Sites coordinates,
Maps for accessing IRSN sites
are available on our Internet site www.irsn.org

Clamart(IRSN Head Office)77-83, av. du Général-de-Gaulle
92140 Clamart
Tel.: +33 (0)1 58 35 88 88

Agen
B.P. 27
47002 Agen
Tel.: +33 (0)5 53 48 01 60

Cadarache
B.P. 313115 Saint-Paul-lez-Durance Cedex
Tel.: +33 (0)4 42 25 70 00

Cherbourg-Octeville
Rue Max-Paul Fouchet
B.P. 1050130 Cherbourg-OctevilleTel.: +33 (0)2 33 01 41 00

Fontenay-aux-Roses
B.P. 1792262 Fontenay-aux-Roses Cedex
Tel.: +33 (0)1 58 35 88 88

La Seyne-sur-Mer
Centre Ifremer de Méditerranée
B.P. 330
83507 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

Les Angles – Avignon
550, rue de la Tramontane – Les Angles
B.P. 70295
30402 Villeneuve-Avignon Cedex
Tel.: +33 (0)4 90 26 11 00

Mahina – Tahiti

Annual Repor t

ANNUAL REPORT 2006

B.P. 519
Tahiti Papeete, Polynésie française
Tel.: +689 54 00 25

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

Pierrelatte
B.P. 166
26702 Pierrelatte Cedex
Tel.: +33 (0)4 75 50 40 00

SaclayCentre CEA de Saclay
91191 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex
Tel.: +33 (0)1 69 08 60 00

Head Office
77-83, avenue du Général-de-Gaulle
92140 Clamart
RCS Nanterre B 440 546 018
Telephone+33 (0)1 58 35 88 88
Postal address
B.P. 17 - 92 262 Fontenay-aux-Roses Cedex
IRSN web sitewww.irsn.org

2006

Annual Report

2006

CONTENTS

Contents
Organization....................................................................................................................

Foreword by the Chairman of the Board of Directors andDirector General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 04
Interview with the Deputy Director General, in chargeof defense-related missions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 06
A brief description of IRSN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 07
Missions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 08
Activity 2006 Key ﬁgures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 09

Key events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Organization Chart. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
The Board of Directors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
The Steering Committee for the Nuclear
Defense Expertise Division . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
The Scientiﬁc Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Sites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

IRSN in 2006: report and outlook
The strategic approach for implementing
IRSN missions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
LINE 1: Research at the service of appraisals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
LINE 2: Technical support: continuing contractual
relations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

IRSN Activities

2 I IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006.............................................................

18

LINE 3: Opening up to society . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
LIINE 4: IRSN, a key player in international
cooperation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
IRSN: valued knowledge and know-how . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Training at the service of risk prevention . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31................................................................................................................

CHALLENGE 1 HELP ENSURE A HIGH LEVEL OF SAFETY
AND RADIATION PROTECTION AT EXISTING FACILITIESUNTIL THE END OF THEIR SERVICE LIFE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Monitoring facilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
EPR reactor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Naturaly-occurring hazards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
New reactor fuels and their management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Fire and dispersion of radioactive materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Core meltdown accidents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Radiological consequences of accidents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Decommissioning and waste . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
About defense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
CHALLENGE 2 DEVELOP, IN ADVANCE, THE EXPERTISE
AND APPRAISAL RESOURCES REQUIRED TO ASSESS THE
RISKS POSED BY FUTURE NUCLEAR FACILITIES . . . . . . . . . . 48
Future reactors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Deep disposal facilities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
CHALLENGE 3 MONITOR EXPOSURE LEVELSOF BOTH WORKERS AND THE PUBLIC TO IONIZING

04

32

RADIATION AND MONITOR RADIOACTIVITYIN FRANCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Radiological monitoring of French territory
and contributing to public information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Improving and consolidating expertise in radioecology 54
Conducting assessments in uranium mining sites . . . . . . . 56
Monitoring the exposure of workers
to ionizing radiation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Service in the ﬁeld of external dosimetry of workers . . . 57
CHALLENGE 4 HELP PREVENT THE PROLIFERATIONOF NUCLEAR, BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS,
AND CONTROL NUCLEAR AND RADIOLOGICALSECURITY IN THE FACE OF TERRORISM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Protection and control of nuclear andsensitive materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Protection against malicious acts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
CHALLENGE 5 DEVELOP IRSN’S RESPONSE AND
MOBILIZATION CAPABILITIES IN VIEW OF THE RISKOF A MAJOR RADIOLOGICAL EMERGENCY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

Renovating IRSN’s mobile radiologicalresponse resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Organization of environmental radioactivity
measurements in the event of an emergency . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Developing a national policy for the management of
post-accident situations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
IRSN, an international expert in irradiation
accident management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

Ensuring efﬁciency....................................................................................................

