (Gen IV) with increased sustainability identified in the SET-Plan European Sustainable Industrial Initiative (ESNII) and enlarge nuclear fission applications beyond electricity production (NC2I). For further details on this major initiative, visit www.snetp.eu. SNETP has given mandate to NUGENIA (http://www.nugenia.org) established in March 2012 as a natural progression of NULIFE project is the result of the integration process of 3 groups active in the nuclear energy research field of Generation II & III technologies: (1) The first of the three SNETP pillars: Technology Working Group Gen II & III; (2) The NULIFE Network of Excellence on nuclear plant life management (PLIM and PLEX); (3) The SARNET Network of Excellence on severe accidents.

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CAST The CAST project aims to develop understanding of the potential release mechanisms of carbon-14 from radioactive waste materials under conditions relevant to waste packaging and disposal in underground geological disposal facilities. The increased understanding provided through CAST should decrease uncertainties in long-term safety assessment and increase confidence in the safety case. The project focuses on the release of carbon-14 as dissolved and gaseous species from irradiated metals (such as steels, Zircaloys), irradiated graphite and from ionexchange materials.

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Carbon-14 helps waste safety assessment Safety assessment The CAST consortium brings together 33 partners with a range of skills and competencies in the management of radioactive wastes containing carbon-14, geological disposal research, safety case development and experimental work on gas generation. The consortium consists of national waste management organisations, research institutes, universities and commercial organisations. The objectives of the CAST project are to gain new scientific understanding of the rate of release of carbon-14 from the corrosion of irradiated steels and Zircaloys and from the leaching of ion-exchange resins and irradiated graphites under geological disposal conditions, its speciation and how these relate to carbon-14 inventory and aqueous conditions. These results will be evaluated in the context of national safety assessments and disseminated to interested stakeholders. The new understanding should be of relevance to national safety assessment stakeholders and will also provide an opportunity for training for early career researchers.

Fundamental science The objectives of CAST will be met through a number of Work Packages that will be coordinated by the UK’s Nuclear Decommissioning Authority under Work Package one. Work Packages two to five undertake fundamental scientific experimental work and will develop conceptual models for carbon-14 release from a range of radioactive waste materials. Work Package six will relate the results to national safety cases, while Work Package seven will ensure that the project’s results and their implications are disseminated to all partners and interested stakeholders. Each Work Package will produce a final report to record the findings; these will be published along with a Final Report assimilating all of the results into one comprehensive overview.

Coordinator Dr. Steve Williams NDA RWMD Research Manager Nuclear Decommissioning Authority Harwell Office, Building 587, Curie Avenue, Harwell Oxford Didcot, OX11 0RH United Kingdom Tel. +44 1925 802927 [email protected]

Project details Project type // Collaborative Project

Project start date // 1.10.2013 Fax +32 2 2954991 Duration // 54 months [email protected] Total budget // EUR 14 730 137 EC contribution // EUR 4 511 183 Partners Project website // www.projectcast.eu • Nationale Genossenschaft Fuer Die Lagerung Radioaktiver Abfaelle, CH EC project officer • Agence Nationale Pour La Gestion Des Christophe Davies Dechets Radioactifs, FR European Commission • Commissariat a l Energie Atomique et Directorate-General for Research and Innovation aux Energies Alternatives (CEA), FR Directorate Energy • Nationale Instelling Voor Radioactief Unit K.4 – Fission Afval en Verrijkte Splijtstoffen VZV, BE CDMA 1/61 • Centrale Organisatie voor Radioactief B-1049 Brussels, Belgium Afval NV, NL Tel. +32 2 2961670 • Regia Autonoma Pentru Activitati

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The results from the CAST project will be directly applicable to organisations that either evaluate or make safety cases for the geological disposal of radioactive wastes containing carbon-14 and will be disseminated to a wide audience. A dedicated CAST website will be established to provide key information for the wider scientific community. Events, such as workshops and courses, will be published on this website.

In addition to the two workshops, two training courses will be provided for junior participants: the first will be organised by the Karlsruher Institut fuer Technologie to provide experience in radioanalytical techniques and sample handling. The second will be run by the Centrale Organisatie voor Radioactief Afval NV to provide understanding of carbon-14 generation and wastes, and experience in transport modelling. There will also be opportunities for early-career researchers to exchange with other partners within the project, where appropriate, to provide collaboration with, and training in, other studies within CAST.

The main outputs from CAST will include final reports from each Work Package, along with an overall overview report summarising the results and achievements of the whole project. Two workshops will be held as part of the project. The first aims to outline the initial findings from the research and allow interested parties to familiarise themselves with the proposed work and ask questions of the Work Package teams. This will provide interested parties with an opportunity for early communication and engagement. The second workshop will present the overall results and findings of CAST and discuss these with target groups.

Nucleare Drobeta Tr. Severin Ra Sucursala Cercetari Nucleare Pitesti, RO • Gesellschaft Fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (GRS) MbH, DE • Paul Scherrer Institut, CH • Studiecentrum Voor Kernenergie, BE • Karlsruher Institut fuer Technologie, DE • Agenzia Nazionale Per Le Nuove Technologie, L’Energia e lo Sviluppo Economico Sostenibile, IT • Radioactive Waste Management Funding and Research Center, JP • Forschungszentrum Juelich GMBH, DE • JRC – Joint Research Centre – European Commission, BE

• UJV REZ, a.s., CZ • Empresa Nacional de Residuos Radioactivos s.a., ES • Teknologian Tutkimuskeskus VTT, FI • Fortum Power and Heat Oy, FI • Leituvos Energetikos Institutas, LT • Institute of Environmental Geochemistry of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, UA • Association pour la Recherche et le Developpment des Methodes et Processus Industriels – Armines, FR • Furnaces Nuclear Applications Grenoble, FR • Nuclear Research and Consultancy Group, NL • Institutul National de Cercetare –

Dezvoltare Pentru Fizica si Inginerie Nucleara ‘Horia Hulubei’, RO • Radioactive Waste Repository Authority, CZ • Svensk Karnbranslehantering AB, SE • Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, FR • Amec Nuclear UK Ltd, UK • Centro de Investigaciones Energeticas, Medioambientales y TecnologicasCIEMAT, ES • Areva NC SA, FR • Electricite de France S.A., FR • MCM McCombie, Chapman, McKinley Consulting Kollektivgesellschaft, CH

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DOPAS The DOPAS full-scale demonstration project aims to improve the adequacy, consistency and industrial feasibility of the plugs and seals to be used in disposal facilities for radioactive waste across a range of different geological environments. The data and modelling results from five plug and seal demonstration experiments will be compiled and reported within the project and the knowledge and experience gained will be shared via a number of dissemination events.

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Plugs and seals key to confidence Plugs and seals Fourteen nuclear waste management organisations and research institutes from eight European countries are participating in a technology development project to assess tunnel plugging and sealing systems in geological disposal facilities for radioactive waste: the DOPAS (“Full-Scale Demonstration Of Plugs And Seals”) project. Five demonstration experiments will be partially or wholly implemented during the DOPAS project. These are a full-scale seal (FSS) implemented on the surface in Saint-Dizier, France, an experimental pressure sealing plug (EPSP) underground in the Josef Gallery in Czech Republic, a deposition tunnel dome plug (DOMPLU) in the Äspö Hard Rock Laboratory in Sweden, a deposition tunnel wedge plug (POPLU) in the underground rock characterisation facility ONKALO (future spent fuel repository) in Finland, and a shaft seal (ELSA) in Germany. Full-scale plugs and seals demonstrations require planning and coordination of development, construction, research for implementation, test and laboratory work at different scales, monitoring activities and assessment of performance in the long-term. Each of the five seal concepts will be developed through five thematic scientific/technological work packages, which each integrate the results of the individual experiments. The project consortium consists of waste management organisations supported by private or public research facilities, which have wide experience in long term safety research, engineered barrier development and laboratory services related to nuclear waste disposal. The impetus for this joint European collaborative project comes from the Strategic Research Agenda of the Implementing Geological Disposal of Radioactive Waste - Technology Platform (IGD-TP).

Industrial feasibility Repository plugs serve to mechanically isolate different parts of the waste repository from each other, or serve to isolate the waste packages from water and prevent the possible migration of radionuclides by preserving low conductivity conditions with absorbing materials. In addition, some plugs will play the role of a hydraulic seal to prevent groundwater flow through the excavated access to the repository. Depending on the host rock geology, the purpose of the plug, and the long-term function of the plug, there are different requirements and reference designs that are site specific. Plugs and seals will be used in a nuclear facility that set common challenges for developing the design basis, creating plans, demonstrating compliance with the requirements and assessing long-term behaviour with other barrier components and with the host rock. The implementation of plugs requires technology development and the DOPAS project will show the industrial feasibility for plug and seal production.

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EC project officer

Johanna Hansen Posiva Oy Olkiluoto FI-27160 Eurajoki Finland Tel. +358 2 83723826 Fax +358 2 83723809 [email protected]

Project type // Collaborative Project Project start date // 1.9.2012 Duration // 48 months Total budget // EUR 15 744 518 EC contribution // EUR 8 700 000 Project website // www.posiva.fi/dopas

Christophe Davies European Commission Directorate-General for Research Directorate Energy (Euratom) Unit K.4 – Fission CDMA 1/61 B-1049 Brussels, Belgium [email protected]

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Practical demonstration DOPAS is a practical experimental demonstration project with one specific target to increase public confidence by informing a wide audience about the safety of geological disposal, the importance of demonstrating full scale safe plugs and seals, and the state of the art and practical implementation of such demonstration work. Other waste management organisations will be able to benefit by obtaining strategies that show how to proceed from the design basis phase into the implementation phase. POPLU Experiment location in ONKALO demonstration area. © Posiva

Full scale seal test box constructed and ready for experiment. © Andra

Within the DOPAS project the full scale experiments serve not only the technical benefits, but also work as a tool for dissemination. The experimental sites are popular with several stakeholder groups and, for example, the number of annual visitors recorded at Äspö Hard Rock laboratory is over 5 000, at Josef Underground gallery over 1 000 and at Olkiluoto site over 19 000. A public website is also available. In addition progress and results from the project will be relayed via stakeholder and beneficiaries’ public websites. The project will also present progress in the project widely through a variety of scientific and technical conferences.

Implementing barrier systems

Major seminar

The successful implementation of a repository programme relies on both the technical aspects of a sound safety strategy and scientific and engineering excellence. In addition, social aspects like stakeholder acceptance and public confidence are required. Demonstration experiments performed in underground research facilities are a key element in demonstrating the feasibility of engineered barrier systems (EBS): plugs and seals being an integral and important subsystem of an EBS. The analysis and knowledge dissemination of the state-of-the-art of critical repository components will increase the overall possibility for implementing geological disposal facilities in Europe.

DOPAS will organise an international plugs and seals training workshop in Autumn 2015, targeting younger scientists within and outside the DOPAS consortium. The training workshop will include plenty of practical exercises for increasing the participants’ understanding of multidisciplinary thinking in waste management and disposal implementation. The applicants for training workshop should, therefore, represent a wide range of research areas.

The experience gained from the demonstrations will contribute towards the construction and operation of future repositories by showing the safety and feasibility of constructing plugs in tunnels, manufacturing qualified and approved plugs and seals components for repository use, demonstrating efficient installation of plugs and seals at the industrial scale, enforcement of accurate control methods for evaluating results in comparison to the design basis and verification of design compliance to design basis.

An international topical seminar on plugging and sealing technology for geological disposal of radioactive waste will be organised towards the end of the DOPAS project (mid-2016), where project results will be presented to the wider scientific community and waste management organisations. The seminar will be organised together with IGD-TP.

Partners • Agence Nationale pour la Gestion des Dechets Radioactifs, FR • DBE Technology GMBH, DE • Gesellschaft fuer Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit MBH, DE • Nationale Genossenschaft fuer die Lagerung Radioaktiver Abfaelle, CH • Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, UK • Správa úložišť radioaktivních odpadů, CZ • Svensk Karnbranslehantering AB, SE

• Ceske Vysoke Uceni Technicke V Praze, CZ • Nuclear Research and Consultancy Group, NL • Galson Sciences Limited, UK • B+Tech OY, FI • Teknologian Tutkimuskeskus, FI • UJV REZ AS Nuclear Research Institute, CZ

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SecIGD2 The goal of the SecIGD2 project is to maintain and further develop the secretariat activities of the Implementing Geological Disposal of Radioactive Waste Technology Platform (IGD-TP) over the period 2013-2015 in order to meet its aims of achieving the first safely operating geological disposal facilities for spent fuel, high-level waste and other long-lived radioactive waste.

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Building a sustainable basis for disposal Playing a supporting role The IGD-TP was launched in November 2009 to initiate and carry out collaborative actions in Europe to facilitate the stepwise implementation of safe deep-geological disposal of spent fuel, high-level waste and other long-lived radioactive waste, by solving the remaining scientific, technological and social challenges. As well as most of the European waste management organisations, the IGD-TP now gathers 115 members covering most of the research, development and demonstration actors in Europe. Such a platform requires an active and efficient secretariat to organise and coordinate activities. This will be implemented through the SecIGD2 project, which aims to maintain and strengthen the IGD-TP secretariat in its practical administrative and operational tasks and to make it efficient and sustainable.

Management and maintaining competence The SecIGD2 project consists of three major activities. The first activity is running the secretariat which contributes to the daily management of the IGD-TP including communication and dissemination aspects. The second activity aims to support a specific IGD-TP action of networking and structuring research, development and demonstration (RD&D) in countries with less advanced geological disposal programmes. The objective is to foster the transfer of strategic knowledge towards relevant organisation in these countries. The goal of the third activity is to support the development and implementation of end-user needs-based competence maintenance, and education and training activities in the field of radioactive waste management and geological disposal. More specifically, the SecIGD2 project will assist the IGD-TP Working Group “Competence Maintenance, Education and Training” (CMET) in achieving its goals, which are to identify and share the needs for knowledge, skills and competences (KSC) and to discuss and study approaches for mutual recognition of learning outcomes. A fourth work package activity is dedicated to the project management of the SecIGD2 project itself.

Coordinator

Project details

EC project officer

Jacques Delay Andra Centre de Meuse / Haute-Marne RD960 - BP 9 - 55290 Bure France Tel. +33 3 29755352 [email protected]

Project type // Coordination and Support Action Project start date // 1.1.2013 Duration // 36 months Total budget // EUR 1 424 626 EC contribution // EUR 790 000 Project website // www.igdtp.eu

Christophe Davies European Commission Directorate-General for Research Directorate Energy (Euratom) Unit K4 CDMA 01/061 B-1049 Brussels, Belgium [email protected]

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View of the Andra URL in Bure (France) © Andra

Joint developments

Sustainable implementation The implementation strategy of the IGD-TP vision, mission and objectives cannot be fully achieved without a fully dedicated Secretariat. Therefore, the SecIGD2 project results are linked to the outcomes of the IGD-TP. For the period 2013-2015, the main objective of the IGD-TP and its Secretariat is to deploy the Joint Activities identified in its Deployment Plan (DP) and also to update its strategic documentation and more precisely its Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) and the DP itself. Another important action is to communicate on all the activities of the platform and to promote the scientific and technical quality of the RD&D initiatives via the development of an effective dissemination plan. This includes the improvement of the IGD-TP logo, a new website layout and the launch of a newsletter during autumn 2013. The Secretariat also ensures that synergies with existing projects are generated at European level. For example, an internal working group linked with the InSoTec (International Socio-Technical Challenges for implementing geological disposal) project was set up to foster involvement of new stakeholders. Also, IGD-TP is collaborating with the SITEX (Sustainable network of Independent Technical Expertise for radioactive waste Disposal) project to define relationships with regulatory bodies, including Technical Support Organisations. It also promotes interactions with other Technology Platforms to stimulate new ideas that could complement the SRA in areas such as the disposal of new waste types. The Secretariat will also carry out a feasibility study on the future legal status of the IGD-TP. Establishing a clear legal status for IGD-TP may demonstrate its sustainability and formalise its coordination role vis-à-vis its participants and the European Commission.

Partners • Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, UK • Posiva Oy, FI • Nationale Instelling voor radioactief Afval en Verrijkte Splijtstoffen VZV, BE

The impact of the SecIGD2 project cannot be separated from the impacts of the IGD-TP. Within the European geological disposal community, the IGD-TP is expected to create opportunities to carry out joint RD&D of safe solutions in geological disposal of radioactive waste. The work on increasing knowledge and overall level of competence in the field leads to improvements in technology. Therefore, the IGD-TP is expected to build competence and to disseminate knowledge among all relevant stakeholders concerned with radioactive waste management and with geological disposal in particular. Furthermore, by supporting the development of strong competence centres, the IGD-TP will facilitate efficient knowledge transfer between countries in early stages of their waste management programmes and those who are entering the licensing application submission phase. More globally, the implementation of safe solutions in geological disposal and open communication will enhance general confidence in Europe towards viable solutions for the management of the nuclear fuel cycle and radioactive wastes.

Geodisposal conference The IGD-TP Geodisposal 2014 Conference on the Strategic Research Programmes for the Implementation of Deep Geological Disposal of Radioactive Waste in Europe will be held on June 24-26th 2014, in Manchester, UK. The focus will be to showcase the underpinning science, technology and stakeholder engagement in geological disposal, to engage countries with ‘less-advanced’ programmes, and share best practice in geological disposal.

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ALLIANCE The ALLIANCE project focuses on the preparatory phase of development for the ALLEGRO demonstrator reactor. This new reactor design is based on the Gas Fast Reactor (GFR) concept, one of the two alternative systems under the SET-Plan’s European Sustainable Nuclear Industrial Initiative (ESNII), and is expected to be built in Central Europe. The ALLIANCE project covers a number of preliminary studies on fuel management, a research and development roadmap and infrastructure needs, and reactor siting, as well as the licensing roadmap, preliminary design and safety analysis. ALLIANCE will also integrate experience and knowledge gained from the past or ongoing related initiatives.

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Mapping a path to ALLEGRO Alternative design The ALLIANCE project will clearly articulate arguments for why GFR technology could be accepted in Europe as a complementary option to the Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor (SFR). Furthermore the project will map and highlight national or regional initiatives that are supporting the development of this technology and produce a list of countries interested in hosting the ALLEGRO demonstrator on their territory. The conditions for the selection of the ALLEGRO site should also be defined within this project. In addition the project specification for the licensing and construction period will be suggested. For the research and development activities, as well as for the operational and decommissioning phases, specifications will be elaborated. These specifications will cover the licensing roadmap, financing and project organisation setup.

Pre-conceptual studies Following the expected impact of the GFR technology together with the preliminary cost analysis and milestones identified in the ESNII Concept Paper a more detailed roadmap of the necessary research and development and pre-conceptual studies will need to be elaborated. Therefore the main objective of the ALLIANCE project is to put together information on the feasibility of the construction, an assessment of the design needed to follow the requirements for a Generation IV (GEN IV) reactor and to produce documents on the preliminary design, environmental impact, site identification, consortium and licensing issues.

Coordinator

Project details

EC project officer

Dr. Akos Horvath General Director Centre for Energy Research, Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA EK) Konkoly Thege ut 29-33 1121 Budapest P.O.B. 49. H-1525 Budapest 114 Hungary Tel. +36 1 3959159 Fax +36 1 3959293 [email protected]

Project type // Coordination and Support Action Project start date // 1.10.2012 Duration // 36 months Total budget // EUR 1 396 860 EC contribution // EUR 850 000 Project website // http://alliance.reak. bme.hu

Georges Van Goethem European Commission Directorate-General for Research and Innovation Directorate Energy Unit K.4 – Fission CDMA 1/52 B-1049 Brussels, Belgium [email protected]

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Centre of Excellence

Safety principles of the ALLEGRO reactor will be based on the Western European Nuclear Regulators Association (WENRA) requirements and the GEN IV International Forum (GIF) study, added to the current national safety rules of the hosting country. The seven safety objectives of WENRA will provide guidance in formulating ALLEGRO safety principles. Moreover, the results of the European stress tests following the Fukushima accident will be applied in formulating siting requirements and requirements concerning the design to reduce the impact of external hazards.

A common Centre of Excellence will be created in Central Europe for GFR studies. The creation of this Centre will be the first step towards integration of fuel and reactor safety research in the region.

These general objectives were defined in the Memorandum of Understanding for the project, and concrete tasks to be delivered under the ALLIANCE project are further detailed in the dedicated work packages of the proposal. Results of this project will provide explanatory documents which should serve as a basis for a sequence of decisions on the design and construction of the ALLEGRO demonstrator.

Project specification The project specification on the licensing and construction period will be suggested. For the research and development activities, as well as for the operational and decommissioning phases, specifications will be elaborated. These specifications will cover the project organisation setup, licensing roadmap and financing. The following documents need to be elaborated in this preparatory project: the general specification of the ALLEGRO project; the licensing roadmap; the design safety concept; the preliminary site specific safety analysis; a spent fuel management strategy and analysis of required services; a preliminary analysis of environmental impact; site studies, criteria of siting, and rules of the site selection process; research and development requirements in the licensing and construction and in the operational phase; and a governance study

Partners • Ustav Jaderneho Vyzkumu rez. A.S., CZ • Vuje A.S., SK • Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives, FR • Rheinisch-Westfaelische Technische Hochschule Aachen, DE • Institut de Radioprotection et de Surete Nucleaire, FR • Narodowe Centrum Badan Jadrowych, PL • Budapesti Muszaki es Gazdasagtudomanyi Egyetem, HU • Centrum Vyzkumu rez S.R.O, CZ

In addition to the above mentioned objectives, the project aims to explore the potential of the merged organisations to contribute to GEN-II (e.g. plant modernisation) and to GEN-III (e.g. passive safety systems) developments.

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ASAMPSA_E Nuclear power plants (NPPs) must be appropriately protected to resist major and large-scale events that occur in their environment. Some robust protection strategies are already in place, but after the 2011 tsunami in Japan and the Fukushima Daïchi nuclear disaster, they have been reexamined in most countries and reinforced. But are these strategies now sufficient and what else is required?

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Assessing safety during extreme events International safety In Europe, Probabilistic Safety Assessments (PSAs) are used to confirm that the risks induced by every nuclear power plants (NPP) are as low as possible. Nevertheless, developing these PSAs that are able to provide some meaningful insights on the risks remains a challenging activity. In that context, the Euratom ASAMPSA_E (Advanced Safety Assessment Methodologies: Extended PSA) research project will develop technical recommendations in the field of risk assessment and significantly contribute to the harmonization of practices in Europe. In this project, more than 30 organizations (including utilities, vendors, service providers, research companies, universities, and technical support units for safety authorities) share their experience on probabilistic risk assessment for NPPs. In addition to 21 European countries, three organizations from the US and Japan are also associated with this effort.

Internal and external risk In this framework, an “extended PSA”, for a site with one or more NPPs, is intended to be a vast study to calculate the risks induced via all possible events affecting one NPP or the whole site including internal initiating events such as a pipe failure, internal hazards such as flooding, fire, etc., single and correlated external hazards such as an earthquake, external flooding, external fire, extreme weather conditions or weather phenomena, oil spills, industrial accident, and explosions etc. The main sources of radioactivity (reactor cores and spent fuel storages) also have to be considered. The risks can be expressed in terms of fuel damage (frequencies, accident scenarios), radioactive releases (frequencies, kinetics and amplitude of releases) or external societal impacts (on health, economy and environment). The ASAMPSA_E project will help European stakeholders to efficiently develop such extended PSAs and verify that all significant risks are identified and managed. Following the Fukushima accident, the ASAMPSA_E project partners will carefully examine the methodologies available to assess the risks induced by possible natural extreme external events and possible combinations of such events.

Coordinator

Project details

EC project officer

Emmanuel Raimond IRS[N] Nuclear Safety Division Severe Accident Department IRSN/PSN-RES/SAG BP17 92262 Fontenay-aux-Roses France Tel. +33 158 357870 [email protected]

Project type // Coordinating Action (CSA-CA) Project start date // 1.7.2013 Duration // 36 months Total budget // EUR 4 000 000 EC contribution // EUR 3 000 000 Project website // www.asampsa.eu

Roberto Passalacqua European Commission Directorate-General for Research & Innovation Directorate G – Energy Unit G.4 – Fission CDMA 0/35 B-1049 Brussels, Belgium [email protected]

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ASAMPA_E introduction © IRSNJ

Lessons learnt

Safer operation

The organization of the ASAMPSA_E project will allow a wide range of issues associated with this extended PSA concept to be examined. The issues can be classified as general or technical level.

It is vital for the protection of populations and the environment to be sure that all operational NPPs are adequately protected against extreme external events. If adverse conditions lead to a core cooling failure and a subsequent core melt then the release of fission products would have to be mitigated with the use of the severe accident management (SAM) provisions. After the Fukushima accident many efforts have been undertaken in Europe to check or reinforce NPPs protection and accident management strategies.

For the general issues examined, the project will report on lessons learnt from large-scale external hazards that have affected NPPs during operation, of which the Fukushima accident is the most extreme case experienced so far. Guidance for decision-making based on extended PSA information that links PSA and the defence-in-depth concept, criteria to select initiating events to be considered in an extended PSA, and risk metrics etc will also be published. From a technical issue viewpoint the ASAMPSA_E guidance related to extended PSA developments will include accident initiating events and NPP response modeling within the probabilistic methodology and the guidance will also use the PSA approach to validate NPP severe accident management strategies. Relationships will be established between this project and PSA methodology end users to validate the need for guidance and the outcomes of the ASAMPSA_E project. Dedicated international meetings will be organized for that purpose

The PSA methodology is a structured approach that is able, in theory, to demonstrate that the NPPs protection strategies are sufficient. But in moving from theory to practice what is the gap? The ASAMPSA_E project, in a mid-term perspective, will contribute to the high quality of future European PSA developments, enable appropriate decision-making on NPPs safety enhancement, the long-term, safe operation of NPPS, and adequate protection of the public and environment.

