Enhancing nuclear safety

ANNUALREPORT 2016

ENHANCING NUCLEAR SAFETYIN FRANCE AND INTERNATIONALLY
Further to Act N°2015-992 of August 17, 2015 on energy transition for green growth, the legislative part of the French
Environment Code defines the missions of IRSN, the National Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety,
the public expert in nuclear and radiological risks, together with those of ASN, the French Nuclear Safety Authority, and of the local information commissions (CLI). DecreeN°2016-283 of 10 March 2016 on IRSN, which implements
the Act, places the organization under the joint supervisionof the Ministry of the Environment, Energy, and the Sea, theMinistry of Education, Higher Education and Research, theMinistry of Social Affairs and Health, and the Ministry of
Defense.
IRSN is the nation’s public service expert in nuclear and radiation risks, and its activities cover all the related scientificand technical issues in France and in the international arena.
Its work therefore concerns a wide range of complementary fields, including environmental monitoring, radiologicalemergency response, radiation protection and human healthin normal and accident situations, prevention of major accidents, and safety and security relating to nuclear reactors,
plants, laboratories, transportation, and waste.

It also carries out assessments in the
nuclear defense field. In addition, IRSN
contributes to government policy innuclear safety, the protection of humanhealth and the environment against ionizing radiation, and measures aimed at
safeguarding nuclear materials, facilities
and transportation operations against therisk of malicious acts. Within this context,
it interacts with all the organizations
concerned including public authorities,
in particular nuclear safety and security
authorities, local authorities, businesses,
research organizations, and stakeholder
associations.

HUMAN RESOURCES

1,770

1

employees, including many specialists, suchas engineers, doctors, agronomists, veterinarians,
technicians, experts and researchers, with
48 doctors or persons qualified to direct research.
IRSN is also the place of work of: 73 2 doctorate
students and 19 2 post-doctorate students.
3

BUDGET

287 €M

spent by IRSN in 2016:• 41.4% of budget devoted to research
excluding property projects and Feurs;• 49% of budget allocated to technicalsupport and public service missions excluding
property projects and Feurs.
1. This workforce consists of 1,627 persons on permanent contracts and143 on fixed-term contracts (including 764 persons assigned to otherorganizations, but excluding 21 temporary assignments).
2. Expressed in full-time equivalent terms.

INTRODUCTION
ANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

CONTENTS
FOREWORD
Dominique Le Guludec — p. 6
Jean-Christophe Niel — p. 8
Georges-Henri Mouton — P. 11

p.12

ACTIVITY KEY FIGURES

p.16

STRATEGY
Strategy and governance — p. 18
Knowledge management — p. 29
Transparency and information — p. 31

PANORAMA 2016

CONTENTSANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

p.34

ACTIVITIESSAFETY — p. 36
Safety of civil nuclear facilities — p. 37
Experimental reactors — p. 41
Nuclear fuel cycle facilities — p. 42
Human and organizational factors — p. 44
Reactor aging — p. 45
Severe accidents — p. 46
Fuel — p. 48
Criticality — p. 50
Fire and containment — p. 51
Natural hazards — p. 53
Defense-related facilities and activities — p. 54
Radioactive waste management — p. 55
Geological disposal of radioactive waste — p. 57

p.82

EFFICIENCYSECURITY AND NONPROLIFERATION — p. 59
Nuclear security — p. 60
Nuclear nonproliferation — p. 62
Chemical weapons ban — p. 63

INTERNAL POLICIES — p. 84

RADIATION PROTECTION – HUMAN
AND ENVIRONNEMENT HEALTH — p. 64
Environmental monitoring —p. 65
Radon and polluted sites — p. 68
Radiation protection in the workplace — p. 70
Effects of chronic exposure — p. 72
Protection in healthcare — p. 74

ORGANIZATION CHART — p. 90

EMERGENCY AND POST-ACCIDENT SITUATIONS — p. 77
Emergency preparedness and response — p. 78
Post-accident activities — p. 81

HARNESSING HUMAN POTENTIAL — p. 86
A RESPONSIBLE ORGANIZATION — p. 87

GOVERNING BODY — p. 90
Executive committee — p. 91
Senior management committee — p. 91
Board of directors — p. 92
Steering committee for the nuclear defense
expertise division – CODEND — p. 93
Scientific council — p. 93
Ethics commission composition — p. 94
Nuclear safety and radiation protection researchpolicy committee – COR — p. 94
Glossary — p. 96

5

CONTENTSANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

Being optimistic is never easy, especially in the current economic climate. And yet, whether I look back over the past year, or ahead tothe coming months, I do feel optimistic about the resources IRSN has
been given to fulfill its missions.
IRSN - reinforced and solid
The French Act on energy transition for green growth of August 17,
2015, written into the Environmental Code, and then the Decreeof March 10, 2016, provided a general view of the nuclear and radiological risk governance system, and specified IRSN’s general missions
within it.

In addition to these external factors that
consolidate its situation, IRSN has strengthened its scientific and technical resources,
starting with investments. These include property investments, with the new buildings at
Le Vésinet and Fontenay-aux-Roses and, more
importantly, investments in its experimental
and research facilities, of which no fewer thanten have brought about significant progressin the past three years. To mention just someof these achievements:

IRSN WILL RISE TO THE CHALLENGE
OF EXCELLENCE.
Dominique Le Guludec,
Chairperson of the IRSN Board of Directors

6As the new French President embarkson his first term of office, we find ourselves confronted with social choices
relating to energy and healthcare, in theface of greater public expectations concerning
protection against risks of various kinds,
as reflected over the years in the IRSN Barometer. These choices and expectations call forinvestments both in human and financial terms
that, given today’s economic situation, giverise to concern among all those with responsibilities in risk governance, industry or action
concerning civil society. But what about public
stakeholders and, in particular, IRSN, France’s
public service expert in risk assessment andcontrol?

FOREWORD
ANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

IRSN has seen its role within the overall nuclear safety systemreinforced with regard to licensees and nuclear industry managers, to ensure they effectively assume their responsibilities, to ASN,
with its decision-making and regulatory authority, and to an increasingly watchful civil society.
In spite of cut-backs on government spending, IRSN has on thewhole preserved its level of funding, and has even seen an increase
in its human resources, reflecting the importance of its work.
Although they have not been financed, IRSN was granted 20 additional positions to deal with its growing work load, particularly
regarding assessments; this increased work load was recognizedin the findings of an audit ordered by the government. Furthermore,a recent parliamentary amendment now allows industry to contribute more largely to IRSN’s budget, another reason why we can lookto the future with increased confidence.

• Safety: PEARL, a large-scale facility for studying damaged core behavior and associatedcooling methods; PERSEE, a research facility
focusing on filtering and dynamic containment performance; ODE, an experimental
research facility concerned with monitoringand observing the behavior of concrete blocks
subjected to accelerated aging conditions; and,last but not least, the CABRI experimental
reactor, a major facility for research on nuclear
fuel safety.
• Radiation protection: ALPHEE, a radiation
therapy instrument for learning more about theeffects of ionizing radiation on tissue; MIRCOM,an extension of IRSN’s AMANDE nuclear
accelerator, designed to explore the effectsof ionizing radiation within cells; MICADO-LAB, which is used to study the effects

of gamma radiation on ecosystems, from mechanistic effects totransgenerational studies; and PARISII, a research facility for in vivo
studies on the effects of internal contamination in various radionuclides.
Lastly - and perhaps most significantly - IRSN’s solidity owes muchto the men and women in its teams, and their constant level ofskill and commitment, even if the economic situation has forced us
to slow down the rate of wage increases, as is the case everywhere,
and even if room remains for improvement in terms of efficiency.
The road to renewal for the future
My optimism is also grounded in IRSN’s capacity to take on thechallenges of a fast-changing world. IRSN is already on the road torenewal, reconsidering its strategic choices, the way it works, andits system of management. This ability to step back and call into
question the way we work is essential if we are to stay in the
race.
Research is a particularly demanding area in this respect and IRSN
must be capable of adapting to it. Biology is undergoing real conceptual and technical change; research is now conducted only throughnetworks; information technology is having a huge impact on data.
Competition and expectations are increasing at the same time
as recurring revenue drops, and we must turn increasingly to
EU and international programs for funding.
Investments and equipment are the tools we need to take us down
the road to renewal, provided we use and share them to the best
advantage, while drawing scientists from outside the organization.
IRSN must raise the profile of its research activities both in France
and within international networks, in particular by holding on toits strategic position in European radiation protection research.
Although the assessment by HCERES in 2017 will be a gauge of thisrenewal initiative, the real challenge will be the five- or ten-year
forecast in the fields of safety, biology, healthcare, and radiation
protection.

Two examples illustrate this trend:Firstly, IRSN devotes a great deal of energy to
the European research area for radiation protection. The success of the “Concert” joint programming initiative (1st call in 2016) and othersignificant events, such as the European Radiation Protection Research Weeks, are significant
steps forward in this area. IRSN is at the centerof these developments; it must hold on tothis advantage and ensure its growth.
Secondly, IRSN’s commitment to opening up
to society also reflects the need to develop
initiatives that involve the public, as it is the
public that ultimately stands to benefit from our
success in addressing challenges. The “Dialogues
in Fukushima”, initiated and managed by local
civil society in Japan, but in which IRSN’s contribution was immensely appreciated, demonstrate
the recognition of IRSN’s expertise in teaching,listening and adapting, whether in the context oftechnical discussions or exchanges with the local
population.
The various points mentioned above in thisoverview, together with the other achievements
you will discover in the report, justify my optimism concerning the current situation of a solid,
reinforced IRSN. We must now set out on theroad to renewal with determination and thenecessary foresight. The Board of Directors
will firmly support these initiatives, and I knowthat IRSN will rise to the challenge of excellenceboth in its assessment and research activities.

7

FOREWORD
ANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

It is true that expectations are equal to thistrust, especially regarding our ability to address
the issues of nuclear and radiological risks. Theseissues concern two areas:• Safety, security, and protection against ionizing
radiation, which must be ensured at the highest
level;• The public’s growing need to understand andtake part in decision-making on issues relating tohealth or environmental risks, a need reflected ininternational agreements.

Looking back over my first year as Director General, I am struck by thequality of IRSN’s research work, the great variety of its activities and,above all, the dedication of its teams to driving progress in nuclear
safety and security and radiation protection. Our action in 2016 testifies to this and you will be able to find out more about it in this annual
report, as well as the scientific and technical reports on our websitethat complement it.
However, I would first like to go back over some of the key events of
the year that illustrate how IRSN’s strategy is deployed.

IRSN WILL HAVE MANY CHALLENGES
TO FACE IN ITS FUTURE ACTIVITIES.
Jean-Christophe Niel,
Directeur général

8C

onsolidated by the decree of March
10, 2016, IRSN is an organization withwidely recognized expertise, an outstanding workforce and high-quality equipment,
something I have noted for myself since I took up
my position in April 2016.
The year 2016 also saw the reinforcement of theFrench system for regulating civil nuclear
activities, which is the responsibility of twoorganizations: ASN, which is in charge of “sovereign” activities, and IRSN, which is in chargeof research and assessment. The regulations
concerning IRSN have also emphasized theimportance of research and the involvementof all stakeholders in discussions within the
Research Policy Committee on the direction of
IRSN’s scientific work. The year ended on threepositive notes for the future: a stable budget,increased human resources, and the adjustments
to the contribution paid by nuclear licensees.
These decisions reflected how important our
supervisory authorities, the government and parliament consider our missions and the trust theyplace in us.

FOREWORD
ANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

Over the coming years, these issues will be extremely important, imposing on IRSN the need to
be in a constant state of readiness to mobilize
all of its assessment resources - at a time of
public spending cuts - without compromising its
research work, which is the guarantee of highlevel expertise. IRSN must also continue its initiative to open up to civil society in all its activities,
with a view to greater transparency and more
stakeholder involvement.
With this in mind, I have launched an initiative
to put IRSN’s action in perspective over the nextten years, and to take steps to rationalize its operation now.

Deploying the scientific strategy
The first line of action for IRSN is to go on deploying its scientificstrategy within a national and European framework by developing
partnerships, in France and abroad, with its counterparts, academic
research organizations and teams, and industry, while making sure topreserve its independence. This strategy will be part of French national research strategy as well as European research agendas. Many
research programs saw considerable progress in 2016, and IRSN wasin involved in 22 projects in the fields of safety, health and waste, in
response to the second call for projects under Europe’s H2020 framework program.
It continued its policy of developing experimental facilities to support
this work.
For example, the MIRCOM ion microbeam facility, designed to explore
the cellular and intra-cellular effects of ionizing radiation, reached anumber of significant milestones.

In the field of nuclear safety, IRSN leads the European program on in-vessel corium retention in
the event of a severe accident on a nuclear reactor. The seminar organized on this topic in Aixen-Provence in June 2016 was attended by 120
people from 21 countries, representing 60 organizations, including from some large nations, suchas China, Russia and the United States.
The year 2016 saw the official opening of somenew experimental safety research facilities suchas the ODE facility in Cadarache, designed to
study the aging of concrete used in the construction of nuclear reactor containment buildings,
and the PERSEE facility in Saclay for the study ofradioactive gas purification, partially funded by
the investment in the future program.
Another event in 2016 concerned the CABRI
reactor, which achieved criticality for the firsttime since 2003, an essential step in preparing
the first tests for studying nuclear fuel behavior
following an accident involving the loss of controlof the nuclear reaction. The tests, performed aspart of an IRSN-led international program, arescheduled for early 2018.
Setting priorities to focus on the main issuesof nuclear safety and security and protection
against ionizing radiation.
The second line of action is to work towards greater strategic consistency with the public authorities, while preserving the independence of IRSN’s
assessment work. In particular, this entails creating or strengthening a joint strategic program forassessment activities calling on IRSN resources inorder to ensure technically unquestionable, operational support that is in proportion to needs.

A significant amount of work was completed in the field of national
defense, with the “reactor safety committees” on the Suffren-classsubmarine program, the RES test reactor, and the examination of documentation on the cleanup and dismantling of CEA’s secret regulated
nuclear defense facilities.
In the field of security, IRSN devoted a considerable effort to its workfor the Senior Defense and Security Official (HFDS) of the Ministry for
the Ecological and Inclusive Transition, notably concerning the EPR.
Our dense relations with ASN generated some 600 technical notices
and reports. As part of its initiative to ensure the most proportional
response to risks, IRSN focused particularly on the nuclear safety issues
involved in extending the service life of EDF reactors, the safety review
of existing facilities, new builds (including EPR, RJH and Cigeo), thedecommissioning of facilities that have been shut down (EDF’s gascooled reactors, Areva’s UP2-400 plant, various CEA facilities), and thedeployment of post-Fukushima measures.
At the same time, support for the public authorities is constantly being
adapted to new challenges. The transposition of the Council Directive
laying down basic safety standards, which is the new framework forradiation protection in Europe, was obviously a priority for IRSN in its
work to support the ministries in charge of the transposition, namely
the Ministry of Environment Directorate-General for Risk Prevention(DGPR), the Ministry of Health Directorate-General for Health (DGS),
the Ministry of Labor Directorate-General for Labor (DGT), and ASN.

9

Turning to the field of healthcare, IRSN helped to optimize doses delivered to patients during medical imaging examinations by updating
the diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) in conventional radiology, CAT
scanning and nuclear medicine. This work was carried out under its
contract with the DGS.
Lastly, IRSN issued its first ever report to the Environmental Authority
in 2016 on the environmental impact study of the National Radioactive
Materials and Waste Management Plan (PNGMDR). This announces theintroduction of “environmental approaches” in our safety and radiation
protection analyses concerning waste management solutions.
Openness to society: further innovation
The third line of action, opening up to society, is an action for which
IRSN is well-known and on which there is a broad consensus within
the organization. I wish to work towards even greater transparency andpublic participation in nuclear safety, radiation protection and, moregenerally, risk management.

FOREWORD
ANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

This naturally means furthering the efforts already undertaken by IRSN
with the local information commissions and committees (CLI and
ANCCLI). But I also intend to widen the scope of our activities beyond
our traditional assessment work, to develop new lines of research, andcover fields other than nuclear facilities, with a special focus on theworld of healthcare. Innovation is vital, as is developing interaction withstakeholders in our specialist fields, something we are currently experimenting in the assessment of the Cigeo project safety options report(DOS), and stepping up work with counterpart organizations. These
efforts will add substance to the Charter on Openness to Society that
we have just signed with six other organizations involved in risk assessment and research and providing assistance in public decision-making.
Facing multiple challenges
IRSN will have many challenges to face in its future activities.
Assessment work on the safety of new facilities, the conditions forextending the service life of reactors, and decommissioning operations
will continue, with some key dates up ahead. Research in this area must
benefit from the new programs in which IRSN is involved.
The management of all categories of radioactive waste will also draw
on IRSN’s resources, whether to assist the authorities or in a researchcontext.
10

In today’s world of terrorist and cyber threats, efforts to ensure theprotection of nuclear facilities and nuclear material transport must be
sustained in line with safety considerations and in close collaboration
with public security forces.
Understanding the action of ionizing radiation, from the cellular level tohumans and ecosystems, must help us better control the effects of its
diagnostic and therapeutic use in the medical field, as well as its impact
in the field of low doses.

FOREWORD
ANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

At a time when Europe is undergoing significant
changes, IRSN must maintain its commitment toEuropean research agendas and to the construction of a Europe of technical safety organizations
through the ESTON association.
Lastly, IRSN must constantly seek to reduce therisk of accidents and, at the same time, remain in astate of preparedness to respond to a radiologicalemergency at any time by developing its emergency response strategy and tools.
Adapting for greater efficiency
IRSN is adapting to a rapidly changing environment and the high expectations of its supervisory
ministries, authorities, partners, the public andother stakeholders.
In this respect, I launched two projects for the
future in 2016.
The first is the structural reorganization of ourradiation protection activities, which concerns
health and the environment. The aim is to fulfill
IRSN’s public service role with even greater efficiency by consolidating our position in French andEuropean research, enhancing synergies between
our research and assessment activities, better
publicizing and clarifying our action, and consolidating our emergency response organization. The
new organizational structure was set up on July
1, 2017.

The second, IRSN’s 2030 project, will define ourstrategic ambitions for 2030. Built on a collective
approach, in interaction with the other stakeholders, and aimed at excellence, independence, sharing and foresight, the project must enable us toadapt to our changing environment, and define
appropriate strategic directions, as well as the related operating principles. It will be flowed down tothe operational level in our programs and actionplans and be taken into account in the new performance target agreement and programs with our
supervisory ministries.
I have every confidence in the ability of IRSN’s
teams to rise to these multiple challenges, toadapt with a view to greater efficiency, and toremain constantly alert for the benefit of our fellow citizens.

Further to the reorganization implemented
in 2015, IRSN’s Nuclear Defense Expertise
Division (DEND) contributes to this effort
by increasing its support for the Ministry ofEnergy Senior Defense and Security Official(HFDS), and planning ahead for the changes
required to enhance nuclear security.
In addition, it appears urgent for licensees tocommit the necessary financial resources
to ensure that nuclear facilities and nuclear
material shipments meet the requirements
specified by the HFDS.

Georges-Henri MOUTON,
Deputy Director General, in chargeof Defense-related missions

for Defense-related Facilities and Activities
with the technical support it needs at this very
busy time, with a large number of new facilities,
such as the RES test reactors and Suffren, the
new nuclear-powered attack submarine, nearing
commissioning; ongoing design work on SN3G,
the future nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN), whose safety options report has
already undergone an important assessment by
IRSN; and the work involved in monitoring facilities already in service.

AS IN 2015, SECURITY
AND DEFENSE REMAINEDOUR TOP PRIORITIES.
11

A

s in 2015, security and defense remained our top priorities, with the terrorist
attacks at home, and sustained military
operations overseas to avert this threat.

Turning to efforts to combat the proliferation of
weapons of mass destruction, the second half of2016 saw a number of OPCW inspections rarelyattained in France.

On the domestic front, this situation has led
to increased mobilization to ensure maximum
security levels in and around nuclear facilities
and nuclear material shipments, as the current
level of threat is such that the possibility of aterrorist attack on such high-profile targets cannot be ruled out.

Similarly, DEND provided the authorities withtechnical support in connection with its nuclear
material accountancy responsibilities, and ispreparing for the consequences of Brexit, which
could lead the United Kingdom to withdraw
from the Euratom Treaty.

Lastly, IRSN is also working at a steady paceon dismantling and cleanup operations on old
nuclear weapons manufacturing plants. In thisparticular area, DEND is involved in the overall
initiative launched by IRSN to help determine
the best solutions to be adopted, given the risks
involved, taking into account current regulations or contributing to discussions on possible
changes.

As part of its contribution to the implementation of the nuclear deterrent policy, IRSN is working to provide the Nuclear Safety Authority

FOREWORD
ANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

ACTIVITY KEY FIGURESINTERNATIONAL

212

bilateral agreements signed withresearch and assessment organizations(235 in 2015)

RESEARCH
1242

countries involvedin these agreements(41 in 2015)

61

international projects underway under
the aegis of OECD-NEA, the European
Commission, or ANR (64 in 2015)

TECHNICAL SUPPORT FOR PUBLIC AUTHORITIES

41.4%

budget devoted to research
excluding property projects
and Feurs (40.7% in 2015)49%

of budget devoted to technical support and public service missions
excluding property projects and Feurs (49.4% in 2015)

technical notices to High Civil Servant

231

publications in Journal Citation Reports(217 in 2015)lectures at conferences
407 scientific(554 in 2015)

20 dissertations defended (28 in 2015)

104 for Defense and Security (194 in 2015)

notices to the Senior Defense and Security
119 technical
Official in charge of nonproliferation (113 in 2015)

notices to the nuclear defense
77 technicalsafety Authority (70 in 2015)

technical notices and reports to ASN

531 ( 543 in 2015)
KEY FIGURESANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

DISSEMINATION OF KNOWLEDGEINTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

2,455,336

25

visits to the IRSN website(2,357,915 in 2015)

patents in force abroad(41 in 2015)

notices and reports publishedon the IRSN website (78 in 2015)

pages consulted in the “Research”
section of the IRSN website(169,339 in 2015)24
requests for IRSN action
received from local informationcommissions (33 in 2015)

TRAINING

154

13

764

16

students from French and foreign schools
took part in the radiation protection
workshops in schools initiative (114 in 2015)

hours of teaching given
outside the Institute(universities, engineeringschools, INSTN, etc.)(1,781 in 2015)

hours of teaching given
at ENSTTI France
in 37 training sessions
on radiation protection(941 in 2015)

IRSN publication (2 in 2015)

117

1,660

hours of training given
in at ENSTTI France
in 7 training sessions
on nuclear safety (39 in 2015)

1

IRSN operations at local informationcommissions (15 in 2015)

software applications anddatabases placed with thesoftware protection agency
APP (including 7 co-owned)(23 including 8 co-ownedin 2015)42351
146,18928

french patents in force(including 10 co-owned)(23 including 4 co-owned in 2015)

43,250hours of training given to maintainthe skill levels of engineers and experts(36,323 in 2015)

1.39 €M
spent on training(1.24 €M in 2015)

KEY FIGURESANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

SERVICE CONTRACTSBUDGET BREAKDOWN

276 €M
revenue (279 €M in 2015)287 €M

revenue including 25 €M for equipment investment(304 €M including 41 €M in 2015).

91% Operating expenses
9% Investment

20.13 €M

commercial services (22.65 €M in 2015)

Foreign funds

59.4% Budget act 190 grant
1.3% Budget act 212 grant
22.7% Operators’ contribution
16.6% Other French or foreign
funds (aside from budget act)

14

revenue (41.1 €M in 2015)

24,695 customers(25, 256 in 2015)

Operating and investment
expenditure

Total funding

38.9 €M

38.85% Riskaudit
16.85% Others
26.6% European Union
3.2% Nuclear Power Joint
Venture Co.
3.2% Gesellschaft für Anlagen-und
Reaktorsicherheit - GRS (Germany)
11.3% NRC

10.39 €M
Dosimetry (10.46 €M in 2015)

0.80 €M
Biological analyses (0.84 €M in 2015)

1.86 €M
Riskaudit (1.96 €M in 2015)
Amount of other funds

2.57 €M

39.48 €M
french funds

6.24 €M

foreign funds

IRSN financial report 2016 is available on the website www.irsn.fr
KEY FIGURESANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

EDF (0.88 €M in 2015)
French funds(aside from budget act)
13.6% State
28% EDF
3.7% Areva
5.2% CEA

5.9% ANR
3% ENSTTI
40.6% Others

0.60 €M
Training (0.60 €M in 2015)

3.91 €M
Others (7.91 €M in 2015)

HUMAN RESOURCES
DISTRIBUTION OF EMPLOYEES

44

employees recruitedon permanentcontracts (77 in 2015)

post-doctorate
students(30 in 2015)

doctorate
students(72 in 2015)

1,770

143

permanent
contracts(1,650 in 2015)

employees(1,827 in 2015)

on fixed-term
contracts(177 in 2015)

48

19

73

1,627

AVERAGE AGE

2164

76.2% Executive staff

temporaryassignments(22 in 2015)

persons assigned toother organizations(71 in 2015)

doctors or persons
qualified to direct
research (44 in 2015)

54.2% Men
45.8% Women

23.8% Non-executive
staff

DISTRIBUTION OF MEN/WOMEN BY AGE GROUP

43.3

44.6

years for women(42.4 in 2015)

Women

Men

15

Men

Age

Women

< 60

years for men(44.2 in 2015)

56 to 60
51 to 55

LOCATIONS

46 to 50
41 to 45

Cherbourg - Octeville
Le Vésinet
Saclay36 to 40
Fontenay-aux-Roses
Orsay

Pierrelatte
Vairao (Tahiti)

Les Angles - Avignon
Tournemire
Cadarache

31 to 35
25 to 30

80.8% employees
on permanentcontracts in the
North Region
19,2% employees
on permanentcontracts in theSoutheast Region

> 25
20

10

0

10

20

as % by gender

200

100

0

100

200

numbers by gender

KEY FIGURESANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

STRATEGY
Public expert, IRSN advances scientific knowledge in the serviceof managing all nuclear and radiological risks.