Real estate master plan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
A dynamic human resources management policy . . . . . . . . 80
Total quality management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
Consolidating scientiﬁc and technical excellence . . . . . . . . . 84

Appendices

About defense . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
CHALLENGE 6 UNDERSTAND THE EFFECTS
OF CHRONIC LOW-LEVEL EXPOSURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
ENVIRHOM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
Chronic risks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
CHALLENGE 7 DEVELOP PROTECTION AGAINSTIONIZING RADIATION IN THE HEALTHCARESECTOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Health, safety and environmental
protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Making knowledge and expertise on nuclear
and radiological risks available . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88.........................................................................................................................

Additional information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

76

90

Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

Business report, ﬁnancial facts & ﬁgures at the back of the report.

IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006 I

3

ORGANIZATIONIn terms of legislation, 2006 wasa vintage year for the French
nuclear industry, a year in which
the IRSN provided good and loyal
services to the national andinternational community
In the spring of 2006, Parliament passed
two Acts that gave the French nuclear industry one of the world’s most advanced legal
frameworks, encompassing supervision of thesector’s activities in terms of safety, radiological protection and security, the transparency
of information in these fields and national
governance of nuclear waste and recoverable
nuclear material.

This new legislation has reinforced IRSN’s position: withregard to France’s new Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN),
the Institute’s role in independent technical support isreinforced as the law provides for a convention governing
working relations between the two bodies. IRSN is also
called upon to help improve transparency, by making
more information accessible to the public, notably thesafety and radiation protection advice given to the ASN,
according to a jointly agreed process. IRSN will also takepart in the development of initiatives by Local Information
Commissions and Ancli, their national association, withwhich a framework agreement has been signed. IRSN willtake part in the High Committee for Transparency.
Insofar as regards nuclear materials and waste management, the schedule laid down by the Act also conﬁrms
the importance of the Institute’s research priorities in thisarea. The Institute’s Scientiﬁc Board praised the qualityof the scientiﬁc resources available to assess risks associated with geological repositories of high-level, long-lived
radioactive waste. However, further research programs

4 I IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006

need to be conducted, within a limited timeframe, inorder to develop the level of expertise required to issue
high standard opinions within the set deadlines. These
are in the process of being deﬁ ned. Moreover, for theﬁrst time ever, ANDRA and IRSN have signed a framework cooperation agreement on organizing the scientiﬁcdiscussions required between the two bodies prior to theassessment process for future safety ﬁles that the agency
will submit to the ASN.
In 2006, IRSN also signed the ﬁrst contract of agreed
objectives. This contract consolidates strategic directions
for the coming years. It outlines the main scientiﬁc issues
that need to be dealt with and sets out the milestones for
the Institute’s modernization process, started several years
ago, the core objectives of which are scientiﬁc excellence
and technical and economic efﬁciency.
Nonetheless, at the end of this very eventful year, IRSN’s
most important achievement has been to consistently
provide the high-quality services expected of the Instituteto all those that need them. And there are many organizations in need of support.
First of all, there are the safety authorities that receive record numbers of requests from operators and,more generally, there are the public authorities thatare faced with society’s increasing demand for safety.
This generates more regulations, monitoring activities,
more training in the management of possible major
accidents, and more European and international cooperation. These authorities rely on IRSN to provide themwith the technical support they need to carry out their
missions effectively.

ORGANIZATION““

Success basedon considerable
research resourcesand expertise.
Jacques REPUSSARD and Jean-François LACRONIQUE.

There are also the main players involved in nuclear industry
transparency, i.e. the Local Information Commissions or Cli,and the Ancli, their national umbrella association, and, moregenerally, any stakeholders that require an expert opinion
on certain ﬁles under debate or who simply require moredetailed information. IRSN is developing its relations withthese partners and continuing to develop its websites.

human sciences and ecosystems. Bringing together does
not simply mean juxtaposing: at key moments – as wesaw recently with the ﬁle on radiation therapy practices in
Épinal – it is the multi-disciplinary nature, the responsiveness and adaptability, as well as the critical size of teams
and the technical resources implemented that enable us
to attain our objectives in record time.

Finally, IRSN offers local authorities and large andsmall companies, regardless of whether they are nuclear
operators or not, technical services that are compatible
with the mission of technical support for public authorities. This usually involves regular services such as passive
personnel dosimetry, environmental monitoring, third
party appraisal of technological risks, training, certiﬁcation of protective or monitoring equipment, and response
to incidents of varying importance (problems involving
radioactive sources, advice aimed at ensuring radiation
protection, radiation assessment in the event of suspected
external contamination or exposure to high levels of ionizing radiation).

This was also demonstrated by IRSN’s analysis of the impact in France of the Chernobyl accident: after ten yearsof studies, the Institute’s Scientiﬁc Board conﬁrmed thescientiﬁc quality of the work conducted by the different
teams and all the results were published on the occasionof the twentieth anniversary, thus putting an end to along debate.

