Annual Report

2009ENHANCING NUCLEAR SAFETYIN FRANCE AND AROUND THE WORLDIRSN, a public authority with industrial and commercial activities, was set up under Article
5 of French Act No. 2001-398 of May 9, 2001, enacted through Order No. 2002-254 ofFebruary 22, 2002. This Order was amended on April 7, 2007. The Institute is placed under
the joint authority of the Ministries of Defense, the Environment, Industry, Research, andHealth.
It is the nation’s public service expert in nuclear and radiation risks, and its activities
cover all the related scientiﬁc and technical issues. Its areas of specialization include theenvironment and radiological emergency response, human radiation protection in botha medical and professional capacity, and in both normal and post-accident situations,the prevention of major accidents, nuclear reactor safety, as well as safety in plants andlaboratories, transport and waste treatment, and nuclear defense expertise.
IRSN interacts with all parties concerned by these risks (public authorities, in particular
nuclear safety and security authorities, local authorities, companies, research organizations,stakeholders’ associations, etc.) to contribute to public policy issues relating to nuclear
safety, human and environmental protection against ionizing radiation, and the protectionof nuclear materials, facilities, and transport against the risk of malicious acts.

Human resources(1)

1,786 employees in various
professions, including specialists,
engineers, agronomists, veterinarians,
technicians, experts, and researchers.
These ﬁgures include:(2)
85.5
doctorate students.
(2)
28 post-doctorate students.
36 doctors or persons qualiﬁed
to direct research.

BudgetIRSN spent €301 million in 2009 (3):

45% of which went to researchand regulatory activities in the generalinterest;
47% to support services to the publicauthorities.

(1) This workforce consists of 1,644 persons on permanent contracts and 142 on ﬁxed-term contracts(these ﬁgures include 77 persons contracted out to other organizations, but do not include 24 secondments).
(2) Expressed in full-time equivalent terms.
(3) See Financial Report for further details.

CONTENTS

ORGANIZATIONEDITORIAL BY AGNÈS BUZYNAND JACQUES REPUSSARD

06

EDITORIAL BY MICHEL BRIÈRE

09

KEY EVENTS

10MAJOR REPORTS

13

ACTIVITY: KEY FIGURES

14

ORGANIZATION CHART

16

BOARD OF DIRECTORS18

STEERING COMMITTEE FOR THE NUCLEAR DEFENSE
EXPERTISE DIVISION19

SCIENTIFIC COUNCIL

20

NUCLEAR SAFETY AND RADIATION PROTECTIONRESEARCH POLICY COMMITTEE

21

22
SUMMARY AND OUTLOOKSTRATEGIC APPROACH 2006 - 200924

GOVERNMENT/IRSN CONTRACT OF OBJECTIVES30

ACTIVITIES

04

CHALLENGE 1
SAFETY AT EXISTING FACILITIES
1 – Monitoring facilities and transport
2 – Fuel safety
3 – Aging and extending service life
4 – Fires and containment
5 – Core meltdown accidents
6 – Natural hazards
About defense

36
36
41
42
44
46
50
51

CHALLENGE 2
CONDUCTING ASSESSMENTS
ON FUTURE FACILITIES
1 – Fourth-generation reactors and fuel cycles
2 – Geological repositories for nuclear waste

2 IRSN Annual Report 2009

54
54
55

CHALLENGE 3
ENVIRONMENTAL AND POPULATION EXPOSURE
1 – Environmental monitoring strategy
2 – Studies on site environments
3 – Expanding and consolidating radioecologicalknowledge
4 – A quality offering in metrology
5 – Radiation protection in the workplace

58
58
59
61
62
63

82

CHALLENGE 4
SECURITY OF NUCLEAR FACILITIES AND MATERIALS
1 – Protection and inspection of nuclear and sensitive
materials
2 – Protection against malicious acts

66
66
69

CHALLENGE 5
EMERGENCY RESPONSE
1 – Emergency response organization
2 – Developing tools

72
72
73

CHALLENGE 6
EFFECTS OF CHRONIC EXPOSURE

76

CHALLENGE 7
PROTECTION IN HEALTHCARE
1 – Radiopathology
2 – Radiation protection of patients

34

79
79
79

ENSURING EFFICIENCYQUALITY

84

HEALTH, SAFETY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION

85

SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL EXCELLENCE86

HUMAN RESOURCES

88

COMMUNICATIONS

90

TRAINING

92

GLOSSARY94

APPENDIX

96

FINANCIAL REPORT AT THE END OF THE ANNUAL REPORTIRSN SITE DETAILS (ON FLAP)IRSN Annual Report 20093

Nuclear safety and radiation
protection are complex technicalissues. To grasp them fully,
we need a partner we can count on,
an organization that is competent,transparent and tuned in to
our needs. »JEAN-CLAUDE DELALONDE, CHAIRMAN OF ANCCLIEDITORIALBY MICHEL BRIÈRE

09

KEY EVENTS

10MAJOR REPORTS

13

KEY FIGURES

14

ORGANIZATION CHART

16

BOARD OF DIRECTORS18

STEERING COMMITTEEFOR THE NUCLEAR DEFENSE
EXPERTISE DIVISION19

SCIENTIFIC COUNCIL

20

NUCLEAR SAFETY AND
RADIATION PROTECTIONRESEARCH POLICYCOMMITTEE21

ORGANIZATIONEDITORIAL BY AGNÈS BUZYNAND JACQUES REPUSSARD
06

ORGANIZATION«EDITORIAL BY AGNÈS BUZYNAND JACQUES REPUSSARD

Advancing the cause of
nuclear safety – a longterm global challenge, shaped byscience and social expectations.

The challenges posed by nuclear safety
and security, and by radiation protection,
will need to be addressed throughout
the century if nuclear energy is to bepart of the energy mix, on a lasting basis,in a growing number of countries.
With some 1,800 employees, researchers,
engineers, and technicians, IRSN plays acrucial role in improving safety, both inFrance and in the rest of the world. It is
now part of the European and worldwide
network of technical safety organizations
or TSOs. Consequently, safety challenges are of direct concern to IRSN, whichlooks to science to build the knowledge
and skills of its experts and drive progressin this area.
The development of new generationsof reactors, which is increasingly organized within international structures, isbuilt on progress in science and technology. Although third-generation reactors
may be in the news today, top researchers specialized in various areas such

6 IRSN Annual Report 2009

as mechanical engineering, physics, andthermal-hydraulics, are already at work
developing the fourth generation.
In this way, ITER can be considered on
the dividing line between fundamental
research and energy project. This type oftechnological development is carried out
by major research and industrial organizations that pool their resources and work
together on large-scale projects, often
involving several countries.
But what about safety? The Three Mile
Island accident in 1979, followed by the
Chernobyl disaster in 1986, signaled
the start of a period of intense effort toimprove safety and protection against ionizing radiation. Research teams focused on
the behavior of nuclear fuel and vital components of reactor systems and containments, and governments and industry
invested signiﬁcant ﬁnancial resources in
the area. New emergency response tools

and decision-making aids were developed
to help manage post-accident situations,
together with novel dosimetry methods
and therapeutic techniques to deal withcases of severe irradiation.
New types of reactors, known as“Generation III”, of which the EPR is one
example, were developed, taking advantage of all these development efforts. The
new reactors were designed to offer improved performance in terms of behavior in
accident situations, waste generation, andworker exposure to ionizing radiation.
Looking at these efforts and the concrete
results obtained, can we consider thatsafety issues are now behind us? Nothing
would be riskier!
Social acceptance of civil nuclear energy
is based on the assumption that there
will never be another severe accident at
a nuclear plant anywhere in the world.
But when it comes to safety, to standstill is to fall behind. New avenues ofresearch are emerging. Examples include

ORGANIZATION
Drawing on the knowledge and scientiﬁcskills it has acquired through research andanalysis of operating feedback on nuclear
facilities, the Institute examines the safety,
security, health, and radiation protection

measures planned by operators to assess
their suitability and determine their limits.
This task must be built on open dialogue
with operators, who are immediately
responsible for the safety of their facilities. We are pleased to see that IRSN andnuclear operators continue to enjoy thisspirit of dialogue, which has always been
the hallmark of nuclear safety in France.
The public authorities, which are responsible for deﬁning nuclear safety policy, canthus count on the results of IRSN assessments to carry out their tasks in full.
In 2006, these three stakeholders - operators, public authorities, and national expert
in risks – were joined by a fourth player,
civil society, which now has increased
access to stakeholder information, andplays an active role in risk alertness. Today,
the local information committees, and theHigh Committee for Transparency andA center of expertise in nuclear andradiological risk control that is completely in tune with social expectations
In order to act effectively, a scientiﬁcand technical safety organization like IRSN
requires considerable human and ﬁnancial
resources, and a technical infrastructure,built on a social base.
Today, recruiting and training experts isof concern to all technical safety organizations. Providing research opportunities
is surely one of the best ways to attract
talented young people.
But new generations of engineers andresearchers must also be trained and perfected in assessment methods. With thisin mind, IRSN decided to join forces with
its German counterpart, GRS, and with
two other TSOs to create the European
Nuclear Safety Training and Tutoring
Institute or ENSTTI.

IRSN Annual Report 2009

7

ACTIVITIESSUMMARY
AND OUTLOOK
Cutting-edge capabilities in science,research, and assessment must be acquired
and brought together in multidisciplinaryscience and technology centers if thesechallenges are to be met. In France, IRSN
has been assigned the role of science andtechnology center in the ﬁeld of safety,
security, and radiation protection.

Information on Nuclear Safety, are fullfledged members of the French safetysystem.

ENSURINGEFFICIENCY

learning how to control aging phenomena
in structural materials, of course, but also
in other materials, such as electric cables
and concrete, where long life is essential
for plant safety. If the service life of existing reactors is to be signiﬁcantly extended, then this scientiﬁc hurdle must be
overcome. Similarly, optimizing nuclear
waste management policies implies learning more about the effects of chronic very
low-dose exposure to ionizing radiation.

ORGANIZATIONAs of 2010, our partners in Europe andelsewhere will be able to beneﬁt from thetraining provided at ENSTTI to acquire aculture shared by all future experts. Backed
by the European Commission and the IAEA,
the new institute is destined to become
one of the world centers of excellence fortraining specialists in nuclear safety assessments, downstream of university training
programs, and an instrument for promoting the standardization of safety practices
around the world.
Although nuclear safety research is
expensive, cost-sharing initiatives
have been developed: several researchplatforms have been set up within theEuropean context, examples being the
new MELODI platform, which focuses on
low-dose radiation, and SNE-TP, which isconcerned with nuclear technology andsafety.
Similarly, the analysis of operating feedback from nuclear reactors currently inservice is being optimized at the European
level through the “Clearing House” project. The technical investigation resources for this project will be set up in 2010
through a cooperation contract between
the European Commission and Riskaudit,
a jointly-owned subsidiary of GRS and
IRSN.
The experimental facilities for nuclear
safety research, and the developmentof sophisticated computer codes call for
extremely heavy investments. Here, too,
the answer can be found in pooling resour-

8 IRSN Annual Report 2009

No country, however, has to face this challenge alone. Knowledge and research costs
can be shared through international cooperation and the development of technical safety organization networks, in a joint
effort to promote a standardized approachto technical safety.
ces, especially within the context of programs coordinated by the OECD Nuclear
Energy Agency.
According to Rabelais, “Science without
conscience is but the ruin of the soul.” It
is IRSN’s strong ties with and responsibility towards civil society that guarantee
the utility of its research activities.
These ties are reﬂected in the Nuclear
Safety and Radiation Protection Research
Policy Committee, which was set up in2009 as an advisory body to the Institute’s
Board of Directors.
The Committee members come from awide range of backgrounds, reﬂecting thespirit of the French Environment Round
Table.
When a country chooses to develop
nuclear energy, it makes a lasting commitment. It must therefore ensure that thelong-term safety of its facilities is built onsound scientiﬁc and technological expertise, and a strategy of open dialogue withresearchers, experts, facility operators, andauthorities. This is the goal of the second
Government/IRSN Contract of Objectives
currently under negotiation.

The next IAEA conference on Technical
Safety Organizations, to be held in Tokyoin 2010, will provide an opportunity to
explore these paths to progress further,promote increasingly standardized approaches, and share efforts to advance thecause of safety for the common good.

Agnès Buzyn,
Chairperson,
Board of Directors.

Jacques Repussard,
Director General.

ORGANIZATION

The development of nuclear
energy involves twointer-related requirements:
safety and security.

The predicted revival in nuclear energy
around the world, which now seems
increasingly likely, has brought with it
growing international concern for nuclear“safety” and “security”, both of which entail
guarding against the risks liable to affectnuclear activities.
Risks relating to safety can arise in connection with natural or industrial external
events, or internal events induced by equipment failure or human error. Knowledgeof these risks can be acquired through systematic analysis of operating feedback and,more generally, through scientiﬁc progress,and must be universally shared to develop
risk prevention around the world.
Security risks are the result of deliberateaction taken with malicious intent. These
are intelligent acts, perpetrated with theftor sabotage in mind, and capable of adapting to any preventive measures taken
against them. Such acts therefore leave
no room for “speculation” by Government
departments and, if they cannot be stopped
by the preventive measures set up jointly
by the Government and Facility Operators,

they must be addressed by national Law
Enforcement Agencies.
While these two areas may be similar in terms of technical aspects andobjectives, the gap between them iswide enough to justify differences in theirregulatory organization and transparency
requirements. That is why IRSN assigns
security-related risk assessment activities
to its Nuclear Defense Expertise Division,
which liaises with the Institute’s othersafety and radiation protection experts
whenever necessary.
Recent years have seen the emergenceof what can only be described as a “security regime” on the international nuclear
scene, a phenomenon that has been observed in nuclear safety for over thirty years. In
2009, in particular, IRSN’s Nuclear Defense
Expertise Division was instrumental in putting French expertise at the service of theInternational Atomic Energy Agency, a
UN organization responsible for preparing
recommendations and codes of practicethat will soon be applicable around theworld.

Turning to France, further progress wasmade in the nuclear security regime, with
the implementation of a new decree on the“protection of nuclear materials, facilities,
and transport”, which reinforces preventive
action, in line with the measures adopted
in France in 2006 for the protection of vital
infrastructures. IRSN’s Nuclear Defense
Expertise Division was actively involved in
preparing this decree and, in 2009, in preparing its implementing orders. The Division
will also provide technical assistance to the
Senior Defense and Security Ofﬁcial of the
Ministry of Energy, which is the authority incharge of implementing these regulations,and to the Minister of Defense.

Michel Brière,
Deputy Director Generalin Charge of Defense-related
Missions.

IRSN Annual Report 2009

9

ACTIVITIESSUMMARY
AND OUTLOOKEDITORIAL BY MICHEL BRIÈREENSURINGEFFICIENCY«ORGANIZATIONKey events» February 25

A general cooperation agreement
on nuclear safety and radiation
protection with Ukraine wassigned by Jacques Repussard,
Director General of IRSN, and Olena
Mykolaichuk, Chairperson of SNRCU,
the State Nuclear Regulatory
Commission of Ukraine.

January 7
IRSN and Météo-France signed aframework cooperation agreement
to transmit and exchange climatological
data used, in particular, for emergency
management and operational monitoringof nuclear material transport.

March 26
Creation of the Nuclear Safety andRadiation Protection Research Policy
Committee (COR), an advisory bodyto the IRSN Board of Directors.
The committee's task is to ensurethat research objectives are consistent
with requirements expressed by theauthorities, and take into consideration
other countries' experience.

April 3
Launch of SARNET2, the European
network of excellence on severereactor accidents. Supported by the EU
under its FP7 R&D program, SARNET2
also involves partners from outside theEU, such as AECL (Canada), KAERI (Korea),
NRC (USA) and PSI (Switzerland).

January 19
IRSN launched an institutional
recruitment campaign
in Monde économique.

March 26
The Hauts-de-Seine local authority
for labor, employment and vocational
training (DDTEFP) approved thedisabled persons agreement signed by
IRSN and the trade unions represented at
the Institute.

April 2US NRC Commissioner, Peter B. Lyons,visited IRSN.

10 IRSN Annual Report 2009

» April 9

IRSN visit by Ambassador
Florence Mangin, the Permanent
Representative of France to theUnited Nations and internationalorganizations in Vienna.

ORGANIZATION

April 10SUMMARY
AND OUTLOOKIRSN presented to the public its
Charter on Openness to Society,which sets out to share information
relating to radiological and nuclear
risk assessments with civil society
stakeholders.

» July 5-10

» June 22

IRSN signed a cooperationagreement with the French
National Gendarmerie Intervention
Group (GIGN). The aim is to address
more effectively potential threatsof serious attacks liable to have an
impact on nuclear facilities and thetransport of nuclear materials. Under
the terms of the agreement, eachorganization will be able to draw
on its partner's skills and expertisein providing protection against
malicious acts.

IRSN and AP-HP, the Paris public
hospital system, signed a cooperationagreement under the EPOPA protocol
for the surveillance of patients
overexposed during radiotherapy.

April 23
A technical cooperation agreement
was signed in Beijing by Jacques
Repussard, IRSN's Director General,
and Mr. Xing Ji, Deputy General Manager
of China Nuclear Power Engineering
Corporation (CNPE).

June 10-11
The OECD Nuclear Energy Agency's
Committee for the Safety of Nuclear
Installations (CSNI) held its 45th
meeting. In December 2008, Jacques
Repussard, Director General, wasappointed as Chair of the Committee
for the period 2009-2011.

September 1
IRSN, CNRS and the University ofLille 1 for Science and Technology
set up C3R, a new joint laboratory
for the study of chemical kinetics,
combustion and reactivity. Its activities
will focus on chemical kinetics in both
gaseous and heterogeneous phases,
and on radiochemistry and combustion.

IRSN Annual Report 200911

ENSURINGEFFICIENCY

April 16ACTIVITIESThe European Technical Safety Organisations Network (ETSON) held
its summer school in Cadarache. The event provides an opportunity foryoung TSO engineers to further their training.

ORGANIZATION» November
26-27
A joint seminar between IRSN and
China's Nuclear and Radiation
Safety Center (NSC) was held in
Beijing to celebrate NSC's 20th
anniversary.

September
23 and 29
IRSN signed two partnershipagreements, one with the French
National Cancer Institute (INCA),
the other with the Directorate
General for Health (DGS). The twoagreements reﬂect the intensiﬁcationof IRSN's activities in areas relating toradiation protection, particularly in the
medical ﬁeld.

November 17

October 7

September 23
IRSN's new website was put on-line.
The site has been thoroughly reworked
to highlight the pedagogical aspects ofthe content presented by the Institute.

» September 23
IRSN took part in an IAEA-WHO
joint exercise simulating aradiological emergency.
The aim of the exercise was to test
conditions for transporting blood
samples for biological dosimetry
across international borders.

12 IRSN Annual Report 2009IRSN was heard by the French National
Assembly Economic Affairs Committee
and the Committee on Sustainable
Development and Town and Country
Planning. The hearing concerned theassessment of an incident connectedwith the underestimation of thequantity of ﬁssile material contained inequipment to be dismantled at the Areva
plutonium technology facility (ATPu) in
Cadarache, in the south of France. The
hearing was organized as part of French
parliamentary control procedures.

November
18-20
IRSN and Areva NP signed anagreement for the joint developmentof a simulator conﬁguration
representing the Flamanville 3 EPR.
Scheduled for delivery by the end of
2010, the conﬁguration is part of thesimulator renovation project that thetwo partners launched in 2005.

November 10
A cooperation agreement was
signed with LNE, the French national
laboratory for metrology and testing.
The agreement concerns ﬁres andexplosions.

During a joint seminar, IRSN and JNES,
its Japanese counterpart, outlined
a new cooperation framework relative
to ﬁre hazards in nuclear facilities.

November 30
to December 2
A seminar, Science et valeurs en
radioprotection (“Radiation protection:science and values”) was held at the

Abbaye des Vaux-de-Cernay near
Paris, on the initiative of the OECD
Nuclear Energy Agency's Committee on
Radiation Protection and Public Health(CRPPH), in partnership with IRSN, theFrench Ministry of Ecology, Energy,
Sustainable Development, and the Sea,and CEPN, the French Nuclear Protection
Assessment Study Center.

ORGANIZATION

Major reports published
All IRSN reports and scientiﬁc and technical publications can be consulted
on the Institute's website on www.irsn.fr

Dosimetric reconstruction in interventional neuroradiology
at Haute Pierre university hospital in Strasbourg.
Publication date : September
Worker radiation protection: 2008 report on occupational
exposure to ionizing radiation.
Publication date : November

Environmental monitoring
Global assessment of the Areva NC ten-yearlyenvironmental report – Part 3: reuse of waste rock in the
public domain.
Publication date : FebruaryRadioactivity monitoring around the Loire basin –Partnership between IRSN and two local information committees
in the region.
Publication date : MarchRadioecological study of the Malvési site and its
surroundings – Further study conducted in 2008.
Publication date : June
Report on the radiological quality of water distributed in
France 2005-2007.Prepared by IRSN/ASN/DGS.
Publication date : June2008 management report of the national network ofenvironmental radioactivity measurements (RNM) – IRSN/
ASN.
Publication date : October
2008 report on radioactivity monitoring in French
Polynesia: results from the IRSN monitoring networks.
Publication date : November
Radiological “zero point” in Taaone lagoon before Jacques
Chirac hospital was opened in Tahiti.
Publication date : November

Nuclear safety
Rapport de sûreté des modèles de colis destinés au transportde matières radioactives (French translation of the European
PDSR guide).
Publication date : June
Lessons learned from incidents reported between 2005 and2008 at nuclear laboratories and plants, and at nuclear facilities in
the process of being dismantled.
Publication date : December

SUMMARY
AND OUTLOOK

Measuring absorbed dose in very small photon beams usedin stereotactic radiotherapy.
Publication date : July

IRSN's viewpoint on safety and radiation protection issues
relative to French nuclear power plants in 2008.
Publication date : December
Safety review of 900 MWe pressurized water reactors during
their third ten-year inspection.
Publication date : December

Other

ACTIVITIESEnhancing safety in radiotherapy by fostering a safety culture.
Publication date : March

2008 report on the radiological state of the environment inFrance: summary of results from the IRSN monitoring networks.
Publication date : December

IRSN Barometer 2009 Perception of risks and safety.
Publication date : May
CAMARI aptitude certiﬁcate for operating industrial
radiology equipment. 2008 Annual Report: organization, results
and outlook.
Publication date : July
2008 Technical and Scientiﬁc Report.
Publication date : July
2008 Report on Research Training.
Publication date : December

Summaries of the assessment reports submitted to thestanding advisory groups in 2009 can also be downloaded from:www.irsn.fr > rubrique Avis et rapports. A complete listof these summaries can be found on page 28.

IRSN Annual Report 200913

ENSURINGEFFICIENCY

Radiation protection
and human healthORGANIZATION

Activity: key ﬁgures
Research
45% of IRSN’s budget is devoted toresearch (46% in 2008).

Human resources
Number of employees recruitedon permanent contracts

Intellectual property
French patents in force (including 2
co-owned with CEA)

125

318 lectures at conferences (360 in 2008).

90

21

103

23

16

157 publications in JCR-listed journals

47% of IRSN’s budget devoted totechnical support (47% in 2008).

646 technical notices to the ASN(97 in 2008).

2009

16 patents in force abroad (15 in 2008).

» Average age

40.5 for women.
42 for men.

11 software applications and databases
placed with the software protection
agency APP (6 in 2008).

» Proportion of men/womenInternational activity(709 in 2008).

93 technical notices to the safety
authority for defense-related activities

2008

2007

2009

2008

Technical support
for public authorities

2007(175 in 2008).

Men:

Women:

55%

45%

Numberof international
projects
Nombre deprojets internationaux
inenprogresscours (dont 22 projets européens)
(1)

27%

Managerial
staff:

73%

61,293 hours of training given to
maintain the skill levels of engineers andexperts (48,357 in 2008).

(1)

93

2009

2,417 hours of teaching given outside
the Institute (universities, engineeringschools, INSTN, etc.) (2,170 in 2008).

Nonmanagerial
staff:

2008

Training

72» Proportion of managerial/non-managerial staff

2007

402 technical notices to the nuclear
security authority (439 in 2008).

82

Including 22 European projects.

187 bilateral agreements signedwith research or assessment organizations
from 36 countries (180 in 2008).
788 visits from foreign scientists

Service contracts
37.7 revenue (in millions of euros)(31,8 in 2008).

23,063 customers (21,449 in 2008).

14 IRSN Annual Report 2009

(782 in 2008).

ORGANIZATION

Budget breakdown
Revenue€283 million (€255 million in 2008).

Disseminationof knowledge

Expenditure€301 million including €23 million for equipment
investment (€281 million incl. €35 million in 2008).

1.7 million million visits to the
IRSN website (1.1 in 2008).

234,000 visits to the scientiﬁc

Operating and investment expenditurewebsite (205 000 in 2008).

SUMMARY
AND OUTLOOKInvestment
10.35%

41 notices and reports publishedon the IRSN website (17 in 2008).

Operatingexpenses

30 requests for IRSN action received

89.65%

from local information committees(40 in 2008).

Total funding

16 IRSN operations at local informationcommittees (20 in 2008).

2 IRSN publications (3 in 2008).

79.80%
Budget Act 189 grant

19.15%

ACTIVITIESOther French funds(aside from Budget Act)

1.05%
Budget Act 212 grant

Locations (as of December 31, 2009)
French funds (aside from Budget Act)
North Region: 1,316 employees – Southeast Region: 328 employeesState
10.76%

Octeville-Cherbourg

Other

EDF

63.05%

17.66%Areva
Le Vésinet
Saclay5.40%

Fontenay-aux-Roses
Orsay

CEA

Foreign funds

Agen

Les Angles –AvignonTournemire

EuropeanCommission

Other

Pierrelatte

20.03%

32.10%

Cadarache
Corse

Riskaudit

La Seyne-sur-Mer
Vairao (Tahiti)

ENSURINGEFFICIENCY

3.13%

US NRC35.15%

12.72%IRSN Annual Report 200915

ORGANIZATION

Organization chart
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE (as of April 30, 2010)
The IRSN Executive Committee is chaired by the Director General and made up of 18 members representing
the Institute's operational and functional divisions. It meets twice monthly to examine matters of strategy,
development, operation, and the positions adopted by the Institute on various topics.

> From left to right and from top to bottom:

Jean-Bernard CHÉRIÉ and Jean-Luc PASQUIER / Thierry CHARLES,
Daniel QUÉNIART and Didier CHAMPION / Didier DEMEILLERS /Michel BRIÈRE and Jacques REPUSSARD / Jean-Bernard CHÉRIÉand Jean-Claude MICAELLI / Alain CERNES and Michel SCHWARZ /Sylvie SUPERVIL / Denis FLORY and Bruno DUFER / Didier CHAMPION,
Thierry CHARLES, Jérôme JOLY and Patricia DE LA MORLAIS /Marie-Pierre BIGOT, Patrick GOURMELON and Martial JOREL.

General management
Jacques REPUSSARD,
Director General
Michel BRIÈRE,Deputy Director General in charge of defense-related missions
Jean-Bernard CHÉRIÉ,
Deputy Director General in charge of administrative affairs
Jean-Luc PASQUIER,
Deputy Director

Board of directors
Agnès BUZYN,
Chairperson

16 Rapport annuel IRSN 2009

Alain CERNES,
Inspector General
Daniel QUÉNIART,
AdvisorPREVENTION OF MAJOR ACCIDENTS
Jean-Claude MICAELLI, Director> Experimental study and modeling of the behavior of fueland its component materials in accident situations> Experimental study and modeling of ﬁres
> Experimental study and modeling of core meltdown
accidents
RADIATION PROTECTION AND HUMAN HEALTH
Patrick GOURMELON, Director> Radiation protection studies and assessments> Radiobiology and epidemiology> External dosimetry> Internal dosimetry
REACTOR SAFETY
Martial JOREL, Director> Pressurized water reactors> Gas-cooled, fast-neutron and experimental reactors> Equipment and structures> Systems and risks> Thermal-hydraulics, reactor core and operation of nuclear
facilities> Severe accidents and radiological consequences> Human factors
SAFETY OF PLANTS, LABORATORIES, TRANSPORT AND
WASTEThierry CHARLES, Director> Fuel cycle transport and facilities> Laboratories, irradiators, accelerators and decommissioned
reactors> Radioactive waste> Industrial risks, ﬁre and containment> Criticality> Air dispersion of pollutants

ORGANIZATIONINTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
Denis FLORY, Director> International strategy> International business development
SCIENCE
Michel SCHWARZ, Director> Assessment and scientiﬁc activities> Scientiﬁc and technical knowledge engineering> Scientiﬁc information resources> Teaching and training in radiation protection, nuclear safety
and security

SUMMARY
AND OUTLOOKENVIRONMENT AND RESPONSE
Didier CHAMPION, Director> Study of radionuclide behavior in ecosystems> Study and monitoring of radioactivity in the environment> Environmental sample processing and metrology> Analysis of risks related to the geosphere> Radiation protection response and support> Emergency situations and response organization

STRATEGY, DEVELOPMENT AND EXTERNAL RELATIONS
Sylvie SUPERVIL, Director> General strategy> Contract of objectives> Coordination and follow-up of liaison with supervisory
authorities and main partners in assessment and research
activities> Medium- and Long-term Plan

COMMUNICATIONSMarie-Pierre BIGOT, Director> Public relations> Websites> Information and media relations> In-house communications

Support divisions

ACTIVITIESNUCLEAR DEFENSE EXPERTISE
Jérôme JOLY, Director> Safety of defense-related nuclear facilities> Security of nuclear materials, transport and facilities> Enforcement of international inspections> Technical support and studies

Functional divisions

HUMAN RESOURCES
Patricia DE LA MORLAIS, Director> Social policy> Human resource management> Staff administration and pay
FINANCIAL, BUSINESS AND LEGAL AFFAIRS
Didier DEMEILLERS, Director> Budget monitoring> Administration of expenditure and revenue> Application of tax and customs regulations> Cost accounting and management control> Commercial and legal support

ENSURINGEFFICIENCY

Operational divisions

SECURITY, ASSETS AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS
Bruno DUFER, Director and IRSN Security Ofﬁcer> Security of assets and sites> Buildings and logistics> Health, safety, and environmental protection> Sustainable development> Information systems
ACCOUNTING OFFICE
Catherine ALBARET, Accounting Ofﬁcer

IRSN Annual Report 200917

ORGANIZATION

Board of directors
MISSIONS
Deliberations by the Boardof Directors rule on IRSN
activities. More speciﬁcally,
the Board deliberates on
general conditions governing
the Institute's organizationand operation, its strategy andprogram, and its annual report.
It also approves the budget,
decisions involving changes,
year-end ﬁnancial statements
and income appropriation.

Members(as of December 31, 2009)> TEN GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVES> SIX ADVISORY MEMBERS

Jocelyne BOUDOT, Deputy Director ofEnvironmental and Food Risk Prevention at
the French Directorate General for Health,representing the Minister for HealthAgnès BUZYN, Chairperson, Board of
Directors, physician and professor ofhematology, nominated by the Minister
for Health

Régine BRÉHIER, Director of Research andInnovation, representing the Minister for
the Environment

Serge AUBERT, Air Force Major-General,
nominated by the Minister of Defense

Mathieu DUFOIX, Head of the Energy,
Proﬁt-sharing, Industry and Innovation
Ofﬁce at the Budget Directorate,
representing the Minister for the Budget

Claude BIRRAUX, President of the
Parliamentary Ofﬁce for the Evaluation of
Scientiﬁc and Technological Choices

Jean-Denis COMBREXELLE, Director ofLabor Relations, representing the Minister
for Employment

Jean-Marc CAVEDON, Director of theDivision for Research into Nuclear Energy
and Safety at the Paul Scherrer Institutein Switzerland, nominated by the Ministerfor Research

Gabriele FIONI, Director of the DGRI A2
Department of the Directorate General for
Research and Innovation, representing the
Minister for ResearchJean-Claude DELALONDE, Chairmanof the National Association of Local
Information Committees, nominated by
the Minister for the Environment

Patrick RENVOISÉ, Nuclear Safety
Inspector for DGA, the French defense
procurement agency, representing the
Minister of Defense.

One advisory member yet to be
nominated by the Minister for Industry> EIGHT STAFF REPRESENTATIVES

MAIN
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
2009• Approval of strategy
regarding the future
development ofenvironmental radiologicalmonitoring.
• Adoption of general rules on
price policy applied by IRSN.
• Review of IRSN'sorganizational structure andgeneral operating rules.
• Launch of property
restructuring project for the
Fontenay-aux-Roses site.

18 IRSN Annual Report 2009

Marcel JURIEN DE LA GRAVIÈRE,Representative in charge of Nuclear Safety
and Radiation Protection for Defenserelated Activities and Facilities

Yves BRISSET,
CFE-CGC union representative

Guillaume DEDEREN, Head of the Major
Risks Ofﬁce at the Directorate for Defense
and Civil Security, representing the
Minister for Civil Security

François DUCAMP,CGT union representative

Stéphane NOËL, Head of the Nuclear
Safety and Radiation Protection Mission
Thomas BRANCHE, Deputy Director for
the Nuclear Industry, Directorate Generalfor Energy and Climate, representing the
Minister for Industry

Nicolas BRISSON,CGT union representativeThierry FLEURY,
CFDT union representative
François JEFFROY,
CFDT union representative
Yves LE RESTE,
CFE-CGC union representative
Christophe SERRES, CFDT union
representative
Carine STRUP-PERROT, CGT union
representative

ORGANIZATION> EX OFFICIO OR ASSOCIATE
MEMBERS

Laurent MICHEL, Director Generalof Risk Prevention and Government
Commissioner

Michel BRIÈRE, Deputy Director Generalin charge of Defense-related Missions

Jacques REPUSSARD, Director General

4 MEETINGS
24 MEMBERS
5 YEAR MANDATE

SUMMARY
AND OUTLOOKPhilippe BOURACHOT, Works
Committee Secretary

Steering committee
for the nuclear defense
expertise division
Members(as of December 31, 2009)MISSIONS

Emmanuel SARTORIUS, Chairman of
CODEND, Senior Defense and Security
Ofﬁcial at the Ministry for Industry

Patrick RENVOISÉ, Engineer General for
Armaments, representing the DGA, theFrench defense procurement agency

Georges-Henri MOUTON, Rear-Admiral,
Nuclear Weapons Inspector

Mathieu DUFOIX, representing theBudget Director

Rony LOBJOIT, Colonel, representing theadministrative Secretary General of the
Ministry of Defense

Claude AZAM, Head of the Departmentof Defense, Security and EconomicIntelligence, representing the Senior
Defense and Security Ofﬁcial at the
French Ministry of Energy

François REVARDEAUX, representing the
Director of Strategic Affairs and Security
at the Ministry of Foreign and European
Affairs
Jean-Baptiste FLEUTOT, Chief Medical
Ofﬁcer of the French Armed Forces,
advisory member appointed by the
Minister of Defense

MAIN
ACCOMPLISHMENTS 2009

Marcel JURIEN DE LA GRAVIÈRE,Representative in charge of Nuclear Safety
and Radiation Protection for Defenserelated Activities and Facilities
Laurent MANDARD, Commander,
representative of the Armed Forces Chiefof Staff
Serge POULARD, advisory member
appointed by the Minister for Industry

The committee examines theactivity program prepared by
the Institute's Nuclear Defense
Expertise Division before itis submitted to the Boardof Directors. It is consulted
when the Board of Directors iscalled upon to make decisions
relating speciﬁcally to theorganization or running of
this Division, and advises theBoard of Directors on mattersrelated to division activities.