STRATEGY AND GOVERNANCEKNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENTTRANSPARENCY AND INFORMATION

17

18

29

31

STRATEGY AND GOVERNANCE
As public expert, IRSN advances scientific knowledge for the
benefit of nuclear and radiological risk management. Using its
research, methods, and interactions with all stakeholders, IRSN
provides completely independent assessments of these risks andtheir consequences. It thus contributes to their prevention anddetection and to the limitation of their effects so as to protect
people and the environment.
A new decree for IRSN
In 2016, the decree of March 10, 2016 (No 2016-283) set out IRSN’s
general missions, which had been reaffirmed by the energy
transition act for green growth of August 17, 2015 written into
the Environment Code.
18

The decree consolidates the French system of control over civil
nuclear activities—a two-part system of overall supervision by
ASN and scientific and technical oversight by IRSN. The decree
also affirms the importance of research for nuclear safety
and radiation protection, requiring IRSN’s scientific researchorientations to be discussed with all stakeholders within the
Research Policy Committee (COR). Lastly, it broadens thescope of IRSN’s mission in radiological emergencies to include
the provision of expertise to the public authorities (ministries,
regional government departments, etc.) when they seek
assistance during nuclear or radiological emergencies.
The decree also strengthens IRSN’s governance to reflect theimportance of its missions. It changes its supervisory ministries(replacing Industry with Energy) and specifies the term ofoffice of the General Management (five years, renewable).
It strengthens the representation of elected officials on the
Board of Directors through the inclusion of two members ofparliament, and it formalizes the inclusion of ASN’s Chairman
on the same Board, as required by the energy transition act.

STRATEGY
ANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

The new Director-General’s
five objectives for IRSN
At hearings before the French Senate andNational Assembly prior to taking up his
new post, the new Director-General, JeanChristophe Niel, set out his plans for meetingthe challenges ahead. He set out his plans for
IRSN in terms of five objectives:• to develop IRSN’s scientific strategy
in liaison with stakeholders preferably
by means of partnerships;• to improve IRSN’s strategic coherencewith the public authorities, particularly
ASN, while guaranteeing the independenceof IRSN’s assessment activities;• to boost IRSN’s contribution totransparency and public participationin nuclear safety, radiation protection
and, more generally, risk management;• to make the most of IRSN’s humanpotential;• to ensure IRSN functions efficiently
and is managed responsibly as regards theenvironment.

Having state-of-the-art knowledge available and gaining
new knowledge with which to carry out assessments, so as
to improve safety, security and radiation protection, are the twomain objectives of the research carried out by IRSN.
The scientific strategy deployment
At the start of the year, IRSN published its scientific strategy,
which sets out for the next 10 years the main scientific issues
to be addressed in terms of radiation protection, safety andsecurity and sets guidelines for the research that IRSN isplanning to carry out. This formalization of its scientific strategy
supports IRSN’s research programming; for a number of years
IRSN has striven to adapt its resources to the different challenges
faced, in an increasingly demanding context.
The strategy was developed in liaison with IRSN’s researchteams by formulating a research policy for each thematicarea. Having taken into account the opinions of externalbodies–first and foremost that of the Scientific Council, whoserole in evaluating the relevance of IRSN’s research program wasconfirmed by the new decree–these policies will enable IRSN
to prepare and update its research program with greatercertainty and in greater detail.
This task, begun in 2016, will be completed by mid-2017.

The continuation of the buildingof European research
EU cooperation on safety and radiation
protection research must contributeboth to improving knowledge in linewith jointly defined strategic orientations
and to the pooling of resources for greater effectiveness. For a number of years
IRSN and its partners have been
engaged in the construction of a common research effort, encouraged by
the European Commission. This has
resulted in groupings of research bodies
within platforms and associations.
This structural change is at its mostadvanced in the field of radiation protection, as a result of the reflection process
conducted by platforms and associations such as MELODI, the Radioecology
Alliance, NERIS and EURADOS, which
are all contributors to the joint research
programming consortium CONCERT.
CONCERT has been tasked by the European Commission with allocating andmanaging a large share of the budget
dedicated under Horizon 2020 to radiation protection of humans and the envi-

FOCUS

RESEARCH: DEVELOPING SCIENTIFICSTRATEGY WITH STAKEHOLDERS

ronment and to preparing for emergencies. Following on from OPERRA (set up
under FP7), CONCERT launched its firstcall for proposals in 2016, with a total budget worth €30 million of which €22 million
was provided by the European Commission. Of the three projects chosen, IRSN
is running the TERRITORIES (To Enhance
unceRtainties Reduction and stakeholder
Involvement TOwards integrated andgraded Risk management of humans andwildlife In long-lasting radiological Exposure Situations) project and is contributing to the CONFIDENCE (COping withuNcertainties For Improved modelingand DEcision making in Nuclear emergenCiEs) project.
In the same spirit of European integrationof research strategy and research, the first
Radiation Protection Week in September
2016 brought together the European R&D
platforms involved in research into theeffects of low doses of ionizing radiation.

19

COR: PUBLICATION OF TWO NEW REPORTS PUBLICATION
In 2016 IRSN’s Research Policy Committee (COR) published two new reports.
The first looked at IRSN’s current and future research into severe accidents.
It expressed support for the scientific and technical approaches taken by IRSN andmade recommendations concerning organizational and human factors. The second
looked at openness to society in the realm of research: it identified existing bestpractices as regards dialog with civil society and made recommendations for encouraging civil society’s involvement in identifying research priorities, for involving civilsociety in the long-term monitoring of research, and for supporting the disseminationof research results to stakeholders.
STRATEGY

ANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

As regards reactor safety, the partners in NUGENIA,
an association for research into Generation II and III reactors, concluded the NUGENIA+ project in 2016 with a proposal for an organization to coordinate the entire research
management process, particularly in safety, under the Horizon 2020 framework program. However, the Commission
has no plans at present to seek the setting up of a similar
consortium to CONCERT in the safety field.
The NUGENIA Forum brought together 260 participantsin Marseille in early April to look at projects related to Generation II and III reactors that they are planning to put forward
in October 2016 for the Horizon 2020 call for proposals. These
projects, which were submitted to the European Commission in October 2016, have a large nuclear safety component.

20

260

STRATEGY
ANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

participants in the NUGENIA Forumon Generation II and III reactors

Lastly, as regards radioactive waste management, the JOPRAD project, in which
IRSN is participating, is preparing to set
up a European joint R&D program on thedisposal of high level long-lived waste,using a similar model to the program onradiation protection. One of its aims is
to establish a governance model that integrates all the different stakeholders (waste
management operators, safety authorities
and experts, academic researchers, etc.).
A conference held in Prague in September
2016 provided an opportunity to review
the project’s progress and particularly thestrategic research agenda, governanceand joint programming of future researchactions.

Horizon 2020 call for proposals
In the context of the Euratom research
programs funded by the European Commission, the second call for proposals
for FP8 (Horizon 2020) closed in October
2016. Proposals were submitted for
72 projects covering safety, health, waste
and Generation IV reactors. IRSN is
involved in 22 projects. 10 projects werechosen.

MAJOR RESEARCH PROJECTS IN 2016
Many major milestones were reached in 2016, particularly by IRSN’s experimental platforms. In the field of
severe accidents, IRSN’s scientific strategy is to fill
the remaining gaps in knowledge so that effective solutions can be developed to prevent radioactive releases
or, failing that, to limit and control them in the eventof a severe accident. The European IVMR (In Vessel Melt
Retention) project run by IRSN with 23 partners is studying
the potential for the stabilization and in-vessel retentionof corium in water reactors. As part of this research,
in 2016 IRSN hosted an international conference attended by
the key global players in this field to share their knowledge
and discuss the problems associated with this corium management strategy.
As far as the aging of materials and facilities is concerned, the opening in 2016 of the ODE experimental platform marked a milestone in the setting up of the ODOBA
project to study the aging of the concrete used in the containments of nuclear facilities.
The PERSEE (experimental platform for research into
radioactive waste purification) test bench went into operation in 2016. It is designed to characterize the performanceof devices used to purify radioactive gaseous waste
at nuclear facilities in operational situations ranging fromnormal conditions to severe accident scenarios at nuclear
reactors. The initial research is looking at iodine-131 purification and is part of national (MIRE) and European (PASSAM)
research programs.
The achievement of criticality in late 2015 by the CABRI
reactor and the continuation in 2016 of qualification tests
are key steps towards the completion of upgrading work on
this experimental reactor, which will enable the international
CIP program for the study of reactivity accidents to be run.

The DENOPI project, set up to study thecooling capacity of spent fuel stored inpools and supported by the ANR future
investments program, received additional
funding because of the importance of theresearch theme and the complexity of its
experimental setup.
Regarding radiation protection, IRSN
has developed and upgraded several
experimental facilities used for its
research with, among others, the upgradeof the image guided micro-irradiation
system (SARRP), the development of the
MIRCOM ion microbeam facility and thecompletion of PARISII (an experimental
platform for research into the incorporation of radioactive substances throughingestion or inhalation).
In the geosciences and waste management field, IRSN is participatingin the European MODERN 2020 project
to develop strategies and technologies
for monitoring deep geological waste
repositories. For their experiments theseresearch projects are using the Tournemire
experimental facility and are contributing
to the development of the MELODIE tool,
which is used to model the behaviorof a geological disposal facility as awhole and to assess its performance. The
project illustrates the experimental flexibility, much appreciated by the research
partners, offered by the Tournemire facility and the complementary role it canplay compared to a less accessible deep
geological facility.

Finally, in the human and social
sciences research field, IRSN is continuing to research organizational andhuman factors by developing projects
with academic researchers. A highlight of2016 in this field was the Risk Conference
held in Nantes from 16 to 19 November, led
by the RESOH chair at the Ecole des Minesin Nantes, which is supported by IRSN.
The conference provided an opportunity
to give an update on the chair’s researchwork, to explain the difficulties and thevalue of research on industrial land, andto share the results of the research withother research teams.

21

STRATEGY
ANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

SUPPORT FOR THE PUBLIC AUTHORITIES:IMPROVING STRATEGIC COHERENCE
Preparation for HCERES assessment
As part of preparations for a researchassessment by the High Council for Evaluation of Research and Higher Education(HCERES) planned for late 2017, IRSN
asked HCERES to approve the external
assessment body it uses for its research
units. The assessment body will requireas many specialist evaluation committees
as there are thematic research groups(15 in total). The body is supervised by
IRSN’s Scientific Director and is supported by the Inspection Committee.

FOCUS

22

The supporting documents for the application for approval of the body were submitted to HCERES in September 2016.
In parallel, IRSN began a self-assessment
process to enable it to prepare the documentation for its evaluation, which will be
submitted to HCERES in June 2017.

IRSN’s core activity is providing expertise to the Frenchauthorities responsible for safety and security and,via government departments, to any public authorities in France that seek its assistance. It is also responsiblefor implementing public policy in the fields of health,the environment, emergency response management, andworker protection from ionizing radiation. For many years
IRSN has had to cope with increasing challenges in terms ofsafety, radiation protection and nuclear security in a context
of persistent difficulty obtaining the resources it needs tofulfill its role. Against a backdrop of public spending cuts,
an increase of 20 FTE posts is vitally important for IRSN.
IRSN has therefore implemented a strategy to improve
its efficiency. This strategy has prompted it to share withthe authorities its approach to prioritizing the subjects tobe addressed and adapting its resources to the safety, security and radiation protection issues involved in the cases
passed to it.

AUDIT OF THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN ASN AND IRSNIn June 2016 an audit of IRSN was carried out at ASN’s request on the terms
of application of the agreement between ASN and IRSN. The audit lookedat how the general terms of the agreement are implemented in the context
of expert assessments, and at practical examples of application in the fieldof pressurized reactor safety. It did this by examining “standard” tasks (analysis of equipment modification applications submitted by licensees, examination of feedback from the operation of nuclear power reactors, examination

STRATEGY
ANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

Strategic and operational coherence
In addition to periodic activity reviews,
ASN and IRSN have also introduceda task prioritization process and amulti-annual timetable for technicalinvestigations of major issues. Work is
being done with ASN to improve both
strategic and operational coherence.
As regards strategy, the developmentof a system for the prioritization ofaround 50 tasks (compared to themore than 500 deliverables that IRSN
produces each year as part of the
support it gives to ASN) has delivered a
88% achievement rate of these priorities(compared with 66% four years ago). Its
failures to meet the priorities in full are
limited to a few jointly agreed changes
in priority (between zero and two eachyear) because of contextual changes,
but they are mainly due to the delayed
submission of documentation andresponses by the industry, preventing
IRSN from moving forward with
its assessments.

of programs and works planned during unit outages for refueling) and more
complex tasks involving multiple areas of competence, such as the analysis
of safety reviews of 1300 MWe reactors. The audit conclusions did not find any
significant failings or weaknesses with respect to the agreement between IRSN
and ASN and indicated that the processes had reached a good level of maturity.
The findings were accompanied by recommendations and suggestions for IRSN
and ASN. The issues examined included ethics, improving communication at
all levels, and mutual understanding of the roles, organization and personnel
in each of the two entities.

ASN and IRSN have updated their joint vision of the main
issues for the oversight of civil nuclear, originally drawn
up in April 2014; the update was submitted to the Ministerof the Environment in June 2016. The aim of the update
was partly to review the resource requirements of bothbodies and to submit a joint request for funding as part of thebudget cycle. The application for funding from the 2017budget was successful.
This strategic coherence also has an impact in operational
areas. For example, investigations carried out following thediscovery of anomalies in the EPR reactor vessel at Flamanville 3 identified a need for rapid safety reviews of certain
reactors in operation which had components that deviated significantly from their specifications (e.g. significantly
higher carbon content in steam generator bottom heads).
This caused priorities set out in the ASN/IRSN memorandumof understanding to be adjusted so that IRSN could mobilize
teams to work on this. The work led to the issue of a numberof reports in 2016 (in the summer in the case of steam generator bottom heads made by Creusot Forge and in November
for those made by JCFC), enabling ASN to give a quick decision. ASN and IRSN decided to introduce a joint communication system so that decisions taken by ASN and the resultsof safety assessments by IRSN used as the basis for thosedecisions can be announced simultaneously.

88 %achievement of IRSN’s priorities
in the context of its support to ASNThis desire for strategic and operational coherence also applies to otherbeneficiaries of IRSN’s support.
In 2016 the Directorate-General for
Civil Protection and Emergency Response (DGSCGC) and IRSN renewed
their framework agreement on theprovision of technical support withthe desire on the part of both organizations to leverage new synergies in orderto make their action more effective within
the national response system in the eventof a nuclear or radiological emergency.
In the health field, a substantial amount ofwork was done in 2016 with the Directorate-General for Health (DGS), culminating in the renewal in December
2016 of the five-year agreement between
them. This agreement is supplementary
to the Ministry of Health’s supervisionof IRSN. The agreement provides for theestablishment of an annual memorandumof understanding identifying the issues
and priorities to be assessed for the DGS
each year. The agreement also sets out
the terms of IRSN’s involvement in thehealth agency coordination bodies,particularly the Health Agency Networking Committee (CASA) and the weekly
health security meeting that enables rapid
operational responses to be implemented
where necessary.

23

STRATEGY
ANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

2016 was also a significant year from the point of view oflegislation and governance, following the publication of theact on health system modernization on January 26, 2016.
One of the orders implementing this act confirmed CASA’srole and another, expected by IRSN, should provide certainty over the conditions on which IRSN may be required
to perform medical assessments (such as the one carried out
in Epinal in a case of over-irradiation). As regards governance, IRSN also contributed to the drafting of the DGS’s
strategic plan and took part in the audit of IGAS commissioned by the DGS, under the supervision of agencies andlicensees.

24

The transposition of Directive 2013/59/Euratom ofDecember 5, 2013 laying down basic safety standards forprotection against the dangers arising from exposure to ionizing radiation was one of the main strategic topics dealt withby IRSN as part of its technical support for the Directorate-General for Labor. IRSN worked hard on converting the requirements laid down by the Directive into
regulations, particularly in the context of preparation of thedraft decree amending the Labor Code. The draft decree was
examined by the government’s Working Conditions Policy
Committee.

STRATEGY
ANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

In relation to the Directorate-Generalfor Risk Prevention, IRSN’s activities
have involved both strategic and operational matters. On the operationalside, for example, IRSN provided support to the Directorate-General on thepolitically sensitive issue of assessing thehealth and environmental consequencesof disposal on the Mange-Garri site ofbauxite residues from aluminum production by the Altéo factory in Gardanne. This
assessment relied not only on models andcalculations but also on measurements
taken by IRSN. The results were presented to the site monitoring committee
in September 2016.

A proven national emergency
response organization
IRSN took part in several emergency
response exercises in 2016, one on a particularly large scale involving government
ministries. For IRSN these exercises wereto test the appropriateness of its organizational position in the national response
plan for nuclear and radiological emergencies—as a member of the Interministerial Emergency Response Group (CIC),
nationally as provider of expertise to all
public authorities (using expertise supplied by its emergency response center),and locally (departmental and local prefectures). IRSN’s role is part of a systemof complementary activities performed bydifferent emergency response entities in a
major nuclear or radiological emergency,
as defined by the decree of March 10, 2016
(No 2016-283).

FOCUS

BILATERAL COOPERATIONS
The collaboration with the Japanese nuclear regulatory authorities (NRA), oneof many bilateral cooperations led by IRSN, was renewed in 2016. In March
2016 the NRA’s technical director toured IRSN’s research facilities and in
September Japanese experts visited Cadarache for a week of work on waste
management, with the launch of two research projects on this theme. Finally,
joint conferences were organized in Tokyo in November on fire protection andsevere accidents.

INTERNATIONAL: TSO SYSTEM DEPLOYMENTInternationally IRSN works to promote and affirm theimportance of expertise and knowledge for safety and radiation protection. This conviction guides its action in relation
to European and international authorities and its bilateral
cooperations.
Strengthening of ETSONIn Europe, IRSN is an active member of ETSON, theEuropean technical safety organizations (TSO) network.
ETSON continues to grow and in 2016 welcomed two newmembers: ENEA (Italy) and the Romanian TSO, RATEN ICN.
ETSON also began a reflection process with the objectiveof consolidating its strategy. The aim is to develop ETSON’s
activities and recognition and to increase its involvementwith the European Union and groups of authorities. In particular, ETSON signed a collaboration agreement in 2016
with FORO, the Spanish-speaking regulators’ group (Spainand Latin America). This agreement allows for the exchange
of information on each body’s activities, particularly in thefield of training.

A new research cooperation agreement was signed with the United ArabEmirates in December 2016. Following an initial commitment in 2014 on
the exchange of information on safety, this new agreement marks a step
forward in cooperation with the UAE safety authority and will enable joint
research projects to be run. One early initiative is the development of a joint
environmental study taking account of specific regional differences.

ETSON also worked to formalize its current cooperation with the IAEA, with aview to signing a collaboration agreementin 2017. This rapprochement will increase
the involvement of ETSON’s experts in the
IAEA’s work, both on the preparation of
documents and on specific missions.

The Forum also focused in 2017 on
countries starting to go down the nuclear
route. In particular it recommended development of the scientific and technicalcapability of these countries for safety inspections. The Forum also set up a working
group on sharing information and bestpractices in R&D.

Finalization by IAEA of a reference
document on the function of TSOs

The European and Central Asian
Safety Network (EuCAS) was set up in2016 under the auspices of the IAEA
with IRSN’s active involvement. Its
members are the TSOs and safety authorities of eleven European countries andfour Central Asian countries, and it aims
to develop cooperation between them onsafety and radiation protection. The firstworking meeting was organized in 2016at the IAEA, attended by IRSN, ETSON,HERCA (Heads of the European Radiological Protection Competent Authorities) andthe European Commission.

Within the IAEA, the TSO Forum plays a
key role in ensuring the place of scienceand technology in improving nuclear
safety is recognized.
As part of this, experts from IRSN contributed to a document finalized in 2016
explaining what TSOs are and what
they do within national inspection
and control systems. The work, which
involved a number of different bodies andcountries, particularly the NRC in the US,
GRS (IRSN’s German counterpart), Russia
and Canada, will be published in 2017.

25

STRATEGY
ANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

INTERNATIONAL SERVICES

26

IRSN was extremely busy in 2016 with the provisionof services for Riskaudit as part of INSC contracts.
The beneficiaries of these services were safety authorities in the following countries: Belarus (licensingof two nuclear power reactors); Armenia (assessmentof measures taken to limit the consequences of a severe
accident); Philippines, Vietnam and Egypt (trainingof personnel in safety assessment and radiation protection); and Brazil (development of safety studies). IRSN
also conducted a series of tests on the Viktoria Loop, incomplete transparency with the Chinese safety authority (NNSA), in order to qualify equipment suppliedby Bertin for the reactors of Chinese designer CNPE.
IRSN also completed its contribution to a contract
led by ASN, signed in 2014, to provide assistanceto the Chinese safety authority (NNSA) and its technical support body (NSC) in four areas: the hypotheses
used in accident studies, severe accidents, assessmentof external floods, and management of operational
experience.
In 2016, IRSN was also involved, under Riskaudit’s
guidance, in the preparation of contracts with thesafety authorities of China (effluents, waste disposal,etc.), Mongolia, and Armenia (ability of the Metsamor
power plant to continue operating safely). These proposals were supported by the European Commission.
The experience gained from these missions enhances
IRSN’s expertise and know-how.

OPENNESS TO SOCIETY:
ENRICHING IRSN’SCONTRIBUTION TO
TRANSPARENCY AND PUBLICPARTICIPATION
Building a more local presence andusing innovation to ensure stakeholder involvement in discussions and explorations in its core areas of expertise havebeen IRSN’s driving principles as regards
openness to society. Moreover, these principles accord with the granting of new
prerogatives to the local information commissions (CLIs) by the energy transition act
of August 17, 2015, an initiative in its firstyear.
To build a more local presence, IRSN has
worked with various different local initiatives aimed at awakening interest in radon
concentrations in buildings (including
homes), measuring those concentrations
and sharing information and solutions forcontrolling them. Two projects are worthy ofmention: a campaign in Haute-Vienne pro-

STRATEGY
ANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

viding support to local residents, including
remediation, and a Franco-Swiss cross-border project co-financed by the European
Commission’s “Interreg” programs to develop a platform for pooling data and tools to
support decision-making. IRSN believes
that, with radon, the issue is raising awareness among residents and building industry
professionals of the importance of carryingout radon measurements and then taking
proportionate action in view of the concentrations measured.
In an initiative combining both principles
local action and innovation to achieve
stake holder involvement in safety mattersthe discussion days held by IRSN on
3 and 4 October 2016, in conjunction
with Anccli, the local information commission for the major energy facilities
at Tricastin (Cligeet) and ASN, looked at
the topic “Extending the service life of
900 MWe reactors beyond 40 years:
what are the safety issues and who
decides?”. The discussions days were targeted at members of CLIs and associations,and they aimed to disseminate a better

understanding of the safety issues and to discuss the involvement of CLIs in the four reviews of these reactors andhow civil society’s involvement might contribute to safety.
There were 145 participants at both days, which were heldin Valence, close to the first site to be affected by the service
life extension (Tricastin). The initiative also complies with theenergy transition act, which demands public involvement (inthe form of a public inquiry) in all ten-yearly outages once areactor has been in service for 35 years.

FOCUS

One other area of innovation concerns the reviewof the safety options report for the Cigeo (deep geological waste disposal facility) project, submitted by Andra in2016. IRSN is supporting ASN by assessing this report aheadof the examination of the construction license application.
IRSN took the initiative of including a civil society consultation stage at the start of its technical review. A discussion
group was set up for this purpose, with around fifteen members from the Bure CLIS, Anccli and the citizens’ panel set
up for the public debate, as well as non-institutional experts.
The aim of this consultation, at a key stage of the assessment process, was to find out people’s concerns and any
issues that seemed particularly important to the participants,
so that IRSN could take account of them in its review.

Finally, IRSN made an effort to ensure theconditions were in place for a technicaldialog with stakeholders as part of thetechnical examination of the test program
planned by Areva following the discoveryof an anomaly affecting the compositionof the steel in some parts of the vessel
head and the vessel lower head destined for the EPR at Flamanville. Three
meetings attended by Anccli, the Flamanville CLI, IRSN and ASN reviewed thedescription of the anomaly, the justification file submitted by Areva, the analysis
by IRSN and ASN, and the changes madeto the test program as a result of the initial
results.

145

participants in the discussion days
for local information commission
members on extending the service
life of 900 MWe reactors beyond
40 years.

27

WORKSHOPS IN SCHOOLSIRSN took part in the 9th International Radiation Protection Workshops in
Schools, held in Bastia (Corsica) in late March. Pupils from 13 French and foreignschools, including pupils living on contaminated land in Belarus, Ukraine andJapan, attended the event. It provided these pupils with an opportunity topresent the work they had done during the year at workshops organized bytheir teachers, with the support of radiation protection experts.

The event looked at a variety of topics such as nuclear medicine, waste
management, radiation protection in gamma radiography, radiation protectionof flight crew members, and the management of post-accident situations.
It is part of an outreach program to disseminate a radiation protection culture
to young people using a practical, multi-disciplinary approach encouraging
discussion between pupils, teachers and scientists.
STRATEGY
ANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

Openness to society is also an area thatis enriched by finding out the practices used and discussions held in othercountries. In the international sphere,
IRSN ran the European PREPARE
WP3 program on taking account of
the requirements of stakeholders for the
management during post-accident
situations of goods contaminated in
accidents.

28

PREPARE WP3 was launched in early 2013
and was completed at the start of 2016.
The results were presented at the final
conference held in Bratislava fromJanuary 20 to 22, 2016. The purposeof PREPARE WP3 was to contribute to thedevelopment of strategies for managing
foodstuffs and feedstuffs contaminatedin a nuclear accident or radiologicalevent. It was unusual in relying on panelsofstakeholders
formedbythe
11 participating European countries:
producers, distributors, consumers,
experts, associations, authorities,
industrial companies, academics, etc.
One strength of the study was that it
could use the first-hand experience ofJapanese entities involved in managing
the Fukushima accident. The reflection
process begun during PREPARE WP3 willcontinue in a European working group
set up within the European NERIS platform dedicated to managing nuclear andradiological accident and post-accident
situations.

