17th Meeting of the Nuclear Science Committee - Nuclear Energy [PDF]

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NEA/SEN/NSC(2006)3

17-Jul-2006 ___________________________________________________________________________________________ English text only NUCLEAR ENERGY AGENCY

NUCLEAR SCIENCE COMMITTEE

NEA/SEN/NSC(2006)3 For Official Use SUMMARY RECORD Seventeenth Meeting of the Nuclear Science Committee

31 May - 2 June 2006 NEA Headquarters Issy-les-Moulineaux [France]

English text only

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NEA/SEN/NSC(2006)3

TABLE OF CONTENT OPENING BY THE CHAIR .......................................................................................................................... 4 ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA ................................................................................................................... 4 INTRODUCTION BY THE DIRECTOR GENERAL .................................................................................. 4 APPROVAL OF THE SUMMARY RECORD OF THE 16TH MEETING.................................................... 5 STATUS OF COMMITTEE PROJECTS ...................................................................................................... 5 Review of progress of the NSC Working Parties........................................................................................ 5 Working Party on Scientific Issues of Reactor Systems (WPRS) ........................................................... 5 Proposal for revised working arrangements......................................................................................... 5 Proposal for an Expert Group on Minor Actinide Burning in LWRs .................................................. 5 Proposal for an Expert Group on 3D Radiation Transport Benchmarks.............................................. 6 Working Party on Scientific Issues of the Fuel Cycle (WPFC)............................................................... 6 Working Party on Nuclear Criticality Safety (WPNCS) ......................................................................... 6 Working Party on International Nuclear Data Evaluation Cooperation (WPEC) ................................... 7 Follow-up to recent NSC organised workshops and meetings.................................................................... 7 3rd Information Exchange Meeting on Nuclear Production of Hydrogen................................................ 7 Workshop on the Need for Post Irradiation Experiments........................................................................ 7 8th Meeting on Shielding Aspects of Accelerators, Targets and Irradiation Facilities (SATIF-8) ......... 8 Short review of NSC expert groups and task forces.................................................................................... 8 Preservation of Reactor Physics Experiments (IRPhE) ........................................................................... 8 Reactor-based Plutonium Disposition ..................................................................................................... 8 Basic Phenomena in Fuel Behaviour....................................................................................................... 9 Reactor Stability and LWR Transient Benchmarks................................................................................. 9 Proposal for an Expert Group on Uncertainty Analysis in Modelling................................................. 9 Radiation Shielding and Dosimetry......................................................................................................... 9 Very High Burn-up Fuels ...................................................................................................................... 10 Irradiation Induced Property Change of Graphite at High Temperatures.............................................. 10 Prediction of Irradiation Damage Effects in Reactors ........................................................................... 10 Needs of R&D Facilities in Nuclear Science......................................................................................... 10 Future NSC organised workshops and meetings....................................................................................... 10 9th IEM on Actinide and Fission Product Partitioning & Transmutation ............................................. 10 Workshop on chemical aspects of mobile fission products................................................................... 11 Workshop on materials for innovative systems..................................................................................... 11 International Symposium on Reactor Dosimetry................................................................................... 11 IN-DEPTH DISCUSSIONS ......................................................................................................................... 11 Progress of advanced reactor concepts...................................................................................................... 11 Very high burn-up fuels ............................................................................................................................ 12 RESULTS OF THE NSC SELF-EVALUATION AND FOLLOW-UP ACTIONS .................................... 12 DEVELOPMENT OF GUIDELINES FOR NSC WORKING METHODS ................................................ 13 REPORT FROM THE 15TH MEETING OF THE NSC EXECUTIVE GROUP ......................................... 13

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NEA/SEN/NSC(2006)3 REPORTS FROM OTHER NEA DIVISIONS AND OTHER INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS.. 13 The NEA Nuclear Safety division............................................................................................................. 13 The Nuclear Development division........................................................................................................... 13 The EC ...................................................................................................................................................... 14 The IAEA .................................................................................................................................................. 14 NEXT NSC MEETING ................................................................................................................................ 14 Date of next meeting ................................................................................................................................. 14 Topics for in-depth discussion .................................................................................................................. 14 ELECTION OF COMMITTEE OFFICERS ................................................................................................ 14 ANY OTHER BUSINESS............................................................................................................................ 15 ANNEX 1....................................................................................................................................................... 16 List of Participants .................................................................................................................................... 16 ANNEX 2....................................................................................................................................................... 21 ANNEX 2....................................................................................................................................................... 22 Structure of the Working Party on Scientific Issues of Reactor Systems (WPRS)................................... 22 ANNEX 3....................................................................................................................................................... 23 Report to the Nuclear Science Committee from the Fifteenth Meeting of the Executive Group.............. 23

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NEA/SEN/NSC(2006)3

SUMMARY RECORD OF THE SEVENTEENTH MEETING OF THE NUCLEAR SCIENCE COMMITTEE 31 May – 2 June 2006

OPENING BY THE CHAIR 1. The Chair, T. Lefvert, opened the meeting and welcomed the delegates. The following committee members had been newly nominated: Renato Tinti, Italy (replacing Enzo Menapace), Shiro Numajiri, Japan (replacing Atsushi OKU), Jan Blomgren, Sweden (replacing Nils Olsson), and Andy Pearce, UK (replacing Desmond MacMahon). R. Tinti and S. Numajiri were noted absent. Two new members from EC were announced: Tomas Botella and Georges van Goethem, both absent. T. Botella was replaced by Jean Coadou at this meeting. Apologies for absence had been received from H. Leeb, Austria, and Y.-J. Kim, Korea. A list of participants is given in Annex 1. 2. F. Carré, France was invited for the in-depth discussion on “Progress of advanced reactor concepts”. ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA [NEA/SEN/NSC(2006)1] 3. The proposed agenda was adopted with the modification that point 5.1.2 would be taken in the afternoon of the second day (1 June 2006), due to the late arrival of P. D’Hondt. The in-depth discussions were scheduled for the morning of the second day. INTRODUCTION BY THE DIRECTOR GENERAL 4. In the absence of the NEA Director General, T. Dujardin, Deputy Director, informed the committee of recent events in the nuclear field, with special focus on the OECD and the NEA. He reported that Angel Gurría had been appointed Secretary-General of the OECD from 1 June 2006, in succession to Donald J. Johnston, and that the NEA and the US Department of Energy (DOE) had signed the arrangement for co-operation in the field of nuclear data and computer programs on 10 April 2006. 5. The NEA Steering Committee had, at its meeting on 25-26 April 2006, approved the main lines of the programme of work for 2007-2008 and had also expressed its hope that a transparent and equitable method for determining NEA contributions to OECD overheads would be established. The Steering Committee meeting also discussed a continued outreach to Russia and China, and specifically indicated that the participation of the Russian Federation could take the form of regular observer status in all NEA standing technical committees and their working parties. 6. The NEA Steering Committee policy debate on “financing of nuclear energy” had agreed that the business risks, not the financial risks, were the main factor hindering new investment in nuclear energy. It was also noted that the IEA would include a specific chapter on nuclear energy in the forthcoming issue of “World Energy Outlook” and that the NEA would be involved in the drafting of this chapter. The NEA Steering Committee elected Richard Stratford, US, as its new chair, replacing Jussi Manninen, Finland.