4 MEETINGS
11 MEMBERS
5 YEAR MANDATES FOR

THE TWO ADVISORY MEMBERS

Review of defense and safety
aspects of the following:– DEND 2008 Activity Reportand IRSN 2008 Annual Report;– Medium- and Long-term
Plan;– DEND activity program for2010.

IRSN Annual Report 200919

ACTIVITIESCatherine ALBARET, Accounting Ofﬁcer

André-Claude LACOSTE, Chairman of
the French Nuclear Safety Authority

ENSURINGEFFICIENCY

Bernard ABATE, Auditor General

ORGANIZATION

Scientiﬁc council
MISSIONSThe Scientiﬁc Council gives
an opinion on IRSN activity
programs and ensures thatits research programs are
scientiﬁcally relevant and of
the highest quality. It examines
program results in order toprepare recommendations
on Institute strategy. It
may be consulted by the
Board's chairperson or by thesupervisory ministers on any
subject that comes under theInstitute's authority.

Composition(as of December 31, 2009)
Michel QUINTARD, Scientiﬁc Council
Chairman, CNRS Research Director at the
Toulouse Institute of Fluid Mechanics,
nominated by the Minister for ResearchPhilippe ACKERER, Deputy Director of theInstitute of Fluid and Solid Mechanics inStrasbourg, nominated by the Minister for
the Environment

Protection at the Canadian Nuclear Safety
Commission, nominated by the Ministerfor the Environment
George YADIGAROGLU, Emeritus
Professor of Nuclear Engineering at the
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology,
nominated by the Minister for Industry

Jean-Claude ANDRÉ, Emeritus Research
Director, Scientiﬁc Advisor at the CNRS
Institute for Engineering and Systems
Science, nominated by the Minister for
Labor
Dietrich AVERBECK, CNRS Research
Director, Radiation Protection Manager
in the Curie Institute Research Division,
nominated by the Minister for Health
Bernard BONIN, Deputy Scientiﬁc
Director of the CEA Nuclear Energy
Division nominated by the Minister for
Research
Yves-Sébastien CORDOLIANI, medical
practitioner, human radiation protection
expert, nominated by the Minister for
HealthMAIN
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
2009

Denis GAMBINI, medical practitioner,
researcher at the Occupational Health
Department at the Hôtel-Dieu hospital in
Paris, nominated by the Minister for Labor• The Scientiﬁc Council's
assessment on “Material
aging in reactors” (May2009) was completed andpresented.

Pierre LAROCHE, Chief Medical Ofﬁcerof the French Armed Forces, Head of theMedical Division of the Armed Forces'
Radiation Protection Department,
nominated by the Minister of Defense• Two new assessments werelaunched:– Risk assessment methods
relating to ecosystems (June2009),– Environmental monitoring
strategy (October 2009).
(octobre 2009).

20 IRSN Annual Report 2009

André PINEAU, Professor at the Paris
School of Mine Engineering, nominated by
the Minister for Industry
Bernard SEVESTRE, Nuclear Energy
Division Task Ofﬁcer at the CEA,
nominated by the Minister of Defense
Patsy-Ann THOMPSON, Directorof Environmental Assessments and

2 MEETINGS PER YEAR
12 MEMBERS APPOINTED FOR 5
YEARSORGANIZATION

Nuclear Safety and Radiation
Protection Research Policy
Committee

Research organizations
Companies and professional
associations> Areva , EDF, Andra> Professional associations: SFRO, SFRP

> Five members appointed by the chief
research organizations concerned: CEA,
CNRS, INSERM, French Conference ofUniversity Presidents, Paristech

Employees in the nuclear sector

Foreign members> One representative from each of the
ﬁve representative national labor unions(CGT, CGE, FO, CFDT, CFTC)> Four members

Elected representatives> Two representatives of the French
Parliamentary Ofﬁce for the Evaluation of
Scientiﬁc and Technological Choices> A local information committee
chairperson> Two municipal councilors from towns
with a nuclear facility, proposed by the
Association of French Mayors

Associations> Five representatives of associations
also represented on the High Committee
for Transparency and Information on
Nuclear Safety

Ex ofﬁcio members> Government Commissioner> Atomic Energy High Commissioner> Director General of IRSN
> IRSN Scientiﬁc Council Chairman
These persons participate in thecommittee’s activities on an ex ofﬁcio
basis and in an advisory capacityu For full details of the membershipof the Nuclear Safety and Radiation
Protection Research Policy
Committee, see the Appendix
on page 96 or
www. irsn.fr

Advisory members> Chairman of the National Associationof Local Information Commissions andCommittees> President of the High Committee forTransparency and Information on Nuclear
Safety2 MEETINGS
43 MEMBERSMISSIONSThe Nuclear Safety andRadiation Protection Research
Policy Committee, or COR, isan advisory body to the IRSN
Board of Directors, giving
opinions on research objectives
and priorities in the ﬁelds ofnuclear safety and radiation
protection. It adopts a global
approach that takes into
consideration the requirementsof society and the publicauthorities. It thus complements
the activity of IRSN's Scientiﬁc
Council, which focuses on thequality and relevance of theInstitute's research programs
and outcomes from a scientiﬁc
perspective.

MAIN
ACCOMPLISHMENTS 2009
• March 26, 2009: 1st COR
meeting. A working group was
set up to consider the impactof low-dose ionizing radiation
on human health. The group isheaded by Dietrich Averbeck,Research Director at CNRS
and the SFRP representative,
and Monique Sené, therepresentative of the Local
Information Committees.
• October 14, 2009: 2nd COR
meeting. A working groupwas set up to focus on
the issue of extending the
lifetime of existing nuclear
reactors. The group is led by
Claude Leteurtre, Member ofParliament for Calvados.

IRSN Annual Report 2009

21

SUMMARY
AND OUTLOOK> Chairperson of the IRSN Board of
Directors (ex ofﬁcio Chairperson of the
Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection
Research Policy Committee)

ACTIVITIES> A representative of each supervisory
ministry> A representative of the ASN and of the
Directorate General for LaborENSURINGEFFICIENCY

Public authorities

ANNE LAUVERGEON,CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF AREVASTRATEGIC APPROACH
2006 - 200924

GOVERNMENT/IRSNCONTRACT OFOBJECTIVES

30

SUMMARY
ORGANISATIONAND OUTLOOKOur constant effort toimprove safety relies on our being
able to compare points of view
regularly with an independent
expert, who has a watchful eye
over the reliability of facilities andorganizational structure. »SUMMARY AND OUTLOOKSTRATEGIC APPROACH

IRSN preparesto take up the challenges
of a new era
For IRSN, 2009 was a pivotal year that saw the completion of
the Contract of Objectives signed with the government for the period 2006-2009, and the preparationof the new contract for 2010-2013. The year was also marked by the creation of the Nuclear Safety andRadiation Protection Research Policy Committee (or COR), along with plans to create an International
Affairs Division, reﬂecting a shift in the Institute’s strategy. The COR has been set up to ensure that research
responds to social concerns, while the International Affairs Division will set out to promote a French
approach to nuclear safety and enhance IRSN’s international proﬁle.

Signiﬁcant growth ininternational activities
IRSN’s activity within the European Union
centered on three priorities in 2009:
work in favor of institutional frameworks,
research, and training. Within this context, the Institute put forward a proposal
for granting legal status to ETSON, theEuropean Technical Safety Organization
Network. In the research ﬁeld, IRSN is now
concerned chieﬂy with studying the effectsof low-dose ionizing radiation on the body,through its participation in the DOREMI
network of excellence, and with building
the MELODI platform, which will support
European research efforts in this area. In
July, IRSN organized the second ETSON/JPS
Summer School in Cadarache in the southof France. The event brought together 56
participants from ﬁve TSOs. The Institute
was also a driving force behind plans tocreate ENSTTI, the European Nuclear
Safety Training and Tutoring Institute,announced in Brussels at the EUROSAFE
Forum on November 2-3, 2009.
In the area of multilateral activities, IRSN
provided the French Government withassistance in checking the observance ofinternational treaties. This entailed providing mission support and examining reports
submitted to the IAEA by the parties tothese treaties. IRSN’s Director General

24 IRSN Annual Report 2009

IN THE WORDS OF

GUY CLAPISSON, CEO of NNR, South Africa’s National
Nuclear Regulator«

In keeping with its nuclear energy development policy,
South Africa is planning to build a number of new power
plants and fuel cycle facilities over the next ten years toincrease its nuclear power capacity. Within this context,
NNR will be turning increasingly to technical support
organizations, both at home and abroad. Support will be sought, for example,
for building reactors or fuel cycle facilities on existing or new sites, and for
acquiring additional regulatory control expertise through training. IRSN has
been providing NNR with technical assistance in a number of areas for several
years now. Last year, for example, it helped with work on modifying
overpressure protection on the reactor coolant system at the Koeberg plant,
examining NNR’s severe accident management baseline, and investigating
fuel cladding defects detected by Eskom, the South African electricity utility.
In addition to fast response and strong involvement, IRSN’s experts give us
the beneﬁt of their extensive and invaluable knowledge of French nuclear
facilities, which are very similar in design to ours. That’s why we believe
we will be looking to IRSN for increasing support over the coming years.”

was appointed Chair of the OECD Nuclear
Energy Agency’s Committee for the Safetyof Nuclear Installations (CSNI).
In line with its clearly stated intention tocontribute to efforts to improve safety
around the world, the Institute responded
to invitations to tender issued by governments interested in developing or step-

ping up nuclear power programs (including
the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Egypt,
China, Belgium, and the United Kingdom).
Contracts have already been signed with
Egypt and the UAE. Lastly, the European
Commission signed a framework agreement with IRSN, in association with
GRS. Under the terms of the agreement,

ORGANIZATIONDENIS FLORY, IRSN’s Directorof International Affairs

Determining the distribution of uranium in individual cells helps
to understand its impact on human health.

ACTIVITIESENSURINGEFFICIENCYIRSN will allow European nuclear safety
authorities access to its operating experience feedback concerning nuclear reactors.
Looking at the longer term, the Institutecontinued its prospecting activities, particularly in China. It contacted many nuclear
safety and radiation protection institutes
and prepared a joint research programwith its Chinese counterpart, NSC.
The new International Affairs Division to becreated at the beginning of 2010 will makefor greater consistency in the Institute’s
international activities and enhance its
proﬁle on the world stage.

153

2009

DEVOTED TO INTERNATIONAL
ACTIVITIES (in man-years) (85 in 2008).

115

2008

HUMAN RESOURCES

112

2007

90

«

At a time when nuclear energy isseeing renewed growth, an effort
must be made to promote nuclear
safety in all countries that seek
to acquire or develop the means
to produce nuclear electricity. As a key player in theﬁeld of nuclear safety and radiation protection, IRSN
endeavors to ensure that all its activities – particularly
at the European and global levels – make constantprogress in terms of consistency, credibility, andvisibility. This ambition is reﬂected in the recent
creation of an International Affairs division, regrouping
the International Relations and International
Development departments. The new division is themain contact for Riskaudit, the European Economic
Interest Grouping created with GRS, ETSON, theEuropean Technical Safety Organizations Network,
and, in the near future, for ENSTTI, the European
Nuclear Safety Training and Tutoring Institute. The
new division will also contribute to the Institute’s
activities to support action by the State. Two priorities
have been deﬁned: a) promoting safety, security andradiation protection culture around the world throughcooperation and training, and b) providing services on
a commercial basis to share the Institute’s experienceand know-how.”

OPPORTUNITIES FORIRSN TO PARTICIPATEIN INTERNATIONAL
EXPERT GROUPS.

IRSN Annual Report 2009

SUMMARY
AND OUTLOOKIN THE WORDS OF

25

SUMMARY AND OUTLOOKIRSN rethinks researchgovernance

11%

11%

set up cooperation programs in speciallytargeted areas. In 2009, it made an inventory of graduate schools and university
centers working in ﬁelds connected with its
activities. It also opened its “DissertationDays” to partner universities, and stepped
up its training-through-research activities with 33 new dissertations. The vari-2009

Research must meet futureassessment requirements.

2008

8.3%

2007

The quality of tomorrow’s assessment
activities is built on the relevance of
today’s research. Making sure that activities relating to assessment and research
are consistent has thus become central to
IRSN’s strategy, as reﬂected in the Contractof Objectives for 2010-2013. With this inmind, the Institute has created an advisory
body to its Board of Directors, called the
Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection
Research Policy Committee or COR. The
committee’s task is to ensure that research
meets assessment requirements in all areas.
The Institute has also renewed its Animal
Experimentation Ethics Committee.
In preparation for an evaluation by AERES,
the French agency for evaluation ofresearch and higher education, scheduled
for 2010, IRSN has created an inspection
committee that will work with its Scientiﬁc
Council to examine all the Institute’s R&D
programs over a period of four years. Withan eye to the future, it is consolidating its
ties with the academic research world to

SHARE OFRESEARCH
PROGRAM FUNDING
FROM EXTERNALREVENUE.

ous ﬁelds of research in which IRSN was
involved in 2009 testify to the diversity of
its assessment activities. To mention justa few examples, it took part in a working
group set up by the Minister for Research
to intensify toxicology-ecotoxicology studies, and chaired an international working
group on research into Generation IV reac-RESEARCH IN THE FIELD OF NUCLEAR SAFETY AND RADIATION PROTECTION:IRSN SETS UP A RESEARCH POLICY COMMITTEEThe IRSN Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection
Research Policy Committee – or COR – was set up to
ensure that the Institute’s research activities in these areas
are relevant to requirements. Its members come from manybackgrounds, and thus approach issues from various angles.
This helps guarantee that the selected research topics meetthe requirements of public authorities and live up tosociety’s expectations. The committee advises IRSN’s Boardof Directors on research objectives and priorities. Its work
thus complements the activities of the Scientiﬁc Council,
which assesses the quality and relevance of the Institute’s
research programs and outcomes from a scientiﬁc
perspective.
The committee held its ﬁrst meeting, chaired by Agnès Buzyn,
on March 26, 2009. IRSN took this opportunity to present its
research strategy, with a focus on two particular topics: safetyissues related to nuclear fuel developments, and the healtheffects of low-dose ionizing radiation.
A working group, led jointly by Dietrich Averbeck, Research
Director at CNRS and the SFRP representative, and Monique
Sené, the representative of the local information committees,
was set up to address the second of these two issues.

26 IRSN Annual Report 2009

In 2010, the group will organize an investigation, based onhearings of national and international experts, to obtaina multidisciplinary view of the Institute’s medium-term
research priorities, taking into consideration the international
state of the art, its foreseeable assessment requirements, andconcerns expressed by civil society and the public authorities.
During its second meeting, held on October 14, thecommittee examined two key safety issues: the possibilityof extending the lifetime of reactors currently in service, andradioactive waste management.
The second of these issues calls for further research toincrease knowledge and ﬁnd answers to society’s repeatedly
expressed concerns. Once the various stakeholders had put
forward their views concerning research priorities, a second
working group was set up, under the leadership of Claude
Leteurtre, Member of Parliament for Calvados. The grouphas been asked to examine the question of signiﬁcantly
extending the lifetime of nuclear facilities and the long-term
effects of this on plant safety. It must submit a
multidisciplinary opinion to IRSN’s Board of Directors during
the ﬁrst half of 2011 to help optimize research priorities
in this area.

FRANÇOISE QUINTIN-COLONNA,
Professor, and Chairperson of the Animal
Experimentation Ethics Committee

Radiation protection is constantly changing
in the healthcare sector.

SUMMARY
AND OUTLOOKIn its Charter on Openness to Society published in April 2009, IRSN made a numberof commitments. These include making its
research and assessment activities moretransparent, sharing knowledge, and helping stakeholders in society to understandand assess risks. Openness to society
was presented as a strategic issue in theContract of Objectives 2006-2009, andthis will be reasserted in the new contract,
for the Institute can only drive progress innuclear safety and radiation protection if
the public is fully aware of all the issues
involved.
Following on from the proposals put
forward by Georges Mercadal, former
Vice-Chairman of the French National
Commission on Public Debate, in response
to a request from IRSN aimed at making
the Institute more open to society, techni-

47% 47%
45.5%

SHARE OF IRSNBUDGET ALLOCATEDTO TECHNICALSUPPORT AND PUBLICSERVICE MISSIONS.

IRSN Annual Report 200927

ACTIVITIESTransparency – the key toprogress in nuclear safety
and radiation protection

ENSURINGEFFICIENCY

ing complications in radiotherapy. The two
institutes will now be able to issue joint
requests for research proposals in theseareas. The agreement signed with DGS, theFrench General Directorate for Health, seals
the long-standing cooperation between
the two organizations. Under the agreement, IRSN will provide technical support
for analyzing radiological events, incidents,
or accidents, and will help draft regulatory
documents. It also signed a quality charteron referrals with CASA, the health agency
networking committee of the Ministry for
Health (IRSN is a committee member) andis involved in a number of working groups
under the committee’s supervision. Other
agreements came into effect in 2009, suchas those signed in the environmental ﬁeld
with the Directorate General for Energy
and Climate (DGEC), part of the Ministry of
Ecology, Energy, Sustainable Development,
and the Sea, under which IRSN provides
the DGEC with support for monitoring the
OSPAR Convention for the Protection of
the Marine Environment of the North-East
Atlantic. Further examples are the agreements signed with Météo-France concerning
the transmission and exchange of climatological data used, in particular, for emergency
management and operational monitoring of
nuclear material transport.

2009

In 2009, IRSN stepped up initiatives tosign contracts with its various partners toformalize their relations. This is consistent
with its efforts to carry out its radiologicaland nuclear risk assessment activities under
optimum conditions. Two framework partnership agreements on safety and radiation
protection in the medical ﬁeld were signed
within this context, one on September 23,
the other on September 29. The ﬁrst agreement, signed with INCA, the French National
Cancer Institute, concerns training schemesorganized as part of the Minister for Health’s“radiotherapy roadmap”, and will allow IRSN
to enhance the safety of medical treatment
involving the use of ionizing radiation. The
agreement also covers experimental research
into the health effects of low-dose ionizing
radiation, and is concerned with prevent-2008

New framework agreements topromote closer cooperation inassessment activities

Animal experiments involve somesensitive ethical issues that concern
not only the justiﬁcation for the
protocols employed, but, more
importantly, raise the question as towhether the experiments are needed at all. Justifying theneed for experiments that inﬂict pain on animals, and often
lead to their being euthanized, clearly requires serious
thought, strong convictions, and the total lack of bias
guaranteed by voluntary status. While the committee I chairat IRSN is, like any other ethics committee, an advisory
body, it nonetheless plays a major role in governance. Any
experimenters choosing to ignore the committee’s opinion
would run the risk of seeing their work rejected by theirsuperiors and turned down for publication in scientiﬁcjournals that check that the protocol used has been
approved by the committee. The committee is not, however,a jury, let alone a court. It is there to think matters throughand help experimenters answer three questions: what
purpose does my experiment serve? Is there an alternative?
And, if not, what protocols are most compatible withconcerns for animal rights?”

2007

tor safety for SNETP, Europe’s Sustainable
Nuclear Energy Technology Platform.
IRSN continued to explore several otherareas as part of an initiative to optimize
its international research strategy, which isbuilt largely on shared access to large-scale
research facilities. Examples of this included
research into material and fuel behavior at
the CEA facilities in Cadarache, and thestudy of criticality risks relating to future
fuel management methods. This work is
carried out at the CEA Valduc research
center, which is soon to be renovated.

ORGANIZATION«

IN THE WORDS OF

SUMMARY AND OUTLOOK

cal talks also began with the safety groupof ANCCLI, the French national associationof local information commissions and committees. A public meeting should be held in2010 to present IRSN and ANCCLI ﬁndings.
A similar process has been set up with thelocal information committee of Areva’s La
Hague plant for a dismantling project.
The Institute has also involved representatives of CLIGEET, the local informationcommittee on the major energy facilities at Tricastin, in monitoring progressin a study to determine the reasons forthe presence of uranium in the groundwater at Tricastin in the south of France.
The study was initiated jointly by Areva
and the Drôme and Vaucluse local healthand social services departments (DDASS),
following an incident in the summer of2008 in which uranium-bearing efﬂuent
was released from the Socatri plant. The
initial ﬁndings of the study were presented
to CLIGEET in November 2009.
IRSN organizes a number of targeted initiatives – aimed particularly at schools – toshare as much knowledge acquired over theyears as possible. Among these initiatives,
the Rencontres lycéennes de la radioprotection, or radiation workshops in schools,
involved several French and foreign highschools in 2009, and teaching tools were
designed to introduce students to various
notions of radiation protection.
The Institute is fully aware that transparency alone cannot answer all of society’s
concerns. It therefore helps stakeholders,such as local information committees,
ANCCLI or the Metropolitan Community of
the Montbéliard Region, to gain access to

REPORT SUMMARIES THAT CAN BE DOWNLOADED ON:
www.irsn.fr > NOTICES AND REPORTS
IRSN prepares assessment reports as part of its technical support activities for ASN, the French nuclear safety authority, andsubmits the conclusions of these reports to the authority’s standing advisory groups, whose task it is to submit opinions andrecommendations to guide the authority in its decisions concerning nuclear safety and radiation protection. In keeping with its policyof increased openness, IRSN reached an agreement with ASN in 2009 to make summaries of these assessment reports available for
consultation on its website. An example of this is the report on the safety review of 900 MWe reactors, in preparation for their third
ten-year inspection (VD3 900).
Reports submitted to the standing advisory group for reactors (GPR)

Publication date

Summary of the IRSN report on the safety review of the CABRI facility and the installation of the new pressurizedwater loop

May 2009

Summary of the IRSN report on the conclusions of the safety review conducted by EDF as part of the third tenyear inspection of 900 MWe reactors

July 2009

Summary of the IRSN report on certain aspects of severe accidents liable to occur in pressurized water reactors at
plants currently in service

July 2009

Summary of the IRSN report on waste management at nuclear power plants currently in service, and on related
radioactive and chemical release

October 2009

Summary of the IRSN report on instrumentation and control architecture and platforms for the EPR reactor underconstruction at FlamanvilleNovember 2009

Summary of the IRSN report on countermeasures to be implemented to prevent contamination of ground water in
December 2009
the event of core meltdown on pressurized water reactors at plants currently in service
Summary of the IRSN report on the radiological impact of accidents (except core meltdown accidents) liable tooccur on pressurized water reactors at plants currently in service and on the EPR

December 2009

Reports submitted to the standing advisory group for transport (GPT)Summary of the IRSN report on the safety of the TN 117 waste package model

December 2009

Reports submitted to the standing advisory group for laboratories and plants (GPU)Summary of the IRSN report on the preliminary safety analysis report for ICEDA, the activated waste conditioning
and storage facility planned for EDF’s Bugey site in eastern central France

February 2009

Summary of the IRSN safety and radiation protection report for the CEA/Saclay solid radioactive waste
management zone in the Greater Paris region

April 2009

Summary of the IRSN safety and radiation protection report for STAR, the treatment, cleanup and reconditioning
facility on the CEA Cadarache site

August 2009

Reports submitted to the standing advisory group for radiation protection in medical and forensic applications of ionizing
radiation (GPMED)IRSN/SFPM/SFRO working group report: Mesure de la dose absorbée dans les faisceaux de photons de très petites
dimensions utilisés en radiothérapie stéréotaxique (“Measuring absorbed dose in very small photon beams used instereotactic radiotherapy”).

28 IRSN Annual Report 2009

July 2009

ORGANIZATION
130

2009

2008

90

IN THE WORDS OF

PIERRE MOSCOVICI, Presidentof the Metropolitan Community of
the Montbéliard Region«

ACTIVITIESA radiation protection project in aregion that has no nuclear facilities
might, at ﬁrst glance, seem surprising,but a closer look shows that it is justiﬁed
on several accounts. First, distance can beless important than wind direction in the event of a nuclear
accident, and Fessenheim is only 70 km away. Second, as
alternating president of Belfort-Montbéliard hospital(CHBM), I am particularly aware of radiodiagnosis andradiotherapy issues. This is largely because the oncologyradiotherapy department at CHBM has been working on
ways to optimize doses delivered to patients for about ten
years now. Last, the Doubs area is among the most highly
exposed areas in France with regard to the radon hazard.
In this context, there is no doubt as to the need for local
expertise, working in conjunction with national andinternational expertise, available on demand. This is where
our cooperation with IRSN truly comes into its own,
whether we are looking at the educational exhibition “Didyou say radiation protection?”, the initiatives to prepare aregional response to radiological hazards by implementing
contamination-simulating software applications in thegeographical information system of the Metropolitan
Community of the Montbéliard Region, or training andresearch activities carried out for doctoral thesis under joint
IRSN/university supervision.”

ENSURINGEFFICIENCY

the information they need to grasp all theissues involved, and carries out a numberof joint studies with them. For example, apilot initiative for monitoring environmental radioactivity in the Loire basin, carriedout with local information committees in
the region, was completed in 2009. The
joint report was widely circulated andthe results shared and discussed with therepresentatives of local information committees throughout the country during aseminar in June 2009.
IRSN also contributes to various initiatives
at the European level, such as the work it
does for the Cowam in practice program,an EC-backed initiative to reinforce governance and transparency in decisionmaking processes concerning radioactive
waste management. Lastly, the Instituteis involved in the efforts of ANCCLI andHCTISN (the high committee for transparency and information on nuclear safety)
to apply the provisions of the Aarhus
Convention to the nuclear waste ﬁeld. In
this respect, IRSN works to enhance thetechnical skills of local stakeholders andfulﬁlls an educational role in the ﬁeld toensure that the communities concerned
can build their opinions on reliable technical knowledge.

NUMBER OF STUDENTS
TAKING PART IN
RENCONTRES LYCÉENNES
DE RADIOPROTECTION(RADIATION PROTECTION
WORKSHOPS IN SCHOOLS).

IRSN Annual Report 2009

SUMMARY
AND OUTLOOK© AREVA / Jean-Marie TAILLAT

General view of the Tricastin site in the south of France, where IRSN carried out a study to determine the reason for the presenceof uranium in the groundwater under the site. The initial ﬁndings of the study were submitted to the CLIGEET in November 2009.

29

SUMMARY AND OUTLOOKGOVERNMENT/IRSNCONTRACT OF OBJECTIVES

Outcomes for
2006-2009
The ﬁrst Contract of Objectives (COB) between the Government
and IRSN, signed on July 5, 2006 by the Institute’s ﬁve supervisory ministers, deﬁned the overall strategy
adopted by the Institute to conduct its activities, and gave a detailed description of its main scientiﬁcand technical goals, in the absence of a medium- and long-term plan. The year 2009 marks the completionof the contract term and thus provides an ideal opportunity to take stock of results so far.

Governance and management
policies and tools
In keeping with its commitments, IRSN set
up a Medium– and Long-term StrategicPlan, upgraded its cost accounting system, and consolidated its major budgetbalances. It signed contracts to formalize
relations with its institutional and research
partners and respond more effectively tothe signiﬁcant growth in activity in thisarea. It also upgraded the range of services it offers. For example, it modernized
its passive dosimetry services for workers,
and developed training schemes, targeting radiation protection professionals inparticular.
Regarding human resources, IRSN deliveredon its commitments by setting up a management system that allows it to forecast
requirements for jobs and skills, signing anagreement on managerial staff salaries,
creating an “experts” sector, and signing acharter on inter-organization staff mobility.
The Institute’s total quality management
system, which resulted in ISO 9001:2000
certiﬁcation on July 11, 2007, reﬂects its
commitment to a continuous improvement approach.
Lastly, a Property Master Plan was drawn
up. Under this plan, the Institute’s teams
have been grouped together around the
new head ofﬁce in Fontenay-aux-Roses,

30 IRSN Annual Report 2009

Exploratory research projects were stepped up in 2009.

near Paris, and a number of the buildings
owned by the Institute have been renovatedand brought in line with regulations.

Increasing knowledge
and optimizing researchand design tools
IRSN has set up partnerships with a numberof organizations in France (CNRS, Ifremer,
universities, and the army health service)
and abroad to ensure constant access tostate-of-the-art scientific and technical knowledge. It helped in a coordinatorcapacity to set up and operate international scientiﬁc networks like SARNET, theEuropean network of excellence on severereactor accidents, and the High-level Expert
Group on European Low-dose Research,which focuses on the health effects of
low-dose ionizing radiation. After consulting its supervisory ministries and partners(CEA, Areva, EDF), IRSN took some concrete decisions regarding the future of thelarge-scale facilities used for its research
programs. Concerning scientiﬁc policy, it
developed training through research, andORGANIZATIONSUMMARY
AND OUTLOOK

Optimizing and diversifying
technical support for the publicauthorities
Optimizing technical support for the publicauthorities is a key factor in IRSN’s overall
strategy, and a number of joint annual work
programs were set up to meet requirementsin this area. Practical procedures were also
defined for the examination of certain
speciﬁc topics, mostly with ASN and theRepresentative in charge of Nuclear Safety
and Radiation Protection for Defenserelated Activities and Facilities.
Over the period covered by the contract,

the number of agreements signed withgovernment departments (e.g. Directorate
General for Risk Prevention, Directorate
General for Labor, Senior Defense andSecurity Ofﬁcial) and institutional organizations (AFSSET, INRS, InVS) that receive
technical support from IRSN has risen bymore than 60%. The Institute also widened
the scope of its technical support activities. The agreement signed with DGAL,
the directorate general on food safety, is
one of the most recent examples of this,and accompanies IRSN’s designation as anational benchmark laboratory for measuring radioactivity in food products.

ETSON, this network was set up to standardize European nuclear safety practices
and promote scientific and technicalcooperation among its members. IRSN
also helped develop ENSRA, the European
Nuclear Security Regulators Association.
Lastly, it took part in a number of studies, for the IAEA in particular, during thecontract period.

Signiﬁcant growth
in international activities

ENSURINGEFFICIENCY

set up a method for selecting and funding exploratory research projects. In addition, it formalized internal procedures forevaluating its research activities from thescientiﬁc perspective and, at the request of
the Ministers for Ecology and for Research,
set up a Nuclear Safety and Radiation
Protection Research Policy Committee(COR). This committee is open to various
stakeholders and serves to ensure that
the Institute’s research programs are relevant. It also makes recommendations to
the Board of Directors on objectives andpriorities.

ACTIVITIESThe Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection Research Policy Committee held its ﬁrst meeting on March 26, 2009.

Developing IRSN’s research and assessment activities on the global stage wasone of the priorities deﬁned in the ﬁrst
Contract of Objectives. This can be seen in
the growth of technical cooperation activities, with 187 agreements signed with 97
organizations from 36 countries, including
China, the USA, Japan, and Russia, and in
the development of the European Technical
Safety Organisations Network. Known as

IRSN Annual Report 200931

SUMMARY AND OUTLOOK

Promoting transparency andopenness to society
IRSN’s efforts to promote transparency
and make its work more accessible to social
stakeholders were reﬂected in an interinstitute Charter on Openness to Society
signed with AFSSET and INERIS. Within
this context, the Institute consolidated
its partnership with the local informationcommittees and ANCCLI, their national
association, chieﬂy through a number ofconcerted actions. At the request of the
public authorities, it also took part in pluralistic expertise groups and, with the assistance of the French National Commission
on Public Debate, conducted an in-depth
study on ways of opening up to society
even further.
As part of its policy on transparency, theInstitute also created various news andinformation media over the contract
period, including a bulletin intended forboth an in-house and external audience,
and a monthly newsletter for the supervisory ministries, members of parliament,
and IRSN’s institutional partners. Every
year, hundreds of thousands of people
connect to IRSN’s website, www.irsn.fr,

IN CLOSE-UP: PREPARING THE GOVERNMENT/IRSNCONTRACT OF OBJECTIVES FOR 2010-2013
With the ﬁrst Contract of Objectives
scheduled to ﬁnish at the end of 2009, IRSN
began to make preparations for its second
contract as of late 2008. This involved setting up
an internal project management structure andorganizing regular talks with representatives of its
ﬁve supervisory ministries.
The Institute based these preparations forthe new contract on the speciﬁcations of thesupervisory ministries, and on experience fromthe annual progress reports on objectives set forthe previous contract, which the representativesof the supervisory authorities considered too detailed. One or more indicators
will therefore be assigned to each objective. The indicators will be associatedwith targets and selected to simplify contract performance monitoring.
The new contract will be built around four strategic lines of improvement:
research and scientiﬁc excellence, support for public authorities and thegovernment and assessment services for other customers, openness to civilsociety, and international activities. It will incorporate a number of speciﬁc
objectives regarding the management of the Institute as part of a continuousand sustainable improvement initiative.

32 IRSN Annual Report 2009

especially when events relating to nuclear
safety and radiological hazards draw the
public’s attention, and the website is
becoming increasingly important as asource of information. The public can now
connect to the website to consult summaries of the reports IRSN submits to ASN’sstanding advisory groups.

Production as dynamic as everDuring the four years of the ﬁrst Contractof Objectives, IRSN’s research and assessment activities produced important resultsin many areas, including some signiﬁcantresearch progress, as well as essential workin assessment and reinforced support in
the public service arena. Examples of these
activities are given in the Institute’s annual
reports.