STRATEGY
ANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

It emerged from the PREPARE study that it is necessary
to involve stakeholders in discussions about the managementof contaminated products but also to respect their values :the aim is not to make the accident seem acceptable(the public are victims of it), but to foster mutual trust andunderstanding between the stakeholders as early as possible, using networks already in existence. Post-accident
situations are complex, with a variety of interests at play.
Therefore new methods of governance are needed that takeaccount not only of health considerations, but also of ethicaland economic considerations.
New signatories to the inter-institutecharter on openness to society
Following on from the first inter-institute charter on
openness to society signed in 2008, seven public establishments have now affirmed or reaffirmed their commitment
to dialog with civil society representatives as part oftheir assessment and research activities.
Anses, the BRGM, Ifsttar, Ineris, Irstea and Santé
Publique France joined IRSN in making a commitment,by signing this charter at the end of 2016, to pursue a policyof openness and to develop transparency in their research,assessment and/or risk appraisal processes, to improve thesharing of scientific knowledge and the related uncertainties,
and to take better account of the contribution society canmake to research and risk assessment processes.

KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT
Because knowledge is of vital importance in the fieldof nuclear and radiological risk assessment, knowledge
management is vital to give IRSN an overview of the
key knowledge it needs to hold at present and in future
for the fulfillment of its missions and to show the significanceof knowledge for IRSN’s core functions (research createsknowledge, expertise uses knowledge, competence built
on knowledge, openness and participation in the sharingof knowledge). In 2016 a dedicated intranet portal was
launched for knowledge management purposes.
The aim of this portal is to create a “one-stop shop” for
IRSN’s knowledge and to explain the role, methods, operation and deliverables of knowledge management. It provides access to every public reference document and to the
document databases linked to IRSN’s knowledge production.

A directory of experts gives accessto information about their specific fields
and areas of expertise and their contributions to knowledge production. A special
tool has been developed to make it easierto search for knowledge in a primarydatabase containing more than 40 years’
worth of safety research and assessments.
The current version of the portal has been
designed so that it can evolve as the database is enriched in the areas covered by
IRSN.
29

STRATEGY
ANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

CAPITALIZATION AND SHARINGANALYSIS

Seven books containing knowledge gathered frominterviews conducted as part of a drive to capitalize on
the knowledge of “critical knowledge-holders” can beaccessed through the portal. Five of them concern pressurizedwater reactors (PWRs): behavior of metal components;
civil engineering safety assessment; instrumentation andcontrol; incidents and accidents linked to the storage andhandling of spent fuel; and elements of nuclear safety forsevere accidents. Two others concern the safety aspects offast reactors and radionuclide transfers in the atmosphere.
Collaborative areas for sharing and updating the knowledge
are gradually being introduced.
The writing of reference publications has continued.
The publication on pressurized water reactor research in the
Science and Technology Series will be released shortly.

Strategic knowledge analysis (in thefields of emergency response management and the environment) has continued,
leading to the production of knowledge
management action plans. New analyses are being started and are at thestage of objective-setting (updated PWR
safety) or action plan definition (Waste Geosphere). Work has continued in linewith the commitment made in the performance target agreement to complete thestrategic analyses for all fields by the endof 2018.

30

STRATEGY
ANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

IRSN has continued to implement anorganizational structure specifically forknowledge management deployment,
appointing the knowledge management
coordinator (CMC) within each department or division.

TRANSPARENCY
AND INFORMATION
In accordance with the requirements set out in the energy
transition act for green growth concerning transparency
and public participation and information, IRSN is stepping
up its communication effort both by providing educational
materials and by diversifying the methods it uses to convey
information to a broad sector of the public.
More extensive publication of assessment reports
Begun in 2009, the publication of IRSN’s reports for
ASN has now been extended to include all assessment
reports (except where this is prevented by national security
considerations), and is now bimonthly. These reports present
IRSN’s position upon completing its scientific and technicalexamination of risk assessment and risk management,
and any recommendations. IRSN is thus continuing to
improve its transparency.

A DIVERSIFIED PRESENCE
Keeping the general public informed
about matters related to radioactivity
and the results of its work has been one
of IRSN’s longstanding activities, as part ofits policy of transparency and education, through the media and a variety
of different initiatives: the internet,
through its own website and sites dedicated to specific topics, an active presence
on social networks (Facebook, Twitter
accounts, Linkedin, etc.), paper publications and their digital versions (Repères
magazine and the scientific journal Aktis),press relations and the use of online
media, exhibitions and public dialog initiatives.
The initiatives undertaken in 2016 include
participation in the Science Fair,
with regional representation of IRSN
at workshops for schools and the general public in Vieille Charité (Marseille);
participation in the Science Village
at Yves Montand College (Vinon-sur-Verdon); and an exhibition and workshops
at the Institut de Formation de Manipulateurs d’Electroradiologie Médicale
at Poissy-Saint-Germain-en-Laye.

Similarly, the IRSN/ASN exhibition“Radioactivity: hundreds of questions,
one exhibition” was shown at morethan 35 venues, including Civet in May,
and Nîmes and Grainville-la-Teinturière
in March. It was also made available
to the CLIs at Penly/Paluel, Chooz,
Chinon and Dampierre for their public
meetings. The exhibition was also shownat the Mayors’ Forum (Salon desmaires), at the tenth gathering ofradiation protection specialists organized by the French Radiation Protection Society (SFRP) and at themeeting of the centers for scientific,
technical and industrial culture. Finally,a partnership was set up with PoissySaint-Germain hospital to use the exhibition as part of an initiative to develop
information provision in the medical field.

31

STRATEGY
ANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

NEW FORMATS
FOR BETTER INFORMATION

32

MAIN FINDINGS OF THE BAROMETER 2016

Public exposure to ionizing radiation:
an online calculator

Every year, IRSN gathers the opinions of the French public
on issues related to social and environmental concerns,
scientific expertise, and situations involving risk, including
civil use of nuclear. From a survey carried out in late 2015,
the Barometer 2016 revealed four major trends, apart fromterrorist attacks, that have left a deep scar in the minds ofthe French public. Among environmental topics, there has
been a significant increase in concern about issues related
to climate change. The fact that the United Nations Climate
Change Conference (COP21) coincided with the survey
may explain this increase. The second trend is an increasein public trust in France in science and in experts working
in the nuclear sector. Support was also expressed for the
publication of assessment results so that they could be usedas the basis for forming opinions. Thirdly, it emerged that
the French public has a preference for renewable energies:
solar and wind are replacing nuclear economically and havegrown compared with 2013. Finally, although 46% of respondents believe that “every precaution is taken to ensure
a very high level of safety at French nuclear power plants”,
severe accidents such as those at Chernobyl and Fukushimaremain the most strongest argument against nuclear energy.

As part of its national radiological monitoring role, in 2016 IRSN published updated figures for the average exposureof the French population to ionizing
radiation. Because everyone is exposedin different ways to different sources ofionizing radiation, whether of natural origin or in the context of medical care, in2016 IRSN put a calculator on its website enabling members of the public
to estimate their personal dose byreconstructing their habits.

In 2016 IRSN also published the entire history of Barometerdata on its website.
http://barometre.irsn.fr/

STRATEGY
ANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

Three minute thesis
Since 2015, the Three Minute Thesis
competition organized by IRSN has
enabled doctoral student volunteers toattempt to sum up three years’ work on their
thesis in just three minutes, to present
their work in an accessible but informative way to an audience of lay people.
Covering various subject areas (health,
nuclear safety, seismology, etc.) the Three
Minute Thesis videos are now available
on IRSN’s website.

35
venues for IRSN/ASN exhibition“Radioactivity hundreds of questions”

Enhancing nuclear safety

PANORAMA 2016

PANORAMARAPPORT ANNUEL IRSN 2016

PANORAMAF E B R UA RY 1 1 , 2 0 1 6

RADIATION PROTECTIONIRSN presented to the Advisory Committee RADE
its findings on the use of dose constraints as apublic protection measure.

J A N UA RY 2 0 1 6

HEALTHCAREIRSN chairs the Scientific Council of theFrench Veterans’ Health Observatory (OSV).

J A N UA RY 1 4 , 2 0 1 6

RESEARCH
Kickoff meeting of the Cathymara project,
concerning in particular, improved measurement of iodine-131 in children, in the eventof large-scale radiological accidents, and bringing
together 41 researchers.

J A N UA RY 2 5 & 2 9 , 2 0 1 6

F E B R UA RY 5 , 2 0 1 6

RESEARCH
FACILITY
The MIRCOM experimental facility was officially opened
at Cadarache. It is composed of a microbeam line providing micrometric accuracy. It will contribute to radiobiological research, especially work aimed at learning more about radiation therapy complications,carried out under the ROSIRIS research program. It will
also be used in research into low-dose ionizing radiation.

F E B R UA RY 1 1 , 2 0 1 6

NUCLEAR
ACCIDENTS
Thirty years on from Chernobyl andfive years after Fukushima, IRSN gavea press conference to go over thehealth impact of these accidents.

TRAINING
IRSN gave a radiation protection course in
China, under a European contract.
J A N UA RY 2 8 & F E B R UA RY 1 0 , 2 0 1 6

HARDENED SAFETY CORE
IRSN submitted its report to the Advisory Committee for Reactors on the extreme external hazards tobe considered for the « hardened safety core » of EDF
PWRs under construction or in operation.
safety - security
radiation protection
events - others

PANORAMAANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

MARCH 15, 2016

TRANSPARENCY

MARCH 11, 2016

OPENNESSTO SOCIETY
IRSN attends a public meeting in Chinon on the
topic « Radioactivity, hundreds of questions »,organized by the Chinon CLI.

IRSN’s reports to ASN are now published ona bimonthly basis and have been extended toinclude all reports that do not concern national
defense. These reports are available on IRSN’s website. They reflect IRSN’s desire for greater transparency concerning its risk assessment and management activities.

MARCH 30-31, 2016

EPR FLAMANVILLE 3
IRSN presented the Advisory Committee for
Reactors with its report on fuel storage andhandling safety for the Flamanville 3 EPR.

MARCH 10, 2016

GOUVERNANCEAPRIL 4-7, 2016

A new decree was published for IRSN
(decree No. 2016-283 of March 10,2016). Along similar lines to the« TECV Act » (energy transition forgreen growth, of August 17, 2015),
the decree strengthens IRSN’s
governance and reaffirms its scientific and technical responsibilities
within the French regulation system
for the civil nuclear sector.

STANDARDIZATIONIRSN chaired the 27th annual meeting of the
ISO TC85/SC2 Radiological Protection subcommittee in New Delhi, India.

MARCH 12, 2016

FUKUSHIMA« Kotoba », a web documentary on the initiative for dialogue taken in the Fukushima prefecture between the population and Japaneseand international experts went on line.

APRIL 22, 2016

IRSN
Jean-Christophe Niel was appointed Director
General of IRSN.

M AY 2 0 1 6

CRITICALITYIRSN participated in an international interlaboratorycomparison exercise on criticality accident dosimetry, inclose collaboration with its American partners in this field.
In this context, IRSN is collaborating in the PRINCESS project and took part in the annual technical review of America’s Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP).

JUNE 1-3, 2016

INTERNATIONAL NEWSIRSN attended the Ricomet 2016 conference
which was held in Bucharest, Romania, from June
1 to 3. The conference was on risk perception,communication and ethics related to exposure to ionizing radiation.

M AY 9 - 1 3 , 2 0 1 6

RADIATIONPROTECTIONIRSN took part in the International Radiation Protection Association (IRPA) congress in Cape Town, South
Africa.

M AY 1 0 , 2 0 1 6
JUNE 6-7, 2016

NONPROLIFERATION
The web portal for electronic declarations, designed tomake it easier for the companies concerned to enter and send declarations of their business activity
relating to a nuclear program, was put on line.

M AY 3 1 , 2 0 1 6

REGIONAL ACTIONIRSN took part in the Mayors’ Forum (Salondes maires), where it shared a stand with ASN.

M AY 2 0 1 6

RADIOACTIVE
WASTE
A new version of the radioactive waste management website was put on line.

CORIUM
The international scientific seminar organizedby IRSN on the topic « In-vessel corium retention strategy: current state of knowledge andprospects », brought together the world’s major
stakeholders in the field to share knowledge
and discuss the issues of corium management
strategy. This topic is an essential part of severe accident research and is the subject of theEuropean project «In-Vessel Melt Retention»(IVMR), a project led by IRSN and bringing together 23 partners.

PANORAMAANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

JUNE 7-9, 2016

EUROPEANRESEARCH
IRSN organized the second periodic reviewof the 64 partners of Europe’s OPERRA project in Kuopio, Finland.

JUNE 14, 2016

JUNE 21-24, 2016

IRSN SITESTRAINING

The IRSN Board of Directors confirmed thelatest decisions concerning the closure of
IRSN’s sites in La Seyne-sur-Mer and Agen.

IRSN gave Singapore authorities and radiation
protection managers a course in radiation protection, organized by ENSTTI.

JUNE 24, 2016

EPR VESSELJUNE 8, 2016

IRSN gave the Advisory Committee on Nuclear Pressure Equipment an update on work to demonstrate that the upper and lower head closure domes of the Flamanville 3 EPR proposed by Areva
are suitable for operational use; IRSN also reported on test progress.

AGING
IRSN presented the Advisory Committee on Pressurized-water Reactors with its report on the behavior of austenoferritic steels usedin the cast elbows in reactor coolant
systems, an essential factor in predicting aging.

J U N E 2 7 - J U LY 1 , 2 0 1 6

SAFETYJUNE 14, 2016

OPENNESSTO SOCIETY
IRSN took part in the symposium organized by
the Bure CLI on the health impact of nuclear facilities.

safety - security

JUNE 20, 2016

NUCLEAR
MATERIALS
In connection with its civil nuclear material accountancy responsibilities, IRSN published a revised version of the manualthat sets out nuclear material accountancy rules. The previous edition dates
back to 1995. This document reminds all
parties concerned of their responsibilities
and obligations in this area.

IRSN reported to the Advisory Committee forLaboratories and Plants on the safety review
of INB 55 (LECA).

J U N E 2 7 - J U LY 1 , 2 0 1 6

INTERNATIONAL NEWSIRSN jointly led the French delegation to the63rd session of UNSEAR, during which it presented a report on the effects of uranium.

radiation protection
events - others

PANORAMAANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

SEPTEMBER 7 & 8, 2016

J U N E 2 7 - J U LY 1 , 2 0 1 6

WASTE
RESEARCH

SEVERE ACCIDENTS
IRSN presented the Advisory Committee for Reactors
with its report on severe accident management at
operating nuclear reactors, in connection with the postFukushima hardened safety core, and the plan to extend
reactor lifetimes.

J U N E 3 0 & J U LY 1 , 2 0 1 6

EPR FLAMANVILLE 3
IRSN presented the Advisory Committee for Reactors with
its report on Flamanville 3 EPR accident studies.

AUGUST 26, 2016

EXPOSURE
TO IONIZINGRADIATION
A calculator was made available for distribution to the public for estimating individual
exposure to ionizing radiation.

SEPTEMBER 6, 2016
J U LY 1 , 2 0 1 6

INTERNATIONAL COOPERATIONIRSN took part in launching EuCAS, a new network forcooperation between Europe and central Asia in thefields of nuclear safety and radiation protection.

WORKERSIRSN published its 2015 report on Occupational Exposure to Ionizing Radiation in France.
In 2015, the number of workers monitored
rose by 1.7% compared with 2014, to reacha figure of 365,830.

The European project JOPRAD (for research into thedeep geological disposal of radioactive waste) organized a seminar in Prague, to report on the project’s
progress, including, in particular, the strategic research
agenda, governance, and joint programming of future
research initiatives.

SEPTEMBER 15, 2016

FACILITY
The AMANDE/MIRCOM facility obtained a
4 MeV proton microbeam with a diameterof less than 1 µm under vacuum. This facility will be used to explore radiation-induced
malfunctions not only at DNA level, but also inintra- and intercellular communication.

SEPTEMBER 19-23, 2016

LOW DOSESJ U LY 7 , 2 0 1 6

CHERNOBYLFALLOUTAt the request of Mercantour National Park’s
Health, Safety and Working Conditions Committee, IRSN presented an explanation ofresidual cesium-137 in the soil due to fallout
from the Chernobyl accident.

IRSN attended the first European Radiation
Protection Week in Oxford, UK, an eventthat brought together European R&D teams
involved in research on the effects of lowdose ionizing radiation, including:
MELODI (low-dose effects), EURADOS (dosimetry), NERIS (emergency preparedness andthe management of postaccident situations),
ALLIANCE (radioecology) and EURAMED(health protection).

O C TO B E R 2 , 2 0 1 6

IRSN reported to the Advisory Committee forLaboratories and Plants on the safety review
of INB 98 (the FBFC plant in Romans-surIsère).

SEPTEMBER 26, 2016

ENVIRONMENTIRSN presented the Altéo site monitoring
committee in Marseille with the results of
its assessment on the radiological impactof the red mud storage facility near Gardanne.

Résultats d’ensemble

Faire avancer la sûreté nucléaireRÉSULTATS D’ENSEMBLE

IRSN jointly organized the first workshopof the French seismological and geodetic
network devoted to the seismic hazard.

Baromètre IRSN
La perception des risqueset de la sécurité par les Français

O C TO B E R 3 & 4 , 2 0 1 6

4TH TEN-YEARLYOUTAGE
INSPECTIONS

Siège social
31, avenue de la Division-Leclerc
92260 Fontenay-aux-Roses
RCS Nanterre B 440 546 018
Téléphone+33 (0)1 58 35 88 88

BAROMÈTRE IRSNSEISMIC HAZARD

2016

SAFETY

Courrier
BP 1792262 Fontenay-aux-Roses Cedex
Site Internet
www.irsn.fr

As part of its initiative to involve stakeholders in discussions relating to major
assessments, IRSN organized a seminaron the theme « Extending the service
life of 900 MWe reactors beyond 40
years: safety issues and participation »with ANCCLI, the Local Information Commission on the Major Energy Facilities at
Tricastin (CLIGEET), and ASN.

2016

SEPTEMBER 26, 2016

O C TO B E R 1 1 , 2 0 1 6

RISK
PERCEPTION
Publication of the IRSN barometer
2016: risks and safety as perceived
by the French.

O C TO B E R 1 2 , 2 0 1 6

AGING
O C TO B E R 3 & 5 , 2 0 1 6

RESEARCHSEPTEMBER 27, 2016CABRIThe CABRI reactor operated at power for the
first time following renovation work.

The ROSIRIS research program underwent assessment by the Inspection
Committee, made up of independent
experts who assess all IRSN’s research
activities. ROSIRIS is aimed at learning
more about the mechanisms behind theside effects of radiation therapy.

Official opening of the ODE facility in
Cadarache, designed to study the aging of
concrete used in the construction of nuclear reactors and waste disposal facilities.
This new facility will be used in the experimental phase of the ODOBA project (Observatory of the durability of reinforced concrete
structures).

PANORAMAANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

N OV E M B E R 2 4 , 2 0 1 6

CARBONSEGREGATIONO C TO B E R 2 0 , 2 0 1 6

NUCLEAR SECURITY
Epées 9 nuclear security exercise, simulating a terrorist attack on a research reactor.

IRSN submitted to ASN its assessment of the risks of failure in EDF nuclear plant steam generators with abnormally high levels of carbon in the steel making up theirbottom head. This analysis was carried out further to thedetection of a similar anomaly in the bottom head of the Flamanville 3 EPR vessel.

DECEMBER 9, 2016

TRANSPORT
Publication of the report on the safety ofradioactive material transport in France in2014 and 2015.

N OV E M B E R 3 & 4 , 2 0 1 6

RADIATIONPROTECTIONIRSN took part in the 18th meeting of HERCA, theHeads of the European Radiological Protection
Competent Authorities, in Dublin.

N OV E M B E R 7 & 8 , 2 0 1 6

EUROSAFE
300 experts gathered in Munich for the
EUROSAFE Forum.

DECEMBER 9, 2016

ENVIRONMENT
Publication of the 2015 Report on
Radioactivity Monitoring in French
Polynesia.

DECEMBER 9, 2016

SAFETY
Publication of the public report on reactor
safety in 2015.

N OV E M B E R 2 4 , 2 0 1 6

RADIATION PROTECTION
OF PATIENTS
Publication of the report « Assessment and Optimization of Doses Delivered to Patients during
Medical Imaging for the years 2013 to 2015 ».

DECEMBER 9, 2016

RESEARCH
FACILITY
The PERSEE facility for the study ofradioactive gaseous waste purification
systems at nuclear facilities was officially opened in Saclay.

DECEMBER 14 & 15, 2016

EPR FLAMANVILLE 3
IRSN submitted its report to the Advisory Committee for Reactors on the design of the Flamanville
3 EPR systems for ensuring safety and protection
against the effects of internal and external hazards.

2016 AWARDSAWARDS FOR EXCELLENCEPRIZEWINNING POSTERS

THE EUGENE P. WIGNER AWARD

BEST POSTER AWARD

was granted to Luiz Leal by the American Nuclear Society (ANS)on November 7 for his extensive research on the measurement,
assessment and processing of nuclear data at the application level.

“Theoretical and Experimental Studies of S(α,β)
Thermal Scattering Kernel”, Vaibhav Jaiswal, at an ISIS
Neutron training course (April 12-21)

THE EXMELIN AWARD

BEST POSTER AWARD

was granted to Sarah Baghadi by Procoradon June 17, for her thesis work on the developmentof a method for detecting and rapidly analyzing
urine samples for actinides that may be releasedin the event of a nuclear accident (U, Pu, Am, Th, etc.),
and thus rapidly identify contaminated individuals.

“Particle entrainment due solely to electrostatic forces”,
Samuel Peillon and Mamadou Sow, at the 22nd European
Aerosol Conference (EAC-2016, September 4-9)

THE JEAN BRICARD AWARD
was given to Anthony Rondeau by ASFERA on September
7, for his thesis work on the study of air suspension
mechanisms, as applied to the accidental suspension of dustin the future tokamak ITER.

33

BEST POSTER AWARD“Modeling of the human genome with DnaFabric for the
calculation of radio-induced DNA damage” by Sylvain Meylan,
at the 13th International Conference on Radiation Shielding(ICRS-13, October 3-6)

PRIX DES POSTERS ÉLECTRONIQUES“Tomosynthèse mammaire: dose et contrôle de qualité interne”
by Julie Sage and Karen Fezzani, at the Journées francophones
de la radiologie (JFR 2016, October 14-17 )STRATEGY
ANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

ACTIVITIES
Through its research, methods, and interactions with all stakeholders,
IRSN provides completely independent assessments of nuclear andradiological risks and their consequences.

SAFETYSECURITY AND NONPROLIFERATIONRADIATION PROTECTION –HUMAN AND ENVIRONNEMENT HEALTH

EMERGENCY AND
POST-ACCIDENT SITUATIONS

35

36

59

64

77

SAFETY
As the public body responsible forassessing nuclear and radiologicalrisks, IRSN supports the government and public authorities intheir efforts to enhance the nuclear
safety of facilities.

36

For this purpose, it combines
a program of rigorous, operational
assessment work, adapted to safety
and radiation protection objectives - from the design to decommissioning of facilities and equipment - with a policy of excellencein research, in line with its commitments in the performance target
agreement with the French government for the 2014-2018 period.
To achieve these goals, IRSN reliesin particular on operating experience feedback from past events,and on the results of research andstudies in areas such as aging,severe accidents, earthquakes or
fuel behavior. This work concerns
all civil and defense-related nuclear
facilities, as well as the transport ofradioactive materials and, in mostcases, is carried out as part of European and international collaborations.

STRATÉGIERAPPORT ANNUEL 2016

KEY FIGURES

6

12technical reviews
performed to support
ASN Advisory
Committee meetings
regarding safety

531

technical notices and reports
submitted to ASN (excluding
defense-related activities)

77

IRSN reports to support
the meetings of the safety
technical commissions of theRepresentative in charge of
Nuclear Safety and Radiation
Protection for Defense-related
Activities and Facilities (DSND).

technical notices
submitted to the DSND

2016 PUBLICATIONSIRSN’s Position on Safety and Radiation Protection at Nuclear Power Plants in France in 2015
Safety of the Transport of Radioactive Materials for Civilian Use in France in 2014 and 2015
Addressing Cultural Aspects of Organizations in Industries at Risk
Very Low-Level Radioactive Waste: Should Policy be Changed?
Considerations on the Performance and Reliability of Passive Safety Systems for Nuclear Reactors

SAFETY OF CIVIL NUCLEAR FACILITIESAt the request of the Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN), IRSN carries out examinations of nuclear facilities with the aim of constantly
improving their safety. In 2016, this work focused particularly on examining the measures taken by licensees following thepost-Fukushima stress tests, assessing the safety risk induced by defects observed in parts making up the EPR and some steam
generators at EDF nuclear power plants, and preparing the fourth ten-yearly outage inspections of 900 MWe reactors.

FOURTH TEN-YEARLY OUTAGEINSPECTION OF 900 MWE
REACTORSAs part of its assessment of the conditions under which it would be acceptable to extend the lifetime of 900 MWe
reactors, IRSN examined in 2015 theguidelines proposed by EDF, basedon the objectives set by ASN during thefourth ten-yearly outage inspectionsof the reactors concerned. This examination showed that the guidelines
proposed by EDF were generally inline with the objectives set, particularly
in terms of the facilities’ continued compliance and safety improvements.
The effects of aging must be controlled
to ensure continued compliance. Thisparticularly concerns parts that cannot
be replaced, such as the reactor vesselor the containment, or parts that are difficult to replace, such as some buried
piping or electrical cables. Close attention
is also paid to the extensive renovationof some systems, such as instrumentationand control.

