RESEARCH REACTOR SPENT FUEL MANAGEMENT IN THAILAND · Administration Thailand Institute of Nuclear...

RESEARCH REACTOR SPENT FUEL MANAGEMENT IN THAILAND

Nanthavan Ya-anant

Radioactive Waste Management Center

Thailand Institute of Nuclear Technology (TINT)

and

Chaiyod Soontrapa,

Bureau of Nuclear Safety Regulation,

Office of Atoms for Peace (OAP)

INPRO Dialogue Forum Cooperative Approaches to the Back End of Nuclear Fuel Cycle,26-29 May 2015, Vienna

Nuclear Institutional Structure

Ministry of Science and Technology

(MOST)

Office of Atoms for Peace

(OAP)

Bureau of Radiation Safety

Regulations

Bureau of Nuclear Safety

Regulation

Bureau of Technical

Support for Safety

Regulation

Bureau of Atomic Energy Administration

Thailand Institute of Nuclear Technology

(TINT)

Nuclear Research Reactor

Center

Radioactive Waste Management

Center

Thai Atomic Energy Commission

(Thai AEC)


Responsibilities and Roles

Office of Atoms for Peace

• To control and regulate the safety use of atomic energy

• To grant licenses for the production and utilization of atomic energy and radioactive materials

• To establish rules, regulations and measures

• To co-ordinate other issues regarding atomic energy

• To be a secretariat of the Thai-AEC

Thailand Institute of Nuclear Technology

• To promote nuclear technology and utilization

• To support research and development on nuclear technology

• To provide technical operation and service (including waste management)

• To provide training service and public relation in nuclear technology


Present Regulatory Framework

• Atomic Energy for Peace Act B.E.2504 (1961)

• Ministerial Regulations B.E. 2546 (2003)

• Rules and Procedure of Radioactive Waste Management

• Ministerial Regulations B.E. 2550 (2007)

• Condition and Procedure Requirements for License of the Possession of Related Nuclear Materials, Radioactive Materials or Atomic Energy


A new Act to replace the Atomic Energy for Peace Act 1961 is intended for promulgation soon

• Thailand’s law on nuclear energy regulatory will get a “facelift” after 50 years.

• The draft law is finished and contains sections on the regulatory of SNF.

• The draft law is considered to be a comprehensive nuclear law.

• Once it is enacted, Thailand can then be a party to a series of international conventions, including the Joint Convention on the safety of spent fuel management and on the safety of radioactive waste management.

Near Future

Nuclear Energy Act (Draft)


SNF Place as Nuclear Facility

• A place that stores or reprocesses SNF is considered to be a nuclear facility.

• A nuclear facility requires the following step-by-step licenses:

• Site license (Joint Conv. Art. 6)

• Construction license (Joint Conv. Art. 7)

• Operating license (Joint Conv. Art. 9)

• Decommissioning license (Joint Conv. Art. 10)


Licensed Activities on Transboundary Movement of SNF

• Import of SNF NOT allowed unless the SNF origin is from Thailand (only “re-import” allowed)

• Export of SNF (to authorized consignee in destination state only)

• Transit of SNF (to authorized consignee in destination state only)

• Re-import and Export thru designated customs checkpoints only

• All above pursuant to Joint Conv. Art. 27


SNF Management

• Nuclear facilities have to store their own SNF safely and securely as described in their safety analysis reports (SARs) unless SNF is

• transferred to government entity responsible for SNF storage, or

• exported to be reprocessed, or

• exported (sent back) to manufacturers or lessors


Development of the National Policy and Strategy for Radioactive Waste and SNF Management

• Thailand requested the expert mission from IAEA to help us to draft the national policy and strategy.

• In February 2014, the expert mission on “Drafting the national policy and strategy for managing radioactive waste and spent fuel” was held in Bangkok.

• This project is under RAS9069.


The Draft of National Policy

• Introduction

The objective of this policy is to ensure that radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel in Thailand will be safely managed to protect human health and environment now and in the future in a sustainable and cost-effective manner.


Policy Statements

1. Roles and Function

2. Legislative and Regulatory Framework

3. Management of Radioactive Waste and Spent Fuel

4. Financial Arrangements

5. Openness and Transparency


Roles and Function

• The Government of Thailand • has established the policy for the safe management of radioactive waste and spent

nuclear fuel.

• The Office of Atoms for Peace (OAP) • an independent regulatory body for safety, security and safeguards of all facilities

and activities involving radioactive waste and SNF management.

