CONTACTA P U B L I C AT I O N O F C A N A D I A N N U C L E A R L A B O R ATO R I E S

DECEMBER 2017

POWERED BY PEOPLECelebrating excellence!

CONGRATULATIONS!Our 2017 Awards of Excellence winners

D.F. TORGERSON DISCOVERY AWARDSRobby Baidwan, Brian Edward, Ailsa Eyvindson, Charles Godin, Misty Greig, Vanessa Hawkins, Aneesh John, Jason Kuehl, Jose Lemay, Robert Lumsden, Roman Lungu, Imola Molnar, Tibor Molnar, Rosa Elia Ortega Pelayo, Amir Sartipi, Ronald Sawyer and Changqing Zhang

For the successful design, development, qualification, supply and installation of CAN10 mechanical seals for reactor recirculation pumps in a nuclear generating station. This new seal represents a significant advance in mechanical seal performance for these large pumps both in terms of reliability and longevity. Despite numerous challenges, the team worked tirelessly to focus on the end goal and in March 2017, two CAN10 seals were installed and have been operating flawlessly since then. Two more are planned for installation in March 2018.

Kevin McCaugherty, Paul Joynes, Stephen Eyvindson, Rob Steele, David Poff, Zhang He, Jozef Mouris and Javin DeVreedeFor their work developing a bench-top apparatus and hydriding technique which was capable of artificially hydriding pressure tube sections. Artificially hydriding post-irradiated pressure tubes to a high concentration of hydrogen (160 ppm or higher) is desired by utilities so that end of life component failure analysis can be established. Engineers and technologists from the Mechanical Equipment Development branch designed and developed a one-of-a-kind apparatus to allow the new hydriding technique to be used within the Universal Cells at CNL.

DISTINGUISHED MERIT AWARDSDanielle Brushey, Jacob Horner, Ken Thomson, Daniel Trudeau, Jimmy Chow, Nathan Lee and Luke YaraskavitchThe ZED-2 Operations group safely and successfully conducted a series of measurements on advanced fuels. The experiments have provided invaluable data that will be used to validate codes and nuclear data for advanced fuel cycles, as well as to derive reactor kinetics parameters for studies of transient/accident phenomena for these fuels.

Paul LeesonPaul Leeson has been a champion of emergency preparedness at CNL over several decades. His exceptional software coding has been able to produce extremely accurate and efficient plume models that have been used for emergency contingency planning at the CRL site as well as emergency response exercises. Over several decades Paul has maintained the data collection and archiving from Ambient Radiation and Metrological Monitoring System (ARMMS) and the NRU stack monitoring systems for the CRL CNL Environmental Protection Program through his innovative software coding.

Laura Blomeley, Neil Burton, Ruxandra Dranga, Marc Hammell, Robert Kingsbury, Christine McNally, Jeremy Stewart and Thuy TranFrom May 2016 through April 2017, this team undertook the challenging task to investigate the option of performing multiple activities (i.e., concurrent emplacements, retrievals and movements) within Waste Management Area (WMA) B. Their work has enabled activities such as fuel repatriation, Fuel Packaging and Storage (FPS) retrievals, future NRU defueling campaign emplacements, and regular waste emplacements to take place concurrently - and safely - during the field season, helping ensure that CNL milestones are met on time.

Sang Bog Kim, Michael Bredlaw, Francesca Farrow and Heather RousselleAt the moment, there are no reference materials nor standard techniques to measure Organically Bound Tritium (OBT) in the environment. The team has organized several exercises and workshops to help to shape more standardized approaches to measure OBT in environmental media and are contributing to reducing the uncertainty associated with such measurements. The knowledge gained is being published in peer-reviewed scientific articles. This team has built a solid reputation in environmental tritium analysis. The team is currently working for internal and external customers and one member of the team has been invited to support remediation work in the Fukushima Prefecture.

Armando Nava-Dominguez, Krishna Podila and Yanfei RaoThis team developed a high-fidelity, multi-scale, geometry-independent modelling strategy using both Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFO) and subchannel thermalhydraulics codes for modelling coolant flow and heat transfer in thorium fuel bundles.

