Browse by: "PRE-2011"

Cette étude met en évidence les facteurs clés affectant le calendrier du stockage définitif des déchets radioactifs de haute activité. Elle analyse comment l'acceptation sociale, la robustesse technique, la prise en compte des aspects environnementaux et la faisabilité économique influencent les stratégies nationales concernant la gestion et le stockage définitif de tels déchets. À la lumière d’études de cas, elle présente aussi les approches stratégiques adoptées par différents pays pour répondre aux préoccupations du public et aux attentes de la société civile en matière de gestion à long terme des déchets radioactifs de haute activité. Les enseignements et conclusions de l'étude confirment l'importance d'informer toutes les parties prenantes et de les faire participer au processus de décision si l'on veut réussir la mise en œuvre des politiques de stockage définitif des déchets radioactifs.

Structural materials research is a field of growing relevance in the nuclear sector, especially for the different innovative reactor systems being developed within the Generation IV International Forum (GIF), for critical and subcritical transmutation systems, and of interest to the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP). Under the auspices of the NEA Nuclear Science Committee (NSC) the Workshop on Structural Materials for Innovative Nuclear Systems (SMINS) was organised in collaboration with the Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe in Germany. The objectives of the workshop were to exchange information on structural materials research issues and to discuss ongoing programmes, both experimental and in the field of advanced modelling. These proceedings include the papers and the poster session materials presented at the workshop, representing the international state of the art in this domain.

This 2008 edition of Nuclear Energy Data, the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency’s annual compilation of essential statistics on nuclear energy in OECD countries, provides information on the latest plans for new nuclear construction, nuclear fuel cycle developments and projections of installed nuclear capacity to 2030 in member countries. It is an authoritative reference for policy makers, experts and academics working in the nuclear energy field.

Regulating the long-term safety of geological disposal of radioactive waste is a key part of making progress on the radioactive waste management issue. A survey of member countries has shown that differences exist both in the protection criteria being applied and in the methods for demonstrating compliance, reflecting historical and cultural differences between countries which in turn result in a diversity of decision-making approaches and frameworks. This conference proceedings presents discussions focused on diversity in regulatory processes; the basis and tools for assuring long-term protection; ethical responsibilities of one generation to later generations and how these can be discharged; and adapting regulatory processes to the long time frames involved in implementing geological disposal. These proceedings include a summary of the viewpoints expressed as well as the 22 papers presented at the workshop.

This study identifies key factors influencing the timing of high-level waste (HLW) disposal and examines how social acceptability, technical soundness, environmental responsibility and economic feasibility impact on national strategies for HLW management and disposal. Based on case study analyses, it also presents the strategic approaches adopted in a number of national policies to address public concerns and civil society requirements regarding long-term stewardship of high-level radioactive waste. The findings and conclusions of the study confirm the importance of informing all stakeholders and involving them in the decision-making process in order to implement HLW disposal strategies successfully.

The OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) has actively participated in discussions with the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) regarding the development of new recommendations that will replace those in ICRP Publication 60, which has long served as the international standard in this field. Part of this development process has involved the organisation of seven international workshops, including the First and Second Asian Regional Conferences on the Evolution of the System of Radiological Protection which took place in Tokyo, Japan in October 2002 and July 2004. The Third Asian Regional Conference was held on 5-6 July 2006, also in Tokyo. These proceedings summarise the results and key discussions of the Third Asian Regional Conference.

These proceedings present the main findings from, and the papers delivered at, the fourth NEA-EC workshop on Engineered Barrier Systems (EBS), which took place in Tokyo, Japan, in September 2006. This final workshop of the series focused on strategies and methods to demonstrate that EBS designs will fulfill he relevant requirements for long-term safety, engineering feasibility and quality assurance. The workshop highlighted that large-scale experiments have confirmed the feasibility of techniques for manufacturing and installing engineered components in disposal systems and have also provided valuable lessons to improve designs and refine practical aspects to construct and implement EBS.