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NEA/SEN/NSC(2006)3 7. T. Dujardin also informed the committee that Akira Hasegawa, Japan, had been appointed new head of the NEA Data Bank. Other new Data Bank staff members were Yong-Joon Choi, replacing ByungChan Na and Nicolas Soppera, replacing Tuncay Ergun. APPROVAL OF THE SUMMARY RECORD OF THE 16TH MEETING [NEA/SEN/NSC(2005)3] 8.

The summary record of the sixteenth meeting of the NSC was approved without modifications.

STATUS OF COMMITTEE PROJECTS [NEA/SEN/NSC(2006)2] Review of progress of the NSC Working Parties Working Party on Scientific Issues of Reactor Systems (WPRS) Proposal for revised working arrangements 9. K. Hesketh presented a proposal for a re-structuring of the WPRS activities. A draft scheme had been reviewed by the NSC bureau meeting in December 2005. The Bureau members had expressed the view that the suggested structure was too complicated and contained a mix of activities and topics. A revised proposal was then discussed at the WPRS meeting in January 2006, resulting in the current proposal, in which the WPRS divides its work into the following three work areas: 1. Experimental data and code validation 2. Reactor and fuel analysis 3. Radiation transport 10. R. Chawla expressed his concern about the proposed decoupling of the experimental data and the benchmarking activity and asked about the link between work area 1 and work areas 2 and 3. K. Hesketh answered that the coordination would be assured by the Working Party. 11. T. van de Hagen and A. Zaetta posed questions about the practical consequences of the reorganisation. K. Hesketh answered that the current activities would continue as before, whereas any new activities would need to present mandates for approval by the WPRS and the NSC. 12. The committee discussed the allocation of activities within each work area, as well as the naming of the work areas. It was agreed to move the SINBAD project from work area 3 to work area 1 and to rename the work areas to become: 1. Experiments 2. Reactor and fuel analysis 3. Radiation transport & dosimetry 13. The NSC approved the proposed re-organisation of the WPRS activities according to the organisation chart outlined in Annex 2. Proposal for an Expert Group on Minor Actinide Burning in LWRs 14. A proposed mandate for an expert group on minor actinide burning in LWRs was presented by K. Hesketh. The proposal originated from an in-depth discussion at the NSC meeting in June 2004 and is

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NEA/SEN/NSC(2006)3 intended to be a joint activity between the WPRS and the WPFC. The WPFC had not yet provided feedback on the draft mandate. 15. The main objective of the Expert Group would be to write a report on the state-of-the-art in minor actinide burning in LWRs. Cooperation with the NEA Nuclear Development Committee (NDC) will be sought for questions concerning economics. 16. The NSC noted that much work had already been performed in the area and that this work should be properly taken into account when starting up the project. J. Herczeg and A. Zaetta confirmed that the US and France would release documentation relevant for the study. It was also noted that any work on issues related to proliferation resistance should be coordinated with the IAEA. 17.

The NSC approved the suggested two-year project.

Proposal for an Expert Group on 3D Radiation Transport Benchmarks 18. A proposed mandate for an Expert Group on 3D Radiation Transport Benchmarks was presented by E. Sartori. The objectives of the group would be to develop benchmarks and comparison exercises for 3D radiation transport computer codes, to carry out validation of methods and identify their strength, limitations and accuracy, and to suggest needs for method development. A report on “Benchmarking the Accuracy of Solution of 3-dimensional Transport Codes and Methods over a Range in Parameter Space” would be produced by March 2009. 19. The NSC approved the proposed mandate of the Expert Group on 3D Radiation Transport Benchmarks. Working Party on Scientific Issues of the Fuel Cycle (WPFC) 20. In the absence of the Working Party chair, K. McCarthy, P. D'Hondt presented the status of the different activities within WPFC. The 5th workshop on “Utilisation and Reliability of High-Power Proton Accelerators” would be held in spring 2007 in Mol, Belgium. It is also planned to publish three reports in the autumn of 2006, a Lead-Bismuth Eutectic Technology handbook, a state-of-the-art report on national programs in partitioning, and a report on transition scenarios from current fuel cycles to long-term sustainable fuel cycles. 21.

The NSC took note of the progress.

Working Party on Nuclear Criticality Safety (WPNCS) 22. In the absence of the newly elected Working Party chair, J. Gulliford, Y. Rugama presented a summary of the WPNCS activities and the status of new experimental information supporting MOX fuel fabrication. Progress in the WPNCS activities on burn-up credit, sources convergence, criticality excursion analysis, minimum critical values, and the compilation of data into the International Handbook of Evaluated Criticality Safety Benchmark Experiments was described, as well as a scheme on how the Working Party reviewed reports before publication. The 8th international conference on nuclear criticality safety (ICNC-2007) would be held in St. Petersburg, Russia, on 28th May to 1 June 2007. 23. The NSC study on the evaluation of proposed integral critical experiments with low-moderated MOX fuel was finalised and printed in 2005, with a recommendation to support new experiments proposed by IPPE, Russia and by CEA/IRSN, France. The IPPE proposal has been funded by IRSN, France and by US DOE and the experiments had been performed under the auspices of the ISTC. The NEA will organise a meeting in October 2006 in Paris to review the results of the IPPE experiments. 6

NEA/SEN/NSC(2006)3 24. Following a question by A. Zaetta, Y. Rugama answered that the meeting planned to review the IPPE experimental results related to MOX fuel fabrication, might also discuss the need for additional experiments, such as the proposed experiment by CEA/IRSN, for which the necessary funding had not yet been secured. 25.

