Launch of the 6th ICRER conference

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Introduction
The 6th ICRER (International Conference on Radioecology & Environmental Radioactivity), jointly organized by IRSN and the Norwegian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Authority (DSA), in collaboration with IUR, IAEA, UNSCEAR, EURADOS, ICRP, AER, JER and SFRP, takes place from November 24 to 29, 2024 at the Palais du Pharo in Marseille.
Logo ICRER

The 6th ICRER (International Conference on Radioecology & Environmental Radioactivity), jointly organized by IRSN and the Norwegian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Authority (DSA), in collaboration with IUR, IAEA, UNSCEAR, EURADOS, ICRP, AER, JER and SFRP, takes place from November 24 to 29, 2024 at the Palais du Pharo in Marseille.

In addition to the traditional themes of radioecology and environmental radioactivity (assessment of the impact of radionuclides on the environment, understanding and modeling of transfer processes, development of metrology, environmental monitoring, management of materials containing radionuclides of natural origin, waste, etc.), ICRER 2024 will provide an opportunity to address emerging topics such as the use of data sciences and the impact of climate change on radionuclide transfer. 

Bringing together scientists, industry players, regulators and experts, the conference will contribute to improving the knowledge, methods and tools needed to protect people and the environment from the effects of radiation.

This year, 5 speakers, invited by the organizing committee, will give plenary lectures:

  • Gonéri Le Cozannet (BRGM), will present the main conclusions of the 6th report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
  • Hildegarde Vandenhove (IAEA), Deborah Oughton (NMBU), Georg Steinhauser (TU Wien) and Mike Wood (University of Salford) will enrich the program by sharing their perspectives on issues related to radioecology.

Other events will take place alongside the conference. Training courses will be offered, including two led by IRSN:

  • “Ecosystem approaches in radioecology” by Rodolphe Gilbin
  • “Radiation-induced transgenerational and multigenerational effects in human and non-human biota” by Olivier Armant.

Specific meetings will also be organized, including the “Ring of Five”, moderated by Olivier Masson (IRSN), and a meeting in partnership with the IAEA on radionuclides in marine organisms, attended by Sabine Charmasson (IRSN).

For the first time, a number of companies have sponsored the event. Among them, Algade, Agilent, Bertin Technologies, ESI, HTDS and Triskem will have a dedicated stand to present their activities and exchange with participants. The ECCOREV research federation and the SUD PACA region are also lending their support as sponsors.

Download ICRER 20224 programme

Thème
Environment

IRSN and DSO national laboratories strengthen their collaboration in nuclear safety and crisis management

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Introduction
On October 22, 2024, in Singapore, Dr Jean-Christophe Niel, IRSN Director General and Mr Cheong Chee Hoo, CEO of DSO National Laboratories, signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
DSO-MoU 2024-10-22

We're excited to announce that on October 22, 2024, in Singapore, Dr Jean-Christophe Niel, IRSN Director General and Mr Cheong Chee Hoo, CEO of DSO National Laboratories, signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

This MoU builds upon our partnership that started in 2013, demonstrating both entities' commitment to advancing nuclear safety and security through collaborative research and development.

The cooperation will focus on the safety of Generation 3 reactors and on Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), as well as crisis management, inverse source term modelling based on environmental measurements, and neutron spectrometry. High-level technical exchanges and researcher exchanges (PhDs/ post-doctorates) will also play a crucial role in validating scientific data and refining calculation codes, further enhancing nuclear safety and security measures, through collaborative research.

We look forward to the innovations and advancements this strengthened collaboration will bring to the field of nuclear safety and security.

DSO-MoU 2024-10-22
DSO-MoU 2024-10-22
Thème
Institutional

IRSN at the Singapore International Energy Week (SIEW) 2024

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Introduction
At the invitation of Singapore's Energy Market Authority (EMA), IRSN's Director General, Dr. Jean-Christophe Niel attended the Singapore International Energy Week (SIEW) on October 21, 23 and 24, 2024.

At the invitation of Singapore's Energy Market Authority (EMA), IRSN's Director General, Dr. Jean-Christophe Niel attended the Singapore International Energy Week (SIEW) on October 21, 23 and 24, 2024.

SIEW is an annual platform for energy professionals, decision-makers and commentators to share best practices and solutions in the global energy space.

His speeches highlighted the safety issues associated with the development of nuclear energy in Asia, promoted our scientific and technical expertise, and underlined the quality of our bilateral cooperation with the National University of Singapore.