Safety improvements, where the chief
concerns are greater consideration of
hazards and more effective managementof severe accidents by meeting the objectives set for the EPR, will be examined in
2019. IRSN will give its opinion on thegeneric phase of the safety review
once all these examinations havebeen completed.
Meanwhile, IRSN will examine thechanges that EDF has submitted to ASN
for approval, in accordance with the
new regulations introduced by the Act
on energy transition for green growth.
It will also contribute to the public
inquiry required for extending theoperating life of reactors beyond
35 years.

INTERNATIONAL: IRSN HELPS CHINA
TO ASSESS THE FLOODING HAZARD
In February 2014, IRSN undertook an assignment to provide the Chinese Nuclear Safety Authority, NNSA, andits technical safety organization, NSC, with assistance inthe field of nuclear reactor assessment, focusing particularlyon the external flooding hazard and its consequences. This
assistance, which was set out in an ASN-led contract signed with
the European Commission under the European Commission’sInstrument for Nuclear Safety Cooperation, was completedin October 2016.

37

Heading a group of European flooding experts, IRSN introduced its Chinese contacts to its assessment methods, thelessons learned from the partial flooding at the Le Blayais plantin 1999, and the various approaches that could be adapted
for their purposes. It also proposed a detailed draft safety review
guide for the Chinese to study and eventually use for carryingout their own assessments.
In addition to flooding, the work carried out by IRSN
covered severe accidents, studies of accidents using bestestimate methods, and analysis of operating experience
feedback.

ACTIVITIES — SAFETY
ANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

ANALYSIS OF THE TOP AND BOTTOM VESSELHEADS OF THE FLAMANVILLE 3 EPR
As well as examining the documentation submitted by EDF
to ASN to support its operating license application in March
2015, IRSN is checking that the facility meets the requirements set out in the safety analysis report. In particular, it is examining manufacturing defects detected inequipment, as well as qualification test programs carried out
on this equipment under accident conditions and onsite tests,
and their results.
At the end of 2014, it was discovered that the carbon concentration of the domes making up the top and bottom vessel
heads of the Flamanville EPR was higher than expected
and that this could affect their toughness. Areva responded by proposing a test program to determine the exact
mechanical characteristics of these domes. Taking into
account IRSN’s and ASN’s conclusions in their reviewof this program in 2015, and based on the initial test
results obtained, Areva extended its test program by
performing tests on a third dome, with more significant
segregations and improved characterization of the material
through its thickness. It also completed the dossier on therisk of sudden failure.
In 2016, IRSN continued to analyze accident scenarios(using the SOFIA simulator in particular) leading to thermal
shocks in order to assess the risk of sudden failure in the partsof vessel top and bottom heads presenting a higher concentration of carbon than initially expected.
At the same time, IRSN, ANCCLI, ASN and the Flamanville CLI set up informative meetings with stakeholders
to share technical information on these issues.

ACTIVITIES — SAFETY
ANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

ANOMALIES AFFECTING STEAM GENERATORSIN EDF’S FLEETFollowing the anomaly detected on the top and bottom vessel head of the EPR reactor vessel in Flamanville (in northwest France), EDF discovered that certain steam generator
channel heads contained excess carbon, thus reducing
the mechanical strength of the constituent steel. ASN
requested IRSN to study the information that EDF had
submitted to justify continued operation of each pieceof equipment concerned.
Following an initial assessment, ASN decided that reactors
equipped with Creusot Forge steam generators could
be restarted in the summer 2016. Then on November 30,
IRSN gave its opinion of the steam generators manufactured by Japan Casting and Forging Corporation (JCFC) usedin ten 900 MWe plants, and presenting the same type ofchemical anomaly with higher carbon concentrations.

FOCUS

The analytical approach adopted by IRSN to treat theanomaly was aimed at obtaining a reasonable level of assurance that the anomaly did not affect the assessment of therisk of sudden failure of the steam generators concerned.
IRSN called on BEL-V, its Belgian counterpart, to confirm
its assessment of the mechanical properties of the steelswith high carbon concentrations. ASN and IRSN also went
to Japan to visit the manufacturer JCFC and understandmore clearly what caused the excess carbon.

Subject to implementation of its recommendations and the results of inspections required by ASN, the assessment conducted by IRSN led it toconclude that there was no risk of
sudden failure of the JCFC steam
generators used with the 900 MWe
reactors concerned, except for Bugey
4, Fessenheim 1 and Tricastin 4, for which
EDF had yet to determine its method
for analyzing the sudden failure risk.
IRSN then examined certain items in the
EDF documentation on the JCFC steam
generators installed on the two reactors
at the Civaux plant. In early 2017, it issueda favorable opinion together with thesame recommendations as those madefor the JCFC steam generators on the
900 MWe reactors.
39

THE SOFIA SIMULATOR: IMPROVING CONFIGURATIONSSOFIA is a simulator developed by IRSN, in partnership with Areva, to simulate the operation of all typesof reactors (900 MWe, 1300 MWe, N4 and the Flamanville EPR) under normal conditions and in theevent of an accident. It undergoes constant improvements to ensure that it has state-of-the-art physicalmodels and configurations that are consistent with actual conditions at nuclear power plants.
In 2016, SOFIA was given a more physical model of reactor vessel domes and a new version of the
CATHARE 2 computer code for all reactor types. Work on updating the simulator to integrate the latest
changes relating to ten-yearly outage inspections also began; they are scheduled for completion by theend of the third quarter of 2017.
ACTIVITIES — SAFETY
ANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

REACTOR STRESS TESTSIn 2016, IRSN continued to examine EDF’s responses to thetechnical requirements issued by ASN, following the stresstests performed after the Fukushima accident.
This included presenting to the Advisory Group for Reactors its analysis of natural hazards considered by EDF
to provide its nuclear plants with levels of protection against external natural hazards - such as earthquakes,
flooding and extreme climatic events - that are significantly
higher than those considered in the design basis.

40

IRSN found that the approach adopted and the
proposals made by EDF regarding flooding weresatisfactory. Further work is required on climatic hazards regarding, for example, the ability of facilities and organizational measures to withstand and respond to more severe ambient temperatures than thoseconsidered in the design basis. Regarding the seismic
hazard applicable to the hardened safety core, IRSN found
EDF’s proposals satisfactory at half its sites. The seismic
stresses proposed for the other half appeared inadequate in some cases, or called for better characterizationof historic earthquakes, soils or surrounding faults.

IRSN presented the results of its assessment of the new severe accident measures proposed by EDF to meet the safety
objectives defined for extreme situations,calling for the implementation of the “hardened safety core”, and with a view to extending reactor lifetimes. These measures
include corium stabilization in the event ofvessel failure and an additional system forremoving residual heat outside the containment. IRSN found these measures acceptable in principle but specified a numberof points to be considered concerning
the detailed design of the measures, the operating strategy (with appropriate instrumentation) and the performance of the related
safety studies.

It also completed the examination of all
the technical assumptions concerning
the safety improvements required by ASN,
and analyzed several important measuresthat now need to be implemented by EDF,
including the new generators. In addition,
it assessed the strategies proposed for potential accident situations arising from the total
loss of heat sink or electrical power following
an extreme hazard. The assessment will
be presented to the Advisory Group for
Reactors at the beginning of 2017.

Timetable for the deployment of post-Fukushima measures in line with the ten-yearly outages, as announced by EDF.

2012

ACTIVITIES — SAFETY
ANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

2015

2019

2025

2028

2033

EXPERIMENTAL REACTORSIRSN adopts the same multidisciplinary approach to assessing the safety of experimental
reactors as it does for other facilities. Experimental reactors have also had to undergo postFukushima stress tests and must now implement reinforced safety measures.

EXAMINATION OF THE “HARDENED SAFETY
CORE” OF THE HIGH-FLUX REACTOR
Following the stress test carried out on the High-Flux Reactor in Grenoble, the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL), the licensee
that operates the reactor, made significant changes to reinforce the resistance of the facility to extreme hazards,
particularly earthquakes and flooding.
In this context, IRSN examined the following points in 2016:• the conditions for commissioning a new “seismic depressurization system” (CDS), designed to depressurize
the reactor building containment following a fuel melt accident, and thereby limit radioactive release. IRSN believedthat implementing the CDS would improve containment performance of this reactor in an accident situation. ILL should,
however, provide additional evidence concerning the behaviorof the outer metal containment of the High-Flux Reactor
in the event of an extreme hazard;• the design requirements of the newseismic emergency shutdown system,
designed to trigger a reactor emergency
shutdown in the event of an extreme earthquake. IRSN found the requirements
specified by ILL satisfactory;• the adaptations defined by the licensee for the metal containment of thereactor, namely the installation of rupture
disks designed to open in the event of flooding, and the construction of a corridor
and walkway connecting the new “hardened safety core” control and emergency
room and the reactor building in extreme
flooding situations. IRSN found theseadaptations acceptable.

41

ACTIVITIES — SAFETY
ANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE FACILITIESThere are many different kinds of nuclear fuel cycle facilities, implementing a wide range of materials
and processes. Under the French “TSN” Act relative to transparency and security in the nuclear field,
these facilities are subject to a ten-yearly safety review, and IRSN deploys considerable resources
to examining the documentation relating to this review.

EVAPORATOR WEAR AT AREVA NC PLANTS
The R2 and T2 facilities of Areva’s plants in La Hague aredesigned for separating out uranium and plutonium andfission products that are found in the solutions resulting fromspent fuel dissolution. In these facilities, the fission productsolutions obtained are concentrated in evaporators before
being transferred to storage tanks prior to vitrification.
42

When the thickness of the evaporator walls was measured, it was found that corrosion in the lower partof the evaporators was more significant than expected. This could shorten the lifetime of the evaporators, as themetal from which they are made must meet a minimum thickness to prevent any risk of leakage. The licensee reviewed
this minimum thickness, taking into account the different
stresses (chemical, thermal, mechanical) to which the evaporators are exposed, and proposed compensatory measures
aimed at slowing down corrosion.
In addition, Areva subjected the evaporators to closer
monitoring and began to replace them.

ACTIVITIES — SAFETY
ANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

In the opinion it issued in 2016 basedon the licensee’s proposals, IRSN strongly recommended setting up an annual monitoring program for each
evaporator and reinforcing the measurement of residual steel thicknesses. Finally,
it considered that the additional measures proposed by Areva NC to provide more effective containment of
the facilities in the event of leakage
should be set up as soon as possible.

AREVA NP NUCLEAR FUELFABRICATION PLANT

ACTIFS LECA ACTIVE FUEL
EXAMINATION LABORATORYOn November 2, 2016, IRSN presented the Advisory Committee for Laboratories and Plants with its assessmentof the safety review report on Areva NP’s recently renovated nuclear fuel fabrication plant (INB 98) in the townof Romans-sur-Isère.

On July 12, 2016, IRSN presented
the Advisory Committee for Laboratories and Plants with its assessmentof the safety review report on LECA,
the Active Fuel Examination Laboratory(INB 55), located on the Cadarache site
in southern France and operatedby CEA.

In 2012, the licensee also launched a program to provide
additional protection against criticality risks. IRSN noted
a number of other measures to be added to this extensive
program that has yet to be finalized.
Lastly, the licensee reviewed onsite safety organization.
In IRSN’s opinion, the licensee should ensure that this organization is efficient and that the safety basis and operational
documents are mutually consistent.
Given the additional action defined by the licensee during
the review, IRSN found that the measures introducedwith a view to the continued operation of this facility
were satisfactory.

LECA began operating in the 1960s
and underwent extensive renovation work
between 2001 and 2008. The purpose ofthis work was to improve safety measures(particularly concerning the confinement of radioactive materials and protection against fire and criticality risks) andthe seismic behavior of the buildingin the event of a “maximum historicallyprobable earthquake”.

It therefore recommended taking
steps to mitigate the potential
radiological impact of any earthquake damage to the building (e.g. bysignificantly reducing the quantity ofradioactive material that might be dispersed). It also considered that CEA
should immediately launch its project
to replace this laboratory, which has beenannounced for 2025.

43

Within the context of the safety review,
CEA put forward plans to strengthen
this building to meet seismic margin earthquake (SME) requirements. The earthquake level is that already considered
to analyze the behavior of the shielded
cells installed in the LECA building.

FOCUS

IRSN found that the renovation had improved safety
and radiation protection, particularly concerning the reduction of uranium contamination in rooms under normal
operating conditions, the seismic behavior of facilities,
and fire safety. In its assessment, IRSN identified a numberof optimization measures already in place that the licensee
should continue to implement during facility renovation work.

IRSN considered that strengthening
the building to SME standards was
not feasible given the properties ofthe building.

SAFETY REVIEWSOF LABORATORIES AND PLANTS
Many nuclear fuel cycle laboratories and plants were commissioned during the
1960s, at a time when safety requirements were not the same as today.
IRSN’s task relating to the safety review of these facilities is to determine
whether licensees have taken adequate steps to bring their facilities into compliance with current requirements.
ACTIVITIES — SAFETY
ANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

HUMAN AND
ORGANIZATIONAL FACTORS
Since 2012, IRSN’s Human and Social Sciences Laboratory (LSHS) has been conducting research andstudies on human and organizational factors within the context of facility safety, risk management,
and the influence of stakeholders on assessment processes.

SAFETY CULTURE
IN AT-RISK INDUSTRIES

44

In September 2016, IRSN publisheda report on safety culture in industries
presenting particular risks. The reportshows the results of a study on theuse of this notion in nuclear facility
safety assessments.
The concept of safety culture elaboratedby IAEA appeared after the Chernobyl
accident. It is now at the center of many
initiatives to improve risk management.
Starting out from this observation, thereport develops the idea that safety
culture cannot be considered merely asa management tool for human activities.

ACTIVITIES — SAFETY
ANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

It goes on to define culture as a structured
set of values, norms and beliefs shared bya group of people, and built on their experience. This implies that any action relating to culture involves long time frames,
and calls for several levers to be brought
into play simultaneously, namely organization, management tools, and professional development measures. The reportreasserts the importance of cultural
aspects in the definition and implementation of safety and radiation protection management. It also stresses,
however, that when studying these
aspects and the impact they might have,time must be taken to understand theprinciples underlying different levelsof collective work units - team, professional group, site, company, etc.

IAEA CONFERENCE ON HUMAN
AND ORGANIZATIONAL FACTORSIN NUCLEAR SAFETY
IRSN took part in the international conference organized
by IAEA in February 2016 on the use of the safety culture
concept. The conference was attended by 400 people.
Its purpose was to review lessons to be learned from thepast, the current situation, and safety prospects. The agenda
was divided into four main themes: the role of leadershipand management, systemic approaches to safety, analyzing
high-reliability organizations, and assessing safety culture.
IRSN contributed to discussions in several areas including nuclear safety management practices. In particular,a study of the Fukushima accident allowed it to put the spotlighton organizational dynamics in emergency situations. IRSN
experts also addressed the importance of analyzing operating practices, and lessons to be learned from large-scaleindustrial accidents.

REACTOR AGING
One of IRSN’s tasks is to examine applications to extend the operating life of French nuclear reactors beyond
40 years. To be able to do this effectively, it conducts research and studies on the assessment of certain aging
phenomena. This involves the use of new facilities for studying the behavior of materials and components thatplay an essential role in maintaining the integrity of the reactor containment barriers.

START OF THE ODOBA PROGRAM
The ODE experimental facility built by IRSN on the Cadarache site in the south of France consists of blocks of concretethat are fitted with instruments for monitoring aging - whether natural or accelerated. It was opened on October
12, 2016. It will be used as part of the ODOBA program
to study aging in the concrete used in nuclear facility
containment buildings in order to determine the possible lifetime of these structures.
The program, which was started up with the prospect ofFrench nuclear reactors having their operating life extended,must help understand the phenomena behind pathologies
affecting concrete, and improve knowledge of their impact
on mechanical properties, and on the confinement performance of concrete structures, such as reactor containmentbuildings or, more generally, waste disposal facilities.

BEHAVIOR OF MATERIALS:
THE MIST JOINT LABORATORYAGREEMENT RENEWEDIRSN, CNRS and the University ofMontpellier have prolonged theirjoint laboratory agreement on the
Laboratory for Micromechanics andStructural Integrity (MIST), for another five years. The laboratory pools thepartners’ research resources in an effort
to understand and predict the behaviorof materials and structures, as well as the
microstructural changes in materials, under degraded conditions related to thermomechanical stress or aging.

The research carried out at MIST since
its creation has enabled IRSN to boost
its operational assessment capability,
allowing it, for example, to acquire a fuller understanding of the permeability ofcracked concrete, or to propose more realistic laws on nuclear fuel behavior for use
in the accident simulation software that it
develops.

45

MIST will now focus its research
efforts on acquiring fresh knowledge,
particularly in the field of steel orconcrete aging. This work will be used
to analyze the results of the ODOBA experimentation program.

It is also aimed at validating nondestructive examinationequipment and developing computing tools for predictive
purposes.
ODOBA is scheduled to last ten years. It is carried out in collaboration with five foreign partners and with scientific andtechnical support from national research organizations specialized in the fields concerned.

ACTIVITIES — SAFETY
ANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

SEVERE ACCIDENTS
The studies and research conducted by IRSN in the field of reactor core melt accidents are aimed at learning more about thephenomena involved in this type of accident. Such knowledge helps to assess the appropriateness and benefits of action taken
to reduce the probability or mitigate the impact of accidents. It also contributes to the development of software used forassessing the possible risks of radioactive release to the environment due to a severe accident.

46

INTERNATIONAL SEMINARON IN-VESSEL RETENTION OF CORIUM

POST-FUKUSHIMA R&D:
ACCIDENT SIMULATION

In June 2016, IRSN and the European Commission
Joint Research Center (JRC) organized an international seminar on in-vessel retention of corium inthe event of a core melt accident in a nuclear water
reactor. The seminar brought together leading stakeholders in the field from around the world, including safety
authorities, technical safety organizations and industrial
firms. It was attended by 130 participants representing more than 60 organizations from 20 countries,
providing them with an opportunity to share knowledge
and exchange views.

In connection with its post-Fukushima R&D work, IRSN contributes to
the OECD BSAF project, which seeks
to estimate the degree of damage
to the three stricken reactors of the
Fukushima-Daiichi plant, and theircurrent status, using the main severe
accident simulation codes

Debates addressed the main issues relating specificallyto in-vessel retention of corium. Some of these issues are currently the focus of work carried out as part of the European
In Vessel Melt Retention (IVMR) program. This program,coordinated by IRSN, is aimed at expanding knowledge anddeveloping computer tools to reach a consensus on the best
methodology for assessing the effectiveness of measures
implemented to stabilize and retain corium in a water reactor vessel. Launched in June 2015, the program is scheduled
to last four years. It involves 23 partners from 14 countries andemploys a variety of experimental test methods and devices.

60
ACTIVITIES — SAFETY
ANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

organizations from 20 countries took part in theinternational conference held by IRSN and the JRC
on in-vessel corium retention

At the end of the first part of the
project, IRSN and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) conducteda detailed interlaboratory comparison
between IRSN’s ASTEC code and theAmerican MELCOR code, following
the analysis of disparities in the results
obtained by simulating the phasesof fuel damage in each reactor vessel,and hydrogen release. The comparisons,published at the end of 2016 in a USNRC
public report (NUREG), highlight theoverall consistency of the simulations,and explain the choices of morphologicalmodels of damaged fuel that lead to themain differences observed.

In the second part of the project, IRSN
used the ASTEC code in 2016 to perform
detailed assessments of deposits inside
the facilities and environmental release
for the main radionuclides.
It found that only the monitors installedin the environment provided quantitative
information on the transport and deposition of radionuclides after their releasefrom the reactors. Adopting a novel
approach, IRSN proposes that this information be used to estimate release fromthe reactors based on inverse methodsof the atmospheric dispersion codes.
The release values indirectly obtained
from environmental data will be used
to confirm accident progression diagnostics and the degree of reactor damage
deduced from simulation results obtainedwith ASTEC.

FOCUSCONCLUSIONS OF THE EUROPEAN PASSAM PROJECTThe PASSAM project, launched following a European call for projects, wascompleted in 2016. The four-year project significantly improved knowledge
concerning the effectiveness of filtration methods for use in the event of asevere accident in a light-water reactor. Led by IRSN, the project involved nine
partners from six countries.
The mostly experimental work focused on ways of reducing atmospheric release in the event of a severe accident in a nuclear reactor that would involve
venting the containment building. This research led to a better understandingof the main physicochemical phenomena involved in trapping fission products
as aerosols or gas. Its purpose was not only to improve some existing systems,
but also to propose more innovative ones.
With the contributions by the different partners, the project has led to thecreation of an extensive database on these filtration systems. This should be
used to improve some of the models in severe accident computer codes - andthereby enhance emergency operating procedures - as well as to assist safety
authorities in preparing their recommendations and help plant operators todecide where to install filtration systems.

UPDATE ON THE PROGRES
EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAMPROGRES is an experimental program launchedby IRSN, in June 2015, to determine how agglomerations – or debris beds – that might result fromreactor core damage during an accident could
be effectively cooled to slow down and stop accident progression. The selected test configurations aredesigned to find answers to this question, whether thedebris bed is located in the reactor core, at the bottomof the vessel or in the reactor pit.
The first test campaign in the PROGRES program, which
was carried out at the PEARL facility, was completed at theend of November 2016. It studied the impact of various parameters on the effectiveness of reflooding. The parametersconsidered included initial debris temperature (up to 700°C),
debris specific power during the arrival of the water (up to
300 W/kg), and water injection rate or pressure (up to 9 bar).
Water was injected from the top or bottom of the debris bed.
A new tool for assessing the effectiveness of reflooding has
already been proposed, based on an analysis of the initial
results.
The next test campaign, scheduled to start in January 2017,
will focus on the effects of debris bed geometry.

ACTIVITIES — SAFETY
ANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

FUEL
Fuel research is aimed at learning more about phenomena that could affect fuel during use
in normal and accident situations. It provides IRSN with the skills, knowledge and simulation
tools required for in-depth assessment of core behavior in present or future nuclear reactors.

48

THE CABRI EXPERIMENTAL REACTOR:NOW READY FOR NEW RESEARCH PROGRAMSFUEL STORAGE POOLUNCOVERY ACCIDENTS

The CABRI research reactor, in which a water loop reproducing the conditions found in a pressurized water
reactor had been installed, achieved criticality in late2015. During the following year, complete neutron characterization tests on the core of the reactor were performed at
low power, followed by operating tests at power, designed tovalidate the operation of the new water loop. All these qualification tests will complete the renovation and modification
work carried out by IRSN in readiness for the CABRI International Program (CIP) for the study of reactivity accidents. Led
by IRSN under the aegis of NEA, the program brings together French and foreign partners from twelve countries
to conduct research into the behavior of nuclear fuel rods
and cladding, in the event of a reactivity accident in a pressurized water reactor.

In 2016, IRSN continued its work on
the DENOPI 1 project for studying
the possibility of cooling spent
fuel stored in pools, in the eventof cooling system failure. As partof the project, which is supportedby the ANR investment in the future
program, it is planned to create special
mockups for studying:

It comprises 12 tests on various types of fuel (UO2 or
MOX) at different burnups and using different cladding materials. The first two tests were performed in 2002
in the sodium loop with which the CABRI reactor was equipped at the time. Tests will be resumed, this time in the water
loop, when CEA, the licensee, has obtained authorizationfrom ASN.

ACTIVITIES — SAFETY
ANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

• thermal-hydraulic phenomena: the year
2016 saw the design of an “integral” mockup for the study of pool thermal hydraulics in the event of loss of cooling. At
the same time, significant progress wasmade in modeling and numerical simulation for a better understanding of thevarious physical phenomena concerned;• the effectiveness of spraying the rods
in a fuel assembly for the purpose of
studying mitigation possibilities. A firstcold test device was accepted for assessing spray water penetration inside
the fuel assembly with air flowing in the
opposite direction. The first tests werecarried out in 2016. Design studies are
now under way for a second device, thistime for hot tests on the effectiveness ofspraying in the presence of steam flowing
in the opposite direction, generated when
the fuel assembly is uncovered;• the risks of oxidation phenomena likely
to impair cladding integrity: demonstration of the beneficial effect of preoxidation using water vapor, and the detrimental effect of nitrogen.
The relevance of the DENOPI project andthe potential of the facility have led toadditional funding from the Belgian body,
BelV, which joined the project in 2016,
an expression of interest by the USNRC,
which should jointly fund the project
as of 2017, and renewed support fromthe French General Commission for
Investment.
1. This project receives French government funding managed by ANR
under the investment in the future program (ANR-RSNR).

LOSS OF COOLANT ACCIDENTS
Work relating to the PERFOI 2 project continued in2016 for the purpose of improving knowledge of corecooling in a water reactor during a loss of coolant accident (LOCA). The project, which is funded by the investment in the future program (PIA), EDF and USNRC, comprises several test programs:• ELFE, an experimental test program that produced significant results in 2016 on the impact of the oxide layer andhydriding on Zircaloy-4 creep laws. Additional tests are
required, however, on samples that are oxidized on bothsides and with a hydrogen content representative of thatobtained during reactor operation;• tests on the COCAGNE facility at Cadarache in the southof France. In 2016, IRSN conducted acceptance tests on thisfacility, which is used to simulate the thermal and mechanical conditions observed in a fuel assembly inside the reactor
to study fuel rod deformation;• the COAL tests, for which preparations continued in 2016.
This included performing preliminary calculations using the
DRACCAR code, making heater rods, and designing the test
device for studying the reflooding of fuel assemblies containing deformed rods. The first experiment campaign is scheduled for 2018.

49

CGI granted more funding in 2016, while IRSN contacted other British and Korean partners to obtain additional
financing.
2. . This project receives French government funding managed by ANR under the future investments
program (ANR-RSNR).

ACTIVITIES — SAFETY
ANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

CRITICALITY
The criticality accident is a major hazard studied in nuclear facilities, especially regarding fuel cycle
facilities and the transport containers for radioactive materials. To enhance its assessment capabilities
to prevent this risk, IRSN carries out research to obtain a fuller understanding of the neutron phenomena
involved. Within this context, it builds partnerships to gain access to criticality experiment programs.