ORGANIZATION

2008

2009

Number of technical notices to thesafety authorities in the civil anddefense-related sectors

800

853

806

739

Number of reports prepared forstanding advisory group meetings
or expert committees on reactors,
plants and waste

22

21

15

15

Nationwide emergency exercises

15

13

12

8

Number of nuclear material
inspections

172

171

196

171

Number of technical notices to ASN

311

440

439

402

155,583

154,081

155,494

159,568

Number of radiation protection
training sessions

55

104

139

192

Number of sampling points
throughout the country

600

600

600

600

Number of international reference
publications (in JCR listed journals)

122

123

175

157

Number of ANR-funded projects

4

7

13

10

News and information Media: Number of press releases

9

25

35

25

Media: Number of press requests
processed

230

200

270

173

Public at large: Internet – Numberof requests for information received
through the contact@irsn mailbox

761

936

1,148

959

Continuous vocational training:
hours of training

725

2,123

2,615

3,173

Continuous vocational training:
number of trainees

899

1,629

1,977

3,271

Introductory training: hours
of teaching

700

1,100

1,384

2,417

Activities relating tocivil society

Number of actions at local
information committee meetings

10

10

20

16

International
activities

Number of agreements

112

143

180

187

Number of organizations concerned

66

77

94

97

Number of countries concerned

31

33

36

36

Training effort (% of payroll)

4.4

4.4

4.6

5.76

“Expert” sector created in 2006 –Number of experts

29

48

48

68

79

85

86

85.5

Number of post-doctorate students

26

31

35

28

Number of patents ﬁled

2

3

2

1

Number of “quality reviews”

–

30

26

26

Number of audits performed

19

35

32

19

Assistance andtechnical support

Public service
regulatory activities

Research andscientiﬁc excellence

Education andvocational training

Human resources

Scientiﬁc andtechnical excellence

Quality

Number of workers monitored byexternal dosimetry systems

Number of doctorate students(1)(1)

ACTIVITIES2007

ENSURINGEFFICIENCY2006

SUMMARY
AND OUTLOOKCOB 2006-2009: A FEW INDICATORS(1) Expressed in full-time equivalent terms.

IRSN Annual Report 200933

RAUNO RINTAMAA, VICE-PRESIDENT, ENERGY, VTT
BUSINESS SOLUTIONS, AN ETSON MEMBER

36

CHALLENGE 2
CONDUCTINGASSESSMENTS
ON FUTURE FACILITIES54

CHALLENGE 3
ENVIRONMENTAL AND
POPULATION EXPOSURE

58

CHALLENGE 4
SECURITY OF NUCLEAR
FACILITIES AND
MATERIALS

66

CHALLENGE 5
EMERGENCY RESPONSE

72

CHALLENGE 6
EFFECTS OF CHRONICEXPOSURE

76

CHALLENGE 7
PROTECTION
IN HEALTHCARE

79

ORGANISATIONACTIVITIES

Factoring safety and radiologicalprotection from the very beginningof any R&D project is an absolutenecessity. As a member of the European
Technical Safety Organisations Network,
IRSN provides in this respect a major
contribution to European R&D projects. »CHALLENGE 1
SAFETY AT EXISTING
FACILITIESACTIVITIES«CHALLENGE 1
Helping to ensure a highlevel of safety and radiation protection at existing
facilities until the end of
their life.

SAFETY AT EXISTING FACILITIESStrengthening theconnection between
research and assessment
activities to improvesafetyFully understanding the physical and chemical phenomena at work
during the operation of civil nuclear reactors, laboratories, and plants such as waste disposal facilities,
enables a more effective assessment of the safety of these facilities on behalf of the public authorities. The
year 2009 was notable not only for the diversity of safety issues examined by the Institute, particularly
regarding the construction of new reactors – the EPR in Flamanville, the Jules Horowitz Reactor (RJH)
in Cadarache, and the new-generation VVER in Belene in Bulgaria – but also for the implementation of
new industrial processes. Other activities included research on new transport packages, aging, and thedecommissioning and dismantling of old reactors such as Phénix, Saint-Laurent-des-Eaux A1 and A2, andChinon A3. As part of its technical support to the Representative in charge of Nuclear Safety and Radiation
Protection for Defense-related Activities and Facilities (the DSND), IRSN also assessed the safety of military
nuclear systems, basic nuclear installations, and defense-related transport.

1 – MONITORING FACILITIESAND TRANSPORT
To support the French Nuclear Safety
Authority, IRSN examines documentation concerning safety and radiation
protection for reactors, fuel cycle facilities, and the transport of radioactive
materials.

Nuclear power reactors
Managing efﬂuent and releasefrom nuclear power plants

Waste treatment control roomin the nuclear auxiliary building.

36 Annual Report IRSN 2009

The year 2009 saw the completion of
IRSN’s assessment of the material, procedural, organizational, and documentaryprovisions implemented or being considered by EDF for managing efﬂuent andrelease from nuclear power plants undernormal operating conditions. The assessment was carried out with a view to reducing efﬂuent and release.

On May 28, 2009 IRSN presented its conclusions to the competent standing advisory group to ASN.
The Institute found that the provisions
presented by EDF were effective overall.
IRSN’s investigation showed, however,that improvement was required in certain
aspects of efﬂuent and release management. For example:– providing for operating experience feedback that can be used to estimate thevolumes and characteristics of efﬂuent
produced during periodic and recurring
operations that contribute signiﬁcantly
to efﬂuent production;– performing “material balances” on sites
to keep track of the quantities of chemicals
entering and leaving the facility, and thus
detect any abnormal release (also see box
on page 38).
www.irsn.fr

ORGANIZATIONPREPARED FOR MEETINGS OF
STANDING ADVISORY EXPERT GROUPSOR COMMISSIONS FOR REACTORS,PLANTS, AND WASTES (15 in 2008).

IRSN’s experts are closely involved in work on the Flamanville construction site.

with the welds in the metal liner of thereactor building and construction joints.
IRSN is involved in examining deviations
in construction quality and assessing thecorrective measures taken by EDF.
www.irsn.fr

OPENNESS TO SOCIETY

ACTIVITIESIn 2009 IRSN carried out a detailed design
review of the EPR under construction on
the Flamanville site near the Channel in
Normandy. Responding to a request from
ASN, at a meeting of the competent standing advisory group to ASN, IRSN presented
a report on instrumentation and control
architecture and platforms on June 18,
2009.
The technical investigation of these matters, made especially complex by thedesigner’s extensive use of computerized
equipment, not only identiﬁed arrangements that help to make the I&C system
more robust, but also led IRSN to point out
several items calling for changes or moredetailed supporting material. In particular,
additional provisions for improving the system’s robustness were recommended.
The conclusions of IRSN’s assessment
are broadly consistent with those of theFinnish and American authorities in thisarea: the differences noted arise mainly
from differences in regulatory and industrial contexts. This led to the publicationby the French, Finnish, and British authorities of a joint statement on the design ofthe instrumentation and control system in
November 2009.
Monitoring reactor construction is essential, because the safety demonstration
ultimately depends on the characteristics of the facility as built. IRSN is closely

involved in monitoring the construction of
the reactor on the Flamanville site. During
2009 its experts took part in every oneof ASN’s onsite inspections, which mainly
concerned civil engineering aspects. The
Institute detected a certain number ofnonconforming items, such as problems

TECHNICAL DISCUSSIONS WITH ANCCLI ON SAFETY
REVIEWS FOR 900 MWE REACTORSIn April 2009 IRSN and ANCCLI’s“standing advisory group on safety”
engaged in a technical discussion on thegeneral question of 900 MWe reactor safety
reviews. This is one of the “test cases”
initiated by IRSN to follow through withthe recommendations of the advisory
mission carried out by Mr. Mercadal,
the Vice-Chairman of the French National
Commission on Public Debate andappointed by the Commission, on“the procedures to be implemented toreinforce the transparency in IRSN’s work”.
In preparation for the public meeting,technical meetings were held in 2009, in which representatives of the local
information committees involved took part. The proposed objective is toorganize a public meeting with ANCCLI in 2010, during which EDF, IRSN,
and ANCCLI will be set out and discuss their respective positions.
The broader objective is to allow any local information committees interested
to take advantage of the lessons learned from this generic work for use
in examining future safety review documentation.

Annual Report IRSN 2009

ENSURINGEFFICIENCY

Reviewing EPR design andmonitoring construction work

SUMMARY
AND OUTLOOK

15 REPORTS

37

ACTIVITIESCHALLENGE 1

IRSN carried out an assessmentof operator training at the PHENIX
reactor.

The Belene plant in Bulgaria will be equipped with 3 VVER reactors.

Safety analysis for the Belene
power plant project
In November 2009, IRSN and its German
partner, GRS, acting on behalf of theirjoint subsidiary Riskaudit, presented the
Bulgarian Nuclear Regulatory Authority
with its Intermediate Safety Analysis Report(ISAR) concerning the future nuclear power
plant in Belene. In 2005 the Bulgarian
Republic’s Council of Ministers approved
the construction of two new-generation
VVER-type nuclear power plants on the
Belene site.
Construction was conditional, however,on the performance of an independent
assessment of the ISAR. In their assessment, IRSN and GRS checked that the
ISAR complied with IAEA recommendations, the special conditions imposed by

Bulgarian national regulations, and goodinternational practice. The assessment
was carried out in three stages over one
year: the actual assessment leading to aninterim report, a detailed study phase on
topics such as large-break loss-of-coolant
accidents, severe accidents, and radiation
protection, and lastly, a summary phaseleading to recommendations for action.
The working method can be duplicatedfor use in any similar international service
contract.

Research reactors
Final test campaign for the
Phenix reactor
As part of the research program on fourthgeneration nuclear reactors, a large-scale
test campaign was conducted on CEA’s
Phenix fast reactor in 2009.
Having endorsed the relevance and thesafety principles of this test program in
2007, IRSN assessed the safety of eachindividual test in 2009. The assessments
adopted the defense-in-depth concept, afundamental and internationally recognized approach. They involved checking
that safety conditions at the facility weremaintained at a satisfactory level during
the tests, that a special test organization
had been set up, and that operators incharge of the tests were properly trained.

INTERNATIONALCONSIDERATION OF SANDSTORMS IN NUCLEAR POWER
PLANT SAFETY ANALYSIS
In 2009, IRSN conducted a study on sandstorms and duststorms, and theireffects on nuclear power plant safety, at the request of the United Arab Emirates.
Sandstorms and duststorms can present hazards for industrial facilities located on
the edges of deserts. They could have a lasting, sometimes serious, effect on
nuclear power plant operation: clogging pipes and vents, blocking emergency exits,
and interfering with the operation of electric generators and electrical andelectronic equipment. They must therefore be taken into account during design
studies and safety analyses.
IRSN’s study comprised three phases: detailed investigation of the characteristics of these events, analysis of the possible
impact on plant safety, and compilation of a list of sensitive points to be considered during safety analysis work.

38 Annual Report IRSN 2009

Reactor safety during
dismantling
As part of its support activities for ASN,
IRSN examined the scenarios planned by
EDF for dismantling the St-Laurent-desEaux A1 and A2 reactors and the Chinon
A3 reactor, all in the Loire valley region,and concluded that they were technicallyfeasible.
Some operations were identiﬁed as requiring mandatory hold points. These dismantling operations are expected to take morethan 20 years to complete as of the dateof publication of the relevant authorization
decrees, scheduled for 2010.

Demolition of the turbine hall ofreactor A3 at the Chinon power plant.

Annual Report IRSN 200939

ORGANIZATION

Regarding the commissioning of facilities orprocesses, the Institute assessed, at ASN’srequest, the documentation for MAGENTA,
a future storage facility for non-irradiatedﬁssile materials to be built at Cadarache.
The facility is designed to replace the
MCMF facility, which is expected to close
within the next few years.
Commissioning activities and operation of
the new “cold crucible” vitriﬁcation process, set up at Areva NC’s R7 facility at its La
Hague plant in Normandy, was also examined by IRSN. The new process will be used
to condition concentrates of ﬁssion andminor actinide products as well as wastefrom spent fuel shearing and dissolution.
Compared with the process currently
in use, it will enable the treatment of awider range of ﬁssion-product solutions
and increase the output of the vitriﬁcation facility.
IRSN also submitted several notices to
ASN concerning the safety of the ATPufacility, following CEA’s announcementthat a signiﬁcant quantity of plutonium
was contained in glove boxes at this facility, which is currently undergoing cleanup.
These notices were published on the IRSN
website as they were sent to ASN.
www.irsn.fr

SUMMARY
AND OUTLOOKFor laboratories and plants, the year 2009
was marked by the examination of threesafety review reports on behalf of the public authorities. Ten-year safety reviews are
speciﬁcally intended to take into accountoperating experience feedback and aging offacilities, which undergo numerous inspections during these review periods.
On June 24, 2009, IRSN presented theconclusions of its assessment of thesafety review documents on the treatment, cleanup and reconditioning facility(STAR), an extension of LECA, the active
fuel study laboratory, to the competent
standing advisory group to ASN.
This concerned CEA’s Cadarache center in

Safety of fuel cycle facilities

ACTIVITIESFuel cycle
Safety of laboratories andplantsthe south of France. The presentation also
concerned the Institute’s opinion on theforthcoming changes in operation, as a preliminary to reconditioning operations on
new types of fuel. On this basis, the standing advisory group approved the continued
operation of this facility.
IRSN also performed an assessment of thesafety review documents for CASCAD, a
dry storage facility for irradiated fuels.
In addition, the Institute issued report on
the safety review of the solid radioactive
waste management zone at the CEA Saclay
site in the Greater Paris region, taking into
account the fact that this facility is to be
decommissioned in ten years.
The Institute found that in these circumstances the safety provisions adopted
for operating the facilities were appropriate. On February 4, 2009 IRSN’s conclusions were presented to the competent
standing advisory group to ASN, whichapproved them.
www.irsn.fr

ENSURINGEFFICIENCY

They led the operator to make changes
in the control of certain tests. They also
revealed a need fuel behavior in accident
situations.

ACTIVITIESCHALLENGE 1
Transport
Safety analysis for new
transport of packages
In 2009 IRSN assessed the safety of the
new TN 117 package, developed by TN
International. Its conclusions were submitted to the competent standing advisorygroup to ASN on October 13, 2009.
The TN 117 package is designed for thetransport of fresh or spent fuel assemblies,
including a number of rods that might leak.
In this case the assemblies are placed incontainers called “cylinders”. IRSN’s assessment focused particularly on the mechanical and thermal behavior of the package
and on the demonstrations submitted by
the applicant relative to the guarantee ofcontainment, protection against ionizing
radiation, and sub-criticality in all transport conditions.
Taking account of the commitments madeby TN International during the assessment,
and subject to the company’s investigation of two additional accident scenarios,
IRSN considered that the TN 117 package
meets requirements applicable to typeB(U) packages designed to transport ﬁssile materials, for the transport of leaktightfuel rods. Further substantiation, however,is required for the package design when
loaded with non-leaklight fuel rods.
www.irsn.fr

Research and development
programs
IRSN began a number of studies andresearch activities during 2009 to further enhance its assessment capabilities
regarding the safe transport of radioactive
materials.
A test program was carried out in 2009
to determine the fraction of resuspended
particles from radioactive powder loaded
in a package when subjected to accidental conditions as deﬁned in the transport
regulations.
Further tests are scheduled for 2010 toreﬁne the preliminary results.
Moreover, IRSN began to study how expansion phenomena in the elastomer seals in
the containment system could affect package integrity, under normal and accident
conditions. Preliminary numerical calculations were carried out in 2009 and will be
supplemented by more accurate calculations in 2010 to deﬁne a test program. The
results of these activities will eventually
serve as a basis for assessing the validityof assumptions currently made in safety
documents to estimate variables phenomena such as radiation release following
mechanical and thermal testing.
One experimental program sets out tostudy the thermal behavior of wooden
shock absorbers used to protect packages,
in particular the phenomenon of burning
prolongation in the wood which is liable
to occur after the ﬂames have been extinguished. The study seeks to characterize thisphenomenon and determine under which
conditions it occurs. This phenomenon is
not always taken into account in the ﬁreresistance studies included in the safety
documents that IRSN examines on ASN’srequest. The program was deﬁned in 2009
with the various partners involved, and thetests could be carried out in 2011.
As part of its initiatives to improve the tools
used for emergency assessment activities,
IRSN performs computer simulations tostudy the thermal behavior of the new TN
112 package, which is approved for spent
fuel transport, during a ﬁre that exceeds
the duration and maximum temperature
values deﬁned in current regulations. The
purpose of the study is to determine theﬁre duration and temperature maximum
values that the seals may withstand without failure.
Lastly, research and development actions
were extended in 2009 to include activities at fuel cycle facilities. In particular,
the study of the mechanical properties ofmaterials used for irradiated fuel rod cladding, which was initially limited to transport conditions, was expanded to include
underwater fuel storage conditions.

646 TECHNICALNOTICES TO ASN (709 in 2008).

TN 117 transport packaging.

40 Annual Report IRSN 2009

INTERNATIONAL

Reactivity accidents
In 2009, IRSN developed an approach todeﬁne a “non-failure” range for fuel rods
in a pressurized water reactor in the eventof reactivity-initiated accidents (RIAs). For
the Institute, this is a major step in its preparations for forthcoming discussions on therevision of the safety baseline for this typeof accident. The approach is based on:– an in-depth study of the physical phenomena involved in a reactivity accident,
based on interpretation of an international
experimental database compiled from test
results obtained in experimental facilities
such as the CABRI reactor, and the results

ACTIVITIESof analytical tests on cladding behavior;– the development of IRSN’s SCANAIR
simulation tool, designed to provide
quantitative interpretations of the resultsof these tests, and to extrapolate experimental results to the operating conditionsof a power reactor;– the development of a statistical methodfor deﬁning a “non-failure” limit for claddings. Such a method implies a large
number of calculations covering all possible failure modes, having ﬁrst determined
all the sensitive physical parameters relating to the thermomechanical behavior of
cladding and fuel, as well as fuel stressing
during operation.
The approach will be ﬁnally validated once
the non-failure limit obtained has been
compared with the test results from the
CIP program carried out by IRSN on the
CABRI reactor. The Institute will then be ina position to provide an appropriate andscientiﬁcally ﬂawless opinion on the limits
proposed by operators.

ENSURINGEFFICIENCYIn order to examine the changes innuclear fuel management that reactor operators propose to the relevant
authorities, IRSN conducts research
designed to provide a better assessmentof the safety limits to be included inthese new procedures.

SUMMARY
AND OUTLOOKIn early September 2009,IRSN and the OECD organized
a seminar on fuel behavior
in reactivity accidents.
This seminar brought together
nearly 90 representatives from19 countries and internationalorganizations.
Technical discussions revealed
that the phenomena involvedin the ﬁrst phase of the accident
are well understood, thankslargely to work based on
the results of tests conductedin the CABRI reactor (by IRSN
and CEA) and the NSRR reactor(by the Japan Atomic Energy
Agency).
The discussions also showedthat more needs to be known
about the second phase of theaccident in order to improvesafety standards and make themmore relevant.
This is important because
reactor coolant boiling and fuelrod failure may occur during thesecond phase of the accident.

Visual inspection of fuel rods.

2 – FUEL SAFETY

ORGANIZATIONSEMINARON REACTIVITYACCIDENTS

CEA’s CABRI reactor.

Annual Report IRSN 200941

ACTIVITIESCHALLENGE 1
Loss of coolant accidents(LOCA)In 2009, IRSN developed the experimental CYCLADES program, building on currently available knowledge and existing orplanned international research programs.
The program sets out to provide the knowledge required to improve the assessmentof nuclear fuel behavior during an accident affecting the reactor’s core coolingsystem.
This type of accident is known as a “lossof-coolant-accident” or LOCA. The phenomena investigated include fuel rod
deformation due to the formation of“balloons” liable to reduce rod cooling,
the movement of fuel fragments in these“balloons”, and cladding strength during and after - the accident.
Changes in fuels and in how they are usedin power reactors are causing the authorities to consider revising the current safetybaseline, particularly the related safety criteria. This international program is associated with the development of simulation
tools:How equipment and components behave over time is crucial to the safety of nuclear facilities.

– DRACCAR software, used to estimate
irradiated fuel assembly plugging;– the DIFFOX simulation tool, whichassesses the oxidation state of cladding.

Steam line break accident
In collaboration with CEA, IRSN developed
the HEMERA 3-D computer code package
for the study of accident situations in which
neutronic, thermal-hydraulic, and “system”
effects interact. The package combines fourcodes: APOLLO and CRONOS for neutronic
aspects, FLICA for reactor core thermalhydraulics, and CATHARE for system thermal-hydraulics. In 2009, the package wasused for the ﬁrst time to study new methods of investigating steam line break andcontrol rod ejection accidents in a nuclear
reactor. The methods in question were proposed by EDF for use in EPR safety documentation in particular.

3 – AGING AND EXTENDINGSERVICE LIFE
vrmax = 8.34664
vzmax = 12.5108
0.1

1,500,000

1,300,000

0.08

1,100,000
0.06
900,000
0.04

Elevation 3 m

700,000

Deformation
StressStrainTemperature
Oxidation
Above or below

0.02

500,0000

300,000
0

0.02

0.04

0.06

Cross-section of a cluster of fuel rods deformed
by a loss-of-coolant accident.

42 Annual Report IRSN 2009

0.08

0.1

The aging of the nuclear reactor ﬂeet
and the possibility of extending are theservice life of France’s nuclear power
plants are two crucial topics concerning
the safety of nuclear facilities. For boththese reasons, IRSN needs to be able toassess the behavior of plant equipment
and components over time.

Extending the lifetime of
nuclear power plants
In 2009 IRSN recommended to ASN thatbesides examining the management ofaging, it should consider ways of extending the lifetime of reactors beyond the
40-year period for which they were originally designed.
Since 2003 the topic of reactor aging has
been the target of IRSN investigations andpresentations to the competent standing
group to ASN, which means that it beneﬁts from a proven methodology. EDF has
recently indicated that it wishes “to leave
open the option of a sixty-year service life
for all the reactors in its ﬂeet.”
The proposed examination is intended toaddress the technical problems of a pro-

jected service life of 30 additional years,
beginning at the third ten-year inspection. The issues involved for the operator
are substantial, in both economic terms
and from the safety perspective. Besides
the aspects relating to equipment aging
considerations, the exercise sets out tolook ahead not only to changes in safety
requirements, but also to climate-related
hazards, and to identify exceptional maintenance operations to assess their industrial feasibility, etc. It will lead to a work
program to define milestone dates todecide whether this objective is acceptable, or, on the contrary, to identify thetechnical difﬁculties to be overcome.
At the same time, IRSN intends to amplify
and focus the research and development
activities that it conducts to support its
assessment activities, especially with regard
to social expectations. Within this context,
its research work on aging was assessedby its Scientiﬁc Council in 2009. Similarly,
a working group chaired by Member ofParliament Claude Leteutre was set up
within the Nuclear Safety and Radiation
Protection Research Policy Committee, todevelop a multidisciplinary opinion likely tohelp optimize research priorities regarding
the extension of reactor lifetime.

Behavior of power cables

aging in safety-related cables. As part ofthe intensiﬁcation of its research on aging,
the Institute began a work program in 2009that must allow it to take informed positions concerning the aging of such cables.
The program is based on three lines ofresearch:– an inventory and analysis of available
experimental data and previous studies,– an analysis of EDF’s approach, based on
the use of models that are, for the mostpart, qualiﬁed by measuring the properties of control specimen cables collectedfrom power plants, with or without additional aging,– the performance of additional tests if
necessary, and improvement of the models.
These actions will be carried out as partof national and international industrial
partnerships.
This work, currently being carried out under
an OECD contract, is aimed at building a
database covering qualiﬁcation proﬁlesand diagnostic methods for various typesof cables.

Along with the reactor pressure vessel andthe containment building, power cables areamong the components of nuclear reactors that are considered irreplaceable. Just
the cables known as “K1” cables, i.e., cables
qualiﬁed for LOCA conditions, represent alength of 50 km for a single reactor. IRSN
therefore pays particular attention to

Annual Report IRSN 200943

ORGANIZATION

Energyindependence,competitiveelectricity
prices, andclimate change are such major
issues that we must ensure thatthe beneﬁts of nuclear energy
can never be weighed against
the level of nuclear safety andsecurity that every citizen has theright to demand. It is in this spiritthat I accepted the leadership of
the working group of the IRSN’s
Nuclear Safety and Radiation
Protection Research Policy
Committee (COR), devoted tothe aging of nuclear power plants
and the extension of their service
life. Although absolutetransparency was not always
customary in the past, it seems
to me that it is now essential totake stock of all our processes,
whether we are talking about
listing reported incidents or
attempting to identify thosethat have not been reported. We
should then identify the toughest
issues and address them ﬁrst.
Within the context, I believe thatIRSN should publicize its workand make it known that its
ﬁndings are not inﬂuenced in any
way by the organizations it works
for. It would have all the moreinﬂuence if it were recognized asa public expert organization with
its own budget, with no need todepend on budgetary allocations
from the ministries.”

SUMMARY
AND OUTLOOKMember of Parliament
for Calvados

ACTIVITIES«CLAUDE LETEURTRE,

ENSURINGEFFICIENCYIN THE WORDS OFACTIVITIESCHALLENGE 1

4 – FIRES AND
CONTAINMENTIRSN’s ﬁre and containment research is
aimed at improving its understandingof the processes involved and obtaining
a better assessment of the radioactive
release liable to result from a ﬁre or containment failure.

Working towards a common
approach to ﬁre hazard analysis
IRSN developed a draft document in 2009
describing its methods for examining ﬁrehazards in nuclear facilities of all types.
To meet the general objectives of nuclear
safety and radiation protection, the document will deﬁne the Institute’s position on
the overall approach to be followed in analyzing ﬁre hazards and their effects.
In particular, it will describe the safety principles to be adopted and the various stages
the operator should follow to demonstratethat the ﬁre protection measures it has
selected are adequate.

Instrumentation and control room at the DIVA facility.

This approach is in line with the new“ﬁre safety engineering” methods developed as part of a nationwide technicalconsultation.

Advances in the ﬁeld of aerosol
ﬁltration
As part of a common-interest program
concerning high-efficiency particulateair (HEPA) ﬁltering of aerosols, IRSN andAreva carried out research to provide a
better understanding of (i) the uncertainties involved in measuring HEPA ﬁlter efﬁciency, and (ii) the performance of this typeof ﬁlter in air with high relative humidity. In
addition, dissertation studies have shownthat when predicting the consequences of
HEPA ﬁlter clogging in moist air, it is necessary to consider ﬁlter geometry, the aerosol deliquescence point and particle size
distribution, as well as the duration of theinteraction of moist air with the particles
deposited on the ﬁlter.

Fire hazards in laboratories
and plants

The CATFISH test bench is used to obtain analytical data on HEPA ﬁlter clogging.

44 Annual Report IRSN 2009

Two test campaigns devoted to the studyof ﬁre hazards in the nuclear laboratory andplant category were carried out in 2009
on IRSN’s experimental platform called
Galaxie, located in Cadarache in the southof France.
The PARFFIN campaign studied fires
in drums of high-density polyethylene

The OECD’s international research program PRISME, conducted by IRSN on the
Galaxie experimental platform, is devoted
to the study of the propagation of smokeand heat from a ﬁre in conﬁned spaces
with mechanical ventilation, representativeof a nuclear facility.
In parallel with this experimental program,a working group bringing together a large
number of partners, led by IRSN, is helping to interpret the PRISME program’s test
results. The group is also conducting comparative studies using various computer
tools, in order to assess their ability tosimulate a variety of increasingly complex
ﬁre scenarios.
In 2009, as part of a comparative study on
the PRISME program’s tests, emphasis wasplaced on an objective assessment of discrepancies between experimental ﬁguresand simulation results.
A second objective consisted in using the«

We chose IRSN’s Sylvia software to carry out our safety
analyses on ﬁres and their propagation, and for studies ofmaterial transfer in the ventilation systems, because it met
our expectations better than the other products available.
Sylvia’s main advantage is that it incorporates data concerningﬁre propagation via the ventilation systems. Being able to use the same tool tostudy ﬁre and its propagation is a real advantage for us, and it’s something we
didn’t ﬁnd in the other software we examined.

SUMMARY
AND OUTLOOK

Sylvia’s second advantage is that you can make use of experiments, that is,
the physical validation of parameters encountered in real-life ﬁre situations.
In our opinion, this conﬁrms that Sylvia is representative of reality and that
it is constantly being expanded with every new experiment.

ORGANIZATIONPIERRE CORTÈS, Manager of the ITER Organization’s
Safety Analysis department

Lastly, the fact that this code was developed within the IRSN will make exchangeeasier when the Institute carries out safety analysis for ITER. Speaking the samelanguage will help reduce errors of interpretation.”preliminary calculations to deﬁne speciﬁcations for the latest test campaign, known
as PRISME INTEGRAL.
This campaign will involve complex solid
ﬁre sources (ﬁres in cables and electricalcabinets) as well as the effects of containment and the activation of sprinklers during the ﬁre.

ACTIVITIES

Propagation of smoke and ﬁre

IN THE WORDS OF

Creation of a databaseon equipment behavior
In view of the substantial volume of data
available on the behavior of containmentand sectorization systems in response tohazards, IRSN began to develop a computerized database in 2009 to take advantageof this knowledge.
The database, called BADIANE, will poolknowledge concerning the behavior of
puriﬁcation systems and containment andsectorization equipment obtained during
tests carried out under normal, degraded,or accident conditions.
For a given scenario, BADIANE will be able
to provide users with information on the
aeromechanical and mechanical behaviorof equipment (doors and ﬁre dampers, ﬁlter components, cable troughs, etc.).
The database, which is designed to allow
data from other scenarios or pieces ofElectrical cabinet after a PICSEL EP testat the DIVA facility.

ENSURINGEFFICIENCY(HDPE), used for very low-level radioactive
waste. In particular, it sought to describe
the development of the ﬁre’s heat release
rate and its propagation from one drum toanother placed on top of or next to it. A
minimum safety distance between drums
was thus determined.
After deﬁning the average fuel load in adrum and its ignition mode (internal orexternal), 12 tests were performed on one
or two drums. Ten further tests examinedthe conditions for igniting the drum’s
HDPE jacket.
The PICSEL-EP campaign studied the effectof sectorization equipment (fire doors
and cut-off valves) and of ventilation ﬁlter clogging on ﬁre dynamics, and on the
propagation of hot gases and smoke ina facility made up of several rooms. The
source of the ﬁre is an electrical cabinetwith the door left open to maximize theﬁre heat release rates involved. The campaign comprised two tests, carried out in
October and November 2009 on the DIVA
test facility.
Results are currently being analyzed, but it
is already clear that the ﬁre doors used in
the tests displayed excellence resistanceto the thermal and mechanical stresses
caused by the ﬁre.

equipment to be added at a later date,includes experimental data acquiredby IRSN or obtained from bibliographic
studies.

Annual Report IRSN 200945

ACTIVITIESCHALLENGE 1

5 – CORE MELTDOWNACCIDENTS
Research conducted by IRSN in this area
is aimed at learning more about the
progression and consequences of core
meltdown accidents, and especially therelease of radioactive materials to theenvironment.

Reﬂooding of a highly degraded
reactor core
The probabilistic safety study carried out
by IRSN for 900 MWe reactors showedthat they are a significant number ofaccident scenarios where water may be
injected into the reactor vessel during coredegradation.
The uncertainties as to the possibilities of
reﬂooding a degraded core, however, meanthat the effectiveness of adding water inthis way remains to be demonstrated.
The PEARL program, started by IRSN in
2008, is aimed at expanding knowledge
through testing, and improving, models
of degraded core reﬂooding using ICARECATHARE software.
In 2009, preliminary tests were conducted
to qualify both the speciﬁc processes andthe instrumentation to be implemented in
the European SARNET 2 project’s experimental facility, PEARL. The new facility will
investigate the reﬂooding of a debris bed
made up of materials typical of those ina damaged core, at higher temperaturesand pressures.

46 Annual Report IRSN 2009

PRELUDE – a reduced-scale prototype facility for the PEARL program.

Hydrogen combustion modeling
The year 2009 saw the start of a comparative study of the code results and the measurements obtained at IRSN’s ENACCEF
facility and the Becker Technologies THAI
facility in Germany.
This exercise, known as International
Standard Problem 49, is being coordinatedby GRS, under the auspices of OECD. It

involves research organizations, industrial
ﬁrms, and universities.
Its objective is to determine the extent towhich codes are able to predict pressure
and temperature loadings on the reactor containment building, resulting fromhydrogen combustion from a heterogeneous mixture. The difference in size between
the two facilities (a factor of 60) will also
provide information on scale effects.

Examining the effectivenessof “waterborne-release”
countermeasures
On June 25, 2009, at a meeting of thecompetent standing advisory group to
ASN, IRSN presented its report on theeffectiveness of the provisions under consideration by EDF to prevent radionuclides
from spreading to the ground water after
a molten core breaks through a reactor
building foundation raft.
As part of its project to extend reactor lifetime, EDF is seeking to implement “waterborne-release” countermeasures to prevent

Whatever the case, IRSN believed that EDF
should propose more ambitious radiological objectives in its baseline at this point
in time.
www.irsn.fr

ORGANIZATIONOn June 25, 2009, IRSN submitted to thecompetent standing advisory group to
ASN its report on the updated baseline
proposed by EDF for assessing the radiological consequences of accidents (excluding core meltdown accidents).

SUMMARY
AND OUTLOOKRadiological consequences ofaccidents

The new baseline will apply to nuclear
reactors in existing power plants and to
the EPR reactor under construction on theFlamanville site.
The Institute took this opportunity topoint out that assessing the radiologicalconsequences of accidents was part of an
initiative for the continuous improvementof safety, and that every step should betaken to reduce release from accidents,
and its impact on human health andthe environment, as far as is reasonably
achievable.
It thought it necessary for EDF to continue
its studies in order to deﬁne ways of reducing the impact of an accident involving asteam generator tube rupture.
Regarding the methods and assumptions
adopted in the studies, IRSN believed thatthe changes EDF had made to its assessment approach were positive, and that thecompany should be able to obtain a sufﬁciently solid baseline to identify priorities
for improvements.
This is especially important looking aheadto the safety review of 1300 MWe reactors in preparation for their third ten-year
inspection, beginning in 2015.

