To ensure the safe operation of technical installations such as nuclear power plants (NPPs), it is important to continuously identify and analyse possible risk factors. In addition to technical safety, the so-called human factor, i.e. human influence and contribution, is of crucial importance for the safe operation of installations. Human-organisational aspects are therefore an aspect of safety research that should not be underestimated. In a recent study, GRS scientists have identified organisational factors that can have a negative influence on plant safety. These are specific characteristics that affect the structure of the organisation (organisational structure), the organisation of activities and processes (process organisation), and the corporate culture.
 

Enhanced solketal and acetol production was demonstrated in selected aqueous glycerol-acetone mixtures with γ radiation. This radiation process constitutes the first-reported, radiation-induced chemical process for solketal, and provides a notable example of the potential for unexplored renewable processes that can be realized using ionizing radiation - especially considering waste spent fuel pools as a source of catalytic energy.

The Award of the Minister of the Interior of the Czech Republic for Extraordinary Results in the Field of Security Research, Experimental Development and Innovation for year 2021 was won by a team from National Radiation Protection Institute (SÚRO) and from NUVIA Czech Republic. The award was handed over on 30 September 2021 at the headquarters of SÚRO.

The mineral graphite is used in some types of reactors and can be activated by neutron radiation, i.e. converted into radioactive isotopes. In order to select a suitable disposal option, the graphite must be thoroughly examined radiologically. However, many measuring methods are relatively costly and in turn produce new radioactive waste themselves. A team of researchers from GRS and the University of Cologne is therefore developing a method with which reactor graphite can be characterised quickly and reliably.

Today, in the COVID era, there is a rise of an online distance learning/teaching. Often, it was the only way how to provide education or training. Our institute - The National Radiation Protection Institute of The Czech Republic (SÚRO) - was also forced to adapt distance teaching tools. 

Since the search for a repository site was restarted, crystalline rock, such as that found in Bavaria or Saxony, has also been considered as a host rock for a repository for high-level radioactive waste. Currently, experts from the GRS Repository Research Centre are working on several research projects to deepen the understanding of fundamental properties of the host rock and to develop concepts for assessing the safety of a repository in crystalline rock – in their own laboratory tests, in cooperation with foreign research partners, and as part of experiments carried out in the Swiss underground laboratory at Grimsel.

On the occasion of the 65th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), representatives of the IAEA and the European Technical Safety Organisations Network (ETSON) agreed to continue their close cooperation. In line with the Practical Arrangements signed on September 21, ETSON commits itself to further develop a tool allowing for the self-assessment of Technical and Scientific Support Organisations (TSO) and to support the organization of the upcoming IAEA International TSO Conference.

At the end of 2020, VUJE concluded a contract for the supply of the Hydraulic Shock Absorber Monitoring System (HSAMS) in connection with the construction of Hanhikivi 1 nuclear power plant.

Ukraine took another step towards ensuring nuclear and radiation safety and overcoming consequences of the Chornobyl accident. At the end of August, the Chornobyl NPP received a license to process and store the radioactive waste that has accumulated and is being generated in Shelter transformation into an environmentally safe system (operation of the Confinement and Shelter system).

Jacobs is delivering a new test facility for the UK’s prototype fusion energy plant

From October 2017, the Consortium Westinghouse Electric Spain, Westinghouse Electric Sweden and VUJE is implementing the Project: “D4.2 Dismantling of Reactor Coolant System Large Components” being a crucial part of V1 Nuclear Power Plant (two units with VVER– 440 reactors located in Jaslovské Bohunice site in Slovakia) decommissioning process managed by Slovak company Jadrová a vyraďovacia spoločnosť (JAVYS) and co-funded by the European Union through the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

From 1 to 19 September this year, joint international radiation monitoring exercises were held in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ) under a project of the German Federal Office for Radiation Protection and State Specialized Enterprise “Ecocenter” with the assistance of the German Embassy in Ukraine. The objective was to prepare an up-to-date map showing the distribution of Cs-137 radiation contamination and predict the nature of its changes.

Tucked away on a quiet industrial estate near Manchester Airport, a key test facility has helped to keep the UK’s nuclear power stations running for more than 40 years.
The Wythenshawe Boiler Rig, owned by EDF and operated by Jacobs, has provided an in-depth understanding of what was happening and what might happen inside advanced gas-cooled reactor (AGR) boilers. 

Aerial inspections of electric overhead lines are a suitable tool to increase their reliability and thus also have an impact on increasing the reliability of the operation of nuclear power plants.

According to the management of the State Scientific and Technical Center for Nuclear and Radiation Safety (SSTC NRS), training and improvement of knowledge and skills are not only current requirements, but also an integral part of daily activity. Being guided by this paradigm, SSTC NRS actively develops the popular work area such as education and training for experts of institutions and organizations acting in the field of nuclear energy and participates in various domestic and international educational projects.