50

INCREASED COLLABORATIONWITH THE UNITED STATESNEW VERSION OF THE CRISTALCRITICALITY PACKAGE

IRSN took part in the annual technical review of the
Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP) led by
the United States Department of Energy (US DOE),
which took place in Albuquerque, USA in the middle ofMarch 2016. The participation of a non-American organization in this event is exceptional and testifies to IRSN’s
special relationship with its American partners, as wellas the recognition of its expertise in criticality research.
It also illustrates the partnership strategy that IRSN has
developed with leading international laboratories in order to obtain the experimental knowledge it requires
to develop its expertise in the field of criticality, as well
as reactor core neutron physics.

The CRISTAL package is the result ofa project involving Areva, CEA and
IRSN that dates back to the 1990s.
It is a computer tool used for criticality risk assessment in fuel cycle
facilities as well as during the transportationofradioactive
materials.
It comprises neutron physics software(such as the Monte-Carlo MORET codedeveloped by IRSN), a nuclear database,computing procedures and a user interface(LATEC, a software workbench).

As part of this international partnership strategy, exemplified
by its PRINCESS project (PRoject for IRSN Neutron physics
and Criticality Experimental data for Supporting Safety),
IRSN joined the NCSP three years ago. It plays an active rolein defining the program and takes part in experimental work.
This collaboration also concerns work on numerical simulation tools, nuclear data assessments, and training. IRSN
contributes its criticality research expertise to theprogram and, in return, has privileged access to theprogram results.

ACTIVITIES — SAFETY
ANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

Version V2 of CRISTAL was releasedon July 1, 2016. Among other things,
it incorporates version 1.3 of LATEC,
which benefits from the first feedback fromusers. In addition, the CRISTAL package
provides a solid database for qualification
purposes, which now comprises more than
3,000 criticality experiments, and is the
subject of an applied training course
at ENSTTI. CRISTAL V2 will soon
be available from the OECD/NEA Data
Bank.

3,000
criticality experiments form
the basis for qualification of the“CRISTAL” computer tool forassessing criticality risk

FIRE AND CONTAINMENT
Containment is a major safety function regarding the control of radioactive release to the environment.
IRSN carries out research in this area to learn more about the phenomena relating to particle suspension
mechanisms, and to assess the performance of containment systems under normal and abnormal
conditions, or following an accident involving a fire or explosion.

PERSEE EXPERIMENTAL FACILITYCOMMISSIONED
As part of its research on how to reduce radioactive
release and mitigate the impact of an accident, IRSN
continues its R&D work to improve existing processes anddevelop new, more effective systems. Within this context,
the experimental research program on radioactive iodine
purification is aimed at assessing the performance ofsystems that are or could be used in the nuclear industry
for the purification of radioactive iodine in all the operating
domains of a nuclear facility.
PERSEE, the experimental research facility on radioactive effluent purification, was commissioned at the endof October 2016, to respond to the growing need to purify
radioactive gaseous effluent, in particular iodine-131. The
facility is used to characterize the performance of all
types of media, absorbent materials and iodine traps
under normal operating conditions and following an
accident.

In the event of a severe accident in apressurized water reactor, iodine isotopes account for a very significant proportion of the radioactivity released. The
expertise developed around a facilityof this type will also help to plan ahead
for future research on the purificationof ruthenium, fluorine, noble gases,
and even tritium and carbon-14. Apartfrom its use in related French and European research programs, PERSEE is also
intended to help licensees assess theperformance of the materials used in theiodine traps installed in the ventilation
systems of their facilities.

51

ACTIVITIES — SAFETY
ANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

52

RENOVATION OF THE GALAXIEEXPERIMENTAL PLATFORM

DEVELOPMENT
OF MODELING TOOLS

Renovation work on the ventilation
system of the GALAXIE experimental
platform at Cadarache began in 2016.
The purpose of this work is to increase
the capabilities and attractiveness ofthe experimental devices by improving
the quality of measurements, in particular concerning the ventilation flow rate,
and the concentration and compositionof the gases and aerosols conveyed (CO2,CO, unburned gases, soot and simulants of radioactive particles that would
be found in suspension in the eventof fire).

The year 2016 saw significant upgrades
to several tools developed by IRSN.
Version v1.8 of the SYLVIA model
for simulating fire, ventilation, andairborne contamination in a nuclear
facility was released for use in June.
The main advances concern the models
used in the PRISME project for studying
cable raceway fires, and models used forstudying steam condensation in ventilation systems to obtain better estimatesof the HEPA filter clogging that mightensue.

The joint interest research program
carried out in collaboration with Areva
on the mechanisms behind the suspension of radioactive materials in the eventof solvent fires will be carried out at thesefacilities.

A 3D multiple-material thermal
model for propagating heat inside
a heterogeneous medium, composed of several materials, wasused in conjunction with the ISIS
computer code to simulate a fire
involving bitumen drum disposal
packages destined for the CIGEO
radioactive waste disposal facility.
Specifically, this involved studying theeffects of the heat flux generated by afire surrounding a disposal package on
the risk of thermal runaway of the bituminous matrix, caused by exothermal
reaction with salts.
The first version of P²REMICS, a
tool for simulating gas and dust
explosions at industrial facilities, wasreleased. P²REMICS is used to simulate
the formation of an explosive atmospherein a room, together with the deflagration
phenomena associated with the ignitionof this reactive mixture.

ACTIVITIES — SAFETY
ANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

The validation of P²REMICS has been
extended to the tests for the ANR Mithygene project, which is aimed at learning more about hydrogen explosions
in a PWR containment building. The
tests include those performed in the
ENACCEF-2
containment
bytheUniversity of Orleans ICARE laboratory. These involve studying flame propagation in an H2/air mixture inside
a tube containing a series of obstacles
that can accelerate the flame. Comparisons between calculations and experiments mainly focus on the change
in flame velocity and on the gas pressure
reached inside the test containment.
This tool is already used to support
IRSN’s assessment activities. For example,
during the examination of the documentation accompanying the operating
license application for the Flamanville 3
EPR, it was used to carry out a countercalculation to assess the impact ofa hydrogen explosion in a room, as wellas the common mode risks between two
separate divisions of the reactor.

NATURAL HAZARDSIn order to enhance knowledge of the effects of natural external hazards likely
to undermine the safety of nuclear facilities, IRSN is involved in several researchand study programs that have been stepped up since the Fukushima accident.

RESEARCH AND STUDIES ON NATURAL
HAZARDSIRSN’s research on natural hazards is aimed at enhancing therobustness of the methods used for assessing extreme hazards. Its seismic research work involves systematically analyzing the uncertainties associated with the databases used to characterize the seismicity of French
nuclear sites, and testing probabilistic methods to complement the deterministic approach adopted in the basic safety
rule applicable to date. IRSN’s flooding studies focus onlearning more about the extreme hazards listed by
ASN in its 2013 guide on the protection of regulated nuclear
facilities against external flooding. As in the seismic field, thestudies particularly explore the potential of probabilistic
assessments. They also draw on historical data obtained bycollaborating with historians at the University of La Rochelle
on the subject of coastal flooding.

This research is carried out as part ofseveral projects involving various partners:• the RSNR SINAPS project 3 on ensuring and securing the long-term safetyof nuclear facilities was started in early2014 for a period of five years. It is partof the investment in the future program(PIA). Its goal is to ensure suitable structural behavior in the event of hazards.
In 2016, IRSN studied various methods
for modeling wave propagation fromseismic sources to the sites concerned;• the TANDEM project devoted to modeling the effects of tsunamis in the Atlantic and the Channel, and also part of theinvestment in the future program (PIA).
Its results are expected in 2017-2018.
IRSN’s contribution particularly concerns
the assessment of the tsunami hazard
on the French coasts. In 2016, it studied tsunamis that could be generated
in the Azores-Gibraltar region;

In addition to the above action, IRSN
began to set up a group of international
experts to build a database (SURE) on surface fault breaks. It also proposed creating
a database on storms and historic coastal
floods with its French partners.
In the field of probabilistic studies,
the European ASAMPSA_E projectto extend the scope of probabilistic safetyassessments (PSAs) served to prepare
guides for performing PSAs, taking into
account the natural hazards that can posea threat to several reactors on the same
site.

53

3. This project receives French government funding managed by ANR
under the investment in the future program (ANR-RSNR).

• a joint study carried out with CEA and
ISTERRE (University of Grenoble) on thecharacteristics of particular site effects,
in other words the ability of some geological formations to amplify seismic movements, was completed in 2016.

ACTIVITIES — SAFETY
ANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

DEFENSE-RELATEDFACILITIES AND ACTIVITIESIRSN provides technical support to the French Representative in charge of Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection for Defense-related
Activities and Facilities (DSND), who reports to the French Ministers of Defense and of Industry. In this capacity, IRSN assesses thesafety and radiation protection of the nuclear facilities and transport within the scope of the DSND’s responsibilities.

54

ASSESSMENT OF THE PROVISIONAL
SAFETY ANAYLSIS REPORT FOR THE
SUBMARINE SUFFREN

BEGINNING OF THE SAFETYASSESSMENT FOR THE SN3GPROGRAM

MORONVILLIER SITE
DECOMMISSIONING AND
CLEANUPThe French Navy launched the BARRACUDA program
to replace the nuclear-powered attack submarines(SSN) currently in service. With a view to the commissioningof Suffren, the first SSN in the program, IRSN completed
its examination of the submarine’s safety basis, as well as
the documentation concerning port facilities at Cherbourg,
where the new core will be loaded and trials performed. This
examination, which had to be carried out in a very limited
time, led to the fourth meeting of the reactor safety commission.

IRSN
examinedthesafetyoptions report (DOS) for the
future third-generation, nuclearpowered ballistic missile submarine (SNLE3G), which will eventuallyreplace the second generation of the same
type (SNLE2G), consisting of four submarines. The purpose of this was to ensurethat the safety options presented would
effectively enhance safety, and that thesafety issues arising in particular fromnew knowledge were properly addressed. The analysis also entailed
looking ahead to identify any points
requiring further work, or those thatmight call for studies to incorporate changing civilian safety concepts and policies,
and adapt them to the specific requirements of naval propulsion.

The PEM experiment center at Moronvilliers in the east of France is on the list of
defense-related nuclear experimental facilities and sites. Following its shut-down,
CEA initiated a decommissioning andcleanup program for the site. The
program raises a number of issues relating to the management of polluted sites
and soils, including large-scale radiological and chemical characterization, induced
waste management, and post-cleanup
monitoring. In order to assess the decommissioning and decontamination strategy
proposed by CEA for this highly sensitive
work, IRSN put its expertise to work inenvironmental issues, and more especiallyin the management of polluted sites in thecivil sector. The conclusions of the assessment will certainly strengthen its approach
to future cleanup programs concerning
other sites.

Suffren benefits from all the experience acquired by France
since the construction of Redoutable, its first nuclear-powered submarine, launched in March 1967. Although its design
is not a real technological breakthrough, Suffren does bringsignificant safety improvements. To carry out its assessment,
IRSN developed new simulation tools adapted to the specificfeatures of a nuclear propulsion reactor. These tools helped
to improve its knowledge, especially regarding mechanical and thermal phenomena, nuclear fuel, and severe
accidents.

ACTIVITIES — SAFETY
ANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

RADIOACTIVE
WASTE MANAGEMENTRadioactive waste management is a crucial part of any industrial project involving the use of radioactive materials.
France set up a regulatory framework for the implementation of waste management solutions for all categoriesof radioactive waste generated by the nuclear industry. This was achieved under the Act of June 28, 2006 on thesustainable management of radioactive materials and waste, and the National Radioactive Materials and Waste
Management Plan (PNGMDR). Within this context, IRSN’s expertise is used in assessing the safety of various
implemented or planned management solutions, as well as the robustness of the management strategies deployed.

QUESTIONS CONCERNING
THE MANAGEMENT OF VERY
LOW-LEVEL WASTE
Should management solutions for very low-level waste(VLLW) be adapted? This question is addressed by IRSN’s
report entitled “Déchets radioactifs de très faible activité :la doctrine doit-elle évoluer?” (“Very low-level radioactive
waste: Should strategy change?”), which was submitted
to the French Parliamentary Office for the Evaluationof Scientific and Technological Choices (OPECST) on
February 17, 2016. The report observes that the increasing
amounts of waste generated by major decommissioning
programs, whether under way or planned, will have a real
impact on current waste management solutions, particularly
as Andra’s Cires waste collection, storage and disposal facility will soon reach saturation point.

Work has thus begun to consider how
existing management solutions could
be adapted. Three main possibilities
are considered: diversifying disposal
solutions to reduce transportation, i.e.,
disposing of the lowest-level waste neardecommissioning sites or on nuclear sites;
recycling by melting recoverable materials, particularly metals, which entails
determining the economic and industrial feasibility of the possible recycling
solutions, and demonstrating that therecycled products will have no impact
and; lastly, adapting site cleanup initiatives, as proposed in ASN’s recently
published Guide 24, when total decontamination involves major implementation
problems, and when the quantities ofvery low-level waste generated outweighthe expected benefits of cleanup operations.

Whatever the solution(s) adopted, confidence in the selected management solution
will be based on its capacity to reliably characterize the radioactive level of the materials or waste generated and the pollutionof the site. In this respect, IRSN considers that research must be carried out
to identify the best radiological characterization techniques and methods, and makethem available for use.

55

It emphasizes that any choices regarding
a change in strategy can only be validatedwith the full involvement of civil society,and that steps should be taken to debate
the issues and explore all avenues,
without overlooking any of the aspects
concerned.

ACTIVITIES — SAFETY
ANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

EXAMINATION OF THE PNGMDRENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT REPORTThe Environmental Authority asked IRSN for anassessment before publishing its notice on July 20, 2016
on the environmental assessment of the National
Radioactive Materials and Waste Management Plan
(PNGMDR) 2016-2018, which is regularly updated under
the joint authority of ASN and DGEC. The assessment determines to what extent the measures recommended in the
PNGMDR limit the environmental impact of all types of waste
management activities. It thus examined efforts to minimize
waste volumes and prevent waste dispersal, potential risksof soil, water and air pollution, possible risks to biodiversity,and “conventional” sources of pollution, etc.

56

Based on its examination of the assessment report,
IRSN found that the measures contained in the plan
generally limited the potential environmental impact
of waste, considering such essential criteria as health protection and environmental preservation. It did, however,point out some areas where improvements could be made.
In particular, it recommended studying the environmental
impact of the management solutions adopted for very lowlevel waste (VLLW) and low-level long-lived waste (LLW-LL)

ACTIVITIES — SAFETY
ANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

GEOLOGICAL DISPOSALOF RADIOACTIVE WASTE
The specific nature of geological disposal projects calls for a combination of assessment expertise, research resources and measures
to ensure the involvement of social stakeholders. IRSN is involved in all these areas, both at the national and European levels. As partof its work in four ongoing H2020 projects, it helps to promote the emergence of a European research strategy, define new governancemethods involving various stakeholders and using tools aimed at improving their skills (SITEX II and JOPRAD) and, of course, contributes
to the scientific research required to increase knowledge and improve safety in the long term (MODERN and CEBAMA).

SITEX II: INVOLVING CIVIL SOCIETY
IN THE GOVERNANCE OF RADIOACTIVE
WASTE DISPOSAL

FOCUS

Within the context of the European SITEX II project, which
it has coordinated since June 2015, IRSN took part intesting a method aimed at involving civil society more directlyin studies of long-term management options for high andintermediate-level long-lived waste. Involving civilsociety in the governance of a radioactive waste disposal
facility is one of the six lines of research for the 18 partners in the SITEX II project, which is aimed at developing
an international network of experts in the safety of such waste
repositories.

The test was carried out as an exercise
in Budapest in June 2016. During theexercise, 35 participants, divided into
groups comprising a mixture of institutional stakeholders and representatives of civil society and NGOs,
were asked to test several waste
management scenarios by subjecting
them to a variety of disruptive events,
such as serious delays, loss of funding, or
terrorist attack.

OPERATING EXPERIENCE FEEDBACK
ON THE ACCIDENTS AT THE WASTE ISOLATIONPILOT PLANT IN THE USA
After operating for 15 years under nominal conditions, the Waste Isolation
Pilot Plant (WIPP), a deep geological radioactive waste repository in New
Mexico in the United States, was the scene of two accidents in February 2014.
First a fire broke out in the northern part of the underground facility, thenradioactive release occurred in the southern area.

They were then asked to performa robustness assessment based on a setof criteria defined in advance: disposal
flexibility, transfer of risk to future generations, robustness in terms of technological progress, safety, etc. The participantsin this collaborative and comparative
assessment exercise stressed the benefits of sharing views as a way of calling
into question established methods. Thisconfirms the advantages of stakeholder
involvement in a technical assessment.

57

In 2016, IRSN published on its website an updated review of the main inquiries
set up by the American authorities to report on the causes and consequencesof these events. For IRSN, the analysis of the events highlights several conditions that are essential to safety in an underground disposal facility: the waste
packages must provide a robust containment barrier; a monitoring system
must be set up to detect and correct any anomaly before radioactive material
is released; the safety demonstration must take into account potential deviations in operating control and; lastly, measures to mitigate the impact of any
incident must be incorporated in the design of the facility.
ACTIVITIES — SAFETY
ANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

HALF-WAY REPORT ON THE EUROPEAN
JOPRAD PROJECTIRSN is involved in JOPRAD (Towards a European Joint Programming on Radioactive Waste Disposal), a project aimed atbetter coordinating European research in the field of
deep geological disposal of radioactive waste. Launched
in June 2015 and scheduled to last 30 months, JOPRAD brings
together waste management operators, TSOs, academic research organizations and expert groups from civil society. For
the first time, participants are working together to define shared research goals, and set up an exchange network between
the different communities, as well as a training scheme.

58

A seminar in Prague in September 2016 allowed participants, including NGOs, to discover the progress made in
the work on the strategic research agenda - the final versionof which will be presented in London in spring 2017 - andon the governance of future European research activities.
This joint research agenda and the proposals regarding thegovernance of scientific research will provide a working
basis to propose the implementation of European Joint
Programming as of 2019, according to the current scheduleof the European Commission H2020 framework program.

ACTIVITIES — SAFETY
ANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

MODERN 2020: PREPARING TO
MONITOR FUTURE GEOLOGICALWASTE REPOSITORIES
Modern2020 is a European project set
up to develop and test tools andmethods for implementing an operational monitoring program fordeep geological radioactive waste
repositories. The purpose of monitoring is to ensure that the repository
remains within the operating domain
for which it was designed.
In this project, IRSN is particularly
concerned with work to define monitoring strategies and to demonstrate thatthe selected sensor technologies areoperational. Concerning the last point,
IRSN is conducting two in situ tests
at the Tournemire underground laboratory, as well as performance tests on
sensors of various technological design
when exposed to radiation in its IRMA
gamma radiation facility in Saclay. The firstin situ test, which studies the performanceof the wireless transmission system,
was set up in spring 2016. A second test
to study aging under in situ conditionsof a wide variety of sensors will be set
up within a year. The first results of thesetests are expected in two years.

CEBAMA: UNDERSTANDING
AGING PHENOMENA IN
CONCRETE IN GEOLOGICALREPOSITORIESThe purpose of the Cebama project is to
study changes in the physicochemical
behavior of various cement-basedmaterials, under conditions studied
to represent the geological repository designs planned in Europe.
The project considers many issues, including the identification of interface
processes between the cementitious
materials and host rock (clay rock or
granite), and between the cementitious
materials and the swelling clay (bentonite) used in the seals. Identifying theseprocesses will make it possible to assess
their impact on the physical properties ofthe materials involved.
Within this context, IRSN is performinga series of three in situ tests at its
Tournemire underground laboratory to study the effect of temperature (70°C) on the interfaces between
low-pH concrete and clay rock. The
experimental devices were installed in the spring 2016 and will be dismantled for post-mortem analysis by
the end of 2019.

NUCLEARSECURITY
In 2011, the regulations on the protection and control of nuclear
materials, nuclear facilities and nuclear material transport wereextended to include malicious acts with potential radiologicalconsequences. In particular, these regulations require licensees
to carry out a study to demonstrate the level of protection provided, the action taken to respond to an attack, and the organizational structure set up to manage it. In order to assess thesestudies, IRSN adopts an interdisciplinary approach with contributions from experts in nuclear safety, radiation protection, andphysical protection against malicious acts.

NONPROLIFÉRATIONKEY FIGURES

64

4technical checks onapproved equipment
for transportationof nuclear materials

national securityrelated exercises
involving security

104

technical notices tothe safety authority(High Civil Servant for
Defense and Securityof Ministry of Energy)

119

technical notices sent
to the nonproliferation
authorities

31 transport inspections
inspections relative
170 national
to protection and controlof materials

54

missions to escort inspections
involving international nuclear
material control

59

to escort inspections
11 missions
involving the chemical
weapons banof holders
75 inspectionsof nuclear materials

International nuclear material control is undergoing some major changes, essentially aimed at enhancing the effectivenessand efficiency of inspections. IAEA and EURATOM are seeking inparticular to improve their methods so that resources are assigned where they are most needed, and thus reduce the number and duration of assignments. In such a constantly changing
environment, it is IRSN’s task to ensure that France and French
companies comply with international requirements, and thatthe application of these requirements is not detrimental to theinterests of France and French industry.

2016 PUBLICATION
Account Coding Manual for Nuclear Materials

ACTIVITIES — SECURITY AND NONPROLIFERATIONANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

NUCLEAR SECURITY
EXAMINATION OF NUCLEAR
POWER PLANT UPGRADES60

EDF must bring its nuclear power plants into
compliance with the 2011 regulations on protection
against malicious acts. Within this context, the licensee
carried out an inventory of its facilities in 2012 that IRSN
assessed. The licensee then made a security model of its
nuclear facilities and set up an engineering change program.
This “security” program includes several mostly genericchanges that will be introduced in all plants over a periodof several years. IRSN is responsible for examining themost important of these. They include installing newplant monitoring systems (cameras, video wall) and tighter
access control to facilities (biometric authentication, secureaccess badge processing). At the same time, IRSN is also
assessing the Flamanville 3 EPR security study.
The aim of these assessments is to ensure that the measures
implemented by EDF provide its facilities with adequate
protection against design-basis threats. They will also help
to identify any additional measures required.

ACTIVITIES — SECURITY AND NONPROLIFERATIONANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

MODERNIZATION OF NUCLEAR
MATERIAL TRANSPORTSECURITY MEASURESOn January 1, 2016, IRSN commissioned a new application called Mazarine,
which is designed to help it carry out its
work relating to the security of nuclear
material transport. This task is assigned
to IRSN under French regulations. IRSN and more specifically IRSN Transport
Operations (EOT) - handles more than
1,500 nuclear material transport
requests every year. It is involved on
three levels: issuing the approval forthe shipment; monitoring the shipment; and alerting the authorities
in the event of a malfunction or incident, whether due to a technical problem
or malicious act. As the information tools
previously used by EOT were nearing
obsolescence, IRSN designed an application with improved functions, featuring
tools for checking that administrativetransport requests comply with regulations, and for monitoring the shipments
concerned.

In addition, Mazarine can easily incorporate changes to national regulations on
the transport of nuclear materials and protection against threats. In this respect, it
simplifies the detection of any need to alert
the safety authorities. This modernization
will continue with the improvement ofinterfaces with national emergency
response centers.

FOCUS

NUCLEAR SECURITY EXERCISE PERFORMED
On October 20, 2016, the EPEES 9 nuclear security exercise simulated a terrorist attack on the reactor at the Institut Laue Langevin (ILL) in the city ofGrenoble. A preliminary tabletop phase was carried out to test the suitabilityof the organization set up by the operator in charge of emergency response
concerning security, as well as its resources and those of the government inan urban context. At the end of this phase, the licensee reinforced its system of protection. EPEES 9 involved many people and organizations: the licensee, the Prefect, the State Prosecutor, the rapid deployment forces, the bomb
disposal unit, emergency response teams, CEA Grenoble, the ASN national and

PROGRESS IN THE PROTECTION
OF NUCLEAR MATERIAL TRANSPORTIn June 2016, the French Ministry of the Environment, Energy and the Sea decided to set up a new group of experts
for the protection of nuclear material transport against malicious acts. IRSN is the group’s secretary and provides it withlogistic support, as well as expertise through the special studies it conducts. For the record, the work of the previous
group of experts on transport led to the definition of designbasis threats, including means of attack, and a methodology
for implementing the necessary conditions to protect shipments against threats of sabotage. In 2016, the work carriedout consisted in presenting the results obtained by implementing the method.
IRSN assessed the effect of various forms of attack on
packages containing nuclear materials. Drawing on the
resulting inventory, it proposed prioritizing risks in terms of
the intrinsic vulnerability of the transported packages. It thenidentified additional technological measures to protect thematerials inside the packages. It also proceeded to analyze
the possibilities of reinforcing the organizational measuresrelating to the security of nuclear material transport. At thesame time, it initiated a study for drafting technical specifications for additional security systems installed on
nuclear material transport vehicles to enhance security in this area.

local emergency organization, and the IRSN emergency response teams, withfifteen coordinators and assessors. SESAM - IRSN’s department for security
assessment regarding malicious acts - was responsible for creating the scenario and preparing and coordinating the exercise, with help from SESUC, theemergency response assessment department. On December 15, 2016, IRSN
presented the stakeholders with the lessons learned from observations madeduring the exercise, which were gathered together in a special assessment
guide produced for this purpose.

RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL
TRANSPORT AND THE
IMPORTANCE OF TESTCONDITIONS FOR NEW
PACKAGE MODELS
When the safety of radioactive materials
is at stake, it is vital for qualification testingon transport packages to guarantee
the confinement of the materials underreal transport conditions, including in
the event of accident. For this reason,
IRSN makes every effort to ensure therepresentativeness of mockups used in
tests (collisions, drops, fire, etc.) carriedout in the context of approval applications
for new package models. For thispurpose, the designer submits a program
setting out the tests it plans to perform,
with details of the characteristics ofthe mockup used, the test slab, drop
sequences, etc. IRSN then checks
that this mockup is representativein terms of geometry, weight, andmechanical characteristics.

