RRFM 2009 Transactions - European Nuclear Society

• Radiation protection.
To carry out efficiently activities specified within the projects mentioned above, the VIND
Program has established new integrated team (about 80 experts), lead by the Program
manager and the Program Council assembled from Vinca Institute’s DG, the projects leaders
and their deputies. The activities were carried out closely in cooperation with the Vinča
Institute DG, officials of the MSEP and the IAEA TC PMO, IAEA TC country officer and IAEA
TOs of each project.
In 2006 Montenegro and Serbia are separated and the Republic of Serbia has accepted to
continue to solve all radiation and nuclear problems arisen as a heritage from previous
nuclear programs carried out in ex-Yugoslavia since mid-fifties of XX century. Four
interrelated projects of the VIND Program are supposed to be completed by 2016 at the total
cost estimated at 60 millions US dollars.
Legal matters related to almost all activities of the VIND Program were identified at very
beginning of the Program and pointed out to the GoRS to be properly solved ASAP. It was
recognized that only rudiments of the full-power Regulatory Body exist in the country.
Temporary Regulatory body (Committee for Radiation and Nuclear Safety of the MSTD of the
RS) was established in the second half of 2004 as an advisory body of the Minister of
Science. This body has obtained great support of the IAEA and Slovenian Nuclear Safety
Agency. Work on country new Law on Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection was initiated
in 2003 and finished in September 2004. It is expected that this law will be accepted, after
some delay, in the Parliament in spring of 2009. This law will establish a legal ground for
introducing of full power Regulatory Body (Agency for Radiation and Nuclear Safety) in the
country and is expected to increase the safety culture and regulative approach at all activities
of the VIND Program.
3. Status of the VIND Program in November 2008
3.1 Safe Removal of Spent Fuel of the Vinča RA Research Reactor project has a main
task to prepare all SNF of the RA RR for shipment back to RF. Heavy water RA RR was
operated in the Vinča Institute since 1959 to 1984 using 2 % enriched metal U and 80 %
enriched UO 2 fuel elements. The SNF, stored in the Vinča Institute, consist of about eight
thousands fuel elements with total mass of about 2.5 tons of uranium. TVR-S LEU and HEU
fuel elements, of ex-USSR origin, have same shape and dimensions and approximately the
same initial mass of 235 U nuclide. SNF elements were stored in the SNF storage pool filled by
ordinary water. Last 480 HEU fuel elements have been transferred from the RA reactor core
to the SNF storage pool in late 2008. Due to non-suitable chemical parameters of water in
SNF storage pool, corrosion processes have penetrated 1 mm thick Al cladding of fuel
elements and 4 mm thick Al walls of storage containers during storage period long from 20
years to 40 years. Activity of fission products ( 137 Cs nuclide) is measured in samples of the
pool water since 1996. Increased 137 Cs activity in one third of storage containers is found.
Actions to improve conditions in RA RR SNF storage pool and to prepare SNF for shipment
to RF, carried out from 2004, include:
• Consortium Mayak-Tenex-Sosny (MTS) from RF was selected, after the IAEA tender in
2005/6, to develop a technology for RA RR SNF repackaging and shipment to RF. A
contract IAEA-MTS-Vinča has been signed in Sepember 2006. SNF shipment has to be
done by end of 2010;
• Preparations for SNF shipment from Vinča has to be finished by mid-2009 and include
• SNF nuclide and radiation characterisation and preparation, finished in 2007:
• Underwater cutting of corroded carbon steel construction in the basin 4 (B4) of the
SNF pool. Removal of construction elements from B4 and their store at the temporary
LL & ML RAW storage at the Vinča site, finished in 2006/7;
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