One of the main missions of nuclear regulators is to protect the public, and this cannot be completely achieved without public confidence. The more a regulatory process is transparent, the more such confidence will grow. Despite important cultural differences across countries, a number of common features characterise media and public expectations regarding any activity with an associated risk. This workshop identified a common understanding of transparency and main stakeholders' expectations together with a number of conditions and practices aimed at improving the transparency of nuclear regulatory activities.

In this workshop proceedings, Spanish stakeholders and delegates from 14 countries discuss current co-ordination of radioactive waste management decision making in Spain. Findings were shared from Cowam-Spain, a co-operative research project on the involvement of local stakeholders, the relationship between national and local levels of decision making, and the long-term sustainability of decisions regarding the siting of a centralised interim storage facility for high-level waste. These proceedings include the workshop presentations and discussions, as well as the rapporteurs' reflections on what was learned about policy making and participative decision making.

This volume provides a state-of-the-art report on the modelling of aqueous-solid solution systems by the combined use of chemical thermodynamics and experimental and computational techniques. These systems are ubiquitous in nature and therefore intrinsic to the understanding and quantification of radionuclide containment and retardation processes present in geological repositories of radioactive waste. Representative cases for study have been chosen from the radioactive waste literature to illustrate the application of the various approaches. This report has been prepared by a team of four leading experts in the field under the auspices of the OECD/NEA Thermochemical Database (TDB) Project.

The long-term safety of deep disposal of radioactive waste is strongly dependent on the performance of the geological setting. The geology fulfils important safety functions including isolating the waste from human contact or intrusion, providing a stable physical and chemical environment, insulating against external disturbances, and preventing or delaying the transport of radioactive materials away from the waste.  Thus, a sound understanding of the geology's history and evolution is central in supporting assessments that examine the long-term performance and safety of deep disposal. This conference proceedings examines how geoscientific arguments and data are compiled and linked to create a unified description of the geological setting to support a safety case. It also examines practical aspects and limitations in collecting, linking, extrapolating and communicating such information.

Ce rapport examine les différents aspects de la chaîne nucléaire et d’autres chaînes de production d’électricité. Il donne pour chacune d’elles des exemples d’indicateurs quantitatifs et qualitatifs relatifs à la compétitivité économique, à l’impact environnemental et aux aspects sociaux.

In the context of sustainable development policies, decision making in the energy sector should be based on carefully designed trade-offs which take into account, insofar as feasible, all of the alternative options’ advantages and drawbacks from the economic, environmental and social viewpoints. This report examines various aspects of nuclear and other energy chains for generating electricity, and provides illustrative examples of quantitative and qualitative indicators for those chains with regard to economic competitiveness, environmental burdens (such as air emissions and solid waste streams) and social aspects (including employment and health impacts). It offers authoritative data and references to published literature on energy chain analysis which can be used in support of decision making.

This 2007 edition of the Nuclear Energy Agency's annual "brown book" finds that 2006 was a year of major activity within the nuclear sector. For the first time, it includes projections lengthened to 2030 and information on the development of new centrifuge enrichment capacity in member countries. As always, it provides readers a comprehensive and easy-to-access overview of the current situation and expected trends in various sectors of the nuclear fuel cycle.

In the deep disposal of radioactive waste, the presence of several barriers serving complementary safety functions enhances confidence that the waste will be isolated and contained to protect human health and the environment. The barriers include the natural geological barrier and the engineered barrier system (EBS). The EBS itself may comprise a variety of sub-systems or components, such as the waste form, container, buffer, backfill, seals and plugs. These proceedings include the main findings and presented papers from the third NEA-EC workshop on engineered barrier systems, which focused on the role of EBS modelling in the safety case for deep disposal.  The workshop examined the modelling tools currently available and identified complex areas of assessment in which further dialogue is needed.