The advanced modeling technique is applicable for the assessment of advanced fuels for existing reactors or advanced reactor concepts. In Canada, the work undertaken by this team has been instrumental in developing this modeling capability for the Canadian nuclear industry.

Eric Bouchard, Jean-Francois Allard, Pierre Bellefeuille, Andre Michel, Eliane Leblanc, David Gelinas, Denise Gendron, Betty King, Tammy Sandrelli, Mike Burton and Richard Dufour

The La Prade team prepared, sampled, and shipped over 200 drums of heavy water to AECL’s heavy water customers last year. Twenty-one separate shipments were delivered on time and without incident to domestic and international destinations.

In addition to the work from the team at La Prade, CNL has also received tremendous support from staff at Chalk River. The CRL team has processed and analyzed hundreds of samples of heavy water to verify the chemical and isotopic composition prior to shipment. They have also supported the business by coordinating the transport and ensuring compliance with customs and export requirements, and working with AECL’s customers and CNL’s internal departments to schedule deliveries, clarify purchase requirements, coordinate invoicing, and respond to customer questions and feedback.

Overall, the excellent teamwork between departments has led to a successful year in heavy water sales, and resulted in nearly $19 million in revenues to AECL; an amount which was well in excess of the planned target.

To learn more, check out the short videos on www.cnl.ca/awards.

#COOLTHINGSWEDOSmall summaries of big accomplishments

#CoolThingsWeDo is a quick round-up of our recent accomplishments, milestones and wins – big and small. It is an initiative we introduced to staff a few months ago, and the reaction was very positive. The goal is to keepeveryone informed and excited about our progress, through a regular update that’s presented in a bite-sized package; we hope you enjoy it.

CNL received 80 responses from a wide range of stakeholders to its Request for Expression of Interest (RFEOI) on our Small Modular Reactor program. These submissions included 19 expressions of interest to build prototype or demonstration reactors at a CNL site.

Thousands of visitors, greeted by an army of enthusiastic volunteers from across the company, visited the Chalk River Laboratories for the 2017 CNL Open House.

The CNL SLOWPOKE-2 Maintenance Team successfully removed the Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) core from the University of Alberta SLOWPOKE-2 facility. Alberta is now HEU free, a major milestone for the Global Threat Reduction Initiative.

Preliminary studies on the feasibility of using liquid argon dark matter detector technology for nuclear security and safeguards applications looks very promising. This technology is four times more sensitive to fast neutrons than helium-3, with an inherent insensitivity to natural hadronic backgrounds. CNL is taking dark matter technology and shedding some light on real world problems.

Staff completed fish sampling in the East Swamp stream and Main Stream. This work was done to support comments received from Environment Canada on the Environmental Impact Statement for the Near Surface Disposal Facility (NSDF).

CNL’s Nuclear Fuel Fabrication Facility employees have now achieved more than nine years without a Lost Time or Recordable Injury (the last occurred on 2008 September 3). This is a great example of a team that is really living CNL’s core value of safety.

Just in time for the cold weather, the insulation and exterior refurbishment of B330, our Analytical Chemistry building is “wrapping up”. Pun intended.

Development of a new apparatus in CNL’s Universal Cells to puncture fuel and collect the fission gas was completed and used for the very first time to analyze two different experimental fuels that were irradiated in NRU. The upgraded and modernized facility is an enhancement in both reliability and safety.

A research collaboration with Fuzhou University (China), University of Edinburgh (UK), and Institute Laue-

Langevin (France) used neutron beams at NRU to generate knowledge for improving drug delivery in patients. The principle of the technology is to mimic the way the HIV virus penetrates cell membranes extremely effectively to deliver large molecules to the cell.

CNL announced plans to establish a new cyber security research facility at Knowledge Park in Fredericton, NB, joining a growing list of companies that are transforming the province into a cyber security research and innovation hub in Canada. CNL has identified cyber security research as one of seven strategic initiatives the company plans to pursue as part of its Long-Term Strategy.

98% of scheduled activities for the fall steam outage were completed safely and successfully.

HR and R&D are working with a third party to coordinate two planning sessions with managers and employees aimed at reinventing mentorship, attracting great talent and creating innovative cultures.

