Agenda and Abstracts

Under the Patronage of

H.E.

Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources

The 2^nd International Symposium on Nuclear Energy

(ISNE-09)

المؤتمر الدولي الثاني للطاقة النووية

October 26-28, 2009

Amman, Jordan

Organized by

Al-Balqa Applied University BAU

in collaboration with

Jordan Atomic Energy Commission JAEC

and

Jordan Nuclear Regulatory Commission JNRC

http://isne.bau.edu.jo

isne@bau.edu.jo





*SENA Establishment* *For Laboratory Equipment Trading*	نـقـابـــة المـهنـدســـــين الأردنـــــيين “فرع البلقاء”
SYMPOSIUM CHAIRS
Abdallah Al-Zoubi BAU
Saed Dababneh JNRC & BAU		Ned Xoubi JAEC

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Scientific Committee

Saed Dababneh

Jordan Nuclear Regulatory Commission and BAU

Ned Xoubi

Jordan Atomic Energy Commission

Marwan S. Mousa

Mutah University

Munir Dababneh

Al-Balqa Applied University

Eid A. E. Al Tarazi

The Hashemite University

Mousa S. Mohsen

The Hashemite University

Abed Alhaleem Wrikat

Jordan Atomic Energy Commission

Ahmad Khataibeh

Jordan University of Science and Technology

Mousa Imran

Al-Balqa Applied University

Iyad Alqaseer

The University of Jordan

Steering Committee

Saed Dababneh

Jordan Nuclear Regulatory Commission and BAU

Ned Xoubi

Jordan Atomic Energy Commission

Dia Arafah

The University of Jordan

Qazem Jaber

Al- Balqa Applied University

Abdel-Fatah Lehlooh

Yarmouk University

Salaheddin Malkawi

Jordan University of Science and Technology

Organizing Committee

Ghandi Anfoka

Al-Balqa Applied University

Qazem Jaber

Al-Balqa Applied University

Moh'd Al-Kharabsheh

Al-Balqa Applied University

Ziad S. Hamatteh

Al-Balqa Applied University

Mohd Gaith

Al-Balqa Applied University

Mousa Imran

Al-Balqa Applied University

Ibrahim Al-Hamarneh

Al-Balqa Applied University

Jamil S. Al-Azzeh

Al-Balqa Applied University

Riad Joudeh

Al-Balqa Applied University

Contents

INTRODUCTION

In Jordan, as well as in other countries in the region, considerable interest has been devoted during the last period to the nuclear industry; not only due to its potential use as a power source, but due to the necessity to promote peaceful applications of nuclear sciences as well. The persistent call for water desalination contributes strongly in this context.

As a highly technical endeavor, the use of nuclear technology relies heavily on the accumulation of knowledge. This includes basic science in addition to technical information in the form of scientific research, engineering, regulatory reviews, safety procedures, wide scope of applications, and education.

Although there is an unambiguous need for capacity building through transfer of knowledge, the recognition of achieving added value through national initiatives should be considered as well.

In this context, this symposium aims at bringing together distinguished specialists from esteemed international institutions, and from the industry, in order to present their experiences to the local scientific, technical, and administrative community concerned with promoting peaceful nuclear technology.

The purpose of this symposium is to stress the responsibility shared by the national nuclear regulator JNRC, the national promoter and developer of Jordan's nuclear program JAEC and educational institutions like BAU to establish and maintain strong and effective procedures to be followed in order to realize a successful peaceful nuclear program. This symposium, and similar events, comprises a vital part of the national effort necessary to review the effectiveness and performance of the various practices, focusing on the important role played by each of the relevant national institutions.

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EXPECTED OUTCOMES

It is expected that the symposium will give recommendations and guidance on the issues facing countries working on introducing nuclear power for the first time, such as:

· Accessibility of nuclear technology for smaller countries;

· Human resource development to fulfill the future need of the regulator, and operator of nuclear power;

· How to present the technical message to the public;

· Security of fuel supply;

· Enhancing and maintaining independent and effective national regulatory system, given the challenges associated with launching a new nuclear power program;

· Prioritizing and addressing emerging issues concerning multinational and national responsibility for nuclear safety and security;

· Economical and environmental feasibility of uranium mining;

· Radioactive waste management and disposal;

· Promoting peaceful applications of nuclear technology in fields like medicine, industry, agriculture, and similar civilian domains;

· Fostering effective cooperation with international institutions for the sharing of knowledge, practices and information.

We will do our best in order to maximize the achievements of ISNE-09. The final judgment on how many of these expected outcomes have actually been achieved will help us develop our experience for the benefit of the next similar events.

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THEMATIC SCOPE

The following topical issues have been identified as subjects for the symposium sessions.

· Topical Issue No. 1: Nuclear Reactors

This session will address a wide scope of issues associated with nuclear reactor technologies, covering both nuclear power plants and research reactors.

· Topical Issue No. 2: Nuclear Safety, Security and Human Resources

This session will address recent developments in regulatory management systems. The session will focus on issues related to establishing and continuously improving regulatory effectiveness and effective independence. Public awareness as a major component of any nuclear program will be addressed as well. Strategies for capacity building in terms of nuclear and radiological education, tutoring and training will be one major focus of the symposium.

· Topical Issue No. 3: Nuclear Fuel Cycle

Front- and back-ends of the nuclear fuel cycle for power plants and research reactors will be addressed. Though spent nuclear fuel and waste management issues are very important, but current matters concerning uranium mining will be of major focus. Therefore, the feasibility of uranium extraction and production, economically, and in terms of environmental impact, will be discussed.

· Topical Issue No. 4: Applications of Nuclear Technology

These sessions will be devoted to industrial, medical, agricultural and other applications of nuclear technology. Local contributions are expected to be partly concentrated in this category.