ACTIVITIESTo obtain a better understanding of the
progression and consequences of core
meltdown accidents, IRSN and GRS delivered a new version of the French-German
ASTEC codes, known as ASTEC V2, to theirpartners in the European SARNET system
in July 2009.
The new version consolidates ASTEC’s
position as an international reference tool.
More particularly, the Institute plans to use
it for a variety of applications such as a
Level-2 probabilistic safety study for the
EPR reactor, and studies of experimental
or naval propulsion reactors.
The V2.0 version incorporates two majorchanges. First, the ICARE module used toprocess in-vessel core degradation has been
integrated. Second, the MEDICIS module,
designed to process corium-concrete interactions, has been extended to include EPR
design, with models of the corium spreading area. ASTEC V2 is also coupled to the
SUNSET statistical tool to make it easierto perform sensitivity studies and analyze
their results.
More than forty ASTEC user agreements
have now been signed with European,
Indian, Russian, and Chinese partners.
Towards the end of June 2009, IRSN organized a training session in the use of ASTEC
V2, in response to a demand expressed bymany users. The session was attended by
22 organizations from 13 countries.
Lastly, IRSN created a website in October
2009, the main purpose of which is to offer
users a fast and easy way to download any
future ASTEC upgrades.
www.irsn.fr

core meltdown accidents and foundation
mat melt-through. Although IRSN believes
that this preventive approach is essential
for safety, it considers that provisions for
mitigating the consequences of a real accident involving a breach of the foundation
mat still need to be studied.
It therefore believes that EDF should continue working on “waterborne-release”
countermeasures, while planning ahead for
preparatory studies for the construction of
a geotechnical enclosure compatible withthe site. IRSN also believes that EDF should
examine the capacities required for storing,
controlling, treating and discharging thecontaminated water that will be pumped
out, and estimate any additional arrangements that would be required.
Moreover, it considered that EDF should
study the process by which strontium andcesium isotopes are retained in a waterbearing alluvial formation made up ofsands and gravels, representative of certain sites..
www.irsn.fr

IN CLOSE-UP

WHAT IS MEANT BY “WATERBORNE-RELEASE”
COUNTERMEASURES?
Two methods of transferring radioactive products into
the environment may be involved during a core meltdown
accident to a pressurized water reactor: atmospheric release,and liquid release following foundation raft melt-through.
Liquid release liable to contaminate the ground water isknown as “waterborne release”.
The purpose of “waterborne-release” countermeasures is tolimit – or even prevent - the spread of radionuclides toground water after the molten core breaks through thereactor building foundation raft. One way to do achieve thisis to build a geotechnical enclosure and pump out the waterthat pours into it. These countermeasures must be
implemented within 10 to 200 days, depending on the site.

Annual Report IRSN 2009

ENSURINGEFFICIENCY

A new reference tool for core
meltdown accidents

47

ACTIVITIESCHALLENGE 1

First Level 2 PSA for 1300 MWe
reactors
In 2009, IRSN devoted considerable effort
to developing the ﬁrst Level 2 probabilistic safety analysis for 1300 MWe reactors(PSA2 1300), which is aimed at identifying
changes that could be made to improvesafety in these reactors, in preparation for
their third ten-year inspection. It should
be noted that by developing its own PSAs,
the Institute acquires the means to effectively appraise similar studies carried out
by the operator. The studies also represent
a tool that will allow it to build on the latest knowledge acquired from reactor core
meltdown accidents.
PSA2 1300 is organized around an event
tree that includes detailed modeling of themain phenomena that are likely to occur
during a core meltdown accident. Thismodeling is based on a large number ofstudies and supporting calculations, manyof which were performed using ASTEC V1.3
software.
More than 100 accident scenarios, calculated up to reactor pressure vessel failure,are used to assess the thermal-hydraulicbehavior of the core cooling systems andthe containment, as well as the physicalphenomena induced by in-vessel coredegradation (fuel melt, release of ﬁssion
products or hydrogen into the containment, etc.).

Phebus Fission Products
program: publicationof the summary reporton the FPT2 test
In 2009 IRSN presented its summary
report on the results of the FPT2 test to
the international partners in the Phebus PF
research program, which it manages. The
test was carried out in 2000 to investigate
a core meltdown accident under reducing
conditions in the reactor pressure vessel,
primary circuit and containment, whereas
the conditions for the ﬁrst tests were moreoxidizing. The last signiﬁcant step in consolidation work performed by the Instituteconsisted in analyzing the consistency of
all the measurements made during thetest, then evaluating the uncertainties
associated with the results.
The PHEBUS FP experimental program,

48 Annual Report IRSN 2009

IN CLOSE-UPSARNET 2 PROJECT LAUNCHSARNET, the European network of excellence for research on nuclear reactor
core meltdown accidents, coordinated by IRSN, has continued its activities sinceApril 2009, with support from the European Commission under a new four-year
contract (SARNET2 Project under FP7, Europe’s seventh R&D frameworkprogram. It brings together 41 international partners including IRSN, four ofthem from outside the European Union: AECL (Canada), KAERI (S. Korea),
NRC (USA), and PSI (Switzerland).
Research and development work has been prioritized, starting with degradedcore reﬂooding, corium-concrete interaction, and the behavior of release underoxidizing conditions in the reactor coolant system. IRSN provides the networkwith results from the ISTP and PEARL programs, both of which are cofunded by
the European Commission. ISTP is devoted to the study of release, while PEARL
concerns degraded core reﬂooding. Another essential action concerns thedevelopment and improvement of models in the ASTEC software system,
where knowledge is stored for future use.
Ties with the European SNETP platform should be developed, in particular bydrawing on the network’s unrivaled concentration of skills, which enable it toidentify research priorities and deﬁne and launch appropriate research programs.

which was conducted between 1993
and 2004 in the Phebus research reactor
operated by CEA for the needs of IRSN’s
safety research, is one of the main international research programs devoted to core
meltdown accidents in pressurized water
nuclear reactors. It comprised ﬁve comprehensive experiments, i.e., experiments
reproducing as realistically as possible thephysical phenomena that may occur during a core meltdown accident. The experi-ments have yielded essential data for thevalidation of simulation software used inwater-cooled reactor safety analyses.

Progress made in CABRI
modiﬁcation work
Work on modifying the CABRI test reactor,
operated by CEA for the needs of IRSN’s
safety research, began in 2003. The purposeof the work is to equip the facility with apressurized water loop that can be used to

PWR

Paintedsurface

Scale = 1:5000

Containment

Primary
circuitPHÉBUS-FP

Break

PHEBUS FP facility - a 1:5,000 scale replica of a PWR.

ORGANIZATIONSUMMARY
AND OUTLOOKMIRTE experimental device at CEA Valduc: “ﬁne” conﬁguration with 5 mm of titanium.

Partnership with the UnitedStates for experimental programs concerning nuclear
criticality

ACTIVITIESAreva, and Andra in the MIRTE experimental
criticality program. The aim is to contributeto the qualiﬁcation of criticality computercodes used for transport packaging and fuelcycle facilities. In 2009, no fewer than 30
experiments were carried out for this purpose at the CEA’s experimental criticality
facilities in Valduc in east-central France
under IRSN supervision. Analysis of theresults of these experiments has yielded
precise information on the neutronic characteristics of seven materials of interest(copper, nickel, titanium, iron, aluminum,
Zircaloy, and glass).
In view of the high quality of results
obtained by CEA and IRSN teams, Areva
and the DOE have committed to a second
test phase (called the MIRTE 2 program),
to be carried out in 2011. Furthermore, thesuccess of this cooperation has led IRSN,
CEA, and the DOE to discuss renovating the
Valduc facilities to create an international
criticality experimental laboratory.

ENSURINGEFFICIENCY

study the behavior of PWR fuel in an accident situation, under representative conditions. The studies will focus on control
rod ejection or loss of reactor coolant. The
modiﬁcations, funded by IRSN, also include
upgrading the facility to take into accountchanges in regulations and practices, andnew knowledge. Two important milestones were reached in 2009. July saw thehydrotest performed on the water loop (290bar, 50°C) that replaces the original sodiumloop, while October saw main construction
work begin to reinforce the buildings andequipment to reﬂect changes in the seismic loading adopted for the Cadarache sitewhere the reactor is located. Commissioning
tests also began on the various systems of
the facility, in particular the ventilation andradioactive-efﬂuent systems.

Since 2007, IRSN has been working with
the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE),

Annual Report IRSN 200949

ACTIVITIESCHALLENGE 1

INTERNATIONALPARTICIPATION IN THE POST-SEISMICSURVEY IN L’AQUILAIRSN took part in the post-seismic survey organized by
the French Association for Earthquake Engineering (AFPS)in the L’Aquila region of Italy, following the magnitude 6.3
earthquake that severely affected this region during the nightof April 5-6, 2009, causing 300 deaths, leaving 70,000 people
homeless, and calling for the reconstruction of a quarter ofthe buildings in the vicinity of the epicenter. Although theearthquake occurred in an area where strong seismic activity
was known, it concerned a fault that had previously been
considered inactive. The AFPS report provides a full descriptionof the event, the behavior of the buildings, and crisis
management. It underlines the close similarities between Italy
and France, particularly in terms of geology and urbanization,and highlights the effectiveness of the operational solutions
employed by the Italian authorities to deal with the crisis.
The experience feedback acquired will enable speciﬁc
improvements in the regulations concerning the prevention
and management of seismic risks in France.
www.afps-seisme.org

6 – NATURAL HAZARDSIn order to meet safety requirements,
nuclear facilities must be designed
to withstand natural hazards such as
earthquakes, floods, and heatwaves.
IRSN’s work is designed to obtain amore accurate assessment of the risks
associated with these hazards.

seismic events and seismotectonic zoning.
The Institute was able to apply the resultsof the studies and research that it has
conducted over the last few years, inparticular concerning uncertainties incalculations for assessing the earthquake
resistance of facilities.

Flood protection
Seismic hazard assessment
The working group set up by ASN andbringing together seismic hazard specialists from EDF and IRSN, completed its
work in 2009 after more than three yearsof discussions.
The group’s work was aimed in particular
at investigating the characteristics of the“safe shutdown earthquakes” adopted by
EDF for its various sites, and their conservative approach.
Drawing on the latest knowledge available,
it examined the seismic levels to beconsidered for each of the 900 MWe PWR
sites.
As part of this work, IRSN held in-depthtalks with EDF on how to address
uncertainties, particularly those associatedwith the characteristics of design-basis

50 Annual Report IRSN 2009

Following the ﬂooding of the power plant
platform in Blayais in southwestern France,a working group was set up to revise thefundamental safety rule concerning theprotection of basic nuclear installations
against ﬂooding.
This working group, managed jointly by
ASN and IRSN, completed its work in 2009,enabling draft guidelines to be prepared
for the assessment of phenomena likely
to lead to ﬂooding (heavy rains, storms,etc.) and for protecting installations with
the necessary protection.
The document will be subjected to broader
scrutiny before it is submitted to the standing advisory groups of experts for nuclear
reactors and for laboratories and plants,
for approval.
IRSN is also involved in modifying IAEA

The Blayais power plant was affectedby ﬂooding in 1999.

guidelines relating to ﬂooding. In 2009,
it took part in two editorial meetings
on the draft IAEA guidelines concerning
meteorological and hydrological hazards.
The draft was sent to the Member Statesof the Vienna-based agency for comment
in November.

ORGANIZATIONABOUT DEFENSEASSESSING THE SAFETY OF MILITARY NUCLEAR SYSTEMS,BASIC NUCLEAR INSTALLATIONS AND DEFENSE-RELATED TRANSPORT

6

2009

3

2008

2007

5

NUMBER OF IRSN REPORTS FOR MEETINGS
OF “DEFENSE-RELATED” TECHNICAL SAFETYCOMMISSIONS.

In 2009, in preparation for the commissioning of the new-generation nuclear ballistic missile submarine, “Le Terrible”, IRSN
examined the results of dockside testing of its steam-supply
system prior to DSND’s authorization to undertake sea trialsof the vessel.
Concerning land-based support facilities for naval propulsion,
IRSN completed its examination of the changes to the facility
housing the irradiated-fuel storage pool at the Ile Longue basein Brittany. The Institute also undertook the examination of theprovisional safety documents for the test reactor (RES) in thesecret basic nuclear installation (INBS) at Cadarache as part ofits commissioning process.

SUMMARY
AND OUTLOOKIRSN’s assessments of facilities operated by the Ministry of
Defense, CEA, Areva or EADS cover their entire life cycle, fromdesign and construction, to operation and dismantling. They

Design and construction

In 2009, in connection with the laboratories and plants for which
the DSND is responsible at the CEA/DAM center in Valduc, IRSN
examined the facility’s future tritium storage building and began
to examine the future plutonium recycling facility.

ACTIVITIES

Safety of submarines, aircraft carriersand defense-related military or civil
facilities

also concern any major transformations on the facilities brought
about by changes in their activity.

IN CLOSE-UP

COMMISSIONING OF THE RES TESTREACTOR AT THE CADARACHE INBS
The RES, located at CEA’s Cadarache center,is scheduled for commissioning in 2011.
CEA having provided its safety report on the facility
in mid-2008, IRSN started its examination prior
to the DSND’s authorization of the loading andsubsequent divergence of this test reactor.
The RES is a pressurized water reactor, designed
to reproduce various operating conﬁgurationsof on-board nuclear steam-supply systems.
The assessment of a provisional safety report requires
the application of a broad set of skills in orderto perform detailed analyses in a variety of ﬁelds,such as mechanics, instrumentation and control,
civil engineering, fuel behavior, severe accidents,
and probabilistic safety studies.
In early July 2009, IRSN presented to the reactor
safety commission its analysis of the characteristics
of selected natural hazards and of civil engineeringand containment design.

Annual Report IRSN 2009

ENSURINGEFFICIENCY

IRSN’s activities in this area come under a technical support agreement with the French Representative in chargeof Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection for Defenserelated Activities and Facilities (DSND), operating under
the aegis of the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry for
Industry.

51

ACTIVITIESCHALLENGE 1

ABOUT DEFENSE (continued)

The Tricastin site underwent an examination in connection with the restructuringof the uranium enrichment systems.

This work will continue in 2010 within the framework of theconstruction license for the facility in question. The Institutealso began the analysis of the safety documents for the futurestorage warehouse for nuclear materials of the nuclear propulsion fuel manufacturing facility, located at the CEA center in
Cadarache.
Concerning CEA’s Marcoule center in the south of France, theInstitute examined the safety documents for a new evaporator
at the Marcoule Vitriﬁcation Facility, as well as the safety documents for the construction of two new storage buildings at the“Multipurpose Storage Facility”, and for the plans to update theliquid efﬂuent treatment station.

following the facility’s 2007 safety review, which focused on workon solid plutonium. As part of its facility monitoring activities, IRSN
also examined the causes of and lessons learned from a numberof incidents that occurred at this center.
As for CEA’s Marcoule center, the Institute examined the safety
documents for the Marcoule Vitriﬁcation Facility, and the safetybaseline for the Marcoule Decontamination Facility.

Operation

It also began studies on safety review documentation for:– the tritium extraction facility at CEA’s Marcoule center, inparticular to rule on the extension of its storage license;– the naval propulsion fuel production facility at CEA’s Cadarache
center.

In connection with the restructuring of the uranium enrichment
systems at the Areva NC Pierrelatte facility on the Tricastin site
in southern France, IRSN examined:– the safety of the various prototype equipment (liquid-sample
collection system and press for compacting solid wastes) for –subsequent installation at new, modernized facilities,– the safety baselines for the facility’s efﬂuent treatment station and analytical laboratory.
IRSN also continued to study risks relating to external ﬂooding, andmonitored the progress of the preparation of the site operators’
action plans for providing greater protection against these risks. It
also examined the safety of the facility’s storage areas (P50) for
uranium-bearing materials, for which the DSND is responsible, toallow them to go on working. Regarding the CEA/DAM center at
Valduc, IRSN examined the documents submitted by the operator

In the area of nuclear-powered vessels, IRSN pursued its examination of safety review documents for the “Rubis” class nuclear
attack submarines. In 2009 it focused on:– in-service monitoring of safety circuits and the containment;– studying the risk of brittle fracture in the reactor vessel;– examining the action plan set up after the 1994 failure of asteam line on the “Emeraude”, a nuclear attack submarine.
Lastly, with regard to land-based naval propulsion support facilities, IRSN analyzed:– the documents for the second phase of decommissioning
operations of the RNG reactor at CEA’s Cadarache center;– the documents concerning the use of PN-CN packaging fortransporting fuel in the nuclear facilities at the Toulon naval
base.

52 Annual Report IRSN 2009

Radioactive material transport
Many documents concerning this subject were examined in2009:– requests for the deferment and extension of approvals fortransport on public highways;– applications for the authorization of onsite transport;– rules for the internal transport of radioactive materials at
naval bases;– proposals for modiﬁcations to the IAEA’s recommendations
concerning the transport of radioactive materials;– approval applications for packages intended for transporting weapons.
On this last point, IRSN examined the approval applications forthe model 81,000 and 81,710 packages in 2009. Its assessmentof the approval application for the model 81,000 package was

IN THE WORDS OF

MARCEL JURIEN DE LA GRAVIÈRE,«Representative in Charge of Nuclear Safety
and Radiation Protection for Defense-related
Activities and Facilities

All nuclear activities, whether defenserelated or not, must be transparent
with regard to their impact on humanhealth and the environment.
It is the way this obligation is met
that varies. For defense activities, information proceduresare deﬁned in a speciﬁc implementing decree of the Act
of June 13, 2006 on transparency and security in nuclear
matters.
They provide that the DSND should put forward an
information strategy, then rely on IRSN’s expertise ordelegate certain actions to it. This is an area where we have
set up an organization with the Institute. It is now running
perfectly smoothly, as shown by the various feedback
reports.”

SUMMARY
AND OUTLOOKAs part of the decommissioning and dismantling operationsof the UP1 plant at CEA’s Marcoule center, IRSN examined thesafety baseline proposed by the operator for continuing the dismantling operations, and the safety documents concerning:– continuation of equipment dismantling in the UP1 plant’s
Building 100,
– the recovery of “dissolution insolubles” from the hot tanks
at the MAR 200 facility,
the recovery and treatment of the deposits found in someequipment at the MAR 200 facility.
In addition, IRSN examined the operator’s replies to the requests
made by the Waste Management Safety Commission at its
March 12, 2008 meeting concerning the same center.

submitted to the Transport Safety Commission. IRSN also examined the additional justiﬁcations provided by CEA concerning
the model 75654 package, Type C, designed for air transport.
Following the assessment of this type of package, which had
been discussed at a meeting of the above mentioned commission in 2006, DSND issued the ﬁrst French approval for a Type-C
package containing ﬁssile materials.

ACTIVITIESDismantling

ORGANIZATIONABOUT DEFENSE (continued)

Onsite emergency plans and drills

93
TECHNICALRadioactive material
packaging.

ADVICES TO THE SAFETYAUTHORITY FOR DEFENSERELATED ACTIVITIES(97 in 2008).

In addition, IRSN provided the DSND with technical advices concerning a number of onsite emergency plans. They covered:– examination of their operational validity and certain accident situations for onsite emergency plans at CEA’s Cadarache
center;– examination of their operational validity and certain accident situations for the onsite emergency plans at CEA’s Valduc
center;– a proposal for a model for transport emergency plans.
Lastly, IRSN took part in inspecting the onsite emergency plansof the CEA sites at Cadarache and Marcoule.

Annual Report IRSN 200953

ENSURINGEFFICIENCYIn 2009 IRSN took part in the development of scenarios for crisis
drills involving the Mont-de-Marsan airbase in southwesternFrance, on the CEA’s Cadarache site and on a transport aircraft.
The Institute also took part in three drills, and was invited totake part in an internal Navy drill.

ACTIVITIES«CHALLENGE 2
Working today to develop
the knowledge andresources required toassess risks in the nuclear
facilities of tomorrow.

CONDUCTING ASSESSMENTS
ON FUTURE FACILITIESIRSN prepares its futuresafety assessments

In 2009 IRSN worked to identify the key safety and radiation protection
issues connected to the design of fourth-generation reactors likely to be adopted in France, and the related
fuel cycle facilities. It also continued its work on ITER. This work represents various stages in the acquisitionand development of knowledge, tools, and skills that the Institute will need to carry out its futureassessments for public authorities. In 2009 IRSN also conducted an assessment of Andra documentation
concerning the search for low-level long-lived waste disposal sites and of the CSM waste disposal facility inNormandy. It also continued its research on geological repositories.

1 – FOURTH-GENERATIONREACTORS AND FUEL CYCLESIn preparation for its assessmentsof future reactors, IRSN is currently
endeavoring to acquire the knowledge,
tools, and skills required for assessing
the most credible designs of fourthgeneration reactors and of related fuelcycle facilities.

ate the deﬁnition of relevant joint research
programs. It is now involved in three
European projects concerning sodiumcooled fast reactors and is a driving force
in the OECD’s TAREF group, which seeks to
identify research and development needs

and put forward related experimental programs. Its collaboration with organizationsin Japan (JAEA and JNES), Germany (KITFzK), and China (CNPE) has been stepped
up in the area of the accidents and risks
associated with the use of sodium.

IN THE WORDS OF

Fourth-generation reactors

VICTOR TESCHENDORFF,

As part of the development of fourthgeneration reactors, investigation of thesodium-cooled fast reactor (RNR-Na)
option is a priority in France: the goal isfor CEA to commission a prototype, known
as ASTRID, by 2020.
IRSN has become part of a major international collaboration to optimize future
research on this type of reactor and acceler-

Director of Reactor Safety Research, GRS

ASTRID, a fourth-generation
reactor prototype.

54 Annual Report IRSN 2009«For various reasons, the research work undertaken
by technical safety organizations (TSOs) to support
future assessments of fourth-generation reactors requires
close collaboration.
One reason is the public’s growing demand for transparency.
It is no longer considered credible – or acceptable – that research andassessment work carried out on the same topic in different countries should
lead to conﬂicting results.
Another reason is the existence of the Sustainable Nuclear Energy Technology
Platform, supported by the EC, in which European TSOs such as Bel V, GRS,
and IRSN participate to ensure that safety will be taken into account asa cross-cutting activity in all projects, regardless of the type of reactor
concerned. Lastly, TSOs still have much research to complete over the coming
years if they are to acquire the necessary assessment capabilities. It is mybelief that future research must be based on sharing the valuable experienceacquired by each country in the past - for example in Germany on
high-temperature, pebble-bed reactors, or in France on sodium-cooled
fast reactors.”

ORGANIZATIONSUMMARY
AND OUTLOOKCzech (NRI) and French (IRSN) teams work together on irradiation experiments at IRSN’s IRMA facility in Saclay,
near Paris, as part of the FORGE project.

Experimental set-up used to study gas
production by irradiation.

those designed for waste management;– gathering data based on operating experience feedback acquired in France andelsewhere, concerning the fabrication andprocessing of fast reactor fuels.

Experimental fusion
facility
Progress of ITER studies
Safety studies concerning the ITER facility
continued in 2009. These activities included
examining the construction license application for the facility, the speciﬁc featuresof which must be considered for building
up knowledge and adapting simulation
software. They led to the developmentof a model for studying wall oxidation in
the vacuum vessel. The model was implemented in the ASTEC system to make itapplicable to accidents arising in connection with the ingress of air or water into
the vacuum vessel. At the same time, newmodels – a turbulence model in particular – were incorporated into DUST, a software application used to process problems
involving the movement of dust and the
explosion hazard in mixtures of dust (suchas beryllium) and gases (such as hydrogen). DUST software qualiﬁcation tests
are scheduled at the Institute’s TOSQAN
and BISE facilities, located in Saclay, near
Paris.

2 – GEOLOGICAL REPOSITORIESFOR NUCLEAR WASTE
With regard to geological repositories
for nuclear waste, IRSN developped in2009 national and international collaborations, in readiness for the assessment
work required for this type of facility.

Research on geologicalrepositories
Launch of the FORGE project

ACTIVITIESIn 2009 IRSN took a number of initiatives
to identify the major safety and radiation protection issues arising at fuel cycle
facilities as a consequence of the different
fuel management strategies contemplated
for the introduction of fourth-generation
reactors. In particular, these initiatives
included:– carrying out preliminary studies on thesimulation of scenarios for the deploymentof a ﬂeet of fast reactors;– conducting a preliminary assessment of
the effects of these scenarios on present
and future fuel cycle facilities, including

Started in 2009, the FORGE project is partof the European Commission’s 7th Researchand Development Framework Program,
involving 24 partners including in particular, IRSN, CEA, EDF, and Andra for France.

ENSURINGEFFICIENCY

Fuel cycles

ITER: cross-sectional view oftoroidal magnet.

Annual Report IRSN 200955

ACTIVITIESCHALLENGE 2

IN CLOSE-UPDISPOSAL OF LOW-LEVEL
LONG-LIVED WASTE
Taking water samples for geochemical analysis at the front of a chemically inert
system, isolating a transmissive fracture in the Tournemire experimental station.

The project is aimed at studying the production and migration of hydrogen resulting from corrosion in a radioactive waste
repository. It is divided into five parts
focusing on the following topics: consideration of gas transfers in safety studies,gas production, and the effects of gas
transfers on seals, on the zone damagedby excavation, and on the rock formation.
The Institute is responsible for coordinating the second part (gas production) andconducts irradiation experiments at its
IRMA facility in Saclay, near Paris, in partnership with the Czech institute, NRI. The
purpose of the experiments is to quantify
gas production associated with corrosion
caused by radiolysis. The Institute is also
taking part in a review of methods used forassessing hazards relative to gas transfer
within the repository, and comparison ofmodels. In this ﬁeld IRSN, it is developing
its own computing resources for the studyof simultaneous gas and liquid transfers
in an argillaceous medium. Experimental
results will be compared with modeling
results as part of the FORGE project.

56 Annual Report IRSN 2009

TRASSE National
Research GroupRadionuclide transfer
The activities of the national researchgroup, TRASSE, created by the CNRS and
IRSN, center on two main themes. Eachrelies on one of IRSN’s two experimental stations, one of which is located on
the Chernobyl site, while the other is theTournemire underground experimental station. In 2009 eight projects involving morethan ten CNRS teams were in progress.
Theme No. 1 studies the transfer of naturally-occurring and artiﬁcial radionuclides
to the soil, ground water, and plants. Oneof the projects in this area studies bacterial
diversity in the soil, along a trench ﬁlledwith waste from the Chernobyl site, as afunction of the physicochemical characteristics of the soil. Two other projects seek
to determine the characteristics of waterﬂows and the reactive transport of radionuclides in the unsaturated zone of thesoil, and in the water-bearing formation.
The goal is to obtain overall water budgets
between the surface and the ground water,
and to determine the age and origin of the
body of water.
Theme No. 2 concerns the study of the
conﬁnement capabilities of an argillaceous
geological formation. The topics addressed

At ASN’s request, IRSN
examined Andra documentation
concerning sites being considered
for use as repositories for
disposing of low-level long-lived
waste (LLW-LL).
The selected repository could
accommodate graphite waste
resulting from the dismantlingof gas-cooled reactors (in whichgraphite gas is the coolant), as
well as certain types of radiumbearing waste.
In its notice of January 12, 2009,IRSN reported that, at that stageof the project, it had not identiﬁed
any geological reason for rulingout one or more of the ten
priority sites that Andrais considering as a location fora LLW-LL repository.
It noted, however, that thecompatibility of these sites witha disposal facility could only be
determined on the basis of resultsfrom detailed investigations,which have yet to be undertaken.
www.irsn.fr

Development of international
collaboration
An increasing proportion of IRSN’s researchon the safety of geological repositories forradioactive waste is being conducted underinternational collaboration agreements. In
2009, this trend led the Institute to hostseveral major meetings at its Tournemiresite. One example of this was the annual
meeting of the IAEA network that brings
together the main underground researchfacilities currently in operation around theOn December 8, 2009, IRSN presented
its assessment of the ﬁnal safety analysis
report for the CSM waste disposal facility
in Normandy to the competent standing
advisory group to ASN. It was the facility’s
first comprehensive safety review since
December 1998. IRSN found that the facility
showed no signs of any abnormal change inits conﬁnement capability, and that Andra’s
monitoring was effective and should be continued. The Institute also examined plans to
install a more durable cover over the facility,
as the anticipated softening of the slopesof the cover was favorable to the long-term
safety of the site. It considered, however,that further information was needed, espe-

ORGANIZATIONThe CSM waste disposal facility
in Normandy.

cially concerning the steps taken to provide
a cover drainage system that would last as
long as possible. Lastly, concerning the procedures used at Andra to preserve and passon the memory of the facility, IRSN recommended that data should be gathered andanalyzed on a regular basis to validate and,
where necessary, add to the information
handed down to future generations. This
work should be done by experts who are
not employed by Andra.
www.irsn.fr

IN THE WORDS OFCATHERINE CERTES, Assistant Manager at IRSN’s Irradiator,
Accelerator, and Waste Management Safety Department«

The work carried out with ANCCLI is regular andconstructive. It has been strengthened as a result of theTransparency and Nuclear Safety Act, in the sense that
local information committees now have a responsibility
for information as part of their public-interest mission.
In addition to regular exchanges concerning each party’s actions, the IRSN/ANCCLI monitoring committee examined a number of topics more closelyin 2009. These included the question of the reversible disposal of high-levellong-lived waste, as required under the Act of June 28, 2006. Apart fromthe technical aspects involved, the concept of reversibility raises other issues
concerning long-term waste-management, in which the human dimension
is prominent. This topic was also the focus of debates on the European“COWAM in Practice” project concerning the involvement of local stakeholders
in the governance of radioactive waste management. IRSN, ANCCLI, and the
local information committees are involved in this project. Such exchanges withstakeholders have increased awareness among the Institute’s experts that theymust incorporate a societal dimension in their approach to safety assessment.”

Annual Report IRSN 2009

SUMMARY
AND OUTLOOKIn 2009, IRSN carried out a third sampling
campaign as part of its research on geological repositories. The samples are used
to study the corrosion of steel and glass
when placed in clay. The studies were carried out at the Tournemire experimental
station in southern France in collaboration with EDF. Analyses of these samples,
embedded about ten years ago and recovered by “overcoring”, will supplement thosealready performed on other samples left
in contact with clay for two and six years
respectively. Studies concerning fracturingin the damaged zone around the structures(tunnel and drifts) were also carried out,using eight short (6 m) radial boreholes
drilled in the south drift in 2008. Threeof them were instrumented to monitor
time-related changes in hydraulic pressuresaround the structure. The cores obtained
from these boreholes will be tested in thelaboratory to determine their geometric characteristics, in collaboration with
Clausthal University in Germany.

Safety of waste
repositories
Safety of the CSM waste
disposal facility

ACTIVITIESContinuation of work at the
Tournemire experimental
stationworld. The network seeks to promote thedevelopment of these facilities as tools fortraining and experimentation for the beneﬁt of all 27 Member States. Within thiscontext, IRSN organized a training course
at its experimental center on waste disposal in argillaceous formations. The course
was attended by thirteen trainees fromtwelve different countries.

ENSURINGEFFICIENCY

concern the presence of faults and theirimpact on the conﬁnement capabilities of
the argillaceous rocks, as well as the effectof aging in repository structures and components on changes in the properties ofthese rocks. The studies focus in particular on clay/concrete interactions and ona reinterpretation of seismic-exploration
data intended to determine whether thistechnique can be used to locate faults.
Lastly, studies are also in progress on theuse of natural tracers to investigate theextent and characteristics of the damaged
zone around underground structures.

57

ACTIVITIES«CHALLENGE 3
Monitoring worker
and public exposure toionizing radiation andmeasuring radioactivity
nationwide.

ENVIRONMENTAL AND
POPULATION EXPOSURE

Radiation protection:
working towards newmonitoring systems

IRSN has begun work to prepare the modernization and redeploymentof its monitoring activities in the area of environmental protection. Its operations around mines andcontaminated sites have provided it with greater insight into inventories of radionuclides and their transfer
to the environment. Regarding radiation protection and human health, it has continued its work to improve
personal dosimetry techniques and worker exposure monitoring.

1 – ENVIRONMENTAL
MONITORING STRATEGY
Monitoring public exposure to ionizing
radiation is a key mission for IRSN. In
2009, it revised its strategy and beganwork to upgrade resources.

Revising the monitoring
strategy
As part of its work to monitor environmental radioactivity, IRSN conducted a review
that led to a plan to modernize and redeploy its activities. The plan focuses on:– optimizing resources for more targetedand ﬂexible regular monitoring to enhance
the Institute’s responsiveness;– developing remote monitoring systems
for detecting accident situations and monitoring post-accident situations, with theemphasis on protecting populations;– increasing transparency and involvementfrom stakeholders in monitoring activities
and setting priorities in this area.
The ASN College of Commissioners examined IRSN’s plan at a hearing on September
8, 2009, and conﬁrmed that the Institute
had made the right choices.
The plan must be carried out through dialogue with decision-makers and the bodies
concerned (ASN, government departments,
operators), along with the stakeholders
involved.
IRSN and ANCCLI (national association of

58 IRSN Annual Report 2009

The new dose rate sensors selected by IRSN.

local information commissions and committees) also agreed that one concrete
way of sharing information would be to
set up “regional radiological surveys”. For agiven year, these provide a status report onradioactivity in the various environmental

191 MONITORSIN THE REMOTE MONITORINGNETWORK IN FRANCE (191 in 2008).

compartments of a region and for a widearray of foodstuffs.
The proposed sampling programs for
IRSN’s 2009 surveys in the Rhône valley
and southwestern France were put before
the local information committees involved
to have their opinion and obtain any local
support needed for setting up the program,
especially for selecting foodstuffs and sampling locations.
Concerning automatic monitors, IRSN
selected new dose rate sensors in 2009 to
replace those currently used in the Teleray
network.

ORGANIZATIONAt the request of public authorities andoperators, IRSN conducts studies on theimpact that industrial activities have on
the areas surrounding sites and on thelocal population.