The NSC took note of the progress.

Working Party on International Nuclear Data Evaluation Cooperation (WPEC) 26. The Working Party chair, A. Koning, presented a list of WPEC publications issued up to now. He also reported in more detail on the achievements during the last mandate period from 2003 to 2006, including released data libraries, performed measurements and issued reports from five subgroups. A proposed new WPEC mandate for 2006-2009 was presented together with a work programme and expected deliverables. 27. R. Chawla asked about the relative quality of the different evaluated data libraries. A. Koning answered that it was difficult to give a clear answer as, although each library had its special merits, the overall quality of the libraries were very good. Following a question by J. Blomgren about the possibility to start a subgroup on integral ADS experiments, it was noted that the SATIF meetings and the SINBAD database was more suited for dealing with integral data, as most of the WPEC activities related to differential data. J. Aragones observed that the introduction and use of covariance information in evaluated nuclear data files when calculating integral configurations resulted in significantly higher uncertainties than observed in the integral experiment. 28. The NSC approved the proposed mandate for the Working Party on International Nuclear Data Evaluation Cooperation (WPEC) for the period October 2006 to October 2009. Follow-up to recent NSC organised workshops and meetings 3rd Information Exchange Meeting on Nuclear Production of Hydrogen 29. I. Yamagishi informed the committee about the outcome of the third information exchange meeting on “Nuclear production of Hydrogen”, which had been held at Oarai, Japan on 5-7 October 2005. The meeting had been organised jointly with the second HTTR Workshop on Hydrogen Production Technologies. The next meeting in this series is proposed to be held in 2008. 30. The NSC expected to receive a more detailed proposal for a next meeting on “Nuclear Production of Hydrogen”. A final decision would be taken by written procedure in autumn 2006. Workshop on the Need for Post Irradiation Experiments 31. The conclusions and recommendations from the workshop on the “Need for Post Irradiation Experiments (PIE)” held in Prague, Czech Republic on 11-12 May 2006, was presented by Y. Rugama. The workshop specifically addressed the need for experiments to validate burn-up credit approach to criticality VVER fuels. The available burn-up dependent isotopic composition data from PIE are somewhat sparse and cover a limited range of fuel enrichment, burn-up and very few fission products. PIE data for VVERs are also mostly proprietary. The workshop participants recommended pursuing: • VVER measurements as a precursor to the application of burn-up credit to VVER fuel, • A systematic evaluation and database of spent fuel isotopic data for all LWRs in the SFCOMPO format.

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NEA/SEN/NSC(2006)3 32. M. Anttila underlined the fact that there were very few VVER-440 PIE data freely available and that these data were in need of an independent quality evaluations. He also suggested that interested member countries would look into the possibility to establish a separate funded NSC project to resolve the problems. 33. T. Lefvert proposed that a limited meeting with representatives from interested countries be organised to negotiate specific proposals, with the idea of establishing a separate funded project under the auspices of the NSC. M. Anttila would coordinate the preparation of such a meeting with the assistance of the NEA secretariat. 34.

The NSC endorsed the above mentioned proposal by T. Lefvert.

8th Meeting on Shielding Aspects of Accelerators, Targets and Irradiation Facilities (SATIF-8) 35. P. Vaz presented the outcome of the 8th SATIF meeting hosted by the Pohang Accelerator Laboratory in Korea on 22-24 May 2006. Close to 50 participants from 10 countries had reviewed progress in on-going work and discussed directions for future work, including proposals for new benchmarks. The plans for future directions covered; enhanced visibility of work; targeting new applications, such as medical radiation and dosimetry related applications; increased interactions with other groups, such as the EC Conrad activity and the ANS computational medical physics group; and organisation of training/tutorial courses. The next SATIF meeting will be held at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, US in April 2008. 36.

The NSC took note of the presentation.

Short review of NSC expert groups and task forces Preservation of Reactor Physics Experiments (IRPhE) 37. E. Sartori informed the committee that the first edition of the International handbook of evaluated Reactor Physics benchmark Experiments (IRPhE) had been issued on DVD in March 2006. He also showed lists of evaluations that were planned for inclusion in forthcoming releases of the handbook. An initiative to propose the use of the guidelines and experience from the IRPhE evaluations and format to upgrade part of the American National Standard (ANS-19) had been taken. The NSC was asked to endorse this initiative. 38. A. Hasegawa informed the NSC that Japan considered the IRPhE project of very high importance and would continue to support the project with voluntary contributions. 39. The NSC endorsed the initiative to propose the IRPhE guidelines for upgrading the ANS standard. Reactor-based Plutonium Disposition 40. P. D'Hondt outlined some highlights from the reactor-based plutonium disposition programmes in the Russian Federation and in the USA. He also presented the status of the benchmarks related to MOX fuel behaviour and to physics of MOX loaded reactors. The final reports of the hollow and full MOX pellet and the Kritz-2 benchmarks would be published in 2006. 41.

The NSC took note of the progress.

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NEA/SEN/NSC(2006)3 Basic Phenomena in Fuel Behaviour 42. E. Sartori informed the committee that the database on International Fuel Performance Experiments (IFPE) presently contained over 1000 cases and that an extension of the database to include a more comprehensive set of experiments, such as data for high burn-up fuels and MOX fuel behaviour, are under way. The cooperation with the IAEA FUMEX-II modelling exercise had been fruitful and it was proposed to continue this cooperation also for the FUMEX-III exercise. 43.

The NSC endorsed a continued cooperation with the IAEA FUMEX exercise.