International workshops The main events associated with this project are the international meetings that will be open to international experts (in addition to project partners) working on risk assessment from the nuclear industry or working on the occurrence of large-scale natural events.

Partners • Gesellschaft für Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit mbH, DE • AMEC NNC Limited, UK • Ricerca sul Sistema Energetico, IT • Scandpower, SE • Nuclear Research Institute Rez pl, CZ • Universität Wein, AT • Cazzoli Consulting, CH • Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, IT • Nuclear Research and consultancy Group, NL

• IBERDROLA Ingeniería y Construcción S.A.U, ES

• Electricité de France, Fr • Lietuvos energetikos institutes, LT • NUBIKI, HU • Forsmark kraftgrupp AB, SE • AREVA NP SAS France, FR • NCBJ Institute, PL • State Scientific and Technical Center for Nuclear and Radiation Safety, UA • VUJE, SK • NIER Ingegneria, IT • VGB PowerTech e.V., DE • TRACTEBEL ENGINEERING S.A., BE • BeL V, BE • Institut Jozef Stefan, SI

• Institute of nuclear research and nuclear energy – Bulgarian Academia of science, BG • Regia Autonoma Pentru Activatati Nucleare Droberta Tr. Severin RA Suc, RO • Technical University of Sofia – Research and Development Sector, BG • AREXIS S.A.R.L., FR • Japan Nuclear Safety Institute, JP** • United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, US** • Tokyo Electric Power Co., JP** ** Member of the External Expert Advisory Board (EEAB) on a voluntary basis with no funding by EC.

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CESAM The Fukushima accident in 2011 highlighted that both the in-depth understanding of such accident sequences and the development or improvement of adequate Severe Accident Management (SAM) measures are essential in order to further increase the safety of nuclear power plants that are currently operated worldwide. Therefore, the European reference code ASTEC must be improved for implementation in severe accident management analyses. This is the principal aim of the Code for European Severe Accident Management (CESAM) project.

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Coding for improved safety following Fukushima Code assessment ASTEC (Accident Source Term Evaluation Code) is a computer code for the simulation of relevant phenomena during a severe accident in the reactor of Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) and surrounding buildings as well as in the Spent Fuel Pool (SFP). The code was jointly developed by Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN) of France and Gesellschaft für Anlagen-und Reaktorsicherheif (GRS) in Germany. Within the CESAM project the various ASTEC modules (see Figure 1) for different parts of the NPP will be assessed and recommendations for improvement made. Based on these recommendations ASTEC models will be further enhanced and validated by the project partners. In addition, ASTEC will be coupled to environmental consequences tools and ASTEC reference datasets for the main generic types of NPPs in Europe: Pressurised Water Reactors (PWR), Boiling Water Reactors (BWR) and Canada Deuterium Uranium (CANDU) reactors. Based on these datasets plant analyses with a focus on possible improvements of SAM measures will be performed for a range of plant scenarios.

Model optimisation The project will have a total duration of four years and will comprise of four types of activities. Firstly scientific management of the code: that is implementation of models in the code and overall verification of the integration of the different models. This task will be exclusively performed by the ASTEC code developers, IRSN and GRS. Further the detailed specifications of new models will be elaborated or reviewed and knowledge of existing physical models will be shared. The code will be validated against available experiments and benchmarked by comparison with existing codes. Finally plant applications using ASTEC, including analysis of the efficiency or possible improvement of SAM measures taking into account the lessons drawn from the Fukushima accidents, will be developed and ASTEC “reference” input decks for typical European PWR and BWR and CANDU reactors will be produced. The process of optimising the implementation of models in the code will be undertaken by IRSN and GRS, while all project partners will contribute their knowledge of existing models and focus their efforts on modelling, validation and benchmarking processes.

Coordinator

Project details

Holger Nowack Gesellschaft für Anlagen-und Reaktorsicherheif Schwertnergasse 1 D-50667 Cologne Germany Tel. + 49 221 2068826 [email protected]

Project type // Collaborative Project Mykola Džubinský Project start date // 1.4.2013 European Commission Duration // 48 months Directorate-General for Research and Total budget // EUR 6 266 434 Innovation EC contribution // EUR 3 597 179 Directorate Energy Project website // www.cesam-fp7.eu Unit K.4 – Fission CDMA 01/58 B-1049 Brussels, Belgium [email protected]

EC project officer

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ASTEC_modules © IRSN (confirmed by Jean-Pierre Van Dorsselaere)

Enhanced SAM The ultimate aim of the project will be contributions and recommendations for the enhancement of SAMs in European NPPs based on better understanding of severe accident phenomena and especially phenomena relevant to the Fukushima experience. This will be achieved by enhancing ASTEC models for severe accident phenomena in general, and those relevant to the Fukushima accident in particular, and associated validation of the new models. The new ASTEC V2.1 will be applied to PWRs and CANDU reactors and will be applied for the first time to scenarios in BWRs. Lessons learned from the Fukushima accident will be fully integrated with respect to SAM. Scenarios will be calculated in all relevant reactor types currently in operation in Europe with regard to the applicability of existing SAM measures as well as an analysis of which additional accident management measures could be usefully implemented. The CESAM project will significantly advance ASTEC code development to deal with BWR scenarios. The creation of “reference” datasets will give users appropriate guidance on how to apply ASTEC to real plant analyses used for accident management. Plant analyses based on various plant scenarios and accounting for the lessons drawn from the Fukushima accidents will be performed and suggestions for possible improvements of SAM measures will be derived.

The CESAM project is designed to maintain Europe’s leading role in nuclear technology and safety by developing the required reference computation tools for critical safety assessments of Generation II and III NPPs and appropriate mitigation measures. The project will also provide “reference” ASTEC input decks for the main generic types of existing European NPPs (PWR, BWR, and CANDU) and for a generic spent fuel pool. This will provide a database for simulation of generic plant scenarios in European NPPs and help new ASTEC users to adapt these datasets to their specific needs for real plant analyses. A European approach is strongly required to achieve the expected impact. Links will be maintained with other European frameworks dealing with severe accidents that are conducted under the European Commission’s Euratom FP7. This will help to promote the European tool ASTEC to the world-wide severe accident community. Thus, European expertise on SAM measures and the understanding of severe accident scenarios, like those at the Fukushima plants, will be enhanced.

Education and dissemination The dissemination of project results will take place via periodic workshops that will be open to all ASTEC users including those not in the CESAM Consortium. A postgraduate education and training programme will be defined for ASTEC modelling or validation including secondment opportunities with project partners. Results will be published in international scientific journals and conferences and general project information is available on the project’s public website.

Partners • Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire, FR • Karlsruher Institut für Technologie, DE • Centro de Investigaciones Energeticas Medio Ambientales y Tecnologicas, ES • Agenzia Nazionale per le Nuove Tecnologie, l’Energia e lo Sviluppo Economico Sostenibile, IT • VUJE AS, SK • Inzinierska Vypoctova Spolocnost Trnava s.r.o, SK

• Lietuvos Energetikos Institutas, LT • NUBIKI Nuclear Safety Research Institute Ltd, HU • Universitaet Stuttgart, DE • Ruhr-Universitaet Bochum, DE • Institute of Nuclear Research and Nuclear Energy - Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, BG • Institut Jožef Stefan, SI • JRC -Joint Research Centre- European Commission, BE • Teknologian Tutkimuskekus VTT, FI

• AREVA NP SAS, FR • Paul Scherrer Institut, CH • Department of Atomic Energy, IN

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CHANDA The CHANDA project brings together the majority of the European nuclear data community, infrastructures and resources. The objective is to prepare the methodologies, detectors, facilities, interpretation and tools to produce and use nuclear data with the quality required to comply with the needs for the safety standards that are mandatory for present and future European nuclear reactors and other installations using radioactive materials. Significant technical, methodological and organizational challenges have previously prevented the achievement of this goal for a number of relevant isotopes and nuclear reactions and CHANDA will focus its effort on overcoming those challenges.

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A new era for nuclear data CHANDA includes 35 partners from 16 countries from the EU plus Switzerland and Norway and 17 of the most relevant facilities equipped to measure nuclear data. The project partners have been strongly involved in previous Euratom projects producing or using nuclear data and in international organizations dedicated to the compilation, validation and distribution of nuclear data (such as the OECD’s Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA/OECD) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)) and include most of the participants in FP7 nuclear data projects: ANDES, EUFRAT and ERINDA.

Access for all To help overcome present the challenges CHANDA will enable European scientists to access its partners’ facilities, and to build and operate new facilities (NFS@ GANIL and N_TOF Area_2@CERN) providing neutron fluxes that are orders of magnitude higher than those presently available. The project will develop new measurement detectors and methods; new evaluation and validation tools and will organize the community into appropriate networks, in particular for targets preparation, and will propose consortiums to better integrate these EU resources with the collaborative instruments setup for the Horizon 2020 programme and beyond. The project will cover the whole energy field for the needs of thermal and fast neutron reactors, as well as the high energy data (up to a few GeV) needed for the subcritical Accelerator Driven Systems (ADS). The tools will also take care of the preparation and utilization of more comprehensive uncertainties and correlation matrices for experimental and evaluated data.

Structure of CHANDA project © IRSNJ

Coordinator

Project details

Enrique M. Gonzalez-Romero Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT) Nuclear Fission Division Avenida Complutense, 40 28040 Madrid Spain Tel. +34 913 466120 Fax +34 913 466576 [email protected]

Project type // CP-CSA (Collaborative Roger Garbil project - Coordination and Support Action) European Commission Project start date // 1.12.2013 Directorate-General for Research and Duration // 48 months Innovation Total budget // EUR 9 327 166 Directorate G – Energy EC contribution // EUR 5 400 000 Unit G.4 – Fission CDMA 01/055 Project website // www.chanda-nd.eu B-1049 Brussels, Belgium [email protected]

EC project officer

Partners • Ansaldo Nucleare Spa, IT • United Kingdon Atomic Energy Authority, UK • Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique et aux

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Special attention will be taken to use research and the know-how developed in CHANDA for the education and training of young scientists and engineers. In addition the results will quickly and efficiently disseminated to the EU community of nuclear data users including through application in the MYRRHA project. Approximately EUR one million will be used to facilitate access to the existing facilities, for approximately 4000 hours of additional data acquisition via some 40 experiments. In addition, both new facilities, NFS@GANIL and N_TOF Area_2@ CERN, are expected to start commissioning in 2014 and to provide the first beam time for measurements before the end of the project. An improvement on the nominal flux of a factor 20 to 100 is expected for these new facilities compared to the most intense sources available today.

New methodologies The new methodologies will address most of the challenging data needs including: fission and capture cross sections for very radioactive and rare isotopes, detector setups for more complete characterization of elastic, inelastic and (n, xn) reactions, high efficiency and accurate decay data and fission yield measurements. These new methods, with the new evaluation, uncertainties and validation tools, should be available by the middle of the project and will be demonstrated. Particular attention will be taken for the application of the tools and new data for the safety analysis and design optimization of the MYRRHA prototype ADS and Generation IV reactor. During the first year of the project a new network coordinating target preparation and characterization will be setup, initially with EU partners but with the ambition to become global. The analysis of EU available capabilities and weakness in this field will orient the use of specifically reserved resources to improve the EU target preparation laboratories and to demonstrate their performance for specific samples relevant to other parts of CHANDA.

Effective organization CHANDA will also work to elaborate the most efficient long term organization for nuclear data R&D. The possibility to integrate in the European Energy Research Alliance (EERA) and other organizational HORIZON 2020 frameworks and the feasibility

Energies Alternatives, FR • European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN), CH • Centre de la Recherche Scientifique, FR • Agencia Estatal Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, ES • Agenzia Nazionale per le Nuove Tecnologie, l’Energia e lo Sviluppo Economico Sostenibile, IT • Grand Accelerateur National d’Ions Lourds (GANIL), FR • Helmolts-Zentrum Dresden – Rossendorf eV, DE • Institutul National de Cercetare – Dezvoltare Pentru Fizica si Inginerie

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to prepare for new instruments that coordinate national and EU nuclear data R&D will be studied. The objective will be to have a sustainable and comprehensive nuclear data R&D organization by the end of the project. The final contribution of CHANDA will be to provide more reliable and predictive nuclear data for already identified needs and the tools to improve the quality and predictability for other data as the need is identified in the future. The improved prediction capabilities will allow better estimations for the safety limits of present and future nuclear installations in normal operation and also in very low probability accident conditions. This best estimate modelling of facilities is one of the main trends for improving the overall safety of nuclear power and requires reliable data. Furthermore, the improved prediction capabilities will also allow optimization of the performance of existing nuclear installations, optimizing the designs for new reactor concepts, optimizing the number of demonstration facilities and experimental campaigns before new components or concepts can be safely deployed by the nuclear industry.

Data sharing In addition, by sharing the data with other fields like medicine and ecology, CHANDA will contribute to improving the quality of health, for example in radiotherapy, and in environment protection. Sharing data with fundamental nuclear and nuclear astrophysics R&D will also allow better understanding of the fundamental laws of nature and how the universe evolved. The continuous dissemination of nuclear data will be achieved through direct participation of CHANDA partners in relevant IAEA and NEA committees and participation in the principle international conferences and workshops related to the preparation or utilisation of nuclear data. CHANDA will also organize two international schools: EXTEND (European course on EXperiment, Theory and Evaluation of Nuclear Data) and one of the Nuclear Resonance Analysis schools, with special attention to promote and train young scientists in nuclear data R&D and to inform participants of significant progress achieved by CHANDA.

Nucleara “Horia Hu”, RO • Instituto Nazionale de Fisica Nucleare, IT • Associacao do Instituto Superior Tecnico para a Investigacao e Desenvolvimento, PT • JRC – Joint Research Centre – European Commission, BE • Institut Jozef Stefan, SI • Jyvaskylan Yliopisto, FI • Magyar Tudomanyos Akademia Energiatudomanyi Kutatokozpont, HU • National Nuclear laboratory Ltd., UK • Nuclear Physics Institute of the ASCR VVI, CZ • NPL Management Ltd., UK • Nuclear Research and Consultancy Group, NL • National Technical University of Athens, EL

• Paul Scherrer Institut, CH • Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt, DE • Studiecentrum voor Lernenergie, BE • Technische Universitaet Wien, AT • Universitatea din Bucuresti, RO • Johann Wolfgang Goethe Universitaet Frankfurt am Main, DE • Johannes Gutenberg Universitaet Mainz, DE • The University of Manchester, UK • Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya, ES • Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, ES • Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, ES • Uppsala Universitet, SE • Universitettet i Oslo, NO

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ESNII PLUS European Industrial Initiatives (EIIs) constitute key elements of the European Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET-Plan). They are industry-led programmes with the aim of boosting research and innovation and accelerating deployment of the selected low-carbon energy technologies. The European Sustainable Nuclear Industrial Initiative (ESNII) has been set up under the umbrella of the Sustainable Nuclear Energy Technology Platform (SNETP): an organisation launched in 2007 and bringing together over 100 stakeholders involved in nuclear fission including industry, research organisations, academia, safety authorities, Non-Governmental Organisations and associations.

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Sustaining safe fast reactor technologies Coordination and cooperation The aim of this cross-cutting project is to develop a broad strategic approach to advanced fission systems in Europe in support of the European Sustainable Industrial Initiative (ESNII) within the SET-Plan. The project aims to prepare the organisational and deployment strategy of ESNII and to ensure efficient European coordinated research on reactor safety for the next generation of nuclear installations. The project will involve public and private stakeholders, including industry, research organisations, and Technical Safety Organisations, and will foster international collaboration. Enhanced coordination and cooperation among all main actors involved in Generation-IV Fast Neutron Reactor technologies will be the main results expected from the project.

Joint programming ESNII Plus is effectively a preparatory phase project supporting the implementation of the SET-Plan ESNII industrial fission initiative and will elaborate coordinated activities in order to consolidate at European level research, development and demonstration initiatives on advanced fission reactor safety. This will prepare ESNII for the challenges that lie ahead in the 2014-2020 agenda. These coordinated activities should foster pan-European joint programming activities and their implementation: organisational, financial, road-mapping, capacity building and associated industrial planning activities will be a relevant part of the project. Further cross-cutting joint research activities on a spectrum of safety topics are nevertheless at the core of the project including: core and fuel safety, seismic studies, and instrumentation for safety, industrial perspectives and support to the development of facilities. The project will also contribute to the development of a large and effective network through dissemination of research results on Fast Neutron Reactors thanks to a significant Education and Training work package, identification of needs and the drafting of a related strategic plan for the 2014-2020 period and after.

Strategic alignment The ESNII Plus project aims to make progress in a number of technical areas including: core safety, fuel safety, seismic studies, instrumentation for safety and industrial perspectives. It will develop strategic orientations for the future

Coordinator

Project details

EC project officer

Alfredo Vasile CEA DEN Cadarache DER Bldg. 1222 13108 St Paul Lez Durance France Tel. +33 442 254593 [email protected]

Project type // Collaborative project / Coordination and Support Action Action (CSA-CA) Project start date // 1.9.2013 Duration // 48 months Total budget // EUR 10 346 993 EC contribution // EUR 6 455 000 Project website // www.esnii.eu

Roger Garbil European Commission Directorate-General for Research & Innovation Directorate G – Energy Unit G.4 – Fission CDMA 01/055 B-1049 Brussels, Belgium [email protected]

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SFR prototype ASTRID

flexible fast spectrum research reactor MYRRHA

LFR demonstrator ALFRED

GFR demonstrator ALLEGRO

ESNII Implementation plan © LGI Consulting

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2010-2012 Pre-conceptual studies

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2013 – 2019 design 2020-2025 construction

2025 - operation / coupling to the grid

2010 - design 2014 - construction 2020 - operation Pre-conceptual studies 2014 - design

Pre-conceptual studies

2020 - construction

2018 - design

aer 2025 operation

2023 - construction

2028 operation

Supporting infrastructures, research facilities - loops, testing and facilitation benching, irradiation facilities, including fast spectrum facilities (Myrrha) and fuel manufacturing facilities

of ESNII and foster the preparation of joint programming research activities by involving all relevant stakeholders. ESNII Plus will provide a base of proposals in support of ESNII over the period 2014-2020 and for the longer term. Participation of the key ESNII players in this project should ensure further strategic alignment between stakeholders to foster joint road-mapping of activities and bring together research communities. ESNII Plus will promote a better coordination between national programmes and promote sharing of knowledge within the ESNII community. The project will identify common industrial and market perspectives for ESNII projects and ESNII Plus will contribute to building a long-term common vision which can facilitate fast reactor deployment. Finally the project will develop an ESNII label and promote nuclear safety culture at EU level towards a wide audience including through education and training activities.

Societal impact Nuclear power plays a key role in helping to limit EU Green House Gases emissions, and makes an important contribution to improving the European Union’s independence, security and diversity of energy supply. Its social acceptance is closely linked

to enhanced reactor safety management and to safe management of long-lived radioactive waste. This in turn contributes to resource efficiency, cost-effectiveness and ensuring a robust and socially acceptable system of protection for the human population and the environment against the effects of ionising radiation. Research activities of the project aim to enhance the safety of the next generation of reactors. The long-term impact of the project on European competitiveness and an analysis of the commonalities in the supply chain for fast reactor systems will be realised. The common potential of fast reactors for novel applications such as small and modular reactors (SMR) and nuclear cogeneration of heat and power will also be studied.

Conferences and workshops Two international conferences will be organized within the frame of the project. These conferences will present results of the research and development work packages of ESNII Plus, other ESNII initiatives, and closely related FP7 projects together with the activities of SNETP. A status update of the ASTRID, MYRRHA, ALFRED and ALLEGRO reactor concepts will be shared with all the partners involved. The project will also organise workshops and dissemination activities undertaken through participation at international conferences on reactor safety and next generation nuclear reactors.

Partners • Amec Nuclear UK Limited, UK • Ansaldo Nucleare S.P.A., IT • Areva NP SAS, FR • Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnologicas, ES • Consorzio Interuniversitario Nazionale per la Ricerca Tecnologica Nucleare, IT • Electricité de France, FR • Empresarios Agrupados Internacional, S.A, ES • Agenzia Nazionale per le nuove tecnologie, l’energie e lo sviluppo economico sostenible, IT • Gesellschaft für Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit, DE • Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf Ev, DE

• Regia Autonoma Pentru Activitati Nucleare Drobeta TR Severin ra Sucursala Cercetari Nu-cleare Pitesti, RO • Joint Research Centre- European Commission, BE • Karlsruher Institut für Technologie, DE • Royal Institute of Technology, SE • LGI Consulting, FR • Magyar Tudomanyos Akademia Energiatudomanyi Kutatokozpont, HU • Narodowe Centrum Badan Jadrowych, PL • National Nuclear Laboratory Limited, UK • Nuclear Research and Consultancy Group, NL • Numeria Consulting S.R.L., IT • Nuvia Travaux Speciaux, FR

• Paul Scherrer Institut, CH • Ricerca Sul Sistema Energetico - RSE Spa, IT • Studiecentrum voor Kernenergie – Centre d’étude de l’Energie Nucléaire, BE • Sintec S.r.l., IT • Tractebel Engineering S.A., BE • Technische Universiteit Delft, NL • ÚJV Řež, a.s. CZ • Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, ES • Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, ES • VUJE a.s., SK • Latvijas Universitātes Fizikas institūts, LV • Chalmers Tekniska Hoegskola, SE • Università degli Studi di Roma “La Sapienza”, IT

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MAXSIMA The MYRRHA (Multi-Purpose Hybrid Research Reactor for High-Tech Applications) project is a large research infrastructure that will operate as a sub-critical accelerator driven system (ADS) and as a critical heavy liquid metal (HLM) cooled reactor to enable the deployment of fast neutron reactor technologies with the highest safety standards and performance. In addition MYRRHA will demonstrate the feasibility of ADS to provide dedicated sub-critical transmuter systems and a fast spectrum large research facility for irradiation tests of advanced fuel, structural materials, minor actinide transmutation experiments and medical isotope production. The MAXSIMA (Methodology, Analyses and eXperiments for the “Safety In MYRRHA” Assessment) project supports the future development and licensing of MYRRHA.

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Boosting the safety case for MYRRHA Safety focus In previous framework programmes, design work and research for the development of HLM cooled nuclear systems and the ADS prototype MYRRHA have been performed. The MAXSIMA consortium includes the main actors from these previous projects, complimented with additional expert partners. MAXSIMA will progress work to study the safe operation of the MYRRHA design including safety analyses, the safety of fuel, core components and cooling systems. The project will use a synergetic combination of theoretical, numerical and experimental analyses. The focus is on safety aspects that go beyond normal operation so that the design is aided to improve safe operation and maintain protection of the general public even in the case of a severe accident.

Analyses and Experiments MAXSIMA has five technical work-packages. The first involves work on safety analyses to support licensing of MYRRHA. Design-based, design extended and severe accident events will be studied with a focus on transients that could potentially lead to fuel pin failures. Fuel assembly blockage and control system failure are the most likely events leading to core damage. For code validation a thermal-hydraulic study of different blockage scenarios of the fuel bundle and tests of the hydrodynamic behaviour of a new buoyancy driven control/safety system are planned. Both these activities are supported by numerical simulations. The safety of the Steam Generator (SG) is treated by looking at consequences and damage propagation of a SG Tube Rupture event (SGTR) and by characterising leak rates and bubble sizes from typical cracks in a SGTR. In addition a leak detection system and the drag on bubbles travelling through liquid lead-bismuth eutectic (LBE) are to be studied. Mixed oxide (MOX) fuel segment qualification with transient irradiations will represent a big step towards licensing. MAXSIMA will include validation experiments for safety computer codes involving core damage scenarios with high temperature MOX-LBE interactions. Fuel-coolant-clad chemistry will be studied up to 1700°C and a core melt experiment in a reactor prepared to assess the interaction of LBE with molten fuel. Development of enhanced passive safety systems for decay heat removal and on confinement analyses for HLM systems will be progressed. A separate work package is dedicated to education and training. As well as workshops, lecture series and training sessions, virtual-safety simulator software will be developed.

Coordinator

Project details

EC project officer

Marc Schyns SCK•CEN Boeretang 200 B – 2400 Mol Belgium Tel. +32 14 333441 [email protected]

Project type // Collaborative Project Project start date // 1.11.2012 Duration // 72 months Total budget // EUR 10 087 542 EC contribution // EUR 5 500 000 Project website // http://maxsima.sckcen.be

Dr. Mykola Džubinský European Commission DG Research & Innovation K4 CDMA 01/058 B-1049 Brussels, Belgium Tel. +32 229 94225 [email protected]

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Characterization for design and licensing All the research topics will have a direct impact on the safety assessment of MYRRHA. The detailed neutronic characterization will supply an important envelope for safety studies. From the results passive safety systems will be proposed to reach a conceptual design of the systems and then proceed to a more detailed and verified design to be tested for the different main references of the European Union’s Lead-cooled Fast Reactor roadmap. A detailed evaluation of source terms, as well as a containment analysis using the most advanced tools available, for the reference transients that will be identified is also a major outcome of the MAXSIMA project.