It checks that the actual mechanicalcharacteristics allow sufficient margins
considering the specified minimum
characteristics. It then analyzes thetest results obtained in order togive a technical opinion of package
performance
under
all
transport
conditions. Note that if the packages
are involved in safety studies, they arealso concerned by security studies.
Consequently, package characteristics
are also considered as important data
for security studies relating to nuclear
material transport and threats frommalicious acts.

61

ACTIVITIES — SECURITY AND NONPROLIFERATIONANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

NUCLEARNONPROLIFERATIONWEB PORTAL FOR COMPANY
ONLINE DECLARATIONSNEW VERSION OF THE CODIFICATIONMANUAL FOR NUCLEAR MATERIALACCOUNTANCY

62

A centralized accountancy system is essential for protecting
nuclear materials and controlling them inside facilities. To beeffective, the accountancy reference manual must be known
and shared by all parties concerned, whether at nuclear
power plants or in centralized departments.
This technical reference manual provides a formal listof rules and practical procedures, and is used by license holders on a daily basis. The new version published by IRSN
presents accountancy notions and details of changes inregulations since 1995 in concise informative sheets. A summary is included to allow users to easily find the informationand the common codes they require.

ACTIVITIES — SECURITY AND NONPROLIFERATIONANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

To optimize the process that began
in 2004, IRSN opened the PASTEL web
portal for online declarations at the endof 2015. PASTEL provides the companies concerned with a simple toolfor completing and submitting theirdeclarations of nuclear-related activity. It also makes it easier for IRSN
to gather, centralize and analyze thedata transmitted under France’s Additional Protocol to the Safeguards
Agreements on nuclear materials
and facilities signed with IAEA.
This protocol contributes to the fulfillment of France’s international obligations regarding nonproliferation. It is also
aimed at providing more information
about the State’s activities, particularly regarding collaboration with othercountries, thus increasing IAEA’s capacity
to detect clandestine activities.

Under the French Protocol, France must
declare its R&D activities, cooperation,and transfers of certain equipment andmaterials to any non-nuclear weapons
State. IRSN gathers the information sentby all parties concerned, and ensures that
it is complete, verified and consistent.
It then prepares the national declaration sent to IAEA by the Euratom Technical Committee (CTE), which is the
responsible French authority. Targetedtraining sessions attended by 65 organizations subject to declaration requirements
were organized to coincide with the opening of the portal, the related declaration
manual was updated, and a 24/7 hotline
was set up during the declaration period.

CHEMICALWEAPONS BAN
All the States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) have undertaken to make a fair andexhaustive declaration of the activities of their industrial chemical sites. To ensure that France abides
by its international commitments, IRSN, under its agreement with the Ministry of Industry, completes
the declarations that France must submit to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons(OPCW), analyzes documents and draft documents regarding inspections of products covered by theConvention, and escorts all OPCW inspections carried out in France.

FEEDBACK FROM OPCW DAY
OPCW Day commemorates the entry into force of the
Chemical Weapons Convention. Last year, it was held on May
2-4 at OPCW headquarters in The Hague. IRSN was there
to present French expertise relating to commitments under
the Convention in the industrial sector. It demonstrated its
competence in preparing national declarations required by the OPCW and in escorting international inspections. IRSN is delegated by the Senior Defense Officialof the Ministry of Industry to implement the CWC in France.
The Convention is aimed at destroying chemical weapons andpreventing their reemergence, by controlling certain chemical precursors which, although they are conventionally used
in industry, could be diverted from their peaceful use in orderto manufacture weapons. IRSN described its method forachieving the twofold objective of an exhaustive and fair

120

OPCW inspections have beenaccompanied by IRSN since 1997

national declaration. This method is based in particular on the transposition of OPCW decisions
in French law, data crossing, partnerships with
unions in the chemical industry, traders and customs, and a training and information initiative forindustry. IRSN has escorted more than 120 inspections since 1997.

63

It has developed a method for preparing companies for inspections and for anticipating requests
from OPCW inspectors.
In order to ensure that these inspections
go smoothly, IRSN visits more than 20 companies
every year and goes to the sites concerned as soon
as an inspection notification is received. Its task isto protect French industrial secrets while ensuringthat obligations under the Convention are met.
IRSN provides the Ministry of Foreign Affairs withsignificant scientific and technical support on these
topics.

ACTIVITIES — SECURITY AND NONPROLIFERATIONANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

RADIATIONPROTECTION –HUMAN ANDENVIRONNEMENTHEALTHKEY FIGURES
samples taken
6 247 environmental
for radiological measurements

points for radioactivity
463 sampling
monitoring throughout France

whole-body radiation counts

for worker monitoring,
740 performed
including 240 fixed and 500 using
mobile equipment

monitors (including 393 stationary
Teleray monitors, 30 mobile monitors
and 7 river monitors) making up thenational remote monitoring network

IRSN’s action in this field is aimed at ensuring that people and the environment
are suitably protected against ionizing radiation.

430

It focuses on three main areas: radiological monitoring, assessments and research.
This includes monitoring the exposure levels of workers and the public, developing measurement systems and equipment, conducting radioecology studies andresearch into the effects of chronic radiation exposure, and the medical treatmentof radiation-induced lesions. IRSN adopts a multidisciplinary approach to all thesesubjects, in collaboration with national, European and international experts.

dose rate
130 ambient
measurement points

2016 PUBLICATIONS2015 Management Report of the National Environmental
Radioactivity Measurement Network (RNM)
2015 Report on Radioactivity Monitoring in French Polynesia
Occupational Exposure to Ionizing Radiation in France:
2015 Report

ACTIVITÉS — SÉCURITÉ ET NON PROLIFÉRATIONRAPPORT ANNUEL 2016

ENVIRONMENTAL
MONITORING
The goal of environmental monitoring by IRSN is to characterize radioactivity in the environment through measurements andthe use of suitable analytical methods. Its purpose is to ensure that nuclear and radiological activities comply with regulatory
authorizations and, more generally, that radiological conditions remain satisfactory throughout the country. It also helps to detect
any abnormal situations that might result from a radiological or nuclear accident in France or abroad. This activity, carried out in
consultation with stakeholders and the public, includes a continuous effort to improve measurement tools and resources.

REPORT ON THE RADIOLOGICAL STATE
OF THE ENVIRONMENT IN FRANCEIN 2011-2014
At the beginning of 2016, IRSN published the latest editionof the Report on the Radiological State of the Environment inFrance, as it has done on a regular basis since 2004 as part ofits radiation protection work, which includes continuous monitoring and issuing alerts when necessary. The report consolidates and analyzes all the measurements taken between
June 2011 and December 2014 by the members of the National Environmental Radioactivity Measurement Network(RNM), namely IRSN - through its nationwide operational
radiological monitoring system - and other public and private organizations, including the licensees of nuclear facilities, local authorities, associations, and NGOs. The 2011-2014
report shows, for the first time, assessments of population
exposure to ionizing radiation based on environmental measurement results, and puts these results into perspective.

In particular, the report shows thatthe levels of radioactivity measured in the vicinity of nuclear sites
remain low, and only contributevery slightly to the annual exposure of the French population.
The highest calculated doses are well
below those associated with naturalradioactivity.

65

The atmospheric deposits due to the
Fukushima accident in Japan were
500 to 1,000 times lower than those measured immediately after the Chernobyl
disaster in Ukraine, and their influence
has fallen below the measurement threshold since mid-2011.

ACTIVITIES — RADIATION PROTECTION – HUMAN AND ENVIRONNEMENT HEALTHANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

DORDOGNE DRAINAGE BASIN:A PILOT SURVEY FOR RADIOLOGICALMONITORING OF FORMER MINING SITESASSESSMENT OF PASTPLUTONIUM DISCHARGE
IN THE LOIREIRSN has adopted a new approach to the radiological monitoring of the 250 former uranium mines that were in use from1948 to 2001 in 27 French departments. It has chosen thedrainage basin of the Dordogne River, where 23 of these sites
are located, to carry out a pilot survey.

Two of the reactors at the Saint-Laurentdes-Eaux A nuclear power plant in thecenter of France experienced core melt
accidents: reactor SLA1 on October 17,
1969, and reactor SLA2 on March 13,
1980. In April 1980, the container ofa fuel element burst in a storage pool, leading to significant contamination of thepool water. The water was filtered, thendischarged into the Loire River.

An initial inventory focused on monitoring water streams,
which are the major transfer pathways for radionuclides.
IRSN drew up a map showing the distribution of uranium andradium-226 concentrations in this area, based on 93 samplesof water, sediments and water plants, as well as an analysis
of locally grown food produce.

66

According to the survey, former mining sites have noperceptible environmental impact on the scale of thedrainage basin, outside directly mined areas. In line with
its policy of opening up to society, IRSN invited local stakeholders to take part in preparing the sampling plan for the survey,
and organized meetings to present the results.

250

former uranium mines are involved in theradiological monitoring carried out on former
uranium mining sites

IRSN, working with the Universityof Tours, took a sedimentary archivein the banks of the Loire, downstream
from the city of Angers. Its analysis revealed increases in plutonium concentrationfor 1969 and 1980, the years in which thetwo accidents at the Saint-Laurent-desEaux plant occurred.
Using this approach, IRSN designed
the Archéo project, which will help
to reconstruct the radiological environmental impact of the nuclear
industry, based on an analysis of thesedimentary archives of all the mainrivers: the Loire, Rhône, Rhine, Garonne,
Meuse, Moselle and Seine.

CERTIFICATIONOF RADIOACTIVITY
MEASUREMENT LABORATORIES:SIX INTERLABORATORYCOMPARISON EXERCISES
The reliability of the measurements
performed by the laboratories in the
National Environmental Radioactivity
Measurement Network (RNM) is crucial
for effectively monitoring environmental
radioactivity levels. As part of its
assistance to the public authorities andits operational support to the RNM, IRSN
coordinates and conducts periodic
interlaboratory exercises as partof the procedure that laboratories
must go through when applying for
certification. During these exercises,
laboratory analysis results obtained fromidentical samples of a variety of matrices(water, soil, filters, milk, plants, etc.)
are compared with reference values
determined by IRSN.
In 2016, IRSN organized five such
exercises for 74 laboratories applying for RNM certification, as wellas an exercise for 13 laboratories
belonging to the DGAL and DGCCRF network. The exercises are carried out in accordance with a procedureaccredited by COFRAC and backed up
by a dedicated website (CILEI).
These tests, which have been in placesince 2003, are part of an effort to ensure
the continuous improvement of measurement quality.

ACTIVITIES — RADIATION PROTECTION – HUMAN AND ENVIRONNEMENT HEALTHANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

INTERNATIONAL RADIOECOLOGY RESEARCHCOLLABORATION AT CHERNOBYLNEW WEB PORTALFOR THE RNM

On August 30 and 31, 2016, IRSN took part in a workshop
organized in Ukraine by COMET (Coordination and implementation of a pan-European instrument radioecology),
an international consortium of which IRSN is a member.
The theme of the workshop was: “Thirty years after the Chernobyl accident what do we know about the effects of radiationon the environment?”

The National Environmental Radioactivity Measurement Network (RNM),
which IRSN manages, has revamped
its public access website. The network,whose steering committee is chaired by
ASN, pools all the environmental radioactivity monitoring data in France, and ensures its quality and consistency.

The event was attended by researchers, experts, regulatory
bodies, NGOs and the media. It provided an opportunity
to look back over the radioecology research conductedin the past few decades in the Chernobyl exclusion zone
on the effects of chronic exposure to ionizing radiation in
non-human species.

FOCUS

IRSN is involved in all the work of COMET, a research
project that was launched in August 2013 fora period of four years, bringing together thirteen organizations from ten countries in the European Union, as well as Ukraine and Japan. Morespecifically, IRSN coordinates research on the effectsof low-dose exposure. Among other things, the workshop
highlighted the indisputable contribution of in situ studies that
focus particularly on the characterization of the total doses
absorbed by organisms, and the need for access to data
relating to effects.

Since 2010, the website (www.mesureradioactivite.fr) has provided users withaccess to the 300,000 radioactivity measurements taken every year by RNM members in the private and public sectors.
The only initiative of its kind in Europe, this browsing space allows
individuals to learn more about radioactivity monitoring around theirhome and place of work and to keep
track of it over time.

INVENTORY OF RESIDUAL RADIOACTIVITYFROM NUCLEAR TESTING AND ACCIDENTS
Thirty years after Chernobyl, IRSN has evaluated the residual effect of fallout from the accident, and from atmospheric nuclear weapons testing, on
the population in the most exposed regions of France (affected areas of the
Vosges, Jura, southern Alps, Pyrenees and eastern Corsica). It measured activity in soil, sediment, and food samples taken in 2013 and 2014 in the areas
affected by residual fallout, as well as the dose rate in the air. The radiologicalsurvey report, published by IRSN in 2016, on residual artificial radioactivity

The new, easier-to-use website featuresa “guided” browsing tool with a regionby-region approach for the general public.
It provides access to a selection of 15 measurement types that are the most representative of the radiological state of theenvironment. An “advanced” consulting
tool, intended for a more informed public,
allows access to the entire database. User
can carry out their own searches andexports, based on the 1,300 measurement
combinations available on the site (type ofsample, radionuclides, and measurement
units).

300,000
radioactivity measurements are added
to the RNM database every year by the
network’s public and private stakeholders

67

shows that external exposure to radioactivity due to residual fallout from thepast is almost exclusively related to cesium-137 in the fallout from Chernobyl.
Internal exposure through the ingestion of foodstuffs, however, is generally
related to the incorporation of strontium-90 from nuclear testing. Doses tothe population due to the incorporation of this radionuclide were neverthelessextremely low. Doses due to cesium-137 only need to be taken into consideration for people whose diet includes a lot of mushrooms and game, where doses
can reach 0.5 mSv/year.
ACTIVITÉS — RADIOPROTECTION DE L’HOMME ET DE L’ENVIRONNEMENTRAPPORT ANNUEL 2016

RADON AND POLLUTED SITESIn recent years, IRSN has taken part in a joint initiative with local institutional and professional stakeholders to raise publicawareness to the risks associated with radon, and to encourage the persons concerned to detect and measure the presenceof this naturally occurring, carcinogenic radioactive gas and take action to prevent its concentration. IRSN also studies theimpact of past or present industrial activity on the environment and population.

RADON CAMPAIGN IN HAUTE-VIENNE
Radon is a radioactive gas that pollutes the air inside buildings. It is also the second cause of lung cancer, after tobaccosmoking. It occurs naturally throughout France, but more
especially in regions with granite subsoils.

68

As part of its work to help local and regional authorities
to manage the radon risk, IRSN started a pilot programwith two intercommunal authorities in Haute-Vienne,
a department where radon exposure is particularly high.
This joint initiative, which will last nearly two years, called“Radon: let’s take up the challenge, let’s have a change of air”,
sets out to provide residents with comprehensive assistance,
including: measuring radon, locating radon concentrations
and taking steps to reduce them, contacts with contractors tocarry out works, and conducting control measures. The initiative began with the free distribution of a measurement kit
to all interested residents of the 15 municipalities concerned
In all, 811 residents went to their town hall to pick up their
dosimeters.

811

people collected radon measuring kits fromtown halls under the pilot program run
in Haute-Vienne

ACTIVITIES — RADIATION PROTECTION – HUMAN AND ENVIRONNEMENT HEALTHANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

In May, IRSN provided each householdtaking part with individual and confidential information on the radon concentration measured in their home. Residents
who were interested were then given
advice and assistance by IRSN and Felletin building trade school to help them
reduce their radon exposure, and assess
the effectiveness of the steps taken.

The program will be completed in mid2017, when IRSN will analyze the feedback from this initiative, which is bothinnovative, in terms of the variety of tools
deployed and the types of assistancegiven, and original because of the decision to put citizens at the center of radonrisk management.

ASSISTING THE PAYS DE LA LOIRE DREAL IN
THE WASTE ROCK INVENTORY
The radon measurement campaign carried out by Areva
in connection with the national inventory of waste rockused in the public domain, revealed a number of buildings
with very high radon concentrations. In June 2016, following a request from the Pays de la Loire Regional Directorate for the Environment, Town andCountry Planning and Housing (DREAL), IRSN was
asked to assess and give a second opinion on several
homes in Mortagne-sur-Sèvre and Saint-Germainsur-Moine, in the west of France, where Areva hadmeasured very high radon concentrations. The aim wasto determine why radon was present. These assessments
were in connection with the national inventory of waste rockused in the public domain, and also part of IRSN’s support
to the public authorities for the management of radon exposure in areas with a particularly high risk.

ASSESSMENT FOR
THE RECONVERSION
OF THE VAUJOURS SITE

ASSESSMENT OF THE IMPACT
OF THE RED MUD STORAGE
FACILITY IN GARDANNEFor the past two years, IRSN has
assisted ASN and the department
prefects on the project to reconvert
Vajours Fort, in the Greater Paris region.
From 1955 to 1997, the fort was used by
the CEA’s Military Applications Division
to carry out explosive experiments and to
study the dynamic behavior of materials in
response to shock. Some of these experiments involved the use of natural or depleted uranium compounds. The site reconversion project, led by a company called
Placoplatre, has been set up with a view
to mining a gypsum seam under the oldfort, and carrying out any necessary cleanup and dismantling work on the existingsuperstructures and infrastructure.

Further to a request by the Directorate-General for Risk Prevention(DGPR), IRSN examined the study
to determine the radiological impactof the bauxite residue disposal facility at Mange-Garri, near Gardannein the south of France, on the surrounding population. Following a change inthe license granted to the Alteo plant in
Gardanne to discharge bauxite residue
to the sea, this waste product must now
be stored at a special land facility. Given
the natural radioactivity of the residue,
and the risk of dust dispersal, the disposal facility has raised the issue of risks
to the public.

In 2014-2015, IRSN examined two phasesof work on the demolition of 250 existing buildings. Then, in 2016, it analyzed the work methods planned
to deal with buried piping on a partof the site. It found that the overall radiological monitoring strategy adopted
by the licensee should, in principle, makeit possible to check that there is no residual contamination in this piping after
washing, or in the wash water. IRSN did,
however, detect some additional requirements and points that called for further
clarification before this strategy could
become operational. Lastly, it considered that the steps taken by the licensee
for managing rubble from the piping
work were satisfactory from the regulatory viewpoint.

IRSN
began
by
examiningtheassessment carried out by the company.
The examination confirmed that the site
presented only a slight radiologicalrisk, but also revealed gaps in themodels used in the impact assessment. To supplement its analysis, IRSN
then helped to gather data as part ofa measurement campaign supervisedby BRGM, the French Geological Survey. Although the campaign was too
short to provide dust dispersal scenarios representative of all the meteorological conditions liable to affect the site,
the results of the analyses performed
confirmed IRSN’s initial findings.IRSN
presented the results of its assessment
to the Alteo Site Monitoring Commission
on September 26, 2016.

69

ACTIVITIES — RADIATION PROTECTION – HUMAN AND ENVIRONNEMENT HEALTHANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

RADIATION PROTECTION IN THE WORKPLACEIRSN is responsible for pooling all data concerned with monitoring occupational exposure to ionizing radiation in
France. In addition, it produces an annual report on occupational exposure according to the main sectors of activity.
In 2016, as part of the transposition into French law of the European Euratom directive on basic safety standards forradiation protection, IRSN was involved in work to improve regulations on radiological monitoring in the workplace.

OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE REPORT

386,070

workers monitored (+1.7% compared with 2014)

70

0,17

2

mSv average individual
external exposure (comparedwith 0.16 mSv in 2014)

cases where the regulatory
20 mSv limit was exceeded(compared with 9 cases in2014)

Exposure by sector of activity (average alues)
0.25 mSv

0.34 mSv

flight personnel exposed
to cosmic radiation
workers outside the nuclear industry
1.17 mSv

1.98 mSv

1.38 mSv

workers in the nuclear industry
workers in the medical andveterinary fields (62% of personnel)
workers in research and education

IRSN monitors occupational exposure to ionizing radiation as part of its activities
relating to continuous radiation protection monitoring, and support for the publicauthorities. The 2015 report covers all sectors of activity subject to the licensing
or declaration regime.

TRANSPOSITION OF COUNCIL
DIRECTIVE EURATOM 2013/59
In 2015, IRSN was actively involvedin transposing into French law the Council
Directive Euratom 2013/59 of December
5, 2013, which lays down basic safety
standards for radiation protection.
In 2016, it stepped up its technical support
to the authorities in charge of this transposition, carrying on from the work
completed in 2014 and 2015.
In this context, it played an active part inand devoted considerable resources tothe regulatory revision of the Public
Health Code and Labor Code, in association with the Directorate-Generalfor Labor (DGT), ASN, and representatives from industry and from various associations. IRSN’s role in this work involved
incorporating all the latest requirements: lowering the equivalent dose
limit to the lens of the eye, lowering
the reference level for radon concentration in the air, and reviewing thenotion of radiation protection specialist (PCR in France).

The goal was to make regulations simpler
and ensure greater consistency between
protective measures against ionizing radiation and the legal provisions set out
in the Labor Code.
IRSN’s close involvement will continue with its participation in drafting theimplementing orders of the transposition decree. All this work is scheduled
for completion by the end of 2017.

COORDINATING THE
INITIATIVE TO HARMONIZE
OCCUPATIONAL DOSEMONITORING IN EUROPE
Individual dose monitoring is carried out
to obtain objective information on thelevels of occupational exposure to ionizing
radiation, and to assess the effectivenessof radiation protection measures. Until
recently, monitoring practices could varyfrom one EU Member State to another.
As part of its work on the new Council
Directive Euratom 2013/59, the European Commission assigned IRSN the taskof developing a European “platform”
for harmonizing these practices. The
result is “ESOREX-Platform”, which has
been set up to encourage EU Member
States to exchange information on regulatory measures, individual monitoring
practices, and national statistics on occupational exposure, made available in thesame format. IRSN is in charge of technical maintenance and coordinationof the platform, which brings together 22 European countries.
Of these, 14 have already provided information on the procedures used to monitor exposed workers, and 11 have enterednational exposure statistics. Designatednational experts in occupational dosemonitoring can access the entire content
of the platform, while some informationis also available for consultation by thegeneral public 4.

A NEW CUSTOMER WEB PORTALFOR THE IRSN DOSIMETRY
LABORATORYThe IRSN dosimetry laboratory provides
24,000 businesses and professionals
from many sectors of activity with
passive dose monitoring services, infull compliance with regulations, andin a highly competitive market.
In 2016, the laboratory moved into a
new building on the IRSN site in Le
Vésinet, near Paris. It also added newfeatures to its “customer” web portal thatwas opened in 2015. Customers can now
complete online all the steps they need to
manage their passive dosimetry. In particular, they have access to tools for reconstructing dose histories to optimize
the future exposure of their employees,
and for secure, paperless access to dosimetric results.

71

The dosimetry laboratory manages otherprojects aimed at increasing customer
satisfaction, including a new tool for
managing customer relations to enhancesales and customer support, improving
sales and production line administration,and extending its COFRAC accreditation
to all measurement processes.

4. https://esorex-platform.org.

ACTIVITIES — RADIATION PROTECTION – HUMAN AND ENVIRONNEMENT HEALTHANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

EFFECTS OFCHRONIC EXPOSURE
Chronic exposure of living organisms to ionizing radioactivity is the subject ofspecialized research aimed at characterizing the induced biological mechanisms toquantify the related risks for human health and the environment. IRSN is closely
involved in setting up joint European research platforms and projects on this topic.

COMMISSIONING
OF THE MICADO-LAB FACILITY

72

IRSN is actively involved in international collaboration
projects set up to study biological mechanisms resulting
from the chronic exposure of living organisms to lowdose radiation. In this context, it develops irradiation
facilities such as the MICADO-Labo facility installed at
Cadarache in the south of France.
A cesium-137 irradiator, installed at the center of thisfacility, is used to expose various non-human biologicalmodels, including vertebrates, invertebrates, and culture
cells to a photon field in a 5 μGy/h to 100 mGy/h dose rate
range.

ACTIVITIES — RADIATION PROTECTION – HUMAN AND ENVIRONNEMENT HEALTHANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

Working in conjunction with laboratories
that specialize in breeding ecotoxicological reference species (fish, nematods,
microcrustaceans) and cellular and molecular biology laboratories, this irradiator
will be a reference platform. It is used
to simulate various environmental exposure scenarios, under controlled conditions, and to determine the induced effects
on several scales, ranging from molecular
to physiological effects on organisms,
or to transgenerational effects.
As of January 2017, MICADO-Lab will
be open to IRSN’s research teams, andnational and international collaboration
teams, in particular for the purposesof European research projects.

STUDY ON CHRONIC EXPOSURE
TO LOW-DOSE RADIATION IN MICE WITH
A PREDISPOSITION TO ATHEROSCLEROSISUNDERSTANDING MOREABOUT THE ECOTOXICMECHANISMS OF CESIUMIRSN conducts research into the effects of chronic
exposure to radiation at low doses and low dose rates(cesium-137 contamination or external exposure to gamma
radiation). Results obtained in mice with a predisposition todeveloping atherosclerosis have revealed what is known asradioadaptive response. They show that exposure to radiation at low doses and low dose rates for eight to ninemonths stimulates the body’s antioxidant and antiinflammatory defense systems, thereby limiting the development of atherosclerosis.

IRSN, in collaboration with a team from
CEA, has published research findingson the identification of the transporters responsible for the uptake ofcesium via the roots of a plant and its
translocation to the aerial parts of theplant. This research is part of IRSN’s
work to learn more about the ecotoxic mechanisms of radionuclides.

Initial in vitro studies of human aortic cells show the gradualdevelopment of the same radioadaptive response.
The results suggest that at doses with values below one Gy,
and dose rates below one µGy/h, the mechanisms involvedin the functioning of the vascular system and, more especially,in the pathology of atheroma, are different from those described for exposure to radiation at high doses (several tensof Gy) and high dose rates (several Gy/h).

The research, begun in 2013 and coordinated by CEA, is part of a broader projectcalled DEMETERRES (the name comesfrom the French for “development of bioand ecotechnologies for integrated effluent and soil remediation”). The project,backed by the investment in the future
program for research in the field of nuclear safety and radiation protection, andmanaged by ANR, the French national
research agency, seeks to develop a setof innovative remediation technologies
for cesium- and strontium-contaminatedsoil and effluent, to contribute to cleanup
strategy following a nuclear accident.