Reactor Stability and LWR Transient Benchmarks 44. J.M. Aragones described the status of the benchmarks on PBMR coupled neutronics/thermal hydraulics transients (PBMR-400) and on VVER-1000 coolant transients. The PBMR benchmark is well under way and a special session devoted to this benchmark will be organised at the Physor-2006 conference. The first phase of the VVER-1000 coolant transient benchmark had been completed and the publication of the three volumes of results from the three exercises was under way. The second phase of the VVER-1000 benchmark is in progress and is expected to be completed in 2007. 45. The final specification of the NUPEC BWR Full-size Fine-mesh Bundle Tests (BFBT) benchmark will be published in the summer 2006. The results of the void distribution exercise are expected to be published in 2007, whereas the results for the study of the critical power are foreseen for 2008. The benchmark group will also prepare of a proposal for complete specifications of an uncertainty analysis exercises to be discussed at the next meeting of the group in May 2007. Proposal for an Expert Group on Uncertainty Analysis in Modelling 46. J.M. Aragones presented the outcome of a meeting in Pisa, Italy on 29 April 2006, where a proposal for an expert group on “Uncertainty Analysis in Modelling” had been discussed. It was proposed to interact closely with the NUPEC BWR Full Bundle Test (BFBT) benchmark and the uncertainty analysis exercises performed in its framework. The work would be divided into nine exercises, with the aim to identify input, output and assumptions for each step, to calculate the uncertainty in each step, and to propagate the uncertainty for an evaluation of the overall system/scenario. These nine exercises would be carried out in 3 phases, each covering a two-year period. The final specifications for the first phase will be discussed and adopted at a workshop, planned for May 2007. 47. While recognising the importance of the subject, R. Chawla expressed concern about the wide scope and the long duration of the proposed activity. J.M. Aragones agreed that it could perhaps be difficult to meet the time-schedule, but that the time was presently ripe for studying uncertainty analysis in modelling. T. Lefvert suggested that contact should be established with the related CSNI Bemuse activity. 48. The NSC approved the establishment of the proposed Expert Group on “Uncertainty Analysis in Modelling” and agreed to regularly review progress. Radiation Shielding and Dosimetry 49. I. Kodeli presented the status of the SINBAD database containing shielding benchmark experiments. The database contains 77 experiments in the areas of reactor shielding, pressure vessel dosimetry, fusion blanket neutronics and accelerator shielding. Further data are being processed for inclusion in the database; in particular several accelerator and fusion related experiments will be added. The NEA cooperation with the EC coordinated action CONRAD (A coordinated network for radiation dosimetry) was also presented. 9

NEA/SEN/NSC(2006)3 50.

The NSC took note of the progress.

Very High Burn-up Fuels 51.

The issue was debated under the heading “In-depth discussions” below.

Irradiation Induced Property Change of Graphite at High Temperatures 52. C. Nordborg reported on the lack of progress in the writing of a state-of-the-are report on irradiation induced property change of graphite, C/C composites and SiC at high temperatures. A first meeting of the expert group had been held in January 2005. Writing responsibilities had been agreed, but the NEA secretariat had so far not received any contributions. It was thus proposed to discontinue the activity. 53.

The NSC decided to close the project.

Prediction of Irradiation Damage Effects in Reactors 54. At the in-depth discussion on “Progress of Advanced Reactor Concepts” (see below), it was decided to bring up the issue of fuel and material modelling at the NSC bureau meeting, with the goal of submitting a proposal to the next NSC meeting in June 2007. Needs of R&D Facilities in Nuclear Science 55. P. D'Hondt reported on the status of the Expert Group on “Needs of Research and Test Facilities in Nuclear Science”. The recent meeting of the Group had reviewed a draft version of the final report, as well as a prototype version of a database, containing information about existing R&D facilities in nuclear science. It is planned that the report and the database will be finalised by the end of 2006. 56. I. Yamagishi demonstrated the prototype database of existing research and test facilities in nuclear science. Committee members were encouraged to review the database and to send feedback to the NEA secretariat ([email protected]). 57. A. Hasegawa expressed his support for the project and informed the committee that his country would continue to provide voluntary financial contributions to the activity. 58.

The NSC took note of the progress and expressed its appreciation of the Japanese support.

Future NSC organised workshops and meetings 9th IEM on Actinide and Fission Product Partitioning & Transmutation 59. In the absence of F. Mompean, C. Nordborg presented the status of the preparations for the 9th Information Exchange meeting on Partitioning and Transmutation. The meeting, which is co-organised by NSC and NDC, will be held in Nîmes, France on 25-29 September 2006. The last day of the meeting will be devoted to technical visits to the ATALANTE fuel research laboratory, the PHENIX fast neutron research reactor or the MELOX fuel fabrication plant. The committee was asked about its interest in coorganising a 10th information exchange meeting in 2008. 60. The NSC confirmed its interest in co-organising a 10th Information Exchange Meeting on P&T in 2008.

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NEA/SEN/NSC(2006)3 Workshop on chemical aspects of mobile fission products 61. C. Nordborg presented a request for NSC sponsorship of an international workshop on “Mobile Fission and Activation Products in Nuclear Waste Disposal” to be held in France in January 2007. The workshop will focus on transport and chemical behaviour of a few radionuclides, such as C-14, Cl-36, Se-79, Tc-99 and I-129, helping to stimulate a re-orientation of international radionuclide migration research, which is currently mainly concerned with the behaviour of some less mobile elements. 62. S. Qaim expressed his support for the proposal and pointed out the need to coordinate this effort with the series of Migration conferences. 63. The NSC agreed to sponsor the international workshop on “Mobile Fission and Activation Products in Nuclear Waste Disposal”. Workshop on materials for innovative systems 64. W. Tromm presented a proposal for a workshop on “Materials for Innovative Systems” under the sponsorship of the NSC. Considering that material research is a field of growing relevance, especially for different innovative reactor systems, the objectives of the meeting would be to review fundamental research in the area of materials for reactor application and possible synergies with ongoing modelling activities, e.g. for lifetime extension of existing reactors and lifetime prediction of innovative systems. The workshop was planned to be held at the Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe, Germany in spring 2007. 65.