Indeed, 2006 was marked by a series of operations to deal
with radiation emergencies that threatened the lives of thepersonnel involved, following accidents in several countries(Belgium, Chile and Senegal), and for which the authorities or companies concerned requested the interventionof the IRSN. The results obtained were amazing and lives
were saved. This demonstrated the tangible beneﬁts of theyears of research into radiopathology conducted by IRSN
laboratories and funded by EDF, together with exemplary
cooperation between specialists from IRSN and from the
French Armed Forces medical services.
These success stories illustrate the extent to which it
was justiﬁed to set up a single Institute that would bring
together considerable research resources and the expertiseof researchers and engineers specializing in defense processes and the most complex nuclear facilities, together
with doctors and biologists specializing in life sciences,

The 2006 results are very satisfactory, but it is possible,and necessary, to try to do even better in the future. The
quality policy now implemented at all IRSN units is intricately related to such progress, seeking to measure it,
identify the inevitable weak points and tackle them withdetermination. Moreover, in the summer of 2007, the ISO
9001 certiﬁcation audit will assure us that this quality
system really does comply with the canons of international
good practices.

Jean-François LACRONIQUE,
Chairman of the Boardof Directors

Jacques REPUSSARD,
Director General

IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006 I

5

ORGANIZATIONInterview with the Deputy
Director General, in charge ofdefense-related missions
This work also involved checking that the contingency
plans for the Île Longue and Toulon naval bases are consistent.
Challenge 4: help prevent the proliferation of nuclear,biological and chemical weapons and control nuclear
and radiological security in the face of terrorism. IRSN
is conducting studies of a sensitive nature in this ﬁeld toimprove our understanding of the risks and ways of dealing
with them. Its technical assessments serve as referencesin checking that current legislation is applied in the civilian nuclear industry.

Michel BRIÈRE.

This year, for the ﬁrst time, IRSN activities involving nuclear
defense appraisals are not discussed in a separate chapterof the Annual Report, but are presented as an integral partof the major scientiﬁc and technical “challenges” which
now structure the contract of agreed objectives drawn up
between the Government and the IRSN.
Challenge 1: help ensure a high level of safety and radiation protection at existing nuclear facilities until the endof their service lives. To carry out its mission of assessing
safety and radiation protection in the nuclear “defense”
sector, the IRSN relies on all its basic scientiﬁc and technical knowledge, on experience acquired from assessing
the civilian sector of the nuclear industry and on a soundunderstanding of defense-related facilities and activities.
This justifies implementation of a suitable system toprotect defense secrecy, where necessary.

Moreover, the Institute’s skills in the entire ﬁeld of safety,
protection of sensitive material, facilities and transport
operations, radiation protection for people and the environment and nuclear crisis management enable it tocontribute to the development of policy on the prevention of risks related to malicious acts, both in France andinternationally. Therefore, in 2006, the Institute continued
its work on risk control related to radioactive sources andproposed new preventive measures to the authorities.
Challenge 5: develop IRSN’s response and mobilization
capabilities in view of the risk of a major radiation
emergency. The Institute helps plan, organize and analyze
national safety exercises aimed at checking and, if necessary, reinforcing the protection of nuclear facilities andtransportation against malicious acts.
Indeed, all the Institute’s capabilities contribute to the
efﬁciency of its defense and security missions which aremanaged by its “Nuclear Defense Expertise Division”.

In 2006, for example, at the request of the DSND authority,
the Institute examined the nuclear safety aspects of:the design of the new, “Barracuda” nuclear attack submarine;
the commissioning of new facilities in Valduc and Cadarache;the dismantling of the Pierrelatte and Marcoule plants.

6 I IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006

Michel BRIÈRE,Deputy Director General, in charge of IRSN
defense-related missions

ORGANIZATION

A brief description of IRSNI SET UPThe IRSN was set up under Article 5 of French Act No.
2001-398 of May 9, 2001 and by implementing Order No.
2002-254 of February 22, 2002. This Order is currently
undergoing revision following the adoption on June 13,
2006 of the Act on nuclear transparency and safety.

I FOUR LINES OF DEVELOPMENT
re-engineering the research process;
optimize technical support for public authorities;
provide other socio-economic players with the information, appraisals, expertise, studies and training theyrequire;be a driving force on the European and international
scene.

I STATUS
The IRSN is a public establishment of an industrial andcommercial nature placed under the joint authority of the
Ministries of the Environment and Sustainable Development, of Health, Industry, Research and Defense.

I 2006 BUDGET
revenue: Ð275.90 million;
expenses: Ð270.75 million including Ð20.18 million inequipment investments.

I DIRECTORS
Jean-François LACRONIQUE, Chairman of the Boardof Directors
Jacques REPUSSARD, Director General
Michel BRIÈRE, Deputy Director General, in charge of
IRSN defense-related missions
Philippe JAMET, Assistant General Director in charge ofGeneral Matters

I WORKFORCE
The IRSN employs around 1,700 people, including many
specialists, engineers, researchers, physicians, agronomists, veterinary surgeons and technicians, skilled experts
in nuclear safety and radiological protection and in theﬁeld of controlling sensitive nuclear materials.

I SITESI APPRAISALS AND RESEARCH
The IRSN is the expert in research and specialized assessments into nuclear and radiation risk serving publicauthorities.