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Symposium Agenda

	*Sunday, October 25, 2009* (and before)
	Arrival to Amman
Monday, October 26, 2009	Monday, October 26, 2009
	08:00 to 10:00	Registration
	10:00 to 10:30	Opening Ceremony Royal Anthem. Recitation of the Holy Quran. Speech of the President of Al-Balqa Applied University. Welcoming speech of the Symposium Chairpersons, by Ned Xoubi. Speech of H.E. Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources. (Master of Ceremony M. Gaith)
	10:30 to 11:00	Coffee Break
	Session I Chairperson: Ned Xoubi, JAEC.
	11:00 to 11:40	Khaled Toukan (Chairman, Jordan Atomic Energy Commission JAEC) JORDAN: WHY NUCLEAR?
	11:40 to 12:20	Abdelmajid Mahjoub (Director General, Arab Atomic Energy Agency AAEA) THE ARAB NUCLEAR POWER PROGRAMMES: A CHALLENGE TO MEET.
	12:20 to 13:00	Ishfaq Ahmad (Advisor S&T/MoS, Planning Commission of Pakistan) ROLE OF NUCLEAR POWER IN ENERGY SCENARIO OF PAKISTAN IN THE CONTEXT OF CLIMATE CHANGE.
	13:00 to 14:00	Lunch Break
Monday, October 26, 2009	Session II Chairperson: Saed Dababneh, BAU and JNRC.
	14:00 to 14:30	Ibrahim Othman (Director General, The Atomic Energy Commission of Syria AECS) THE ROLE OF THE ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION OF SYRIA IN PROMOTING SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.
	14:30 to 15:00	Youn Won Park (Vice-President, Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety KINS and Director of International Nuclear Safety School) NUCLEAR SAFETY REGULATION AND HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT IN KOREA.
	15:00 to 15:30	Konstantin Proskuryakov (Moscow Power Engineering Institute, Technical University, Russia) ENERGY CHALLENGERS OF THE 21^ST CENTURY AND PROBLEM OF PERSONNEL MAINTENANCE.
	15:30 to 16:00	Luc Vanhoenacker TRACTEBEL ENGINEERING (GDF SUEZ) THE EUROPEAN UTILITY REQUIREMENTS (EUR): STATUS AND NEAR TERM ACTIVITIES.
	16:00 to 16:30	Coffee Break
	Session III Chairperson: Dia Arafah, The University of Jordan.
	16:30 to 17:00	Akira Omoto (Team Leader of INIR Mission to Jordan, Former Director of NENP, IAEA) CHALLENGES TO GLOBAL INTRODUCTION/EXPANSION OF NUCLEAR POWER AND INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT, ESPECIALLY TO NEW ENTRANTS.
	17:00 to 17:30	Jaejoo Ha (Vice-President of KAERI) KOREAN NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE.
	17:30 to 18:00	Carmen Angulo (TRACTEBEL ENGINEERING} MULTIPHYSICS APPROACHES FOR THE TRANSIENT ANALYSIS OF POSTULATED NON-LOCA ACCIDENTS IN PWR’S.
	18:00 to 18:30	Nikolay L. Poznyakov (ATOMSTROYEXPORT, Russia) ATOMSTROYEXPORT: SUPPLIES OF NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS, EQUIPMENT AND SERVICES FROM RUSSIA.
	18:30 to 19:00	L. Erradi (President of the Moroccan Association for Nuclear Engineering and Reactor Technology) MOROCCAN EXPERIENCE IN PREPARING THE INTRODUCTION OF NUCLEAR ENERGY.
	Dinner
Tuesday, October 27, 2009	Tuesday, October 27, 2009
	Session IV Chairperson: Munir Dababneh, BAU.
	09:00 to 09:30	Mohammad Ghoneim (Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority EAEA) NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE: THE PRESENT AND THE FUTURE.
	09:30 to 10:00	Dmitry A. Klinov (Vice President, Obninsk State Technical University for Nuclear Power Engineering IATE, Russia) ON THE ISSUE OF RADIOACTIVITY AND BIOHAZARD INDEX OF BASIC NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE STAGES.
	10:00 to 10:30	Ned Xoubi (NFC Commissioner, JSA Project Manager, Jordan Atomic Energy Commission) THE DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION OF A SUBCRITICAL REACTOR (JSA): JORDAN’S FIRST NUCLEAR FACILITY.
	10:30 to 11:00	Coffee Break
	Session V Chairperson Salaheddin Malkawi, JUST.
	11:00 to 11:40	Tony De Vuono (SVP & CTO, Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. AECL) FUEL CYCLE FOR ENHANCED CANDU 6.
	11:40 to 12:20	Luc Vanhoenacker TRACTEBEL ENGINEERING (GDF SUEZ) TRACTEBEL ENGINEERING EXPERIENCE IN STEAM GENERATOR REPLACEMENT AND POWER UPRATE PROJECTS.
	12:20 to 13:00	Akira Omoto (Team Leader of INIR Mission to Jordan, Former Director of NENP, IAEA) NUCLEAR ENERGY FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT.
	13:00 to 14:00	Lunch Break
	Session VI Chairperson: To be announced.
	14:00 to 14:40	Ibrahim Othman (Director General, The Atomic Energy Commission of Syria AECS) PROSPECTS FOR REGIONAL COOPERATION IN NUCLEAR ENERGY PRODUCTION.
	14:40 to 15:20	Messaoud Baaliouamer (Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique COMENA, Algeria) THE ALGERIAN ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION (COMENA): NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FOR THE NATIONAL SOCIOECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
	15:20 to 16:00	Alain Bucaille (Senior Vice-President, Research and Innovation Corporate Department, AREVA) PUBLIC ACCEPTANCE: A CULTURAL APPROACH.
	16:00 to 16:30	Coffee Break
	Session VII Chairperson: To be announced.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009	16:30 to 17:00	Joseph Huse (Co-Head of Freshfields' Nuclear Power Group) BRINGING COMMON REGULATORY REGIMES TO THE REGION.
	17:00 to 17:30	Albert Lee (Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. AECL) REGULATORY PROCESS FOR NEW CANDU BUILD.
	17:30 to 18:00	Dmitry A. Klinov (Vice President, Obninsk State Technical University for Nuclear Power Engineering IATE, Russia) NATIONAL RESEARCH NUCLEAR UNIVERSITY “MEPHI”: INTEGRATION OF SCIENCE AND EDUCATION.
	18:00 to 18:15	Kafa Khasawneh (Al-Balqa Applied University, Salt, Jordan) SOLVING NEUTRON DIFFUSION EQUATIONS FOR DIFFERENT GEOMETRIES USING THE HOMOTOPY PERTURBATION METHOD.
	18:15 to 18:30	Omar Nusair (Al-Balqa Applied University, Salt, Jordan and GSI, Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung, Darmstadt, Germany) MULTI-GAP RESISTIVE PLATE CHAMBERS FOR HIGH-ENERGY NEUTRON DETECTION.
	18:30 to 18:45	Hanan Saleh (Al-Hussein Bin Talal University, Ma'an, Jordan) CHARACTERIZATION OF BIOLOGICAL MATRICES USING X-RAY COMPTON SCATTERING TECHNIQUE.
	18:45 to 19:00	M. M. Abu-Samreh (Al-Quds University, Jerusalem, Palestine) LITERATURE REVIEW OF THE EFFECTS OF NUCLEAR RADIATION AND TEMPERATURE ON THE MATERIALS.
	Dinner hosted by Jordan Nuclear Regulatory Commission JNRC
Wednesday, October 28, 2009	Wednesday, October 28, 2009
	Session VIII Chairperson: Abdel-Fatah Lehlooh, Yarmouk University.
	09:00 to 09:30	Joseph Magill (European Commission, Institute for Transuranium Elements, Karlsruhe, Germany) THE “NUCLEONICA” NUCLEAR SCIENCE PORTAL FOR KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT, EDUCATION, AND TRAINING.
	09:30 to 10:00	Igor T. Trejakov (ATOMSTROYEXPORT, Russia) RESEARCH REACTOR: CENTRAL PART OF MODERN NUCLEAR RESEARCH CENTER.
	10:00 to 10:30	Houshyar Noshad (Atomic Energy Organization of Iran AEOI) FISSION OF NEPTUNIUM-239 COMPOUND NUCLEI AT INTERMEDIATE EXCITATION ENERGIES.
	10:30 to 11:00	Coffee Break
Wednesday, October 28, 2009	Session IX Chairperson: Sami Mahmood, Yarmouk University and Al Al-Bayt University.
	11:00 to 11:30	Javad Rahighi (Atomic Energy Organization of Iran AEOI) CONSTRUCTION OF A 200 KV ELECTROSTATIC ACCELERATOR IN IRAN.
	11:30 to 12:00	Hani Khoury (The University of Jordan JU) SHORT AND LONG TERM NATURAL ANALOGUES OF PORTLAND CEMENT IN JORDAN FOR SEALING OF NUCLEAR WASTE.
	12:00 to 12:30	Baida Achkar (The Higher Institute for Applied Science and Technology, Syria) A STEP TOWARDS PRODUCTION AND UTILIZATION OF NUCLIDE FOR LEAKAGE DETECTION.
	12:30 to 13:00	Riad Shweikani (The Atomic Energy Commission of Syria AECS) SYRIAN EXPERIENCE RELATED TO EDUCATION IN THE FIELD OF NUCLEAR ENGINEERING AND RADIATION PROTECTION.
	13:00 to 14:00	Lunch Break
	Session X Chairperson: Jamal Sharaf, JNRC.
	14:00 to 14:15	Yumn Habjouqa (Jordan Nuclear Regulatory Commission JNRC) JORDAN NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION: ORGANIZATION AND DUTIES.
	14:15 to 14:30	Mustafa Majali (Jordan Nuclear Regulatory Commission JNRC) STRATEGY OF RADIATION PROTECTION AT JNRC.
	14:30 to 14:45	Ektimal Al-Nemri (Jordan Nuclear Regulatory Commission JNRC) ENVIRONMENTAL RADIATION MONITORING IN JORDAN: PRESENT STATUS AND FUTURE PLANS.
	14:45 to 15:00	Ahmad Al-Qararah (Al-Balqa Applied University and Jordan Nuclear Regulatory Commission) THE CALIBRATION OF IN-SITU GAMMA-RAY SPECTROMETERS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF DIFFERENT APPROACHES.
	15:00 to 15:15	Eshraq Ababneh (Al-Balqa Applied University, Salt, Jordan) EVALUATION OF SCATTER DOSE CONTRIBUTION OF ¹⁹²Ir IN BRACHYTHERAPY BY MONTE CARLO SIMULATION.
	15:15 to 15:30	Sajedah M. Al-Amir (Al-Balqa Applied University Salt, Jordan) A STUDY OF NATURAL RADIOACTIVITY IN DRINKING WATER IN AMMAN, JORDAN.
	15:30 to 16:00	Youcef Bouaichaoui (Birine Nuclear Research Center, CRNB, COMENA, Algeria) THEORITICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF FORCED CONVECTION WITH PHASE CHANGE IN AN ANNULAR CHANNEL.
	16:00 to 16:30	Coffee Break
	Session XI Chairperson: To be announced.
	16:30 to 17:00	Chaitanyamoy Ganguly (Former Head of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Materials Section IAEA) To be announced.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009	17:00 to 17:30	Saed Dababneh (Al-Balqa Applied University & Vice Chairman of Jordan Nuclear Regulatory Commission) To be announced.
		Closing Session and Ceremony Open discussion. Conclusions. Recommendations.
	Dinner