Radiological assessments
In 2009, IRSN conducted several radiological assessments at the request of publicauthorities or operators. This work involved
studying the distribution of radioactivity
in the environment and estimating thepotential consequences for the population. Major assessments carried out in2009 included:- the Comurhex uranium processing plantat the Malvési site in southwestern France:
the assessment was conducted for Areva,
completed in April 2009, and presented
during a local information committee
meeting. It showed that the radioactive
substances released by the plant contaminate the soil and vegetation downwind of
the site, as well as canals and basins downstream of past and current release points,- the Tahiti hospital: this assessment was
carried out for the French Polynesian government, with a view to setting up a radiotherapy and diagnostic department and,at a later stage, a medical cyclotron producing short-lived radionuclides. IRSN has
prepared a reference report on the status ofradionuclides in Taaone lagoon, where theoutlet (the so-called “radioecological zero
point”) for liquid efﬂuents from the new
hospital will be located. This will be used
as a reference to determine the environmental impact of the hospital’s activities
in the future;- the Jahouvey agricultural production area
in French Guiana: at the request of the
Directorate General on Food Safety, IRSN
used analyses of foodstuffs grown around
Jahouvey, the main agricultural production
area in French Guiana, to assess the impactof irrigation on population exposure. It was
found that the level of naturally-occurring
radioactivity in irrigation water exceeded
the reference limit for drinking water.

SUMMARY
AND OUTLOOK

2 – STUDIES ON SITE
ENVIRONMENTS

ACTIVITIESIRSN carries out many radiological assessments around industrial sites.

OPENNESS TO SOCIETYCOLLABORATING WITH LOCAL INFORMATIONCOMMITTEES ON ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORINGIRSN Annual Report 2009

ENSURINGEFFICIENCYOn June 10 and 11, 2009, IRSN and ANCCLI organized a seminar, entitled “Local informationcommittees, from vigilance to responsibility - IRSN works towards more open assessment activity”,
to share the results of several years of joint action with all local information committees and a large
number of IRSN employees. The seminar was attended by 90 people, more than half of whom werefrom local information committees.
Day one was devoted to environmental radioactivity monitoring, and provided an opportunity topresent the results of APEL, a pilot environmental operation in the Loire region, to seminar participants.
The report on APEL, which describes the partnership between IRSN and the St-Laurent and Dampierre
local information committees to increase public awareness of environmental radioactivity monitoringaround the Loire basin, was issued in February 2009. Discussions on the APEL data retrieval method,
and the other work presented, also addressed the question of how local information committees
could work with territory stakeholders to monitor environmental radioactivity as a complement
to existing monitoring activities.

59

ACTIVITIESCHALLENGE 3
Managing contaminatedindustrial sites

IN CLOSE-UP

DEVELOPING ISO STANDARDSFOR MEASURING RADON
Signiﬁcant progress was made in 2009 in transposing French standards(AFNOR) into international standards. IRSN initially presented eightstandards at a meeting of the Nuclear Energy Technical Committee of theInternational Organization for Standardization (ISO) in Madrid in 2007.
ISO members voted to accept these standards as a new work theme forthe radiation protection subcommittee. The standards were then analyzed
and appraised by a working group including representatives from the United
Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Japan, and France.
A consensus was quickly reached and the standards were submitted to ISO
as draft versions of international standards during the year.

Assessments around former
mining sites
In 2009, IRSN posted a map on its Internet
site of the 210 former uranium mining sites
documented in Metropolitan France.
This interactive map was developed aspart of the MIMAUSA program, which
the French Ministry of Ecology asked theInstitute to set up. Its goal is to gather dataon former mining sites for government andpublic consultation.
This map adds to the existing inventory
and makes it easier to locate sites, thus

31,00028,00027,600

2009

2008

2007

ENVIRONMENTAL
SAMPLES TAKEN.

60 IRSN Annual Report 2009

answering the public authorities’ requestthat any citizen should be able to learn
the past and current status of former mining sites.
At the same time, IRSN has continued workon completing and consolidating certain
data. As a result of ﬁeldwork conducted
in 2009 in Brittany, it is now possible tolocate documented sites precisely, learn
more about their current use, identify
radioecological anomalies, and even ﬁndsome undocumented sites. These results
highlight the advantages of comparing
available data with reality in the ﬁeld andwith local information.
On the subject of repositories for uranium
ore tailings, IRSN carried out an assessment
in 2009 of the Areva status report, issued
as part of France’s National Radioactive
Materials and Waste Management Plan.
The report reviews current knowledge on
the long-term impact of these repositories.
It discusses the mineralogical and chemical changes in tailings, and their ability torestrict the mobility of the radium anduranium they contain over long periodsof time. It also examines the stability ofthe dykes surrounding some repositories
and evaluates the dosimetric impact ofrepositories in normal scenarios, as wellas in certain degraded situations.
In its report, IRSN identified ways of
improving environmental protection, andrecommended additional studies to conﬁrm the preliminary results submitted by
Areva in its documents.
www.irsn.fr

In 2009, IRSN conducted an assessmentof radioactive contamination in the soil,
water and aquatic fauna around the former
Orﬂam-Plast factory in Pargny-sur-Saulx
in the east of France. The assessment was
requested by Andra, with funds from the
French national commission for assistancein the radioactive ﬁeld. Orfam-Plast was acompany that manufactured lighter ﬂints,
using ore with a high thorium-232 content. The assessment deﬁned zones thatwere immediately rehabilitated to reduce
the risk of exposure among the population
concerned.
IRSN also worked on the former site ofSociété nouvelle du radium in Gif-surYvette in the Paris region, at the requestof ASN. It carried out a historical study todeﬁne the boundaries of the area requiring diagnosis, then performed a radiological diagnostic campaign on the plots inthe vicinity of the former plant. A public
meeting was held in September 2009 todescribe the study and present its results
to local residents.
IRSN also searched for radiological andchemical soil contaminants at the site ofa former radium processing plant in ÎleSaint-Denis near Paris, following on fromwork already carried out there in 2008.

Mechanical auger for soil sampling.

«

DIDIER GUILLAUME,

President of CLIGEET,
the local informationcommittee on the majorenergy facilities at Tricastin

The Institute’s research on the transferof radioactive substances to the environment elucidates the behavior ofthese substances and their effects on
ecosystems.

Study of tritium in the Rhône
Signiﬁcant concentrations of tritium havebeen measured in the sediments andsuspended matter found in the upper
Rhône, near the French-Swiss border. Thisis probably related to the use of tritiumby the luminous paint industry, especially for watchmaking, from the 1960s
to the early years of the 21st century. A
cooperation agreement was signed with
the Swiss Federal Public Health Ofﬁce in2009 to study the cause of these tritium
concentrations.
A joint campaign to sample sediments,
plants and fish in the Rhône was conducted in the summer of 2009, near areas
thought to be most affected by releases
from this type of industry or the related
waste management processes (incineration plants, dumps, etc.). The results will
be available in 2010.

Dry deposition velocity
of submicronic aerosols
In 2009, IRSN developed a novel method
for measuring the dry deposition velocity of submicronic aerosols. This work was
carried out as part of its studies on atmospheric transfers. The method is based on
measuring ﬂuctuations in the atmosphericconcentration of aerosols and in verticalwind velocity. It was used to quantify
deposition velocity according to weather
conditions and aerosol size for three typesof rural land cover (grass, corn, bare soil).
It was the ﬁrst time this had been done at
an international level. The data from thestudy will eventually be incorporated inoperational models, reducing the uncertainty involved in determining the impact
of radioactive efﬂuent release to the atmosphere in accident situations, and enhancing IRSN’s assessment capabilities.

SUMMARY
AND OUTLOOKACTIVITIES

3 – EXPANDING ANDCONSOLIDATINGRADIOECOLOGICALKNOWLEDGE

ENSURINGEFFICIENCY

Device for measuring dry deposition of aerosols during experimental campaigns
in southwestern France.

Since November 2008, CLIGEET
has been involved in the workof the monitoring group, jointly
organized by IRSN, Areva andhealth and social services
departments (DDASS) in the area,
to provide precise data to explain
the presence of radioactivity – due
to uranium in particular – that has
been detected in the ground waterat Tricastin.
The work is carried out by apluralistic expertise group that
includes InVS, the French national
institute for health surveillance,
ASN, DSND, the French nuclear
safety authority for defenserelated activities, a panelof hydrogeologists, and the local
analysis laboratory.
The group sets out to compare
the views of various experts, andanswer local residents’ justiﬁable
concerns about the cause of thepollution and how long it is likely
to last.
Organizing the group and deﬁning
its mission called for a great dealof energy from the different
members, and my goal today is toobtain some initial results before
the end of the year. We can saythat we have already done ourpart in setting up the project.”

ORGANIZATION

IN THE WORDS OF

Dispersion of radionuclides
in Toulon harbor
In 2009, IRSN developed an application to
study post-accident radionuclide dispersion in the marine environment of Toulon
harbor in the south of France. A model isused to simulate radionuclide release fromthe quayside or offshore and to calculate
the expected concentrations in the water

IRSN Annual Report 200961

ACTIVITIESCHALLENGE 3

900 AMBIENTDOSE RATE MEASURING POINTS(900 in 2008).

and sediments. This is done for various
accident scenarios liable to lead to radionuclide release.
At the same time, environmental sensitivity maps, divided into sectors, are used toconsider environmental aspects, such as
the protection of species, and economic
activities, such as tourism or ﬁshing.
In the future, the model’s results will be
used in combination with the sensitivity maps to rapidly determine the areas
most at risk in the event of accidental
contamination.

showed that dissolved radionuclide concentrations could vary signiﬁcantly close to
the release point. Seawater samples werethen taken every ten minutes for six days
at Goury.
Tritium concentrations agreed with themodel’s predictions, and could vary by afactor of two in ten minutes or by a factor
of four in two hours.

4 – A QUALITY OFFERINGIN METROLOGY
In order to fulﬁll its task of monitoring
human exposure and environmental
radioactivity as efﬁciently as possible,
IRSN strives to improve the quality andreliability of the tools and methods it uses
for measuring ionizing radiation. It also
makes its measurement results available
to the public.

High-quality metrology
Hydrodynamic modelingfor monitoring the marine
environment
The radiological impact of Areva-NC’s La
Hague plant in Normandy on the marine
environment is determined from the dilution factor of liquid efﬂuent releases near
the coast. This parameter was accurately
determined from radionuclide concentrations measured in seawater by IRSN in
2009, in the port of Goury, at the tip ofCape La Hague.
Dispersion simulations conducted by theInstitute using hydrodynamic models

In 2009, IRSN jointly issued, with ASN and
the French General Directorate for Health,France’s ﬁrst national status report on theradiological quality of water distributed in
the country.
All the natural uranium concentration values in the report were obtained from measurements performed by IRSN, based on
its special expertise in the area of naturalradionuclide analysis. Over the years, theInstitute has become a model for Frenchlaboratories measuring radioactivity inenvironmental samples, foodstuffs, drinking water or industrial or hospital waste.

IN THE WORDS OF

CARL-MAGNUS LARSSON,of SSM, the Swedish Radiation Safety Authority

IRSN measures radioactivity levels
in food and drinking water samples.

«Radioecology, a branch of ecology dedicated to studying the transfer of radioactive
substances and their effects on ecosystems, provides scientiﬁc guidance for decisionmaking in various situations in which people and the environment are exposed to ionizing
radiation, as a result of daily activities, accidents or malicious acts. With the renewedinterest in nuclear power in the world, assessing the environmental impact of daily
operation and the potential consequences of an accident is a growing activity. Supported by the European
Commission, the FUTURAE project has mapped out European radioecology research and set up a cooperative
network to share skills and facilities in the area. Eight radiation protection organizations, including IRSN and
SSM, signed a memorandum of understanding to create the European Radioecology Alliance. The network iscurrently deﬁning its strategic agenda by identifying priority issues and assessing the theoretical andexperimental work to be carried out, as well as the decision-making and training tools to be created.”

62 IRSN Annual Report 2009

5 – RADIATION PROTECTION
IN THE WORKPLACEIRSN monitors the exposure of workers and develops methods and tools for
improving accuracy in this area.

Worker exposure monitoring
The information system on the monitoring of occupational exposure to ionizing
radiation (SISERI) reached its nominal
performance level in 2009. In addition topassive and operational dosimetry data,
the system is now able to integrate data
concerning the internal exposure of workers and make it available to occupational

ORGANIZATION
health physicians. Aircrew exposure is also
taken into account. Tools designed to help
radiation protection specialists and occupational health physicians to use SISERI
are available on a new website, along withregulatory and practical information on
worker exposure monitoring. IRSN has also
proposed a single classiﬁcation list of activities and occupations, for use by all those
involved in worker exposure monitoring, asa supplement to the information available
in SISERI. The list will be useful in drawing
up annual exposure statistics. The 2008
report on occupational exposure to ionizing radiation covered 306,629 workers.
www.irsn.fr

Radiation protection for
medical staff
IRSN is closely involved in the European
FP7 ORAMED contract for the optimization of radiation protection for medical
staff, coordinated by the Belgian research
center, SCK-CEN. The main purpose of thecontract is to develop methods to obtaina more accurate estimate of worker exposure in the medical ﬁeld and reduce it, if
possible. It particularly focuses on: measuring and calculating doses to the extremities
and the crystalline lens, and optimizing theuse of operational dosimeters, in the ﬁeldof interventional radiology;
and improving extremity dosimetry innuclear medicine.
IRSN is involved in all these areas andcoordinates work to optimize operational
dosimeters. Measurements are currently
underway in laboratories and many hospitals and the ﬁrst IRSN report was issued
in 2009.
www.oramed-fp7.eu/

ACTIVITIESIRSN monitors workers exposed to ionizing radiation.

Measuring neutron energy
The development of two spectrometers
for measuring neutron doses began aspart of a thesis, co-funded by IRSN and
the French national laboratory for metrology and testing (LNE). The dissertation was
defended in 2009. The ﬁrst system, builtwith CNRS IN2P3 in Strasbourg, covers
the high-energy range. The second, dedicated to lower energies, was built by CNRS

600 SAMPLING
POINTS FOR RADIOACTIVITYMONITORING NATIONWIDE(600 in 2008).

IRSN Annual Report 200963

ENSURINGEFFICIENCY

The radioactivity measurement collection
system was ofﬁcially launched in January
2009, bringing to a close the preparatory
phase on which IRSN had been working
since 2005. The Institute was in charge ofthe project to develop the IT system of thenational network of environmental radioactivity measurements.
As part of this work, it developed various
Internet applications to make this information available to the public, as well as
to ASN or InVS experts using it in a regulatory context. In addition, the Internet
site created for the public in early 2010is a good example of France’s transparency policy, as the site draws on multiple
sources of information to keep citizens better informed about the radiological stateof their environment.
www.mesure-radioactivite.fr

SUMMARY
AND OUTLOOK

Setting up the system forcollecting measurement
results and the Internet siteof the national network ofenvironmental radioactivity
measurements

ACTIVITIESCHALLENGE 3
IN2P3 in Grenoble. These instruments use
innovative technology to detect secondary
particles (protons), making it possible todetermine neutron energy.
The two spectrometers will provide IRSN’s
AMANDE facility with high-performancetools, capable of directly measuring theenergy and ﬂuence of neutrons for highquality metrology. AMANDE provides
monoenergetic neutron fields used asnational metrological references for neutron dosimetry, as part of a cooperative
project between IRSN and LNE.

On-site worker monitoring

The dosimeters installed in workplaces aredesigned to measure ambient radioactivity.

64 IRSN Annual Report 2009

The AMANDE facility provides metrological references
for neutron dosimetry.

225

254

301

2009

Personnel working for the nuclear industry
and exposed to the risk of lung contamination undergo whole-body countings.
Measuring instruments are calibrated using
male phantoms, which can signiﬁcantly
bias the interpretation of measurements
on women.
In 2009, computer models of the female
thorax were developed to compensate
for the absence of calibration phantoms.
A data library with the most common

2008

Whole-body counting on women2007

In October 2009, the first whole-bodycounting campaign was conducted outside Paris, using IRSN’s mobile whole-bodycounting laboratory. This speciﬁc monitoring consisted in measuring radioactivity inthe lungs. The campaign involved 22 people at the nuclear medicine department of
the university hospital in Angers in the westof France. It conﬁrmed the advantages ofthe mobile laboratory for on-site measurements on workers handling radionuclides
that have a half-life too short for normal
analyses. Analysis of the measurements
showed positive contamination results forthe following radionuclides in around 40%of the examined personnel: technetium99m, iodine-131, and ﬂuorine-18.
This tool helps improve worker monitoringin nuclear medicine departments.

WHOLE-BODY
COUNTS FOR
WORKER
MONITORING.

morphologies, taking bust circumference
and cup size as reference criteria, was created using computer graphics software. An
initiative was launched at Areva-NC’s La

The mobile whole-body counting laboratory is used to monitor worker
dosimetry at their workplace.

«Hague plant in Normandy to make corrections and obtain more accurate internal
contamination measurements for female
personnel, based on their morphology.

New radionuclide data sheets

phorus-32 and technetium-99m. They
complete a series of data sheets on the useof radionuclides in unsealed sources, particularly in the ﬁeld of nuclear medicine.
The most relevant information is listed foreach radionuclide along with good radiation protection practices.
www.irsn.fr

dosimeter came into use during the year.
In 2009, the Institute carried out individual monitoring for over 158,000 workers inFrance and abroad. This represented some
20,000 customers and required the production of around 1.5 million dosimeters.

Monitoring worker dosimetry

Since March 2009, IRSN has marketed a
new material for quantifying uranium in
urine, used in monitoring workers exposedto the risk of internal contamination.
The material, developed and patented by
the Institute, is called Uralix and is intended
for nuclear medical analysis laboratories. It
is based on the use of calixarene molecules
to trap uranium, which is then measured.
In 2009, over 300 Uralix columns were sent
for testing to several American radiotoxicological analysis laboratories, upon theirrequest them.
The results of these tests should not only
allow the Institute to improve the protocol for using the columns, but also help it
develop contacts with American companies to possibly launch Uralix columns on
the US market.

In 2009, IRSN stopped using photographic
film dosimeters for monitoring worker
dosimetry. It now offers dosimeters using
different techniques, such as radio-photoluminescence for dosimeters worn on thechest, thermoluminescence for extremity
dosimeters, and track detection for neutron dosimeters. A more advanced neutron

Uralix columns tested
in the United States

ENSURINGEFFICIENCYIn June 2009, seven new radionuclide data
sheets were put online.
These documents, prepared jointly with
INRS, the French national institute forresearch and safety, are particularly
intended for unsealed source users andpersonnel in charge of radiation protection: radiation protection specialists andoccupational health physicians.
IRSN experts oversaw the preparationof these sheets on carbon-14, tritium,
iodine-123, iodine-125, iodine-131, phos-

ORGANIZATION

Last October we launched a study on the risk of radiation-induced
cataracts in interventional cardiologists. These professionals are chronically exposed
to X-rays and their eyes are prime targets. Such exposure could cause crystalline
lens disorders, leading to early development of cataracts.
The study, called O’CLOC, for Occupational Cataracts and Lens Opacities among
Cardiologists, compares two groups of cardiologists, one exposed, the other not exposed to ionizing
radiation. It is the ﬁrst study to focus on this profession.
As part of the study, 300 cardiologists from all over France will undergo cataract screening, withthe help of ophthalmologists.
The O’CLOC study is conducted by IRSN and supported by the French Cardiology Society andthe French Ophthalmology Society. The results are expected in 2011.”

SUMMARY
AND OUTLOOKSOPHIE JACOB, Research Engineer at the IRSN Epidemiological Laboratory

ACTIVITIESIN THE WORDS OF

1,491,118

1,477,636

2009

2008

Reading neutron dosimeters.

2007

1,428,178

PERSONAL
DOSIMETERS
SUPPLIEDAND USED.

IRSN Annual Report 200965

ACTIVITIES«CHALLENGE 4Preventing proliferationof nuclear, biological andchemical weapons andcontrolling nuclear andradiological security inthe face of terrorism.

SECURITY OF NUCLEAR FACILITIESAND MATERIALSAdvancing the cause of
nuclear security in France
and around the world

IRSN helps control nuclear and sensitive materials and protect facilities
against malicious acts, both nationally and internationally. The Institute took part in reviewing regulatory
texts in both these areas in 2009. With regard to the control of nuclear and sensitive materials, it continued to carry out its tasks of examining ﬁles and escorting inspection teams. Concerning malicious acts,
it focused on the security of radioactive sources and on organizing emergency exercises to gain a better
understanding of the interfaces between nuclear safety and nuclear security.

A nuclear facility security fence.

1 – PROTECTION AND
CONTROL OF NUCLEAR ANDSENSITIVE MATERIALS
Physical protection of nuclear
materials
In 2009, at the request of the authority incharge of nuclear material control, IRSN
examined 172 ﬁles on the physical protection of nuclear facilities and materials, aswell as nuclear material transport.

66 IRSN Annual Report 2009

Experts from the Institute officiallyappointed as “nuclear materials inspectors”
are mandated by the Senior Defense andSecurity Ofﬁcial of the Ministry of Energy
to conduct inspections at facilities holding
nuclear materials, at the Ofﬁcial’s request.
The experts responsible for this task conducted 45 facility inspections in 2009, oneof which was initiated in response to theincident reported by the managementof the ATPu facility, operated by Areva at
Cadarache in the south of France, as well
as 50 inspections during transport operations, and 24 inspections on transport
equipment.
Inspections begun in 2008 on information
systems involved in physical protection
functions continued in 2009, and focusedparticularly on:– site and facility access control;– nuclear material monitoring systems;– computerized systems controlling protection systems.
Inspections covered checking compliancewith technical instructions and with provisions in regulatory standards, and ensuring that equipment meets the objectives
deﬁned in the regulations.
In addition, several local exercises were carried out in the presence of nuclear materials inspectors to give local security forces
training under real-life conditions.
IRSN has been developing a laboratory fortesting physical protection systems (detection, delay, warning) since 2009. In thiscontext, several technical meetings were
held with partners experienced in the ﬁeldof protection, such as STBFT, the French
Ministry of Defense technical department
for buildings, fortiﬁcations and engineering works, and GIGN, the French national
gendarmerie intervention group.

INVOLVING NUCLEAR MATERIALCONTROL (196 in 2008).

ORGANIZATION

171 INSPECTIONS

Nuclear material accountancy
and control
In 2009, IRSN examined 144 files and86 nuclear material inventory reports at
the request of the authority in charge of
nuclear material control.
Experts from the Institute, designated by
the Senior Defense and Security Ofﬁcialfrom the ministry of Energy as nuclear
material inspectors, also conducted 52
inspections on nuclear material accountancy and control in 2009. Some of these
inspections included a thorough review of
the accountancy of these materials andthe measuring devices used.
In 2009, inspection work included verifying checks carried out by operators during
shipment and receipt of nuclear materials
at major fuel cycle facilities in France. The
inspections showed that, overall, the provisions in the regulatory standards had been
properly implemented.
IRSN also conducted 12 technical inspec-

tions at facilities holding small amountsof nuclear materials that must be declared to the competent authorities.

Interpreting a gamma spectrum.

IRSN Annual Report 200967

ACTIVITIESAn IRSN engineer tests the gamma spectrometry measuring bench.

Decree no. 2009-1120 of
September 17, 2009 on theprotection and control of nuclear
materials, introduces the notion ofacts aimed at “modifying nuclear
materials, damaging them or
spreading them” and extends therequirements of the previous decree(no. 81-512 of May 1, 1981) “tofacilities where such materials areheld”.
Furthermore, Decree no. 2007-1557
of November 2, 2007, relating to
nuclear installations, stipulates thatthe preliminary safety analysis reportof such a facility should describe “anyaccidents that may occur, whether due
to internal or external causes, including
malicious acts”.
This provision applies to construction
license applications for nuclear
installations, as well as to periodic
safety reviews. This change inregulations, which is aimed atenhancing the protection of facilities
against malicious acts, is made in an
attempt to standardize regulations
concerning a) the protection andcontrol of nuclear materials, and b)
the protection of nuclear facilities
against malicious acts.
Under the modiﬁed regulations,the Institute will carry out moreassessments to determine how
effectively facilities are protectedagainst malicious acts.

ENSURINGEFFICIENCYCHANGES INREGULATIONSCONCERNINGPROTECTION AGAINSTMALICIOUS ACTS

SUMMARY
AND OUTLOOKIN CLOSE-UPACTIVITIESCHALLENGE 4

IN THE WORDS OF

JEAN CARLIOZ,«

Head of the Economic
and Nuclear Infrastructure
Security Department for the Senior
Defense and Security Ofﬁcial of
the Ministry of Industry

The CEA Marcoule site in southern France.

Taking nuclear material
inventory in an emergency
situation
During 2009, the Institute prepared an
exercise involving the ATALANTE facility
at the CEA Marcoule site, and the LECASTAR facility at the CEA Cadarache site.
At the request of public authorities, IRSN
regularly organizes emergency response
exercises that involve taking nuclear material inventory at a facility, for the purposeof testing the decision-making chains,and coordinating the various participants,
including operators and public authorities. The exercises entail taking a nuclear
material inventory at one or more facilities
within the space of a few hours to conﬁrm
or rule out the existence of any malicious
acts, such as theft or diversion of nuclear
materials, or acts of sabotage. Fourteen
exercises of this type, held annually, havealready taken place. They have been used
to test emergency response procedures
applicable at major French nuclear sites.

highlighted further problems concerning
the conﬁdentiality of information reported
to OPCW headquarters, and led to discussions between French authorities and
OPCW representatives on how to improve
procedures for future inspections in France.
IRSN also pursued activities initiated inprevious years by actively participating intable-top exercises on challenge inspections, on April 8 and November 17, 2009.
The purpose of these exercises was to test
the system, deﬁned and set up with thehelp of the Institute, to prepare for any
very intrusive inspections resulting from achallenge inspection called for by a State.
The exercises conﬁrmed the operational
feasibility of the emergency instructions
drawn up and the effectiveness of communications among the various parties
involved in the challenge inspections.
International inspections of nuclear
facilities
In 2009, the Institute escorted 54 Euratom
and IAEA inspections, which represents

International inspections in a
non-proliferation context
International inspections of chemical
facilities
In 2009, IRSN escorted eight inspections
conducted by the Organization for theProhibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)
at French industrial sites, compared to ten
the previous year. The last two inspections

68 IRSN Annual Report 2009

12 TECHNICALINSPECTIONS CONDUCTED IN FACILITIESUNDER THE “DECLARATION” REGIME(15 in 2008).

There isa clearseparation ofroles between
the Ministry
and IRSN with regard to theimplementation of the Chemical
Weapons Convention.
While the Ministry is responsiblefor determining the politicalaction required under thisinternational treaty, it must beable to draw on unquestionable
technical expertise. In this respect,
IRSN is acknowledged as having
a level of expertise that is
undisputed and unique in France,bringing together a wide rangeof skills and experience within
an efﬁcient organization.
Regarding our contribution
to the implementation of the
Chemical Weapons Convention,
the Institute is involvedin preparing documents onrequest and escorting routine
inspections in the various
industries concerned – around ten
a year – as well as writing reports.
IRSN has a wealth of experiencein this area and an excellent levelof operational capacity, bothof which are crucial for ensuringthat inspections proceedsmoothly.”

a 20% increase on the previous year. It
should be emphasized that IRSN is strongly
committed to this escort task, and to its
participation in the numerous meetings
with the European Commission, the operator and the French authorities to improve
the standard of inspections carried out byinternational agencies. Activities of particular note included:

ORGANIZATION

2008

54

MISSIONS TO ESCORTINSPECTIONSINVOLVING
INTERNATIONAL
NUCLEAR MATERIALCONTROL.

Samples for the Euratom inspection.

2 – PROTECTION AGAINSTMALICIOUS ACTS
Regulatory text revision
In 2009 IRSN continued to participate in
the revision of French regulations on theprotection and control of nuclear materials, nuclear facilities and nuclear materialtransport. Work involved the preparationof Decree no. 2009-1120 of September
17, 2009 to implement Articles L1332 andL1333 of the Code of Defense, and fourorders to implement the Decree:– one relating to the transport of nuclear

Nuclear measurement: installing a passive
neutron measuring device compatible withthe volume of a standard drum.

materials, which groups together general provisions covering different types oftransport of nuclear materials, and special
provisions on the different modes of transportation (road, rail, sea, air);– one relating to license application
procedures;– one specifying the procedures for studying the protection of nuclear materials,
nuclear facilities and nuclear materialtransport;– and, lastly, one deﬁning the physical protection measures to be implemented by
the licensee.

Restricted expert groups
The restricted expert group responsible
for nuclear reactors met once in 2009 to
examine the protection of the Jules

IRSN Annual Report 200969

ENSURINGEFFICIENCYACTIVITIESSUMMARY
AND OUTLOOK

45

2009

43

2007

– testing new equipment, such as the
3D laser used for rapid detection ofmaterial movements between two
inventories;participating in negotiations
on the reorganization of certain facilities
for accountancy purposes, so that more
relevant information can be provided toEuratom;– implementing inspections in waste processing facilities.
IRSN has developed a transcoding application, designed to transpose accounting
data based on national accounting standards to Euratom accounting standards, forfacilities with limited computer systems.
The application meets the specifications deﬁned in European Regulation No.
302/2005. It generates accounting ﬁlessuch as the inventory change report to besubmitted to the European Commission.
The operators concerned must also submit
accounting documents, such as a physicalinventory and a material balance reportwhen they take inventory. IRSN has therefore organized speciﬁc training for operators to enable them to generate ﬁles using
the European Commission’s ENMAS Lightsoftware application.
The Institute also provided technical assistance to French authorities in several matters, including the application of working
principles agreed upon between France
and Japan, regarding imports of equipment to be installed on French nuclear
sites. At the end of 2009, French authorities approached IRSN for information onexports of depleted uranium from France
to Russia, based on international accounting statements.

ACTIVITIESCHALLENGE 4

8 MISSIONSTO ESCORT INSPECTIONS INVOLVINGTHE CHEMICAL WEAPONS BAN(10 in 2008).

Horowitz research reactor against malicious acts. This reactor is currently underconstruction at Cadarache. Work on examining ﬁles concerning acts likely to affecteither the information systems of theFlamanville 3 EPR reactor or the MAGENTA
facility at Cadarache was largely completed
in 2009.

Inspection at production unit no. 1 of the Tricastin plant.

Emergency exercise at the EDF
Tricastin plant
In addition to EPEES-type emergency exercises, the relevant authorities (the Senior
Defense and Security Official from theministry of Energy and ASN) decided tocarry out an emergency “safety” exercise,
initiated by a malicious act. Emergency“security” exercises are mainly intended
to test the coordination and interventionof the various stakeholders involved in

the response to a malicious act affecting
a nuclear facility, while the “safety” aspect
is merely simulated.
This approach needed to be completed byorganizing an exercise in which intervention would be simulated, to study the interaction between safety and security aspects
more closely.
As this type of exercise must not leadto the disclosure of sensitive information concerning the resources available to

IN THE WORDS OF
Computer image of the MAGENTA facility
and its site.

IRSN organization in the eventof a radiological emergency ofmalicious origin
In 2009, the Senior Defense and Security
Ofﬁcial from the Ministry of Energy asked
IRSN to organize the fourth EPEES nationwide security protection and assessment
exercise. The purpose of these exercises is
to test coordination between nuclear facility operators, who are responsible for site
protection, and public authorities, including
the Prefect, the state prosecutor, and local
and national law enforcement agencies.
The preparatory work with the different
entities involved continued throughout theyear in several working groups set up by
the Institute.

70 IRSN Annual Report 2009

CLAUDE AZAM, Head of the Departmentof Defense, Security and Economic Intelligenceat the Ministry of Ecology, Energy, Sustainable
Development and the Sea«

The year 2009 was notable for the fact that the Ministryof Ecology, Energy, Sustainable Development and the Sea
took on responsibility for the protection and control of nuclear
materials, nuclear facilities and nuclear material transport.
During this period, the Institute provided us with the skills,
expertise and personnel required to facilitate our new task.
This support was particularly welcome at a time when we werealso tasked with reviewing the regulatory framework for nuclear
security. IRSN helped us fully appreciate the technical impactof the measures we planned to take.
We also made progress in drawing up new regulations relating
to radioactive sources, thanks to studies the Institute had
conducted in advance. These are all subjects that are relatively
new to us, and IRSN has amply demonstrated its ability to listen
and respond in a way that really addresses our concerns.”

IN CLOSE-UP

Security of radioactive sources
In connection with the introduction ofnational regulations on the security ofradioactive sources, the Institute helped
draft an order aimed at: 1) deﬁning rules for
preparing license applications relating to
the security of ionizing radiation sources,and 2) determining protection measuresthat holders of such sources must implement to prevent malicious acts. With the

Nuclear material control.

assistance of public transportation operators, IRSN also continued its work on identifying possible scenarios of malicious acts
targeting radioactive sources.

International activities
In 2009, at the request of the IAEA, IRSN
participated in training courses organized in Moldova and Mexico on designbasis threats. It also took part in advisory
missions in Finland and the Netherlands
involving physical protection of nuclear
materials, and contributed to courses in
the Netherlands on physical protection of
nuclear facilities. In addition, the Institute
was actively involved in a course in Senegalon the security of transport operations.
It also took part in working groups organized by the IAEA involving:– the document defining fundamental
security principles;– Revision 5 of the circular INFCIRC 225,
containing recommendations on protection of nuclear materials and facilities;– the recommendations document onradioactive source security;– the document on recovering uncontrolled
radioactive materials;– the structure of texts of IAEA recommendations;– the document on nuclear and radioactive
material control and accountancy;– the development of a method for identifying and assessing risks that must becovered by implementing regulatory andorganizational measures under what is
known as a “nuclear security regime”.
In addition, in order to improve the recruitment and training strategy for IAEA inspectors, IRSN completed a report, which it
submitted to the Agency, defining the
behavioral proﬁle required for inspectors

in charge of nuclear material inspections.
Lastly, a technical support initiative relating to nuclear material measurements wasorganized in 2009 with the IAEA, which
wishes to set up a database of characteristic reference spectra for a number of materials. The Agency can beneﬁt from IRSN’s
experience in this ﬁeld and in managing
measurement results. IRSN is also working on nuclear material measurements inthe context of cooperation with the U.S.
Department of Energy. In 2009, the twoorganizations began to collaborate for theﬁrst time on assessing ways to mitigate theimpact of acts of sabotage. Initially this will
involve looking at long-range attacks withan armor-piercing weapon.
Finally, in December 2009, the Instituteorganized a two-day seminar on radioactive source security, which was attended
by representatives from Belgium, Spain, theNetherlands and Sweden.