I AREAS OF ACTIVITY

Clamart (Hauts-de-Seine), Head Ofﬁce;
Agen (Lot-et-Garonne), Cadarache (Bouches-du-Rhône),Cherbourg-Octeville (Manche), Fontenay-aux-Roses (Hautsde-Seine), La Seyne-sur-Mer (Var), Les Angles-Avignon(Vaucluse), Le Vésinet (Yvelines), Mahina (Tahiti), Orsay(Essonne), Pierrelatte (Drôme), Saclay (Essonne), Tournemire(Aveyron).

environment and response;
human radiation protection;
prevention of major accidents;
reactor safety;
safety of plants, laboratories, transportation and waste;nuclear expert assessment relating to defense.

IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006 I

7

ORGANIZATION

Missions
Order No. 2002-254 of February 22, 2002 relative to IRSN set out seven missions for the the Institute concerning
radiological protection and nuclear safety. These are organized into three ﬁelds, as described below.

I RESEARCH AND PUBLIC SERVICE MISSIONS
Deﬁning and implementing national and international research programs
IRSN deﬁnes and conducts research programs aimed at maintaining and developing the skills necessary forexpert appraisals in its ﬁelds of activity. It either carries them out itself or entrusts them to other French orforeign research institutes. Some programs are carried out within a European or international framework.
Contribution to training in radiological protection
As an establishment carrying out research and expert assessments, IRSN has a duty to contribute to teachingin its ﬁeld of expertise: nuclear safety and security and radiological protection. The radiological protection
training courses it organizes are directed at professionals working in the health sector and people exposed
to risk in their jobs.
Permanent monitoring in the ﬁeld of radiological protection
IRSN carries out permanent monitoring in matters of radiological protection by assisting in monitoring
environmental radiation, managing and processing dosimetric data on workers exposed to ionizing radiationand managing the inventory of ionizing radiation sources.
Contributing to public information and transparency
The IRSN informs the public of nuclear and radiation risks via publications, the Internet, a traveling exhibition jointly organized with France’s Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) and conferences, etc. With a view toensuring transparency in the management of nuclear and radiation risks, the Institute continues working
on initiatives with Local Information Commissions (CLI) aimed at making IRSN studies and expert assessments available and involving stakeholders in multi-disciplinary groups of experts working on the technicalaspects of complex or controversial subjects.

I TECHNICAL SUPPORT AND ASSISTANCE FOR PUBLIC AUTHORITIESTechnical support with regard to nuclear and radiation risks
The IRSN provides technical support in the ﬁeld of nuclear and radiation risks to the appropriate publicauthorities. Its scope covers civilian nuclear facilities, facilities classiﬁed as secret, the transportation ofradioactive substances, the application of treaties on controlling nuclear and sensitive materials and thephysical protection and safety of industrial and medical applications.
Operational support in the event of a crisis or radiation emergency
In the event of an incident or accident involving ionizing radiation sources, the IRSN suggests technical,
public health and medical measures for public authorities aimed at protecting the population, workers andthe environment and restoring safety at the facilities.

I CONTRACTUAL SERVICES OF EXPERT APPRAISAL, RESEARCH AND MEASUREMENT
Carrying out expert appraisals, research and studies for public or private organizations
IRSN carries out the services of appraisal, research and studies - analysis, measurement and dosing - undercontract for French, European and international organizations in the public and private sectors. The Institutealso provides third-party expert assessments of classiﬁed facilities for the protection of the environment
outside the nuclear sector.

8 I IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006

ORGANIZATION

Activity 2006 Key ﬁgures
The Institute’s activities
I RESEARCH AND PUBLICSERVICE MISSIONSI INTERNATIONAL
ACTIVITIESI IRSN’S INTELLECTUALASSETS

48%

109 bilateral agreements

18 French patents in force

with research and appraisalorganizations(including one co-owned with
the CEA)

31 countries concerned by

10 patents in force abroadof IRSN budget devoted to these activities

111 publications in scientiﬁcjournals, with review committees

these agreements

I TECHNICAL SUPPORTFOR PUBLIC AUTHORITIES

195 software applications

79 international projects

and databases listed(24 of which are co-owned with
the CEA and one of which isplaced with the APP [a software
protection agency] and co-owned
with VUEZ, Slovakia)

in progress

690

technical notices to the
public authorities (excluding
defense-related activities)

I HUMAN RESOURCES

1,681

people on permanentcontracts on 31/12/2006,
including 69 assigned to the ASN
or other institutions

311 notices to the safety
authorities for defense-related
activities

The budget and its breakdown
2%

8%
17%

Operation/Investment
expenditure

Financing resources
LOLF 189 program subsidy
Other French resources
Foreign resources

Operation
Investment

92%

81%

48%
24%

19%

2%

7%

French resources

32%
31%

Foreign resources
CCE
Riskaudit
GRS
Epri
OthersPublic
EDF, research and development
Areva
CEA
Others9%
7%

21%

IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006 I

9

ORGANIZATION

6
Research carried out by IRSN for
the treatment of radiation burns
enabled a transplant of mesenchymatous
stem cells to be carried out on a seriously
irradiated Chilean worker at the Percy
Hospital.