We continue to grow our program and global influence in nuclear forensics and security. CNL recently participated

in a round robin exercise as part of an effort to seek accreditation to join the prestigious Network of Analytical Laboratories maintained by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

CNL hosted meetings with the University Network of Excellence in Nuclear Engineering (UNENE) and the CANDU Owners Group (COG) to discuss how CNL can best partner with universities to strengthen its relationship with academia, build and recruit a pipeline of science and technology talent, and better execute its science and technology programs and strategic initiatives.

The Fuel Packaging and Storage team implemented a system improvement which achieved a 50% reduction in time from the previous method and further improved their ability to retrieve fuel in one shift.

A shipment of ten, CAN8 stators (key components in mechanical pump seals) was delivered to a commercial customer. These components are used in the primary heat transport pumps and are an essential component to reactor operation. Supply of seal parts on time keeps the lights on in Ontario and helps CNL to reach its commercial revenue targets.

Underwater NRU Bay inspection of two novel research reactor fuel types was completed on a fuel stringer of test elements following irradiation in NRU. Both fuel types achieved a high burnup with no fuel performance concerns.

The first Request for Proposal regarding three “new builds” (the Business Hub, Logistics Warehouse Building, and Support Facility) was issued in October. Notably, this RFP includes a new collaborative “Integrated Project Delivery” agreement; the first time we have used such an approach at CNL.

A commissioning test was conducted for the cold crucible facility in the Nuclear Safety Experiments branch. The facility will be used to create and study material (“corium”) prototypical of a molten reactor core during a severe accident.

Powerhouse Boiler #1 has been fired on natural gas since October 19. This is a significant achievement for the Capital Projects team, and will substantially reduce our operating costs and our greenhouse gas emissions.

Dr. Kerry Rowe, a world renowned expert on liner systems (and one of the subject matter experts working on the NSDF project) visited CRL on November 2. Dr. Rowe, along with a number of CNL experts, spent two days with national media preparing a story about the NSDF.

Dr. Robert (Bob) Tapping, a CNL Researcher Emeritus, was selected to receive the National Association of Corrosion Engineers 2018 Frank Newman Speller Award. This prestigious award is given in recognition of outstanding contributions to corrosion engineering for work performed during his career at AECL and CNL (and proves we are home to the very best and brightest!).Congratulations, Bob!

CNL welcomed 103 grade nine students (86 in Chalk River, 12 in Whiteshell & 5 in Port Hope) on Wednesday, November 1 for Take Our Kids to Work Day. Numerous activities were planned including site tours, presentations and fun interactive games and experiments.

The MR-3 freon loop, offline since 2014, was successfully recommissioned on October 27. This is a major step towards a campaign to conduct critical heat flux measurements representative of advanced fuels using a mixed oxide fuel power profile and advanced bundle geometry.

The final stageThe Government of Canada and Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) are committed to the responsible management of Canada’s nuclear liabilities. CNL’s decommissioning of NPD is part of that commitment.

Proposed end state of NPD

Protection of people and the environmentIn-situ decommissioning is the preferred option to close the NPD site. Based on sound scientific and engineering principles, the option entombs the reactor systems and facility structure in place with specially formulated grouts. The structure will then be capped with reinforced concrete and covered with an engineered barrier.

Successfully demonstrated at many nuclear facilities worldwide

Reactor systems are entombed in bedrock, tens of metres underground with robust engineered safety barriers

Institutional controls will restrict access and confirm environmental performance

Reactor systems will be isolated and contained

Lowest risk to workers, the public and the environment

Future generations will not have to manage the waste

The iconic red and white stack will be kept to preserve the habitat of the largest known population of Chimney Swifts in Canada.

Bedrock

CNL protects species at risk

such as the Chimney Swift

Topsoil Fill Concrete cap

Learn More and Get Involved

Decommissioning Timeline

CNL engages with local communities and Indigenous groups to provide opportunities to participate in the Environmental Assessment process.

Participate in the Environmental Assessment process and learn more about NPD at www.cnl.ca/NPD or contact communications@cnl.ca.

FALL 2018EARLY 1990’S SPRING 2020

A Canadian firstNuclear Power Demonstration (NPD) made history in 1962 when it generated electricity from nuclear power for the first time in Canada. After 25 years of producing clean energy and serving as a training facility, NPD ceased operations in 1987.