I n s t a l l a t i o n

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[nuclear] reactors (Generation II and III) combined with the implementation of solutions for waste management’ and the objective for 2050 ‘to demonstrate the long term sustainability of fission Generation IV technologies’. Clearly nuclear fission can be part of a sustainable energy mix provided that due attention is given to safety aspects and waste issues.

The results of the MAXSIMA will be used as input for the MYRRHA Front EndEngineering Design (FEED), the Preliminary Safety Assessment Report (PSAR), and the MYRRHA Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR). Due to the International European scientific basis of the MAXSIMA project and the open nature of the project’s knowledge dissemination activities, the results of MAXSIMA can be considered as neutral, high level safety information.

In addition after the Fukushima-accident a number of lessons need to be learned for current and future reactors and the experience will be incorporated in the new designs through the principles of “safety by design” and “defence-in-depth”. Generation IV systems, in particular the heavy liquid metalcooled designs show promising features in this direction by combining improved passive safety with a better fuel sustainability: using fuel more efficiently while producing less waste. However, the claimed advantages in terms of safety need to be demonstrated before any steps towards the deployment of these reactors can be taken. By investigating the safe behaviour of the fuel and the coolant in MYRRHA for heavy liquid metal cooled reactor, the MAXSIMA project directly addresses these issues.

Addressing issues

Workshops and lectures

Continuous energy supply is one of the critical challenge society faces. The SET-Plan proposed by the European Commission to tackle this issue includes the specific goal towards 2020 to ‘maintain the competitiveness of current

The MAXSIMA project will (co-)organise two workshops and a lecture series that will be open to all stakeholders. At the end of the project, the results will be presented to the Sustainable Nuclear Energy Technology Platform (SNE-TP) network.

Partners • Agenzia Nazionale per le nuove tecnologie, l’energia e lo sviluppo economico sostenibile, IT • Karlsruher Institut fuer Technologie, DE • Ansaldo Nucleare S.p.a., IT • Gesellschaft für Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit MBH, DE • Nuclear Research and consultancy Group, NL • Centro di Ricerca, Sviluppo e Studi Superiori in Sardegna, IT

• Kungliga Tekniska Hoegskolan, SE • Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf EV, DE • Regia Autonoma Pentru Activitati Nucleare Drobeta Tr. Severin Ra Sucursala Cercetari Nucleare Pitesti, RO • Chalmers Tekniska Hoegskola AB, SE • National Nuclear Centre, KZ • Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológocas, ES

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NC21-R Nuclear cogeneration is a concept to use nuclear reactors for both electricity production and delivery of heat for industrial or residential customers. Using a nuclear reactor in cogeneration mode may double its efficiency thus allowing huge savings in fossil fuel consumption (and CO2 emissions) related to heating.

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Turning the heat up on Cogeneration Nuclear cogeneration has not been used widely so far due to various reasons. One of the reasons was a lack of a suitable reactor type that could provide high temperature steam (with parameters comparable to those found in fossil – fired plants) and at the same time be sufficiently small to fit the requirements of potential customers. Such reactor designs, called High Temperature Reactor (HTR), exist and have been built in several countries, but need to be commercialized. The main aim of the NC2I-R project is to assemble a group of European entities that are able to launch a joint programme resulting in the construction of a commercial prototype (demonstrator) of a cogeneration plant. The consortium created for the project fits this task as it is composed of 21 partners from various areas including: science, nuclear technology and industry.

Plant plans There are several areas that need to be addressed before the demonstrator programme can be launched. First the safety of a cogeneration plant has to be considered. So far, no major obstacles have been observed, but a survey has been undertaken to gather European experience in this field. Then the operational and economic experience of existing nuclear cogeneration facilities must be gathered and a specific site and industrial partner (heat consumer) has to be found. For this reason, a review of potential European industrial sites has been undertaken. Finally the appropriate organisational, legal and financial structure of the demonstrator programme has to be found. A study on this topic has also been launched.

Knowledge and experience The NC2I-R project will gather together European knowledge and experience in HTR and cogeneration technology, including that acquired in past and recent Euratom programmes (such as EUROPAIRS and ARCHER). The results will include numerous fields and, as a result, current European position in the above mentioned technologies will be clearly known and quantified. The results should allow the launch of a joint programme to build the nuclear cogeneration demonstrator. The demonstrator programme will need numerous preliminary data on technology, site criteria, legal, organisational and business model prior to its full launch and these data will be provided by NC2I-R. The most significant result, however, will be the establishment of a working structure with the necessary industrial, research and business partners committed to joint action to achieve the envisaged demonstrator programme.

Coordinator

Project details

EC project officer

Tomasz Jackowski Narodowe Centrum Badan Jadrowych A. Soltana 7, 05-400 Otwock Poland Tel. +48 22 7180101 [email protected]

Project type // Coordination and Support Action Coordinating (CSA-CA) Project start date // 1.10.2013 Duration // 24 months Total budget // EUR 2 503 216 EC contribution // EUR 1 834 990

Panagiotis Manolatos European Commission Directorate-General for Research & Innovation Directorate G – Energy Unit G.4 – Fission CDMA 01/053 B-1049 Brussels, Belgium [email protected]

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ELECTRICITY, with efficiency up to 42%

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DISTRICT HEATING

High Temperature Reactor (HTR) in cogenaration mode

HEAT, with steam temperatures up to 550°

HYDROGEN, through steam methane reforming (currently possible) or by water splitting (future)

POWER RANGE up to several hundred megawatts

Possible uses for energy from nuclear reactor working in cogeneration © NCBJ

Reduced emissions

Workshops

Nuclear cogeneration has a huge potential for reducing greenhouse emissions and European dependence on imported fossil fuels. The type of nuclear reactor most suitable for this task, i.e. a high temperature reactor of medium or small size, has been technically demonstrated in the past as a working solution. Europe also has a significant knowledge of the technology in this field.

Several workshops are to be organised throughout the project and a major conference will be held towards the end.

The most important obstacle to the realisation of a demonstrator is, however, the long time necessary for commercialization of the product, which makes other cogeneration solutions more attractive in the short term. A joint programme in this field would be able to overcome this obstacle and move the technology from the research and development field to commercial product level where it could offer benefits for European industry suffering problems with high energy prices.

Partners • Joint Research Centre – European Commission, BE • Nuclear Research and Consultancy Group, NL • Technische Universitaet Dresden, DE • Areva Gmbh, DE • Institut de Radioprotection et de Surete Nucleaire, FR • E.ON. Kernkraft GmbH, DE • Fortum Power and Heat Oy., FI • Prochem S.A., PL

• LGI Consulting, FR • Akademia Gorniczo Hutnicza im. S. Staszicaw Krakowie, PL • Lietuvos Energetikas Institutas, LT • Noordwes-Universiteit, SA • VUJE AS, SK • Budapesti Muszaki es dazdasagtudomanyi Egyetem, HU • TUV Rheinland Industrie Service GmbH, DE • AMEC Nuclear UK Limited, UK

• Areva NP SAS, FR • Politechnika Warszawska, PL • Centrum Vyzkumu REZ S.R.O., CZ • Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH, DE

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NUGENIA PLUS The objective of the NUGENIA+ project is to support the NUGENIA Association (Nuclear Generation II and III Association) in its role to coordinate and integrate European research on safety for Generation II and III nuclear installations and ensure their safe long-term operation. NUGENIA+ will integrate private and public efforts and initiate international collaboration that will create added value in its areas of activity.

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Getting the best out of NUGENIA R&D High quality R&D management The NUGENIA+ partners have a long tradition of working together in European Commission projects and expert networks. Distribution of tasks in the project will be based on the area of expertise, previous experience and involvement of the individual partners in NUGENIA Association activities. The NUGENIA+ project will count on the NUGENIA Association for its built-in principles and organisation. The project will establish an efficient, transparent and high quality management structure to carry out the planning and management of research and development (R&D). This includes project calls, proposal evaluation, project follow-up and dissemination and valorisation of R&D results in the area of safety of existing Generation II and future Generation III nuclear installations. The NUGENIA+ project will benefit from the experience of the NUGENIA Association member organisations in managing national research programmes and from the track record of the NUGENIA project portfolio.

Coordination and a call The project essentially consists of two parts: the first part being a Coordination and Support Action and the second part a Collaborative Project. The aim of the Coordination and Support Action is to establish an efficient, transparent and high quality management structure to carry out the planning and management of R&D within NUGENIA. This includes project calls, proposal evaluation, project follow-up and dissemination and valorisation of R&D results in the area of safety of Generation II and III nuclear installations. The preparatory work will encompass governance, organizational, legal and financial work, as well as the establishment of annual work plans. The aim is to structure public-public and/or private-public joint programming that enables NUGENIA to develop as the integrator of Generation II and III research across Europe. In the Collaborative Project one thematic call for research proposals will be organized among the eight technical areas of the NUGENIA R&D roadmap. This will be launched one year after the start of the project. The call will implement the priorities recognised in the NUGENIA Roadmap, in line with the Sustainable Nuclear Energy Technology Platform (SNETP) and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) strategies. The research call will be open to all eligible organisations.

Coordinator

Project details

Eija Karita Puska VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland P.O.B 1000 FI-02044 VTT Finland Tel. +358 40 5858120 Fax +358 20 7225000 [email protected]

Project type // Combined Collaborative Panagiotis Manolatos Project and Coordination and Support Action European Commission Project start date // 1.9.2013 DG Research & Innovation Duration // 36 months Directorate Energy (Euratom) Total budget // EUR 9 735 631 Unit K.4 EC contribution // EUR 6 000 000 CDMA 1/53 Project website // www.nugenia.org B-1049 Brussels, Belgium [email protected]

EC project officer

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Public and political impact Increased safety through coordinated research between Member States in plant life management and prevention and mitigation of severe accidents is ensured by the NUGENIA project portfolio of existing and new projects that will be monitored in the NUGENIA+ project.

View from the project kick-off meeting in Helsinki, October 2013 © Eija Karita Puska

A one-stop shop The project includes forty separate deliverables that can be classified as deliverables creating the strategy and structure including legal actions, identification of possible means of co-operation between national programmes, and identification of existing and new funding sources and mechanisms. Identification and actions related to critical infrastructures and skills, updating R&D roadmaps and priorities as well as actions related with monitoring and valorising the entire NUGENIA project portfolio serve the strategy purpose as well. The proof-of-concept deliverables validating the created structure include all actions related to the research project call (definition of call contents, call publication and evaluation process, follow-up and feedback). The most important deliverables related to communication and dissemination with, and to, the professional community and the general public are the open stakeholder seminar, the NUGENIA school and the joint political and civil society advisory group. The administrative deliverables include the project’s public and internal web pages, project management and quality manual, periodic and final reports and the report of the project external review.

The NUGENIA R&D roadmap for the various technical areas has recognised a number of research priorities. Project calls and analyses of national programmes on Generation II and III reactor safety that identify research themes in common and/or complementing each other will enhance the development of common strategies and harmonisation in plant safety at European level. The NUGENIA Association has a growing membership and already includes over 80 organisations. Its consolidated roadmap with research priorities and an open innovation process enhances the attractiveness and visibility of European research in this field. This, in turn, promotes European safety culture worldwide. Proactive training and dissemination activities in the project include an open stakeholder seminar to enhance visibility in the professional community. In particular a joint political and civil society advisory group will be established to enhance the interaction and visibility of nuclear safety with and in society.

Annual forum The kick-off meeting of the project was organised in October 2013 in Helsinki, Finland. The most important public presentations of the NUGENIA+ project include the annual NUGENIA Forum, the next one being held in April 2014 in Madrid, Spain, and the public NUGENIA+ stakeholder seminar scheduled to take place 18 months from the start of the project. Olkiluoto 3 EPR and one of the two Gen 2 BWRs at the site © Eija Karita Puska

By the end of the NUGENIA+ project the NUGENIA Association will be ready to act as the key player for HORIZON 2020 and beyond in Generation II and III reactor safety. This will offer the ability to leverage more research per Euro spent via united and synchronised efforts and projects in individual or national R&D programmes. It will also create results that create and confirm consensus on technical issues. It also offers possibilities for validation and benchmarking that ensure continuous improvement. In short via NUGENIA+ the NUGENIA Association should become a one-stop shop for Generation II and III R&D in reactor safety.

Partners • NUGENIA-Nuclear Generation II & III Association AISBL, BE • AMEC Nuclear UK Limited, UK • AREVA NP SAS, FR • AREVA GMBH, DE • Commissariat a l’Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives, FR • Electricitie de France S.A., FR • E.ON Kernkraft GmbH, DE • Institut de Radioprotection et de Surete

Nucleaire, FR • JRC –Joint Research Centre- European Commission, BE • LGI Consulting, FR • National Nuclear Laboratory Limited, UK • Studiescentrum voor Kernenergie, BE • UJV REZ, a.s., CZ • Vattenfall AB, SE • Karlsruher Institut fuer Technologie, DE • CEZ a.s., CZ

• Teollisuuden Voima OYJ, FI

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NURESAFE The NURESAFE project aims to develop a software platform for the simulation of accidental transients in light water reactors. This platform is based on the NURESIM platform created during the eponymous project in FP6 and extended during the NURISP FP7 project.

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Advanced simulation for increased safety Safety simulation The first objective of NURESAFE is to deliver a reliable up-to-date software capacity for safety analysis needs and to further improve the safety culture of the nuclear industry by developing a high level of expertise in the proper use of the most recent and most advanced simulation tools. This software capacity will be based on the NURESIM European simulation platform. The NURESIM platform (created and developed during the earlier NURESIM FP6 project and NURISP FP7 project) was conceived as a joint European effort to develop an integrated software platform with common functions, which allows multi-scale and multi-physics calculations to be undertaken in a user friendly environment. This platform is supported by a united European team of experts coming from 23 European research institutes, universities or from within the nuclear industry. CORE SIMULATORS

SYSTEM SIMULATORS THERMALHYDRAULICS

NEUTRONICS COBAYA3

TRIO_U

C TF XS Production

APOLLO2

CRONOS2

FUEL

CATHARE

DRACCAR

SCANAIR

FLICA4

NEPTUNE TRIPOLI4

DYN3D

ATHLET

FRAPCON

TransAT

URANIE: Uncertainties quantification, sensitivity, model calibration Integrated into SALOME // 30.04.2012 Integration into SALOME planned // 2013-2015

Coupling applications

Integration into SALOME not needed

The NURESIM platform and codes © Nuresafe consortium

Coordinator

Project details

EC project officer

Bruno Chanaron CEA Saclay Center Route Nationale 91400 Gif-sur-Yvette France Tel. +33 1 69085704 [email protected]

Project type // Collaborative Project Project start date // 1.1.2013 Duration // 36 months Total budget // EUR 9 421 440 EC contribution // EUR 5 599 999 Project website // www.nuresim.eu

Panagiotis Manolatos European Commission Directorate-General for Research Directorate Energy (Euratom) Unit J.2 – Fission CDMA B-1049 Brussels, Belgium [email protected]

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Safety relevant parameters In order to predict safety-relevant parameters with more accuracy and more reliability, individual models, solutions and codes are dynamically coupled into common simulation schemes including the different physics of the problem. The schemes will be run and validated through modeling “situation targets” corresponding to nuclear reactor situations and including reference calculations, experiments, and plant data. As safety analysis is the main issue within the project, all these situation targets consist of accident scenarios. These challenging “situation targets” have been selected with respect to their potential for two-way coupling. Fully integrated, industry-like applications will be delivered to end-users to perform reactor safety analysis, and to support flexible operation and design optimization. The situation targets cover five areas: Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR – including Russian VVER designs) main steam line break (MSLB); Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) anticipated transient without scram (ATWS); Lost of coolant accident (LOCA) in a PWR; Pressurized thermal shock in a PWR; and BWR thermal hydraulics issues. Situation targets will be carried out by taking into consideration coupling between several physics and scales, including system thermal hydraulics, local thermal hydraulics (through computational fluid dynamics - CFD), neutronics, subchannel thermal hydraulics and fuel thermo mechanics, to predict with higher fidelity the key safety parameters. The analysis will also include uncertainty quantification. All software developments will be integrated into a simulation framework: the SALOME open-source software that provides generic tools for data processing, supervision and coupling of codes.

More accurate assessments The MSLB transient analysis will provide more accurate assessment of margins between predicted key parameters and safety criteria. The outcome of the transient simulation will be evaluated with respect to two phenomena: local re-criticality and maximum reactor power level. The BWR ATWS analysis framework featuring coupled simulations will combine system thermal-hydraulics, 3D neutronics, thermo-mechanic evaluation of fuel safety parameters, and uncertainty evaluation.

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The outcome of the transient simulation will be evaluated with respect to power level, maximum temperature in suppression pool, the margin of safety limits (mostly fuel) based on systematic uncertainty evaluation, and stationary power level given a certain water level (Chexal-Layman correlation). Concerning core thermo hydraulics, new versions of the CFD platform codes NEPTUNE_CFD, TransAT and TRIO_U will be delivered including the most advanced numerical simulation features and the associated modeling approaches for the physics relevant to both PWR and BWR. New benchmark data bases for fundamental and applied problems will be developed. Multi-scale thermal hydraulic analyses of critical heat flux will be continued with advanced system codes including two-phase CFD codes. An extensive validation of the NURESIM TH codes including many data sources and uncertainty methods for system and CFD codes will be applied and further developed.

Better knowledge for design and safety NURESAFE offers all European nuclear stakeholders an advanced, well proven capacity for modeling normal operation and accidental transients in reactors (PWR including VVER and BWR). This capacity hinges on a more accurate representation of the core physics, thermal-hydraulics and fuel thermomechanics in a standard environment for easy multi-physics and multi-scale simulation and uncertainty analysis. The use of standardized tools for pre and post-processing and coupling makes interoperability and comparisons between codes easier and provides a capacity for connection of external codes. This facilitates benchmarking and sharing of good practices. In addition, higher fidelity deterministic and statistical methods and tools for uncertainty quantification provide a better knowledge of constraints and safety margins. Both organizations involved with safety analysis and those in charge of core design optimization can benefit from this better knowledge.

Seminars Two open NURESAFE seminars will be held: one in mid-2014 and the second by the end of the project in late 2015.

Partners • Electricité de France S.A., FR • Helmholtz-zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf e.V., DE • Gesellschaft für Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit, DE • Karlsruher Institut für Technologie, DE • Paul Scherrer Institut, CH • ASCOMP GmbH, CH • AREVA NP SAS, FR • Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan, SE

• Università di Pisa, IT • Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, ES • Université Catholique de Louvain, BE • Jožef Stefan Institute, SI • Teknologian Tutkimuskeskus VTT, FI • Lappeenrannan Teknillinen Yliopisto, FI • Institute of Nuclear Research and Nuclear Energy – Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, BG • Ustav Jaderneho Vyzkumu Rez A.S., CZ • KFKI-AEKI Atomic Energy Research

Institute, HU • Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, UK • Institut de Radioprotection et Sûreté Nucléaire, FR • LGI Consulting, FR • Narodowe Centrum Badan Jadrowych, PL • Agenzia Nazionale per le Nuove Tecnologie, L’Energia e lo Sviluppo Economico Sostenibile, IT

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PASSAM PASSAM is a four year project coordinated by Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN) in France and involving nine partners from six countries. The project partners have extensive experience in the study of severe accidents. The focus of the PASSAM project is on mitigation systems in the case of severe accidents in order to ensure reduced radioactive atmospheric releases to the environment.

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Working together for improved mitigation Filter focus The PASSAM partners come from diverse types of organizations including technical safety organizations, applied research, fundamental academic research and utilities or industry. They have strong experience and knowledge of severe accidents, including atmospheric source term mitigation and, more specifically, Filtered Containment Venting Systems (FCVS). The distribution of work within the project takes into account complementary existing facilities and the precise domains of excellence of each partner. The main outputs of the project will be an estimation of the order of magnitude for source term reduction for each filtration system studied and suggestions for improved filtration systems; a relevant extension of the current database on existing or innovative mitigation systems; and a deeper understanding of the phenomena underlying their performance and models or correlations that allow modelling of the systems in accident analysis codes.

Reducing releases The focus of the project is on mitigation systems in case of a severe accident, mainly on FCVS intended for reducing potential radioactive atmospheric releases to the environment. In the case of a severe accident in a Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) fission products released from the degraded fuel might reach the environment if the containment building is damaged and/or bypassed. Clearly this potential for release must be minimised as much as possible and current systems reviewed in the light of the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi NPP in 2011. The project will explore the potential enhancement of existing source term mitigation devices, and demonstrate the ability of innovative systems to achieve even larger source term attenuation (i.e. reduced release of radioactivity). Initially a state-of-the-art report on mitigation systems used (pool scrubbing; sand filters plus metallic pre-filters), or potentially usable (agglomerators to be mounted upstream of a filtration system; electrostatic precipitators; improved zeolites; and the combination of several systems) for source term mitigation of severe accidents has been prepared. From this report knowledge gaps have been identified and a programme of tests has been defined for each type of system to be experimentally studied. The conditions to be tested will be those anticipated in relevant severe accident scenarios under which systems performance is presently

Coordinator

Project details

EC project officer

Thierry ALBIOL IRSN/PSN-RES/SEREX - Bldg 328 Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire Cadarache - BP 3 13115 St. Paul Lez Durance Cedex France Tel. +33 4 42199794 [email protected]

Project type // Collaborative project Project start date // 1.1.2013 Duration // 48 months Total budget // EUR 5 110 000 EC contribution // EUR 3 600 000 Project website // www.gforge.irsn.fr/gf/ project/passam/

Panagiotis Manolatos European Commission Directorate-General for Research Directorate Energy (Euratom) Unit J.2 – Fission CDMA 01/053 B-1049 Brussels, Belgium [email protected]

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unknown or not sufficiently known. These include degraded conditions of operation; efficiency regarding other potential source term compositions than those originally considered (i.e. beyond aerosols and inorganic iodine); and long-term behaviour of the trapped elements.

Safer technologies The results of the project will allow development of improved source term mitigation methods, and their application to NPPs to minimize the emission of radioactivity to the environment in the case of a severe accident. The participation of industrial partners and the publication of the results outside of the project consortium will allow efficient application of the results for development of safer advanced mitigation technologies. The understanding of major retention phenomena, for each type of mitigation system studied in PASSAM, will lead to the determination of correlations and models. Once implemented in accident analysis codes, these models should enhance capability for simulating severe accident scenarios and consequently developing improved management guidelines. Many of the documents to be produced by PASSAM, including the final synthesis report will be public documents and the results will also be disseminated via scientific papers and presentations at conferences and at two dedicated public project workshops. January 2013

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Enhanced mitigation The project’s outcomes will constitute a valuable database which will provide strategic impact in terms of encouraging manufacturers to develop new enhanced FCVS, and helping the utility companies with decisions to implement and/or enhance mitigation systems on their reactors and the overall enhancement of their severe accident management strategies. The outcomes will be also of direct interest for National Safety Authorities and their Technical Support Organisations in their respective roles and in their links with the manufacturers and utilities.

Workshops Two open workshops will be organised during the project, mainly targeting R&D organizations, National Safety Authorities and their Technical Support Organizations, the utilities and manufacturers/vendors. One workshop presented the “stateof-the-art report” and the envisaged test programme on 26 February 2014 in Madrid, Spain. The second workshop will take place at the end of the project (December 2016) to present its major outcomes.

PASSAM partnership and PASSAM work-packages: planning and links © IRSN – Thierry Albiol December 2016

Month 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 WP1 Scientific coordination, administration management, financial management, quality management: all along the project management MANAG WP2 THEOR

State of the art report

WP2.2 MODEL WP3 EXIST WP3.1 POOL

Exp test matrix for all systems

WP2.1 SOAR

Exp set-up and first tests Exp set-up and first tests

WP3.2 SAND

In-depth analysis of experimental results and modeling experimental results

experimental results

experimental results

Experiments on pool scrubbing systems Experiments on sand bed filters pluys pre-metalic filters

WP4 INNOV WP4.1 ACOU WP4.2 SPRAY WP4.3 ELEC WP4.4 ZEOL WP4.5 COMB WP5 DKS WP5.1 DISK WP5.2 SYNTH

Exp set-up and first tests Exp set-up and first tests Exp set-up and first tests Exp set-up and first tests Exp set-up and first tests

WEB site launch

Organisation of 1st Workshop

Partners • Centro de Investigaciones Energeticas Medio Ambientales y Tecnologicas, ES • Agencia Estatal Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, ES • Electricité de France, FR • Paul Scherrer Institut, CH • Ricerca sul Sistema Energetico - RSE SpA, IT • VTT Technical Research Centre, FI • AREVA GmBH, DE • Université de Lorraine, FR

Experiments on acoustic agglomeration systems Experiments on spray agglomeration systems Experiments on electric filtration systems Experiments on improved zeolite filtration systems Experiments on combined filtration systems

Education and training programme and publication of papers

Organisation of final Workshop Synthesis report of the project

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SAFEST The objective of the Severe Accident Facilities for European Safety Targets (SAFEST) project is to undertake joint experimental research to provide solutions for stabilisation of severe accidents and rapid termination of the consequences of such accidents for current GEN II and III nuclear plants. The knowledge obtained in SAFEST will lead to improved severe accident management measures, which are essential for continuing reactor safety.

