Regulatory Activities in the Area of Fuel Safety and Performance
Main Article Content
Abstract
Generic Action Item 94G02 'Impact of Fuel Bundle Condition on Reactor Safety' in many ways determined the present priorities in regulatory activities related to fuel performance. As one of the closure criteria it required that all licensees establish 'an effective formal and systematic process for integrating fuel design, fuel and channel inspection, laboratory examination, research, operating limits and safety analysis'. To date, such a process has been, to a large extent, put in place by all licensees. To assure that such processes remain operational and effective after the GAI closure, CNSC required, through S-99 [1], to report annually on fuel performance and major activities in the fuel safety area. The scope of reported information has been defined to allow CNSC staff evaluation of key events and trends in fuel performance. To compliment reporting by the industry, CNSC staff has conducted targeted inspections of fuel compliance programs at all sites. Combined together, these activities provide the regulator with the confidence that CANDU fuel is robust and operates with safety margins.
The scrutiny, to which fuel performance has been subjected lately, has allowed identification of certain programmatic weaknesses and gaps in the knowledge concerning the fuel behaviour under various conditions. It has become apparent that top-level strategies for assessment of fuel performance may have been inadequate and far from systematic; fuel inspection practices and capabilities have varied significantly from site to site; certain issues were identified but remained unaddressed for significant time; priorities in experimental or design support activities were not assigned consistently. The presentation gives examples of areas where, in the opinion of the CNSC staff, further work is required to support fuel design and safety envelopes.
The implementation of new CANFLEX fuel designs is currently being considered by the industry and CNSC staff has been engaged in the review process. These new designs are aimed, among other things, at restoring safety margins by reducing void reactivity and compensating for ageing effects. The CNSC fuel design review process is briefly described as well as its key review objectives and review areas.
Finally, the presentation touches upon the plans for the development of regulatory documents. These documents will formally state CNSC expectations in the area thus leading to more consistent and systematic processes, and promoting safe and reliable fuel operation.
The scrutiny, to which fuel performance has been subjected lately, has allowed identification of certain programmatic weaknesses and gaps in the knowledge concerning the fuel behaviour under various conditions. It has become apparent that top-level strategies for assessment of fuel performance may have been inadequate and far from systematic; fuel inspection practices and capabilities have varied significantly from site to site; certain issues were identified but remained unaddressed for significant time; priorities in experimental or design support activities were not assigned consistently. The presentation gives examples of areas where, in the opinion of the CNSC staff, further work is required to support fuel design and safety envelopes.
The implementation of new CANFLEX fuel designs is currently being considered by the industry and CNSC staff has been engaged in the review process. These new designs are aimed, among other things, at restoring safety margins by reducing void reactivity and compensating for ageing effects. The CNSC fuel design review process is briefly described as well as its key review objectives and review areas.
Finally, the presentation touches upon the plans for the development of regulatory documents. These documents will formally state CNSC expectations in the area thus leading to more consistent and systematic processes, and promoting safe and reliable fuel operation.
Article Details
Section
Articles