The NSC decided to sponsor the proposed workshop on “Materials for Innovative Systems”.

International Symposium on Reactor Dosimetry 66. P. D'Hondt outlined the scope and objectives of the 13th International Symposium on Reactor Dosimetry, jointly organised by ASTM International and the European Working Group on Reactor Dosimetry (EWGRD), and proposed that the NSC co-sponsor the meeting, which will be held on 25-30 May 2008 in Akersloot, the Netherlands. 67.

The NSC agreed to co-sponsor the 13th International Symposium on Reactor Dosimetry.

IN-DEPTH DISCUSSIONS Progress of advanced reactor concepts 68. T. Dujardin gave an overview of the recent development within the Generation-IV International Forum (GIF). Following the signature of the GIF framework agreement in February 2005, the system agreement for the Sodium Fast Reactor (SFR) had been signed one year later by France, Japan and US, with Korea joining a few weeks later. The SFR system agreement served as a template for the other five GIF systems, of which the Gas Fast Reactor (GFR) and the Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR) systems were the most active. 69. J. Herczeg described the advanced reactor fuel development in the US. The programme covers both thermal and fast reactor systems. On-going research on the different fuel types, such as Triso particles, inert matrix fuel pellets, as well as metal and nitride fuels were presented. An integrated multiscale approach to fuel modelling was also envisaged.

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NEA/SEN/NSC(2006)3 70. F. Carré presented the scientific research needs for Generation-IV systems and highlighted areas in which the NSC expertise could contribute to the scientific and technical knowledge of current and future nuclear technologies. A number of examples were given in areas such as reactor physics, material science, fuel cycle studies and knowledge preservation. 71. R. Chawla noted that many different advanced systems were discussed in parallel and asked if the GNEP and the GIF initiatives would focus on fewer systems. J. Herczeg answered that the GNEP initiative was mainly a fuel cycle initiative with the SFR as the base system. F. Carré echoed the indications given by T. Dujardin that most of the GIF activities were presently devoted to the SFR, GFR and VHTR systems. J.M. Aragones drew the committee’s attention to the fact that there were still many issues to be resolved for Generation-II and Generation-III systems, such as systematic studies of reactor transients with proper uncertainty analysis. 72. J. Herczeg highlighted the US initiative to launch a programme on advanced simulation of fuels and materials in autumn 2006. He proposed to re-assess, at the time of the NSC bureau meeting in December 2006, the possibility to start a NSC activity in this field. W. Tromm recalled the related decision by the committee to sponsor the workshop on Materials for Innovative Systems to be held in spring 2007 in Karlsruhe, Germany. It was agreed to continue investigating the possibility of establishing a NSC activity in the field of material and fuel simulation. Very high burn-up fuels 73. K. Hesketh reported on the main findings of the NSC Expert Group on very high burn-ups in LWRs. The report contained chapters on fuel cycle issues; fuel management, core design and safety; operational safety; economics; and research and development needs. The conclusions of each chapter were presented. It was especially noted the single most important need for reaching higher burn-ups (higher than about 65 GWd/t) was to relax the 5.0 % criticality limit on fuel fabrication and transport. Concerning the economics it was concluded that fuel cycle cost can continue to decrease at very high burn-ups, but only with optimistic assumptions concerning enrichments, low discount rate and burn-up independent unit costs. The driving factor for very high burn-ups was more likely to be found in operational benefits. 74. K. Hesketh answered a number of questions from committee members, including one from A. Zaetta, who asked if the study had considered the high burn-up effect on the lifetime of the reactor. K. Hesketh answered that this question had not been covered in the study. 75.

The NSC report on Very High Burn-ups in LWRs would be published in summer 2006.

RESULTS OF THE NSC SELF-EVALUATION AND FOLLOW-UP ACTIONS 76. I. Yamagishi presented the final results of the NSC self-evaluation questionnaire, which had been circulated to committee members just after the committee meeting in June 2005. Committee members had been asked to consult widely in their home countries before filling in the questionnaire. The aim of the questionnaire was to collect information to assess the usefulness of the output of the NSC programme of work and to make a self-evaluation of the NSC meeting in June 2005. Sixteen (16) member countries and the EC answered the questionnaire. 77. The general consensus was a global satisfaction with the NSC programme of work and the organisation of the activities, as well as with the quality of annual committee meetings. Committee members had also provided a number of comments and proposals for discussion.

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NEA/SEN/NSC(2006)3 78. The NSC agreed to discuss the outcome of the assessment report after hearing the introduction of the next point on the agenda on guidelines for NSC working methods (see below). DEVELOPMENT OF GUIDELINES FOR NSC WORKING METHODS 79. C. Nordborg informed the committee that the two main reasons for proposing new guidelines for NSC working methods were the recent reorganisation of the NSC work, resulting in the Working Parties being directly responsible for the vast majority of the efforts, and the signs that the OECD is moving towards more output oriented programmes of work, clearly indicating milestones and deliverables. It was for example noted that many of the NEA short term activities had taken significantly more than the stipulated two years to complete. 80. The NSC discussed the outcome of the self-evaluation questionnaire and especially a proposal to introduce presentation of country reports at the annual committee meetings. The committee members had different views on the question of country reports and asked the NEA secretariat to make a concrete proposal in time for the bureau meeting in December 2006. It was generally felt that the assessment of the committee activities should be performed at about 3-5 year intervals. 81. Concerning the relationship between the NSC and its Working Parties, it was agreed to leave the Working Parties to organise their internal work, with the assistance of the NEA secretariat concerning administrative questions such as election of chair and organisation of meetings. The NSC would nevertheless endorse, if necessary by written procedure, the mandates of each proposed new group or activity within a Working Party. The committee members would also be given the possibility to review the output of each NSC activity before publication. In order to identify the outputs from each group, the NEA secretariat was asked to clearly indicate, in each progress report, the publications produced by each NSC group or activity. REPORT FROM THE 15TH MEETING OF THE NSC EXECUTIVE GROUP 82. A. Zaetta presented a summary of the Executive Group meeting held in the morning of 31 May 2006. The report can be found in Annex 3. 83.