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Unique Facilities For Severe Accident Research Understanding core behaviour A severe accident with core meltdown is a severe threat to the containment integrity of a nuclear plant. As Chernobyl and Fukushima accidents demonstrate, significant release of radioactive products into the environment can have severe consequences both for people’s health and a country’s economy. Severe accidents are the focus of considerable research involving substantial human and financial resources worldwide. The research field encompasses many challenging phenomena that are further complicated by high temperatures and presence of radioactive materials. No individual European country has sufficient resources to address all the important phenomena within the framework of a single national research programme, therefore optimised use of resources and collaboration at European and international level is very important. Integrating European severe accident research facilities into a pan-European laboratory for severe accident and corium studies and providing resources to other European partners for better understanding of possible accident scenarios and phenomena is necessary in order to improve safety of existing and, in the long-term, of future reactors. The unique SAFEST consortium will be able to address and resolve the variety of the remaining severe accident issues related to accident analysis and corium behaviour. It will be a valuable asset for the fulfilment of the severe accident R&D programmes that are being set up after Fukushima and the subsequent European stress tests, addressing both national and European objectives.

Road mapping and measurement Roadmaps on severe accident experimental research will be developed to focus future R&D on providing evaluation of the stabilization and termination of severe accidents in Gen II Pressurised Water Reactors (PWRs) and Boiling Water Reactors (BWRs). Moreover, a safety research roadmap for next generation plant safety will be also developed taking advantage of the knowledge and expertise obtained for existing reactors as well as on specific safety characteristics of Gen IV designs that are currently being considered. One of the main objectives of the project will be to integrate major European research facilities into a pan-European laboratory for severe accident and corium research and to provide its resources to interested user groups for better understanding of possible severe accident scenarios and corium melt behaviour. This will improve safety of existing and, in the long-term, of future reactors.

Coordinator

Project details

EC project officer

Alexei Miassoedov Karlsruhe Institute of Technology Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1 D-76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen Germany Tel. +49 721 60822253 Fax +49 721 60824837 [email protected]

Project type // Combination of CP & CSA Project start date // 1.7.2014 Duration // 48 months Total budget // EUR 4 511 900 EC contribution // EUR 3 190 000 Project website // http://www.safest.eu/

Roberto Passalacqua European Commission DG Research & Innovation Directorate Energy (Euratom) G4 CDMA 00/035 B-1049 Brussels, Belgium Tel. +32 229 20402 [email protected]

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Joint R&D will be conducted to improve the excellence of the SAFEST facilities: this includes measurement of corium physical properties, improvement of instrumentation, consensus on scaling law rationales and cross comparison of material analyses. One of the tasks of the project will be preserving, increasing, keeping updated and disseminating the knowledge obtained by the SAFEST partners in order to increase significantly the overall competence and abilities of the SAFEST consortium. A mobility programme will be established where researchers will be delegated to other consortium laboratories for education and training in order to share the expertise and to increase their level of competence.

Pan-European laboratory Direct outcomes from the SAFEST project will progress towards the creation of an integrated pan-European laboratory for severe accident research and corium behaviour, which will be unique in the world. The facility will encompasses a very large spectrum of nuclear reactors severe accident phenomenology dealing with corium (mainly oriented for at Light Water Reactors (LWRs), even though several aspects of Generation IV severe accidents can be studied in some of the SAFEST facilities). By strengthening the links between European corium facility operators, preparing a common roadmap for future EU research and improving the capabilities and performance of experimental facilities this unique laboratory will be a valuable asset for the fulfilment of severe accident R&D programmes. The activities within the SAFEST project will considerably advance understanding of the most important remaining severe accident safety issues, ranked with high or medium priority by the Severe Accident Research Priorities (SARP) group for the Severe Accident Research Network of Excellence (SARNET). The aim is not only to understand the physical background of severe accidents but to provide the underpinning knowledge that can help to reduce the severity of their consequences.

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knowledge will lead to improved severe accident management measures, which are essential for reactor safety and in addition offer competitive advantages for the European nuclear industry and contribute to the long-term sustainability of nuclear energy. The project will bring together competent teams from different countries with complementary knowledge. Moreover, links with Russian and Japanese research organisations will be established and maintained. The project will disseminate the European culture of research and innovation as a support to regulatory and industrial decision making in Europe and in other countries. In addition, this shall position Europe as a leader in the continuing international collaboration on the understanding of Fukushima accident phenomena and the analysis of future Fukushima corium samples.

Calls and conferences The first call for proposals was announced on 1 October 2014 attracting interested users to specify the experimental requirements and conditions for using the experimental facilities of the SAFEST infrastructure. The call deadline was set as 28 February 2015. Nineteen proposals from 9 countries for experiments in 13 SAFEST facilities have been received. In March 2015 the User Selection Panel evaluated the proposals and selected a short-list of user groups that will benefit under this call. An overview of the SAFEST project activities was presented at the 7th ERMSAR (European Review Meeting on Severe Accident Research) conference in March 2015 in Marseille, France.

Safety and sustainability The SAFEST project aims to provide the resources for a better understanding of possible scenarios resulting from different core melt sequences for different reactor designs. This

SAFEST severe accident research facilities offered for transnational access: LIVE at KIT © Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

Partners • Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives, FR • Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan, SE • Magyar Tudományos Akadémia Energiatudományi Kutatóközpont, HU • Joint Research Centre – European Commission, Institute for Transuranium Elements, BE • UJV Řež, a.s., CZ • AREVA GmbH, DE

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• Studiecentrum voor Kernenergie, BE

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CO-CHER The Chernobyl nuclear accident occurred in April 1986 in Ukraine. This event has led to the most serious exposure of a human population to ionizing radiation outside the atomic bombings in Japan. While a number of reviews of the health effects have been made, there remains disagreement over its overall consequences. Well-designed and coordinated long-term studies will provide reliable information on the health effects of Chernobyl and help interpret the consequences of lower dose radiation exposures, for example, following the more recent Fukushima accident.

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Looking at Chernobyl in the long-term ARCH SRA In the period 2008 to 2010, an international group of experts and advisors under the leadership of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) carried out the EU funded project “ARCH: Agenda for Research on Chernobyl Health” to recommend a strategic health research agenda (SRA) following the Chernobyl accident. Further steps leading to the implementation of the ARCH SRA are now needed. This new initiative will therefore build partnerships with the three countries mostly affected by the accident (Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine), as well as with research bodies from other European countries, Japan and USA that have interests in Chernobyl research to take the SRA forward. These agreements will establish a coordinating body with well-defined responsibilities, a research plan and time schedule. The study will demonstrate to the international community what can be achieved scientifically if the political commitment is there.

Long-term collaboration The CO-CHER project has the aim of setting up a mechanism to assure high-quality life-span studies integrating epidemiology, dosimetry, radiobiology and modelling through establishing a pool of internationally renowned scientists with expertise in these areas (the Scientific Expert group) and who have expressed interest in long-term collaboration in future Chernobyl research. The Scientific Expert group will identify their priorities based on the ARCH SRA and evaluate the suitability of already existing cohorts of exposed populations, dosimetry data bases and bio banks, as well as any need for reinforcing the research infrastructures necessary to conduct high-quality multidisciplinary studies. The coordination action will also bring together research institutions, potential funding agencies and Government agencies from countries prepared to contribute to the overall cost (through a Stakeholders group) to ensure sustainable support for long-term Chernobyl research. This will result in setting up a forum to discuss and conclude on the best coordinating mechanism for implementation of the research programme and establishing a timeline for achieving results through several phases including a pilot phase.

Coordinator

Project details

EC project officer

Dr Christopher P. Wild International Agency for Research on Cancer 150 Cours Albert Thomas 69372 Lyon CEDEX 08, France Tel. +33 472 738577 Fax +33 472 738564 [email protected]

Project type // Coordination and Support Action Project start date // 1.2.2014 Duration // 30 months Total budget // EUR 1 282 944 EC contribution // EUR 999 964 Project website // www.iarc.fr

Dr. André Jouve DG Research & Innovation G4 CDMA 01/069 B-1049 Brussels, Belgium [email protected]

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Public health

Unique opportunity

Careful and well-coordinated studies of populations exposed following the Chernobyl accident are potentially able to contribute to better understanding of health risks for low-dose protracted exposures to radioactivity. The CO-CHER project will bring together leading institutions from Europe (including the three most affected countries), Japan and USA to jointly undertake a long-term commitment to improve the quality of such studies and increase their capacity to bring new knowledge about low level radiation exposure effects. The creation of the coordination body with a long term support will ensure entire life-span follow-up of the identified populations.

The follow-up of the Chernobyl accident has already provided improved understanding of the effects of ionising radiation at low doses and dose-rates and where radioactivity is internalised. However, disagreements about the health impact to date and into the future, and new information on radiation risks, which have been derived since the accident, send a somewhat unsettling message to potentially exposed populations.

The CO-CHER project will develop a sustainable plan for research into the health effects of the Chernobyl accident, not only to improve our understanding of radiation effects and direct future radiation protection measures but also to aid health planning for those exposed after Chernobyl and after future nuclear accidents. The coordination action will also open new collaborations outside existing European networks of low-dose radiation research as it is envisages the establishment of a very close collaboration with scientists from Japan and the USA as well as Europe. The results of the project will be communicated to the authorities of the three most affected countries (Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine) in order to assist in planning of long-term research and public health programmes.

Partners • Association MELODI, FR • Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, FI • Federal Office for Radiation Protection, DE • State Institution Research Center for Radiation Medicine of the Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, UA • Republican Research Center for Radiation Medicine and Human Ecology, BY • Federal State Institution “Medical Radiological Research Center” of the

Chernobyl has an iconic status in the public eye and the accident provides a unique opportunity to answer questions about radiation risks to the general population and to provide the authoritative studies needed to inform the nuclear debate, in particular after the recent accident in Fukushima, and to test novel hypotheses about radiation effects and biology/ genetics in general.

International symposium The project outcomes will be presented to the public via publications in the academic literature, conference presentations and interactions with various stakeholder groups. The CO-CHER website will communicate information about the project and seek to engage the general public, funding bodies and the research community. An international symposium will be organised to discuss and conclude on the best coordinating mechanism and structure for implementation of the research programme as determined by the Scientific Expert group.

Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, RU • National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute, US

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COMET The COMET project will strengthen the pan-European research initiative on the impact of radiation on humans and the environment by facilitating the integration of ‘radioecological’ research. By collaborating with the European platforms on nuclear and radiological emergency response (NERIS) and low dose risk research (MELODI), COMET will significantly aid preparation for the implementation of the Horizon 2020 umbrella structure for Radiation Protection.

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Comet boosts radioecology competence and knowledge Multidisciplinary team At its start, the COMET consortium will have thirteen partners; eight from EU member states, two from Norway, two from the Ukraine and one from Japan. This multidisciplinary team covers key required disciplines in radioecology, radiobiology, emergency management, dosimetry, ecotoxicology, ecology and training. In close association with the FP7-STAR Network of Excellence and the Radioecology Alliance, COMET will take forward the development of a Strategic Research Agenda which will provide the basis for joint research activities. COMET will develop innovative mechanisms for joint programming and implementation in radioecological research. Strong mechanisms for knowledge exchange, dissemination and training will be established to enhance and maintain European capacity, competence and skills in radioecology. COMET will strengthen the bridge with the overall radiation protection and the non-radiation community.

Capacity and competence Capacity, competence and skills in radioecology will be strengthened at a pan-European level by developing initiatives to encourage organisations from the European (and wider) radioecological research community to join the Radioecology Alliance and help realise the priorities identified in the Strategic Research Agenda for radioecological research. Mechanisms for planning and carrying out joint research activities in radioecology will be developed based on the scientific requirements identified in the Strategic Research Agenda and through interaction with a wide range of stakeholders. An implementation plan will be put forward in collaboration with the Radioecology Alliance and allied platforms on low dose and emergency management research and with the radioecology community at large. COMET will initiate highly innovative research on key needs identified by the radioecology community, the (post) emergency management and low-dose research communities and engage with partners from countries where major nuclear accidents have occurred. A competitive call will be organised for research and development activities which will help foster links with the wider radiation protection community and the non-radiation research communities (e.g. ecotoxicology, genetics, systems biology) to attract new partners to COMET. The project will also develop a strong mechanism for knowledge exchange and dissemination to enhance, maintain and spread European capacity and skills in radioecology. An open access website will be established and open topical workshops and training activities organised.

Coordinator

Project details

EC project officer

Hildegarde Vandenhove Belgian Nuclear Research Centre, SCK•CEN Boeretang 200 2400 Mol Belgium Tel. +32 14 332114 Fax +32 14 321056 [email protected]

Project type // Combined Collaborative Project and Coordination and Support Action Project start date // 1.6.2013 Duration // 48 months Total budget // EUR 5 284 999 EC contribution // EUR 3 411 000 Project website // www.cometradioecology.org

André Jouve European Commission Directorate-General for Research Directorate Energy (Euratom) Unit J.2 – Fission DG RTD-K4 CDMA .1/78 B-1049 Brussels, Belgium [email protected]

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SRA

NERIS MELODI

P r o t e c t i o n

E&T networks

RTD

E&T

OPERRA, PREPARE, CINCH, EURADOS, ...

National programmes

Pan European association Through the project a strong pan-European association in radioecology will be integrated with the Horizon 2020 umbrella structure for Radiation Protection. COMET will enable substantial advances in understanding of how temporal, spatial and environmental processes affect radionuclide distribution. This will improve predictive models used for protection of humans and the environment in emergency and post-emergency situations. Networking between radioecology and radiological emergency response communities will ensure integration of improved radioecological models in European emergency response tools. Substantial advances in understanding mechanisms and risk implications of low dose effects in wildlife will aid our understanding of effects induced in humans. The project will gain a better understanding of the role of genetic and non-genetic factors in adaptive responses and on the induction of long-term transgenerational effects of environmentally relevant radiation exposure. Through enhanced retention and knowledge transfer via training and education activities focussed on professionals, the future of education in radioecology will be ensured by developing links to other training/ educational platforms. COMET will further provide open access to relevant, high quality, compiled data and knowledge and training resources.

Progress of COMET from FP7-STAR and the interactions of COMET with the allied European research platforms/networks and national programmes in radioecology to strengthen the position of the Radioecology Alliance as a key component of the future Radiation Protection Federation Association © Hildegarde Vandenhove

Radioecology community COMET will contribute to the realisation of a European radioecology community which will be more effective in meeting the needs of society for radiation risk assessment for humans and the environment. More robust exposure, effect and risk assessment will be of interest for (post) emergency exposure situations, waste and disposal, and the Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM) industry amongst others. For example, improved models will better predict radiation doses received via external and internal exposure, which will provide a more robust basis for guiding adequate actions on evacuation, relocation and countermeasures. A better integration of national and international research efforts in radioecology will lead to a significant optimisation of the protection afforded to the nuclear workforce, the public and the environment.

Partners As of April 2014 • Sateilyturvakeskus, FI • Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority, NO • Institut de Radioprotection et de Surete Nucleaire, FR • Natural Environement Research Council, UK • Centro de Investigaciones Energeticas, Medioambienales y Tecnologicas, ES • Stockholms Universitet, SE • Budesambt fuer Strahlenschutz, DE

• Universitetet for Miljo og Biovitenskap, NO • Glowny Instytut Gornictwa, PL • State Scientific and Research Institution Chernobyl Center for Nuclear Safety Radioactive Waste and Radioecology, UA • National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine, UA • National University Corporation Fukushima University, JP

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DARK RISK The long-term health effects following exposure to low and moderate ionizing radiation remain uncertain. At doses likely to be received from medical diagnostic procedures (for example Computer Tomography (CT) or Positron Emission Tomography (PET)) there is no convincing evidence for, or against, a risk to health. The Dark.Risk project has the unique opportunity to study long-term health effects in a large cohort of individuals (~ 25 000) exposed during childhood to a highly uniform dose of radiation to the head and to create the Serbian Registry of Tinea capitis children (SRTCC).

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Illuminating genomic dark matter’s secrets Large-scale epidemiological analysis In the late 1950s public health initiatives in several European countries mandated scalp depilation as the standard method for the treatment for children infected with a fungal disease of the hair roots (Ringworm Tinea capitis). The treatment protocol used a mild dose of X-ray radiation to the head to kill hair cells, and proved highly effective in combating the fungus. Only many years later was it noted, first in Israel, then in the USA and other countries, that there was an increased frequency of cancer in the treated individuals. The standardized treatment, narrow age-distribution and long follow-up period indicate that a study of health effects in Tinea capitis patients would be a powerful epidemiological approach to study the risk of low dose irradiation. Unfortunately, the medical records and contact data of the children treated over half a century ago are no longer available in many countries. However, recently a team of epidemiologists led by Goran Sevo and Marija Tasic from project partners Ženska asocijacija ROSA in Serbia discovered the treatment documentation for over 25 000 Serbian children.

The original description of the “Tinea capitis cohort” in Serbia Shvarts et al., The Lancet Infectious Diseases, Volume 10, Issue 8, Pages 571 - 576, August 2010 doi:10.1016/S1473-3099(10)70107-9

Coordinator

Project details

EC project officer

Prof. Michael Atkinson Institute of Radiation Biology Helmholtz Zentrum München Ingolstaedter Landstrasse 1 85764 Neuherberg Germany Tel. +49 8931 872312 [email protected]

Project type // Collaborative Project Project start date // 1.10.2012 Duration // 36 months Total budget // EUR 2 258 849 EC contribution // EUR 1 730 000 Project website // www.helmholtzmuenchen.de/en/isb/darkrisk

André Jouve European Commission Directorate J-General for Research Directorate Energy (EURATOM) Unit J.2 – Fission CDMA 01/078 B-1049 Brussels, Belgium [email protected]

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Genome dark matter emerges For decades the radiation research community has assumed that the simple paradigm of Radiation Exposure = DNA Damage = Gene Mutation = Cancer can be used to explain all health effects of radiation. Newer observations, including work from a portfolio of EU-funded projects, indicate that the biological response to radiation, and hence the long-term health effects of radiation, involve much more complex cellular and tissue reactions. The past five years have seen an explosion in knowledge of the structure and function of the human genome, forcing a paradigm shift in the way we look at the information encoded in our DNA. Previously, 90 % of the genome was thought to be simply spacer, needed only to ensure the correct functioning of the remaining 10 % where the genes were positioned. It now turns out that most of the spacer (~90 %) is actively transcribed into RNA in a regulated manner.

Historical document describing admission and treatment records at the “Tinea capitis” Children’s Hospital, Belgrade.

Biological markers The principle goal of Dark.Risk is to establish a proof of concept by analysing the health status of Tinea capitis treated Serbian children with the aim of obtaining information on long-term health effects of low dose radiation exposure. Radiation associated diseases are common chronic conditions, such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, cognitive impairment, cataracts etc. As the effects of low doses of radiation are small, any additional insults may mask the cause. In theory, molecular epidemiology offers the possibility of focusing on the cases caused by radiation, allowing far greater statistical power to evaluate low dose risk. For this to work, a series of biomarkers is needed that can distinguish between radiation-associated and radiation-independent cases (biomarkers of causality). In many situations it is known which individuals received radiation exposure, but the exact dose is often unclear, especially if considerable time has passed since the event, or if data on the dose is missing. Molecular markers indicating past exposure would be an ideal way to improve the uncertainties in this area (biomarkers of exposure).

Partners • Ženska asocijacija ROSA, RS • Agenzia Nazionale per le Nuove Tecnologie, l’Energia e lo Sviluppo Economico Sostenibile, IT • Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, ES • SERGAS-Servicio Galego de Saúde Complexo Hospitalario Universitario A Coruna, ES

The lack of a known function for this RNA prompted it to be termed the “dark matter” of the genome. The level of metabolic energy required to produce RNA, as well as evidence for evolutionary conservation, both suggest that there is a strong biological reason for the existence of the dark matter, now more correctly termed non-coding RNA. A number of recent studies suggest that the expression of the non-coding RNA is highly regulated during responses to radiation, and that distinct functions can be ascribed to the different components of the non-coding transcriptome. In particular the non-coding microRNAs appear to be highly stable in biological materials. A recent relevant observation is that the pattern of expression of non-coding microRNA can be used to both predict disease appearance and outcome.

Epigenetic control Although, the data of radiation effects on non-coding RNAs and deeper epigenetic control are in their infancy, recent studies have confirmed the importance of the non-coding RNA modulation in cells after irradiation and their potential to be used as efficient biomarkers in the future. In particular non-coding microRNAs appear to be highly stable in biological materials (for example. blood samples, bucal swabs, hair follicles etc.). A whole new field of serum RNA transcriptomics has opened up in the past year, delivering a range of disease markers based on non-coding RNA. Dark.Risk will evaluate the potential of the non-coding genome to deliver information on disease outcome and its association with radiation.

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OPERRA The OPERRA project will build a coordination structure that has the legal and logistical capacity to administer future calls for research proposals in radiation protection on behalf of the European Commission. Among OPERRA’s initiatives are the establishment of a sustainable organization to manage radiation protection research in Europe; the involvement of key partners in radiation protection as well as national and international funding agencies; and the enrollment of universities and academic partners, notably from new EU Member States, major stakeholders and authorities as well as other technical platforms inside and outside Euratom.

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OPERRA conducts joint programming Joint programming The final objective of the OPERRA proposal is to establish an innovative mechanism for the joint programming and implementation of radiation protection research in Europe. This joint programming instrument will be designed as a tool that can be applied to all fields of research in radiation protection. OPERRA will lead to the implementation of joint programmes, based on publicpublic partnerships with increased efficiency and consistency, as well as better visibility and attractiveness at global level. The OPERRA consortium includes members of the European High Level Expert Group and the DoReMi Network of Excellence that set the policy goals, formulated the initial strategic research agenda on low-dose risk research, and led the initiative of establishing the MELODI (Multidisciplinary European Low Dose Research Initiative) Association for the long-term and sustainable integration of low-dose risk research in Europe. Most of OPERRA’s partners are members of sister associations involved in radiation protection research, for example the Alliance for Radioecology or NERIS for nuclear emergency management.

Integration and synergy In the context of Horizon 2020, the European Commission is looking for umbrella structures (legal entities or associations) to delegate some of the tasks related to the management of research programmes. Tasks to be performed by these structures include managing all or some of the phases in the lifetime of a project, budget, implementation, gathering and collating information required by the Commission and preparing recommendations for the Commission. The outsourcing of these management tasks will allow the programmes to become more effective through simplified procedures and will optimise coordination costs. OPERRA will exploit the synergies of Euratom and other EC programmes by considering the most relevant joint programme areas and mechanisms for funding joint activities. The project will also strengthen the links with national funding programmes and European education and training structures. It will take steps towards a greater involvement of new Member States who could benefit from increased participation in the radiation research programmes. OPERRA will serve as an example on how to integrate research activities in Europe and in the rest of the world within the radiation research community and in other scientific areas. The provision of the results from OPERRA will help the integration of European-funded research activities from various funding schemes, thus widening the European Research Area.

Coordinator Jean-René Jourdain Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN) Division of Radiological Protection, Environment, Nuclear Waste & Geosphere, Emergency Response 31, avenue de la Division Leclerc B.P. 17 F-92262 Fontenay-aux-Roses cedex France Tel. +33 1 58358767

Fax +33 1 46544610 [email protected]

Project details Project type // CP-CSA Project start date // 1.6.2013 Duration // 48 months Total budget // EUR 9 507 048 EC contribution // EUR 8 000 000 Project website // www.melodi-online.eu/ operra.html

EC project officer André Jouve European Commission Directorate-General for Research Directorate Energy (Euratom) Unit J.2 – Fission CDMA 01/069 B-1049 Brussels, Belgium [email protected]

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National Research Organisations in Radiation Protection

OPERRA MANAGEMENT BOARD

European Commission OPERRA General Assembly

OPERRA WP Leaders

OPERRA WP Committees NERIS

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Academic & Professional Partners New European Member States

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OPERRA Decision-making structure © Jean-René Jourdain

Widespread advantages At the end of the OPERRA project, a federating body with an appropriate legal and financial structure and scientific advisory board will exist to organise joint programming of radiation protection research and education and training in a number of domains including low-dose risk research, radioecology, nuclear emergency management, medical and occupational radiation protection and dosimetry. To ensure the success of the project, the consortium will involve and be in close contact with major bodies active in radiation protection, as shown in the figure. Joint programming, though respecting the specific issues of each particular domain and related research agendas, will help in the clarification of priorities for research over the entire scope of radiation protection, taking into account stakeholders, societal needs, and decision-makers on the one hand, and researchers on the other. Advantages of this joint programming are multiple and include: enhanced visibility of European radiation protection research and education and training at the global level; facilitating cooperation with countries affected by past accidents or having legacy activities; enhanced cooperation between research and academic institutions, and extending activities towards new Member States to consolidate the European Research Area in this area; creating synergy between national and European-funded research activities; enhanced cooperation between third countries and the MELODI Association for work on low-dose risk; a single point of contact for the other relevant European Technology Platforms such as IGD-TP (radioactive waste management)

and SNE-TP (nuclear technology); optimal use of existing and new infrastructures; enhanced output by merging international and national research funds; a common vision on the needs and implementation of radiation protection legislation; and a joint effort to maintain and transfer knowledge and expertise in the field of radiation protection by linking with networks active in the domain of education and training.

Better understood risks Given the limited resources available in Europe and globally for research on radiation protection, every opportunity should be taken to develop synergies between research in different areas and to ensure that research is relevant to the common concerns of all stakeholders. The OPERRA consortium will bring together many of the major European players in radiation protection research and related research platforms to maximise coordination of research efforts, identify research methodologies, techniques and approaches and to provide strategic direction and leadership in this area of importance to energy production, medicine and other uses beneficial to the European population. Radiation workers, patients and the public are rightly concerned that their health and the environment are not compromised unduly by the various uses of ionising radiation and radioactive materials. OPERRA aims to address these concerns by promoting research that will ensure that health risks are better understood and quantified, and that identifies improved approaches to radiation protection in relation to occupational, medical, environmental and accidental exposures.