Following a presentation by R. Grossi, DG IAEA, J-C Niel took part in the plenary session devoted to low-carbon technologies. Regarding the development of nuclear technologies, in particular SMRs, he stressed the importance of ensuring a high level of nuclear safety and managing the risks associated with these technologies. In the case of SMRs, which have characteristics favourable to nuclear safety (small size, passive safety systems), he stressed that this safety had to be demonstrated, showing the need to pursue research, develop human resources and engage in dialogue with the public. To meet these objectives, international cooperation constitutes an indispensable tool.

IRSN at the SIEW 2024
Plenary session devoted to low-carbon technologies, SIEW 2024

IRSN’s Director General participated also in the SIEW TechTable on October 23, dedicated to the the topic of “Ensuring Nuclear Innovation with Robust Nuclear Safety and Risk Management”. He will be able to highlight ways of supporting innovation in nuclear technologies in terms of safety, giving an insight into the role of technical safety organizations (TSOs) in supporting regulatory authorities and other stakeholders. He also stressed the importance of mobilizing science-based collective intelligence through international research collaborations, to improve the safety of nuclear installations.

On October 24, he finally intervened in the “Building Trust and Confidence in Nuclear Technology” session of the SIEW ThinkTank RoundTable, where he will share IRSN's experiences in opening up to society.

On October 24, the Director General concluded his mission to Singapore with a meeting with Mrs. Minh-Di Tang, French Ambassador to Singapore.

Jean-Christophe Niel, SIEW 2024
Jean-Christophe Niel, plenary session devoted to low-carbon technologies, SIEW 2024
Thème
Nuclear safety
Institutional

First steering committee meeting for the joint lab NUS-SNRSI/IRSN

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Introduction
A Joint Laboratory agreement between the Singapore Nuclear Research and Safety Initiative of the National University of Singapore (NUS-SNRSI) and IRSN was signed on May 2. Under the terms of the agreement, the laboratory will be governed by a steering committee.

The first steering committee meeting was held on October 22, 2024 in Singapore, in the presence of IRSN Director General Jean-Christophe Niel. The committee comprises Diane Tiong, Christelle Chua and Garvin Mak for NUS-SNRSI, and Jean-Michel Bonnet, Olivier Marchand, Marc Gleizes and Marilyne Tombette for IRSN. It will be chaired by Marc Gleizes for the first two years.

A Joint Laboratory agreement between the Singapore Nuclear Research and Safety Initiative of the National University of Singapore (NUS-SNRSI) and IRSN was signed on May 2. Under the terms of the agreement, the laboratory will be governed by a steering committee.

The joint laboratory director, Prof. Keng Yeow Chung, director of NUS-SNRSI, and its deputy director Jacqueline Garnier-Laplace, Scientific Coordinator of the European Radiation Protection Strategy of IRSN, presented an overview of activities for 2024, the work program for 2025 and the outlook for 2026 concerning the laboratory's three research themes of radiochemistry, radiobiology and safety of SMRs.

Julie-Anne Zambaux from IRSN also took the opportunity to share feedback from her 6-month secondment to NUS-SNRSI on the development of ASTEC for SMRs. Moreover, the teams regularly exchange on scientific topics of common interest, as demonstrated by IRSN's specialists Azza Habibi and Gaëtan Gruel’s remote presentations.

IRSN members of the steering committee also enjoyed a visit of the NUS-SNRSI facilities at their newly constructed building. 

This meeting marks a new stage in the long-term collaboration that IRSN and NUS-SNRSI have experienced and maintained for the past 10 years.

Thème
Nuclear safety
Research

A qualification report for the CRISTAL package made available to the international community

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Introduction
For the first time, IRSN, in partnership with CEA, ORANO and FRAMATOME, is making validation data from the CRISTAL simulation software package available to the scientific community.

For the first time, IRSN, in partnership with CEA, ORANO and FRAMATOME, is making validation data from the CRISTAL simulation software package available to the scientific community. This software, used by French manufacturers, makes possible carrying out neutron calculations in order to prevent a criticality accident in nuclear installations in the fuel cycle and in the transport of nuclear materials. Its validation is crucial to accurately estimate the available margins and control the criticality risk. The CRISTAL validation report presents the discrepancies between the CRISTAL results and available experiments.

 

CRISTAL: the French software suite for carrying out safety-criticality studies

Criticality safety calculations purpose is to study the most suitable, needed, and sufficient measures to prevent the initiating of a chain reaction when handling fissile materials in fuel cycle installations and during the transport of nuclear materials. The study of safety conditions consists of verifying, through calculation, that the restrictions imposed on the criticality control parameters make the system subcritical, in order words, that the effective multiplication factor keff remains strictly lower to 1, with sufficient safety margins.