February

14

March

14

The IRSN at Fontenay-aux-Roses
received a visit from Mrs. Nelly OLIN,
French Minister for the Environment andSustainable Development.

The “Van der Schueren” award waspresented to the Department ofRadiotherapy at the Gustave-Roussy
Institute and the joint IGR-IRSN
research unit. This award honors thework carried out over the last few years
on improving cancer radiotherapy,
together with joint research by both
Institutes into the prevention andtreatment of secondary pathologies
that may affect healthy tissue present
in the exposure ﬁeld.

10 I I R S N A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 6

May

The full version of the Institute’s
technical notice relative to long-term
disposal of radioactive waste wasdisplayed available on the Net.
It concludes that disposal in the clay layer
studied via the underground laboratory in
Bure (Meuse) appears
to be technically feasible.

IRSN and CEA jointly organized,a seminar on the PHEBUS reactor
and future experiments on severe
accidents, supported by the Petton
Energy Institute (Netherlands).

IRSN and the Ancli organized a seminarconcerning “international feedback on
participative governance for nuclear
waste management” and the ﬁrst
meeting of the working group on “making
IRSN expert appraisals available tothe public”.

April

30

27 and 28

IRSN’s Scientiﬁc Board conﬁrmed thevalidity of methods implemented by the
IRSN to estimate atmospheric fallout inFrance from the Chernobyl accident.

29 and 30

12 and 13
The French Ministry of Education andthe IRSN jointly organized a conference
entitled “Radioactivity and risks: healthand environmental aspects and waste
management”. It brought together morethan 150 teachers and local school
inspectors.

27

29

June

January

Key events

8

5
IRSN helped diagnose and developa therapeutic strategy to treat a Belgian
technician who was the victim of an
accident involving whole body irradiation.

18
The InVS and IRSN jointly publisheda report entitled “Medical Exposureof the French population to ionizing
radiation”. It assesses the situation witha view to implementing a system thatpermanently provides information on
the medical exposure of patients toionizing radiation.

26
IRSN’s experimental station atTournemire (Aveyron) was visited by
Mrs Marie-Claude DUPUIS, the Director
General of Andra and
Mr. Georges LABROYE, the Director
General of INERIS. This station is oneof the four European sites where it ispossible to study the behavior of clayrock with a view to a possible nuclear
waste repository.

26
Posting on the Net of the ﬁle entitled“Chernobyl: the basic facts” 20 years
after the accident. For the ﬁrst time,
the IRSN published and commented on
the maps produced by the SCPRI in 1986.

IRSN, GRS (Germany) and AVN(Belgium) signed a protocol to create
EUROSAFE, the European network ofTechnical Safety Organizations (TSO).
This network aims to share knowledge
and skills related to nuclear safetyassessment, to promote the poolingof technical practices in safety andradiation protection and to encourage
the development of research projects
at European level.

Emmanuel Sartorius, a senior defense
representative from the Ministry
for Industry visited IRSN. This visit
concerned the Institute’s role inmonitoring nuclear safety measuresand implementation in France of theinternational convention for a ban on
chemical weapons.

12
Presentation of the ﬁrst IRSN
Scientiﬁc and Technical Report,
which is divided into ﬁve theme-based
chapters containing the results ofprograms that reached a key stage
in 2005.

21
IRSN received a visit fromPeter B. LYONS, the Commissionerof the US Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC).

ORGANIZATION

5Signature of ﬁrst contract of agreed
objectives between the Government
and IRSN was signed, for the period
2006-2009. This contract deﬁnes theoverall strategic approach adopted toenable the Institute to fulﬁll its missions
and describes its main scientiﬁc andtechnical objectives.

5

SeptemberAugustIRSN agreed on a gradual increase inannual production capacity(from 145 to 195 metric tons of heavy
metal) at the MOX fuel manufacturing
plant (MELOX). However, the operator
should pursue its efforts to reduce thedoses received by personnel.

31
IRSN provided assistance and mobilized
its experts to determine exposure levels
and treat victims of a gammagraphy
accident in Senegal.

18
A cooperation agreement between
the IRSN and INERIS was signed for
emergency situations.

from 25 to 27
Thesis Open Days, organized in
La Colle-sur-Loup (Alpes-Maritimes),
at which the 61 IRSN doctorands
presented the progress of their works
to the 150 participants

but the IRSN showed that the possible
consequences could have been serious.

from 2 to 5
6th international congress on internal
dosimetry, jointly organized by IRSN and
the Radiation Protection Division of the
British Health Protection Agency (HPA).

4
IRSN and the German Karlsruhe
research center (FzK), signed anagreement on the acquisition of severe
accident simulation software suitablefor experimental reactors and future
4th generation reactors.

November

July

IRSN at Cadarache (Bouches-duRhône) organized a radioecology
conference to take stock of radioactivity
in environments close to EDF sites. EDF’s
future radioecology requirements werealso noted during the conference.