ENSURINGEFFICIENCY

the aggressors, or the vulnerability of the
facilities, it was presented as a series ofdegraded conditions at the facility that had
to be dealt with.
The actual exercise took place at the EDF
Tricastin plant on November 26. IRSN
helped deﬁne the scenario, set up its emergency response center and dispatched several observers to various points where theexercise took place.
The lessons learned from the exercise
will add to the information alreadygained from previous EPEES exercises.

13,500NUMBEROF RECORDED MOVEMENTS OF
RADIOACTIVE SOURCES (14,000 in 2008).

IRSN Annual Report 2009

ACTIVITIESThe regulatory changes underway relating to the control of nuclear materials have prompted
IRSN to rethink its organization and working methods. Against this background, a meeting wasorganized in May 2009 with inspectors from the Department of Safeguards at the International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Even though the tasks entrusted to the IAEA and the national authority
responsible for the control of nuclear materials do not serve exactly the same purpose, organizing andconducting assessments and inspections are based on very similar principles.
Exchanging experience and good practice is therefore a useful exercise for both parties.
The issues addressed included the link between analysis and inspection procedures, as well as
the methods used, and training and supervision of the personnel involved.

SUMMARY
AND OUTLOOKORGANIZATIONEXCHANGES WITH THE IAEA CONCERNING ANALYSIS AND
INSPECTION

71

ACTIVITIES«CHALLENGE 5
Developing IRSN’s
technical response andmobilization capability toface a major radiologicalemergency.

EMERGENCY RESPONSE

Changes in organization
and resources

IRSN has continued to improve its organization and resources in thearea of radiological emergency response. Among other things, it has installed a new platform, called C3X, at
its Emergency Response Center, for computing radiological and dosimetric effects, and improving its ability
to assess an emergency and map the results.

1 – EMERGENCY RESPONSE
ORGANIZATIONIRSN is improving its organization to beable to respond more effectively to any
radiological emergency, and to assist in
the post-accident or media handling ofan event.

Developing resources forresponding to a radiologicalemergency
In 2009, IRSN began work on a generalmobilization plan in the event of a radiological emergency. The goal is to determine
the speciﬁc details of IRSN’s organization,
whether it concerns a radiological emergency, post-accident situation, or an eventwith a media or political impact. In thesesituations, IRSN’s role is to provide theauthorities with technical expertise andissue reports. A communications unit was
created within the Emergency Response
Center to prepare and deliver information
to the public, the media, and IRSN’s staff.
Concerning IRSN’s resources dispatchedto the site in the event of an accident, ateam of 60 people, trained to implement
the recently renovated mobile response
unit, was set up, and an on-call system
put in place. Ten people are on call every
week of the year to carry out IRSN’s various tasks locally within the shortest timepossible: coordinating measurement andsampling campaigns, analyzing environmental samples, and monitoring internal
contamination in humans.

4 ACTUAL

EQUIPMENT OF THE EMERGENCYRESPONSE CENTER (3 in 2008).

Emergency response guideAs part of the activities of the steeringcommittee in charge of managing thepost-accident phase of a nuclear accident
or radiological emergency (CODIR-PA),supervised by ASN, IRSN has prepared adraft guide for the local authorities concerned (prefectures and municipal councils) to help them through the emergency
phase in the event of a nuclear accident. The guide is open-ended in design
and applies only to moderate accidents
resulting in short-term release, and liable
to occur either at a French nuclear facility
or following an accident during the transportation of radioactive materials. It lists
the various issues to be addressed during
the week after the release ends, taking
the results of CODIR-PA work groups into
account. During this period, a number ofsteps essential for long-term management
must be taken, such as decontaminating
inhabited areas.

Emergency response agreementwith Météo-France
A special team is on call to respond to any emergency.

72 Annual Report IRSN 2009In December 2009, Météo-France (theFrench national meteorological service)and IRSN signed a radiological emergency
response agreement. The agreement, which

The tools developed by IRSN are used forassessing the radiological impact of an
accidental release, estimating the doses
received by persons exposed to ionizing radiation, and developing treatment
strategies.

A new computing platform for
the Emergency Response Center
A new impact measuring and mapping platform, called C3X, was installed at IRSN’s
Emergency Response Center in 2009. The
platform computes the radiological impactof an accidental release of radioactivity to
the environment, then displays the results
on a map. In a radiological emergency, IRSN
will transmit these maps to the appropriate
authorities, together with recommendations for managing the situation.
The operational integration of this new
platform at the Emergency Response Center
involved fully training any employees who
might need to use it in an emergency. The
platform was used successfully during
national emergency exercises in the second
half of 2009. The exercises highlighted theplatform’s ease of use and the speed withwhich results could be delivered.

Team Leader, International Partnerships
and Initiatives, United States Department
of Health and Human Services«

The Global Health Security Initiative(GHSI) was launched in 2001. It is acooperative international effort aimed atstrengthening preparedness and response
among its member countries andorganizations with regard to emergency situations arisingfrom nuclear, radiological, or biological agents, as well as
pandemic inﬂuenza. The GHSI work group on radiologicaland nuclear risks, chaired by Jean-René Jourdain of IRSN,
and for which I manage the executive administrative ofﬁce,
is responsible for increasing preparedness for radiologicaland nuclear events. Under IRSN’s leadership, the group’s
activities include setting up a network of laboratories forradionuclide measurement, so that GHSI members are able
to respond more effectively to radiological emergencies
involving a large number of victims. With this in mind,
we are currently conducting a study aimed at mapping
each country’s abilities. The results will be used to build
a database of laboratories that could help with sample
analysis. Another area of activity is the development ofemergency communication protocols between countries,
in cooperation with the competent national authorities of
IAEA Member States. The group has successfully conducted
exercises to ensure that all members can be contacted
quickly for mutual assistance if an event withan international impact occurs.”

ORGANIZATIONMARIA JULIA MARINISSEN,

SUMMARY
AND OUTLOOK

2 – DEVELOPING TOOLSIN THE WORDS OF

ACTIVITIES

renews an agreement signed in 1994, specifies the methods IRSN will use to alert
Météo-France and how information will be
exchanged between the two organizations,
including the provision of meteorological
data and forecasts by Météo-France. It also
speciﬁes the method for determining atmospheric transport of radioactive substances,
as well as data that needs to be shared.

Developing emergency tools for
PWRs
ENSURINGEFFICIENCY

In the event of an accident in a pressurized water reactor, various information
technology tools are available at IRSN’s
Emergency Response Center for assessing

5 NATIONAL

NUCLEAR EMERGENCY EXERCISES
EXCLUDING DEFENSE-RELATEDACTIVITIES (9 in 2008).

A map made using the Cartx application during the Bugey exercise.

Annual Report IRSN 200973

ACTIVITIESCHALLENGE 5

3 NATIONAL

NUCLEAR EMERGENCY EXERCISESINVOLVING DEFENSE-RELATEDFACILITIES (4 in 2008).

the status of the damaged reactor, and forsending forecasts of possible changes inthis status and any associated radioactive
release. IRSN is constantly upgrading thesetools to provide the public authorities witheffective support.
Those currently available at the Emergency
Response Center are based on highly simpliﬁed models of complex physical phenomena that give computed results very
quickly. The tools were validated by comparing them with the results obtained from
more detailed computer codes, such as the
Accident Source Term Evaluation Code(ASTEC), developed by IRSN to simulate
phenomena likely to occur during a reactor
core meltdown. In 2009, taking advantageof the signiﬁcant increase in available com-puting power, IRSN began directly integrating certain parts of ASTEC into Emergency
Response Center tools. Among other things,
this will enable it to equip the Emergency
Response Center with a new tool called
ETHER in the near future, for evaluatingpressure changes in the reactor containment during an accident. This operation,
which involves IRSN’s teams in charge of
ASTEC and its use in safety studies, willallow speciﬁc codes to be developed andshared among the members and recent
knowledge to be incorporated into emergency response tools.

Using Level 2 PSAs at theEmergency Response Center
IRSN has begun formalizing the knowledge
acquired during the development of level
2 probabilistic safety assessments (PSAs)
for nuclear reactors, by creating summary sheets available at the Emergency
Response Center. The level 2 PSAs performed by IRSN for 900 and 1,300 MWe
PWRs – and subsequently for the EPR –identify accident scenarios that could leadto radioactive release and estimate theirprobability (by calculating their likelihoodof occurrence) and the scale of the corresponding release. The content of sheets
prepared in 2009 for 900 MWe reactors
will be extended to EDF’s reactors, all ofwhich must be updated as new knowledge
is acquired.

Reconstruction of radiologicalaccidents
In order to deﬁne as accurately as possible the treatment strategy to be applied
to victims of radiological accidents fromexposure to an external radioactive source,
it is necessary to know the distribution ofdoses received by the body. The SESAME
application, developed by IRSN for thispurpose, reconstructs these dose measurements through the combined use of digital
anthropomorphic models (phantoms) andthe Monte Carlo MCNPX code.
In 2009, new features of SESAME, developed and validated both experimentallyand digitally, were introduced, allowing
the morphology and posture of the digital phantoms to be changed. The new version provides a more realistic description

Voxelized phantoms are used toreconstruct radiological accidents.
Scoring chromosome aberrations.

74 Annual Report IRSN 2009

In 2009, IRSN performed the ﬁrst bibliographic review aimed at identifying physical, chemical, or biological factors liable toproduce chromosomal abnormalities thatare stable over time, such as translocations.
Translocations can be used to assess anindividual’s exposure to ionizing radiationfrom a blood sample, long after suspectedirradiation. As the rate of translocations inpeople who may have been exposed iscompared to the rate in a control population, the effect of other factors that could
cause chromosomal abnormalities must be
known, so as to distinguish a posteriori theeffect of ionizing radiation from other factors. The results of the bibliographic review
completed by IRSN show that the age andgender of individuals, habits such as drinking alcohol and smoking, and occupational
exposure, all lead to a signiﬁcant increasein translocations. This makes it important
to know an individual’s history to obtaina retrospective assessment of his or her
exposure as accurate as possible.

ORGANIZATION
Calixarenes are used to trap uranium.

Use of calixarenes in treating
uranium contamination
IRSN has a research program that seeks tolimit the number of actinides penetrating

2 DOSEASSESSMENTS BY BIOLOGICALDOSIMETRY (4 in 2008).

IN CLOSE-UP

FOURTH SUCCESSFUL CASE IN CELL THERAPY

the skin in the event of contamination. As
part of this program, a thesis, co-funded by
the French defense procurement agency,
has led to the development of a calixarenebased emulsion. Calixarene is a molecule
capable of trapping uranium to decorporate it.
The new emulsion is particularly effective
on both healthy and injured skin, reducing uranium absorption through the skinby more than 95%. IRSN has ﬁled a patent application for this innovative product.
Other pharmaceutical forms are currently
being studied to find appropriate solutions for occupational health physicians
having to deal with cases of uranium
contamination.

SUMMARY
AND OUTLOOKThe many factors behindchromosomal abnormalities

ACTIVITIESof the victim’s posture at the time of theaccident and a more accurate reconstruction of the accident.

The mission diagnosed very severe irradiation in several areas of the left thighas a result of accidental handling of a gamma ray source, and recommended
that the victim receive emergency treatment at a specialized facility.
The patient was transferred to France and treated according to the protocol
used during previous accidents in Chile, Senegal, and Tunisia. IRSN mapped
the local surface and deep doses received by the victim and guided
the preventive surgical ablation of tissues to prevent any risk of necrosis.
The combined use of cell therapy with mesenchymal stem cells (bone marrowcells that are able to proliferate and develop into many different types of cells)
and highly complex plastic surgery made it possible to avoid amputation
and restore relatively good motor function.

ENSURINGEFFICIENCY

Teams from Percy Military Hospital and the French armed forces bloodtransfusion center worked closely with IRSN physicists specializing in
dosimetry and radiopathology to achieve a fo urth success in the treatmentof particularly severe radiation burns. In April 2009, an aid mission involving
IRSN went to South America at the IAEA’s request to examine a patient
hospitalized with very severe radiation injuries.

Mesenchymal stem cells
have proved effective in treatingradiation burns.

Annual Report IRSN 200975

ACTIVITIES«CHALLENGE 6
Understanding the effects
of chronic low-dose
exposure.

EFFECTS OF CHRONIC EXPOSURE

IRSN expands
its knowledge

Mindful of the need to deepen its understanding of the effects ofchronic exposure to ionizing radiation on human health and the environment, IRSN continued work on
various studies in 2009. One such study focused on the effects of external exposure on non-human species
and its impact on ecosystems. At the same time, IRSN published the ﬁnal report on the Alpha-Risk program,which investigates how exposure to alpha emitters affects the risk of cancerous and non-cancerous diseases
in the long term. It also continued its work in the EPICE program for the evaluation of cesium-induced
pathologies in humans.

RESEARCH OUTLET

Revision of the Environmental
Quality Standard for uranium
In order to protect natural environments,
the European Water Framework Directive
requires member states to determine
Environmental Quality Standards (EQSs)
for hazardous substances and freshwater
ecosystems. For this reason, as part of its
work on assessing the environmental risk
associated with old uranium mines in theHaute-Vienne area of central France, IRSN
conducted a study in 2009, aimed at compiling knowledge related to the behavior
and ecotoxicity of uranium in fresh water.
The study, which also drew on the results ofexperimental work within the ENVIRHOM
project, helped determine a uranium concentration in water called the “predictedno-effect concentration” or PNEC. As thename indicates, this is the concentration
at which the substance concerned has noeffect on the aquatic ecosystem. IRSN recommends a value equal to 5 μg/l, while
the provisional value currently in force
is 0.3 μg/l. The value recommended by
IRSN has already been conﬁrmed by anexpert from the Canadian Nuclear Safety
Commission, and will be submitted to
INERIS for approval in 2010 (INERIS is the
French national institute for the study ofindustrial environments and risks) (also seebox on page 78).

76 Annual Report IRSN 2009

A REPORT ON THE
STATE OF THE ART IN
ENVIRONMENTAL AND
HUMAN TOXICOLOGYHow do the chemical elements
found in the environment,
whether they are stable orradioactive, natural or manmade, interact with living
beings? What do we know
about their possible effects onhuman health and biodiversity
within ecosystems? What
resources are available fordetecting their presence
and dealing with any
contamination? These
questions are addressed in ajoint work entitled Toxicologie
nucléaire environnementale ethumaine (Environmental and
Human Nuclear Toxicology)
published in September
2009 by Editions Lavoisier.
This summary, prepared by
CEA and IRSN researchers,
highlights the results obtainedin their ToxNuc-E (CEA) and
ENVIRHOM (IRSN) programs,compared with the international
state of the art.

Chronic exposure
to radionuclides
In late 2009, IRSN and the State Scientiﬁcand Research Institution - Chernobyl Center
for Nuclear Safety, Radioactive Waste andRadioecology (SSRI) signed a partnershipagreement in the area of nuclear safety
and radioecology.
Several projects will be launched in 2010
with the International Radioecology
Laboratory (SSRI/IRL) in the Chernobyl
region to learn more about the effects ofchronic exposure to radionuclides on biodiversity and the functioning of ecosystems.
The objectives include:- identifying differences in radiosensitivity among various species and determining how these species adapt to such anenvironment;- assessing the ecological status of theregion by studying the decomposition oforganic matter and investigating biodiversity, by developing models that distinguishdirect effects, such as irradiation and contamination, from indirect effects like prey/
predator relations. No team has addressed
these aspects to date.

Final results of the European
Alpha-Risk project
The European project Alpha-Risk, coordinated by IRSN, came to an end in late

ORGANIZATIONSUMMARY
AND OUTLOOKIN THE WORDS OFMARGOT TIRMARCHE, Director Of Scientiﬁc Assessment
at IRSN and Coordinator of the ALPHA-RISK project«

All our work in the ALPHA-RISK project has been very
rewarding. These large-scale, international scientiﬁccollaborative activities have succeeded where an isolated
initiative would have been destined for failure..
Initiated more than ten years ago through a French-Czech
collaborative study on uranium miners, the project has brought together
eighteen partners to explore the effects of internal contamination by uranium,
radon, radon decay products, and plutonium.
A European network of excellence was recently set up. Internal contamination
was one of its themes. Our studies on cohorts of nuclear workers fall within
the scope of this radiation protection issue.
Our work conﬁrmed that radon increases the risk of lung cancer, evenat relatively low levels of exposure, in both smokers and nonsmokers.
Our results have been used by the WHO and ICRP, which recently reviewed
the radon risk to the population at large and to workers.”

individual doses to different organs (lungs,
bone marrow, etc.), taking both internaland external exposure into account, overa period of ten years, and under various
working conditions. Numerous articles
are being prepared or have already been
published in scientiﬁc journals. The presentation also served to define further
activities: continuing to develop expertisein epidemiology, developing collaborative
activities with Canada in monitoring uranium miners, increasing studies of workers exposed to uranium and plutonium inEurope, and helping to improve protection
against alpha emitters.
www.alpha-risk.org

Phase 2 of the EPICE program
Following a two-year preparatory phase,
phase 2 of the EPICE program for evaluating chronic pathologies induced by cesium
contamination began in 2009. This phaseof the program will study a population of
18,000 children living in contaminated andAnnual Report IRSN 2009

77

ACTIVITIESThe Alpha-Risk project examined risks related to alpha-emittercontamination in uranium miners.

ENSURINGEFFICIENCY

2009. The project brought together eighteen research teams from nine countries,
and built on cooperation between teams
in various disciplines such as epidemiology,
dosimetry, and modeling, to learn more
about the long-term effects of exposure
to alpha emitters.
Various populations were studied, including uranium miners, workers in the nuclear
industry, and the general public. In somecases, the groups studied consisted of several tens of thousands of individuals. The
results obtained concern various types of
low-level radiation exposure (radon, uranium, plutonium, external exposure) spreadout over time, as well as possible interactions between this exposure and the effects
of other factors, such as smoking.
A public presentation of the results wasorganized in Paris in October 2009. The
presentation provided an opportunity to
discuss the monitoring of populations
exposed to radon and its decay products,
and to uranium or plutonium. The main
conclusions point out that relatively low
exposure to radon can lead to a risk of lungcancer. Another important point to emerge
was the need for a fuller understandingof the risk of leukemia, brought to lightby certain studies. Proﬁtable collaborative
research was carried out by epidemiology and dosimetry specialists to calculate

ACTIVITIESCHALLENGE 6

Measurement of cesium-137 concentration in the body as part of the research programon the consequences of chronic cesium contamination.

uncontaminated areas of southwestern
Russia, to determine how many of themsuffer from cardiac arrhythmia that cannot be explained by known factors, suchas congenital malformation. IRSN’s EPICE
program is aimed at identifying a possible
link between cesium-137 from the falloutof the Chernobyl accident and certain non-IN THE WORDS OFMICHÈLE TIXIER-BOICHARD, Scientiﬁc Directorof Bioresources, Ecology, and Agronomy of the Ministryof Higher Education and Research«

In 2009 we worked on developing a national researchstrategy in toxicology and ecotoxicology.
This followed several observations pointing to the needto increase coordination and research in this area:
sector-based consulting groups, the Couty mission,
the French Environment Round Table, etc.

A work group made up of research organizations, universities, public
institutions, and agencies concerned with this topic was therefore set up
under Ministry supervision.
IRSN naturally took part. After taking stock of the situation, we prepareda research agenda deﬁning ﬁve strategic lines of research.
These center principally on characterizing contamination and the ecodynamics
of contaminants in the surrounding environment, analyzing toxic mechanisms
in the low-dose range, taking biological diversity into account when evaluating
toxic impact, and lastly, improving risk metrics. This research strategy will thenprovide a basis for setting up a national coordination committee and deﬁning
its organizational structure.”

78 Annual Report IRSN 2009cancerous pathologies among children living in these regions.
A routine cardiac arrhythmia screening
campaign began in the ﬁeld in May 2009
and will last about four years. This operation is being carried out with the clinicaland biological diagnostic center of thecity of Bryansk, where two medical teams
have been assigned to implement the
program.
Each child will be given an electrocardiogram and an echocardiogram, and a measurement will be taken of cesium-137
concentration in his or her body. Somechildren will also have their cardioelectricparameters continuously recorded and thebiological parameters of their main plasma
cardiac markers examined. IRSN will supervise the interpretation of the results.
All these examinations will be used toestablish a diagnosis for each child todetect any heart problems and to identify
any causal relationship with cesium-137
contamination. The first results of thestudy are expected in 2013.

ACTIVITIESPROTECTION IN HEALTHCARE

Improving radiation
protection in thehealthcare sector

1 – RADIOPATHOLOGY

A new stage in the ROSIRIS
program on the side effects ofradiotherapy

IRSN is developing research activities fora better knowledge more about the side
effects of radiotherapy.

2 – RADIATION PROTECTION
OF PATIENTSIn order to provide more effective protection of patients exposed to ionizing
radiation, IRSN carries out research tolearn more about actual exposure andreduce the risks of overexposure.

Following a number of radiotherapy accidents at various French hospitals, IRSN
considered how patients exposed toionizing radiation during medical procedures could be given necessary or useful
information.
It conducted this work in collaboration
with AVIAM, a French federation of associations providing aid for medical victims,
and Le Lien, a health and safety associationthat works to prevent and study hospitalacquired infections and provide informationin this area. The Institute commissioned
a study on the information available topatients and health professionals.
The results show that patients receive very
little information about the possible healthconsequences of medical exposure, andthis is true for all types of procedures.
The next step is to create a joint workgroup that will issue recommendations topromote the development of patient information medical consultations.
www.aviamfrance.org
http://lelien.typepad.fr

Annual Report IRSN 2009

79

ACTIVITIESPatient information
on radiodiagnosis

IRSN carries out experimental research
aimed at improving knowledge of themechanisms behind side effects, inorder to identify and propose newtreatments aimed at preventing or
curing these complications.

ROSIRIS is the name of an experimental
research program aimed at discovering
more about the side effects of radiotherapy. Following a two-year feasibility study,
IRSN and Inserm ﬁnalized the content of
the research program for the next three
years during a seminar in July 2009.
Work will focus on the mechanisms thattrigger and aggravate radiotherapy complications for organs at risk during abdominopelvic radiotherapy.
The main technological tools required forthe program were set up during this feasibility phase.
These studies are part of an experimental
initiative to demonstrate a causal relationship between acute effects and delayed
effects of radiotherapy.

SUMMARY
AND OUTLOOKIn 2009, IRSN worked in partnership with other organizations
to learn more about the side effects of treatments using ionizing radiation in the ﬁeld of radiopathology.
With regard to radiation protection of patients, IRSN was involved in monitoring medical exposure,collecting and updating diagnostic reference levels, and developing more accurate dosimetry techniques
to prevent patient under- or overexposure.

ENSURINGEFFICIENCYDeveloping protection
against ionizing radiationin the healthcare sector.

ORGANIZATION«CHALLENGE 7

ACTIVITIESCHALLENGE 7

IN THE WORDS OF

MARIE-SOLANGEJULIA, President«of AVIAM, the French
federation of associations
providing aid for medical
victims

As a patients’association,
we ﬁnd thatworking with
IRSN’s experts
and scientists deﬁnitely helps toconvey the users’ point of viewand experience.
That is why we wished to work
together to identify waysof informing patients about
the risks involved in exposure
to ionizing radiation.
Within this context, we
conducted a survey ofour members, and foundthat there was little or no
information about these risks.
This situation gives great cause
for concern, especially as
patients are completely
unaware that repeated exposure
to diagnostic X-rays is nottotally harmless. We must
therefore continue our work to
inform patients and radiologists
alike, and increase theirawareness of the issues
involved.”

Patient exposure levels have been reviewed.

Report on patient exposure
IRSN is involved in monitoring patient
medical exposure through the ExPRI information system. The role played by medical practices in population exposure wasreviewed in 2009 and knowledge of diagnostic procedures was increased, basedon data from examinations performed
in 2007.
The more reliable data obtained on thetype and frequency of procedures, aswell as the related doses, also served to
update the estimated annual mean individual dose, and to determine exposure
by age and gender, together with the distribution of delivered doses and the number of people actually exposed. A reportcompiling this data was published jointlywith InVS.
Furthermore, a system has been in use
since 2004 to collect, validate, and analyze the data used to deﬁne diagnostic
reference levels (DRLs). A report will be
produced drawing on recent data (20072008) in 2010. Its results confirm thetrends of the previous report and will be
used to adapt the regulations associatedwith diagnostic reference levels.
www.irsn.fr

Changes in patient dosimetry
calculations
In nuclear medicine, radionuclides areadministered to patients for diagnostic
or therapeutic purposes. This means thateach organ can become a radiation source,
as a result of the energy emitted by theseradionuclides in human tissue.

80 Annual Report IRSN 2009

In 2009, IRSN participated in an intercomparison aimed at revising the mathematical models designed to represent humananatomy, and used to calculate the doses
absorbed by patients in nuclear medicine.
This work helped to reassess the speciﬁc
absorbed fractions of different organs using
new, more realistic models.
The results of IRSN’s dosimetry study
were validated by comparing them withthose obtained by Helmholtz Zentrum
München in Germany. These dosimetricstudies, which are essential for patientradiation protection, will appear in ICRP
Publication 110.

Mini-beam dosimetry
In 2009, IRSN began work on a three-year
project aimed at deﬁning and implementing dosimetry techniques adapted to themini-beams used in radiotherapy.
The project came about following work
to investigate the causes of an accident
that occurred in Toulouse in 2007, due toa dosimetry error in the very small beams
used in stereotaxis.
A work group led by IRSN, in which the
Société française de physique médicale(the French medical physics society) participated, showed that dose estimations
for this type of beam varied signiﬁcantly
from one French radiotherapy center toanother. According to an IRSN report published in June 2009, these variations are
due to a lack of uniformity in practices,
for want of any international consensus
on methods and related metrological references. The project will suggest meth-On April 16, 2009, IRSN and AP-HP, theParis public hospital system, signed a partnership agreement as part of a projectcalled EPOPA.
The project sets up a system for monitoring patients who were overexposed during
radiotherapy for prostate cancer at Epinal
Hospital. The study sets out to correlate
doses received, volumes of healthy tissue
irradiated, and the severity of complications observed, with the laboratory andgenetic data obtained.
The results will be used to deﬁne new tools
for diagnosing radiotherapy complications.
A clinical research hospital protocol was set
up to this end.
By the end of the year, nearly 250 patient
cases had been studied. For each of them,
blood samples were collected to identify
predictive markers for certain complications, such as radiation proctitis and radiosensitivity markers.

at IRSN’s Department for the Study of Human Factors«

The Order of January 22, 2009, requires radiotherapy
departments a) to analyze the risks of their therapeutic
processes to improve safety, and b) to investigate any
complications occurring during treatment. These two actions
complement one another. IRSN carried out various studies to
identify in advance the risk of failing to administer the right dose, to the rightplace, at the right time, and to the right person. These studies were also aimed
at developing analytical tools to meet the requirements of professionals in theﬁeld. A thesis, directed jointly by IRSN and the ergonomics laboratory of theConservatoire national des arts et métiers (a center for science and technology
research and higher education), showed that risk control is largely dependent
on the quality of cooperation among the various specialists involved in thetreatment. At the same time, the Institute began a study to learn more about
the strategies adopted by radiotherapy departments to meet their obligation
to make treatment safer.”

Epidemiology in children underﬁve years of age
In 2009, IRSN and AP-HP, the Paris public
hospital system, signed an agreement as
part of an IRSN study aimed at assessing
the risk of secondary cancer or leukemia
in children exposed to ionizing radiation
during CT scan examinations, under theage of ﬁve. The agreement will give IRSN
access to data on 23,000 children seen in
the radiology departments of the seven
AP-HP hospitals taking part in the study.
Agreements with the other university
hospitals have been prepared to enlarge
the cohort.

ENSURINGEFFICIENCY

Report on uterine dose
assessments
From 2004 to 2008, at the request of practitioners, IRSN performed 246 assessmentsof uterine doses received by pregnant
patients during X-ray or CT scan examinations, entailing radiation exposure of
the uterus.
The report on these dosimetry assessments, published in 2009, showed that
doses were usually less than 35 mGy inconventional radiology.
In CT scanning, they were generally
between 15 and 65 mGy, but could exceed
100 mGy (a value below which the ICPR
considers that there is no justiﬁcation for
terminating pregnancy). In nuclear medicine, doses were below 10 mGy.
Although average doses are in line withinternational data, the breakdown of X-ray
and CT scan doses by type of examination shows that practices vary, and aresometimes a long way from applicable
recommendations.

ORGANIZATIONSYLVIE THELLIER, expert in human factors

SUMMARY
AND OUTLOOKMonitoring overexposed
patients

IN THE WORDS OF

ACTIVITIES

ods for obtaining reliable, accurate, andreproducible measurements of the dosedelivered by the small photon beams usedin radiotherapy.
www.irsn.fr

Improving patient dosimetry is a major concern for IRSN.

Annual Report IRSN 200981

LAURENT MICHEL, DIRECTOR GENERAL OF RISKPREVENTION AT THE MINISTRY OF ECOLOGY, ENERGY,SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND THE SEA

84

HEALTH, SAFETY,AND ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION

85

SCIENTIFIC ANDTECHNICAL EXCELLENCE86

HUMAN RESOURCES

88

COMMUNICATIONS

90

TRAINING

92

ENSURING
BILAN ETORGANISATIONPERSPECTIVESEFFICIENCYIRSN guides the government
and public authorities in their decisions,by providing them with scientiﬁc andtechnical support in the area of nuclear
and radiological risk prevention andmanagement. »QUALITY

ENSURING EFFICIENCYQUALITY

A consolidated,
controlled, and effective
quality system
In a continuous improvement approach, 2009 was devoted
to clarifying the deﬁnition of IRSN’s quality objectives and preparing the audit for renewal of its
ISO 9001 certiﬁcation.

A clearer focus on lines ofimprovement
IRSN’s management review of June 15,
2009, which set out to identify ways toimprove the Institute’s quality policy,
concluded that it was necessary to clarify
the different lines of action required tomake this policy more effective. Basically,
the IRSN quality policy aims to ensure
the satisfaction of partners and customers, both inside and outside the Institute,
to strengthen the professionalism of its
teams, and to beneﬁt society. For each ofthese objectives, a process was initiated ina move towards progress.
To satisfy partners and outside customers,
the lines of improvement adopted consistof identifying needs more precisely so thatpartner and customer satisfaction can bemeasured more closely.
At the same time, IRSN wishes to implement an overall approach to satisfying its
customers and partners. Satisfying internal customers consists of providing mutual
support among the various divisions. This
involves, for example, providing research
for an assessment and vice versa, or creating synergy between safety and radiation protection. To evaluate this support
process, internal customer satisfaction is

Preparing an audit.

measured based on feedback from all staff.
Strengthening professionalism involves
improving skills management, in correlation with better scheduling of activities.
At the same time, systematic analysis ofexperience feedback and customer opinions are fundamental.
Finally, research was conducted to makea distinction between processes directed
toward customers and partners, and thosetargeting society at large, so that each
employee using these processes can measure progress made in a speciﬁc area.

Certiﬁcation renewal

10ISO 17025-

ACCREDITED LABORATORIES (10 in 2008).

84 IRSN Annual Report 2009

Planned for June 2010, the audit for renewalof ISO 9001 certification requires thatIRSN demonstrate the ability of its total
quality management system to develop a
continuous improvement approach. This
renewal will rely on a new (2008) versionof the ISO 9001 standards (rather thanthe 2000 version). The new version makes
no changes to the quality approach, but
strengthens and speciﬁes certain requirements that were implicit until now.
In 2009, IRSN called on the members of
its quality network to evaluate the issues
raised by the new version and to formalize
the changes necessary in its total quality
management system to respond to therequirements of the new version of thestandard.
In parallel, discussions were initiatedto make the internal audit policy more
effective by sharing the audit process asmuch as possible, and preparing an audit
program that focuses more closely on thesigniﬁcance of the processes involved aswell as the results and frequency of previous audits.

ORGANIZATIONHEALTH, SAFETY, AND
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

Acting as a responsible
public organization

Commitment to sustainable
development
In 2009, a discussion group on sustainable development completed an initial
analysis of the situation at IRSN. Based on
the results, work was organized in three
directions:– “purchasing” policy;– skills, employment, training and howeach person relates to his/her job;
– the environment and pollution.
These directions will serve as the basis for
the Institute’s commitment to sustainable
development and effective application ofa corresponding policy in 2010.

12(1) NUMBER OF FACILITIES
1010CLASSIFIED FOR
ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION IN
COMPLIANCE WITH
THE ENVIRONMENT
CODE.

(1) This ﬁgure includes two Cadarache facilities
that were declared facilities classiﬁed forenvironmental protection (ICPE) in 2009 following
a change in classiﬁcation and enforcementof an administrative order pertaining to
the Cadarache site.

IRSN Annual Report 200985

ACTIVITIESAt the Prime Minister’s request,
forwarded by the Director
General for Prevention and Risks,
IRSN issued an outstanding
administration plan in 2009.
This process was initiated in
response to the government’s
policy decision to strongly
encourage public services andorganizations to set an example
in terms of sustainable
development.
To achieve this, IRSN has
committed itself to:– reducing paper consumption
by 30% by 2012 and using“environmentally responsible”
paper;– limiting the use of personal
printers;– implementing a plan torelocate the Fontenay-aux-Roses
site;– studying its conventional waste
and implementing sorted waste
collection;– encouraging the hiring of
disabled persons.
A report will be issued annually.

ENSURINGEFFICIENCY

After the discovery of an unlisted radioactive source in one of its laboratories, IRSN
conducted an extensive investigation in2009 to inventory all radioactive materials held in its facilities. This phase resulted
in inspecting 11 sites and more than 1,200
rooms.

AN OUTSTANDING
ADMINISTRATION PLAN
FOR THE INSTITUTE

A second phase, launched in July 2009,
consisted of taking spectrometer measurements to establish a quantitative andqualitative view of products that had notbeen clearly identiﬁed. These operations
aim to update the inventory of each unitthat holds radioactive sources.