• The Thailand Institute of Nuclear Technology (TINT) • the organization established through Public Organization Act that is managing

radioactive waste from all waste generators in Thailand. TINT is in charge on pre-disposal management of Radioactive Waste and SNF management.


Management of Radioactive Waste and SNF

• Thailand will commit to the international safety standards on radioactive waste and SNF management in order to achieve and demonstrate a high level of safety.

• Safe Management of Radioactive Waste • The license holder will be responsible for safe management of radioactive waste

until the waste is accepted by the waste management organization (TINT).

• Radioactive waste including DSRS will be safely managed by the waste management organization (TINT).

• DSRS will be repatriated to the country of origin.

• Orphan sources will be recovered by OAP and managed by TINT.

• Discharges of radioactive effluent from licensee’s facilities are regulated by OAP.



• Safe Management of SNF • SNF will be repatriated to the country of origin.

• Waste Minimization • Each waste generator will have a plan to ensure that waste minimization will be justified

and taken into account in all activities.

• End Point of the Management • Ultimately, all radioactive waste will be disposed of in a licensed radioactive waste disposal

facility.

• The Government of Thailand will investigate options for a radioactive waste disposal facility.


• Import/Export

• Any trans-boundary movement of radioactive waste, DSRS and SNF will be carried out in accordance with the provisions of the Joint Convention.

• Radioactive waste will be managed in such a way as to ensure the possible effects on human health and the environment beyond Thailand’s borders will be considered.



Financial Arrangements

• The financial arrangements are put in place for resources (including technical and human) to sustain the waste management organization and the regulatory body, and for implementing of the policy.

• The current and future financial arrangements for the management of radioactive waste will be borne by the generators and funding set aside for this purpose will be preserved for the time when it is needed. (Polluter Pays Principle)

• The Government of Thailand will take the financial responsibility for the future management of the waste which the generators no longer exists.


Openness and Transparency

• All radioactive waste activities will be conducted in an open and transparent manner and the relevant parties will make information on the safety of RWM activities available to members of publics

• Decision regarding radioactive waste management will take into account the interests and concerns of all interested and affected people.


Current status of Thai Research Reactor(TRR-1/M1)

Place/Site Maker Type Recent Power First Criticality Status

TINT, Bangkok GA 1.2 MW 1964 in operation


Current status of TRR-1/M1 fuel

small

section pool

large

section pool

Locations of fuel racks


Current status of TRR-1/M1 fuel

• Approximately 160+ fuel elements in total

• 107 fuel elements used in the current core with 4 control rods

• All fuel elements are kept in underwater fuel racks in reactor pool (large section pool)

• Each rack can store up to 20 fuel elements

• Transfer of fuel element in pool by fuel handling tool

• Transfer of fuel element out of pool by transfer cask


PRESENT INVENTORY OF NUCLEAR FUEL IN THAILAND

Type

Status

Burnup

Number

8.5% wt used 30% – 40% 46

8.5% wt disused < 10% 1

20% – 30% 4

30% – 40% 25

40% - 44% 24

20% wt used 0% – 10% 10

10% – 20% 8

20% – 30% 29

30% – 40% 14

20% wt New (not yet used) 0% 2


Experience on Shipping SNF from Thailand to the US

- Prepare areas in order to load the SNF elements into the shipping cask

- Using NAC’s Dry Transfer System (DTS)

- DTS consists of a transfer cask with MTR fuel basket grapple,

a transfer cask carriage, and a cask adapter.

- Transfer cask was used to transfer spent fuels from the spent fuel

pool to the shipping cask located outside of the spent fuel building

- Complete technical information of the NAC’s equipment including SAR of the shipping cask was approved by the Thai regulatory body.


Spent Nuclear Fuel Building at Reactor Site


Public Hearing for Government Projects per Prime Minister’s Office Regulation(1)

• Stakeholder means any person who may be affected or may suffer a loss caused by a government project

• Government Project means

• Any project involving economic or social development, which is under either by direct, concessional, or authorized management of a government unit, and

• That project has widely significant impacts on environment, health, way of life, or any other interest of stakeholders.

Public acceptability issues


Public acceptability issues

• Notifying stakeholders of • Method of public hearing

• Period of public hearing

• Place of public hearing

• Project details enough to understand and comment

• Using one or more of the following public hearing methods with stakeholders • Polling

• Consultative Meeting

• Announcing the results of polling and consultative meeting within 15 days of completion

Public Hearing for Government Projects per Prime Minister’s Office Regulation (2)


THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND ATTENTION

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