Mentoring and Coaching for Knowledge Management in Nuclear Organizations
IAEA-TECDOC-1999 ¦ English ¦ 124 pages ¦ Date published: 2022

This publication highlights the importance of mentoring and coaching for knowledge transfer across the generations of the workforce. It captures successful mentoring and coaching practices and approaches being followed by different types of nuclear organizations including at nuclear power plants, technical support organizations, national nuclear organizations and regulatory bodies.

The publication also includes case studies from Member State organizations that have used mentoring and coaching as an effective tool for knowledge transfer, skill building and performance improvement.

Ageing Management and Long Term Operation of Nuclear Power Plants: Data Management, Scope Setting, Plant Programmes and Documentation
Safety Reports Series No. 106 ¦ English ¦ STI/PUB/1966 ¦ 106 pages ¦ Date published: 2022

In recent decades, the number of IAEA Member States planning to extend the operation of their nuclear power plants (NPPs) beyond the time frame originally anticipated has steadily increased. These decisions have been influenced by the significant economic advantages offered by the long term operation (LTO) of existing NPPs.

This Safety Report complements IAEA Safety Standards Series Nos SSR-2/2 (Rev. 1), Safety of Nuclear Power Plants: Commissioning and Operation, and SSG-48, Ageing Management and Development of a Programme for Long Term Operation of Nuclear Power Plants. It provides information on selected topics from the latter, and specifically, it addresses data collection and record keeping, scope setting for structures, systems and components, plant programmes, corrective action programmes, and documentation of ageing management and LTO assessment. The publication focuses on NPPs throughout their lifetime, including operation beyond the time frame originally established for their operation and decommissioning, while considering the different reactor designs that exist around the world. It is also relevant for facilities for spent fuel storage and radioactive waste management at NPPs. It may also be used as a basis for managing the ageing of other nuclear installations and for radioactive waste management facilities. This Safety Report is intended to provide information for operating organizations but may be also used by regulatory bodies.

Sources, Effects and Risks of Ionizing Radiation. UNSCEAR 2020/2021 Report. Volume I: Report to the General Assembly. Scientific Annex A: evaluation of medical exposure to ionizing radiation
New York, United Nations ¦ 354 pages ¦ Date published: 2022

The UNSCEAR 2020/2021 Report Volume I is comprised of the main text of the 2021 report to the General Assembly (A/76/46) and scientific annex A: Evaluation of medical exposure to ionizing radiation. This Annex presents a global estimate of world-wide medical exposure over the period 2009-2018 based on frequency of examination and dose data of patients as part of their diagnosis or treatment.

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Nuclear Energy Data 2021
Nuclear Energy Agency, OECD¦ NEA No. 7608¦ 76 pages ¦ Date published: 2022

Nuclear Energy Data is the Nuclear Energy Agency’s annual compilation of statistics and country reports documenting nuclear power status in NEA member countries and in the OECD area. Information provided by governments includes statistics on total electricity produced by all sources and by nuclear power, fuel cycle capacities and requirements, and projections to 2040, where available.

Country reports summarise energy policies, updates of the status in nuclear energy programmes and fuel cycle developments. In 2020 and 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of electricity security in modern societies. Although the long-term implications for electricity generation are difficult to assess, during the crisis nuclear power continued to support the security of supply and has been, together with renewables, one of the most resilient low-carbon electricity sources. Governments committed to having nuclear power in the energy mix advanced plans for developing or increasing nuclear generating capacity, including plans for small modular reactors and advanced reactors. Further details on these and other developments are provided in the publication’s numerous tables, graphs and country reports.

High-temperature Gas-cooled Reactors and Industrial Heat Applications
Nuclear Energy Agency, OECD¦ NEA No. 7629¦ 56 pages ¦ Date published: 2022

Reducing industrial carbon emissions is one of the most difficult challenges on the path to net zero by 2050 due to the magnitude of greenhouse gas emissions from the industrial sector and technical requirements for heat in addition to power. High-temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGRs) are a promising Generation IV nuclear technology that can supply process heat for a variety of industrial applications.

The Nuclear Energy Agency investigated the potential and limitations of HTGRs for industrial heat applications. This study reviews the technical features and development status of HTGRs as a lowcarbon heat source and explores how this technology could meet the process heat requirements of different industrial processes. It revealed the potential industrial applications of HTGR heat in the near term as well as further opportunities in the medium to long term while identifying the remaining challenges for the industrial deployment of this technology.