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ABSTRACTS

Editor

Saed Dababneh

amman

The Modern City of Amman

Amman_Roman_theatre

Roman Theatre in Amman

JORDAN: WHY NUCLEAR?

Khaled Toukan

Chairman, Jordan Atomic Energy Commission JAEC

Much has been said in the press of the renewed interest in developing nuclear power in the Middle East. The necessity for nuclear power in developing countries, and in particular the Middle East, is underestimated by the industrialized countries. The greatest expansion of energy demand over the coming decades will be in the developing countries. Global predictions of energy demand and supply are misleading for policy or planning needs. Regional and, even better, national detailed projections are more accurate. A point of illustration is the Middle East, where the conventional opinion is of a “rich” oil-producing region. On a country-by-country basis, it is clear that many countries in the Middle East, are actually suffering under the toll of high oil prices. A case in point is Jordan, where more than 25 percent of the national budget is spent to import energy.

The war in Iraq has had a huge impact on Jordan. Prior to the war, daily imports of more than 100,000 barrels of Iraqi petroleum supplied almost all of Jordan’s oil consumption. Not only has that flow been disrupted, but more importantly, much of the petroleum was being provided at below market prices. Paying market prices for oil has forced the government to raise retail prices and the sales tax . Compounding the problem, Jordan’s export market depended on Iraq. That source of trade was decimated in the early years of the war but is currently showing some signs of recovery.

The uncertainty of energy supplies and their increasing costs are severely affecting the growth of the country's economy and its security. Jordan imports more than 95 percent of its energy needs. Hence, the development of secure alternative energy supplies is a top priority for the Kingdom.

Our vision is to transform Jordan from a net energy importer to a net electricity exporter by 2030. This will require a major transformation away from fossil fuels with the aim of making low-cost power available to sustain the country's continued economic growth.

Jordan has been seriously exploring nuclear power as a medium- and long-term alternative for electricity generation, water desalination, and as insurance for both energy security and future volatility of oil and natural gas prices. It is an important alternative to fossil fuels and is a particularly important component in a low-carbon energy strategy.

Nuclear power also maximizes and leverages Jordan's indigenous uranium resources. The Kingdom is endowed with rich uranium resources which have not been fully explored, with estimated resources of about 70,000 metric tons of uranium oxide. There are, however, many challenges standing in the way of introducing nuclear power in Jordan such as the high investment cost, the need for skilled engineers and technicians, the limited suitable sites for power plants, the lack of adequate water sources for cooling, and the volatile regional political climate.

Since 2001, Jordan has been developing a national strategy for civilian nuclear power. In 2007, Jordan’s parliament empowered the Jordan Atomic Energy Commission (JAEC) to lead the national effort and implement the Kingdom's nuclear strategy. In compliance with international practices, parliament established an independent Jordan Nuclear Regulatory Commission, to promulgate the needed legal, regulatory, and security framework for the introduction of nuclear power.

To undertake uranium exploitation, JAEC established Jordan Energy Resources Incorporated and is exploring creative financial models with interested partners to support the nuclear program. Jordan has signed seven Nuclear Cooperation Agreements with key countries such as France, China, South Korea, Canada, UK, Russia and Argentina, and will soon sign others with Spain, Czech Republic and Romania, to explore appropriate technologies with several suppliers and avenues of cooperation with different countries.

To address human resource development, a master’s degree program in applied nuclear physics was launched in 2006 at Al-Balqa Applied University. This was followed, a year later, by a similar program at the University of Jordan. In addition, an undergraduate nuclear engineering degree program was established in 2006 at Jordan University of Science and Technology and a research reactor is to be located at the university, for education, training, and radioisotope production.

To sustain and enhance the contribution of nuclear power as an energy option in the Middle East, it is necessary for all countries in the region to adhere to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s safeguards, leading to the establishment of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the region, as a prelude for full adherence to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

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THE ARAB NUCLEAR POWER PROGRAMMES: A CHALLENGE TO MEET

Abdelmajid Mahjoub

Director General, Arab Atomic Energy Agency AAEA

The Arab Atomic Energy Agency (AAEA) is an Arab technical organization working under the auspices of the League of Arab States, established in 1989. It deals with the peaceful uses of atomic energy and the development of nuclear sciences and their technological applications in the Arab world. The main goals and roles of AAEA that could help the Arab countries meet the challenge of establishing nuclear power plants, are:

1) Coordination of the nuclear activities among member states in the field of peaceful applications of atomic energy, 2) Providing assistance in research activities, manpower development and technical and scientific information, 3) Assistance to set up harmonized regulations for safety and security of radioactive materials, 4) Coordination of scientific and technical activities with the concerned regional and international organizations for the benefit of the socio-economic development in the Arab nation, 5) Encouraging the Arab scientists in the field of nuclear sciences and technologies to attend relevant Arab and international conferences.

The renaissance of nuclear power around the world led many Arab countries in the Middle East and North Africa to declare their intention to adopt nuclear energy for electricity generation and sea water desalination and have expressed interest in embarking for the first time on nuclear power programmes. A number of these countries have currently limited nuclear activities and there is a clear need for well qualified personnel to initiate and sustain a safe and secure utilization of nuclear technology and power programmes.

The Arab countries adopted a strategy for the peaceful utilization of nuclear technologies and a ten year programme has been developed by Arab experts touching all fields of nuclear applications. The implementation of the strategy by the Arab countries with AAEA assistance will construct on the existing programmes in the individual countries that have ongoing activities and will contribute to the establishment of new ones in those countries that did not possess any previous nuclear applications. In this regard, the challenge means how Arab countries will react and how long time span it will take to catch up on the big delay registered in the human resources sector, the legal tools that regulate the nuclear field, the basic economic and educational infrastructure and the environmental considerations in the country and the region. Needless to mention the important sector of nuclear safety and security measures to be taken that are of great concern and interest to the Arab countries and the international community. Major efforts are required to develop the infrastructures and capabilities needed for the legislative and regulatory frameworks, nuclear safety, security, emergency preparedness and response and radioactive waste management planning, in addition to the technological aspects of the nuclear reactors and the related infrastructure.