Read the report

For further information

The CRISTAL form
The NEA page of the form

Thème
Nuclear safety

Workshop AEN FRAME: Future Research for Accident Management Enhancement in operating and future reactors, informed by Fukushima Daiichi insights – Argonne, September 26-27, 2024

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Introduction
On September 26-27, 2024, IRSN’s Director General Jean-Christophe Niel participated in Argonne (Illinois - USA) in the NEA’s workshop dedicated to the “Future Research for Accident Management Enhancement in operating and future reactors, informed by Fukushima Daiichi insights”.

On September 26-27, 2024, IRSN’s Director General Jean-Christophe Niel participated in Argonne (Illinois - USA) in the NEA’s workshop dedicated to the “Future Research for Accident Management Enhancement in operating and future reactors, informed by Fukushima Daiichi insights”.

J.C. Niel AEN FRAME workshop September 26-27 2024

This workshop provided nuclear safety regulators, industry and research organizations with the opportunity to share their views on how the Fukushima-Daiichi accident has been used to inform accident management approaches for operating and future reactors, and on remaining potentials for their enhancement.

It will be also a forum where regulators, industry and research operating agents will share views on potentials for future collaborative research.

Jean-Christophe Niel underlined the large efforts which have been done since the Fukushima-Daichii accident to consolidate severe accident management and mitigation for French NPPs. He mentioned the strong involvement of IRSN in OECD/ NEA’s research projects, which constitute a unique platform for safety research experimentations.

He brought out also the necessity to maintain, replace or evolve existing experimental facilities, and certainly build new ones.

Finally, he mentioned that all new challenges won’t be addressed without involving the international community and all stakeholders, from regulators to operators and designers. Especially maybe the biggest one: in the coming decades, to develop skills and competencies, and train many young professionals to the nuclear field, taking into account innovative and disruptive technologies.”

Thème
Institutional
Research

INWORKS epidemiological study: new results on the risk of leukemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma among nuclear industry workers

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New results from the INWORKS epidemiological study published on August 31, 2024 confirm the existence of a relationship between leukemia risk and cumulative exposure to low doses of ionizing radiation.

Workers subject to dosimetric monitoring (ou) Dosimetrically monitored workers

INWORKS is an international epidemiological study of mortality among nuclear industry workers. It is a large-scale epidemiological study designed to quantify the health risks potentially associated with repeated exposure to low doses of ionizing radiation. Its aim is to verify the validity of the assumptions underlying the current radiation protection system, which is based in particular on an extrapolation of knowledge of radiation-induced risks drawn from the epidemiological follow-up of survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings. IRSN has been an active contributor to the INWORKS study since its inception.

INWORKS brings together cohorts of French, American, and British workers employed in the nuclear industry (fuel preparation, research, power generation, spent fuel reprocessing) and monitored for external exposure to ionizing radiation by personal dosimeters. The study population includes over 300,000 male and female workers employed from the mid-1940s onwards. The French cohort, led by IRSN, includes over 59,000 workers from CEA, EDF, and Orano.

New research results recently published on the website of the journal “The Lancet Haematology” show that the risk of death from leukemia (excluding chronic lymphocytic leukemia, considered to be non-radiation-induced) increases in proportion to the dose accumulated by the workers over the course of their working careers. They also confirm that risks are low at low doses.

These results reinforce our knowledge of the effect of protracted exposure to low doses of ionizing radiation, and therefore constitute an important addition to the consolidation of the assumptions underlying the radiation protection system. In particular, they support the justification for radiological protection of populations exposed to low doses of ionizing radiation (nuclear industry workers, medical staff, diagnostic medical exposure, etc.).

Read the IRSN information note on the new INWORKS results (PDF)
Read the publication in The Lancet Haematology

 

 

Previous information notes

 

Further information

 

Thème
Health
Research

CIGÉO: IRSN delivers its 1st opinion on the project construction licence application

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Introduction
On April 24 and 25, 2024, IRSN presented to the Advisory Committee of Experts on Waste (GPD) the conclusions of its technical review of the basic data used to assess the safety of the Cigéo project, a deep geological repository for radioactive waste. This technical review is part of the examination of the construction licence application for the Cigéo project submitted in 2023 by the French national radioactive waste management agency (Andra).

On April 24 and 25, 2024, IRSN presented to the Advisory Committee of Experts on Waste (GPD) the conclusions of its technical review of the basic data used to assess the safety of the Cigéo project, a deep geological repository for radioactive waste. This technical review is part of the examination of the construction licence application for the Cigéo project submitted in 2023 by the French national radioactive waste management agency (Andra).

