The reactor physicst must resist the tendency to become so immersed in day-to-day problems as to lose sight of the overall role of reactor physics. It is his responsibility to form an independent opinion of the overall requirements of a project with respect to reactor physics and to try to make sure they are met. The rest of this presentation gives a general picture of the areas in which rea…
This Safety Guide provides specific recommendations on protection against internal and external hazards in the operation of nuclear power plants. It provides new or updated recommendations derived from enhanced understanding of operational aspects of hazards and combinations of hazards. Operating experience gained from incidents and accidents in nuclear power plants around the world has demonst…
At its 59th regular session, the IAEA General Conference adopted resolution GC(59)/RES/9, which “[e]ncourages Member States to ensure regular self-assessments of their domestic nuclear, radiation, transport and waste safety, as well as emergency preparedness, using the IAEA self-assessment tools and taking into account the relevant IAEA Safety Standards”. To assist Member States in completi…
The IAEA’s statutory role is to “seek to accelerate and enlarge the contribution of atomic energy to peace, health and prosperity throughout the world”. Among other functions, the IAEA is authorized to “foster the exchange of scientific and technical information on peaceful uses of atomic energy”. One way this is achieved is through a range of technical publications including the IAEA…
The IAEA Nuclear Security Series provides international consensus guidance on all aspects of nuclear security to support States as they work to fulfil their responsibility for nuclear security. The IAEA establishes and maintains this guidance as part of its central role in providing nuclear security related international support and coordination. The IAEA Nuclear Security Series was launched in…
Launching a nuclear power programme is the sovereign decision of a country and constitutes a major undertaking requiring careful planning, preparation and investment in time, institutions, financing and human resources. The IAEA has developed a three phase methodology to support the development of the national infrastructure required for a nuclear power programme in a Member State. Known as …
Research reactors are powerful tools that contribute to scientific and technological progress worldwide. They are used for research and development in a wide variety of fields, in capacity building in nuclear science and technology, to produce radioisotopes crucial for medical and industrial applications, to support the development of national nuclear infrastructure, and in many other research …
The marine environment, as a global sink of persistent chemical mixtures, needs to be regularly monitored to assess the status of pollution and its impact on different marine compartments. Policy makers need access to reliable, accurate and comparable analytical data to enable sound management of the marine environment. Among the goals of the IAEA Marine Environmental Laboratories is to assi…
The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami damaged the Madras Atomic Power Station in India and led to a new understanding of the importance of flooding hazards caused by tsunamis at nuclear power plant sites. The Great East Japan Earthquake and subsequent tsunami in 2011, which heavily damaged the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, re-emphasized the importance of tsunami hazard assessments. Recognizing…
The response of a nuclear installation’s structure during an earthquake depends on the characteristics of the ground motion, the surrounding soil and the structure itself. Soil– structure interaction (SSI) analysis is used to evaluate the effects of seismic ground motion on an installation’s structure, system and components, to ensure it is designed to withstand the effects of earthquakes…