The Arab countries are at different levels of experience in the development of nuclear power programmes, mutual exchange of expertise will be of great benefit to all partners.

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ROLE OF NUCLEAR POWER IN ENERGY SCENARIO OF PAKISTAN IN THE CONTEXT OF CLIMATE CHANGE

Ishfaq Ahmad

Advisor S&T/MoS. Planning Commission of Pakistan

Former Chairman of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission

Sustainable socio-economic growth requires reliable, abundant and affordable supply of energy and electricity. Shortage of electricity and natural gas supply is affecting industry, households and commercial activities in Pakistan. Though, the level of commercial energy consumption in Pakistan is very low compared to world norms, still more than one-third of commercial energy needs are met through imports which consumes more than one-quarter of export earnings.

The secure supply of energy would be sustained through development of indigenous energy resources. Of the indigenous energy resources, hydro and coal are available in abundance. But the coal potential of 185 billion tonnes, still needs detail investigations for it exploitation. The estimated hydro power potential in the country is around 50,000 MW, of which only one-seventh has been exploited so far mainly owing to techno-economic and socio-political constraints. The proven reserves of gas are moderate and of oil are small. A separate organization has been established to exploit renewables. However, due to low capacity factors, renewables can not meet the increasing base-load electricity requirements of the country. In this situation nuclear power is an attractive option for power system of Pakistan.

Nuclear power programme initiated in 1960s is facing unfair international embargoes. While, a CANDU type nuclear power plant commissioned in 1971, despite keen interest in building additional nuclear power plants, it took more than two decades to start construction of the second nuclear power plant owing to unfavourable international environment coupled with lack of indigenous technological and industrial capabilities for independent design and construction of nuclear power plant. The construction of Pakistan's second nuclear power plant started in 1992 with the help of China. Both the plants are working under IAEA safeguard and have excellent safety and security record. These two plants are annually avoiding about 1.5 million tonnes of CO_2.Until now, the cumulative avoidance of CO₂ by these two nuclear power plants is around 15-21 million tonnes. Third nuclear power plant is under construction. Energy Security Action Plan of the country envisages 8,800 MW nuclear capacity by the year 2030 which would annually avoid 19-48 million tonnes of CO₂ in 2030. The cumulative CO₂ avoidance by the planned nuclear power programme would be 135-345 million tonnes by 2030. The lower and higher values in the range correspond to equivalent generation by natural gas and indigenous coal, respectively.

The Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions of Pakistan during 2007-08 were about 309 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent which were one-fourth of the world average on per capita basis. Despite small GHG emissions, Pakistan fully shares the global concern of climate change and is making efforts to contain these emissions. The high GHG emissions of planned indigenous coal based power plants will be offset by hydro, nuclear and wind based electricity generation alonwith current efforts for enhancing of forest area. As the world is moving towards a shared global future, it is imperative that there should be global efforts to reduce the global threats like climate change. To reduce the threat of climate change, the industrialised countries should assist the developing countries through financial and technological support including access to civilian nuclear technology which is a carbon free technology.

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PROSPECTS FOR REGIONAL COOPERATION IN NUCLEAR ENERGY PRODUCTION

I. Othman

Director General, The Atomic Energy Commission of Syria AECS

P. O. Box 6091- Damascus

atomic@aec.org.sy

In planning for nuclear energy production, many factors have to be taken into consideration. Among the prime ones are building technological capabilities and developing adequate and well trained human resources. In the long term planning in regions like ours, it is possible not only to share the human resources, but also to cooperate in nuclear safety, radiation protection, waste management and other issues. In the peaceful applications, room is available for sharing knowledge and experience in many fields such as medical applications, malnutrition, water management..etc.

Many regional projects have been implemented under IAEA Technical Cooperation Programme. They are really considered as success stories, examples are:

§ Integrating the Sterile Insect Technique Into an Area-Wide Approach Against the Old World Screwworm Fly

§ Saline Groundwater and Wastelands for Plant Production

One of the most clear successful examples of regional cooperation is ARASIA (The Cooperative Agreement for Arab States in Asia for Research, Development and Training related to Nuclear Science and Technology).

The Agreement entered into force in 2002 and was renewed in 2008. The budget of the ARASIA programme under the current TC cycle totals 4 millions USD. Last cycle it has achieved a good implementation rate of 80%.

In the field of nuclear energy, the region can initiate cooperate in training and capacity building. The more the region is harmonized in milestones, the more we can help each others in this sophisticated field.

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THE ROLE OF THE ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION OF SYRIA IN PROMOTING SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

I. Othman

Director General, The Atomic Energy Commission of Syria AECS

P. O. Box 6091- Damascus

atomic@aec.org.sy

The Atomic Energy Commission of Syria was founded in 1976, and started its activities in 1979. It is considered as the research institute responsible for all peaceful applications of atomic energy in the country. By virtue of decree 64(200) the AECS is also the regulatory authority responsible for licensing and controlling of radioactive sources. Thus the major roles of the AECS now are both the promoter of research in the different applications of atomic energy, as well as the regulator. This has been smoothly running with no contradiction due to fact that there is no nuclear power plant in the country.

The structure of the Commission is formed as scientific departments and technical support offices. The scientific work at the departments varies in different scientific domains and is not restricted to those involving the application of radioisotopes. The Biotechnology department at the AECS is a sharp example and is considered as one of the largest centers in the region that run R&D activities in the field.

Our cooperation strategy expands to providing assistance to the Syrian Universities in different research activities. We assist the Universities' researchers in making our laboratories and the state of the art equipment available for their research.

Moreover, many of AECS' advanced instruments such as accelerators, MNSR, and sophisticated analytical equipment can be utililized by all researchers from the different scientific research institutes in the country.

The researchers at AECS now share with the Universities' professors the supervision of M.Sc. and Ph.D. students.

It is the quality of the selected young people who would work at the Commission and their excellent qualification, in addition to the management of the research procedures and outcome that give the credit to the AECS position among the research organizations in the region.

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CHALLENGES TO GLOBAL INTRODUCTION/EXPANSION OF NUCLEAR POWER AND INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT, ESPECIALLY TO NEW ENTRANTS

Akira Omoto

Team Leader of INIR Mission to Jordan, Former Director of NENP, IAEA

The presentation overview the future projection of nuclear power in the world and discuss major challenges for introduction/expansion of nuclear power. It focuses on the IAEA support to new entrants by various guidance documents, technical support projects and especially on review mission of progress of national nuclear infrastructure. A scheme for internationally concerted support actions is also discussed.

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NUCLEAR ENERGY FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Akira Omoto

Team Leader of INIR Mission to Jordan, Former Director of NENP, IAEA

The presentation overviews the concept of sustainable development and its relevance to Energy. Intensive discussion is made on Energy Indicator for Sustainable Development developed by concerted efforts of various international organizations. For each indicator with strong relevance to the use of nuclear power, the presentation tries to give as much as possible quantitative comparative assessment with alternative power generating sources.

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NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE: PRESENT AND FUTURE

Mohammad Ghoneim

Director of the Nuclear Fuel Plant

Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority EAEA

The processes applied to produce fuel for nuclear reactors, to use this fuel in the reactor and to handle the used or spent fuel comprise the elements of the nuclear fuel cycle. These processes may be divided into the following main activities:

Front End

· Uranium exploration, mining and milling (uranium concentration)

· Refining and conversion of the uranium concentration

· Uranium concentration

· Fuel fabrication

Back End

· Spent fuel management

In-between the two ends, the fuel is used in the nuclear reactor.