Protección y seguridad radiológicas en los usos médicos de la radiación ionizante
Colección de Normas de Seguridad SSG-46 ¦ STI/PUB/1775 ¦ 354 págs ¦ Fecha de publicación: 2022 ¦ Edición en español

Esta Guía de Seguridad ofrece recomendaciones y orientaciones para el cumplimiento de los requisitos establecidos en la publicación Nº GSR Part 3 de la Colección de Normas de Seguridad del OIEA con respecto a la protección radiológica y la seguridad de las fuentes de radiación en los usos médicos de la radiación ionizante en relación con los pacientes, los trabajadores, los cuidadores y confortadores, los voluntarios que participan en investigaciones biomédicas y el público.

La Guía abarca los procedimientos de radiología diagnóstica (incluidos los odontológicos), los procedimientos intervencionistas guiados por imágenes, la medicina nuclear y la radioterapia. También contiene recomendaciones y orientaciones sobre la aplicación de un enfoque sistemático para equilibrar el aprovechamiento de los beneficios que reportan los usos médicos de la radiación ionizante con el imperativo de reducir al mínimo el riesgo de efectos radiológicos en las personas.

Organisational Capabilities for Decommissioning Nuclear Installations
Nuclear Energy Agency, OECD¦ NEA No. 7580¦ 60 pages ¦ Date published: 2022

The transition from nuclear power generation to decommissioning carries a number of safety challenges tied to human and organisational factors. This report discusses these challenges and brings together the experiences of members of the NEA Working Group on Human and Organisational Factors. It includes an overview and topical case studies from global decommissioning activities and sums up the good practices and lessons learnt to help organisations in their own endeavours to decommission nuclear installations.

This report can be used as a guide for self-assessment for both licensee organisations and regulatory bodies to manage the human and organisation factors in the various phases of their decommissioning activities.

Intercomparación 2020 de medidas de la concentración de radón en aire bajo diferentes condiciones ambientales. Equipos de medida en continuo y detectores integrados
Colección Informes técnicos, 55: 2022 ¦ Grossi, Claudia; Drechsler, Arturo Vargas; Atienza, Beatriz Robles; San Miguel, Marta García-Talavera ¦ Madrid: Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear ¦ Fecha de publicación: 2022

La exposición al radón en los lugares de trabajo está regulada desde hace años en España por el Reglamento de Protección Sanitaria contra Radiaciones Ionizantes, y por la Instrucción IS-33 del Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear (CSN).

Este marco regulador se ha visto reforzado por la directiva 2013/59/EURATOM, que comporta requisitos de control adicionales para la exposición de los trabajadores, así como la inclusión de medidas de protección contra el radón en el Código Técnico de la Edificación (de aplicación en los edificios de nueva planta y en las rehabilitaciones). Todo ello conlleva un importante aumento de la demanda de servicios de medición de radón y de evaluación de las dosis asociadas, por lo que se hace imprescindible garantizar la calidad y fiabilidad de estas determinaciones. A este fin, tanto la acreditación de laboratorios según la ISO 17025, como la autorización de Unidades Técnicas de Protección Radiológica en el ámbito de la radiación natural, son herramientas fundamentales. En el ámbito de la medida del radón, la respuesta de los detectores puede depender de las distintas condiciones ambientales, como la temperatura, la humedad relativa o las propias fluctuaciones de la concentración de radón, lo cual tiene especial incidencia en ambientes laborales, en los que pueden encontrarse condiciones ambientales extremas. Por ello los ejercicios de intercomparación deben cubrir, de manera controlada, un rango amplio de condiciones ambientales.

Prediction of Transverse Creep Based on Operating Conditions and Microstructure of Heavy Water Reactor Pressure Tubes: Final Report of a Coordinated Research Project
IAEA-TECDOC-2000 ¦ English ¦ 186 pages ¦ Date published: 2022

Pressure tube deformation is an important aging issue in operating heavy water reactors (HWRs) and the R&D community continues to develop improved predictive models for in-reactor deformation. To progress research on this topic, a coordinated research project on prediction of axial and radial creep in pressure tubes was conducted to investigate predictive model biases when applied to different reactor units and to gain new insights into the effects of operating conditions as well as microstructure/manufacturing effects.

This publication documents the work performed and the results obtained by six participating Member States’ institutes, all with currently operating HWRs. The publication summarizes various modelling and predictive approaches considered for utilization within the nuclear industry in support of operating reactors. The findings offer some direction for incorporating the intrinsic material properties into the predictive models needed for pressure tube service life management.

Hardware Description Language (HDL) Programmed Device (HPD) Technology in Nuclear Power Plants
World Nuclear Association ¦ Report No. 2022/002 ¦ Date published: May 2022

This is the first report the DICTF (Digital Instrumentation & Control Task Force) has produced regarding hardware description language (HDL) programmed devices (HPDs). The report outlines the current situation in relation to the use and regulatory review of these technologies, while making recommendations for future work.

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