Cigéo is the French project for the reversible deep geological disposal of high-level (HLW) and long-lived intermediate-level radioactive waste (ILW-LL). Located on the border between the Meuse and Haute-Marne regions of France, Cigéo is designed to dispose of this waste 500 meters below the surface in a layer of clay rock. The construction license application is a major milestone in the creation of Cigéo.

Diagram of the Industrial Centre for Geological Disposal, Cigeo
Diagram of the Industrial Centre for Geological Disposal, Cigeo - © Andra

IRSN's review of the construction license application for the Cigéo project is organised over a period of 30 months into three thematic groups:

  • basic data used for the Cigéo safety assessment (GP1),
  • safety assessment related to the operational phase (GP2),
  • safety assessment related to the post-closure phase (GP3).

IRSN has just finalised the first part, i.e. GP1.

This work follows on from previous opinions and reports issued by the Institute at the request of the French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN). One example is the safety options report reviewed in 2017.

The aim was to examine the knowledge compiled and the assumptions used by Andra for the Cigéo safety demonstration in relation to the inventories of waste packages, to the site and the host-rock chosen for the Cigéo facility, as well as to the engineered components of the disposal system and their evolution over time. Particular attention has been paid to the data acquisition methodology, the adequacy of data with regard to the models used, and the estimation of the uncertainties considered at this stage.

IRSN's technical review was based in particular on the experimental research and modelling programs it conducts, notably in its underground laboratory at Tournemire (Aveyron).

 

Conclusions of IRSN's assessment

IRSN considers that the knowledge developed by Andra in the areas of waste packages, Meuse/Haute-Marne site, Callovo-Oxfordian formation and cementitious materials is based on sufficient data for the safety assessment of Cigéo at the construction licence application stage. This knowledge is based on detailed hydrogeological and geotechnical characterisations, an appropriate assessment of meteorological hazards and an adequate understanding of the properties of the host rock, cementitious materials and waste packages, as well as their evolution under the effect of transient thermal, water, mechanical and chemical disturbances.

Regarding the reference and reserve inventories, the data collected by Andra is generally relevant, both for the Cigéo safety demonstration and for the adaptability studies considering the chosen prospective industrial scenarios. Some uncertainties remain, however, including uncertainties relating to the reference inventory that may impact the number of disposal cells and the disposal chronologies; these will have to be addressed through the flexibility of Cigéo while in operation. In addition, considering the possibility of a future fleet (eight additional EPR 2, SMR, RNR, etc.), the capacity of the facility to dispose of more waste will have to be assessed on the basis of further adaptability studies, considering time horizons that can be defined once the decisions relating to the future fleet have been taken.

At this stage of the construction licence application review (GP1), IRSN has identified two topics that require particular attention, respectively relating to HLW cells and to sealing structures, which refer to the pilot phase. Regarding HLW cells, it is important to provide the supporting evidence for the design basis of metal components before the first HLW cell is excavated, and to resolve the uncertainty regarding the possibility of flexures affecting the host rock at the location of the future HLW disposal zone. For sealing structures, which are still at the stage of design principles , efforts must be made to minimise damage to the rock while excavating the facility's shafts in areas that are subsequently to be sealed. Particular attention must also be paid to the definition of these structures and the in situ demonstration of their operability.

The present review will be supplemented by the Cigéo operational and post-closure safety demonstration reviews, carried out for the GP2 and GP3 technical reviews respectively and currently underway.

Involvement of civil society in the Cigéo assessment process

In addition to its assessment of Andra's construction licence application, IRSN established a technical dialogue with the National Association of Local Information Committees and Commissions (Association nationale des comités et commissions locales d’information - ANCCLI), and the Local Committee for Information and Follow-up of the Bure Laboratory (Comité local d’information et de suivi du laboratoire de Bure - CLIS de Bure). This dialogue is a continuation of the initiatives of openness to civil society on HL and IL-LL waste carried out since 2012.

It was conducted in the form of plenary meetings and thematic workshops with the dual aim of taking the concerns of civil society into consideration in order to make IRSN's review more robust, and of allowing civil society to form its own opinion and therefore to participate in the process leading up to the public decision.

The main subjects of interest to participants in connection with GP1 assessment were the so-called "reference" and "reserve" waste inventories, the site characteristics (in particular the evolution of faults, water circulation, the potential geothermal resource, the properties of the host layer), and the pilot phase.

Download :

Note: The English version of IRSN's opinion is provided for information only. Only the original document in French is authoritative.

 

Thème
Assesment
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