With regard to spent fuel management, there are two options ( for the case of LWRs); the “open” cycle and the “closed” cycle. In the open, or the “once through” fuel cycle, the spent fuel discharged from the reactor is treated as waste. In the closed cycle today, the spent fuel is reprocessed and the products are partitions into uranium and plutonium suitable for fabrication into oxide fuel or mixed oxide fuel (MOX) for recycle back in a reactor. The rest of the spent fuel is treated as high level waste (HLW).

In this presentation the various options and steps of the today nuclear fuel cycle as well as new trends in this field are presented.

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FUEL CYCLE FOR ENHANCED CANDU 6

A.C. De Vuono and A.G. Lee

Atomic Energy of Canada Limited

2251 Speakman Drive, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada L5K 1B2

Atomic Energy of Canada Limited has successfully designed and constructed the CANDU 6^® (CANada Deuterium Uranium) reactor in many countries, namely, G-2 and Pt. Lepreau in Canada, Embalse in Argentina, Wolsong 1, 2, 3 and 4 in South Korea, Qinshan 1 and 2 in China and Cernavoda 1 and 2 in Romania. Along with the supply of the CANDU 6 reactors, the fuel manufacturing has been localized in all countries having CANDU reactors.

Localization of fuel manufacturing has been facilitated by the simple design of the CANDU fuel bundle, i.e., small, lightweight and consisting of only 7 components: ceramic pellets, sheath, CANLUB coating applied to the inside of the sheath, end-caps, bearing pads, spacer pads, and end-plates.

In addition, the Enhanced CANDU 6 reactor offers several options for the use of advanced fuel cycles, e.g., uranium recycled from the reprocessing of spent light water reactor fuel and thorium fuel cycles. The CANDU fuel bundle designs can be straightforwardly adapted to the manufacture (and introduction) of advanced fuels, whether slightly enriched uranium, mixed oxide, thoria, or other advanced fuels requiring remote fabrication.

The presentation provides an overview of the Enhanced CANDU 6 reactor, the fuel manufacturing processes that can be localized, and the spent fuel management strategy.

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KOREAN NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGY: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

Jaejoo Ha

Vice President, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute

Korea is operating 20 nuclear power plants that provide 38% of the domestic electricity consumption, and 8 NPPs are under construction in parallel. It is the 6th largest generation capacity in the world. Considering Korea is the 9th in energy consumption, 7th in oil consumption and 4th in oil import in the world, nuclear energy as an alternative to fossil energy plays critical role in Korean economy. For instance, for the last 20 years, consumer price increased by 186%, but electricity tariff increased only by 11.4%. Such the stable and low electricity cost contributed greatly to the fast development of Korean economy from the disaster of Korean War (1950-1953).

After Korean War, the government recognized nuclear program would be very important in the future, and human resource development would be the key element. To establish such important infrastructure, the government firstly founded nuclear engineering departments, 1958 in Hanyang University, and 1959 in Seoul National University, and secondly introduced the first research reactor, 100kW TRIGA MARK II imported from General Atomics. In 1972, the second research reactor, 2MW TRIGA MARK III, was imported, and the first commercial nuclear power plant, Kori Unit#1 imported from Westinghouse, started operation in 1978.

After the dawning era of nuclear program, Korea started the localization program. In the research area, KAERI started to construct the third research reactor, HANARO, from 1985. In the commercial NPP area, KEPCO accomplished the localization of CANDU fuel and PWR fuel in 1987 and 1989 respectively, and started the operation of the first localized PWR called KSNP (Korean Standard Nuclear Power Plant), Ulchin 3&4 in 1995, by the technology transfer from Combustion Engineering.

Now, the fully localized OPR1000 developed by optimizing KNSP, and APR1400 developed by enhancing safety and increasing capacity, are the major commercial reactors under operation and construction in Korea.

In 2008, Korean government decided to increase nuclear energy share even more upto 60% by constructing 10 more NPPs by 2030. For the small grid countries and desalination, SMART (System Integrated Modular Advanced Reactor) under development will obtain SDC (Standard Design Certificate) by 2011 and be ready for the construction. For the long term and sustainability, Gen IV systems are under development. SFR together with pyroprocessing of spent fuel will resolve the possible shortage of Uranium resource in the future and spent fuel treatment problem. Korea plans to demonstrate such technologies by 2028. In addition, VHTR is also under development for the preparation of the hydrogen economy era.

In conclusion, Korea started nuclear program by importing research reactors and commercial NPPs as well as establishing human resource, then localizing them through researches and technology transfer. During the course of such development, the experience of research reactors played an important role in the establishment of human resource as well as the localization of key technology and science. As a result, Korean has established the full spectrum of nuclear industries and research infrastructure such as KAERI and several universities for researches, KOPEC for engineering, KEPCO and KHNP as utilities, KPS for maintenance, KNF for fuel manufacturing, Doosan for heavy equipment manufacturing, Daewoo and several companies for as construction, KMRC for radwaste management. Now Korea has self sufficient nuclear technology and infrastructure, and even develops advanced systems. More importantly, Korea is willing to contribute to resolve climate change and energy problem by sharing the valuable experience.

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REGULATORY PROCESS FOR NEW CANDU BUILD

A.G. Lee and A.C. De Vuono

Atomic Energy of Canada Limited

2251 Speakman Drive, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada L5K 1B2

Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) has successfully designed and constructed the CANDU 6^® (CANada Deuterium Uranium) reactor in many countries, namely, G-2 and Pt. Lepreau in Canada, Embalse in Argentina, Wolsong 1, 2, 3 and 4 in South Korea, Qinshan 1 and 2 in China and Cernavoda 1 and 2 in Romania. This success illustrates AECL’s ability to satisfy the regulatory requirements of many regulatory authorities.

In planning to build new nuclear power plants, each country establishes a regulatory framework that consists of:

· Legislation that defines the national safety requirements and regulations,

· A system of licensing with regard to nuclear installations, and

· Regulatory documents that provide guidance to licence applicants on acceptable ways of complying with regulatory requirements, and form the basis for the assessment of licence applications.

From a vendor’s perspective, a successful deployment of a new CANDU reactor build project is dependent on accomplishing a number of specific major regulatory milestones:

1. Obtain a licensability statement from the regulatory authority.

2. Obtain a Site Preparation Licence (Permit). A site preparation licence granted by the regulatory authority is typically a prerequisite to the start of major equipment procurement, and to the start of site preparation. It is issued after a positive decision is obtained regarding the Environmental Assessment.

3. Obtain a Construction Licence (Permit).

4. Obtain an Operating Licence.

The presentation describes the regulatory process for a new CANDU reactor build in Canada and the major design tasks that AECL performs to achieve each of the major regulatory milestones.

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NUCLEAR SAFETY REGULATION AND HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT IN KOREA

Youn Won Park

Vice-President of KINS (Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety)

Director of International Nuclear Safety School

Since the first operation of a nuclear power plant in Korea in 1978, Korean nuclear power plants have been identified with a high level of safety. This is one of the most important elements making continuous construction possible in Korea even with the international nuclear disasters, such as TMI and Chernobyl accidents making a serious impact on the nuclear program worldwide.

The high level of nuclear safety attributes to two elements: the continuous evolution of nuclear safety framework as the nuclear development program progressed in Korea and the appropriate human resource development within the framework.

The first regulatory organization, Nuclear Safety Center (NSC), dedicated to nuclear safety, was set up in 1982, four years after the commercial operation of the first nuclear power plant. And the current regulatory body, KINS, was established in 1990 to strengthen the regulatory independence. Along with this organizational evolution, the regulatory staff has strived to enhance their technical competence through continuous training at the regulatory body of reactor supply countries and expanding regulators’ involvement step by step in licensing activities. In-house training center of KINS was also opened in 1996 to promote self-capacity of the staff.

