International Conference on Research Reactors:
Safe Management and Effective Utilization

14-18 November 2011, Rabat, Morocco

In Germany, experience was gained in the field of safe operation of research reactors during the last five decades. In this time, in total 46 research reactors were built and operated safely. Concerning the design, there is, or has been, a very broad range of different types of research reactors. The variety of facilities includes large pool or tank reactors with a thermal power of several tens of megawatt as well as small educational reactors with a negligible thermal power and critical assemblies. At present, 8 research reactors are still in operation. The other facilities are permanently shutdown, in decommissioning or have already been dismantled completely and released from regulatory control. In this paper, four selected facilities still being operated are presented as examples for safe operation of research reactors in Germany, including especially a description of the safety reviews and safety upgrades for the older facilities.

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