Partners • Studiecentrum voor Kernenergie, BE • Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz, DE • Säteilyturvakeskus, FI • Association Melodi, FR • Jihočeská Univerzita v Českých Budějovicích, CH • Orszagos Frederic Joliot-Curie Sugarbiologiai es Sugaregeszsegugyi Kutato Intezet, HU • Public Health England (formely Health Protection Agency), UK

• Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique et aux énergies alternatives, FR • Fundació Centre de Recerca en Epidemiologia Ambiental, ES • Istituto Superiore di Sanità, IT • Helmholtz Zentrum München Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Gesundheit und Umwelt GmbH, DE • Università degli Studi di Pavia, IT • Stockholms Universitet, SE

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PREPARE The PREPARE project that started in February 2013 aims to close the knowledge gaps that have been identified in nuclear and radiological preparedness in Europe following initial evaluations of the Fukushima nuclear incident that happened in Japan in 2011.

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Learning lessons from Fukushima Emergency response This project will review existing Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR) procedures for dealing with long-lasting releases of radioactivity, cross border problems in monitoring and food safety, and further develop missing functionalities in decision support systems. The latter comprises improved source term estimation and dispersion modeling as well as the inclusion of hydrological pathways for European water bodies. In addition, as the management of the Fukushima incident in Europe was far from optimal, an Analytical Platform will be developed exploring the scientific and operational means to improve information collection, information exchange and the evaluation of such incidents. This will be achieved through a collaboration between European industry, research and governmental organizations including the networking activities carried out under the European Platform on Preparedness for Nuclear and Radiological Emergency Response and Recovery (NERIS). NERIS platform member organizations will be actively involved in the development of the new tools.

Japanese contact The activities of the PREPARE project include seven work packages covering operational procedures for long-lasting releases; establishing a platform for information collection and exchange; developing recommendations related to quality control of contaminated goods; improving terrestrial and aquatic aspects of decision support systems; improved communication with the public; and training, exercises and dissemination activities. An important aspect of the project is the engagement of the project with Japanese scientists under the umbrella of the NERIS Platform and NERIS-TP project. This collaboration will allow further insight into the Fukushima incident and how the aftermath will be treated in the future. At present, collaboration with the University of Fukushima has been established through the project Fukushima Action Research on Effective Decontamination Operation (FAIRDO). In addition, contacts have been established with the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) within the NERIS Platform.

Coordinator Wolfgang Raskob Karlsruhe Institute of Technology Institut für Kern- und Energietechnik Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen Germany Tel. +49 721 60822480 Fax +49 721 60825508 [email protected]

Project details Project type // Collaborative Project Project start date // 1.2.2013 Duration // 36 months Total budget // EUR 6 402 232

EC contribution // EUR 4 000 000 Project website // www.prepare-eu.org/ index.php

EC project officer Michel Hugon European Commission Directorate-General for Research Directorate Energy (Euratom) Unit J.2 – Fission CDMA . 01/052 B-1049 Brussels, Belgium [email protected]

Partners • Centre d’étude sur l’Evaluation de la Protection dans le domaine Nucléaire, FR • Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority, NO • VUJE Inc., SK • Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority of Finland, FI • Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, ES • MUTADIS, FR • National Centre for Scientific Research “Demokritos”, EL • Technical University of Denmark, DK • Danish Emergency Management Agency, DK • Prolog Development Centre, DK • Public Health England, UK • Norwegian University of Life Sciences, NO

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improved hydrological models will provide a unique simulation system for rivers, reservoirs, lakes and oceans including countermeasure assessments. Source term estimation will be improved based on the combination of atmospheric dispersion models with monitoring information. A better understanding of communication processes including use of social media will provide guidance on how to establish a flow of reliable and trustworthy information to and from the public and all affected stakeholders. Finally the development of an Analytic Platform will provide a unique place for scientists to collect, process and evaluate information and in this way support the harmonised assessment of an on-going event. All these results will be disseminated via the NERIS Platform and the user groups of ARGOS and RODOS and will also be implemented in these two decision support systems.

Preparing Europe to Nuclear Emergency and Recovery © Wolfgang Raskob (KIT)

The project will strengthen Europe’s harmonised response capability by fostering analytical skills at the European level and providing better guidance on how to communicate with the public and all affected stakeholders during a major incident.

Improving operations The overall goal of the project is to improve operational aspects of emergency management procedures, methods and tools as well as purely scientific investigations that may become operational beyond the framework of this project. The review of emergency preparedness and response procedures for early phase actions in case of long-lasting releases will test current EPR procedures and reveal potential needs for improvement in European member states. A review of procedures for the transportation of goods and cross-border monitoring will be performed. The numerous panels established in this project will provide a basis to adequately analyse the status of preparedness in Europe. Improvement of atmospheric dispersion modelling with a more realistic particle size distribution will be implemented into the ARGOS (Accident Reporting and Guidance Operational System) and RODOS (Real-time Online Decision Support) systems, while

• Ukrainian Center of Environmental and Water Projects, UA • Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz, DE • Slovenian Nuclear Safety Administration, SI • Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas, ES • Belgian Nuclear Research Centre, BE • Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire, FR • Association of Instituto Superior Técnico for Research and Development, PT • Jožef Stefan Institute, SI • Greek Atomic Energy Commission, EL • Agencia Portuguesa do Ambiente, PT • National Institute for Public Health and

Harmonised instruments

PREPARE will also close existing knowledge gaps in Europe’s preparedness and response capability by introducing new methods and procedures that will build state-of-the-art tools, both for national and European level. These tools will improve operability and broaden applicability, in particular of Decision Support Systems, thus enhancing the harmonisation of these instruments throughout Europe.

Dissemination A major dissemination workshop is planned for the end of the project. Numerous smaller events are planned through the project duration: information on these events can be found on the Project’s web site.

the Environment, NL • Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland, IE • University of Vienna, AT • University of Western Macedonia, EL • University of Milan, IT • Nuclear Research & Consultancy Group, NL • Liana Papush, SE • EnerWebWatch/Coopaname, FR • Eidgenössisches Departement des Innern (EDI), CH • Association pour le Contrôle de la Radioactivité dans l’Ouest, FR • University of Ljubljana, SI • “Horia Hulubei” National Institute of R&D for Physics and Nuclear Engineering, RO

• University of Seville, ES • Agenzia Nazionale per le Nuove Tecnologie, l’Energia e lo Sviluppo Economico Sostenibile, IT • Nuclear Safety Authority, FR • Institute of Food Safety, Wageningen University and Research, NL • Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, NL • KWR Water B.V., NL • Federal Agency for Nuclear Control, BE • Office for Nuclear Regulation, UK • TN International, FR • State Scientific and Technical Centre for Nuclear and Radiation Safety, UA

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RISK-IR How great is the risk of cancer in people exposed to low doses of radiation? Currently this is answered by extrapolation from human population estimates at higher doses. The RISK-IR project aims to contribute to a better understanding of the magnitude of cancer risk in humans exposed to low ionising radiation doses (below 100 milli Sieverts) by carrying out research on stem cell responses to radiation.

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Stem cell insight on low dose risk Low dose expertise RISK-IR draws on the expertise of ten institutions from seven European countries, with a unique range of technical skills that have been brought together for the first time to address low dose risk issues. The RISK-IR project will bring together partners with a strong track record of research on low dose risk with laboratories working primarily on fundamental aspects of stem cell biology. Many participants have previously collaborated in EC funded projects and some of the partners are involved in MELODI (the Multidisciplinary European Low Dose Risk Research Initiative) and the DoReMi (Multidisciplinary European Low Dose Initiative) Network of Excellence.

Stem cell issues Many cancers are considered to originate from stem cells that normally maintain tissues in the body. Knowledge of stem cell biology has developed rapidly in recent years. However, relatively little is known of stem cell responses to radiation, particularly at low doses. RISK-IR aims to apply knowledge and techniques in stem cell biology to characterise better the mechanisms that contribute to the development of cancer following exposure to low radiation doses. The project’s scientific work will focus on three key issues: identifying the cells of origin for radiation cancer; identifying cancer-related changes that may occur in irradiated cells and tissues; and defining how factors such as age, type of radiation and tissue type may affect cancer risk. RISK-IR will help spread technical excellence in radiation protection research by providing funding to facilitate scientific exchange visits between laboratories. Project participants will be encouraged to consider engaging with other EC initiatives, in particular MELODI and DoReMi. The primary output of the RISK-IR project will be via peer-reviewed scientific paper, open access where possible. The dissemination of results beyond the specialist scientific audience will also be considered.

Coordinator

Project details

EC project officer

Simon Bouffler Public Health England Centre for Radiation, Chemical and Environmental Hazards Chilton, Didcot OX11 0RQ United Kingdom Tel. +44 1235 825086 Fax +44 1235 822620 [email protected]

Project type // Collaborative Project Project start date // 1.11.2012 Duration // 48 months Total budget // EUR 8 500 000 EC contribution // EUR 6 680 000 Project website // www.risk-ir.eu

André Jouve DG Research & Innovation K4 CDMA 01/070 B-1049 Brussels, Belgium Tel. +32 229 87848 [email protected]

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The primary output of the RISK-IR project will be scientific evidence in the form of peer reviewed scientific publications, which will be disseminated within the scientific community and to key players in radiation protection.

of approaches to risk modelling and estimation. Overall the results of RISK-IR research will assist in formulating and refining sound scientifically based judgements on radiation risk and the most appropriate way to estimate risk at doses below which direct evidence from human population studies is currently lacking.

Project partners will study responses to low doses of radiation in stem cells from several tissues including blood, skin, and brain as well as induced pluripotent stem cells. Investigation of changes to gene expression, protein expression, and cancer related genes will be complemented by investigation of changes to stem cell proliferation, viability, senescence and fate. Sensitive techniques will be used and refined to quantify effects as accurately as possible as it is predicted that effects in many cases may be small. Some approaches will require detailed mathematical analysis to aid interpretation.

A stakeholder meeting is planned to help dissemination and to encourage radiation protection specialists to become familiar with the research results, their relevance for risk estimation and their potential impact. Several participants in this project have roles in international radiation protection bodies, such as the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) and the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR), which will help with dissemination. Review articles will be prepared and the project website will summarise findings in a readily understood fashion.

The management of intellectual property will be addressed through the preparation of a consortium agreement, to be agreed by all participants prior to the start of the project.

Information about important public events

Sound science on risk

A final stakeholder meeting is planned towards the end of the project in late 2016.

RISK-IR will provide scientific evidence that will be of use to international radiation protection bodies and for refinement

Apoptotic cells (stained green) in the developing mouse brain at stage E13.5 6 hours after exposure to 100mGy x-ray. Stem cells are located between the two layers of mitotic cells, stained red. Supplied by Prof Penny Jeggo (UoS) © RISK-IR

Gene losses in radiation induced leukaemia will be studied in stem cells by a variety of methods. Note only one copy of gene identified with red staining in the chromosome preparation above. Supplied by Dr Christophe Badie (PHE) © RISK-IR

Partners • Commissariat à l’énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives, FR • Seconda Università degli studi di Napoli, IT • Helmholtz Zentrum München, DE • Leids Universitair Medisch Centrum, NL • University of Sussex, UK • Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas, ES • Medical Research Council, UK

• Université Libre de Bruxelles, BE • Darmstadt University of Technology, DE

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SEMI-NUC The Semipalatinsk nuclear test site (SNTS) covers 18 500 km2 in the north east of Kazakhstan. From 1949 to 1989 the Soviet Union conducted nuclear tests at the SNTS, including detonations above ground and in the atmosphere, which produced radioactive contamination in the soil and air. Some of these releases caused radioactive plumes that also exposed people and territories adjacent to the site. The health effects of exposures to fallout from SNTS for the residents living nearby are not well investigated. The SEMI-NUC project will establish the feasibility of conducting long-term epidemiological studies in the area around the SNTS to assess the health effects of protracted exposure to low-dose radiation.

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Assessing the legacy of Soviet testing International expertise The project brings together experts in epidemiology and dosimetry who have been involved in previous studies of residents living near the SNTS and other populations exposed to low dose protracted radiation. German, Japanese, Norwegian scientists and coordinators from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), together with Kazakh colleagues, will evaluate the possibilities of linking existing, registries and test mechanisms for following exposed and unexposed populations. They will also review and compare methods of dose assessment based on calculated and experimental data.

Cohort links The goal of the SEMI-NUC project is to assess the feasibility of studying long-term health effects of radiation exposures that resulted from the testing of nuclear weapons at the SNTS. A study of thyroid diseases and other health outcomes, conducted in the past, included inhabitants of ten highly exposed settlements surrounding the former SNTS and six unexposed “control” settlements. In total, there are 9 850 exposed and 9 604 unexposed inhabitants who form this “historical” cohort while a “new” cohort assembled more recently includes inhabitants from 14 exposed villages and six unexposed “control” villages totalling 18 204 inhabitants. Investigators will conduct record linkage between the two cohorts to assess the possibility to establish a unified cohort for future long-term studies. The project will review dosimetric tools and update information on cancer and non-cancer diseases. It is planned to conduct an inventory of biological samples accumulated over years and assess their suitability for studying biological mechanisms of low-dose radiation. A website was set up to communicate information about the project and to engage interested parties in assessing the possible impact of the research on better understanding the effects of low dose exposure and implications for public health decision making.

Coordinator

Project details

EC project officer

Dr. Ausrele Kesminiene International Agency for Research on Cancer 150 Cours Albert Thomas 69372 Lyon CEDEX 08, France Tel. +33 4 72738662 Fax +33 4 72738054 [email protected]

Project type // Support Action Project start date // 1.4.2013 Duration // 24 months Total budget // EUR 1 435 074 EC contribution // EUR 945 710 Project website // http://semi-nuc.iarc.fr

Dr. Katerina Ptackova DG Research and Innovation K4 Fission CDMA 01/066 B-1049 Brussels, Belgium [email protected]

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The ultimate aim of the project is to produce a feasibility report to determine if a long-term, prospective follow-up study of the residents near the SNTS can be developed. If feasibility is demonstrated, the report will include information to help this study begin, including descriptions of follow-up mechanisms, assessment of dosimetry, description of the biological material required to study mechanisms that underpin the effects of low-dose radiation and an outline of health outcomes to be studied. The project will open new collaborations outside existing European networks of low-dose radiation research.

The project will be presented to the public via publications in the academic literature and conference presentations. A workshop will be organised to disseminate the conclusions of the feasibility study. The SEMI-NUC project website will communicate information about the project and seeks to engage the general public, funding bodies and the research community.

The support action will also build a capacity for conducting high quality radiation research in Kazakhstan by involving local scientists who can benefit from participation in the project to better use and develop their competences. In addition, this two-year project provides the opportunity for all interested parties to establish a foundation for collaboration in a long-term prospective study of residents surrounding the SNTS.

Protracted risk assessed The SEMI-NUC project will evaluate all the main aspects required for conducting a full epidemiological study on residents near the SNTS. Health effects of exposures to fallout from the Soviet nuclear weapons testing programme are not well studied and this causes concerns and anxiety among the local residents. If feasibility is demonstrated, the unified cohort has the potential to improve our understanding of the health risks associated with low and moderate chronic doses of radiation. In particular, there is increasing interest in studies of the risk of cardiovascular diseases following exposure to low-dose protracted radiation as this may have important implications for radiation protection of the general public and patients exposed to low dose radiation. The review of dosimetric tools will be valuable for other scientists studying dose-effects with other population groups. Moreover, a better quantification of risks from low and protracted doses is valuable for radiation protection in general and for action required following planned, existing or emergency exposure situations, such as Chernobyl or Fukushima.

Partners • Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority, NO • Federal Office for Radiation Protection, DE • National Nuclear Centre, KZ • Kazakh Scientific Institute for Radiation Medicine and Ecology in Semipalatinsk, KZ • National Institute of Radiological Sciences, JP

This monument is in recognition of the Semipalatinsk bomb site © Dr Ghassan Hamra, IARC, France

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ARCADIA ALFRED (Advanced Lead Fast Reactor Demonstrator) is intended to be built in Romania by a consortium of nuclear research organisations and industry from Member States interested in developing and exploiting this technology. Construction of ALFRED in Romania raises a large number of questions that must be considered before the final decision is made. These include taking, where appropriate, benefits from Generation III reactor developments and carefully looking at possible safety improvements.

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Can Alfred Fly In Romania? Innovative technology As in any new nuclear project, the construction of ALFRED in Romania raises a large range of questions that must be considered before the final decision is made. These questions regard not only the technical-scientific point of view, but also financial and socio-economic aspects, public acceptability and national support. In addition, entrusting an international consortium with the management of a real, industrial project poses a number of brand new questions that have to be approached: these include the project management itself, legal aspects, knowledge management and intellectual property, and regional cooperation. Since all these aspects have to be carefully reconsidered in the light of the specific nature of ALFRED, as a demonstrator of an innovative technology, and should not be considered individually but in a close interaction, the ARCADIA project was designed as the most effective framework to approach this challenge. Its project consortium includes the most important European partners with the necessary competences to address these matters.

First of a kind The activities planned in this project are directly linked to the main challenges of constructing ALFRED in Romania. The proposed reactor is a new technology that requires considerable research and development, therefore the existing expertise and infrastructure available at regional level must be screened, and methods developed to close any knowledge gaps that are identified. ALFRED will be a first of a kind nuclear facility and must be licensed and achieve public acceptance. ARCADIA will clarify the steps for siting and construction of the facility according to European and national requirements identifying the steps required to set up both the licensing and siting processes. As an expensive investment some activities are dedicated to identifying the optimal structure to draft a successful feasibility study for the construction of ALFRED in Romania and to find appropriate and accessible funding schemes. It is a multi-national project requesting national support and also requiring a new type of legal entity. To reach these goals a multi-disciplinary working group will be created and will proceed in the preparation of appropriate documentation to support the inclusion of ALFRED in national strategies, and to define the most appropriate legal entity structure. An inventory of existing research reactor capabilities will be made to assess their actual contribution to Generation III safety improvement and Lead Fast Reactor (LFR) technology demonstration.

Coordinator

Project details

EC project officer

Daniela Diaconu Regia Autonoma Tehnologii pentru Energia Nucleara Institutul de Cercetari Nucleare Pitesti, Campului 1, Mioveni, 115400, Romania Tel. +40 248 213400 Fax +40 248 262449 [email protected]

Project type // Coordination Action Project start date // 1.11.2013 Duration // 36 months Total budget // EUR 1 961 683 EC contribution // EUR 1 499 435 Project website // www.projectarcadia.eu

Katerina Ptackova European Commission Directorate-General for Research Directorate Energy (Euratom) Unit G4 – Fission CDMA 1/49 B-1049 Brussels, Belgium [email protected]

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Improved collaboration ARCADIA will assess the regional capabilities of the New Member States to effectively contribute to bring closer European research on the ESNII (European Sustainable Nuclear Industry Initiative) and NUGENIA (Nuclear Generation II and III Association) objectives, namely demonstration of the LFR technology and improvement of Generation III reactor safety, with a major focus on assessment of construction of ALFRED in Romania. The activities of ARCADIA will improve the collaborative culture in the region favouring the natural process of team construction and strengthening based on skills, expertise, complementarities and power to produce valuable research results with ambitious objectives.

ARCADIA: participants in the Kick-off meeting © Daniela Diaconuo

Roadmap for progress The results of the ARCADIA activities will draw a clear picture of the competences and infrastructures that are already available for supporting the ALFRED project through a regionalintegrated approach. In parallel, the same picture will provide a measure of the knowledge gaps that need to be filled to ensure the full reliability to the project. These gaps will be translated into a roadmap and will represent advice for driving the activities of the FALCON (Fostering Alfred CONsortium) consortium. In addition, the activities themselves will represent a useful exercise for the participating organizations, not only in terms of international cooperation at a high level of knowledge, but also in demonstrating their capability for conceiving, approaching and managing a complex project.

Getting national support for implementation of ALFRED in Romania is essential for the success of the project and ARCADIA will raise its profile with representatives from local communities and authorities, Parliament and Government establishing from the very beginning a frame based on the principles of European governance.

Conference A conference entitled “Long-term National and Regional Benefits of ALFRED construction in Romania” will be open to any research organization and relevant stakeholder and will be organized in Romania at the end of the project to share its findings.

The project is expected to enhance discussion at international level and, therefore, produce a wide synergistic approach to the actual themes to be tackled in the local and regional system to development a LFR demonstrator. The roadmap will become a reference point for setting deadlines and the rhythms for the full development of the project. Definition of a management model and an overall structure able to conduct socio-economic studies of interest to decision makers involved in ALFRED implementation provide an effective link between “hard” and “soft” sciences in the support process around ALFRED, strengthening the role of the scientific-technological research community in governmental decision making processes.

ARCADIA logo

Partners • Jožef Stefan Institute, SI • Studiecentrum voor Kernenergie-Centre d’Etude de l’énergie Nucléaire, BE • Ente per le nuove Tecnologie l’Energia e l’Ambiente e lo Sviluppo Economico Sostenibile, IT • Agencija Za Radioaktivne Odpadke, SI • Budapesti Muszaki Es Gazdasagtudomanyi Egyetem, HU • Technical University of Sofia – Research and Development Sector, BG • Institut SYMLOG de France, FR

• Agenzia per la Promozione della Ricerca Europa, IT • Universitatea Politehnica Bucuresti, RO • University of Ljubljana, SI • Lithuanian Energy Institute, LT • Institute of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology, PL • Institute for Nuclear Research and Nuclear Energy Bulgarian Academy of Science, BG • Centralne Laboratorium Ochrony Radiologicznej, PL • Narodowe Centrum Badan Jadrowych, PL

• Institut De Radioprotection et de Surete Nucleaire, FR • Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe, SI • ANSALDO NUCLEARE SPA, IT • Universitatea dn Pitesti, RO • Centrum Vyzkumu REZ S.R.O., CZ • Kungliga Tekniska Hoegskolan, SE • TARTU Ulikool, EE • Instituto Superior Tecnico, PT • National Center for Scientific Research “Demokritos”, EL

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EAGLE In Europe today, institutions, media and the general public exchange information about ionising radiation (IR) and associated risks. EAGLE is a coordination project under FP7-EURATOM that aims to clarify information and communication strategies to support informed societal decision-making.

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Ionizing radiation: let’s communicate Education, training and information for the public are key factors in the governance of ionizing radiation risks, as are opportunities for dialogue and stakeholder involvement in decision making. In this project a network of stakeholders will review national and international data, tools and methods as well as institutional work in order to identify education, information and communication needs and coordination possibilities at the European level.

Stakeholder driven There are 11 consortium members in the project from eight European countries, representing old and new member states. Members of the consortium team have expertise in different domains. They belong to the nuclear industry, nuclear research, academic institutions, mass media, non-governmental agencies and authorities. EAGLE includes a Stakeholder Representatives Group (SRG) and a Stakeholder Advisory Board (SAB). The SRG is a consultation body of representatives from information sources, channels, and receivers from the various countries in the project. Through virtual workshops and other means the SRG reflects on the project working documents and results, and provides feedback regarding their relevance and usefulness in practice. The EAGLE SAB is formed from a range of stakeholders and helps to ensure that the project’s approach is tailored to the diversity of stakeholders involved in communication processes. At the moment, there are 89 stakeholders from all over Europe actively involved in the project and the network is growing on a monthly basis.

Coordinator

Project details

EC project officer

Tanja Perko Institute for Environment, Health and Safety Belgian Nuclear Research Centre SCK∙CEN Boeretang 200 2400 Mol Belgium Tel. +32 14 332851 [email protected]

Project type // Coordination and Support Action (CSA-CA) Project start date // 20.8.2013 Duration // 36 months Total budget // EUR 1 086 007 EC contribution // EUR 777 000 Project website // http://eagle.sckcen.be

Katerina Ptackova European Commission Directorate-General for Research & Innovation Directorate G – Energy Unit G.4 – Fission CDMA 01/60 B-1049 Brussels, Belgium [email protected]

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Communication materials

Citizen-centred communication

EAGLE brings together representatives of the nuclear community, users of ionizing radiation, authorities, mass and social media, and informed civil society, from a range of European countries employing nuclear power or not. The project seeks to improve the education, training and information materials employed in communications about ionising radiation by various information sources (industry, experts, authorities, medical field) across EU member states.

EAGLE will assess the current dissemination of ionizing radiation information to the public and provide practical guidance tools for best practice to support the ideal of participative, citizen-centered communication. The EAGLE events and activities will identify tools to better support European citizens’ understanding of ionizing radiation. All results of the project are to be disseminated amongst stakeholders and the public on an ongoing basis. Sharing of results and communication are facilitated through the project’s website, social media tools and soon via the “EAGLE Stakeholder Platform.” EAGLE electronically publishes its recommendations for improving the education, training and communication processes related to ionizing radiation via a webpage.

The project engages members of the social and traditional media in a series of national and international dialogues and analyzes education, training and information from the point of view of the final recipients of information: the EU citizens. Existing research for all EU Member states is analyzed along with polls, interviews and the outcome of workshops conducted in selected countries. The ‘mental model’ approach is employed to investigate potential differences between the attitudes and perceptions of professionals and the public. Public opinion surveys related to communication about ionizing radiation are being conducted in different EU countries in order to identify people’s attitudes, opinions, needs and views. Also public understanding of ionizing radiation is being assessed. For example the graph shows representative results for Belgium.