2009

Operation to locate radioactive
sourcesIN CLOSE-UP

2008

In 2009, IRSN contracted with Technologia
to perform a study of psychosocial risks
at the Institute. This process was engaged
after difﬁcult situations in certain units
were identiﬁed by committees for hygiene,
safety and working conditions (CHSCT)and IRSN’s inspector general.
The study was performed in two phases:
a survey of all employees, which achieveda response rate of 67%, followed by 131
individual interviews conducted at theInstitute’s three main sites.
The conclusions of the study revealed
a situation that is rather positive to theextent that heavy workloads are compensated by an environment that favors personal development.
However, the rising productivity achievedin recent years and certain dysfunctions
have placed some employees in situations
that they ﬁnd difﬁcult to handle.
The Institute has therefore made the commitment to prepare a plan of action todeal with these situations and, more generally, to prevent psychosocial risks within
its units.

2007

Preventing psychosocial risks

SUMMARY
AND OUTLOOKMonitoring the conditions in which IRSN’s activities are conductedin order to limit their impact on employee health and the environment represents the Institute’s goal in
the area of hygiene, safety and environmental protection.

ENSURING EFFICIENCYSCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL EXCELLENCE

Promoting creativeness,inﬂuence, and scientiﬁc
quality
Fostering exchange between IRSN researchers, encouraging new
research, and contributing to training through research were the directions taken in the Institute’s policyof scientiﬁc and technical excellence in 2009.

Deployment of exploratory
research
The program set up to promote development of innovative research projects
continued in 2009. Four new exploratory
research projects were selected and added
to the seven projects initiated in the previous two years. The four new projects
concern:– modeling the phenomenon of vessel
embrittlement by liquid metals and assessment of the associated risk in a severe accident situation involving core meltdown on
a nuclear reactor;– measuring heat ﬂux through concrete
walls exposed to fire using the reverse
method;– experimental determination of hydride
precipitation kinetics in zirconium alloys
contained in fuel cladding using synchrotron radiation;– cataracts induced by radiation in interventional cardiologists.
The ﬁrst four projects launched in 2007
came to an end in late 2009. Three of them
resulted in new research efforts that arepart of the Institute’s programs for 2010:– assessment of uncertainty associatedwith dose determination based on measurements taken to monitor the internal
contamination of workers;– radioactivity found in marine organisms
sampled from underwater hydrothermal
sources;– degradation of waste packages by
microorganisms.

86 IRSN Annual Report 2009

Dissertation Days in Aussois.

The initial projects also contributed tobuilding internal and external collaborative
networks that have reinforced the visibilityof IRSN teams.

Cross-disciplinary scientiﬁc
event
A new cross-disciplinary scientiﬁc working group bringing together four of theInstitute’s divisions was created in June
2009. It is dedicated to droplet ﬂows, a
topic of numerous research efforts at IRSN,
in particular those concerning the containment spray system used in accident situations in nuclear facilities.

Training through research
The annual training event, IRSN’s
Dissertation Days, was held from September
28 to October 1, 2009 in Aussois in the eastof France. Forty-ﬁve doctoral students intheir second or third year and ﬁve postdoctorate students presented their work
to an audience of 178 scientists from theInstitute and other organizations (CNRS,
universities, engineering schools, industrial partners, etc.). In addition, 26 ﬁrstyear students presented their results in a
poster exhibition.
This year’s program brought some innovations. At the opening of the plenary ses-

2009

2008

NUMBER OF
DISSERTATIONSDEFENDED.

in April, addressed the question of what
is at stake for researchers in the Aeres
evaluation.
A working group dedicated to preparing
the ﬁles requested by Aeres was also set
up.
Finally, to be more in line with Aeres’ practices, IRSN chose to change its internal

Contribution to the publicationof the ICRP’s new generalrecommendations
IRSN oversaw the translation into French
and the publication of new recommendations adopted in 2007 by the International
Commission on Radiological Protection(ICRP) that concern protection from ionizing radiation. Experts at the Institute
had previously contributed to preparing
the recommendations. The new publication ICRP 103 replaces the previous recommendations of ICRP 60, published in
1990, and constitutes the primary reference in this subject area. This document,
translated into French, was distributed tobusiness leaders, physicians, and interested
organizations: more than a thousand copies were sent out on request and approximately one hundred copies downloaded
from the Internet.
www.irsn.fr

ENSURINGEFFICIENCY

To prepare researchers at the Institutefor evaluation of their work in 2010 by
Aeres, the French agency for the evaluation of research and higher education,
the Institute’s third seminar on scientiﬁcand technical excellence, which took place

20

assessment program by creating a visiting
standing advisory group of outside experts
selected for this purpose by the director
general.

ACTIVITIESThe Institute preparesfor the Aeres assessment

28
18

2007

sions, an introduction to safety, healthand environmental issues provided theopportunity to situate IRSN’s research inthe context of the scientiﬁc and technicalissues raised by its activity. In addition, tohighlight the Institute’s relationship withthe scientiﬁc community, the ﬁrst day was
dedicated to current efforts in exploratory
research and a laboratory jointly run by
IRSN, the Université de Montpellier, and
CNRS, the laboratory on micromechanics
and structural integrity (MIST). Finally, around table devoted to training throughresearch considered the living conditionsof doctoral students at the Institute as
they prepare their dissertation (revealing
the need for a dissertation charter) andtheir future after their dissertations havebeen defended.
In 2009, 33 new doctoral students wereselected by dissertation commissions andwere recruited to work for three years on
subjects proposed by the Institute.

Aeres, the French agency for the evaluation ofresearch and higher education, plans to evaluate IRSN
in 2010. This evaluation, carried out at the request of our
supervisory ministries, involves the individual research units andthe Institute as a whole, covering both the quality of research
conducted by our teams and its pertinence in terms of the contract of objectives
and the Institute’s medium- to long-term plan.
The objective for IRSN is to demonstrate that research is conducted with thenecessary scientiﬁc rigor and that it provides results that are useful for conducting
assessments. The teams are now preparing for the evaluation by compiling a ﬁleof results from the past four years, a self-analysis and the unit project for the next
four years. This is an extensive effort, which will include the scientiﬁc work of
researchers: publications, computer codes, etc. In parallel, the functional divisions
are preparing a self-assessment of the Institute based on the commitments
contained in the contract of objectives.”

ORGANIZATIONMICHEL SCHWARZ, IRSN Scientiﬁc Director

SUMMARY
AND OUTLOOK«IN THE WORDS OF

3RESEARCH

SUPERVISOR HABILITATIONS DEFENDED(2 in 2008).

Research remains a central part of the Institutes’s activities.

IRSN Annual Report 200987

ENSURING EFFICIENCYHUMAN RESOURCES

Developing skillsin every area
The major directions of IRSN’s human resources policy were manifest
in three major efforts: implementing skills management at the Institute, expanding best practices andcommitting the Institute to a policy of solidarity in employment.

Encouraging the hiring of
disabled persons

mission composed of an occupational
physician, a social worker and employee
representatives. The mandatory contribution to Ageﬁph, the French association for
managing a national fund to assist the disabled in securing employment, ﬁnances allof these measures and their application.

On February 27, 2009, after completing aninternal evaluation on disabled employees
in 2008, IRSN signed its ﬁrst agreementwith all representative labor organizations
to promote hiring the handicapped.
This agreement marks the shared commitment of management and labor unions
to developing a proactive and long-term
employment policy for the disabled.
Covering three years, the agreement sets
precise objectives concerning:– hiring and retaining disabled employees,with a minimum employment rate of 2%
by the end of 2011 and an increase in temporary work and subcontracting with ﬁrms
in the targeted sector;– assisting vocational integration of disabled persons with hiring efforts throughlimited-duration training-through-research
employment contracts and internships;– retaining disabled employees throughefforts to prevent their being declared
unﬁt for work by accommodating workplaces and working conditions, in addition
to measures for individual support in caseof reclassiﬁcation;– increasing awareness and knowledge of
disabilities in the workplace throughout
IRSN staff.
A task force on the disabled was set up at
IRSN to support and encourage implementation of the action plan.
It is headed by a task ofﬁcer from humanresources and relies on a dedicated com-

88 IRSN Annual Report 2009

To successfully implement this plan to hire
and retain disabled employees, it is essential that all Institute employees abide by it
and are able to implement it at all levels.
To this end, the task force on the disabled organized a theatrical performanceaddressing the issue of disability in theworkplace using humorous sketches.
This festive event also provided an opportunity for exchange with staff, which
augurs well for the success of the task
force’s action plan.

Project launched to forecast
staff and skills requirements
First agreement signed in favorof disabled persons.

The year 2009 saw completion of theﬁrst phase of the GPEC project to forecast staff and skills requirements, launchedin 2008.
This project, which consisted of mapping
employment at IRSN, was carried out
thanks to the combined efforts of a steering committee composed of representatives from the operational and functional
divisions, including the general secretariat,
and working groups from each division.
Its deliberations resulted in organizing
employment on four levels: professionalﬁelds, sub-ﬁelds, careers and posts.
The work of defining careers includeddescribing those requiring speciﬁc knowhow that may be used in several of theInstitute’s ﬁelds of activity.
To date, around 150 careers have been
defined, reflecting the interdisciplinary
nature of the Institute.
At the same time, the data collected on
skills and activities is being used to set theparameters of a software package for the
GPEC project. It will eventually centralize
the data required for managing careers,
skills, annual reviews and professional
training.
Scheduled for implementation by 2011,
the project aims to create tools capable ofanticipating skills required in the medium

to long term and to offer employees clearly
identiﬁed career paths.

Creation of the MidManagement Club
Every year since 2005, IRSN has organizedmanagement workshops allowing those incharge of laboratories, ofﬁces and departments to express their expectations interms of methods, tools and proceduresthat may assist them in their daily management tasks.
Beyond the interest of working together tocreate, change and ﬁnalize human resource
initiatives, the success of these events
basically derives from the quality of the

To this end, IRSN launched a mid-management club this year, which meets threetimes a year. Assisted by a communications consultant, the Institute has designed
a half-day exchange program for thesemanagers to express themselves openly
on issues relating to management andcurrent events at IRSN. These encounters
also give outside participants the opportunity to make presentations on subjects
concerning various aspects of managerial responsibility. They are jointly led
by the consultant and a member of thehuman resources staff in charge of internal
communication.
Some sixty laboratory and ofﬁce heads
participated in the launch, which took
place on September 22, 2009. All appreciated the new meeting format whose informal context fostered a different form of
expression.
IRSN’s Director General has indicatedthat he will occasionally participate insome of these meetings to communicate
with mid-management staff and review
the Institute’s viewpoints and events withthem.

€1.99 MILLION

DISTRIBUTION OF MEN/WOMEN BY AGE BRACKET:(percentage by gender)

SPENT ON TRAINING(€1.6 MILLION in 2008).

25
20

Men
Women

15

4,181

10

0
Under
25

25
to 30

31
to 35

36
to 40

41
to 45

46
to 50

51
to 55

56
to 60

2009

2007

5

2008

2,926 2,895

NUMBER OF
PARTICIPANTS IN
TRAINING COURSES.

Over
60

IRSN Annual Report 200989

ORGANIZATION

exchanges and the satisfaction of meeting with other supervisors from different
sectors and sites.
Over time, the possibility of offering midmanagement other occasions to meet has
become a primary objective so that they
can tackle problems together and exchange
best practices.

SUMMARY
AND OUTLOOKWhile the project to predict staff
and skills requirements has not yetchanged our practices, it has alreadyhelped us to reﬁne the deﬁnition ofcareers offered in our division and tosituate them within the Institute’s overall organization.
While each division has its own specializations, this work
has brought to light disciplines that are common to several
divisions. This increases the opportunities for employees
to move within the Institute.
Staff at all levels was mobilized for this initial workof mapping employment and the exchanges within
our division were quite fruitful.
This testiﬁes to the interest in the program which, for some,provided the opportunity to consider careers outside theirown department or division.
The expectations of our division, and the department
heads in particular, are now focused on the tool thatwill become available and the assistance it will provide
management, especially during regular staff reviews.”

ACTIVITIESDENIS BOULAUD, Deputy Directorof Environment and Response at IRSNENSURINGEFFICIENCY«IN THE WORDS OFENSURING EFFICIENCYCOMMUNICATION

Communications:fostering a culture oftransparency at IRSN
In 2009, IRSN’s transparency policy resulted in greater availabilityof information on nuclear safety and radiation protection; the revision of its Internet site, now organized
to facilitate access to continuously expanding content for different categories of users; expanded response
to media demand for information on current events involving nuclear safety and radiation protection;and the organization of events for the press and the public.

More information accessible
onlineFacilitating access not only to researchers, industry leaders and health professionals, as well as the public, to information
on nuclear and radiological risks, is theobjective that has guided the design ofthe new institutional portal, www.irsn.fr,
which went online September 23, 2009. It
is organized around subjects to facilitate
navigation on a site with more than 4,500
pages, as well as entries for different types
of users. The new portal supplements theInstitute’s specialized sites, including one
dedicated to monitoring radioactivity inthe environment.
http://environnement.irsn.fr
ou du site SISERI : http://siseri.irsn.fr
In an effort to widely publicize the resultsof its research, in 2009 IRSN put on line
or updated some ﬁfteen topics covering

2009

2008

2007

1,700,000
1,100,000
NUMBER OF
900,000

VISITS TO IRSN’SWEBSITE.

90 IRSN Annual Report 2009

The new website.

various subjects from the managementof radioactive waste and monitoring old
mining sites to treating radiological burns
and nuclear fusion at the international ITER
facility. In addition, the site includes information notices on current events such as
IRSN’s opinion on the underestimate ofquantities of plutonium located in glove
boxes at Areva’s plutonium technology
facility (ATPu) in Cadarache in the southof France, currently undergoing cleanup.
In the same vein, and consistent withthe objectives of the Transparency andNuclear Safety Act, throughout the year,
the Institute published on line ﬁve opinions
and twelve executive summaries presented
to standing expert groups, as well as six
special reports:– IRSN’s viewpoint on the safety of France’s
nuclear power plant ﬂeet in 2008;– safety review of 900 MWe pressurizedwater reactors in preparation of their third
ten-year inspection (VD3-900);
lessons learned from incidents reported
between 2005 and 2008 at nuclear laboratories and plants, and at nuclear facilities
currently being dismantled;2008 monitoring summary of worker
exposure to ionizing radiation;summary of radiological conditions inFrance in 2008;
summary of radioactivity monitoring in
French Polynesia in 2008.
Publication of the results, the fruit several years of work conducted by experts
on very complex topics, produced in aneasy-to-understand format that is accessible to non-specialists, was a signiﬁcantchallenge.

A new magazine to bring
together IRSN employees andoutside readers
The magazine Repères, previously intended
only for internal distribution, was redesigned in 2009. The new Repères, whoseﬁrst issue was published in February, now
contains twenty pages for both external
and internal readers, and four pages for
Institute employees. It treats subjects asdiverse as radiation protection for workers,

ORGANIZATIONIRSN is committed to explaining events
relative to safety and radiological protection as fully as possible, both to the press

12 CONFERENCES
ORGANIZED (12 in 2008).

4,850
VISITORS(4,000 in 2008).

the inclusion of a new 3D mockup in the
nuclear reactor module and the projectionof new videos. During 2009 this exhibitionin three French cities received almost 5,000
visitors. In mid-October, IRSN also contributed to the open-house days organized by
CEA to celebrate the 50th anniversary of
the Cadarache site. In the medical ﬁeld,
the Institute participated in Medec andthe radiology event Journées françaises deradiologie, among others. Finally, IRSN and
its German counterpart GRS participated,
under the leadership of the Belgian TSO
Bel V, in organizing the EUROSAFE Forumof European nuclear TSOs held in Brussels
on November 2-3, 2009.

800 MENTIONSIN THE PRESS(1,000(1) in 2008).

(1) Includes numerous references
to the Socatri incident of summer 2008).

ACTIVITIESSteady increase in media
contacts and public relations
eventsand the public at large. The organizationof an increasing number of events – press
trips, open-house events, expositions, etc.
– contributes to this.
The Institute organized a press visit on June
9-12, 2009 to the Russian nuclear power
plant in Kursk, where there are four RBMKtype reactors in operation. On September
12-19, another press visit took place to theRussian and Ukrainian areas that were contaminated by cesium 137 released into theatmosphere during the Chernobyl accident.
The purpose of the trip was to present the
research work done by IRSN in collaboration with the Russian health authorities aspart of the EPICE program to the French
media. The goal of this program is to takea census, from a population of 18,000 children, of those affected by heart rhythm
disorders that cannot be explained by
known factors such as congenital malformation and research a possible causal linkwith contamination from cesium 137.
For the general public, the Institute updated
the traveling exhibition Nuclear Powerand Society: From Knowledge to Control,
which it manages together with ASN, with

ENSURINGEFFICIENCY

radioactive waste, environmental monitoring, the EPR reactor and the managementof sites contaminated by radiation. With
its dual internal and external audience,
Repères intends to show how IRSN accomplishes its mission of independent expert
in the service of society by explaining
the reasons and results of the Institute’s
actions over time and concretely illustrating the quality of its expertise as well as
its independent judgment, thus helping tostrengthen its identity.
Offered as a free subscription – readers
can register online at the Institute’s portal
www.irsn.fr – the magazine totaled 5,000
readers at the end of 2009.

SUMMARY
AND OUTLOOKMock-up of a pressurized water reactor at the traveling exhibition.

The Institute organized a press visit on June to the Russian nuclear power plant in Kursk.

IRSN Annual Report 200991

ENSURING EFFICIENCYTRAINING

Further progressin training activities
As a result of regulatory changes and the development of
the Institute’s activities outside France, IRSN’s training efforts continued to see strong growth in 2009,
including training both in radiation protection for health professionals and those qualiﬁed in radiation
protection as well as nuclear safety. The latter area has seen growth in outside training previously reservedfor IRSN’s staff in addition to training offered in an international framework.

3,271

PERSONSPARTICIPATING IN IRSN’S TRAINING
PROGRAMS, INCLUDING THOSE
PARTICIPATING IN RADIATION PROTECTION
PROGRAMS (1,977 in 2008).

Radiation protection training course.

With the number of trainees increasingfrom 1,977 to 3,271 between 2008 and2009 and the number of training hours
increasing from 2,615 to 3,173, IRSN’straining activities have continued to growsigniﬁcantly, thus increasing demand forthe Institute’s contributors. Several reasons account for the expansion in training
activities, which has been quite evident forseveral years.

92 IRSN Annual Report 2009

Among them is the recognized value of
training provided by IRSN, which contributes to the year-over-year growth in thenumber of trainees.
The ability of the Institute’s contributors
to handle the subjects in depth, due totheir research experience and expertise,
ensures that they convey not only knowledge but also a culture of nuclear safety
and security as well as protection against

ionizing radiation. In the area of nuclear
safety, the Institute has now made available some training previously reserved forspecialists from its own staff and that of
ASN and CEA.
It has also participated in writing several
proposals relating to higher education (initial and continuing) concerning safety inthe context of the overall plan administeredby Bernard Bigot, Chairman of the CEA, torespond to the strong demand from thenuclear industry related to renewing theage pyramid as well as nuclear power programs in a number of countries.
IRSN’s training efforts also contributed toits openness to society.
For example, the Institute responded to arequest from the local information committee of Saclay near Paris which sought
training in radiation protection for its
members and wished to acquire knowledge
from an independent, reliable expert.

OF EDUCATION GIVEN IN 192 TRAININGSESSIONS ON RADIATION PROTECTION(1,676 in 2008 – 139 sessions).

786 HOURSORGANIZATION

2,387 HOURS

The annual number of training sessions inradiation protection provided to the medical sector continued to grow with morethan 2,285 trainees in 152 sessions.
As part of the “radiotherapy roadmap”,
IRSN in 2009 led an interdisciplinary working group on proposing a training program
relating to managing radiotherapy risks
with a view to deﬁning a standard in thisﬁeld. On the basis of the working group’s
conclusions, the Institute committed tocreating a training program that it plans tooffer to radiotherapy professionals in 2010.
By demonstrating how nuclear safety concepts and methods apply to radiotherapy,
including human factors, IRSN has set out
to improve, under the leadership of theFrench national cancer institute and theMinistry of Health, the skills of all radiotherapy professionals in managing risks
associated with treatment using ionizing
radiation.
In the same vein of radiation protection, theInstitute is gradually extending its training
efforts to risks related to radon owing toregulatory changes which impose requirements for measuring concentrations of thegas in professional environments, notably
for spas and certain underground sites.
It should also be recalled that since mid2008, IRSN oversees examinations for thecertiﬁcate for operating industrial radiology equipment (Camari). There has beena strong increase in this area, with thenumber of candidates for the examination

growing from a hundred or so in the second half of 2008 to more than 600 for allof 2009. Owing to the Ministry of Labor’s
policy, it appears demand from various
industrial sectors will continue to grow.
In addition, IRSN, at the request of theassociation of Moroccan manufacturers
for non-destructive testing, has engaged
in discussions with the latter with a viewto signing an agreement for conducting a
Camari-type examination in Morocco.

Nuclear safety: IRSN’s leadinginternational role
Beyond pursuing its efforts in nuclear safety
training through the SARNET Network of
Excellence and bilateral agreements, IRSN
participated, on behalf of the European
Commission and ETSON, in efforts todesign training programs on the European

Union level. Maintaining its relationships
with ETSON and EUROSAFE, the Instituteorganized in July 2009 the second Summer
School for nuclear safety engineers in
Cadarache in the south of France. The previous year, it took place in Garching, in thesouth of Germany.
At the same time, IRSN collaborated with
its ETSON partners in preparing a landmark project supported by the European
Commission – the European Nuclear Safety
Training and Tutoring Institute (ENSTTI) –to get underway in 2010.
IRSN contributed to granting legal status
to this entity in which it will also play aleading role. The original aspect of ENSTTI
will be to offer a ﬁve-week program thatwill provide tutoring for trainees in addition to training.

IN CLOSE-UP

INTERNATIONAL TRAINING
IRSN regularly provides technical assistance, consulting and training in thearea of waste and nuclear facility dismantling. Of the sixteen services provided
during 2009, twelve were outside France at the request of the AIEA in thecontext of European Commission contracts or university Master’s programs.
They concerned representatives of foreign nuclear safety authorities
and nuclear operators as well as students. Some were provided to safety
professionals, like three sessions in conjunction with the CEA for the European
Commission’s Joint Research Centre in Ispra (Italy).
Others responded to the growing need for training, such as the international
Master’s degree in dismantling strategy at the ENPC, carried out jointly with
EDF’s Ciden, CEA and AEN.

IRSN Annual Report 2009

ENSURINGEFFICIENCY

Radiation protection: growthin training efforts driven by
diversiﬁcation

ACTIVITIESThe 2nd nuclear safety engineers’ summer school was held in Cadarache.

SUMMARY
AND OUTLOOKOF EDUCATION GIVEN IN 21 TRAININGSESSIONS ON NUCLEAR SAFETY (1,015
in 2008 – 20 sessions).

93

C

GLOSSARYCABRI
CEA test reactor used by IRSN to study
nuclear fuel safety.
CATHARE
Thermal-hydraulic computer code used
to study the behavior of pressurizedwater reactors during accident situations.
Cesium (Cs, atomic number 55):
Toxic rare metal with characteristics
comparable to those of potassium.
CLIGEET
Local information committee on the
major energy facilities at Tricastin.

A

AERES
French agency for the evaluation ofresearch and higher education.
AFSSET
French agency for environmental andoccupational health and safety.
Alpha radiation (symbolized as “Į”)
A highly ionizing form of particle
radiation with low penetration consistingof helium-4 nuclei. A simple sheet ofpaper can prevent its propagation.
AMANDE
Accelerator for dosimetry metrology andneutron applications (Cadarache).
ANCCLI
French national association of local
information commissions andcommittees.
ANDRA
French national radioactive waste
management agency.
ASTEC
Accident Source Term Evaluation Code.

B

Becquerel (Bq)
Ofﬁcial international unit of measureused for radioactivity. The becquerel isequal to one transformation per second.
Bel V
Technical safety organization of theBelgian Nuclear Safety Authority.
Beta radiation (symbolized as “ß”)
Radiation consisting of electrons with apositive or negative charge. Propagation
can be stopped by leaving a space of afew meters around the source orproviding a barrier using a simple sheetof aluminum foil.
BNRA
Bulgarian Nuclear Regulatory Agency.

94 IRSN Annual Report 2009

CoriumAgglomeration of fuel and structuralelements from a nuclear reactor core,melted and mixed together following asevere accident.
COWAM
Community Waste Management
program funded by the European
Community.
Criticality (risks)
Risks associated with uncontrolled ﬁssion
phenomena in ﬁssile materials.

D

DSND
Representative in charge of Nuclear
Safety and Radiation Protection for
Defense-related Activities and Facilities.
DOE
Department of Energy (USA).
Dosimetry
Determination of the dose of radiation(radioactivity) absorbed by a substanceor an individual through assessment or
measuring.

E

EADS
European Aeronautic Defence and Space
Company.
ENVIRHOM
Research program that studies theprocesses involved in radionuclide
accumulation and the biological effects
induced by this accumulation in ﬂora,
fauna and humans in a chronic exposure
situation.
EPICE
Name of a program set up to evaluate
pathologies induced by cesium
contamination.
EPR
European Pressurized water Reactor.

ETSON
European Technical Safety Organisations
Network.
EURATOM
European Atomic Energy Community.
ExPRI
Long-term information system on the
medical exposure of patients to ionizing
radiation.

F

Foundation raft
Thick, reinforced concrete foundation
providing stable support.
FP7
Seventh Framework Programme forresearch and technological development(European Union).
Fuel assembly
Bundle of fuel rods assembled in a metal
structure, used in nuclear reactors.

G

Gamma radiation (symbolized as “ ”)
Electromagnetic radiation with highpenetration but low ionization, emitted
during the transformation ofradionuclides. Protection is provided by
concrete or lead screens.
GRS
German technical safety organization.
GWd/tFuel burnup unit. Gigawatt-hours per
metric ton of fuel. Commonly used unitof measure giving the level of irradiationof fuel assemblies, expressed as energy
output by the assembly in the reactor
per ton of the initial uranium.

H

HCTISN
French high committee for transparency
and information on nuclear safety.

I

IAEA
International Atomic Energy Agency.
ICRP
International Commission on
Radiological Protection.
IFREMER
French research institute for exploitationof the sea.
INERIS
French national institute for the studyof industrial environments and risks.
INRS
French national institute for research on
safety.
InVS
French national institute for healthsurveillance.
Isotopes
Elements whose atoms have the same
number of electrons and protons, but adifferent number of neutrons. Designatedby the same name, they display thesame chemical properties. There are
currently 325 known natural isotopes
and 1,200 artiﬁcial isotopes
ISTP
International Source Term Program.
ITER
International Thermonuclear
Experimental Reactor.

J
JAEA
Japan Atomic Energy Agency.
JNES
Japan Nuclear Energy Safety
Organization.

K

KIT-FzK
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology –Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe.
kVkilovolt.

M

MOX
Fuel made from (natural or depleted)uranium and plutonium oxide.

MWe
Megawatt electric, unit of electric power
produced. In a pressurized water reactor,
the thermal power is about three times
greater.

N

NRC
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USA).
NSC
The Nuclear Safety Center in China.
NSRR
Nuclear Safety Research Reactor (Japan).

O

OECD
Organisation for Economic Co-operation
and Development.

P

PEARL
Name of an experimental analyticalprogram on reﬂooding debris beds.
PRISME
Fire propagation in elementary multipleenclosure scenarios.
PSA
Probabilistic Safety Assessment.
PUIInternal emergency plan.

R

Radioelement
Natural or artiﬁcial radioactive element.

SCK-CEN
Belgian nuclear research center.
SNETP
Sustainable Nuclear Energy Technology
Platform.
STBFT
Technical department for buildings,
fortiﬁcations and engineering works.
Part of the French Ministry of Defense.

T

TAREF
Task Group on Advanced Reactor
Experimental Facilities.
TSO
Technical Safety Organization.

U

UJVÚstav jaderného výzkumu Ŏež a.s/
Nuclear Research Institute Rez plc –Czech technical safety organization.

V

VVER or WWER
Vodo Vodianoï Energetitcheskyi Reactor
or Water-Water Energetic Reactor.
Russian-design reactors that operate
along the same principle as Westernpressurized water reactors.

W

WHO
World Health Organization.

Radionuclide
Radioactive isotope of an element.
RJH
Jules Horowitz research reactor.
RNR-NaFast breeder reactor cooled using
sodium.
ROSIRIS
Research program on the radiobiology ofintegrated systems for optimizing
treatment using ionizing radiation andassessing the associated risk.

S

mGy
Unit of radiation absorbed dose used in
the international system.

SARNET
Severe Accident Research NETwork of
excellence, a European research projectto study core meltdown accidents onwater reactors.

mSv
Unit of equivalent dose used in theinternational system.

SCANAIR
Computer system developed by IRSN for
analyzing injection reactivity accidents.

For more information, consult
the online glossary at:
www.irsn.fr

IRSN Annual Report 200995

APPENDIX

Nuclear Safety and Radiation
Protection Research Policy
Committee
Members(as of October 14, 2009)> PUBLIC AUTHORITIESSupervisory ministry representatives
Gabriele FIONI, Director of the DGRI
A2 Department of the Directorate
General for Research and Innovation,
representing the Ministry of Research/ Didier HOUSSIN, Director Generalof Health, representing the Ministryof Health / Claire HUBERT, Head of
Research – Directorate for Health andInnovation, representing the Ministryof Ecology / Isabelle TANCHOU, Headof Nuclear Security and Assessment
Division – French Armament
Procurement Agency, representing
the Ministry of Defense / Thomas
BRANCHE, Deputy Director for the
Nuclear Industry, Directorate Generalfor Energy and Climate, representing
the Ministry of Industry.
Representative of the Directorate
General for Labor
Thierry LAHAYE, in charge of mattersrelating to the protection of workers
against physical hazards – Directorate
General for Labor, representing
the Ministry of Labor.
ASN representative
Jean-Christophe NIEL,
Director-General.
> COMPANIES AND PROFESSIONALASSOCIATIONS
Philippe GARDERET, Scientiﬁc VicePresident – Areva / Noël CAMARCAT,
Nuclear Research and Development
Ofﬁcer – Generation and Engineering
Branch – EDF / Bruno CAHEN, Safety,
Quality and Environment Director –Andra / Dietrich AVERBECK, Curie
Institute, SFRP representative / JeanMarc COSSET, Head of Radiotherapy
at the Curie Institute, SFRO
representative.

96 Rapport annuel IRSN 2009

> EMPLOYEES IN THE NUCLEAR
SECTOR
Representatives of national
labor unions
Jean-Paul CRESSY, FCE-CFDT /Jean-François DOZOL, FO /Claire ETINEAU, CFTC /Daniel LACQUEMANT, CFE – CGC /Alain VASSAUX, CGT.
> ELECTED REPRESENTATIVESOPECST representatives
Claude LETEURTRE, Member ofParliament for Calvados / Jean-Claude
ÉTIENNE, Senator for Marne.
Representative of the Local
Information Committees (CLI)
Monique SENÉ, Vice-President of
ANCCLI.
Representatives of towns with anuclear facility, proposed by the
Association of French Mayors
Yves LE BELLEC, Mayor of Pierrelatte /Bertrand RINGOT, Mayor of Gravelines> ASSOCIATIONSDavid BOILLEY, President of ACRO /Jacky BONNEMAINS, President of
Robin des bois / Élise CHAMPEAU,
President of MANES, an associationthat supports victims of industrial
diseases and accidents in the nuclear
and chemical sectors and theirfriends and families / Sébastien
GENEST, President of France natureenvironnement / Simon SCHRAUB,
Administrator of the Ligue nationale
contre le cancer.
> ADVISORY MEMBERS
Jean-Claude DELALONDE, Presidentof ANCCLI / Henri REVOL, President of
the High Committee for Transparency
and Information on Nuclear Safety /Agnès BUZYN, Chairperson, IRSN
Board of Directors, ex ofﬁcio
Chairperson of the Nuclear Safety andRadiation Protection Research Policy
Committee.

> RESEARCH ORGANIZATIONS
Christophe BEHAR, Director of
Nuclear Energy – CEA / Thierry
DAMERVAL, Deputy Director Generalfor Strategy – Inserm / Alain FUCHS,
Director of Paristech School ofChemistry / Farid OUABDESSELAM,
President of Grenoble 1 – Joseph
Fourier University, representative of
the French Conference of University
Presidents (CPU) / Cyrille THIEFFRY,
Task Ofﬁcer for Radiation Protection
and Nuclear Affairs – IN2P3, CNRS
representative.
> FOREIGN MEMBERS
Jean-Jacques VAN BINNEBEEK,
Director General – AVN – Belgium /Ted LAZO, NEA (Nuclear Energy
Agency) – OECD / Jane SIMMONDS,
Head of Environmental Assessments
Department – Health protection
agency (HPA ) – United Kingdom /George YADIGAROGLU, Emeritus
Professor of Nuclear Engineering
at the Swiss Federal Institute ofTechnology.
> EX OFFICIO MEMBERS
Catherine CEZARSKY, Atomic Energy
High Commissioner / Laurent MICHEL,
Government Commissioner andDirector General of Risk Prevention
at the Ministry of Ecology, Energy,
Sustainable Development and the
Sea / Michel QUINTARD, IRSN
Scientiﬁc Council Chairman, CNRS
Research Director at the Toulouse
Institute of Fluid Mechanics / Jacques
REPUSSARD, Director General.