Visit from Nelly OLIN.

10
A meeting to launch the European
FUTURAE project took place in
Le Vésinet (Yvelines), as part ofEuratom FP6. This project, managed by
IRSN, aims to study the feasibility of
implementing a radioecology networkof excellence that would maintain andimprove skills.

9Radioactive waste: IRSN’s Scientiﬁc
Board gave its opinion on the Institute’s
expert appraisal capabilities.

13 and 14
The 8th EUROSAFE FORUM
was organized in France (Paris) on
the theme “Managing Radioactive
Waste: nuclear safety and society’s
expectations”.

24
Together with senior defense ofﬁcials,
IRSN took part in the 14th meeting of theEuropean Nuclear Security Regulators
Association (ENSRA), which was held inParis and chaired by France. To date,
10 European countries belong to ENSRA.

11
IRSN organized a public conference topresent the results of its mapping workon fallout from the Chernobyl accident
in France.

12
Mr. Xavier BERTRAND, Minister of
Health and Solidarity, asked IRSN tocontribute its radiopathology knowhow for victims of the radiotherapy
accident that occurred at the Jean
Monnet Hospital in Épinal (Vosges).
The Institute sent a team ofradiopathology experts there to assess
the medical treatment required by each
victim and help improve the care given.

December

23

Signing the contract of objectives.

October

Radioecology conference in Cadarache.

4 and 5
Visit to Cadarache (Bouches-du-Rhône)
by Mr. Brian W. SHERON, the Directorof the Ofﬁce of Nuclear Regulatory
Research at the NRC (United States),
who came to discuss research into the
behavior of fuel, ﬁres, severe accidents
and 4th generation reactors.

18 and 19
Riskaudit, a branch of IRSN and GRS,
passed the ﬁrst intermediate audit
successfully, one year after receiving
ISO 9001 certiﬁcation (version 2000).

13
The IRSN analyzed the anomaly that
affected the safety injection system
of Reactor 3 at the Gravelines plant
during an operating cycle. This anomaly,
discovered in March 2006 when thereactor was shutdown, did not have
any real impact on reactor operations,

IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006 I

11

ORGANIZATION

Organization Chart(December 2006)

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Jean-François LACRONIQUE,
Chairman

FUNCTIONAL DEPARTMENTS
Department for Strategy,
Development and External
Relations

Department for Scientiﬁc
and Technical Assessment
and Quality

Michel BOUVET, Director

Joseph LEWI, Director

Jean-Bernard CHÉRIÉ,
Deputy Director, in charge of external relations
Yves SOUCHET,
Deputy Director, in charge of programs• teaching and training in radiation protection,
nuclear safety and security;• assessment and scientiﬁc activities;;• quality management;• hygiene, safety and environmental protection;• scientiﬁc and technical knowledge engineering;• scientiﬁc information resources.

• research programs;• expert appraisal programs;• opening up to society;• international relations;• secretariat for standing groups.

General Secretariat

Communications Department

Jean-Baptiste PINTON, General Secretary

Marie-Pierre BIGOT, Director• ﬁnancial matters;• human resources;• commercial relations and legal support;• managing real estate holdings and corporate services;• information systems administration.

• in-house communications;• information and relations with the media;• programs and relations with the public.

Jean-Claude DALE,
Accountant

12 I I R S N A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 6

ORGANIZATIONSENIOR MANAGEMENT

Jacques REPUSSARD,
Director General

Michel BRIÈRE,Deputy Director General, in chargeof IRSN’s defense-related missions

Philippe JAMET,
Assistant Director General in chargeof General Matters

OPERATIONAL DEPARTMENTS
Department for Nuclear Defense
Expertise

Department for Human Radiation
Protection

Jérôme JOLY, Director

Patrick GOURMELON, Director• international safeguards and CWC implementation;• technical support for public authorities and studies;• defense safety assessment;• nuclear facility security.

• radiation protection studies and expertise;• radiobiology and epidemiology;• external dosimetry;• internal dosimetry.

Department for Environment
and Response

Department for Reactor Safety

Didier CHAMPION, Director• pressurized water reactors;• gas-cooled, fast neutron and experimental
reactors;• equipment and structures;• systems and risks;• thermohydraulics, cores and monitoringof facilities;• severe accidents and radiation consequences;• human factors.

• study of radionuclide transfers into ecosystems;• study and monitoring of radioactivity
in the environment;• analysis of risks related to the geosphere;• sample processing and metrology
for the environment;• radiation protection response and support;• emergency situations and crisis organization.

Department for the Preventionof Major Accidents
Michel SCHWARZ, Director• studies and experimental research on accidents;• experimental instrumentation and engineering;• fuel studies and modeling in accidents;• ﬁre, corium and conﬁnement studies and modeling.

Martial JOREL, Director

Department for the Safetyof Plants, Laboratories,
Transportation and Waste
Thierry CHARLES, Director• fuel cycle transportation and facilities;• laboratories, irradiators, accelerators anddecommissioned reactors;• radioactive waste;• industrial, ﬁre and containment risks;• criticality;• air dispersion of pollutants.

IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006 I

13

ORGANIZATIONThe Board of Directors
I MISSIONSIn accordance with Article 10 of the Order of February 22, 2002, the Board deals with IRSN business through its proceedings. More speciﬁcally, it discusses the general conditions governing the organization and running of the establishment,
the Institute’s programs and the annual report. In terms of ﬁnance, it approves the budget, decisions involving changes,
year-end ﬁnancial statements and income appropriation.
IRSN’s Board of Directors is made up of 24 members:
10 State representatives;
6 distinguished and qualiﬁed persons, also appointed by order and chosen for their skills in the Institute’s areas ofactivity, including a Member of Parliament or a Senator from the Parliamentary Ofﬁce for the evaluation of scientiﬁcand technological options;
8 elected IRSN staff representatives.
The term of ofﬁce for members of the Board of Directors is ﬁve years which can be renewed once for the six distinguished, qualiﬁed persons.
The Board of Directors meets at least four times a year.
Six new directors were appointed in 2006.

I MEMBERS (DECEMBER 2006)
State representatives

Qualiﬁed personalities

Patrick AUDEBERT, Head of the Major Risks Ofﬁce, in the
Directorate of Civil Defense and Security, representing the
Minister in charge of Civil Security

Jean-François LACRONIQUE, Professor of Medicine, nominated by the Health Minister, Charmain of the Boardof Directors

Jocelyne BOUDOT, Assistant Director for the Managementof Environmental Risk, representing the Health and Social
Affairs Minister

Claude BIRRAUX, Vice-President of the ParliamentaryJean-Denis COMBREXELLE, Director of Labor Relations,

into Nuclear Energy and Safety at the Paul Scherrer Institute in
Switzerland, nominated by the Minister for Research

representing the Minister for Employment

Frédéric EYRIES, Inspector General for Armaments,
representing the Defense Minister

Dominique GOUTTE, Director of the Energy, Transportation,

Ofﬁce for the evaluation of scientiﬁc and technological options

Jean-Marc CAVEDON, Director of the Division for Research

Georges LABROYE, Director General of the Institute ofIndustrial Environments and Hazards, nominated by the Environment and Sustainable Development Minister

Environment and Natural Resources Division, representing
the Research Minister

Maurice LAURENT, former French National Assembly Headof Department, nominated by the Industry Minister

André-Claude LACOSTE, Director General of Nuclear

Jean RANNOU, Air Force General, nominated by the De-

Safety and Radiation Protection (until he is appointed Presidentof the Nuclear Safety Authority)

fense Minister

Marcel JURIEN de la GRAVIÈRE, in charge of nuclear
safety and radiation protection for activities and installations
related to defense

Édouard de PIREY, Ingénieur des Mines, representing theBudget Minister

Employee Directors
Mireille ARNAUD, Hervé BOLL, Betty CATANIA,
Jean-Marc DORMANT, Thierry FLEURY, Dominique
MARTINEAU, Xavier MOYA, François ROLLINGER

Guillaume SAINTENY, Director of Economic Studies andEnvironmental Assessment, representing the Environment andSustainable Development Minister

Cyrille VINCENT, Branch manager of the nuclear industry,
General Directorate for Energy and Raw Materials,
representing the Industry Minister

Key ﬁgures present by rightLaurent MICHEL, Director of Pollution and Risk Prevention
and Government Commissioner
Daniel RACINET, State Controller
Jacques REPUSSARD, Director General
Michel BRIÈRE, Deputy Director General, in charge of IRSN
missions related to defense
Jean-Claude DALE, Accountant
Philippe BOURACHOT, Works Committee Secretary

14 I I R S N A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 6

ORGANIZATIONThe Steering Committee
for the Nuclear Defense Expertise
Division
I MISSIONSThe Steering Committee for the Nuclear Defense Expertise Division (DEND) at IRSN examines this Division’s program of
activities before it is submitted to the Institute’s Board of Directors. It is consulted when the Board of Directors is called
upon to make decisions speciﬁcally concerning the organization or running of this Division and it provides guidance onthese activities to the Board of Directors.
This committee is made up of 10 members .

I MEMBERS (NOVEMBER 2006)
Chairman: Emmanuel SARTORIUS, Senior Defense
representative at the Ministry for Economy, Finance andIndustry

Marcel JURIEN de la GRAVIÈRE, in charge of nuclear safety and radiation protection for activities and facilities related
to defense
Rear-Admiral Bernard MERVEILLEUX du VIGNAUX,
Nuclear Weapons Inspector
Brigadier-General Paul FOUILLAND, representing the Joint
Chief of Staff

Engineer General, Frédéric EYRIES, representing
the DGA, the French defense procurement agency
Captain (N) Philippe COINDREAU, representing
the administrative Secretary General of the Defense Ministry

Édouard de PIREY, representing the Budget Director
Hugues de LONGEVIALLE, representing the Director ofStrategic Affairs, Security and Disarmament at the Ministryof Foreign Affairs