Get involved! All public events - conferences, dialogue groups, pilot actions, workshops, presentations etc. - are published at www.eagle. sckcen.be/. In addition, all EAGLE stakeholders are regularly informed by the EAGLE newsletter. If you would like to be kept informed as well, please join our EAGLE stakeholder network and register at www.eagle.sckcen.be/.

© SCK.CEN Barometer 2014, Turcanu C. & Perko T.

Partners • Agencija za Radioactivne Odpadke, SI • Institut de Radioprotection et de Surete Nucleaire, FR • Institutul de Cercetari Nucleare Pitesti, RO • Institut Symlog, BE • Institut Jozef Stefan, SI • Instytut Chemii i Techniki Jadrowej, PL • Univeritatea Polithnica din Buchuresti, RO

• Regional Environemental Center for Central and Eastern Europe, HU and SI • Jaroslav Valuch, CZ

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MARISA The main objective of the MARISA (MYRRHA Research Infrastructure Support Action) project is to bring the proposed MYRRHA facility to the point where construction can commence. MYRRHA (MultiPurpose Hybrid Research Reactor for High-Tech Applications) is a first-of-a-kind, large-scale nuclear research reactor designed to operate as an accelerator driven subcritical system and as a critical liquid metal cooled reactor. MYRRHA has been chosen by the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) as a high priority. In the framework of the European Sustainable Nuclear Industrial Initiative (ESNII), a R&D platform aiming to demonstrate Generation-IV Fast Neutron Reactor technologies, MYRRHA has been identified as a major facility contributing to the EU’s Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SETplan).

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Marisa lays foundations for MYRRHA Transitional project The MARISA project will mark the transition from the project preparatory phase to the construction phase for MYRRHA. The main objective of the MARISA project is to establish the fundamental conditions to bring MYRRHA to the level of development required to start construction work in 2016: an exceptional challenge, both in terms of engineering and project management. MARISA will develop instruments to coordinate and manage the MYRRHA project. Furthermore, the MARISA project will further progress the creation of the MYRRHA consortium, pooling the expertise required for the deployment of lead-cooled fast reactor systems including the integration of different national and international research initiatives, the preparation of the MYRRHA licensing process, and the coordination of supporting R&D and technical work. The MARISA project is coordinated by the Belgian Nuclear Research Centre SCK•CEN and the consortium involves 15 European organisations including universities, research institutes and industrial corporations. Most consortium members have been involved previously in major projects concerning the development of the Generation-IV Lead-cooled Fast Reactor (LFR) and Accelerator Driven System (ADS) technology.

Full definition The MARISA project includes six technical work packages. A first package aims to realise the essential steps for the establishment of the MYRRHA consortium. The second work package will integrate different national and international research initiatives related to the deployment of LFR systems. The third work package will look at the legal and organisational framework for the MYRRHA project including definition of rules for the valuation of contributions from consortium members and plans to establish a roadmap and business plan for the funding of the project during its entire lifecycle. In the fourth work package state-of-the-art principles, procedures and instruments for the management of the MYRRHA project will be developed including the control of project costs, schedule management, human resources, information flows and intellectual property rights. The fifth work package will address the licensing process, including the Environmental Impact Assessment Report, and the sixth work package will coordinate technical work relating to the accelerator, primary system and the Balance of Plant. The MARISA project also includes an external review of the MYRRHA primary system to provide an additional validation step prior to passing to the construction phase.

Coordinator

Project details

EC project officer

Hamid Aït Abderrahim SCK•CEN Boeretang 200 B – 2400 MOL Belgium Tel. +32 14 332596 [email protected]

Project type // Coordination and Support Actions Project start date // 1.9.2013 Duration // 36 months Total budget // EUR 3 413 696 EC contribution // EUR 3 269 481 Project website // http://marisa.sckcen.be

Dr. Mykola Džubinský European Commission Directorate-General for Research & Innovation Directorate Energy (Euratom) K4 CDMA 01/058 B-1049 Brussels, Belgium [email protected]

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Artistic view of the multipurpose and innovative MYRRHA research infrastructure © SCK·CEN

Conditions for construction By establishing the appropriate instruments for the management of the project, the creation of the consortium, the initiation of the licensing process and the coordination and review of the engineering programme MARISA will provide the basic conditions for advancing the MYRRHA project to the implementation phase. The MARISA project will push forward the development of the MYRRHA facility as a significant research infrastructure for flexible irradiation in the fast neutron spectrum. A wide range of work could be undertaken at MYRRHA from research in fundamental physics to the production of materials for renewable energy applications and nuclear medicine.

Medicine, materials and fundamental research The facility will produce medical isotopes and will also be employed for applied life sciences including the development of new types of radioisotopes for medical applications. It could also produce semiconductors for use in the renewable energy sector.

to reduce the radiotoxicity of high-level radioactive waste and decreasing the critical period for geological disposal. Finally a small fraction of MYRRHA’s proton beam will be redirected towards experimental devices for fundamental research on radioactive ion beam applications in areas such as nuclear and atomic physics, nuclear medicine and solid state physics.

Finance rules In the framework of the overall MYRRHA communication plan, the general public will be informed on a regular basis on key developments through communication and press events. The project will also generate important results related to legal structures for Large Research Infrastructures to be built in Europe and methods for financing them.

Irradiation experiments will provide a basis for the development, testing and qualification of materials and components for future, safer nuclear systems that generate less radioactive waste. It will also be able to offer testing conditions that are appropriate for development of nuclear fusion technology. MYRRHA will play a key role in studies investigating the conversion of long-lived radionuclides to radio-isotopes with shorter half-lives: a process called transmutation that has the potential

Partners • Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, FR • Karlsruher Institut für Technologie, DE • Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan, SE • Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas, ES • Regia Autonoma pentru Activitati Nucleare Drobeta Tr. Severin, Sucursala de Cercetari Nucleare Pitesti, RO • Agenzia Nazionale per le Nuove

Tecnologie, l’Energia e lo Sviluppo Economico Sostenibile, IT • Associação do Instituto Superior técnico para a Investigação e Desenvolvimento, PT • Gesellschaft für Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit, DE • AREVA NP SAS, FR • Université Catholique de Louvain, BE • Accelerator and Cryogenic Systems, FR • Nuclear National Laboratories Limited, UK

• Ion Beam Applications, BE • Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives, FR

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MatISSE The MatISSE project contributes to the wider European Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET-Plan), with which the European Union aims to foster clean, efficient and low-carbon energy technologies. MatISSE aims to build an integrated European research programme on materials innovation for a safe and sustainable nuclear power industry. The selected scientific and technical work is directed towards progress in the fields of conventional materials, advanced materials and the capability to forecast their behaviour during operation for fuel elements and structural components.

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Advanced materials for more sustainable energy Enhancing sustainability The MatISSE consortium involves 27 European partners and Korean participant. Almost all the European research organisations working in the area of nuclear energy are participating, as well as three industrial partners and nine universities. Advanced fission systems seek to demonstrate enhanced sustainability and economics while keeping high safety standards. These enhancements are critically related to breakthroughs in the area of materials and their performance during operation. Indeed, many components have to withstand severe conditions including high temperature and mechanical loading, prolonged operation under irradiation, and corrosive environments. The viability and potential for innovation of many advanced reactor concepts will crucially depend on the demonstration that the innovation path in materials for fuel elements and structural components can cope with the proposed operating conditions in the long term. In addition, the development of robust and predictive evaluation methods in support of the materials qualification programme is an essential task to support these objectives.

Coordination and research European R&D organizations with a variety of expertise, competences and testing facilities have contributed to efforts to develop sustainable energy technologies including nuclear energy options. Under the auspices of the European Energy Research Alliance (EERA) initiative, a Joint Programme on Nuclear Materials (JPNM) with the objective of creating synergies between key organisations in this field has been set-up. This objective will be achieved through the coordination of national initiatives with European Commission funded programmes and, possibly, other private-public or transnational collaborations. The MatISSE project has been developed squarely in the frame of JPNM. The first work package includes all coordination and support actions which accompany the evolution of the EERA JPNM towards a common strategic approach by defining an integrated research programme by integrating EU-funded and national R&D programmes. Four work packages are dedicated to technical work which are considered as priorities within the sub-programmes of the JPNM. These are modelling of irradiationinduced hardening and creep in ferritic/martensitic alloys; research activities on advanced materials for innovative nuclear reactors, specifically

Coordinator Aurore Michaux Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives (CEA) Centre de Saclay Département des Matériaux pour le Nucléaire, Service d’Etudes des Matériaux Irradiés Laboratoire de caractérisations Physico-Chimiques des Matériaux Irradiés Bâtiment 625P, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex France Tel. +33 169 086074

Fax +33 169 089073 [email protected]

Project details Project type // Combination of CP & CSA Project start date // 1.11.2013 Duration // 48 months Total budget // EUR 8 592 987 EC contribution // EUR 4 749 993

EC project officer Mykola Džubinský European Commission Directorate-General for Research Directorate Energy (Euratom) Unit J.2 – Fission CDMA 01/058 B-1049 Brussels, Belgium [email protected]

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ceramic composites for Gas-cooled Fast Reactors (GFRs) and Lead-cooled Fast Reactors (LFRs); oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) alloys for LFR and Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor (SFR) cladding; and shorter-term R&D on cladding and structural materials for the European Sustainable Nuclear Industrial Initiative (ESNII) systems, namely austenitic steels and ferritic/martensitic steels, including activities on the fuel cladding interaction. Two further work packages address education, knowledgesharing and exploitation of the findings, and general management activities, including scientific and consortium management.

Materials research One of MatISSE’s main objectives is to effectively support the evolution of the JPNM towards an integrated research programme which should involve the Member States, the European Commission and the main European research stakeholders. In this context the expected results are a strategy to structure JPNM, the definition of a medium and long-term research strategy, as well as a road-map and an access scheme to large research infrastructures, the preparation of governance, financial and management structures, and a scheme for education and training, networking, dissemination and communication activities.

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Implementing advanced systems MatISSE aims to establish key priorities in the area of advanced nuclear materials, identifying funding opportunities and harmonizing this important scientific and technical domain at the European level by maximizing complementarities and synergies with the major actors in the field. The mix of research and development on both conventional and advanced materials will benefit advanced nuclear systems in general. In the short-to-medium term the ESNII prototype reactors will be built with off-the-shelf materials and the first core will be fuelled with conventional fuel-elements. In a long-term, research and development is planned to develop innovative materials that will push forward the sustainability and safety goals for fast reactors. These advanced materials will be tested and qualified in the ESNII facilities, then implemented as advanced technologies within ESNII systems and beyond ESNII first-of-a-kind reactors.

Workshops and data Several workshops and or training schools and one open plenary meeting will be organized. Public deliverables of interest for other projects will be identified and in particular, may be relevant for the international data banks on nuclear materials developed by the International Atomic Energy Agency and Nuclear Energy Agency.

Moreover, MatISSE will comprise targeted R&D activities in thematic areas considered as priorities by the JPNM partners. Here expected results include progress towards an accurate assessment of the effects of irradiation-induced hardening and creep mechanism on the performance in operation of ferritic/martensitic alloys; assessment of the potentialities of ceramic composites as advanced fuel cladding for GFR and novel structural materials for LFR; elaboration of the pre-design of ODS steels for use as cladding for fast neutron reactors; and enlargement of the database of commercially available materials that can be used for fast neutron reactor prototypes and demonstrators, selection of functional coatings and modified surface layers and classification of phenomena such as fuel-cladding interaction and environment assisted degradation of steels in liquid lead alloys.

ODS billet heat treated at 1150°C before hot extrusion © P. Stroppa/CEA

Partners • Agenzia Nazionale per le Nuove Tecnologie, l’Energia e lo Sviluppo Economico Sostenibile, IT • Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, FR • Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas, ES • Centro Sviluppo Materiali, IT • Centrum vyzkumu Rez s.r.o., CZ • Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, IT • Electricité de France, FR • Helmholtz-Zentrum-Dresden-Rossendorf, DE

• Joint Research Centre – Institute for Energy, BE • Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, DE • Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, BE • Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan, SE • LGI Consulting, FR • Max Plank Institut - University of Stuttgart, DE • National Nuclear Laboratory, UK • Nuclear Research and consultancy Group, NL • Paul Scherrer Institute, CH • Politecnico di Torino, IT • Regia Autonoma Pentru Activitati Nucleare

Drobeta TR. Severin ra Sucursala Caercetari Nucleare Pitesti, RO • Studiecentrum voor Kernenergie - Centre d’Etude de l’énergie Nucléaire, BE • UK Energy Research Centre - Oxford University, UK • Universidad de Alicante, ES • VTT Technical Research Centre, FI • The University of Birmingham, UK • The Open University, UK • The University of Manchester, UK • Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, KR

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PLATENSO The PLATENSO project aims to develop a proposal for a European Platform for SocioEconomic matters (Social Platform) linked to nuclear technology and present recommendations for research strategies for related social, societal and governance issues within the New Member States (NMS) of the European Union.

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Enhancing the role of socio-economic research A legal basis The consortium consists of twenty organizations from twelve different countries. The majority of the participants are research institutions in NMS which, together with scientific academies, policy makers, and industry and government agencies, will be the end users of the project. The establishment of a legal base for a Social Platform linked to nuclear technology has potential to overcome existing barriers for taking societal, social and governance issues fully into account and will raise awareness of the various social and political challenges. The recommendations for research strategies will make NMS better prepared to take part in the Horizon 2020 research programme.

Platform implementation Initially, lessons learned from earlier projects will be reviewed and summarized. The research infrastructures within which project activities and future research will take place will be mapped and efforts made to ensure research actors frame their approaches correctly. Research strategies will be developed in which participation in EU programmes is an integrated part. The strategies will then be tested with case studies to ensure they can be implemented. The project will analyze the main aspects for implementing the Social Platform (e.g. organization, legal form, communication structure, content, etc.). Major areas of operation for the envisaged Social Platform will be proposed. A nuclear energy scenario based on the Generation 4 ALLEGRO reactor concept will provide a pilot case study for the Platform. The exact form for this study will be developed in close cooperation with the Euratom FP7 ALLIANCE project. A PLATENSO Virtual Information Centre will be set up to serve as a starting point for establishing a network between nuclear research centres, social sciences centres and relevant stakeholders, and potentially to become the operational communication component of the future Platform. PLATENSO aims to improve future participation in Euratom projects by its NMS participants. The project will build a network that is sustainable and can form the basis for further participation in the Social Platform. In each NMS involved in PLATENSO, one partner will become the National Contact and take responsibility for building the network in its respective country.

Coordinator

Project details

EC project officer

Kjell Andersson Karita Research AB Box 6048 187 06 Täby Sweden Tel. +46 8 51014755 [email protected]

Project type // Coordination and Support Action Project start date // 1.9.203 Duration // 36 months Total budget // EUR 1 224 778 EC contribution // EUR 999 760 Project website // www.platensoproject.eu

Katerina Ptackova European Commission Directorate-General for Research & Innovation Directorate G – Energy Unit G.4 – Fission CDMA – Rue du Champ de Mars 21 B-1049 Brussels, Belgium [email protected]

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PLATENSO kick-off meeting on Bratislava, September 25-26, 2013 © Karita Research AB

Linking natural and social sciences

A broader approach

It is anticipated that the proposed research strategies and the Social Platform can make the NMS and the research community better prepared to meet forthcoming social and political challenges whatever mix of nuclear scenarios materialize. The Platform will address issues related to socioeconomic studies of interest to both academia and decision makers (e.g. governments, private and public organisations) involved in the implementation of nuclear fission technologies, including radioactive waste management.

There are many social and political challenges related to different possible nuclear energy scenarios in EU member states, ranging from substantially increasing the use of nuclear energy, including new reactor concepts, to phasing out nuclear energy. While this is well acknowledged, there is still insufficient action towards meeting these challenges. Exploring the feasibility of establishing a Social Platform linked to nuclear technology has potential to reduce the barriers that still exist.

It will establish links with similar initiatives, both in the EU and globally, to improve the visibility of the socio-economic research community and show its complementarities with the scientific-technological community. It will provide an effective link between natural and social sciences in the nuclear domain, thereby fostering the role of the scientific-technological research community in governmental decision making processes. The project will boost education, training and information initiatives addressing knowledgeable non specialists, thereby improving public understanding of nuclear matters. The organization and strategic research agendas of other relevant EU platforms will be explored to identify legal and financial options as well as practical solutions for establishing the Social Platform.

The PLATENSO project will help to open up broader research approaches that can build new networks, escape from narrow framing, enrich communication and avoid the compartmentalization of research interests through its focus on social, societal and governance issues.

Social Platform workshops The project will organize a workshop to present a draft proposal for the rationale, objectives and approach of a Social Platform linked to nuclear technology to the wider community in early 2016 and a final dissemination event, involving a two-day workshop, will be held in June 2016.

Partners • SCK.CEN, BE • Center for the Study of Democracy, BG • Galson Sciences, UK • Institute of Sociology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, CZ • Nuclear Research Institute, CZ • Energiaklub Szakpolitikai Intezet Modszertani Kozpont Egyesulet, HU • Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe, HU

• Lithuanian Energy Institute, LI • Collegium Civitas, PL • Nicolaus Copernicus University, PL • Institute of Nuclear Chemistry, PL • Univerza Ljubljana – Department for Psychology, SI • Univerzita Mateja Bela v Banskej Bystrici, SK • Institute for Research in Social Communication Slovak Academy of Sciences, SK

• Environmental Social Science Research Group, HU • Merience Strategic Thinking, ES • Faculty of Philosophy, RO • Institute for Nuclear Research, RO • MERIENCE SCP, ES

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SACSESS In line with the Strategic Research Agenda of the European Sustainable Nuclear Energy Platform (SNETP), SACSESS will provide a structured framework to enhance the safety of the fuel cycle associated with Partitioning and Transmutation (P&T). The project will generate fundamental safety improvements for the future design of an Advanced Processing Unit and will greatly contribute to the demonstration of the potential benefits of actinide partitioning to the global safety of long-lived radioactive waste management.

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Improving process safety for P&T Safe processes Nuclear power plays a key role in limiting greenhouse gas emissions in Europe and contributes significantly to improving the EU’s independence, security and diversity of energy supply. Yet, its social acceptance is closely linked to enhancing the safety of long-lived radioactive waste management, which also contributes to the resource efficiency and cost-effectiveness of this energy source and ensures a robust and socially-acceptable system. Among the different strategies studied to safely manage long-lived radioactive waste, P&T can reduce the amount, the radiotoxicity and the thermal power of these wastes, leading to an optimal use of geological repository sites. The multidisciplinary consortium in SACSESS comprises 26 partners from European universities, nuclear research bodies, Technical Safety Organizations (TSOs) and industrial stakeholders. SACSESS aims to optimise separation processes previously selected in the FP7 ACSEPT project by focusing on all safety issues related to the industrial implementation of these processes.

Optimize through case studies SACSESS will investigate both aqueous and pyroseparation processes. Within ACSEPT several aqueous partitioning processes were selected and developed up to scientific feasibility through hot tests. These processes involved new extracting or complexing organic molecules and new diluents. To be developed further, these processes now require a comprehensive study of multiform safety issues that any chemical process requires under operational conditions, including accident scenarios, in order to identify weak points and find solutions to assess and ensure their safety. In pyrochemistry, SACSESS will focus on the recovery of minor actinides (MA) from metallic fuels and inert matrix transmutation targets. Knowledge gained in the previous ACSEPT programme will be used to modify and optimize the studied molten salt separation processes on a safety basis. Driven by global safety considerations, case studies will be performed for each process concept. Weak points will be identified to adjust the experimental programme. All of the results will be integrated to optimise flowsheets and to perform system studies that will ensure links with other projects and initiatives to guarantee the relevance of this research. With the help of TSOs and feedback from safety analyses, specific methodologies will be developed and applied to these processes in order to identify safety issues and then to optimise the processes.

Coordinator

Project details

EC project officer

Stéphane Bourg CEA/DEN/MAR/DRCP, Bat 400 CEA Marcoule, BP 17171 30207 Bagnols sur Cèze France Tel. +33 4 66797702 [email protected]

Project type // Collaborative Project Project start date // 1.1.2013 Duration // 36 months Total budget // EUR 10 278 039 EC contribution // EUR 5 550 000 Project website // www.sacsess.eu

Roger Garbil European Commission Directorate-General for Research & Innovation Directorate G - Energy Unit G.4 - Fission CDMA 01/055 B-1049 Brussels, Belgium [email protected]

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Acceptable time scales

Sustainable fuel cycles

The European nuclear reactor fleet today produces 1 800-2 000 tonnes per year of spent fuel containing approximately 20 tonnes of Plutonium, 2.8 tonnes of minor MA and 2.5 tonnes of long-lived fission products (LLFPs). These MA and LLFPs stocks need to be managed appropriately.

As a continuation of the ACSEPT project, SACSESS aims to reduce the amount and the radiotoxicity of high-level nuclear waste by designing chemical processes that aim to recycle all actinides within fast-neutron reactors or by transmuting transuranics in dedicated burners with a focus on the safety of these processes. This will benefit Europe by easing the nuclear waste management issue and by increasing public acceptance of nuclear energy. These advances will be useful both to countries committed to using nuclear energy and to those planning to phase it out.

Spent fuel reprocessing followed by geological disposal or direct geological disposal are today’s envisaged solutions, depending on national fuel cycle options and waste management policies. However, the required time scale for geological disposal is greater than the time of our accumulated technological knowledge, which raises public acceptance issues. P&T has been identified as a strategy that can ease the constraints on geological disposal and reduce the monitoring period to more technologically manageable time scales. If scientific and technical solutions are now available, their safety should be assessed to allow their development at larger scale. SACSESS will contribute to addressing these key issues and will help Europe secure a leading position in this domain.

SACSESS will propose safe, optimised and advanced closedfuel-cycle options that incorporate actinide reprocessing to European policy makers, utilities and technology providers. The demonstration of a feasible recycling strategy under safe conditions should have a positive impact on public opinion, and in turn on government decision makers. It will also help to prevent the diffusion of hazardous radionuclides into the biosphere in the far future, paving the way for nuclear sustainability.

With its extensive and comprehensive research programme, SACSESS will have an industrial impact by assessing the chemical safety of these advanced processes and by developing methods for performing safety case reviews for these processes. The project will also provide tools that can be used by industry to answer regulatory bodies and safety authorities.

SACSESS, Safety of ACtinide Separation proceSSes © Anna – Fotolia/LGI

Partners • Chalmers Tekniska Hoegkola AB, SE • Centro de Investigaciones Energeticas, Medioambientales y Tecnologicas, ES • Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, FR • Ceske Vysoke Uceni Technicke v Praze, CZ • Agenzia Nazionale per le Nuove Tecnologie, L’Energia e lo Sviluppo Economico Sostenibile, IT • Instytut Chemii i Techniki Jadrowej, PL • Institute of Inorganic Chemistry Academy

of Sciences of the Czech Republic, CZ • Institut de Radioprotection et de Sureté Nucleaire, FR • JRC – Joint Research Centre – European Commission, BE • Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH, DE • Karlsruher Institut fuer Technologie, DE • Lagrange Sarl, FR • National Nuclear Laboratory Limited, UK • Ustav Jaderneho Vyzkumu Rez A.S., CZ • Politecnico di Milano, IT

• Paul Scherrer Institut, CH • Universiteit Twente, NL • Universite de Strasbourg, FR • The University of Edinburgh, UK • Lancaster University, UK • The University of Manchester, UK • Universita degli Studi di Parma, IT • University of Leeds, UK • The University of Reading, UK • Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry, JP

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TALISMAN As a continuation of previous Euratom funded projects (ACTINET-6 and ACTINET-I3) TALISMAN will foster networking between existing European infrastructures in actinide sciences by opening them more widely to all European scientists active in the field and by offering and supporting their transnational access to the facilities required to safely undertake this demanding and essential research.

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Ensuring greater access for Actinide science Unique facilities Actinides play a central role in the nuclear fuel cycle from mining to fuel fabrication and energy production, up to the treatment of used fuel, and the management and disposal of radioactive waste. A fundamental understanding of actinide properties and behaviour in fuel materials during the separation processes and once in their geological repository is an imperative prerequisite to be able to tackle related safety issues. To meet the needs of a safe and sustainable management of nuclear energy, which is essential for its social acceptance, Europe must maintain the highest level of expertise in actinide sciences and prepare the next generation of scientists and engineers who will contribute to the continued development of safe actinide management strategies. Because actinides are radioactive elements, their study requires specific tools and facilities that are only available in a limited number of facilities in Europe. Few academic and research organizations have the capabilities and licenses to perform work on these elements under safe conditions. The 12 partners that make up the TALISMAN consortium comprise these unique research facilities.

Integration for strength In the field of actinide sciences, networking at the European level is a strategic need for the development of knowledge, skills and infrastructures. The objective of TALISMAN is to provide access for external users to facilities for training and research. This will lead to further integration and strengthening of the research community in this field. The TALISMAN project will support and jointly manage transnational access to appropriate research infrastructures for training and associated research projects in order to improve the safety of nuclear waste management. It will coordinate a network of actinide facilities across the EU to better integrate and structure the way these actinide infrastructures operate safely and to foster their joint development in terms of capacity and performance. The project will help establish a true European Research Area in the field of actinide sciences through a web-based collaborative platform and other communication tools and initiatives.