As cesium and potassium behave ina similar way, IRSN’s studies combined
the molecular and functional knowledge
acquired concerning potassium roottransporters, and cesium transfer kinetics according to potassium nutritionin plants.
This integrated approach should leadto new assumptions regarding the molecular mechanisms that are directly or
indirectly involved in cesium root
uptake.

73

ACTIVITIES — RADIATION PROTECTION – HUMAN AND ENVIRONNEMENT HEALTHANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

PROTECTION
IN HEALTHCARE
Fuller understanding of how radiation-induced lesions affect body tissues andorgans could lead to better-targeted and more effective treatment for patients.
IRSN is actively involved in research in this area and takes part in projects aimed
at improving dosimetry techniques for use at the nanometric scale.

FIRST RESULTS ON SARPP

74

Stereotactic radiation therapy has been in use for about ten
years, particularly in the treatment of small lung tumors.
It is used to deliver high radiation doses, divided into smaller
doses, to small volumes.
SARPP, which stands for Small Animal Radiation Research
Platform, is a system designed to deliver scanner-guided
microdoses of radiation to small animals. IRSN acquired thissystem to characterize tissue lesions observed in the target
volume, as well as their impact on the rest of the lung.
Physicists and biologists worked together on this platform to model stereotactic lung radiation therapy inmice, and to produce scanner images. These images
were used to define the target volume and plan how the doseis delivered according to the different structures that the rays
pass through.

ACTIVITIES — RADIATION PROTECTION THE ENVIRONMENT AND HUMAN HEALTHANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

ON THE ROAD TOPERSONALIZED DOSIMETRYIN CANCER TREATMENT USINGTARGETED ALPHA THERAPY
Alpha emitters are among the more
recent radiopharmaceuticals administered in nuclear medicine for cancer treatment. They have the advantage over beta
emitters (iodine-131, strontium-89) in thatthey deliver more energy over a shorter
distance. This makes them more cytotoxic
to tumor cells, while limiting unwanted
irradiation of healthy tissue.
In 2013, radium-223 was the first alphaemitting radiopharmaceutical to receive
marketing authorization across Europe,
which is a sign of the interest that targeted alpha therapy has aroused. In order to
optimize the doses delivered to the patientwhen using this innovative technique,
IRSN develops methods and tools fortaking into account the patient’s anatomical and functional data, and defining opti-

mum, personalized dosimetry. It worked
with Georges-Pompidou European
hospital to adapt the imaging protocol for fixing radium-223 to optimize
dose calculations, and help determine
maximum tolerated doses.
This imaging protocol was accepted
as part of Phase I/II of the EIFFEL multicenter clinical trial (involving HEGP,
Cochin, IGR, Caen, and Bordeaux) on theuse of radium-223 to treat secondary bone
cancer from kidney cancer.

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL STUDY OF
TOMOSYNTHESISTomosynthesis is a recent breast imaging technique whose
main advantage is that it does not require the superpositionof tissues. It would also seem to be more sensitive than mammography for the detection of breast cancer. It has therefore aroused considerable interest among professionals andis already used in France, although its exact role and clinicalindication have yet to be clearly defined.
In order to provide input for the French Advisory Committee on Breast Cancer Screening, and support for the French
National Cancer Institute, IRSN conducted and publisheda bibliographical study on the performance of this innovative medical imaging technique.
It issued recommendations for healthcare professionals
and the authorities to provide a framework for the use ofthis technique in France, as special attention must be paid
to the design and quality inspection of tomosynthesis systems,
the radiological exposure of the breast, and the quality ofimage obtained. These recommendations focus in particularon the characterization of the doses delivered to the mammary gland , and the creation of regulatory quality control
of facilities by the French National Agency for Medicines and
Health Products Safety (ANSM).

2013-2015 DRL REPORT ON
DOSIMETRY IN MEDICALIMAGING
In 2016, IRSN published its fifth reporton the analysis of dosimetric data
provided by medical imaging professionals for the period from 2013 to2015, in accordance with regulations on
diagnostic reference levels (DRL).
The report provides an assessmentof practices across the country andsuggests possible changes that could bemade to DRL regulations. In a similarvein to the 2011-2012 report, it shows that
doses delivered to patients have fallen
in conventional radiology, scanning, andnuclear medicine examinations by 10%,15% and 3% respectively.

In view of these observations ofnational practices, IRSN recommended lowering DRL values inadults, and for almost all examinations.
The report also shows that the doses
received by interventional radiology patients argue for the inclusion of this discipline in the DRL system. Given the almost
total lack of data on pediatric radiologicalexaminations, IRSN is currently headinga joint initiative with pediatric radiologists
to gather data in this area and update the
DRLs accordingly.

75

ROSIRIS SCIENTIFIC ASSESSMENT:
TAKING STOCK OF PROGRESSROSIRIS is an interdisciplinary program that was set up
in 2010 to learn more about radiation therapy complications from a biological angle, by adopting an approachcombining expertise in micro- and nanodosimetry, radiobiology, systems biology, and radiopathology.
In 2016, the program went through a scientific assessment
process, based on the method put forward to the High Council
for Evaluation of Research and Higher Education (HCERES)
by IRSN’s external assessment body.
So far, this program has provided new knowledge of themechanisms behind complications in radiation therapy andtheir development and should eventually lead to improved risk
assessment models. The approach adopted seeks to connect,
on a step-by-step basis, the initial deposition of energy
to the most delayed biological effects.
76

A new multiscale model of the DNA molecule is used to simulate all the DNA breaks that are directly or indirectly induced
by energy deposition. The entire simulation process was validated based on its ability to reproduce experimental results.
The data has been organized to build interaction networks andidentify the important agents in the biological effects observed. The goal is to establish a direct link between the function(or malfunction) observed and the agent revealed by modeling.
The role played by key molecular agents in the developmentof radiation-induced digestive lesions was demonstrated
through the use of three different models of transgenic mice.

EMERGENCY
AND POSTACCIDENTSITUATIONSKEY FIGURES

5

national nuclear emergency exercises
involving defense-related activities

8

national nuclear emergency
exercises excluding defense-related
activities.

Providing the public authorities with rapid, high-quality, operational technical support in emergency situations is among
IRSN’s missions. As the nation’s public service expert in nuclear
and radiation risks, IRSN has a clearly defined role in the French
National Response Plan for Major Nuclear or Radiological Accidents, where it is tasked with assessing risks and predicting how
the accident will unfold.
It also helps in preparing recommendations for the protection ofpeople and the environment. Its organizational structure has long
been adapted to these tasks and is regularly tested and improved. It draws on specially trained teams and material resources toensure effective emergency response.

2
ionizing radiationdose assessments bybiological dosimetry

877

meetings involving
IRSN in connection
with CODIRPA’s
work on postaccident situations

0

action taken by the
emergency response
center

ACTIVITIES — EMERGENCY AND POST-ACCIDENT SITUATIONSANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

EMERGENCY
PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE
IRSN provides the public authorities with support in the event of an incident or accident, and puts
forward proposals to the safety authorities on technical, health and medical measures to protect
the population and environment in the region concerned. For IRSN’s teams, preparedness is tested
mainly through participation in national and international exercises.

TWO PATENTED IMPROVEMENTS
FOR WHOLE-BODY RADIATION COUNTS

78

Drawing largely on feedback from the Fukushima accident,
IRSN has developed two tools for performing internal contamination measurements that meet a numberof requirements that were not covered until now. Twopatent applications were filed for these tools in 2016.
Thyroid contamination measurement in children was not very
effective at Fukushima, because the detectors used were calibrated using an adult-sized thyroid phantom. This led IRSN
to develop a series of thyroid phantoms of different
sizes, called FANTHY, made using a 3D printer. These
represent thyroid volumes at different ages and are used
to calibrate detection systems more rigorously and thus obtain more accurate estimates of the risk to children’s healthinduced by exposure to radioactive iodine.
The second tool, called PORTIK, is a new portable device forinternal contamination measurements that is designed
to perform whole-body radiation counts on stretcher
cases, wheelchair users or people with reduced mobility.

ACTIVITIES — EMERGENCY AND POST-ACCIDENT SITUATIONSANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

NEW INROADS IN EPR
SPECTROSCOPY FOR RAPIDDOSE MEASUREMENT
Characterizing radiation exposure andassessing the received doses are essential for effectively treating the victims of aradiological accident. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy
is one of the techniques that IRSN uses
to provide the most suitable responsein these situations. EPR is used to estimate
the dose generated by ionizing radiationin materials by quantifying the productionof free radicals, whose number is proportional to the dose.
As this method has proved effective
in many assessments, IRSN continues
research in this area to regularly broaden
its scope. In the past five years, it hasdeveloped new, minimally invasive
protocols for victims that can be used
to estimate received doses from nailsamples or just a few milligrams of
tooth enamel.

Measurement performance on tooth enamel samples was evaluated in 2016. The
results showed that one person could measure 120 samples a day, with a correct classification rate of 93% in the 0-1 Gy range,and of 100% for doses above 2 Gy. Other
research was aimed at identifying the radical species used for nail dosimetry, in orderto optimize protocols for isolating the radiation-induced component of the signal.
These advances shorten analysis times
and thus considerably increase IRSN’s
measurement capability in post-accident situations.

MORE TOOLS FOR ASSESSING
RADIOLOGICAL RISKSIRSN has increased its resources for assessing radiological risks in emergencies, in order to optimize the operational support it provides the authorities. This effort is partof its emergency response management initiative andpreparatory work.
Assessments are being prepared on mobile tools forcharacterizing the affected areas, a gamma camera designed to locate high concentrations of soil contamination, andunmanned aerial vehicles to obtain photos and videos of hilly
or mountainous areas where access is difficult. In emergency situations, the authorities and Prefects concerned need
the most accurate information possible on the radiologicalsituation on the ground to decide on the steps to be taken
to protect the population. The resources above will help meetthis need.

A SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION
TO THE GOVERNMENTEMERGENCY PLAN
In 2014, the Ministry of the Interior
published a guide aimed at facilitating
the application of the national emergency
response plan to a major nuclear or radiological accident at the level of zones
or departments.
In 2016, IRSN helped the Ministry in
its work with prefectures in charge ofzones that apply the plan at their level.
It also contributed to the ongoing task ofplanning and improving the response toa nuclear accident, as requested by thegovernment, and embodied in a road map
implemented with the national plan.

IRSN collaborated with the authorities
on 10 of the 12 initiatives that make up
the road map coordinated by the General
Secretariat for Defense and National Security (SGDSN). It carried out various studies
that are essential to the work of the ministries involved, particularly with regard
to reviewing measures implemented
to protect the population in the emergency
phase of a nuclear accident, and to updating post-accident management policy.

10 12
actions on the roadmap coordinated by
the SGDSN benefited from IRSN’s expertise

FOCUS

IRSN has also begun to renovate the communication
system for its teams on the ground. A specialized communications vehicle forms the backbone of this new system.
Equipped with high-performance technology (dish antenna,
3G/4G, WIFI, radio), it will enhance connection capabilities
with IRSN’s emergency response center in Fontenay-auxRoses, near Paris.

79

AGREEMENT SIGNED WITH “GIP SOURCES HA”
GIP Sources HA is the name of a public interest group that organizes theretrieval and disposal of spent high-activity sealed sources. It was set up in2009 by CEA and CisBio International to ensure optimum conditions of safety
and security in the management of unused sealed sources, made or suppliedby the two companies in France and abroad. In order to accomplish this task,
which meets one of the commitments made by France at the Washington andSeoul security summits, the public interest group wished to set up a collaborationagreement with IRSN. Under the agreement signed in April 2016, IRSN will provide the public interest group with technical expertise. In the summer of 2016, it
completed its first work under the agreement, by performing an assessment ofradioactive sources in Lebanon in preparation for their return to France.

ACTIVITIES — SAFETY
ANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

PARTICIPATION IN 12 NATIONALEMERGENCY EXERCISES
For more than 20 years, the organization of IRSN’s material and human resources has been regularly tested andimproved to provide the public authorities with optimum technical and operational support in the eventof a nuclear or radiological emergency.

80

In 2016, its emergency response center was activatedduring 12 national emergency exercises. These provided an opportunity to check IRSN’s response capabilities
and the quality of its action, as well as the efficiency of its
policy for managing the skills of its emergency response
teams. New team members are periodically hired andtrained through the newly created emergency response
module at IRSN’s internal university. IRSN’s emergency
response teams take part in a growing number of national
emergency exercises organized by the authorities. This provides them with further training, which is supplemented byparticipation in local exercises organized by some companies in the nuclear industry.
In all, IRSN took part in twenty national and local exercises in 2016. It also continued its efforts to raise employees’
awareness of emergency management.

ACTIVITIES — EMERGENCY AND POST-ACCIDENT SITUATIONSANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

POST-ACCIDENT ACTIVITIESIRSN is involved in preparing French policy on managing the post-accident phase of a possible nuclear accident.
Within this context, it works on analyzing feedback from post-accident management of the Fukushima accident.

PARTICIPATION IN CODIRPA WORKIRSN has been involved in the activities of the
ASN-led Steering Committee for the management of the post-accident phase of a Nuclear
Accident or a Radiological Emergency (CODIRPA) since the Committee was set up. CODIRPA’s
work is now set out in the road map of the national response plan for major nuclear or radiological accidents.
In 2016, IRSN was involved in a working
group on waste (GT Déchets), set up at the
beginning of the year for a period of two years.
The purpose of the group is to define aspectsof policy and strategy aimed at reducing
contamination in areas concerned by anaccident, and managing the resulting
waste. The working group draws on CODIRPA’s previous work and on feedback from accidents at Chernobyl and Fukushima.
Another working group focuses on stakeholder involvement. Here, IRSN is helping toprepare a radiation protection good practices
guide intended for people who might one
day be affected by a nuclear accident. The
guide will draw on the work carried out as partof the ETHOS program in Belarus, CODIRPA’s
activities, and the European PREPARE program, as well as on documents distributed to
the Japanese population following the Fukushima accident.

FEEDBACK FROM THE
FUKUSHIMA DAIICHI ACCIDENTDIALOGUE BETWEEN THE LOCALPOPULATION AND EXPERTS AT FUKUSHIMA

If any lessons are to be learned from how
the Fukushima accident was managed,
French policy in emergency responsemanagement must be set against therealities encountered in Japan. In thiscontext, IRSN began a study to compare the measures recommended
by French policy with the situationin Japan, highlighting both theirstrengths and weaknesses. The
purpose of the study is to provide
concrete input for a potential review
of post-accident policy.

From late 2011 to the end of 2015, IRSN took part in the“initiative for dialogue on the rehabilitation of living
conditions in the Fukushima prefecture”, organized
by ICRP and Japanese NGOs to understand the issues
facing the local population in their everyday life following an accident. Twelve meetings were organized
to allow local stakeholders (farmers, teachers, parents,
students, municipalities, consumers, etc.) to share theirexperiences and talk with Japanese and foreign radiation protection experts.

It seeks to centralize and synthesize all
the data on the management of the Fukushima accident. and thus contributeto the work carried out by IRSN itself
and the public authorities on emergency
management (for both the emergency
and post-accident phases). The topics
covered include protecting the population, managing the consumption andmarketing of foodstuffs, and decontamination and waste management.

81

IRSN carried out a study with the French Nuclear
Protection Assessment Center (CEPN) to see what
initial lessons could be learned for France. The study emphasizes the importance of human aspects and the
crucial need for residents to have direct access to dose
measurement. It shows how experts can help by addressing the local population’s concerns.
In order to share this experience and the lessons learned, IRSN coordinated the production of a trilingual
web documentary that was put online in March 2016.
The documentary, entitled “Kotoba: Dialogues inFukushima”goes back over the history of these
dialogues and includes many personal accounts
by residents.
In October 2016, IRSN continued this type of initiative and took part in another dialogue organizedin Kawauchi in cooperation with the University ofNagasaki.

ACTIVITIES — EMERGENCY AND POST-ACCIDENT SITUATIONSANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

EFFICIENCEEFFICIENCYIRSN contributes
L’IRSN
participe àtola preventing
prévention anddes risquesdetectingnucléaires
nuclear andet radiologiques,radiologicalà leurasétection
risks
well as limitinget à la limitation
their effects
de leurs
in orderéventuels
to protect
effets,peoplepour protégerla populationandthe environment.
et l’environnement.

INTERNAL POLICIESHARNESSING HUMAN POTENTIALA RESPONSIBLE ORGANIZATIONORGANIZATION CHART

GOVERNING BODY

83

84

86

87

90

90

INTERNAL POLICIESThe action of IRSN’s functional divisions is aimed atharnessing human potential, ensuring that the organization
is run efficiently and responsibly, and continuing its
modernization. All these objectives are part of an initiative
to improve the management and development of multiyear
programming throughout IRSN’s activities, in line withthe regularly updated 2016-2018 Medium Term Plan
(PMT), which was submitted to the Board of Directors in
February 2016.

84

IMPLEMENTATION OF THE DECREEON BUDGET MANAGEMENT
AND PUBLIC ACCOUNTINGThe Decree of November 7, 2012 on budget management
and public accounting, which was introduced to improvefinancial management and public accounting in publicorganizations, has been enforced at IRSN since February
2016.
Public budget execution is now expressed in terms of commitment authorizations and payment appropriations, withcommitment authorizations only being granted to «firm»
commitments.The main purposes of this initiative are
to improve the quality of financial management andaccounting, reinforce management culture, enhance management efficiency, and overhaul the processes and organization of public bodies. This reform entailed significantly reworking the processes and tools usedat IRSN to support budget management; it should
eventually make it easier to keep track of the budget.

EFFICIENCYANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

FLEXIBLE WORKING HOURS:INTRODUCTION OFPERSONALIZED WORKINGHOURS AND DAYS OFF
Following the agreement on flexible working hours that it signed with the tradeunions at the end of 2015, IRSN began
in 2016 to prepare for the deployment of a badging system, whichis planned to come into service on
January 1, 2017.
It was decided to opt for a single technical solution installed on computers, andavailable via the intranet on all IRSN sites
and for all IRSN staff.
The system meets regulatory requirements on mandatory breaks.
At the same time, managers will haveaccess to monitoring and analytical tools.

The trade unions took part in deciding
how the selected procedures could be
implemented in practical terms, andprogress was regularly reported Works
Council meetings.
A trial run was carried out in November
with 250 staff in both operational andfunctional divisions, to fine tune the application and answer employees’ questions. It revealed a number of particularsituations, including some site-specificcases.

FOCUS

A quarterly review will be organizedwith the trade unions in 2017 to examine
the operational feedback, and make any
adjustments that may be required.

ELECTRONIC INVOICE PROCESSING
As part of its initiative to modernize budget, financial, andaccounting management, in line with the Decree on budget
management and public accounting, IRSN has developed
tools for receiving and sending electronic invoices.
This more modern way of working imposes the needto secure the organization’s information system to ensure
the integrity of documents and the traceability of operations, and to maintain control of authorizations. Ultimately,
this will make it easier to keep accounts for outgoing andincoming invoices.
At the same time, these changes have made it possible toautomate invoice processing and ensure secure document
management and filing.
In addition, electronic invoicing reduces the time
suppliers have to spend on sending, processing andkeeping track of invoices, and saves postage and paper
filing costs. It introduces a new service with online tracking of invoices that have been sent, and a special spacefor handling queries.

CHANGING ORGANIZATIONIRSN is adapting its organization to provide an effective response to the
French government’s modernization policies and to be part of the new dynamics. In 2016, these changes focused on two areas: regulatory changes relating to budgets, and new security issues.
Regarding economic performance and, in particular, efficiency in opening
up public procurement contracts to competition, a new organizational
structure was set up to meet new requirements, such as those set out in
Order 2015-899 of July 23, 2015. The new structure allows for the extra work
load due to the new thresholds and rules concerning competition, as well as
the related publication procedures.

85

On the subject of security, IRSN took action to strengthen its resources
to address new issues raised by technical progress, regulatory changes, andcounter-terrorism. This included setting up a special department in 2016that brings together specialists in various areas of expertise concerning bothfacility and transport security. It is also developing new technical skills, especially in cybersecurity, which is now central to protection and control systems
at nuclear facilities.
At a time of ever stricter requirements, IRSN plans on improving its capacity to assess the action taken by licensees of nuclear facilities and of those
responsible for transporting nuclear materials. The new department will also
be expected to enhance synergy between specialists in nuclear safety andnuclear security to ensure that the specific requirements of each area are
given due consideration.
EFFICIENCYANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

HARNESSING HUMAN POTENTIALINTERNAL UNIVERSITY - LATEST NEWS86

IRSN’s Internal University was created in 2014 toprovide education and training for staff, and ensure thatknowledge is passed on and shared. The year 2016 saw
the creation of a new specialized module to design
training courses in strategy, management, andcommunication. Its goals are to promote and share IRSN’s
strategy and ambitions regarding communication andopenness to society, and to develop management culture.
It has begun work on preparing an awareness module,
the first sessions of which are scheduled for the second
semester of 2017. Training sessions based on operational
experience feedback to improve IRSN’s practices andoverall performance (organizing responses for national andinternational calls for projects, ANR, Horizon 2020, RSNR,
etc.) were also created. These courses, which are importantfor ensuring that IRSN’s strategy is applied throughout theorganization, were attended by sixty employees.
Work also began on reviewing the organization andmethods of the seminar for newcomers. The aim is
to favor interactivity and exchange, in particular with the
Director General and managers. In the new seminar, workshops led by managers are proposed to new employees fromvarious sectors of activity and different sites, giving themthe opportunity to get to know one another, discover thefull range of IRSN’s activities, and develop a shared culture.
This initiative will be completed in 2017.

EFFICIENCYANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

The emergency response and assessment modules continue to add to thetraining courses on offer, and propose
innovative teaching methods, including
simulations of meetings of an advisorygroup on safety, and role plays for on-callstaff at the emergency response center.
They are also continuing to develop coreskills by introducing new specialized
modules (fire, criticality, operating experience feedback analysis, etc.).
The work carried out in 2016 in the fieldof internal educational engineering has
also made a significant contribution to
the deployment of IRSN’s training policy,
and driven progress towards the ambitious objectives the Internal University
has set for itself.

A RESPONSIBLE ORGANIZATION
REINFORCING THE QUALITY SYSTEM
Following an audit, IRSN’s certification was renewedby AFNOR in July 2016, a new service provider selected after a competitive bidding process. The auditors
did not find any noncompliance or weakness, and madean initial diagnosis of the steps to be taken to obtain the2015 version of the ISO 9001 certification, which IRSN
wishes to acquire in early 2018. An action plan has been
initiated for this purpose. It entails a coordinated approach
between major risk management and the quality management system. A Risk Management Committee has been set
up for this purpose. It works hand in hand with the Quality
Committee to identify quality processes that might give rise
to major risks, and to take the necessary steps for improved
risk management.
The 2015 version of the ISO 9001 standard also provides
for closer ties between the quality management systemand the organization’s general strategy. With this in mind,
IRSN identified interested parties in 2016, together with thequality system issues related to its general strategy.

HEALTH IN THE WORKPLACE:
ADDICTION PREVENTIONCAMPAIGN
Following on from the action carried out
in 2015 for the prevention of psychosocial risks, IRSN started an addiction
awareness campaign in 2016. A seriesof conferences was therefore proposed
for all employees, with the participationof Dominique Lhuillier, a psychologist
and professor at the CNAM engineeringschool. Three such conferences were
held: two in Fontenay-aux-Roses and one
in Cadarache. They involved 130 staff.

In 2016, 60 new managers followed
the training course in place since 2015
to increase awareness of the risks ofaddiction and offer tools for detecting,guiding and supporting employees who
might be confronted with such issues.
The one-day course presents concrete
examples and proposes solutions
through real-life simulations. The course,which is intended for all IRSN managers,
will be maintained in 2017.

60

managers trainedin addiction prevention

87

As part of the same initiative, managers
were given special attention, as they playa crucial role in the quality of life in theworkplace. A working group, composedof the occupational health physician, thesocial worker, and voluntary operationaland functional staff, prepared a kit for
managers, comprising practical guides
on how to handle cases of addiction.

EFFICIENCYANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

DELIVERY OF BUILDING Z
AT LE VÉSINET
On January 29, 2016, IRSN’s new building at Le Vésinet, called Building Z, wasaccepted following 15 months of work.
The two-story laboratory and industrial process building, has a total
area of some 4,000 m², and meetsenvironmental standards applicable
to commercial buildings. Since June
2016, the building has been home to
the IRSN Dosimetry Laboratory (LDI),
the Radiotoxicological Medical Analysis Laboratory (LAMR), and some of thesite’s logistics resources and activities.

88

The building gives IRSN the modern,
optimum infrastructure it needs to provide professionals exposed to ionizing
radiation with an efficient, high-quality
service for dose monitoring and radiotoxicological analysis.
The handover of the old building to thedeveloper in charge of the eco-districtis scheduled for January 20, 2017, bringing to a close one of the projects on
IRSN’s Multiyear Property Master Plan.

EFFICIENCYANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

INITIATIVE TO IMPROVECORPORATE SOCIALRESPONSIBILITY
As in previous years, IRSN continued
its efforts to ensure that greater
consideration is given to environmental responsibility and sustainable development criteria in all its
policies. Observations made during
the year, highlighted the improvements
relating to this action. For example, at theend of 2016, CO2 emissions from IRSN’s
vehicle fleet had fallen by about 30%
compared with 2009. This was achievedby gradually renewing the fleet withelectric or hybrid vehicles. Similarly,
annual energy consumption per employee dropped by 16% over the same
period.

In 2016, controlling energy costs andreducing waste were the focus of attention. In this context, IRSN began to
introduce remote electric, gas, and water meters at all its Cadarache facilities,
for a consolidated view of its consumption.Meanwhile, a study was begun atFontenay-aux-Roses and Le Vésinet to
identify areas where energy savings
could be made.
In 2016, IRSN took many initiatives
to increase awareness among staffof the need to cut down on waste,
including posters giving reminders on
good practices, especially concerning
printing and waste sorting, and a workshop encouraging staff to recycle usedor defective equipment.
89

At the same time, IRSN continued toincrease the number of its contracts
incorporating a social responsibility
clause.