In 2008, the International Nuclear safety School (INSS) was established with an objective of sharing our experiences and knowledge with new comer countries. Many training programs in cooperation with IAEA have been proposed, such as BPTC, RC, tailored courses and OJT. In particular, KINS is currently developing “Safety Infrastructure Support Package” that incorporates the legal framework establishment and human resource development for new entrant countries.

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ENERGY CHALLENGERS OF THE 21^ST CENTURY AND PROBLEM OF PERSONNEL MAINTENANCE

Konstantin N. Proskuryakov

Professor, Dr. Sc. in Nuclear Eng., PhD
Moscow Power Engineering Institute (Technical University)

14, Krasnokazarmennaya str. 111250, Moscow, Russia

Tel: 7 (495)-362-73-51, Fax: 7 (495) 362-73-51

Email: prosk@npp.mpei.ac.ru

The necessary condition for large scale nuclear power development is assurance of nuclear, radiation and environmental safety and safeguards against proliferation in all components of the nuclear power generation and industrial complex and at all nuclear plant life-cycle stages from uranium mining to radioactive waste (RW) isolation.

Technologies of the multicomponent new generation nuclear power system: Reactor types and purposes: Thermal reactors (TR): power generation for various consumers (electricity, heat, production processes, hydrogen); Fast reactors (FR): basic electricity generation; fuel (Pu, U-233) breeding; U, Pu, МА recycling; Burner reactors: burning of hazardous minor actinides and fission products. b) Closed fuel cycle: Fuel: U and Th mining; enrichment; fabrication; reprocessing; fractionation, recycling of U, Pu and minor actinides; conditioning and isolation of RW.

President of RF defined the following five priorities relating to nuclear technologies: nuclear technologies, nuclear medicine, supercomputers, space technologies (primarily advanced power systems for spacecraft), new kinds of energy resources, including hydrogen energy as a separate line.

Plans of the various states on atomic engineering development can be under the threat of a staff deficit on a labor market.

Situation of academic education in nuclear engineering is considered respectively European Nuclear Education Network Association and University Education in Russian Federation (RF). The special attention is given to Moscow power Engineering Institute (Technical University) - MPEI (TU) which is capable as no other university to train specialists for all shops of NPP.

The first in Europe Nuclear Power Plant Department (NPPD) MPEI was established in 1956 as a base state department for NPP branch and it is a leader among the same enterprises of RF. About 1000 graduates were provided for foreigner states and many of them in the presence are the leading specialists in many countries including Germany, USA, China, Czech, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Great Britain, Korea, Iran, India, etc. Among the most important scientific results been received on NPPD last years, I name my substantiation of mechanism of occurrence of a gas phase in the coolant of pressurized water reactors. Mechanism of occurrence of a gas phase is consequence of effect “bubble chambers” in the volume of super heated water located in a narrow gape between fuel rod clad and adjoining to it grid fuel assembly support. The proof of presence of a gas phase in the coolant inside reactor core of pressurized water reactors is of great importance for practice.

There are 70 Departments in MPEI, 550 educational laboratories for students and more than 100 research laboratories, unique training-industrial thermal power station that equipped with up-to-date machinery and process control systems. More than 14 000 students are trained, including about 700 foreign students from 60 countries, and more than 500 Ph.D. students (100 foreigners included) are preparing the Ph.D. thesis. More than 1500 professors, associated professors and lecturers are in the educational staff, and the most among them have the Degree of Doctor of Science and Ph.D. Persons directed for training in MPEI can get the advanced education in the conditions of mutual respect and cooperation.

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ON THE ISSUE OF RADIOACTIVITY AND BIOHAZARD INDEX OF BASIC NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE STAGES

Yu. Kazansky, D.Klinov

Obninsk State Technical University for Nuclear Power

Russia

One of the main factors restricting nuclear power development worldwide is a challenging problem to be solved that nuclear energy is ecologically benign. Actually nuclear fuel treatment and spent fuel activity vs. time are basic issues to be resolved to meet the challenge.

The purpose of the present work is to find a solution for spent fuel activity vs. time problem as well as spent fuel biohazards in various scenarios of nuclear fuel cycle organizations.

The present paper compares integral radioactivity concentrated in nuclear fuel cycle stages taking into consideration different nuclear energy development schemes as well as biohazards. Comparative investigations on integral radioactivity concentrated in nuclear fuel cycle stages in various nuclear energy development scenarios, biological hazards of nuclear fuel have been carried out. Optimal conditions when transmutation of radioactive nuclides proves to be worthwhile and most efficient have been defined.

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THE ALGERIAN ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION (COMENA): NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FOR THE NATIONAL SOCIOECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Messaoud Baaliouamer

Director, Foresight Studies and Nuclear Applications

Algerian Atomic Energy Commission (COMENA)

According to its missions, the Algerian Atomic Energy Commission (COMENA) initiated ambitious programs for the development of nuclear science and technology targeting a broad promotion of nuclear applications within the socioeconomic sector. The main aim is to prepare the nation for the introduction of the first nuclear power plant and the production and largest application of radioisotopes for medical and industrial processes.

This presentation is focusing on the COMENA vision, missions, organization and main programs, dealing with nuclear science & technology research & development, nuclear applications in energy and water desalination, health, industry, food and agriculture, water resources and environment.

A strong value has been dedicated to the development of needed qualified human resources through the creation of the Algerian institute for education and training in nuclear engineering.

The national radiation protection and nuclear safety regulatory framework as well as the main technical cooperation activities, in particular with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), are briefly exposed.

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FISSION OF NEPTUNIUM-239 COMPOUND NUCLEI AT INTERMEDIATE EXCITATION ENERGIES

Houshyar Noshad

Physics Department, Nuclear Science Research School, Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute, P.O. Box 14395-836, Tehran, Iran

hnoshad@aeoi.org.ir

A stack target including four thin uranium-238 foils as well as degrading and monitoring aluminum and copper foils were irradiated with a 70 MeV proton beam at the Cyclotron and Radioisotope Center of Tohoku University in Japan. The cross sections for formation of fission products were measured by using gamma spectroscopy technique. Afterwards, fission fragment mass distributions, nuclear charge distributions of isobar fission products and the nuclear charge polarization in the reaction were obtained for 45, 55, 65 and 69 MeV protons.

The experimental results demonstrate that for neptunium-239 compound nuclei at 70.3 MeV excitation energy, a transition from asymmetric to symmetric fission occurs, and the nuclear shell effects on the fissioning nuclei are disappeared. Furthermore, for isobar fission products, nuclear charge distributions follow a Gaussian distribution with the same standard deviation independent of the isobar mass numbers, which satisfies the prediction of Hauser-Feshbach model for lower excitation energies. Moreover, the most probable charge for isobar fission products satisfies the prediction of minimum potential energy (MPE) model. The nuclear charge polarization obtained from the experiment shows that the nuclear charge density of fission products approaches the value of the liquid drop model, when the excitation energy of the fissioning nucleus increases.

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TRACTEBEL ENGINEERING EXPERIENCE IN STEAM GENERATOR REPLACEMENT AND POWER UPRATE PROJECTS

Luc Vanhoenacker

Deputy Department Head - Nuclear

Tractebel Engineering

Much experience has been gained by Tractebel Engineering in Belgium on steam generator replacements (SGR) and power uprates (PU) of nuclear power plants.

