IAEA review confirms safety improvements at Czech LVR-15 reactor

Nuclear safety is a key element in the operation of every nuclear facility. The International Atomic Energy Agency uses review missions to inspect nuclear facilities and highlight potential improvements to both organisational and operational safety programmes. One such mission recently inspected the Czech LVR-15 research reactor.

The Czech Republic operates a total of 9 fission nuclear reactors (6 power reactors, 2 research reactors and 1 training reactor). The safety of operating such facilities is crucial, and improving it is among the main priorities of their operators. Nuclear safety can be enhanced primarily through the international agency’s safety standards and recommendations, as well as comments and proposals from external agencies.

The International Atomic Energy Agency assesses nuclear facilities in member states through its missions. The missions are voluntary, and their main objective is to improve nuclear safety at a given facility by identifying its weak points. Integrated Safety Assessment of Research Reactors (INSARR) missions are carried out at the request of a member state.

A similar mission recently visited the LVR-15 research reactor in Řež near Prague. The mission’s main objective was to assess the current condition of the facility and its staff, and to evaluate the implementation of recommendations from the previous mission. That mission was dispatched in 2003.

The six-member INSARR mission team assessed the safety of the LVR-15 reactor over a total of 8 days. The members included not only IAEA staff, but also experts from Argentina, the Netherlands and Slovakia. They assessed both organisation and management, as well as technical aspects. These included safety analyses, operation and maintenance programmes, radiation protection and the reactor’s experimental equipment.

The recently completed INSARR mission was the first mission conducted since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The mission members praised the effectiveness of arrangements for the administration and safe operation of the facility during the pandemic. They also identified improvements not only in training plans and equipment maintenance, but also in staff generational renewal.

Despite this, the mission recommended further safety improvements at LVR-15. Key areas for improvement include strengthening the organisational structure and clearly defining employees’ roles and responsibilities, as well as increasing the effectiveness of the safety committee within the Research Centre Řež (CVŘ) by expanding its remit. Finally, work procedures should be developed covering new experiments, modifications and operational safety programmes.

According to the IAEA team’s final report, staff should also work on procedures for addressing abnormal situations such as flooding, seismic activity or a total loss of power supply. Standard operations should be supplemented and improved, particularly in staff instructions and radiation monitoring practices.

“By requesting an INSARR mission, CVŘ has demonstrated its strong commitment to safety and its further enhancement. Given the reactor’s long service life and utilisation, work on modifications and modernisation of the facility should continue. This work should be expanded to include the safety analyses and procedures identified as having potential for improvement,” said Amgad Shokr, Head of the IAEA Reactor Safety Section.

“We appreciate the IAEA’s support, particularly given the constraints resulting from the global pandemic. The INSARR mission provides us with valuable recommendations and proposals for further improving operational safety. We are committed to implementing them at our facility,” said Ján Milčák, Head of the Reactor Operations Department at CVŘ.

Basic information about LVR-15

The LVR-15 nuclear research reactor is a light-water pool-type reactor. LVR-15 is the most powerful research reactor in the Czech Republic. It began operation in 1957 and has undergone significant upgrades since then. One of the largest upgrades was carried out from 1988, increasing both the reactor’s output and the safety of its operation.

LVR-15 is used primarily for the production of medical radiopharmaceuticals such as 99-Mo, 113-Sn and 188-W. In addition to radiopharmaceutical production, the reactor is used for research and scientific purposes, including materials irradiation and neutron activation analysis.