The Value of and Need for International Nuclear Criticality Safety Standards -- A Report on ISO TC 85/SC 5/WG 8 Activities
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Recent initiatives and developments of nuclear criticality safety standards for nonreactor nuclear facilities by the International Organization of Standards (ISO) have highlighted some differences that exist in administrative and technical practices among different countries. This paper will review the current ISO 1709 standard, those ISO standards that are currently under development, and proposed standards for development and maintenance by ISO on the subject of criticality safety. The author brings his perspectives as the Convener of ISO TC85/SC 5/WG 8. The current standard in maintenance is ISO 1709: 1995, “Nuclear energy – Fissile materials – Principles of criticality safety in handling and processing.” This standard is very generic and global in nature with few specifics about what to do to ensure subcriticality and nuclear criticality safety. Two standards under working draft (WD) development by ISO TC 85/SC 5/WG 8 are: WD 14943, “Nuclear energy – Fissile materials – Administrative criteria related to Criticality Safety” and WD 14941, “Nuclear energy – Fissile materials – Nuclear criticality control and safety of plutonium-uranium oxide fuel mixtures outside of reactors.” These working drafts are characteristic of administrative and technical differences among countries in the implementation of nuclear criticality safety. Though nuclear fuel cycle facility managers, safety managers, regulators, and auditing/compliance inspectors have identical objectives (e.g., the prevention of nuclear criticality accidents) there are industrial and national cultural perspectives and practices that influence the implementation of safety. Standard development will be discussed as it may relate to industrial and national differences. A new proposed work item (PWI) is a standard for the estimation of nuclear criticality accident fission yields. The development of this standard will likely reveal philosophical, administrative, and technical differences among participating countries regarding the what and how to perform these estimates. The value of and need for international standards will be highlighted with respect to the opportunities that are available from these differences.
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-96OR22464
- OSTI ID:
- 774666
- Report Number(s):
- P00-107618; TRN: US0101105
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: OECD, International Workshop on the Safety of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle; Other Information: PBD: 10 Jan 2001
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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