Canadian innovation:

NPD in the 1960’s

Public hearing and regulatory decision on the project

FALL 2017

Public comment period on draft Environment Impact Statement

All nuclear fuel removed from NPD and systems drained

Decommissioning complete and NPD site closed

Canadian Nuclear Laboratories is proposing to close the Nuclear Power Demonstration (NPD) facility. The closure project is subject to federal assessment under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act.

Decommissioning the NPD Facility

Grouted NPD reactor systems and facility structure

2019

In-situ decommissioning of NPD begins

@CNL_LNC@CanadianNuclearLaboratories 1-800-364-6989

You may be familiar with the Nuclear Power Demonstration, better known as NPD. NPD was the first Canadian nuclear power reactor and the prototype for the CANDU® reactor design. In 1962 NPD generated electricity from nuclear power for the first time in Canada. For 25 years afterwards, NPD continued to generate electricity and operate as a training facility for nuclear engineers and operators.

In 2015, a new strategy was put forward to close NPD facility, which had been in a safe shutdown state for almost 30 years. Now, CNL and our NPD closure project team are fully immersed in the federal Environmental Assessment (EA) for the project.An EA is required for any project that has the potential to effect the environment. It is a process to predict environmental effects of proposed projects before they are carried out. CNL, as the proponent for the NPD closure project, prepares an Environmental Impact Statement to summarize the findings of the EA.

Have your voice heardWhat do you think about the NPD closure project? Participation from members of the public and Indigenous groups is a crucial part of the ongoing EA process.

With CNL’s submission of the draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Nuclear Power Demonstration Closure Project, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission will be accepting comments from the public and Indigenous groups from November 15, 2017 until January 29, 2018.

The public comment period is an excellent opportunity to let CNL and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, the federal agency who will make the decision on the EA, hear your thoughts on the project.

Visit cnl.ca/NPD to learn about how you can submit comments to the CNSC on the draft Environmental Impact Statement for the NPD closure project.

NPD REACTORDecommissioning Canada’s first power reactor

As the Chimney Swifts migrate to South America, and the tur-tles slowly move to their hibernacula, things are picking up in the office for the Environmental Protection (EnvP) Program. Project planning for the upcoming fiscal year is in full swing and Annie Morin, Environmental Specialist with CNL’s EnvP Pro-gram, is one of the site’s biologists who reviews projects to flag the potential impact on biodiversity and works to find a “win-win” path forward.

Prior to joining CNL 10 years ago, Morin was supporting the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification program for the forest industry in Ontario and Quebec to ensure harvesting operations were conducted in a sustainable manner to protect wildlife and its habitat. “Joining CNL was just a natural career progression,” Morin says. “The assessment part remains the same but the scope of activi-ties and projects have broadened.”

The Chalk River Laboratories (CRL) occupy roughly 4,000 hectares of federal land. As an operating nuclear site on fed-eral lands all projects, activities and operations, whether big or small, must be thoroughly reviewed by the 14 compliance programs to ensure they are executed safely while protecting the environment. The Near Surface Disposal Facility, Morin’s current project, is the biggest she has taken on since she joined CNL.

Morin is working diligently with our many regulators, including Environment and Climate Change Canada, to seek approval un-der the Species at Risk Act to proceed with this project.

“The footprint of the project brings a level of complexity in terms of biodiversity management,” says Morin. “An elaborate level of analysis is needed in order to be in a position to pro-pose mitigation measures will be effective in protecting any species at risk present. A good understanding of the distribu-tion and behaviour of the species present in the vicinity of the proposed NSDF is essential for the development of meaningful mitigation measures. We also propose a thorough follow-up monitoring plan in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to confirm that our solutions are effective.”

She is very proud of the interest and effort that CNL is putting forward for the protection of species at risk and explains that this is only possible because CNL puts sustainable development and the responsible management of the environment at the forefront of their environmental policy.

“The development and implementation of mitigation measures for the protection of species at risk is the result of the work of a multi-disciplinary team of experts leading to innovative solu-tions,” she adds in closing, crediting the great work done by the entire EnvP team and others across CNL.