EDITORIAL AND PRODUCTION COORDINATION
Strategy, Development and External Relations Division,
with support from Anne-Marie GIRARDIN (TroisCube).
STEERING COMMITTEE
Michel BAUDRY
Bernard CHAUMONT
Patrice DESCHAMPS
Denis FLORYEmmanuelle MUREDITORIAL COMMITTEESupervision and coordination: Emmanuelle Mur.
Jocelyne AIGUEPERSE
Dominique FRANQUARDMarie-Pierre BIGOT
Bernard GOUDAL
Françoise BRETHEAU
Jean JALOUNEIX
Stéphanie CLAVELLE
Valérie MARCHALPatrick COUSINOU

François ROLLINGERNathalie RUTSCHKOWSKY
Edouard SCOTT de MARTINVILLE
Véronique ROUYER
Sylvie SUPERVIL

Pascale MONTI
Aleth DELATTRE
Jean-Luc PASQUIER
Didier DEMEILLERS
Christine THARAUD
Agnès DUMAS
Jean-Luc SCHWALLER
Arielle DREYFUSSWRITTEN BY
IRSN, with support from Camille JAUNET (La Clé des mots) and Jean-Christophe HÉDOUIN (HIME).
GRAPHIC DESIGN AND PRODUCTION

TRANSLATION
Provence traduction
PRINTED BY
Valblor
PHOTO CREDITS
Front cover, pages 2, 3, 4, 5, 20, 21, 32, 33, 80, 81: Luc Benevello – © Assemblée nationale-2010/2011 – JupiterImages/
GettyImages – © Image Source/Corbis – Éric Audras/Getty Images/PhotoAlto.
Antoine Devouard: page 54 – Luc Benevello: pages 7, 9, 16, 25 – Andra/Michel Aubert: page 57 – Areva TN International : page
40 – Areva: Cyrille Dupont: page 41, Jean-Marie Taillat: pages 52, 69, 77 – © Assemblée nationale-2010/2011: page 43 – CEA:
pages 38, 68, 55, 70, Jandaureck/Cadam: page 51 – EDF Médiathèque / Alexis Morin: page 11, Rolland Christophe: page 29,
Frédéric Sautereau: page 36, Mario Guerra: page 37, Cédric Helsl: page 39, Marc Didier: pages 50, 59 – Eva Lemonenko/Fotolia:
page 12 – Jiongkai Zhang/Fotolia: page 12 – Valérie Beudon/Fotolia: page 38 – Paylessimages/Fotolia: page 62 – fotograﬁche.
eu/Fotolia: page 50 – GIGN-Gendarmerie nationale: page 11 – Noak/Le bar Floréal/IRSN: pages 25, 27, 42, 43, 63, 64, 67, 69,
70, 71, 78, 80, 81, 89, 91 – Caroline Pottier/Le Bar ﬂoréal – IRSN: pages 30, 45, 46, 49, 53, 55, 58, 60, 61, 88, 91, Alexandre Soria:
page 65, Thierry Truck: page 37, Jean-Pierre Copitet: pages 75, 92, Françoise Bretheau: page 86 – Olivier Seignette/Michael
Lafontan: pages 10, 11, 26, 31, 41, 44, 54, 56, 64, 65, 66,72, 74, 79, 82, 84, 87, 91, 93 – Stéphane Jungers: pages 42, 48.

IRSN would like to thank Delphine Plassart, Céline Bouvier-Capely, François Gensdarmes,
and Jean Desquines for their time and collaboration.

This Annual Report was approved by the IRSN Board of Directors
on March 30, 2010.
© IRSNN° ISSN: 2104-8843

IRSN site details
Consult the IRSN website for maps
indicating how to reach these different
locations.
www.irsn.fr

Head ofﬁce
Fontenay-aux-Roses
31, avenue de la Division Leclerc
BP 17 – 92262 Fontenay-aux-Roses Cedex
Tel: +33 (0)1 58 35 88 88
Agen
BP 27
47002 Agen
Tel: +33 (0)5 53 48 01 60
Cadarache
BP 313115 Saint-Paul-lez-Durance Cedex
Tel: +33 (0)4 42 25 70 00
Cherbourg-Octeville
Rue Max-Pol Fouchet
BP 1050130 Cherbourg-OctevilleTel: +33 (0)2 33 01 41 00
La Seyne-sur-Mer
Zone portuaire de Bregaillon
BP 33083507 La Seyne-sur-Mer Cedex
Tel: +33 (0)4 94 30 48 29
Le Vésinet
31, rue de l’Écluse
BP 40035
78116 Le Vésinet Cedex
Tel: +33 (0)1 30 15 52 00
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550, rue de la Tramontane – Les Angles
BP 70295
30402 Villeneuve-lez-Avignon Cedex
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Orsay
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Tel: +33 (0)1 69 85 58 40
PierrelatteBP 16626702 Pierrelatte Cedex
Tel: +33 (0)4 75 50 40 00
SaclayBP 68
91192 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex
Tel: +33 (0)1 69 08 60 00
Vairao – Tahiti
BP 18298725 Vairao
Tahiti – Polynésie française
Tel: +00 689 54 60 38

IRSN certified quality
management system

Head office31, avenue de la Division Leclerc
92260 Fontenay-aux-Roses
RCS Nanterre B 440 546 018
Telephone+33 (0)1 58 35 88 88
Mailing address
BP 17
92262 Fontenay-aux-Roses Cedex
Websitewww.irsn.fr

Financial Report2009Contents
Management Report ........................................................................................................................................................... 5
Balance sheet .......................................................................................................................................................................... 10
Income statement .............................................................................................................................................................. 12
Income statement subtotals ..................................................................................................................................... 13
Budget versus actual report ....................................................................................................................................... 14

FINANCIAL REPORT – IRSN Annual Report 20093

Management Report

GENERAL OUTLOOKThe year 2009 saw studies begin fora property program to secure the
Fontenay-aux-Roses site and close the
Le Vésinet site in the Paris region. The
program is scheduled for completionby 2017. The key points reflected in
the accounts for 2009 are as follows:– a signiﬁcant increase in the public service grant paid by the Ministry of Ecology,
Energy, Sustainable Development, andthe Sea, under Action 03 of Budget
Program 189, to meet the growing
demand for assessments from the publicauthorities;– a rise in self-generated revenue
from co-funding of research programs,
and from industrial and commercial
activities;– an increase in the number of staff
following a period of several years ofstiff competition among nuclear sector
operators on the job market;– re-evaluation of dismantling assets
and the corresponding provision madeto cover IRSN’s obligations regarding
remediation and dismantling of thebasic nuclear installations (INB) it uses
and its classified facilities (ICPE).
June 2009 saw the first payment madeunder the employee profit-sharing
agreement signed with representativetrade unions in 2008.

The initial 2009 budget was amendedby two modification decisions (DM1and DM2) presented to the Board of
Directors in March and June respectively to take into account:– investment projects in progress carried over from the previous year, representing €10.2 million, paid into
working capital when accounts wereclosed in 2008;– part of the expenditure for the CABRI
project, financed by drawing from theInstitute’s working capital, carried overfrom 2007;– the Institute’s contribution to funds
for the remediation and dismantling of
the PHEBUS reactor; this involved adding to the sum of €5 million received
at the end of 2008 for the remediationand dismantling of nuclear facilities,
and paid into the working capital.
Budget execution in 2009 involveda vast investment program totaling €35.1 million after incorporation of operations carried over fromthe previous year, which covered thefollowing:– the final phases of programs initiatedpreviously, such as new technology
for worker dosimetry monitoring, therenewal of equipment (mobile response
equipment, national monitoring andmeasurement network, etc.);– the continuation of the program to
upgrade the CABRI reactor;– continued, gradual building of a fundallocated to cover future costs for dismantling and remediation.
Not all of these investments werecompleted during the fiscal year, anda proposal to carry over €14.5 million
for operations in progress will be put
forward in a budget amendment (DM1)
to modify the projected revenue andexpenditure statement for 2010. The
proposed amount includes:– €12.2 million for investments carried over, including €1.4 million in
investments for the CABRI project (€3
million completed out of the €4.4 million mentioned in the second budget
amendment),– €2.3 million, consisting of €1.3 million in operating expenditure for the
CABRI project (€27.5 million spent outof the €28.8 million mentioned in thesecond budget amendment), and €1
million for dismantling PHEBUS (€4.55
million spent out of the €5.6 million mentioned in the second budget
amendment).

FINANCIAL REPORT – IRSN Annual Report 2009

5

BUDGET BALANCE
Execution(in €M)

2007 (1) 2008 (2)2009

Difference
2009/2008

Total
resources298.4 255.2 283.0+10.9%

Total
expenditure

265.8 281.2 301,8

+7.3%

SOLDE

+32.6 –26.0 –18.8+27.7%

Budget execution in 2009, as in previous
years, shows a budget balance that appears
to be ampliﬁed by the €14.5 million in
investments carried over. Recalculating totake into account these operations gives
the following results:(1) Results for 2007 include VAT, increasing resourcesby €9 million and decreasing expenditure by €12
million, for a total impact on the balance of €21
million.
(2) Fiscal year 2008 shows an exceptional reductionof €15 million, corresponding to reconciliation of the€20 million VAT adjustment on one hand, and a special
contribution of €5 million added to the dismantlingfund on the other.

Recalculated
execution (in €M)

2008

2009

Balance

–26.0

–18.8

2007 carryover

+19.6

–

2008 carryover

–10.2

+10.2

2009 carryover

–

–14.5

Special operations

+15.0

–

NET BALANCE

–1.6

–23.1

The year 2009 can be characterized asfollows:– results match the balance ﬁgures givenin the projected revenue and expenditure statement approved by the Boardof Directors,– a budget execution rate of 93.6% (compared to 92.5% in 2008), i.e. a difference of€20.8 million, of which €14.5 million corresponds to an offset in the execution ofcertain investments. If these offsets were
excluded, the budget execution rate would
be 98.1%.

INCOME STATEMENT ANALYSIS
Revenue
Execution(in €M)

2007

2008

2009

Difference
2009/2008

Sales

31.8

31.8

37.8

+18.5%

Grants

190.6 195.5 216.5+10.7%

Other
operatingrevenue

22.7

7.5+94.9%

Operations
sub-total

245.1 231.2 261.8+13.2%

3.9

Investment
income

4.0

3.7

1.3

–62.2%

Extraordinary
income

33.4

6.4

9.1

+42.2%

TOTAL

282.5 241.3 272.2+12.8%

Operating revenue rose by €30.6 million(+13.2%) compared with the previous ﬁscal year, reaching €261.8 million, with:– €212.4 million from the public service grant paid by the Ministry of Ecology,
Energy, Sustainable Development,
and the Sea. The total in government
grants received for Budget Program 189
amounted to €237.4 million, of which€25.0 million was recorded as a capital
grant;– €3.2 million from the agreement signedwith the Ministry of Defense as part of
Budget Program 212, the same level asin the previous year;– €0.9 million from other subsidies,including local government authorities,
compared with €0.8 million the previous year;– €37.8 million of self-generated revenue
from consultancy services, co-fundingof research programs, or other services,
representing an 18.5% increase over theprevious year;– €7.5 million in other operating revenue(compared with €3.9 million in 2008).
This amount includes fees paid for industrial property (€0.1 million, steady), otheroperating income (€0.6 million, steady)representing adjustments made fromprevious years, as well as write-backs
on depreciations and provisions (€6.8
million).
> Financial income, which reached €1.3
million, was much lower than in 2008(-2.4 million euros), reﬂecting a drop ininterest rates.
> Extraordinary income climbed to €9.1
million, compared with €6.4 million in2008. It consisted, for the most part, of
capital grants recorded in the income
statement, representing €7.8 million.

6 FINANCIAL REPORT – IRSN Annual Report 2009

Expenditure
Execution(in €M)

2007

2009

Difference
2009/2008

Purchases

107.2 116.1 132.8+14.4%

2008

Personnel

111.9 110.4 120.0

+8.7%

Taxes

13.4

12.4

12.8

+3.2%

Depreciation

16.5

17.5

22.8

+30.3%

Provisions

0.3

1.4

2.3

+64.3%

Other

1.6

1.2

1.5

+33.3%

250.9 259.0 292.2+12.8%

Operations
sub-total
Financialcharges

0.4

0.7

0.5

–28.6%

Extraordinary
charges

0.3

0.3

0.3

–

251.6 260.0 293.0+12.7%TOTAL

Operating expenses for the year amounted
to €292.2 million, an increase of €33.2
million or 12.8%.

This variation was concentrated mainly inpurchases and depreciations, and breaks
down as follows:– Personnel charges rose by 8.7% to€120.0 million. This is due to a signiﬁcant
inﬂux of new recruits during the second
half of the year, reﬂecting the Institute’s
effort to make up for the drop in numbers during the previous year, when tension on the job market in the nuclear
sector, where the construction of new
power plants is expected to stimulate
activity on both the domestic and international markets, led to a large numberof employees leaving the Institute. The
average number of employees over theyear, expressed in full-time equivalentvalues, is 1669.3, compared with 1633.4
in 2008 and 1674.5, according to initial2009 budget projections.
– Taxes amounted to €12.8 million, up
by €0.4 million.
– Depreciation rose by 30.3%, reaching€22.8 million, whereas provisions, allo-cated mainly to the employee profitsharing plan and contingency provisions,rose by €0.9 million compared with theprevious year, to reach a ﬁgure of €2.3
million.
– Purchasing of goods and services rosesigniﬁcantly by €16.7 million (up 14.4%)
to €132.8 million, essentially due to ﬁnalization of work on the CABRI experimental reactor and increased subcontracting
in “core activities” to support growing
demand for assessment services on behalfof ASN.
– Other expenses represented €1.5
million, as opposed to €1.2 million in
2008.
Execution(in €M)

2007

2008

Difference
2009
2009/2008

55.0

62.9

72.0

+14.5%

61 – Outsideservices

36.9

35.4

40.8

+15.3%

62 – Other
outsideservices

15.3

17.8

20.0

+12.4%

TOTAL

107.2 116.1 132.8+ 14.4 %60 –Purchases

This table breaks down the year’s outside
expenses, which amount to €132.8 million. It highlights the steep rise in Purchases(Item 60), Outside services (Item 61), andOther outside services (Item 62), up by
14.5%,15.3%, and 12.4% respectively,
which can be explained mainly by growthin activity (subcontracting, temporary
employees, etc.).
> Financial charges fell from €0.7 million
to €0.5 million. For the most part, they
represent interest paid on loans (€7.2
million + €4.8 million + €5.6 million +€2.0 million) taken out to ﬁnance theInstitute’s new headquarters and new
dosimetry technology.
> Extraordinary charges remained steadyat €0.3 million.

RESULTS AND FINANCING
Execution(in €M)

2007

2009

Difference
2009/2008

2008

Result31.0 –18.7 –20.8–11.2%

Cashprovided byoperations

26.7–9.3 –10.2–9.7%

Variation
in working
capital32.6 –26.0 –18.8+27.7%The net balance for the year shows adeﬁcit of €20.8 million, compared witha deﬁcit of €18.7 million in 2008. The
difference between the most recently
revised forecast in the second budget
amendment, predicting a deficit of€24.2 million, and the accounts at closing on December 31, 2009 is €3.4 million, which is explained by a favorable
balance between:– a growth in income estimated at €1.2
million;– a decrease in charges estimated at€2.2 million.
> Cash provided by operations, budgetedat -€17.5 million in the second budget
amendment, reached –€10.2 million,
a positive difference of €7.3 million,
resulting from:– a €3.4 million improvement inincome,– an increase in the portion of capital
grants included in the income statement,
representing €4.2 million,– a depreciation differential of €6.6
million,– a decline in provision write-backs
amounting to€1.5 million.
This €10.2 million deficit in cash
was compensated by the portion of
the public service grant paid by the
Ministry of Ecology, Energy, Sustainable

Development, and the Sea allocated tocapital grants (€25 million).
The resulting total resources only
covered some of the investment andﬁnancial charges, which amounted to€33.9 million. The additional €18.8
million required for ﬁnancing was drawn
from working capital.
Furthermore, a sum of €41.1 million (injobs and resources) must be accounted
for to allow the Institute to meet its
obligations regarding nuclear facility dismantling operations. This has no impact,
however, on the budget balance.
IRSN is responsible for the remediationand cleanup of the facilities it uses,
among them the CABRI and PHEBUS
research reactors, facilities classiﬁed forenvironmental protection (ICPE), as well

FINANCIAL REPORT – IRSN Annual Report 20097

as other equipment with no further use,and considered as radioactive waste.
Dismantling assets of €72.1 million havebeen booked to cover the total projected
cost of remediation and dismantlingoperations. A provision for an equivalentamount has been booked as a liability.
A special remediation and dismantling fund has also been set up to fundthese operations. IRSN has paid €1.1

million into this fund since 2006, andthe French government also contributes
additional amounts since the decision
was taken to shut down the PHEBUS
facility in 2007.

MANAGEMENT BALANCESIn € thousands

2009
ActualDM2
2009 V15

2008
ActualContribution to or withdrawal
from working capital–18,774–31,746–26,005

Variation in working capital requirements–18,951–17,053–49,104
23,099177–14,693

Level of working capital

21,754

8,782

40,528

Level of working capital requirements–63,576–61,678–44,625

Cash level

85,33070,46085,153– Preﬁnancing of special fund

8,600

– Recalculated cash level (1)93,930Cash variation(1) Dismantling is “pre-ﬁnanced” from IRSN cash before being reimbursed via the special remediation and dismantling fund.

Variation in working capital
The variation in working capital projected in the second budget amendment of 2009 was due to a withdrawalof €31.75 million, broken down as
follows:– Withdrawal from CABRI
working capital ...................... €14.7 million– Financing of special fundon tax savings 2008 .............. €5.0 million– Investments carriedover from 2008 .................. €10.15 million– Write-back on proﬁt-sharing
provision 2008 ......................... €1.2 million– Write-back on sources...... €0.7 million
The withdrawal from working capital at
the end of 2009 amounted to €18.8
million, an increase of €13 million compared with the second budget amendment. The difference can be broken down
as follows:– Investments not completed
in 2009, proposed to be carriedover to 2010 ...................... + €12.2 million– CABRI project expenditure,
excluding investments .... + €1.3 million– Expenditure relating to PHEBUS
dismantling ............................ + €1.0 million– Provision for proﬁt-sharing
plan 2009 ............................ + €1.25 million– Financing via
the special fund ..................... - €6.4 million– Other operating
savings ..................................... + €3.7 million
Expenditure relating to investments andspeciﬁc projects not completed in 2009is the subject of a carryover proposal
in the ﬁrst budget amendment for the2010 budget. The payment of dismantling expenses via the special fund isdelayed because of the way the fundworks (expenditure is reimbursed after
the event on presentation of documentary evidence). The other differences
amounting to €3.7 million mostly correspond to unpaid operating expenses.
In view of the above, the level of working capital at December 31, 2009, estimated at €8.8 million according to thesecond budget amendment, is actually€21.8 million.

Cash variation
The cash level stood at €85.3 million
at the end of 2009, compared with the€70.5 million projected in the second

8 FINANCIAL REPORT – IRSN Annual Report 2009budget amendment. The difference of€14.8 million is mainly due to the €13
million euro difference in working capital between the second budget amendment and execution.
The cash level at the end of 2009 wasstable compared with the year-end levelfor 2008 (€85.2 million), due to the
combined effects of the €18.8 million drop in working capital and the€18.9 million rise in working capitalrequirements.
Like the working capital, cash wasaffected by the delay in reimbursing
the cost of remediation and dismantling operations via the special fund. Of
the €6.4 million expenditure projectedunder the budget amendment for 2009,€5.6 million concerned PHEBUS dismantling costs, €0.6 million concerned
Esmeralda, and €0.3 million concerned
other operations. Actual expenditure(€4.55 million for PHEBUS) will bereimbursed via the special fund on
presentation of documentary evidence,
when the 2010 budget is executed. Thismeans that IRSN “pre-finances” dismantling operations from its cash andworking capital, owing to the operating
principle of the special remediation anddismantling fund.

ment. The €18.9 million difference inworking capital requirements comparedwith 2008 is due to operations carriedover to the end of 2009. This is reﬂectedin an increase in trade notes and accounts
payable on the balance sheet.

The trade notes ﬁgure (€72 million, with
CEA accounting for €52 million) partly
explains the cash level.

Liabilities

Assets> With a recorded loss of €20.8 million,
the net result was down by 27.2%, reaching €55.4 million. Given the additional
capital grant recorded, this item rose by€17.3 million. The Institute’s long-term
capital increased to €194.7 million (compared with a ﬁgure of €161.7 million in2008). This is due to a €36.5 million risein contingency and loss provisions.

> Fixed assets increased to €184.1 million(up by €48.5 million), due to continued
renewal of IRSN facilities and equipment, and incorporation of additional
dismantling assets of €41.1 million in
the Institute’s assets.

Working capitalas investments carried over, and €1.2 million as a provision for the employee profit-sharing plan. This leaves a balance of€6.1 million in working capital, to be reconciled with the €3.7 million withdrawal
planned in the 2010 projected revenue
and expenditure statement for CABRI andsource write-back provisions. As it has not
yet been determined how the 2010
exceptional contribution to the special
remediation and dismantling fund will befinanced, the projected revenue andexpenditure statement for 2010 provides
for €5.1 million to be drawn from theworking capital.

> Working capital at year end was downby €18.8 million, as against the projected€31.7 million drop. This is mainly because
certain investments were carried over tothe following year.

> Based on the information in the balance sheet on December 31, 2009, working capital requirements are negative(-€63.6 million) as in previous years.

> Working capital stood at €21.8 million
as of December 31, 2009. Of this amount,€14.5 million will be withdrawn in 2010

> Cash remains steady compared withthe previous year, at €85.3 million(+€0.2 million).

movements that will be incorporated in
the 2010 budget amendment.

planned for 2009. The remaining amountto be ﬁnanced to cover work in 2010,2011, and 2012 is currently estimated at€15.6 million. This means that an additional exceptional contribution will be
required.

Variation in working capitalrequirements
Working capital requirements stood at-€63.6 million at the end of 2009, compared with the ﬁgure of -€61.7 million
projected in the second budget amend-

BALANCE SHEET ANALYSIS> Short- and medium-term debt, for theamount of Short- and medium-term
debt, for the amount of €119.0 million(as against €106.2 million in 2008), rosedue to the increase in accounts payable(up by €13.1 million) and in tax andsocial liabilities (up by €2.1 million).
The balance of the variation is explainedby the reimbursement of existing loans(-€3.3 million) and other liabilities(+€0.9 million).

> Current assets receded to €129.6
million (compared with €132.3 million
in 2008), due mainly to a €3.1 million
drop in accounts receivable. Liquidities
remained steady at €85.3 million.

CONCLUSION
The 2009 budget was executed within
the forecasted budget balance presented
to the Board of Directors.
The withdrawal from working capitalamounted to €18.8 million, which includes
withdrawals spread out throughout 2010
representing €1.2 million for the employee
proﬁt-sharing plan and €14.5 million forcarryover of investment projects inprogress. The last two operations are

The contribution to the remediation anddismantling fund, set at €1.1 million
every year, is now insufﬁcient, given thedecision to shut down the PHEBUS experimental reactor, conﬁrmed by the Atomic
Energy Committee in November 2007.
An initial exceptional contribution of €5
million was made in 2009 to ﬁnance work

FINANCIAL REPORT – IRSN Annual Report 20099

Balance sheet

ASSETS
2009

2008

2007

Gross

Depreciationand provisions(to be deducted)

Net

Net

Net

Intangible assets

18,701,964.02

13,549,709.49

5,152,254.53

3,254,384.31

2,136,430.05

Tangible assets

276,369,298.51

109,708,576.18

166,660,722.33

127,259,750.21

106,598,15.35

In eurosFinancial assets

12,264,531.14–

12,264,531.14

5,115,702.80

3,158,525.44

Fixed assets

307,335,793.67

123,258,285.67

184,077,508.00

135,629,837.32

111,893,770.84

–

–

–

–

–

626,921.85–

626,921.85

431,094.07

3,200,128.34

43,711,875.49

61,275.76

43,650,599.73

46,709,534.13

73,808,863.09

customer receivables

28,472,331.09

61,275.76

28,411,055.33

30,497,436.91

25,816,309.97

related receivables

15,239,544.40–

15,239,544.40

16,212,097.22

47,992,553.12

3,689.80–

3,689.80

3,689.80

45,159.22

Investment securities

77,925,874.35–

77,925,874.35

75,854,958.53

49,913,075.86

Cash

Inventory and work in progress
Prepayments and advances on orders
Accounts receivable

Other receivables

7,403,786.48–

7,403,786.48

9,297,888.40

12,140,939.3

Prepaid expenses

–

–

–

–

–

Current assets

129,672,147.97

61,275.76

129,610,872.21

132,297,164.93

139,108,165.74

GRAND TOTAL

437,007,941.64

123,319,561.43

313,688,380.21

267,927,002.25

251,001,936.58

AssetsCurrent assets

33%
41%

59%

50%
0%
6%
11%

Fixed assets €184.08 million
Current Assets €129.61 million

10 FINANCIAL REPORT – IRSN Annual Report 2009

Cash and cash equivalents €85.33 million
Prepayments €0.63 million
Customer receivables €28.41 million
Other receivables €15.24 million
Current assets €129.61 million

LIABILITIES
2009

2008

2007

Allowances

4,183,945.65

4,183,945.65

8,782,859.59

Reserves

90,783,098.42

90,783,098.42

51,083,266.14

In euros

Retained earnings–18,724,287.79––

Fiscal year proﬁt or loss

–20,799,922.06–18,724,287.79

30,963,852.03

Net position

55,442,834.22

76,242,756.28

90,829,977.76

Capital grants

67,282,860.81

50,013,274.68

35,091,137.98

Equity122,725,695.03

126,256,030.96

125,921,115.74

Contingency provision

2,666,100.00

1,978,000.00

2,109,000.00

Provision for taxes due–

177,000.00

177,000.00

Loss provision

69,321,702.00

33,294,000.00

35,011,000.00

Contingency and loss provision

71,987,802.00

35,449,000.00

37,297,000.00

Bank borrowings

11,056,525.76

14,429,135.32

15,183,905.42

190.50190.50190.50–––Trade notes and accounts payable

71,948,636.59

58,826,534.14

41,835,202.76

Tax and social liabilities

26,111,320.17

24,015,522.27

23,748,397.96––

130,669.38

Payables to ﬁxed asset suppliers and related accounts

6,045,394.01

7,197,842.14

3,845,582.51

Other liabilities

3,812,816.15

1,752,746.92

2,373,871.64––

666,000.67

Liabilities

118,974,883.18

106,221,971.29

87,783,820.84

GRAND TOTAL

313,688,380.21

267,927,002.25

251,001,936.58

Various debts and liabilities
Prepayments and advances on orders

Other operating liabilities

Prepayments and accrued incomeLong-term capital

Liabilities
12%

28%

22%

35%

37%

Net position €55.44 million
Capital grant €67.28 million
Provisions €71.99 million

66%

Tax and social liabilities €26.11 million
Trade payables €77.99 million
Other liabilities €14.87 million

FINANCIAL REPORT – IRSN Annual Report 200911

Income statement
2009

2008

2007

Research work

13,569,471.06

11,165,866.34

11,600,446.57

Service contracts

18,145,983.08

14,937,300.43

14,965,765.23

In euros before tax

Other services provided

5,996,863.90

5,720,848.65

5,281,978.47

Net revenue

37,712,318.04

31,824,015.42

31,848,190.27

Operating grants

216,500,738.38

195,447,206.52

190,599,016.47

6,835,490.36

3,270,980.62

18,653,925.36

Write-backs on depreciation and provisions
Expense transfer

147,682.24

128,863.34

206,282.73

Other income

596,141.76

553,067.57

3,782,854.33

Operating income

261,792,370.78

231,224,133.47

245,090,269.16

Outside expenses for the ﬁscal year

132,765,002.38

116,148,653.80

107,093,251.77

Taxes, duties, and similar payments

12,795,271.46

12,373,634.74

13,397,986.18

Personnel expenses

119,962,166.29

110,426,772.00

111,865,157.14

Depreciation and provisions

25,143,505.80

18,924,712.32

16,806,211.72

1,582,253.46

1,179,411.04

1,618,502.86

Operating expenses

292,248,199.39

259,053,183.90

250,781,109.67

OPERATING INCOME–30,455,828.61–27,829,050.43–5,690,840.51

From controlled entities

–

–

–

Other interest income

26,886.07

24,566.87

26,907.87

Other expenses

92,325.73

38,754.50

11,803.62

Gains on sales of short-term investments

1,243,941.94

3,627,624.62

4,013,420.35

Foreign exchange gains
Investment income

1,363,153.74

3,690,945.99

4,052,131.84

Interest expense

471,602.42

564,466.81

347,426.62

Foreign exchange losses

17,844.88

153,739.95

77,998.99–––

Losses on sales of short-term investments
Financial charges

489,447.30

718,206.76

425,425.61

FINANCIAL INCOME

873,706.44

2,972,739.23

3,626,706.23–29,582,122.17–24,856,311.20–2,064,134.28––

500.007,928,749.89

6,286,126.30

2,427,906.30–

46,879.34

143,500.00

In operations

1,211,820.71

88,447.78

30,803,312.89

Extraordinary revenue

9,140,570.60

6,421,453.42

33,375,219.19

In operations

316,223.72

222,636.97

311,692.69

Book value of assets sold and other capital losses

42,146.77

66,793.04

35,540.19–––

Extraordinary charges

358,370.49

289,430.01

347,232.88

EXTRAORDINARY INCOME

8,782,200.11

6,132,023.41

33,027,986.31

Minimum tax on corporations

–

–

–

Income tax

–

–

–

–20,799,922.06–18,724,287.79

30,963,852.03

INCOME BEFORE EXCEPTIONAL ITEMS
Gains on sales of assets
Capital grants recorded in ﬁscal year’s income statement
Capital grants strictly for the period

Depreciation and provisions

FISCAL YEAR INCOME

12 FINANCIAL REPORT – IRSN Annual Report 2009

Income statement subtotals
31/12/2009%

31/12/2008

31/12/2007

Sales

37,712,318.04

14.83%

31,824,015.42

31,848,190.27+ Operating grants

216,500,738.38

85.17%

195,447,206.52

190,599,016.47

CAPTIONSFISCAL YEAR PRODUCTION

254,213,056.42

100.00%227,271,221.94

222,447,206.74– Outside expenses

132,765,002.38

52.23%

116,148,653.80

107,093,251.77

ADDED VALUE

121,448,054.04

47.77%

111,122,568.14

115,353,954.97– Taxes

12,795,271.46

5.03%

12,373,634.74

13,397,986.18– Personnel expenses

119,962,166.29

47.19%

110,426,772.00

111,865,157.14

OPERATING INCOME BEFORE INTEREST–11,309,383.71–4.45%–11,677,838.60–9,909,188.35+ Write-backs, expense transfer

6,983,172.60

2.75%

3,399,843.96

18,860,208.09+ Other income

596,141.76

0.23%

553,067.57

3,782,854.33– Depreciation and provisions

25,143,505.80

9.89%

18,924,712.32

16,806,211.72+ Write-back on capital grants

7,845,142.87

3.09%

6,286,126.30

2,571,406.30– Other expenses

1,582,253.46

0.62%

1,179,411.04

1,618,502.86

OPERATING INCOME–22,610,685.74–8.89%–21,542,924.13–3,119,434.21+ Investment income

1,363,153.74

0.54%

3,690,945.99

4,052,131.84– Financial charges

489,447.30

0.19%

718,206.76

425,425.61–21,736,979.30–8.55%–18,570,184.90

507,272.02+ Extraordinary revenue

1,295,427.73

0.51%

135,327.12

30,803,812.89– Extraordinary charges

358,370.49

0.14%

289,430.01

347,232.88

EXTRAORDINARY INCOME

937,057.24

0.37%–154,102.89

30,456,580.01

–

–

–

–

–20,799,922.06–8.18%–18,724,287.79

30,963,852.03

INCOME FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS BEFORE INCOME TAXES– Income tax
FISCAL YEAR RESULT

Income in detail (in €M)

Operating income (in €M)

231.20191.50Operating261.79 income

3.70

3.30

Investment
income

1.36
6.40

10

2008

100

Ministry of
Ecology grant
Ministry of
Defense grant

3.12
0.70

Extraordinary
revenue9.14
0212.44Other
grants

0.95
31.80

1 000

Own
revenue

37.71

2009
3.90

Other

7.58
0

10

100

2008

1 000

2009

FINANCIAL REPORT – IRSN Annual Report 200913

Budget versus actual report
INCOME STATEMENT in euros

2009 Budget

2009 Actual

REVENUE
Service contract sales

39,799,300.00

37,712,318.04

Government grants

216,159,470.00

216,500,738.38

Other operating revenue

3,269,000.00

3,452,798.45

Internal operations

11,823,000.00

14,630,240.25

TOTAL REVENUE

271,050,770.00

272,296,095.12

EXPENDITURE
Personnel expenses

130,914,040.00

119,962,166.29

Other operating expenses

145,822,260.00

147,948,198.32

Internal operations

18,500,000.00

25,185,652.57

TOTAL EXPENDITURE

295,236,300.00

293,096,017.18––

RESULT (LOSS)

24,185,530.00

20,799,922.06

TOTAL INCOME STATEMENT BALANCE

295,236,300.00

293,096,017.18

2009 Budget

2009 Actual–24,185,530.00–20,799,922.06––41,460.25

RESULT (PROFIT)

TRANSFER OF RESULT TO CASH PROVIDED BY OPERATIONS in euros
RESULT– Gain on sale of assets+ Depreciation and provisions

18,500,000.00

25,143,505.80– Gains from offsetting depreciation––– Portion of grants recorded in result–3,500,000.00–7,711,142.87– Write-backs on depreciation and provisions– 8,323,000.00– 6,835,490.36

CASH PROVIDED BY OPERATIONS– 17,508,530.00– 10,244,509.74

2009 Budget

2009 Actual

CASH PROVIDED BY OPERATIONS–17,508,530.00–10,244,509.74

Acquisition of tangible and intangible assets

35,135,730.00

23,071,919.15

Financial assets

7,400,000.00

7,343,212.84

Long-term debt paid

3,265,000.00

3,420,149.00

TOTAL USES OF CASH

63,309,260.00

44,079,790.73

Government capital grants

24,980,730.00

24,980,729.00

Other sources (excl. internal operations)

SUMMARY STATE MENT OF CHANGES IN FINANCIAL POSITION in euros

6,583,000.00

277,991.52

Increase in long-term debt–

47,539.44

TOTAL SOURCES OF CASH

31,563,730.00

25,306,259.96

CONTRIBUTION TO WORKING CAPITAL–31,745,530.00–18,773,530.77

14 CAHIER FINANCIER – Rapport annuel IRSN 2009

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92260 Fontenay-aux-Roses – France
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Telephone+33 (0)1 58 35 88 88
Mailing address
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92262 Fontenay-aux-Roses Cedex – France
Websitewww.irsn.fr

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