The NSC endorsed the proposed Data Bank programme of work and budget for 2007/2008.

REPORTS FROM OTHER NEA DIVISIONS AND OTHER INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS The NEA Nuclear Safety division 84. M. Hrehor informed the committee about the CSNI programme, with special emphasis on activities related to the NSC programme of work, such as the working Group on the Analysis and Management of Accidents (GAMA), a workshop on the evaluation of uncertainties, the expert group on fuel safety margins, and the report on Support Facilities for Existing and Advanced Reactors (SFEAR). The Nuclear Development division 85. S. Gordelier reported on recent publications and highlighted specifically two projects of common interest, the one on Innovation in Nuclear Energy Technology and the one on Management of Recycled Fissile Material. He also noted two possible topics for collaboration in 2007/2008. It concerned a

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NEA/SEN/NSC(2006)3 study on Limits to the Development of Nuclear Energy and a review of Transition Scenarios from Thermal to Fast Reactors, which would build on NSC work in progress. The EC 86. P. Rullhusen presented a number of EC sponsored projects within the area of nuclear fission and radiation protection as described in a room document provided by G. van Goethem. Four projects, EUROTRANS, CANDIDE, EFNUDAT and NUDAME, related to nuclear data measurements were also described. The IAEA 87. M. Ramamoorthy informed the committee of the development and service activities of the IAEA’s Nuclear Science Programme. The programme covers atomic and nuclear data, research reactors, particle accelerators, nuclear instrumentation and spectrometry, and nuclear fusion research, as well as providing support to the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Trieste, Italy. 88. C. Ganguly presented the IAEA programme on the Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Materials. The programme comprises Information and Analysis of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Materials Management, Nuclear Power Reactor Fuel Engineering, Management of Spent Fuel from Nuclear Power Reactors and Topical Nuclear Fuel Cycle Issues. C. Ganguly presented also the status of the INPRO project. NEXT NSC MEETING Date of next meeting 89. It was agreed to hold the next NSC meeting on 13-15 June 2007 at the NEA Headquarters in Issy-les-Moulineaux, France. The next bureau meeting would be held on 5 December 2006. Topics for in-depth discussion 90. Following the debate on simulation of material and fuels during the in-depth discussion, and the approval to organise a workshop on materials for innovative systems in Karlsruhe, Germany in spring 2007, R. Chawla proposed that one or two experts be invited to the next NSC meeting to inform the committee on the main challenges in this field. 91. J.M. Aragones proposed to discuss issues related to Generation-III reactors, such as simulations and modelling, and possible links with industry. A. Koning recalled that the ITER project had recently been launched and proposed to discuss scientific issues common to both fission and fusion. 92. Delegates were encouraged to communicate additional proposals in time for the final decision by the NSC bureau in December 2006. ELECTION OF COMMITTEE OFFICERS 93. The committee re-elected T. Lefvert (Sweden) as chair, and P. D'Hondt (Belgium), J. Herczeg (US) and A. Zaetta (France) as vice-chairs. T. Mori (Japan) was elected new vice-chair, in replacement of A. Hasegawa, who had recently been appointed head of the NEA Data Bank.

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NEA/SEN/NSC(2006)3 ANY OTHER BUSINESS 94. The chair informed the committee that S. Qaim would soon retire and that this was his last meeting. On behalf of the committee, the chair thanked S. Qaim for his valuable contribution throughout the years and especially during the period the he was chair of the Executive Group and member of the NSC bureau. S. Qaim responded that it had been a real pleasure and a privilege to work with the committee members. 95. A. Hasegawa, who would leave the NSC and take up duty as head of the NEA Data Bank, expressed his gratitude to the delegates for a very good cooperation during his time in the committee. He informed the NSC that he would be replaced on the committee by J. Katakura.

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NEA/SEN/NSC(2006)3

Annex 1 List of Participants

BELGIUM D'HONDT, Pierre Joseph Director Reactor Safety SCK-CEN 200 Boeretang B-2400 MOL

Tel: +32 14 33 22 00 Fax: +32 14 32 15 29 Eml: [email protected]

CZECH REPUBLIC MACH, Rostislav Nuclear Physics Institute Academy of Science CZ-250 68 Rez

Tel: +420 (2) 66172136 Fax: +420 (2) 20941002 Eml: [email protected]

DENMARK NONBOEL, Erik Radiation Research Risoe National Laboratory Postbox 49 DK-4000 Roskilde

Tel: +45 4677 4923 Fax: +45 4677 4977 Eml: [email protected]

FINLAND ANTTILA, Markku VTT Processes P.O. Box 1000 FI-02044 VTT

Tel: +358 20 722 5012 Fax: +358 20 722 5000 Eml: [email protected]

FRANCE CARRE, Frank CEA Saclay Nuclear Energy Division DDIN/Future nuclear energy projects Bat. 121 F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette

Tel: +33 (0) 1 69 08 63 41 Fax: +33 (0) 1 69 08 58 92 Eml: [email protected]

MADIC, Charles CEA/Saclay Direction de l'Energie Nucléaire DEN/DDIN, Bat. 125 F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette

Tel: +33 1 69 08 82 07 Fax: +33 1 69 08 32 32 Eml: [email protected]

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NEA/SEN/NSC(2006)3 FRANCE (cont.) ZAETTA, Alain CEA-DEN/DER Cadarache Bat. 707 – B.P. 1 F-13108 St.-Paul-lez-Durance

Tel: +33 (0) 4 42 25 27 61 Fax: +33 (0) 4 42 25 76 27 Eml: [email protected]

GERMANY QAIM, Syed M. Institut fuer Nuklearchemie Forschungszentrum Juelich Postfach 1913 D-52425 JUELICH

Tel: +49 (2461) 613282 / 614141 Fax: +49 (2461) 612535 Eml: [email protected]

SCHOLTEN, Christoph Counsellor Delegation of Germany to the OECD 9, rue Maspéro F-75116 PARIS

Tel: +33 (0)1 55 74 57 08 Fax: +33 (0)1 55 74 57 40 Eml: [email protected]

TROMM, Th. Walter Programme Manager Nuclear Safety Research Program Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe GmbH P.O Box 3640 D-76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen

Tel: +49 7247 82 55 09 Fax: +49 7247 82 55 08 Eml: [email protected]

HUNGARY GADO, Janos Director KFKI Atomic Energy Research Institute 1121 Budapest Konkoly Thege Miklos u. 29-33 H-1525 Budapest, Pf. 49

Tel: +36 1 395 9159 Fax: +36 1 395 9293 Eml: [email protected]

JAPAN HASEGAWA, Akira Senior Principal Researcher Japan Atomic Energy Agency 2-4 Shirakata, Tokai-mura, Naka-gun Ibaraki-ken 319-1195

Tel: +81 29 282 63 69 Fax: +81 29 282 6122 Eml: [email protected]

MORI, Takamasa Research Group for Reactor Physics Japan Atomic Energy Agency Shirakta-shirane, Tokai-mura, Naka-gun Ibaraki-ken, 319-1195

Tel: +81 29 282 5360 Fax: +81 29 282 6122 Eml: [email protected]

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NEA/SEN/NSC(2006)3 NETHERLANDS KONING, Arjan NRG Nuclear Research and Consultancy Group Building 34.213 Westerduinweg 3, P.O. Box 25 NL-1755 ZG PETTEN

Tel: +31 (224) 56 40 51 Fax: +31 (224) 56 84 90 Eml: [email protected]

VAN DER HAGEN, Tim IRI – Interfaculty Reactor Delft University of Technology Mekelweg 15 NL-2629 JB DELFT

Tel: +31 15 278 2105 Fax: +31 15 278 6422 Eml: [email protected]

PORTUGAL VAZ, Pedro Instituto Tecnologico e Nuclear/DPRSN Estrada Nacional 10 P-2686-953 SACAVEM

Tel: +351 21 994 62 30 Fax: +351 21 994 19 95 Eml: [email protected]

SLOVAK REPUBLIC BAHNA, Ján VUJE Dept. 0190 Okruzna 5 918 64 TRNAVA

Tel: +421 33 599 1197 Fax: +421 33 599 1157 Eml: [email protected]

SLOVENIA ZAGAR, Tomaz Jozef Stefan Institute Reactor Physics Department Jamova 39 SI-1000 Ljubljana

Tel: +386 1 588 5311 Fax: +386 1 588 5377 Eml: [email protected]

SPAIN ARAGONES BELTRAN, Jose Maria Dpto. Ingenieria Nuclear ETSI-Industriales Univ. Politecnica de Madrid Jose Gutierrez Abascal 2 E-28006 MADRID

Tel: +34 91 336 3108 Fax: +34 91 336 3002 Eml: [email protected]

PENA GUTIERREZ, Jorge Desarrollo de Aplicaciones Computing Centre Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear C/ Justo Dorado, 11 E-28040 MADRID

Tel: +34 91 346 0123 Fax: +34 91 346 0275 Eml: [email protected]

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NEA/SEN/NSC(2006)3 SWEDEN BLOMGREN, Jan Dept. of Neutron Research INF, Uppsala University Box 525 SE-751 20 UPPSALA

Tel: +46 18 471 37 88 Fax: +46 18 471 38 53 Eml: [email protected]

LEFVERT, Tomas Director, Swedish Center for Nuclear Tech Dept. of Physics, Royal Institute of Tech Stockholm Center for Astronomy, Physics and Biotechnology SE-106 91 Stockholm

Tel: +46 8 55 37 82 25 Fax: +46 8 20 80 76 Eml: [email protected]

SWITZERLAND CHAWLA, Rakesh Laboratory for Reactor Physics and Systems Behaviour Paul Scherrer Institute CH-5232 VILLIGEN PSI

Tel: +41 56 310 23 26 Fax: +41 56 310 23 27 Eml: [email protected]

UNITED KINGDOM HESKETH, Kevin Nexia Solutions B709 Springfields Salwick Preston Lancashire PR4 0XJ

Tel: +44 1772 76 23 47 Fax: +44 1772 76 24 70 Eml: [email protected]

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA HERCZEG, John W. U.S. DOE Office of Nuclear Energy, NE-20 19901 Germantown Rd Germantown, MD 20874

Tel: +1 301-903-1175 Fax: +1 301-903-5057 Eml: [email protected]

INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) GANGULY, C. Head, Fuel Cycle & Materials Section Dept. of Nuclear Energy IAEA P.O.Box 100 A-1400 WIEN

Tel: +43 1 2600 22766 Fax: +43 1 26007 Eml: [email protected]

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NEA/SEN/NSC(2006)3 International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) (cont.) RAMAMOORTHY, N. Director Division of Physical and Chemical Science Dept. of Nuclear Sciences and Application IAEA P.O. BOX 100 A-1400 Vienna

Tel: +43 1 2600 21700 Fax: +43 1 26007 Eml: [email protected]

European Commission (EC) COADOU, Jean EC, DG TREN Directorate Nuclear Energy,Unit H2, 1, rue Henry M. Schnadt Office EUFO 4384 L-2920 Luxembourg LUXEMBOURG

Tel: +352 4301 34034 Fax: +352 4301 30139 Eml: [email protected]

RULLHUSEN, Peter EC – JRC – Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements Joint Research Center Retieseweg 111 B-2440 GEEL

Tel: +32 (14) 57 14 76 Fax: +32 (14) 57 18 62 Eml: [email protected]

Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) CHOI, Yong-Joon Data Bank

Tel: +33 1 45 24 10 91 Eml: [email protected]

DUJARDIN, Thierry Deputy Director, Science and Development

Tel: +33 1 45 24 10 06 Eml: [email protected]

GALAN, Juan Data Bank

Tel: +33 1 45 24 10 08 Eml: [email protected]

GORDELIER, Stan Head, Nuclear Development Division

Tel: +33 1 45 24 10 65 Eml: [email protected]

HENRIKSSON, Hans Data Bank

Tel: +33 1 45 24 10 84 Eml: [email protected]

HREHOR, Miroslav Nuclear Safety Division

Tel: +33 1 45 24 10 58 Eml: [email protected]

KODELI, Ivo IAEA representative at the NEA Data Bank

Tel: +33 1 45 24 10 74 Eml: [email protected]