STAFF PROFILEAnnie Morin, Environmental Specialist

For the past 60 years, the National Research Universal, or NRU reactor, has quietly and safely served as the cornerstone of Canadian nuclear science and technology. This reactor and the team within it have helped produce isotopes which have treated more than 500 million people globally; they supported research which has lead to stronger aircraft, more efficient automobiles, and safe, clean electricity production, NRU has indeed made a difference in the world, and this month, the 60th anniversary of its first start-up, is an opportunity to pause, reflect and celebrate.

Congratulations and thank-you to the entire team that has made all of this possible: scientists, engineers, operators, researchers, office staff, and management.

While we are only five months from the scheduled shutdown of this reactor in March of 2018, we continue to operate the reactor safely. In response to our announcement in 2011, the world is well-positioned to maintian a reliable supply of medical isotopes; our Business Development and R&D teams have solutions in place to ensure our researchers and customers have access to irradiation sources; and, we will maintain most other aspects of the research right here at CRL, including the specification of experimental programs, the design of irradiation test rigs, oversight of irradiations, collection of data, transportation, post-irradiation examination and testing, and final data analysis, interpretation and reporting.

Over the past year, we have hosted several events that celebrate the contributions this great machine has made over the past decades. We are inviting people to celebrate with us, and to share their memories and thoughts through www.cnl.ca/NRU60.

NRU REACTORCelebrating 60 years of science

CNL announced earlier this year, plans to hire nearly two hundred additional research staff over the next three years to accommodate the company’s anticipated growth in nuclear science and technology services. The hiring will be carried out to support CNL’s Long-Term Strategy. Overall, the combination of increased research staffing, organizational changes from NRU, and voluntary departures and attrition is expected to result in over 800 vacancies that CNL will need to fill over the next three years.

“We are seeing strong growth in the delivery of commercial work, and we are reaching into new markets in nuclear services. As we continue to grow we’re going to need the right personnel to build on this momentum, and help us carry out this work,” explained Corey McDaniel, Vice-President of Business Development and Commercial Ventures.

We are working hard to attract new talent, and grow and retain the talent we have here already with the aim of repositioning the company to better serve the needs of our customers.

For more information on working at Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, to review the HR Strategy & Plan or to apply to one of the many opportunities, please visit our website: www.cnl.ca.

JOIN OUR TEAMOver 800 vacancies to fill

WE ARE LISTENING. CNL received approximately 200 comments on the draft Environmental Impact Statement that was submitted to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission regarding our proposal for the Near Surface Disposal Facility (NSDF) at Chalk River Laboratories. In response to this input, CNL has made the decision to include only low-level radioactive waste in the NSDF. To be clear, waste intended for disposal in the NSDF will meet the guidelines set out for low-level radioactive waste by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Intermediate-level waste will continue to be managed in interim storage at Chalk River Laboratories until a long-term disposal solution for this category of radioactive waste has been developed and approved.

CNL Corporate Communications286 Plant Road, Stn 700 AChalk River ON, K0J 1J0

1-800-364-6989communications@cnl.cawww.cnl.ca

CONTACT is a publication of CNL's Corporate Communications team.

COMMUNITYProud to play a small part!

CNL has applied to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) to renew its operating licence for its Chalk River Laboratories (CRL). The application has a proposed licence expiry date of 2028 March 31 and, if granted, would authorize CNL to continue to safely operate CRL, which is composed of many nuclear facilities, laboratories, waste management areas and supporting buildings and structures.

The proposed 10-year licence would enable CNL to realize its Long-Term Strategy, a comprehensive plan to modernize and consolidate CRL site operations through the revitalization of essential infrastructure, the decommissioning of aging buildings and investment in new, world-class science facilities. Once complete, the transformation will ensure that CNL continues its leadership position in the development of peaceful and innovative applications through nuclear science and technology.

CNL recognizes that how we operate is important to our neighbouring communities and to Canadians in general. That’s why we encourage the public to get involved.

More information is available at www.cnl.ca/licence or you are encouraged to contact CNL's Corporate Communications office by phone (1-800-364-6989) or email (communications@cnl.ca) should you have any questions or comments.

GET INVOLVEDwww.cnl.ca/licence