Coordinator

Project details

EC project officer

Stéphane Bourg CEA/DEN/MAR/DRCP, Bat 400 CEA Marcoule, BP 17171 30207 Bagnols sur Cèze France Tel. +33 4 66797702 [email protected]

Project type // Combined Collaborative Project and Coordination and Support Action Project start date // 1.1.2013 Duration // 36 months Total budget // EUR 5 400 859 EC contribution // EUR 4 000 000 Project website // www.talisman-project.eu

Katerina Ptackova European Commission Research DG - Energy - Unit J2 Fission CDMA 1 / 60 B-1049 Brussels, Belgium [email protected]

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TALISMAN, Transnational Access to Large Infrastructure for a Safe Management of ActiNides © Courtesy of CEA/KIT/HZDR/PSI/CHALMERS/ITU/NNL

Enhance collaboration for a safer society The major challenges facing the nuclear industry, including the definition, safety assessment and implementation of waste management strategies; the development and implementation of innovative concepts minimising environmental impact; and the improvement of safety and cost effectiveness, all require further development of expertise in actinide sciences.

TALISMAN will conduct a set of collaborative research projects involving member organizations and aimed at improving the access and quality of the research services offered. This will encourage European scientists by giving them the opportunity to implement scientific ideas, to propose and carry out research projects and to enable them to work with actinides.

More facilities, better access Through ACTINET-6 and ACTINET-I3, the actinide science community has initiated networking between infrastructures and between infrastructures and users. These first steps have allowed the community to benefit from the complementarities of existing tools by implementing appropriate rules for their use and by granting access to them to a wider set of users. In addition new pooled facilities have joined the TALISMAN project and will increase the services offered.

To face these challenges existing institutes do not have the capacities to run the necessary research programmes and attract the required number of students and young researchers to the fields of actinide science on a national basis. This is why it is strategic both for the management of existing European industrial tools and for the potential development of future concepts, to facilitate networking between the major European institutes to reinforce Europe’s excellence in this field. These networking activities will facilitate the implementation of large programmes in actinide sciences by increasing the set of possible experiments on active materials available to researchers in the European community. It will generate mobility for researchers between these facilities, thus contributing to the spread of excellence at European level and foster training and education activities, both through a specific training programme and by providing the opportunity to take advantage of a larger connected scientific community for students and young researchers. The very existence of the network and its support from the European Commission will increase the community’s visibility and make it more attractive to students and young researchers. Overall the project can enhance collaboration and networking between European countries that carry out nuclear chemistry research programmes.

Within TALISMAN, the effort to promote this transnational access will continue to be strengthened and optimized to benefit the European community, with an increased focus on safety issues related to the chemistry of actinides in fuels, separation processes and waste, including the interaction of actinides with the geological environment.

Partners • JRC – Joint Research Centre – European Commission, BE • Karlsruher Institut fuer Technologie, DE • Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf EV, DE • Paul Scherrer Institut, CH • Lagrange Sarl, FR • National Nuclear Laboratory, UK • Chalmers Tekniska Hoegskola AB. SE • The University of Manchester, UK

• Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, FR • Instytut Chemii i Techniki Jadrowej, PL • Univerzita Karlova v Praze, CZ

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CINCH-II In 2000 the OECD’s Nuclear Energy Agency (OECD/NEA) report “Nuclear Education and Training: Cause for Concern?” demonstrated that many nations are training too few scientists to meet the needs of their current and future nuclear industries and authorities. Subsequent studies have confirmed the OECD/NEA findings. In Europe many countries lack sufficient staff and equipment to provide education across a broad field of nuclear topics. Of particular concern are skill deficits within nuclear chemistry at masters and doctorate levels: an area of strategic importance for the maintenance of current European nuclear operations and future energy options within the evolving EU economy. Such skills are also important for meeting the challenges presented by “beyond design basis” nuclear accidents caused by human failures, natural disasters, terrorist or sabotage activities where not only the technical handling of the situation is critical, but also making sure that information and recommendations to the public are correct and relevant.

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Nuclear training open for all Nuclear courses In order to mitigate the effects of the declining number of qualified staff in nuclear chemistry from 2010 to 2013 the CINCH-I project sought to coordinate education in Nuclear Chemistry. The CINCH-II project is a direct continuation of CINCH-I and aims to apply the critical mass required to implement the courses and meet the nuclear chemistry postgraduate education and training needs of the European Union. The project is built around three pillars (Education, Vocational Education and Training (VET), and Distance Learning) supported by cross-cutting activities on Vision, Sustainability and Nuclear Awareness that includes also dissemination and management activities. The project will further develop and implement the plan for the European master’s degree in nuclear chemistry (NRC EuroMaster) and complete a pan-European offer of modular training courses including addressing accreditation issues. It will develop a Training Passport in Nuclear Chemistry and prepare the ground for the European Credit system for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET) application in nuclear chemistry. CINCH-II will implement modern e-learning tools developed in CINCH-I and further develop new tools for distance learning. It will lay the foundations of a Nuclear Chemistry Education and Training Platform as a future sustainable Euratom Fission Training Scheme (EFTS) in Nuclear Chemistry based on the already established CINCH consortium and its Associated Partners and develop a Sustainable System for Mobility to ensure an efficient mobility programme for trainers and trainees within the Nuclear Chemistry Network. Finally it will develop methods of raising awareness of the possible options for nuclear chemistry with potential students, academia and industry.

Experience counts The project will make full use of the knowledge and experience gathered and tools developed and demonstrated in the CINCH-I project. It will gather consortium representatives from both educational suppliers (academia) and end-users (future employers) to enable the design of a syllabus that responds not only to the current but also to the future nuclear chemical education and training needs, such as pyrochemistry for future nuclear fuel cycles. This will include assembling, comparing and evaluating approaches to, principles of, and experience, with existing education and training across EU countries. Stress will be put on practical education that can provide, for example, a database of practical exercises in nuclear chemistry or

Coordinator

Project details

EC project officer

Jan John Czech Technical University in Prague Faculty of Nuclear Sciences and Physical Engineering Department of Nuclear Chemistry Brehova 7, CZ-115 19 Prague 1 Czech Republic Tel. +420 224 358228 [email protected]

Project type // Coordination Action Project start date // 1.6.2013 Duration // 36 months Total budget // EUR 2 151 535 EC contribution // EUR 1 164 966 Project website // www.cinch-project.eu

Georges Van Goethem European Commission Directorate-General for Research and Innovation Directorate Energy Unit K.4 – Fission CDMA 1/52 B-1049 Brussels, Belgium [email protected]

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simulations and RoboLab (a remote controlled laboratory experienced with video feedback) and hands-on components in all relevant courses developed. New common study materials in areas identified during CINCH-I will be developed and new or adapted courses for electronic educational platforms will be produced and made accessible for teachers and institutions either for free (through NukWik – see below) or based on individual agreements (CINCH e-learning platform). Full use will be made of existing knowledge and expertise that is available via existing organizations, Euratom projects past and present, CINCH-II project partners and other relevant entities.

Training delivery The foundations of a permanent Nuclear Chemistry Education and Training Platform as a future sustainable Euratom Fission Training Scheme (EFTS) in Nuclear Chemistry will be laid. The EFTS will provide a platform where the courses developed within the training packages embedded in on-going or recent EURATOM “chemistry” projects, including ACTINET, ACSEPT, TALISMAN, SACSESS, SKIN, ASGARD and FAIRFUELS will remain available to all. . The implementation and development of modern e-learning tools will offer a unique distance learning opportunity to students as well as younger and experienced research workers from the nuclear chemical community. The e-learning tools to be developed include: NukWik - an open platform for sharing teaching material; e-learning modules on the existing CINCH e-learning platform; problem solving sets for “Computers in Education”; “RoboLab” remote controlled exercises; and simulation exercises.

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Strategic importance It is accepted that skills addressed by CINCH-II are of strategic importance for the maintenance of European nuclear operations and future EU energy options. They are also important for meeting the challenges presented by unpredicted nuclear events where handling the technical situation is of the same key importance as making sure that information and recommendations to the public are correct and relevant. And the demand for skills in nuclear chemistry will increase should Europe decide not to further develop its nuclear energy capacity due to the requirements for decommissioning existing nuclear installations. The CINCH-II consortium will create a basis for public private partnerships that can grow over many years and maximise the transfer of higher level knowledge and technology to both younger students and experienced research workers. The opportunity to meet with colleagues from across Europe at joint modular courses delivered by the leading experts in the field can increase the attractiveness of research careers in nuclear chemistry across the EU.

Wider community The project website will publicise the project’s key events including lectures, training, courses, open seminars, summer schools and international conferences organized in order to share the knowledge gathered during the project. The project outcomes will be of generic value and can be exploited by other organizations. Therefore, the project partners will look to disseminate its ideas and results to the wider community beyond nuclear chemistry.

In addition to the transfer of high-level competences, this will enable increased cohesion and international cooperation both within the nuclear chemical community and with other players in the nuclear energy field, help nuclear sector professionals to access vocational education and training and remain competitive within the labour market, and create a tool, which is accessible to all European parties (e-inclusive) helping to bridge universities, research centres and nuclear industries with SMEs and contributing to future cooperation between these parties.

Hands-on training in Nuclear Chemistry © Czech Technical University Prague

Partners • Chalmers University of Technology, SE • Helsingin Yliopisto, FI • National Nuclear Laboratory Limited, UK • Gottfried Wilhelm Leibnitz Universitaet Hannover, DE • Loughborough University, UK • Evalion s.r.o., CZ • Commissariat a l´énergie atomique et aux energies alternatives, FR • University of Leeds, UK

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• Universitetet for Miljo og Biovitenskap, NO • Universitetet i Oslo, NO

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ENEN-RU The ENEN-RU project set a common ground for cooperation with the Russian Federation in the development of Nuclear Education, Training and Knowledge Management. The long term needs of cooperation were established providing an effective framework for the mobility of teachers and students between Europe and the Russian Federation. Pilot courses were conducted and knowledge management activities were implemented.

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Enen cooperation with russia in nuclear education, training and knowledge management Bilateral benefits The project defined the bilateral opportunities and barriers for cooperation with the Russian Federation on matters of nuclear education, training and knowledge management. The project performed pilot exercises and defined a road map to achieve mutual recognition of the Education and Training programmes for both sides and to facilitate the expansion of exchanges. The focus of the project was Masters level and postgraduate education and training for young professionals studying nuclear engineering. The project consortium consisted of eight beneficiaries including one international organisation, the European Nuclear Education Network Association from France (the project coordinator); two nuclear research centres (Studiecentrum voor Kernenergie in Belgium and Ustav Jaderneho Vyzkumu Rez in the Czech Republic); four universities (Ceske Vysoke Uceni Techniske V Praze in the Czech Republic, Universität Stuttgart in Germany, University Politehnica Bucharest in Romania, and Slovenska Techniska Univerzita Bratislave in Slovakia); and one institute dedicated to nuclear training – Tecnatom in Spain.

Human resources The ENEN-RU project offered participants from nuclear research and industry a broader basis of human resources development and worked to foster greater cooperation between Russia and Europe in nuclear power development. The project involved seven work packages. The first package covered adaptation of the best practices in implementation of the Bologna process in Europe to develop Masters level course programmes oriented for international students. A second package defined a long-term cooperation strategy looking at current trends in nuclear energy development and strategies for human resource development and knowledge management, while another package implemented common pilot courses for nuclear education and helped to facilitate exchange of students between training institutions. A further package analysed the provision for the development of the methodologies for university educational and professional standards based on competency models and, another undertook a mapping exercise of experimental facilities, laboratories and equipment for education, training and joint research. A sixth package handled knowledge management and the dissemination of results with the final package involved coordination and management of the project.

Coordinator Ryoko Kusumi (Replaced by Pedro Dieguez Porras in Nov. 2013) Secretary General Reseau Europeen pour L’enseignement des Sciences Nucleaires (European Nuclear Education Network) CEA de Saclay, INSTN, Bat. 395. FR-91191 Gif surYvette France Tel. +33 169 089757 Fax +33 169 089950

[email protected]

Project details Project type // CSA-CA Project start date // 1.1.2011 Duration // 36 months Total budget // EUR 600 000 EC contribution // EUR 470 000 Project website // http://www.enenassoc.org/en/international-cooperation/ enenru/enenru1.html

EC project officer Dr. Mykola Džubinský European Commission Directorate-General for Research Directorate Energy (Euratom) Unit J.2 – Fission CDMA 01/58 B-1049 Brussels, Belgium [email protected]

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Training exchange The initial pilot education session for eight European participants in Russia was organised at the Central Institute for Continuing Education and Training in Obninsk, Russian Federation on 21 to 26 May, 2012. The tittle of the educational programme was ‘Engineering Aspects of Nuclear Fuel Fabrication, from Initial Raw Materials to Fuel Assemblies’. The course was developed in close cooperation with the TVEL Fuel Company of Rosatom within the frameworks of the ‘Rosatom – Euratom’ cooperation.

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A concrete vision of the future cooperation between Europe and Russia in this field has been established. Thanks to mutual understanding between the European Union and Russian Federation, experience from pilot education and training activities carried out during first stage of the ENEN-RU project, and a mutual interest in future cooperation a continuing programme of activities in nuclear education and training has been started between the two parties in the framework of the new FP7 project: ENEN-RU II.

The initial pilot training for Russian students in Europe was organised at the VR-1 training reactor at the Czech Technical University in Prague from 1 to 5 October 2012. Some ten Russian participants took part and benefitted from the experience of VR-1 reactor staff in running training courses for foreign students including the ENEN Eugene Wigner courses, trainings for IAEA and for other European Universities. During this training course participants also visited the Nuclear Research Institute in Rez and the Skoda Nuclear Machinery Company in Plzen.

Meetings in Russia

Following this initial ENEN RU project on 29 and 30 September, 2014, the Kick off Meeting of the ENEN RU II project kicked off. This second project will build on the experiences learnt during ENEN-RU I.

A second Obninsk Workshop was organised on 31 January and 1 February 2012. During this meeting all the project work packages were discussed in detail and appropriate deliverables were investigated. The planned pilot education and training items were went through.

Cooperative impact

At the Atomexpo exhibition in Moscow from 4 to 6 June 2012 the ENEN Association and training reactor VR-1 were presented and project deliverables and the planned training item were also discussed.

The target of the initial ENEN-RU project was to establish strong cooperation between European and Russian partners in nuclear education, training and knowledge management. The Bologna process and European Credits are going to be introduced into the Russian educational process, appropriate educational and training programmes were established and suitable training facilities were located on both sides. One pilot educational course was carried out in Russia in May 2012 and a similar pilot activity was undertaken in Europe in October 2012.

Partners • Studiecentrum voor Kernenergie, BE • Ceske Vysoke Uceni Techniske V Praze, CZ • Ustav Jaderneho Vyzkumu Rez, CZ • Universität Stuttgart, DE • University Politehnica Bucharest, RO • Slovenska Techniska Univerzita Bratislave, SK • Tecnatom, ES

The kick-Off Meeting for the project was held at the National Research Nuclear University (MEPhI) in Moscow on 26 and 27 May 2011. The first Obninsk workshop was organised from 4 to 7 October 2011 as part of the XII International Conference on Nuclear Power Plant Safety and Personnel Training. The participants discussed the ENEN-RU project and took part in the conference and round tables with themes ‘Nuclear Education’ and ‘Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Materials’.

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ENETRAP III Adequate high-level education and training (E&T) is crucial to prevent a decline in expertise and to ensure the availability of elevated radiation protection knowledge, skills and competences which can meet any future demands for society. To contribute to a common high-level safety and radiation protection culture, any training policy and its implementation should have an international character, encourage lifelong learning and facilitate exchange of workers across national borders. The ENETRAP III (European Network for Education and Training in Radiation Protection – Part III) project will develop several elements that contribute to the implementation of this approach.

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Training to ensure the best protection Safety first The perceived growth in the use of ionising radiation in different application fields, including medical, industrial, research and other sectors, requires an advanced understanding of radiation protection in order to protect workers, the public and the environment from the potential hazards of ionising radiation. Within this perspective, maintaining a high level of competence in radiation protection, assuring the continued development of suitable well-trained personnel, and adequate knowledge management is crucial to ensure future safe use of ionising radiation and that new technologies are developed in a safe way.

Training activities In the specific case of radiation protection, training activities are also embedded in a legal framework. The Euratom Basic Safety Standards (BSS) addresses education and training in radiation protection. The revised BSS, Council Directive 2013/59/Euratom of December 5 2013, published on January 17 2014, makes use of new definitions (replacing the definition of Qualified Expert) for the Radiation Protection Expert (RPE), Radiation Protection Officer (RPO) and Medical Physics Expert (MPE). These definitions will provide the basis for future national development and implementation. Targeted assistance from regulators will thus be a crucial factor in the future development and implementation of E&T for RPEs and MPEs (whose ability to act as expert needs to be recognized by national regulatory authorities) and for RPOs. The feedback from Regulatory Authorities and end users regarding the developed training schemes and the proposed learning outcomes, as well as their active involvement in the dissemination and communication of relevant findings and pilot courses will be a key factor in this project. A second important cornerstone when developing education and training in radiation protection, after the legal framework, are the education and training qualification and credit systems such as the European Qualifications Framework (EQF) and the European Credit System for Vocational Education

Coordinator

Project details

Michèle Coeck SCK•CEN Boeretang 200 B-2400 Mol Belgium Tel. +32 143 32180 [email protected]

Project type // Coordination and Support Action Georges Van Goethem Project start date // 1.6.2014 European Commission Duration // 48 months Directorate-General for Research and Innovation Total budget // EUR 780 000+ Directorate Energy (Euratom) EC contribution // EUR 780 000 G4 Project website // http://enetrap3. CDMA 00/035 sckcen.be/ B-1049 Brussels, Belgium [email protected]

EC project officer

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and Training (ECVET). Using the ECVET principles, ENETRAP III will deliver a technical framework to describe training recommended in support of the RPE and RPO job profiles, in terms of learning outcomes (including assessments where appropriate), and transfer, accumulation and recognition procedures (again, where appropriate). This will be done in close collaboration with the regulators, employers and other stakeholders. The developed training schemes will be modular, will facilitate mobility of trainers and trainees, and will explore on setting up ECVET partnerships between providers and end users.

Training the trainers

New modules

Policy support

Taking into account the most recent developments in the regulations, and in E&T tools and credit systems, ENETRAP III will add new and innovative topics to the existing portfolio of E&T approaches in radiation protection.

ENETRAP III will develop tailored guidance with respect to the implementation of the requirements for the RPE and the RPO roles. For RPE this guidance will address E&T (both initial and refresher training), competence, professional experience and suitability requirements, as well as methodologies for national and mutual recognition. For RPOs the guidance will address the RPO role and function and the E&T and competence required to support effective execution of those roles/functions.

The ENETRAP III project will build on the European radiation protection training scheme for Radiation Protection Experts developed in the previous ENETRAP II project. This provides a basic module complemented by specialized modules related to the specific field in which the RPE will work. ENETRAP III will develop and implement three new specialized modules for RPE training in the medical area, geological disposal and nuclear power plants (NPP). The developed modules aim to stimulate competence building and will use learning outcomes for knowledge, skills and competences as foreseen in the ECVET approaches. It will also be investigated how connections can be made to other topics close to the worldwide developments relating to nuclear issues such as decommissioning and emergency planning.

In addition, attention will be given to the training of the trainers. Although the competence and suitability of those delivering radiation protection training is one of the key factors in qualitative high-level training, this issue has not yet been addressed in Euratom FP7 E&T projects. ENETRAP III will develop a trainthe-trainer (TTT) strategy and organise a TTT event, promoting amongst other things the ECVET concepts and giving attention to the challenges involved in teaching difficult scientific and technical topics that have a significant societal impact.

Finally, as its ultimate deliverable, ENETRAP III will demonstrate the practical feasibility of the developed concepts for mutual recognition of RPEs and methodologies for comparison of training courses in terms of specific learning outcomes.

The project will also establish a Regulatory and End-users Consultancy Group (CG) and training schemes will be developed in close collaboration with specific end users. The endorsement of the European regulators will be sought through the Heads of European Radiological protection Competent Authorities (HERCA) and the European Training and Education in Radiation Protection Foundation (EUTERP), prior to organising the training.

Partners • Belgian Nuclear Research Centre SCK•CEN, BE • Public Health England – Health Protection Agency, UK • Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz, DE • Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique – Institut National des Sciences et Techniques Nucléaires, FR • Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, DE • Spanish Research Centre for Energy, Environment and Technology, ES

• Nuclear Research & Consultancy Group, NL • European Federation of Organisations in Medical Physics, UK • European Training and Education in Radiation Protection Foundation*, NL • Instituto Superior Técnico, PT • Budapest University of Technology and Economics, HU • Polska Grupa Energetyczna S.A, PL • Université de Lorraine, FR

*For European Training and Education in Radiation Protection Foundation (EUTERP) the following third partners will also take up an active role in this project: • Technical University of Delft, NL • Radiation Protection Centre, LT • Slovenian Radiation Protection Administration, SI

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EUTEMPE-RX The EUTEMPE-RX project will develop, put into practice and evaluate a new pilot European Fission Training Scheme (EFTS) for medical physicists working in diagnostic and interventional radiology in hospitals, medical device companies or radiation protection authorities. The course modules that will be developed in the project will be at European Qualifications Framework (EQF) level 8, defined as the medical physics expert (MPE) level in the recently finalized ‘Guidelines for the MPE’. The EFTS will make use of both face-to-face and online teaching.

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Training the next generation of medical physics experts in radiology Consortium of experts The project consortium consists of representatives of the European Federation of Organisations of Medical Physics (EFOMP) and members of the consortium of the former ‘Guidelines of the MPE project’. In addition teachers working in large European hospitals and in medical physics or physics departments in universities have joined the consortium. All partners have been chosen for their expertise in different fields that are of importance for the tasks and challenges of medical physics experts including the effects of low dose irradiation and clinical efficacy. Experience in teaching was a requirement for selection. The scientific advisory board for the project brings together medical physicists of some national membership organisations, medical device industry representatives and international organisations such as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Heads of the European Radiological protection Competent Authorities (HERCA), the European Society of Radiology, the International Organisation of Medical Physics, International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) and partners from relevant FP7 projects such as ENETRAP. The board advises the consortium on behalf of all their eventual course participants. The EUTEMPE-RX project allows all partners to cooperate to provide a high-level course that will prepare today’s medical physicists for future challenges. The aim is to ensure that the participants become knowledgeable about current issues of radiation safety culture in radiology and interventional radiology and that they know how to increase the effectiveness of X-ray imaging.

High level training Medical exposures represent the largest contribution to man-made radiation in the EU member states. In addition, X-ray technology is increasingly complex, simultaneously allowing more challenging applications (with associated higher doses) and specific dose reduction options for patients and personnel. It is important to train medical physicists in radiology and interventional radiology to perform the best possible health technology assessment and to cope with challenges of justification, dose evaluation and dose optimization (effectiveness) for these exposures. The benefits for the patient from this are clear.

Coordinator

Project details

EC project officer

Prof. Dr ir Hilde Bosmans KU Leuven Herestraat 49 3000 Leuven Belgium Tel. +32 163 43751 [email protected]

Project type // Coordination and Support Action Project start date // 1.8.2013 Duration // 36 months Total budget // EUR 1 879 691 EC contribution // EUR 1 658 000 Project website // www.eutempe-rx.eu

Dr ir Georges Van Goethem Innovation in Nuclear Fission and Education & Training European Commission Directorate-General RTD Energy (Euratom) Unit K.4 Fission Office: CDMA 1/47 BE-1049 Brussels, Belgium [email protected]

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The guidelines of the MPE project outlined necessary knowledgeskills-competences at different levels for medical physicists, including EQF level 8. But not every country has the possibility to perform such high-level teaching. However, centres of excellence are available in Europe from which 13 partners have been chosen for the EFTS. This current project will set up a modular course at EQF level 8 using teachers in this EUTEMPE-RX network of excellence. The new courses will combine face-to-face teaching with a strong e-learning platform available for distance learners. Solutions will be devised to deliver competences to both the participants in the face-to-face course as well as to the distance learners. A business plan will be developed to research the possibility of making this a permanent teaching programme in the future. If successful, the concept will be expanded to other domains of medical physics.

Modular courses The final result of this project will be a course consisting of 12 modules with each module given by expert scientists. The 12 modules have the following provisional titles: • Developments in the profession: Legal aspects, professional matters, communication and risk assessment, incidents and accidents. • Radiation biology for medical physicists in radiology • Basics of Monte Carlo simulations • Fundamental physics of X-rays: energy, absorption and phase effects • Anthropomorphic phantoms to assess clinical effectiveness • From routine Quality Assurance (QA) of X-ray systems to advanced QA • Advanced measurements of the performance of X-ray imaging systems • CT imaging and dose optimisation with objective means • Achieving quality in breast cancer screening and diagnosis • High-dose X-ray procedures in interventional radiology and cardiology • Dosimetry from conception to the adolescent • Personnel dosimetry, including techniques to communicate practical results to the users (RPE)

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The modules will be given at EQF level 8 and will be delivered from January 2015 to June 2016. A fully functioning website and e-learning platform will be developed with educational videos, databases and an active online community.

Increased expertise and safety The EUTEMPE-RX project addresses important groups of participants - medical physicists in hospitals and researchers and engineers in medical device companies and in competent radiation protection authorities – that require a dedicated education and teaching programme at EQF level 8. PhD students may also find some of the courses of particular interest. Therefore, as well as fundamental knowledge, skills and practical competences will also be taught and for that purpose selected centres of excellence will share their devices and experience. The different course modules may trigger new research initiatives and make these centres more attractive and accessible for potential PhD candidates. The potential impact on society may be huge: well-trained medical physicists will be available all over Europe and this will increase the safety and effectiveness of X-ray imaging. The very well trained MPEs will then be able to train other experts within their own country. The project will allow countries with relatively little expertise to catch up with the physico-technical aspects of radiology and interventional radiology. This will allow for a better radiation safety culture in these countries and more optimized use of available medical devices. The impact on population dose will be significant.