NORDBORG, Claes Head, Nuclear Science Section

Tel: +33 1 45 24 10 90 Eml: [email protected] 20

NEA/SEN/NSC(2006)3

RUGAMA, Yolanda Data Bank

Tel: +33 1 45 24 10 99 Eml: [email protected]

SARTORI, Enrico Data Bank

Tel: +33 1 45 24 10 72 Eml: [email protected]

YAMAGISHI, Isao Nuclear Science Section

Tel: +33 1 45 24 11 52 Eml: [email protected]

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NEA/SEN/NSC(2006)3

Annex 2 Structure of the Working Party on Scientific Issues of Reactor Systems (WPRS)

Keys: Activity with a mandate

WPRS

Work Area 1: Experiments

Topic

Work Area 2: Reactor & fuel analysis

Work Area 3: Radiation transport & dosimetry

IFPE

TFRPD

PVS

IRPhE

UA-LWR

V1000C

Skyshine

SINBAD

MA-LWR

BFBT

SATIF

ADS

PBMR-400

Computational radiation transport benchmarks

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NEA/SEN/NSC(2006)3

Annex 3 Report to the Nuclear Science Committee from the Fifteenth Meeting of the Executive Group 31 May 2006 Alain Zaetta Introduction Twelve delegates from nine member countries attended the meeting, including two delegates from the EC. Three new members Jan Blomgren (Sweden), Andy Pearce (UK), and Jean Coadou (EC), participated for the first time, as did the observer from Slovenia, Tomaz Zagar. Thierry Dujardin informed the Executive Group that the arrangement between the Data Bank and the US DOE to exchange nuclear data and computer programs had been signed on 10 April 2006. The new arrangement runs for five years and will be automatically renewed through tacit approval. Thierry also notified the Group that Akira Hasegawa, Japan, had been appointed new head of the Data Bank. Other new Data Bank staff members were Yong-Joon Choi, replacing Byung-Chan Na and Nicolas Soppera, replacing Tuncay Ergun as software developer. Progress report and programme of work Computer program and integral data services Enrico Sartori gave an overview of the computer program and integral data services. It was noted that the acquisition of new computer codes had been declining in the last few years. The number of requests for the services had been rather stable in recent years at a level of about 2000 computer codes and about 2500 integral data sets per year. A proposed new service, to package benchmark data and reports from past NSC studies with a Web-based guide to facilitate access for authorised users, was presented. The Data Bank training courses on the use of selected computer programs continue to be popular and attract many participants. Ivo Kodeli presented the Data Bank computer program services to non-OECD countries. In 2005, close to 600 packages out of a total of about 4000 were distributed to 29 non-OECD countries and to the IAEA. The Executive Group discussed the declining trend in the acquisition of new computer codes and recognised that the quality and value of the future Data Bank computer program service will depend on a change in this declining trend, and agreed that delegates, with the assistance of the NEA secretariat, shall contact liaison officers in their respective countries, with the aim of encouraging these liaison officers to release more computer codes to the Data Bank. Status of the SUSD3D and GERALD projects The development of the sensitivity and uncertainty code system SUSD3D was presented by Ivo Kodeli and was followed by a presentation of the status of the GERALD project by Juan Galan, Cassiano de Oliveira, Pedro de Oliveira and Charles Boyle. The aim of the GERALD project is to create a unified software environment to facilitate the definition, solution and analysis of nuclear radiation transport problems. The Executive Group agreed to continue its support to the GERALD project.

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NEA/SEN/NSC(2006)3

Nuclear data services and the JEFF project Hans Henriksson presented the nuclear data services. He informed the Executive Group that the compilation of experimental data into the EXFOR database had progressed as planned and that the CINDA database, containing bibliographic information, had been updated and would be published in autumn 2006. The high priority request list for nuclear data had also been updated with new requests. Processed data, based on the JEFF-3.1 evaluated data library, for use with the MCNP code had been produced and would be distributed via the Data Bank computer program services. Arjan Koning outlined the organisation of the JEFF project and described more in detail the content of JEFF-3.1 library and the results from the benchmark testing of the file. He also proposed a 3year prolongation of the JEFF mandate and outlined the planned deliverables. The Executive Group approved the proposed new JEFF mandate for the period October 2006 – October 2009. The Thermochemical Database (TDB) project Claes Nordborg presented the status of the Thermochemical Database (TDB) project in the absence of Federico Mompean. Four volumes of the TDB books had been issued in 2005. The work on the four on-going reviews on Iron, Tin, Thorium and on solid solutions was advancing well. It was planned to have the Thorium review published in early 2007 and the other three volumes later in 2007. The current phase of the TDB project will come to an end in February 2007, but it is envisaged to prolong the phase by one year to finalise the reviews and to have a thorough discussion on the future of the project. A few new ideas for future work have been collected, but the NEA secretariat is interested in receiving additional ideas and suggestions from members of the Executive Group. In-house computer system Pierre Nagel presented recent and on-going software and database development activities undertaken by the Data Bank computing staff. He also highlighted the recent hardware upgrades to the Data Bank computer system. Proposed budget for 2007-2008 The Data Bank budget document was introduced by Claes Nordborg. It was noted that the 2005 budget had been balanced with carry over funds from 2004 and that the finally approved 2006 budget was identical to the one proposed at the last Executive Group meeting. The only proposed change in the 20072008 budgets was a small (~5%) increase in the allocation of resources for "Official travel" to compensate for increasing air fares. The proposed increase was offset by an equivalent saving in "Publications, Printing and Interpretation" in order to have a zero growth budget. The proposal did not take into account the nominal and statutory adjustments, which would be decided by the OECD Council later in 2006. The Executive Group reviewed the allocation of Data Bank expertise to other parts of the NEA in 2007. The proposed increase from 1 to 2 staff-months/year in support of the nuclear safety division, offset by a decrease from 14 to 13 staff-months/year in support of the radioactive waste management and radiation protection division was approved. Conclusions and recommendations The Executive Group approved the proposed Data Bank budget and programme of work for 2007/2008 and recommends the Nuclear Science Committee to endorse the approval.

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