Indeed, steam generators were replaced in all but one of the seven Belgium Nuclear Power Plants in operation. The last replacement will start in November 2009. Taking benefit of an increase of the heat transfer area inside the new steam generators, the thermal power has been increased for five NPPs. To allow such a final uprate value of 10%, core design evolutions leading to new key parameters, equipment modifications and changes of instrumentation setpoints are needed. Also, new methodologies are introduced, trying to take advantage of unnecessarily large safety margins in some safety analyses (use of best estimate codes, of statistical methods,…).

The purpose of the paper is to present a global, descriptive overview of those projects including the safety analyses program and the replacement work during the outage.

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THE EUROPEAN UTILITY REQUIREMENTS (EUR): STATUS AND NEAR TERM ACTIVITIES

Luc Vanhoenacker

EUR Vice Chairman

Tractebel Engineering

Brussels, Belgium

In 1991 five major European Utilities participating in the US ALWR program decided to develop together a common specification that would contribute to keep the nuclear option open. The European Utility Requirements (EUR) are addressed to the designers and suppliers of LWR plants in order to allow the development of standards designs that can be build and licensed in several European countries with only minor variations.

The EUR organization has kept enlarging; today 16 utilities are members of the EUR organization.

Seven compliance analyses dedicated respectively to the BWR90[1], EPR[2], EPP[3], ABWR[4], SWR1000[5], AP1000[6] and to the AES92[7] projects have been already published. The revised version of the EPR subset of the EUR volume 3 should be finalized around mid 2009.

New LWR projects of potential interest for the EUR utilities are being contemplated. For instance a preliminary assessment of compliance of MHI's APWR project has been worked out in the first months of 2008.

Recently EUR organization has decided to launch coordinated actions with other industry groups and other stakeholders. In particular EUR and ENISS organizations have decided to join their efforts in their relations with the IAEA and WENRA organizations with respect to the LWR Gen3 designs. In addition EUR and CORDEL (Cooperation in Reactor Design Evaluation and Licensing), which is a WNA (World Nuclear Association) working group decided also to coordinate their efforts for the industry benefit, in relation with the MDEP (Multinational Design Evaluation Program) initiative of safety nuclear regulators.

Contacts have been also initiated with ENEN and the WNU in order to develop new courses for young professionals.

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MULTIPHYSICS APPROACHES FOR THE TRANSIENT ANALYSIS OF POSTULATED NON-LOCA ACCIDENTS IN PWR’S

G. Pochet, M. Haedens, F. Van Humbeeck, C.R. Schneidesch

Tractebel Engineering

Avenue Ariane 7, B-1200 Brussels, Belgium

guillaume.pochet@tractebel.com

christophe.schneidesch@tractebel.com

Speaker

Carmen Angulo

The nuclear reactor accident analyses using best estimate codes provide a better understanding and more accurate modeling of the key physical phenomena, which allows a more realistic evaluation of the conservatism’s and margins in the Final Safety Analysis Report (FSAR) accident analysis.

However, those key physical phenomena might be of different nature (neutronics, thermal hydraulics) and they can strongly interact during complex accidents to have a definite impact on the transient behavior. It is therefore necessary to ensure an accurate simulation of those interactions. Such accuracy can be obtained by means of multi-physics approaches which consist in taking simultaneously into account all those different phenomena.

At Tractebel Engineering (TE), multi-physics approaches are developed by coupling different existing best estimate codes, for instance 3-D neutron kinetics with system thermal-hydraulics or with core thermal-hydraulics. The external dynamic coupling between the Relap5/mod2.5 code and the 3-D neutronic code Panther was implemented since 1997, and its qualification demonstrated the robustness achieved by such code packages for transient simulations.

The application of coupled thermal-hydraulic and neutronic analysis of asymmetric accidents like the Main Steam Line Break also shows that there exist important margins in the traditional final safety analysis report (FSAR) accident analysis. Those margins can be used to increase the operational flexibility of the plants.

In asymmetric accident conditions, one of the most important issues in coupling the codes is the correct evaluation of the core inlet temperature distribution which is strongly determined by the flow mixing in the lower plenum of the pressure vessel. Current inlet temperature models rely on conservative distributions derived from a limited number of experimental results. More accurate reproduction of the flow mixing can be obtained from CFD simulations that allow combining local geometrical effects to flow turbulence.

One branch of the improvements at TE of the coupling between 3-D neutron kinetics with core thermal-hydraulics focuses on the implementation of realistic core inlet distributions obtained from CFD results. From a validation based on the ROCOM tests, the CFD application to core inlet mixing shows in particular the sensitivity of the inlet distribution to the affected loop configuration. The implementation of CFD results in coupled accident simulation is therefore an added value to the TE capability to reproduce accurately the transient behavior in the analysis of complex asymmetric accidents.

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MOROCCAN EXPERIENCE IN PREPARING THE INTRODUCTION OF NUCLEAR ENERGY

L. Erradi

Moroccan Association for Nuclear Engineering and Reactor Technology (GMTR)

Mailing Address: Faculty of Sciences, Avenue Ibn Batouta B. P. 1014 Rabat (Morocco)

E-mail: erradi@fsr.ac.ma

The use of the nuclear techniques, for economic and social development, proved to be relevant, in many countries. Morocco has already achieved, for 40 years, relatively significant steps in the use of nuclear techniques for peaceful purposes. Many fields could profit from the contribution of nuclear sciences and techniques, such as: medicine, agriculture, industry, geology and mining. A notable and durable effort in training which was started in the Seventies made it possible to obtain a significant human potential in the nuclear field in Morocco.

The energetic situation in Morocco is characterized by weak energy consumption: 13.7 MTEP (0.46 TEP/habit). However, the electricity demand has recorded a constant increase during the 4 last years (2004-2007). The average growth of the demand was 7%, passing from 15.539 GWh in 2002 to 22.104 GWh in 2007. The constant growth of the demand for electricity is the reflection of the dynamism which Morocco knows at the economic and social level in particular with regard to the generalization of the access to the basic infrastructures. The dependence from outside is almost 95% representing a financial effort of more than 7 billion $ in 2008. Currently and apart from the firewood, the only exploited significant national resource remains the hydraulic energy and more recently the wind energy has started to be developed.

For the water resources, the recourse to desalination is essential in the zones of the south of Morocco which are characterized by an arid climate. In 1976 the first sea water desalination unit of capacity 75 m³/d was brought into service at Tarfaya. Thereafter several other units were born; the largest one is installed in Laâyoune for a capacity of 7000 m³/d. The cost of the water produced (from sea water or brackish continental water) remains however very high, it is about 2.5$/m³, that’s why the recourse to this technique for the production of drinking water is the last alternative chosen in planning for the mobilization of water resources.

The introduction of nuclear energy for electricity production and for sea water desalination was investigated and planed long time ago, but the limited investment capacity of the country has always slowed down the established plans. While waiting so that the economic conditions makes it possible for Morocco to launch a nuclear power program, a certain number of actions, preparing for this advent, were undertaken in particular:

· Creation of the National Centre for Energy and Nuclear Sciences and Techniques (CNESTEN) with a Center of nuclear studies including a research reactor of type TRIGA Mark II and a unit for radioactive waste treatment in addition to several instrumentation and nuclear analysis laboratories.

· Preparation of a national legislation allowing to manage the whole of the nuclear activities including the authorization and the control of nuclear installations

· Installation of a unique and independent national regulatory authority

· To carry out feasibility studies for the introduction of a first nuclear power plant

· Choice of potential sites for the future nuclear power plants

· Training of qualified personnel for the follow-up of the feasibility studies, to supervise the implementation of the project and finally for the operation of the NPPs.

· Investigating the technical and economic feasibility of the extraction of Uranium from the Moroccan Phosphate.

Morocco is now in the phase of prospecting the more appropriate nuclear technology for both of electricity production and sea water desalination.