Workshop and business plans The project will include a mid-term workshop, open to the public, in Sofia, Bulgaria during September 2015. This workshop will take place after some of the modules have been organized already and the first quality sheets (following the quality manual) will be available for evaluation. On-line teaching will be developed too, following a business plan that is under development. The modules will be completed by June 2016. A business plan for ensuring a sustainable future for the EFTS will be developed and accreditation of the course will be an important action point.

Partners • European Federation of Organisations for Medical Physics, UK • Servicio Madrileno de Salud, ES • Universita Degli Studi di Pavia, IT • Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya, ES • Universita Degli Studi di Ferrara, IT • Technical University of Varna, BG • Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, UK • Hospices Cantonaux CHUV, CH

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• Stichting Landelijk Referentie Centrum voor Bevolkingsonderzoek, NL • Panepistimio Kritis, EL • Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria S. Misericordia di Udine, IT • Stadtisches Klinikum Braunschweig GGMBH, DE

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GENTLE The GENTLE project is a nuclear education and training initiative within the 7th Framework Programme of the European Commission. It brings together leading institutions in the nuclear field with the aim of creating a sustainable lifelong education and training programme in the field of Nuclear Fission Technology that meets the needs of the European stakeholders (industry, research and governmental organisations).

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Gentle approach to nuclear skills A unique approach The project consortium for GENTLE is composed of leading European universities in the field of nuclear education and training as well as national and international research institutions, covering a wide range of expertise The uniqueness of the GENTLE project lies in the facts that it offers high level education and training through the combination of Europe’s top class teachers and Europe’s unique nuclear infrastructure, thus providing an exceptionally well informed and holistic approach. The project will help Europe to maintain its leading position in the nuclear fission field, and will attract high quality students and young professionals from all over the world.

Training programme GENTLE’s project programme is based on the use of three education and training tools. Firstly, student research projects will facilitate students from the participating universities to get hands-on experience in some of Europe’s unique and specialised laboratories and participate in cutting-edge research through research projects and internships. Secondly, inter-semester courses (for example summer schools) will be organised for graduate and post graduate students on special topics that are generally not part of the academic programme. Thirdly, an Executive Masters course for young professionals, particularly those who have no nuclear background in their education, will be initiated to enhance their knowledge of nuclear reactors and fuel cycles.

Sustainable skills The overall expectation of the GENTLE project is the creation of a sustainable, life-long education and training programme in the field of Nuclear Fission Technology that meets the needs of European stakeholders from industry, research and technical safety organisations. Specifically the project expectations include an effective collaboration and coordination of education and training activities within the GENTLE consortium that should result in improved quality of the education and training provision of the individual partners and stimulating an effective dialogue between the project stakeholders that should result in clear learning goals for the tools that are to be implemented in the frame of the project.

Coordinator

Project details

EC project officer

Dr. Jan-Leen Kloosterman Delft University of Technology Mekelweg 15 2629 JB Delft Netherlands [email protected]

Project type // Coordination and Support Action Project start date // 1.1.2013 Duration // 48 months Total budget // EUR 2 090 644 EC contribution // EUR 1 700 000 Project website // www.gentleproject.eu

Dr. Ir. George Van Goethem European Commission Directorate-General for Research Directorate Energy (Euratom) Unit J.2 – Fission CDMA 1/47 B-1049 Brussels, Belgium [email protected]

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The project will successfully implement a portfolio of Student Research Projects (SRPs) and Student Internships (SIs) schemes that will lead to an increased number of graduates that have appropriate skills for working with nuclear materials. The successful implementation of the inter-semester courses will result in a larger number of European graduates with detailed knowledge of topics such as nuclear safeguards, decommissioning issues, nuclear fuel, nuclear waste and/or nuclear data. Finally a successful implementation of the Executive Masters Course on Nuclear Energy Systems will result in a fully accredited course for young (early career) professionals in the industry.

Safety and competitiveness Nuclear safety and security are of prime concern to our society, whether a particular country is using nuclear power as an energy source or not. In order to ensure that the current high levels of safety and security it is of key importance that the high-quality of nuclear education and training is also maintained. A highly skilled and well informed workforce is essential to maintain the current civil nuclear reactor fleet safely, to decommission obsolete plants, to be involved in new build where policy dictates, and to deal with legacy and future radioactive wastes. Excellent education and training is also essential to enable Europe’s nuclear industry and technical safety organisations to maintain their strong international position and thus to secure employment and competiveness in the long term.

Partners • Budapest University of Technology, HU • CIRTEN, IT • I2EN, FR • Joint Research Centre, EU • Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, DE • SCK•CEN, BE • University of Madrid, ES • University of Manchester, UK • University of Tartu, EE

• Paul Scherrer Institute, CH • Lappeenranta University of Technology, FI

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PETRUS III The objective of the PETRUS III project is to ensure the continuation, renewal and improvement of professional skills by filling the gap between the growing demand for structured education and training (E&T) in geological disposal and the current offering that is fairly limited. This goal is achieved through close collaboration between end users, training providers and academia committed to develop suitable common frameworks for the implementation and delivery of sustainable E&T programmes accredited at the European level and mutually recognised.

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Sustaining training for geological disposal PETRUS III consortium is a balanced grouping of 20 partners from universities, research centres and radioactive waste management agencies that all have an excellent track record of engaging in knowledge development. The project is focused on training processes related to both formal and non-formal education. It sets ambitious goals for the consortium to achieve highest quality results so that holders of qualifications, knowledge and skills acquired through PETRUS programmes will be confident that their achievements will be effectively validated throughout the EU for the purpose of career enhancement and/or further learning.

Sustained competence The PETRUS III project includes six work packages (see figure attached) that together fulfil a number of objectives. Firstly, the practical implementation of PETRUS training programme following European Credit System for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET) principles will be developed and the elaboration and implementation of training modules defined in terms of learning outcomes in a “Competency-Based Curriculum”. The objective is to set up qualifications in geological disposal that can be achieved, accredited and recognised both through formal and Professional Development training programmes. A multidisciplinary training and research framework for PhD student will be elaborated with the objectives of fast-tracking research activities in geological disposal through customised training programmes, organizing periodic PhD workshops and favouring the emergence of multidisciplinary research studies Strategies and frameworks for maintaining the PETRUS initiative over the long-term will be developed. A strategic plan for sustaining the PETRUS initiative will be established through the development of a steering board for coordination and follow up of the PETRUS educational programme. In addition the project will collaborate with the Implementing Geological Disposal Technology Platform (IGD-TP) Competence Maintenance Education and Training (CMET) Working Group with the aim of finding a continuing structure for the Professional Development scheme and its coordination. And, finally, a framework for the integration of the project with the European Nuclear Education Network (ENEN) Association structure for the overall management of the radioactive waste disposal E&T activities under the association umbrella will be elaborated.

Coordinator

Project details

EC project officer

Prof. Behrooz Bazargan Sabet Université de Lorraine Ecole des Mines de Nancy Campus ARTEM CS 14234 54042 Nancy France Tel. +33 238 643104 Tel. +33 355 662682 [email protected] [email protected]

Project type // Coordination and Support Action Coordinating (CSA-CA) Project start date // 1.9.2013 Duration // 36 months Total budget // EUR 2 116 532 EC contribution // EUR 1 425 000

Dr. Georges Van Goethem European Commission Directorate-General for Research & Innovation Directorate G – Energy Unit G.4 – Fission CDMA 01/047 B-1049 Brussels, Belgium [email protected]

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WP2: Actual implementation of the PD training programme

WP1: Ellaboration of the PD training programme using ECVET model Results Activities Trainee profile Application of ECVET principles Learning outcomes DACUM process Units and Credits Competencies passport

Activities Results Implementation Instructional of PETRUS PD document Prototype programme programme ECVET vs ECTS Self-evaluation

Activities Elaboration of PhD training courses Inter university collaboration

European Master Label

Activities Link with the IGD-TP Steering board Interaction with End-users

Results Training needs Job profiles Programmes’ Coordination recognition of qualifications

WP4: Think-Tank activities and link with the IGD-TP

Activities Integration to ENEN Link with ENETRAP International cooperation

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WP3: Challenge of multidisciplinary skills at PhD level

Results European Master Label Structural management Students’ exchange Courses exchanges

Results Training courses Annual PhD event PhD student exchanges Research programmes

WP6: Project management Activities Project Coordination

Non-EU students

V O L U M E

Knowledge management Communication and dissemination Organisation of workshops and PhD events Newsletter

WP5: Sustainability, external collaborations and link with ENEN

PETRUS III Work Packages © Université de Lorraine

Enhanced capabilities The actual implementation of the training programme for Professional Development in the frame of higher education is the first expected result of the project. The main issue is the accreditation of vocational learning outcomes through a qualification process at academic Master level using the ECVET model and competence-based curriculum. This work will be achieved in close connection with the IGD-TP, and its “Competence Maintenance, Education and Training” (CMET) working group and will include the establishment of ECVET partnership agreements and memoranda of understanding (MoU), the formulation of the learning agreement and the setting-up of mechanisms for awarding, validating, accumulating and transferring ECVET credits. Another expected result is the enhancement of the young researchers’ capability in tackling complex cross-disciplinary topics related to radioactive waste disposal. This new educational challenge will be addressed through short training programmes for PhD students allowing exchange of information between several disciplines and emergence of collaborative works. The programme will be accredited with 12 ECTS (European Credits Transfer System). With the future in mind, the sustainability of the PETRUS initiative is felt as an essential task. By establishing collaboration with IGD-TP and the ENEN Association we expect the PETRUS initiative to be embedded in a broader network. The aim is to better respond to the long-term perspective of E&T needs in this area, to consolidate the works already undertaken, to strengthen current developments and to extend and develop further new perspectives in E&T for geological disposal.

Investing in human resources Maintaining competencies in the geological disposal of radioactive waste requires careful planning and investment in human resources. The availability of a well-prepared competent workforce over a long period of time is a fundamental pre-requisite in this field. The overall goal of the PETRUS III project is to build a large collaborative effort integrating resources from universities, training and research centres and waste management organisations such that the common results obtained will deliver effective means to sustainably support education and training in radioactive waste disposal at the European level. Efforts to coordinate actions and capacities in the frame of the present project must result in the generation of synergy between training providers and industry, promote cross-sectorial training collaboration and multidisciplinary research, secure the global provision of human resources, enhance transparency and facilitate the mobility of competent professionals across Europe.

PhD events and workshops The first PETRUS PhD event is expected to take place in March or April 2015 and a PETRUS-CMET (IGD-TP) Common Workshop will be held in June 2015. The exact dates of these events will be announced in the forthcoming PETRUS Newsletter.

Partners • POSIVA Oy, FI • European Nuclear Education Network Association - Réseau Européen pour l’Enseignement du Nu-cléaire , FR • Ecole des Mines de Nantes, FR • Cardiff University, UK • Linnaeus University, SE • Microbial Analytics Sweden AB, SE • Radioactive Waste Repository Authority, CZ • Agencija za radioaktivne odpadke, SI

• Empresa Nacional de Residuos Radiactivos, S.A, ES • Aalto University, FI • Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, ES • Czech Technical University, CZ • Universitatea Politehnica Din Bucuresti, RO • French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission, FR • Instituto Superior Técnico, PT • Delft University of Technology, NL

• Studiecentrum voor Kernenergie, BE • Consorzio Interuniversitario per la Ricerca Tecnologica Nucleare, IT • Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe , SI

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GLOSSARY Many of the entries in this glossary are reproduced courtesy of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA; see http:// www.iaea.org).

XXAgeing General process in which characteristics of a structure, system or component gradually change with time or use. Although the term ageing is defined in a neutral sense – the changes involved in ageing may have no effect on protection or safety, or could even have a beneficial effect – it is most commonly used with a connotation of changes that are (or could be) detrimental to protection or safety, i.e. as a synonym of ageing degradation. XXAccident

management

The taking of a set of actions during the evolution of a beyond design-basis accident: • to prevent the escalation of the event into a severe accident; • to mitigate the consequences of a severe accident; • to achieve a long-term, safe and stable state. XXAssociated

countries

Non-EU countries which are party to an international agreement with the Community, under the terms or on the basis of which it makes a financial contribution to all or part of the Seventh Framework Programme. In the context of proposal consortia, organisations from these countries are treated on the same footing as those in the EU. The list of associated countries is given in the body of this guide. XXBarrier A physical obstruction that prevents or delays the movement of radionuclides or other material between components in a system, for example a waste repository. In general, a barrier can be an engineered barrier which is constructed or a natural (or geological) barrier. XXCall

for proposals (or “call”)

An announcement is published, usually in the Official Journal, inviting proposals for research activities in a certain theme. Full information on the call can be found on the Participant Portal web-site. XXCommissioning The process during which systems and components of facilities and activities, having been constructed, are made operational and verified to be in accordance with design specifications and to have met the required performance criteria. Commissioning may include both non-radioactive and radioactive testing. XXConfinement A barrier which surrounds the main parts of a facility containing radioactive materials and which is designed to prevent or mitigate the uncontrolled release of radioactive material to the environment. Confinement is similar in meaning to containment, but confinement is typically used to refer to the barriers immediately surrounding the radioactive material, whereas containment refers to the additional layers of defense intended to prevent

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the radioactive materials reaching the environment if the confinement is breached. XXConsortium Most funding schemes require proposals from a number of participants (usually at least three) who agree to work together in a consortium. XXContainment Methods or physical structures designed to prevent the dispersion of radioactive substances. Although approximately synonymous with confinement, containment is normally used to refer to methods or structures that prevent radioactive substances being dispersed in the environment if confinement fails. See confinement for a more extensive discussion.

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effective dose, effective dose, equivalent dose or organ dose, as indicated by the context. • Committed dose: Committed equivalent dose or committed effective dose. XXEngineered

barrier system

The designed or engineered components of a repository, including waste packages and other engineered barriers. XXExposure

XXCoordinator

The act or condition of being subject to irradiation. • External exposure: Exposure due to a source outside the body. Contrasted with internal exposure. • Internal exposure: Exposure due to a source within the body. Contrasted with external exposure. • Natural exposure: Exposure due to natural sources. Natural exposure is often excluded exposure, but in some cases may be occupational exposure or public exposure.

The coordinator leads and represents the applicants. He or she acts as the point of contact with the Commission.

XXFission

XXCorrosion Progressive surface dissolution of a material. A term generally used for metals. In radioactive waste management, it is also used for glasses and ceramic waste forms. Corrosion can be uniform over the surface of the material or non-uniform through enhanced corrosion in stressed areas at physical discontinuities. Selective localized formation of rounded cavities on the surface is called pitting corrosion. XXDecommissioning 1) Administrative and technical actions taken to allow the removal of some or all of the regulatory controls from a facility (except for a repository which is closed and not decommissioned). 2) All steps leading to the release of a nuclear facility, other than a disposal facility, from regulatory control. These steps include the processes of decontamination and dismantling. XXDisposal Emplacement of waste in an appropriate facility without the intention of retrieval (c.f. storage with intent to retrieve). Some countries use the term disposal to include controlled discharges of effluents to the environment. • Direct disposal: Disposal of spent fuel as waste. • Geological disposal: Disposal in a geological repository. XXDose 1) A measure of the energy deposited by radiation in a target. 2) Absorbed dose, committed equivalent dose, committed

product

A radionuclide produced by nuclear fission. Used in contexts where the radiation emitted by the radionuclide is the potential hazard. XXGenerations

of nuclear reactors

Generation-I reactors were developed in the 1950s and 1960s as prototypes. Only a few are still running today. Most reactors operating now are generation-II reactors, developed on the basis of the most successful generation-I prototypes. Generation III reactors are considered to be ‘advanced reactors’. Examples include the European Pressurised Water Reactor (EPR) and the AP1000 of Westinghouse. These focus on improving safety, economics and severe-accident management scenarios. More than a dozen generation- III advanced reactor designs are in various stages of development. Some have evolved from existing designs, while others are more radical. The best-known radical new design is the ‘pebble-bed modular reactor’, or hightemperature reactor, which uses helium as coolant at very high temperatures to drive a turbine directly. Generation-IV designs are still on the drawing board and will not be operational on a commercial basis for at least two or three decades. Presently, six different systems are being developed in the framework of the Generation IV International Forum (GIF), which brings together countries with interest in these developments. Euratom is also a member of GIF. Three of the generation-IV systems are fast reactors using sodium, lead or gas as coolant. One is an advanced HTR, one is a supercritical water-cooled reactor and one is a molten-salt reactor concept. XXGeological

repository

A facility for disposal of radioactive waste located underground (usually several hundred metres or more below the surface) in a geological formation, to provide long-term isolation of radionuclides from the biosphere.

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XXHigh-level

waste (HLW)

The radioactive liquid containing most of the fission products and actinides present in spent fuel – which forms the residue from the first solvent-extraction cycle in reprocessing – and some of the associated waste streams; this material following solidification; spent fuel (if it is declared a waste); or any other waste with similar radiological characteristics. Typical characteristics of high-level waste are thermal power above about 2 kW/m3 and long-lived radionuclide concentrations exceeding limitations for short-lived waste. XXHalf-life,

T1/2

The time taken for the quantity of a specified material (e.g. a radionuclide) in a specified place to decrease by half as a result of any specified process or processes that follow similar exponential patterns to radioactive decay. XXIAEA

XXModel A representation of a system and the ways in which phenomena occur within that system, used to simulate or assess the behaviour of the system for a defined purpose. • Transport model A mathematical representation of mechanisms controlling the movement of finely dispersed or dissolved substances in fluids.134 XXNational

radiation including α, ß, γ, etc.

For the purposes of radiation protection, radiation capable of producing ion pairs in biological material(s). Ionising radiation can be divided into low-LET (linear energy transfer) radiation and high-LET radiation (as a guide to its relative biological effectiveness), or into strongly penetrating radiation and weakly penetrating radiation (as an indication of its ability to penetrate shielding or the human body). XXISTC The International Science and Technology Center (ISTC) was set up in Moscow, Russia and is an intergovernmental organisation that works to prevent the proliferation of expertise related to weapons of mass destruction. To learn more, visit http://www.istc.ru. XXKnowledge

transfer

It involves the processes for capturing, collecting and sharing explicit and tacit knowledge, including skills and competence. It includes both commercial and non-commercial activities such as research collaborations, consultancy, licensing, spin-off creation, researcher mobility, publication, etc. XXMinimisation,

waste

The process of reducing the amount and activity of radioactive waste to a level as low as reasonably achievable, at all stages from the design of a facility or activity to decommissioning. This is done by reducing waste generation and also by means such as

Contact Points (NCP)

Official representatives nominated by the national authorities to provide tailored information and advice on each theme of FP7, in the national language(s). XXNuclear

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an independent international organisation that is related to the United Nations. The IAEA reports to the UN Security Council regarding noncompliance in terms of both safety obligations and matters relating to international peace and security. XXIonising

reuse of certain fuel components and treatment of the waste, with due consideration for secondary as well as primary waste.

fuel cycle

All operations associated with the production of nuclear energy, including: • mining and milling, processing and enrichment of uranium or thorium; • manufacture of nuclear fuel; • operation of nuclear reactors (including research reactors); • reprocessing of nuclear fuel; • any related research and development activities; • all related waste management activities (including decommissioning). XXNuclear

safety

The achievement of proper operating conditions, prevention of accidents or mitigation of accident consequences, resulting in protection of workers, the public and the environment from undue radiation hazards. XXOECD/NEA The Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) is a specialised agency within the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). To learn more, visit http://www.nea.fr. XXPartitioning Separation, usually by chemical methods, of minor actinides from the reprocessing stream, for the purpose of appropriate further processing, storage and/or disposal. XXPerformance

assessment

An assessment of the performance of a system or sub-system and its implications for protection and safety at a planned or an authorised facility. This differs from safety assessment in that it can be applied to parts of a facility and does not necessarily require assessment of radiological impacts.

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XXRadiation

protection

The protection of people from the effects of exposure to ionising radiation and the means for achieving this. The International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) and others use the term radiological protection, which is synonymous. The accepted understanding of the term radiation protection is restricted to protection of humans. Suggestions of extending the definition to include the protection of non-human species or the environment are controversial. XXRadioactivity The phenomenon whereby atoms undergo spontaneous random disintegration, usually accompanied by the emission of radiation. A nucleus (of an atom) that possesses properties of spontaneous disintegration (radioactivity). Nuclei are distinguished by their mass and atomic number. XXRadioactive

species

Either single radioactive atoms, molecules, molecular fragments or ions containing one or more radioactive atoms. XXRedox

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XXRTD Research and Technological Development XXSafety

analysis

An evaluation of the potential hazards associated with the implementation of a proposed activity. XXSafety

assessment

An analysis to evaluate the performance of an overall system and its impact, where the performance measure is radiological impact or some other global measure of impact on safety. See also assessment, performance. XXSafety

Case

An integrated collection of arguments and evidence to demonstrate the safety of a geological disposal facility. XXSevere

accident

Accident conditions more severe than a design-basis

Various definitions exist for redox reactions (oxidation and reduction chemical reactions) in terms of the transfer of oxygen, hydrogen and electrons between the chemical elements involved in the reaction. • Redox phenomena and conditions: Phenomena involving redox reactions and the physio-chemical conditions in which they take place. In the geochemical field in particular, redox reactions determine the mobility of many radioactive species.

1) Nuclear fuel removed from a reactor following irradiation, which is no longer usable in its present form because of depletion of fissile material, build-up of poison or radiation damage. 2) Nuclear fuel that has been irradiated in and permanently removed from a reactor core.

XXRepository

XXSTCU

A nuclear facility where waste is emplaced for disposal. • Geological repository: A facility for radioactive waste disposal located underground (usually several hundred metres or more below the surface) in a stable geological formation to provide long-term isolation of radionuclides from the biosphere. • Near-surface repository: A facility for radioactive waste disposal located at or within tens of metres of the Earth’s surface. XXReprocessing A process or operation, the purpose of which is to extract radioactive isotopes from spent fuel for further use. XXResearch

organisation

A legal entity established as a non-profit organisation which carries out research or technological development as one of its main objectives.

XXSpent

nuclear fuel

The Science and Technology Center in Ukraine (STCU) is an intergovernmental organisation that works to prevent the proliferation of expertise related to weapons of mass destruction. To learn more, visit http://www.stcu.int. XXStorage The holding of spent fuel or of radioactive waste in a facility that provides for its containment, with the intention of retrieval. XXTransmutation The conversion of one element into another. Transmutation is under study as a means of converting longer-lived radionuclides into shorter-lived or stable radionuclides. The term actinide burning is used in some countries.

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XXUnderground

research laboratory

Tests conducted within a geological environment that is essentially equivalent to the environment of a potential repository. A special underground laboratory, called an underground research laboratory (URL), may be built for in situ testing or tests may be carried out in an actual repository excavation. Only in such a facility can the full range of repository environment properties and waste repository system interactions be measured. XXVery

high temperature reactor (V/HTR)

A graphite-moderated nuclear reactor that uses a ‘oncethrough’ uranium fuel cycle. This generation-IV reactor concept is designed to produce an outlet temperature of 1 000°C (see Generations of nuclear reactors, above). XXVitrified

waste

The vitreous product that results from incorporating waste into a glass matrix. XXWaste

characterisation

Determination of the physical, chemical and radiological properties of the waste to establish the need for further adjustment, treatment, conditioning, or its suitability for further handling, processing, storage or disposal. XXWaste,

radioactive

For legal and regulatory purposes, waste that contains or is contaminated with radionuclides at concentrations or activities greater than clearance levels as established by the regulatory body.

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INDEX OF PROJECTS ALLIANCE

18

RISK - IR

50

ARCADIA (ex-SARRAH)

54

SACSESS

64

ASAMPSA_E

20

SAFEST

38

CAST

12

SecIGD2

16

CESAM

22

SEMI-NUC

52

CHANDA

24

TALISMAN

66

CINCH-II

68

CO-CHER

40

COMET

42

Dark.Risk

44

DOPAS

14

EAGLE

56

ENEN-RU

70

ENETRAP III

72

ESNII plus

26

EUTEMPE-RX

74

GENTLE

76

MARISA

58

MatISSE

60

MAXSIMA

34

NC2I-R

30

NUGENIA-PLUS

32

NURESAFE

34

OPERRA

46

PASSAM

36

PETRUS III

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PLATENSO

62

PREPARE

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How to obtain EU publications Free publications: • via EU Bookshop (http://bookshop.europa.eu); • at the European Commission’s representations or delegations. You can obtain their contact details on the Internet (http://ec.europa.eu) or by sending a fax to +352 2929-42758. Priced publications: • via EU Bookshop (http://bookshop.europa.eu); Priced subscriptions (e.g. annual series of the Official Journal of the European Union and reports of cases before the Court of Justice of the European Union): • via one of the sales agents of the Publications Office of the European Union (http://publications.europa.eu/others/agents/index_en.htm).

KI-NA-26-707-EN-N

This brochure describes the fourth batch of research projects funded through the specific programme for ‘Research and Training on Nuclear Energy (2007-2011)’ under the Seventh Euratom Framework Programme for Nuclear Research and Training Activities (FP7 Euratom). The projects described here all involve research activities in the general areas of management of radioactive waste, nuclear installation safety, radiation protection support to infrastructures & cross-cutting topics and education & training.

doi:10.2777/78635