30%
reduction in the CO2 emissionsof IRSN’s vehicle fleet compared
to 2009

EFFICIENCYANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

GOVERNING BODY
ORGANIZATION CHART

Senior Advisor
Michel BOURGUIGNON

Director General
Jean-Christophe NIEL

(AS OF FEBRUARY 15, 2017)

Deputy Director
General, in charge ofDefense-related missions
Georges-Henri MOUTON

Deputy Director
General, in chargeof Nuclear Safety
Thierry CHARLES

Deputy Director
General, in chargeof Administration
Jean-Bernard CHÉRIÉDeputy Director
General, in chargeof Radiation Protection
Jérôme JOLY

Scientific Director
Giovanni BRUNA
Knowledge Management Director
Martial JORELFUNCTIONAL AND SUPPORT DIVISIONSStrategy, development and partnerships — Matthieu SCHULER

Human resources — Patricia de la MORLAISInternational affairs — Marc-Gérard ALBERT

Financial, Business and Legal Affairs — Didier DEMEILLERS

Communications — Marie-Pierre BIGOT

Security, Assets and Information Systems — Bruno DUFER

90

Accounting Office — Pierre PIQUEMAL-LAGORREOPERATIONAL DIVISIONS AND BUSINESS UNITSDefense, Security and Non-proliferation
Georges-Henri MOUTON

Nuclear safety
Thierry CHARLES

Radiation protection, environment,
waste and emergency response
Jérôme JOLY

Nuclear Defense Expertise
Sylvain LAVARENNE

Nuclear Safety Expertise
Frédéric MÉNAGE

Protection of human health
Jocelyne AIGUEPERSE

Safety Research
Véronique ROUYER

Environment
Jean-Christophe GARIEL

Systems, New Reactors and Safety Initiatives
Karine HERVIOU

Waste and GeosphereFrançois BESNUS
Emergency response
Sylvie SUPERVILEFFICIENCYANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

Dosimetry laboratory
Simon TOURARD
International Business
Development
Jean-Marie MATTÉISENIOR MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
Jean-Christophe NIEL
Director General
Georges-Henri MOUTON
Deputy Director General, in chargeof Defense related missions
Jean-Bernard CHÉRIÉDeputy Director General,in charge of Administration

Marc-Gérard ALBERT
Director of International Afairs

Thierry CHARLES
Deputy Director Generalin charge of nuclear safety

Martial JOREL
Director of Knowledge
Management

Jérôme JOLY
Deputy Director Generalin charge of radiation protection

Matthieu SCHULER
Director of Strategy,
Development and Partnerships

Giovanni BRUNA
Scientific Director

Marie-Pierre BIGOT
Director of Communications

Patricia DE LA MORLAIS
Director of Human Resources

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE (AS OF FEBRUARY 15, 2017)
The IRSN Executive Committee is chaired by the Director General and madeup of 26 members representing the Institute’s operational and functional
divisions. It meets once monthly to examine matters of strategy, development, operation, and the positions adopted by the Institute on various topics.

13

26

16

24

5
19

7

15

3

18

9

20

12

14
21

2

23

1

8
10
4

17

11
22

25

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Jocelyne AIGUEPERSE (1)Marc-Gérard ALBERT (2)François BESNUS (3)Marie-Pierre BIGOT (4)Giovanni BRUNA (5)Karine HERVIOU
Thierry CHARLES (7)Jean-Bernard CHÉRIÉ (8)Michel CHOUHA* (9)Patricia de la MORLAIS (10)Didier DEMEILLERS (11)André ROUBAUD (12)Jean-Christophe GARIEL (13)Jérôme JOLY (14)Martial JOREL (15)
Didier LOUVAT** (16)Jean-Marie MATTÉI (17)Frédéric MÉNAGE (18)
Véronique ROUYER (19)Georges-Henri MOUTON (20)Jean-Christophe NIEL (21)

Sylvain LAVARENNE (22)
Pierre PIQUEMAL-LAGORRE (23)Matthieu SCHULER (24)
Sylvie SUPERVIL (25)
Simon TOURARD (26)
* Riskaudit – ** ENSTTIEFFICIENCYANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

BOARD OF DIRECTORS(AS OF FEBRUARY 15, 2017)

Missions
Deliberations by the Board of Directors rule on IRSN activities. Morespecifically, the Board deliberates on
general conditions governing theInstitute’s organization and operation, its strategy and program, andits annual report. It also approves thebudget, decisions involving changes,
year-end financial statements andincome appropriation.
A member of parliament(nomination pending)A senator
92

Michel BERSON, Senator and member of the French Parliamentary Oice for
the Evaluation of Scientific and Technological Choices.
Ten government representatives
Norbert FARGÈRE, Nuclear Safety
Inspector for DGA, the French defense
procurement agency, representing the
Minister of Defense.
Laurent TAPADINHAS, Director of
Research and Innovation, representing
the Minister of the Environment.
Joëlle CARMES, Deputy Director ofEnvironmental and Food Risk Prevention at the French Directorate-Generalfor Health.

Aurélien LOUIS, Deputy Director for
the Nuclear Industry, Directorate-General for Energy and Climate, representing
the Minister of Industry.

Five advisory members

Frédéric RAVEL, Scientific Directorof the Energy, Sustainable Development,
Chemistry and Process Departmentof the Directorate General for Researchand Innovation, representing the Minister of Research.

Bruno DUVERT, Air Force Brigadier General, nominatedby the Minister of Defense.

Faouzia FEKIRI, Head of the Risk
Resilience Assessment Oice of the Directorate General for Civil Protection andEmergency Response, representing the
Minister of Civil Protection.
Frédéric TÉZÉ, Deputy, Subdirectorate for Working Conditions, Health and
Safety, Directorate-General for Labor,
representing the Minister of Labor.
Jean-Baptiste MINATO, Head of theEnergy, Proitsharing, Industry and Innovation oice at the Budget Directorate,
representing the Minister of the Budget.
Alain GUILLEMETTE, Representativein charge of Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection for Defense-related Activities and Facilities.
Pierre-Franck CHEVET, Head of the
Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection
Mission.

Jean-Claude DELALONDE, Chairman of the National
Association of Local Information Commissions and Committees, nominated by the Minister of the Environment.

Dominique LE GULUDEC, Chairperson of the IRSN Boardof Directors, Professor of Medicine, Head of the Nuclear
Medicine Department of Bichat Hospital in Paris, nominatedby the Minister of Health.
Laurent MOCHÉ, CEO of Edenkia, nominated by the Minister of Energy.
Agnès SMITH, Professor at the Ecole nationale des céramiques industrielles de Limoges, nominated by the Ministerof Research.
Eight staff representatives
Léna LEBRETON, CGT.
Nicolas BRISSON, CGT.
François DUCAMP, CGT.
Marie-Paule ENILORAC-PRIGENT, CFE-CGC.
Thierry FLEURY, CFDT.
François JEFFROY, CFDT.
Olivier KAYSER, CFE-CGC.
Christophe SERRES, CFDT.
Ex officio or associate members
Jean-Pascal CODINE, Budget Comptroller.
Philippe BOURACHOT, Works Committee Secretary.
Marc MORTUREUX, Director General of Risk Prevention
and Government Commissioner.
Georges-Henri MOUTON, Deputy Director General,in charge of Defense-related missions.
Jean-Christophe NIEL, Director General.
Pierre PIQUEMAL-LAGORRE, Accounting Officer.

EFFICIENCYANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

STEERING COMMITTEE FOR THE NUCLEAR
DEFENSE EXPERTISE DIVISION – CODEND(AS OF FEBRUARY 15, 2017)

Missions
The committee examines the activity program prepared by the nuclear defense. Expertise division before
it is submitted to the institute’s Board of directors. it isconsulted when the Board of directors is called upon
to make decisions relating specifically to the organization or running of this division and advises the Board of
directors on matters related to division activities.
Alain GUILLEMETTE, CODEND Chairman, Representative in charge of Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection for
Defense related Activities and Facilities.
Pierre de VILLIERS, General, representative of the Armed
Forces Chief of Staff.
Éric SCHERER, Rear-Admiral, Nuclear Weapons Inspector.
Norbert FARGÈRE, Engineer General for Armaments,
representing the DGA, the French defense procurement
agency.
Frank BARRERA, Colonel, representing the administrative Secretary General of the Ministry of Defense.
Jean-Baptiste MINATO, Representing the Budget Director.
Chloé BAUDREUX, Representing the Director of Strategic
Affairs, Security and Disarmament at the Ministry of Foreignand European Affairs.
Christian DUFOUR, Deputy Head of the Economic andNuclear Infrastructure Security Department, representing
the High Civil Servant for Defense and Security of the Ministry of the Economy, Finance, and Industry.
Christophe QUINTIN, Head of the Department of Defense,
Security and Economic Intelligence, representing the High
Civil Servant for Defense and Security at the Ministry of Environment, Energy, and the Sea.
Serge POULARD, Advisory member, appointed by the
Minister of Industry.

SCIENTIFIC COUNCIL(AS OF FEBRUARY 15, 2017)

Missions
The scientific council examines andgives its opinion on IRSN activity programs and ensures that its research
programs are scientifically relevant
and of the highest quality. It examines
program results in order to prepare
recommendations on institute strategy. It may be consulted by the
Board’s chairperson or by the supervisory ministers on any subject thatcomes under the Institute’s authority.

Éric ANDRIEU, Professor at the Toulouse National Polytechnic Institute (INP).
Bernard BONIN, Deputy ScientificDirector of the CEA Nuclear Energy
Division, nominated by the Minister ofResearch.
Denis GAMBINI, Medical practitioner,
researcher at the Occupational Health
Department at the Hôtel-Dieu hospital in
Paris, nominated by the Minister of Labor.
Didier BAPTISTE, Scientific Director at
the French National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety Research (INRS).

Pierre TOULHOAT, Deputy CEO of theFrench Geological Survey (BRGM), IRSN
Scientific Council Chairman.
Jean-Christophe AMABILE, Chief
Medical Officer, radiation protection specialist at the Armed Forces Radiation Protection Department (SPRA).

93

Hugues DELORME, Professor specialized in neutron physics at the School of
Military Applications of Atomic Energy(EAMEA).
Patsy-Ann THOMPSON, Director ofEnvironmental and Radiation Protection
and Assessments at the Canadian Nuclear
Safety Commission, nominated by the
Minister of the Environment.
Frank HARDEMAN, Director in chargeof Radiation Protection-EnvironmentHealth at the Belgian Nuclear ResearchCenter (SCK-CEN).
Jean-Paul MOATTI, University professor.
Guy FRIJA, University professor.
Denis VEYNANTE, Research Director
at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS).
EFFICIENCYANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

ETHICS COMMISSIONCOMPOSITION(AS OF FEBRUARY 15, 2017)

Missions

94

Included as part of the order organizing IRSN, the Ethics commission
reports to the Board of directors
and is responsible for advising it on
preparing ethical charters that are
applicable to the Institute’s activities
and for monitoring their application, including conditions within theInstitute for separating assessment
missions performed on behalf ofgovernment departments and those
performed for public or private operators. It also serves as a mediatorwhen problems of an ethical naturearise.
Jean-Pierre DUPUY, Chairman of theCommission, Corps des Mines Engineer
General, philosopher, professor at the
École Polytechnique and Stanford University, California, and member of theFrench Academy of Technology.
Agnès BUZYN, Doctor and professorof hematology, Chairperson, National
Authority for Health (HAS).
Marc CLÉMENT, Public reporter to the
Administrative Appeal Court in Lyon,
member of the Environmental Authorityof the General Council for the Environment and Sustainable Development.

Éric VINDIMIAN, Engineer Generalin rural engineering, water and forests,
Regional Director of the Irstea (French
research institute for environmental andagricultural science and technology), specialist in the impact of toxic substanceson the environment and health and inassessment of public environmental policies, member of the Environmental Authority and Coordinator of the Research
and Technology Commission of the General Council for the Environment and Sustainable Development.
Frédéric WORMS, Professor of Philosophy at the Ecole Normale Supérieure,
Director of the Centre internationald’étude de la Philosophie française
contemporaine (part of the Républiquedes savoirs, USR 3608 ENS/Collège deFrance/CNRS), Member of the French
National Ethics Advisory Committee(CCNE).

NUCLEAR SAFETY AND RADIATIONPROTECTION RESEARCH POLICYCOMMITTEE – COR(AS OF FEBRUARY 15, 2017)

Missions
The nuclear safety and radiation Protection Research
Policy committee, or COR, is an advisory body to the
IRSN Board of directors, giving opinions on research
objectives and priorities in the fields of nuclear safety
and radiation protection. it adopts a global approachthat takes into consideration the requirements of society and the public authorities, complementing theactivity of IRSN’s scientific council, which focuses on
the quality and relevance of the Institute’s research
programs and outcomes from a scientific perspective.
Public authorities• Supervisory ministry representatives:
Bruno GILLET, Task Officer, Directorate-General for
Research and Innovation, representing the Ministry of
Research. Representative of the Directorate-General for
Health, representative of the Ministry of Health.
Lionel MOULIN, Head of the Environmental Risks and
Health Mission, Research Department, Directorate for
Research and Innovation, representing the Ministry of Environment, Energy, and the Sea.
Jean-François CAU, Nuclear Safety Inspector, DGA(French defense procurement Agency).
Mayeul PHELIP, Task Officer at the Policy and Supervisory
Office, Directorate-General for Energy and Climate, representing the Ministry of Environment, Energy, and the Sea.

• Representing the Ministry of Labor:Thierry LAHAYE, in charge of matters relating to theprotection of workers against physical hazards, Directorate
General for Labor.
• Representative of French Nuclear Safety Authority:
nomination pending.

EFFICIENCYANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

Companies and professional associations

Associations

Ex officio membersNoël CAMARCAT, Nuclear Research andDevelopment Officer, Generation and Engineering Branch, EDF.

David BOILLEY, President of Acro.

Yves BRÉCHET, Atomic Energy High
Comissioner.

Bernard LE GUEN, EDF representing
SFRP.

Simon SCHRAUB, Director of the Ligue
Nationale Contre le Cancer.

Bertrand de l’ÉPINOIS, Safety Standards Director, representing Areva.
Jean-Jacques MAZERON, Head of theRadiotherapy-Oncology
Department,
Pitié- Salpêtrière Hospital, SFRP representative.
Soraya THABET, Director of Risk
Control, Andra.
Employees in the nuclear sector• Representatives of national labor
unions:Jean-Paul CRESSY, FCE-CFDT.
Martine DOZOL, FO.
Claire ÉTINEAU, CFTC.
Jacques DELAY, CFE-CGC.
Clément CHAVANT, CGT.
Elected representatives• OPECST representatives:
François COMMEINHES, Senator for
Hérault.
Denis BAUPIN, Member of Parliamentfor Paris.
• Representative of the Local Information Commissions (Cli):
Monique SENÉ, Vice-President of Anccli.

• Representatives of municipalities
hosting a nuclear facility, proposedby the association of French Mayors:nomination pending.

Jean-Paul LACOTE,
Environnement.

FranceNatureAdvisory members
Jean-Claude DELALONDE, Presidentof ANCCLI.
Marie-Pierre COMETS, President of
the High Committee for Transparency andInformation on Nuclear Safety.
Dominique LE GULUDEC, Chairpersonof the IRSN Board of Directors, ex-officio
Chairperson of the Nuclear Safety andRadiation Protection Research Policy Committee.
Research organizationsMarc
MORTUREUX,
Government
Commissioner, represented by Benoit
BETTINELLI, Head of the Nuclear Safety
and Radiation Protection Mission, Ministryof Ecology, Sustainable Development andEnergy.
Pierre TOULHOAT, IRSN ScientificCouncil Chairman, Scientific Director at
INERIS.
Jean-Christophe NIEL, Director-General of IRSN.

95

Daniel FAGRET, Deputy Director Generalfor Strategy – Inserm.
Paristech representative (nomination pending), representative of the French Conference of University Presidents (CPU).
François GAUCHÉ, Director of Nuclear
Energy, CEA.
Cyrille THIEFFRY, Task Officer for Radiation Protection and Nuclear Affairs, IN2P3,
CNRS representative.
Foreign members
Christophe
BADIE,
Environmental
Assessments Department, Public Health
England, United Kingdom.
Ted LAZO, NEA, OECD.
George YADIGAROGLU, Professor of
Nuclear Engineering at the Swiss Federal
Institute of Technology.

nomination pending.
Bertrand RINGOT, Mayor of Gravelines.
EFFICIENCYANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

GLOSSARYCEACABRI CEA test reactor used by IRSN to study nuclear
fuel safety.

ECS Complementary safety assessments.

CASA Health Agency Networking Committee.

ENSTTI European Nuclear
Training and Tutoring Institute.

CEPN Nuclear Protection Assessment Center.

EPR European Pressurised water Reactor.

ANDRA French national radioactive
waste management agency.

CIGÉO Project for a repository in the Meuse/Haute-Marnefor the reversible geological disposal of radioactive waste.

ETSON European Technical Safety Organizations Network.

ANR French national research agency.

CLI Local Information Commission.

ANSES French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and
Safety.

CLIS Local information and oversight committee/now
known as CSS, site oversight committee.

EURADOS European Radiation Dosimetry Group.

ANCCLI French national associationof local information commissions andcommittees.

96

ASN French nuclear safety authority.

CONCERT European Concerted Program on Radiation
Protection Research.

ASND French nuclear safety authority
for defense-related facilities and activities.

COMET Coordination and implementation of a panEuropean instrument radioecology.

ASTEC Accident Source Term Evaluation Code – Computer code system jointly
developed by IRSN and GRS to assess
physical phenomena at work duringa PWR core meltdown accident.

COR Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection Research
Policy Committee.

B
BelV Subsidiary of the Belgian Federal
Agency for Nuclear Control.
BRGM French Geological Survey.
BSAF Benchmark Study if the Accident
at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power
Station - Project carried out under theaegis of the OECD/NEA.

CRITICALITY (RISKS) Risks associated with uncontrolled
fission phenomena in fissile materials.
D
DGAL Directorate General on Food Safety.
DGCCRF Directorate for Competition, Consumer Rights,
and Protection Against Fraud.
DGEC Directorate-General for Energy and Climate.
DSND Representative in charge of Nuclear Safety andRadiation Protection for Defense-related Activities andFacilities.
DoE/NNSA Department
Security Administration.

ofEnergy/National

Nuclear

DOSIMETRY Assessment or measurement of the doseof radiation (radioactivity) absorbed by a substance or anindividual.
DRL Diagnostic Reference Levels.

EFFICIENCYANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

SafetyEURATOM European Atomic Energy
Community.
H
HILW-LL High level and intermediatelevel long-lived waste.
HCERES High Council for Evaluationof Research and Higher Education.
HEGP Georges Pompidou European
Hospital.
HFDS High Civil Servant for Defense andSecurity – Ministry of Energy, the authority in charge of nuclear material protection
and control in France.

I

N

R

IAEA International Atomic Energy Agency.

NEA OECD Nuclear Energy Agency.

ICRP International Commission on Radiological Protection.

NERIS Research platform focusing on
emergency preparedness and response
and the management of post-accident
situations.

RADIOELEMENT Natural or artificial
radioactive element.

IFSTTAR French Institute of Science and Technology forTransport, Development and Networks.
IGAS General Inspectorate of Social Affairs.
IGR Institut Gustave Roussy.
INB Basic nuclear installation.

NGO Non-Governmental Organization.
NSC Chinese Nuclear Safety Center.

RADIONUCLIDE Radioactive isotope ofan element.
RESOH Research on Safety, Organization
and People - Chair at the Ecole de Minesin Nantes.
S

INERIS French National Institute for the Study of Industrial
Environments and Risks.

NUGENIA Nuclear Generation II &III Association – European association
devoted to research into Generation II and
III reactors.

IRSTEA French Research Institute for Agricultural andEnvironmental Engineering.

O

TECV French Act on energy transition
for green growth.

INBS Secret basic nuclear.

IVMR In Vessel Melt Retention.
J

OCDE Organization for Economic
Co-operation and Development.

SFR Sodium-cooled Fast Reactor.
T

TSN French act relative to Transparency
and Security in the Nuclear Field.

JCFC Japan Casting and Forging Corporation.

ODOBA Observatory of the durability ofreinforced concrete structures.

JOPRAD European Joint Programming on Deep Geological
Disposal of Radioactive Waste.

OPERRA Open Project for the European
Radiation Research Area.

U

M

P

US-NRC United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

MEEM Ministry of Environment, Energy, and the Sea.

PCR Radiation protection specialist.

MELODI Multidisciplinary European Low Dose Initiative Initiative, a European governance instrument set up to organize
research into risks relating to low-dose radiation exposure.

PRINCESS Project for IRSN Neutron
Physics and Criticality Experimental Data
Supporting Safety.

TSO Technical Safety Organization.
97

MOX Mixture of plutonium and uranium oxides-nuclear fuel.
MWe Megawatt electric, unit of electric power produced.
In a pressurized water reactor, the thermal power released isabout three times greater.

EFFICIENCYANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

SITES DETAILSHead Office31, avenue de la Division Leclerc - BP 1792262 Fontenay-aux-Roses Cedex
Tél. : +33 (0)1 58 35 88 88
Cadarache
BP 313115 Saint-Paul-lès-Durance Cedex
Tél. : +33 (0)4 42 25 70 00
Cherbourg-Octeville
Rue Max-Pol Fouchet - BP 1050130 Cherbourg-Octeville
Tél. : +33 (0)2 33 01 41 00
Les Angles-Avignon
550, avenue de la Tramontane BP 70295
Les Angles 30402 Villeneuve-lez-Avignon
Cedex
Tél. : 04 90 26 11 00

Le Vésinet
31, rue de l’Écluse - BP 40035
78116 Le Vésinet Cedex
Tél. : +33 (0)1 30 15 52 00

EDITORIAL AND PRODUCTION COORDINATION

Orsay
Bois-des-Rames (bât. 501)
91400 Orsay
Tél. : +33 (0)1 69 85 58 40

Coordination
Valérie Marchal, Strategy, development
and partnerships Division

PierrelatteBP 166 - 26702 Pierrelatte Cedex
Tél. : +33 (0)4 75 50 40 00
SaclayBP 68 - 91192 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex
Tél. : +33 (0)1 69 08 60 00
VairaoBP 182 - 98725 Vairao Tahiti
Polynésie française
Tél. : +00 689 54 60 39

PHOTO CREDITS
98

Cover:
Jean-Baptiste Saunier/IRSN
Interior:
Pages 6/7/8/9/11 : Antoine Devouard - Page 16 : Seignette Olivier/Lafontan Mikaël/IRSN –Page 18 : Laurent Zylberman/Graphix- Images/IRSN – page 20 : Jean-Marc Bonzom/IRSN– page 24 : Arnaud Bouissou/MEDDE/IRSN – page 26 : Nathalie Clipet/ASN - page 29 :Laurent Zylberman/Graphix-Images/IRSN – page 31 : Grégoire Maisonneuve/IRSN – page
34 : Grégoire Maisonneuve/IRSN – page 38 : Guillaume Elmassian/IRSN – page 41 : JeanMarie Huron/Signatures/IRSN – page 42 : Areva/Jezequel Sidney – page 47 : Jean-Marie
Huron/Signatures/IRSN – page 49 : Philippe Lesage/Areva – page 51 : Francesco Acerbis/
IRSN – page 56 : Olivier Guerrin/IRSN – page 65 : Jean-Baptiste Saunier/IRSN – page
68 : Laurent Zylberman/Graphix-Images/IRSN – page 71 : Laurent Zylberman/GraphixImages/IRSN - page 72 : Olivier Seignette/Mikaël Lafontan/IRSN – page 75 : Noak/Le bar
Floréal/IRSN – page 76 : Olivier Seignette/Mikaël Lafontan/IRSN – page 80 : Michel Hans/
BSM International/IRSN - page 82 : Laurent Zylberman/Graphix-Images/IRSN – page 84 :Laurent Zylberman/Graphix-Images/IRSN – page 86 : Stéphanie Clavelle/IRSN – page 88 :Nadège Abadie/Signatures/IRSN – page 91 : Antoine Devouard
Panorama:
Olivier Seignette/Mikaël Lafontan/IRSN – Pascale Monti/IRSN - Laurent Zylberman/
Graphix-Images/IRSN - © CLI de Chinon – IRSN - Fabrice Ecrabet/IRSN -Laurent
Zylberman/Graphix-Images/IRSN - Florence Levillain/Signatures/IRSN - Laurent
Zylberman/Graphix-Images/IRSN - IRSN/LESE - Île de Raivavae - © Jean-Marie Taillat/
Areva - David Claval/IRSN

EFFICIENCYANNUAL REPORT IRSN 2016

Steering committee
Staff Committee

Reference persons
Strategy: Matthieu Schuler
International: Marc-Gérard Albert
Knowledge management: Martial Jorel
Communications: Marie-Pierre Bigot
Safety: Richard Gonzalez, Karine Herviou, Frédérique Pichereau
Security/defense: Frédéric Mermaz
Waste and Geosphere: François Besnus, Didier Gay
Environment/Human: Jean-Christophe Gariel,
Jocelyne Aigueperse, Didier Gay
Emergency response: Jean-Michel Deligne
Property/Sustainable development: Bruno Dufer
Human resources: Patricia de la Morlais, Christine Tharaud.
Graphic design and production
Bug Agency
Printed byRelais Graphique
Translation
Provence traduction
This Annual Report was approuved by the IRSN Boardof Directors on February 21, 2017.

Annual report printed on paper produced fromsustainable resources.
© IRSNN° ISSN 2493-593X

Téléphone+33 (0)1 58 35 88 88
Courrier
BP 1792262 Fontenay-aux-Roses Cedex
Site Internet
www.irsn.fr

Photo credit : Jean-Baptiste Saunier/IRSN

Siège social
31, avenue de la Division-Leclerc
92260 Fontenay-aux-Roses
RCS Nanterre B 440 546 018