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THE “NUCLEONICA” NUCLEAR SCIENCE PORTAL FOR KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT, EDUCATION, AND TRAINING

Joseph Magill

European Commission, Joint Research Centre

Institute for Transuranium Elements, Postfach 2340, 76139 Karlsruhe, Germany

email: joseph.magill@ec.europa.eu

An overview of the European Commission nuclear science web portal NUCLEONICA (www.nucleonica.net) is given. The portal is dedicated to education, training and knowledge management in the nuclear sciences. In addition to providing internationally evaluated nuclear data, a unique feature of the portal is the provision of web-based nuclear science applications. Recently developed modules for fuel cycle calculations (webKORIGEN) and gamma spectrometry (Gamma Spectrum Generator) will be described in detail.

The NUCLEONICA wiki – the "textbook" behind NUCLEONICA – is a powerful content management system for education and training purposes. In addition to providing the underlying theory behind the applications, it also provides a step by step description on the use of the modules.

NUCLEONICA's networking features provide tools to encourage the development of discussion communities around the applications. The aim here is to enhance collaboration with a view to "capturing" the tacit knowledge (knowledge management) from the expert developers and passing this on to a wider community. Currently the platform is being extended to provide an environment for scientists to develop their application within the NUCLEONICA framework.

NUCLEONICA training courses¹ are held on a regular basis. As part of its "Enlargement and Associated Initiatives" activity, the European Commission sponsors participants from Candidate Countries, Potential Candidate Countries as well as European Neighbourhood Partner (ENP) Countries to participate in these courses.

Finally a description of our activities on the Karlsruhe Nuclide Chart² is given. The current 7^th Edition contains information on more than 2950 experimentally observed nuclides and 690 isomers. The Chart is of great didactic vale in education and training programmes worldwide.

1. http://www.nucleonica.net/wiki/index.php/Help:Training_Course_Announcements

2. http://www.nucleonica.net/wiki/index.php/Help:Karlsruhe_Nuclide_Chart

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PUBLIC ACCEPTANCE: A CULTURAL APPROACH

Alain Bucaille

Senior Vice-President, Research and Innovation Corporate Department, AREVA

Arguments in support of nuclear energy have been strengthened during the past 5 years. As a result, most countries are now reconsidering electricity production from nuclear for their energy mix.

Climate constraints will even reinforce this choice as capture and sequestration of CO2 will not be ready before 2025 at the earliest and will anyway be impracticable in large parts of Asia for geological reasons.

Nevertheless, communication about nuclear energy should be adapted to the local context and be as simple as possible so as to allow a real exchange taking into account the questions of the undecided people while not being obsessed by the opponents.

The conference will cover some elements of indispensable know how that should be mastered.

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THEORITICAL AND experimental study of forced convection with phase change in an annular channel

Youcef Bouaichaoui¹*, Rachid Kibboua²,Anis Bousbia-Salah³, Abderrahmane Belkaid¹

¹Birine Nuclear Research Center/CRNB/COMENA/ALGERIA BO 180 - Aïn Oussera - 17 200 Djelfa- Algeria

²LTPMP/FGMGP/USTHB, BO. 32 El Alia, Bab Ezzouar, 16111 Algria

³Dipartimento di Ingegneria Meccanica, Nucleari e della Produzione,

Facoltà di Ingegneria, Università di Pisa, Via Diotisalvi, 2, 56126 Pisa, Italy

A computational method based on theoretical studies of steady state two phase forced convection along a test section loop was released. The calculation model cover a wide range of two phase flow conditions. It predicts the heat transfer rates and transitions points such as the Onset of Critical Heat Flux

The test facility use an annular channel simulating, to a certain extent, a simple nuclear reactor channel containing a fuel assembly composed of a single fuel pin, the nuclear power being replaced by an electric heating. The fluid used for this purpose is the R-11 which offers the advantage of obtaining a phase change with lower heat fluxes.

The test loop is composed of three cooling systems. The primary circuit comprises the test section and uses Freon-11 as refrigerant. The secondary cooling circuit uses water as refrigerant. The complementary circuit, a classical refrigerating system, enables to control the inlet temperature of R-11 to the test section. The maximum power delivered by the element is 24 kW. Ten (10) K-type thermocouple probes are welded to the wall of the heating element and are uniformly distributed along the length; the distance between two successive locations is 10 cm. The thermocouples are connected to a protection system such as the electrical heating stops automatically as soon as one of them reaches a prefixed value of temperature. All the measuring instruments are connected to a data acquisition system which is, itself, connected to a PC in order to follow, in real time, the behaviour of all the experimental parameters.

The computational method has been tested against experimental data. The comparison shows a good agreement between the predicted and experimental results

* Corresponding author, Tel. 213-(0)-27-87-29-21, FAX 213-(0)-27-87-42-80, E-mail: ybouaichaoui@gmail.com

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GEOLOGY AND DISPOSAL OF NUCLEAR WASTE: SHORT AND LONG TERM NATURAL CEMENTITIOUS ANALOGUES IN JORDAN

Hani N. Khoury

University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan

The metamorphic rocks in central and north Jordan are short and long term natural analogues of Portland cement for sealing of nuclear waste. Premature failure could present serious hazards or release of radionuclides into the environment. The principle species affecting cement stability are pH, HCO3-, SO4--, Cl-.

The preliminary studies on these areas demonstrated the value of the sites as analogues of cementitious repositories. Central Jordan areas however, represent unique sites to study the durability of Portland cement and concrete, especially for long term assessment of radioactive waste storage. The large area with an interface of bituminous marl and marble (natural cement zone) overlain by travertine offers large size sampling site which is similar to a sedimentary disposal site. The presence of different calcium silicate hydrates and calcium aluminum hydroxyl phases among other hydrated products as natural mineral assemblages filling voids, fissures, and fractures are similar to the hydration mechanism of cementitious material. Heavy metals if removed into groundwater may be hazardous. The groundwater in the area shows some high values of some base metals. The bituminous marl has highly expandible smectite / illite mixed layer.

Cr-rich smectites (volkonskoite) and opaline phases are noticed within the travertine. Veins filled with secondary mineralization of calcite, gypsum and zeolite are common in the metamorphic (cement) zone and in the bituminous marl. Many trace elements are incorporated in the low temperature mineral phases (solid solution series). Co-precipitation of these elements in mineral phases is of great importance to control the concentration of these elements in groundwater.

The travertine in central Jordan and the neighbouring areas indicate a longterm analogue of carbonation and remobilization of silica in cementitious barriers for radioactive waste repositories. The presence of Cr-rich smectites and relatively high levels of U in opaline silica may suggest the use of central Jordan outcrops as analogues with the repository disturbed zone. Clays (smectites) and silica phases are expected to be a sink for alteration products in the late stage evolution of a high pH plume.

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BRINGING COMMON REGULATORY REGIMES TO THE REGION

Joseph Huse

Co-Head of Freshfields' Nuclear Power Group

1. Regional context: plans for nuclear new build in MENA.

2. Key challenges:

· generating international confidence in nuclear non-proliferation and nuclear

· security;

· implementing comprehensive domestic legal and regulatory infrastructure in

· states with developing legal systems;

· human resources: recruiting, training and educating regulators; and

· political will and public support and acceptance.

3. Key legal and regulatory challenges:

· compliance with international treaty obligations;

· selection of appropriate nuclear liability regime;

· taking into account the existing legislative and regulatory framework;

· promotion of regulatory certainty and stability;

· compliance with the IAEA’s Basic Safety Series;

· balancing the interests of the public as well as those of private sector

· participants;

· developing a regime that encourages international players into the MENA

· region; and

· competition for scarce technical and human resources.

INTRODUCTION

EXPECTED OUTCOMES

THEMATIC SCOPE

Monday, October 26, 2009

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Wednesday, October 28, 2009