Abstract:
Research reactors are not only a cornerstone of many national nuclear science and technology programmes, they are an important part of a national safety infrastructure. The IAEA seeks to assist Member States in maintaining and improving the safety of their research reactors. Recently, major emphasis has been placed on application of the Code of Conduct on the Safety of Research Reactors, including three regional meetings at which self-assessments of the status of application of the Code and areas in which additional assistance is needed were identified. The results of these meetings, together with insights gained from reports of Integrated Safety Assessment of Research Reactor (INSARR) and other safety missions, reports of incidents collected through the Incident Reporting System for Research Reactors (IRSRR) were evaluated. The conclusions of this evaluation, which were used to identify issues that are of concern and warrant continued or increased attention, enabled the Agency to make some near-term modifications to the research reactor safety programme to address these issues.