Serge POULARD, qualiﬁed person
Jean-Baptiste FLEUTOT, qualiﬁed person

IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006 I

15

ORGANIZATIONThe Scientiﬁc BoardI RESPONSIBILITIESIRSN has a Scientiﬁc Board whose responsibilities are deﬁned in the Order dated February 22, 2002 setting up the Institute.
The Board advises on IRSN programs, assesses results and can make recommendations on future activities. Its advice andrecommendations are submitted to the Board of Directors and the Institute’s supervisory Ministries. It issues an opinion
on the Institute’s Annual Report and can be consulted by the Chairman of the Board or by supervisory Ministers on any
subject relating to its areas of expertise. Its advice may be sought on any issue or operation under taken by IRSN.
In 2006, the Scientiﬁc Board held two plenary meetings (in May and November). At the same time as these meetings,
some members of the Scientiﬁc Board visited the Tournemire experimental station (Aveyron), set up to study underground radioactive waste repositories, together with the facilities for environmental monitoring and radiation testingat the Le Vésinet site (Yvelines).
The Scientiﬁc Board carried out two speciﬁc assessments in 2006:
the ﬁrst assessment, dedicated to IRSN’s work into reconstructing fallout in France from the Chernobyl accident,
resulted in setting up a commission partly made up of experts who are not members of the Scientiﬁ c Board.
The Scientiﬁc Board took this commission’s assessment into account and issued its opinion on March 27, 2006;
the second assessment involved the Institute’s studies and research into deep disposal of radioactive waste;
the Scientiﬁc Board issued its opinion on November 9, 2006.
The two opinions issued by the Scientiﬁc Board and related assessment reports are available on IRSN’s scientiﬁc website:www.irsn.org/net-science
The Scientiﬁc Board is made up of 12 members chosen in light of their scientiﬁc and technical skills and appointed for
ﬁve years by a joint order from the supervisory Ministers. It should be noted that four members were replaced in theﬁrst quarter of 2007 (Order of June 8, 2004 amended by Order of April 25, 2007).

I MEMBERS (APRIL 2007)
Chairman: Michel QUINTARD, Director of Research at
the Toulouse Institute of Fluid Mechanics, nominated by the
Research Minister

The qualiﬁed person nominated by the Environment andSustainable Development Minister will be appointed shortly.

Bernard SEVESTRE, Engineer General for Armaments,

at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, nominated by
the Industry Minister

Deputy Director at the CEA, nominated by the Defense Minister

Pierre LAROCHE, Chief Medical Ofﬁcer of the French armed
forces, Head of the Medical Division of the Armed Forces’
Radiation Protection Department, nominated by the Defense
MinisterEthel-Esther MOUSTACCHI, Scientiﬁc Director for
the Atomic Energy High Commissioner, nominated by
the Environment and Sustainable Development Minister

Victor TESCHENDORFF, Head of Department at
Gesellschaft für Anlagen und Reaktorsicherheit(GRS, Germany), nominated by the Environment andSustainable Development Minister

André AURENGO, Professor of Medicine and Head of
Department at the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, nominatedby the Health Minister

16 I I R S N A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 6

George YADIGAROGLU, Professor of Nuclear EngineeringAndré PINEAU, Professor at the Paris Ecole des Mines,
nominated by the Industry Minister
Philippe LECONTE, Physicist, former Director of the CEA’s
radioactive waste management research program,nominated by the Research Minister
Jean-Claude ANDRÉ, Director of Research at the French
National Research and Safety Institute (INRS) forthe prevention of work-related injuries and illnesses,
nominated by the Employment Minister
Pierre CATILINA, Doctor specialized in occupational
pathologies and member of the occupational illnesses
commission, nominated by the Employment Minister

Dietrich AVERBECK, in charge of radiation protection
at the Curie Institute research centre (CNRS), nominated by
the Health Minister

ORGANIZATION

Sites(December 2006)
Northern region staff: 1,306 employees

CHERBOURG-OCTEVILLE

CLAMARTI Environment(Head office)Staff departments

FONTENAY-AUX-ROSESLE VÉSINET

Operational activities
I Nuclear defense expertise I Environment and response
I Human radiation protection I Reactor safety
I Safety of plants, laboratories, transport and waste

I Environment and response
I Human radiation protection

SACLAYI Safety of plants, laboratories,
transport and waste

ORSAY
I Environment

PIERRELATTEI Response
I Human radiation protection

CADARACHE
I Environment
I Prevention of major accidents
I Human radiation protection
I Nuclear defense expertise

TOURNEMIRE
I EnvironmentAGEN
I Environnement et intervention

LES ANGLES – AVIGNONI Response
I Safety of plants, laboratories,
transport and waste

LA SEYNE-SUR-MER
I Environment

MAHINA (Tahiti)
I Environment

South-East region staff: approximately 375 employees

Details of all IRSN sites can be found on the ﬂ ap at the back of the report.

IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006 I

17

IRSN in 2006 :report and outlook“Contributing to nuclear plant safety also means working to ensure safety for people and property.
This is a strong commitment that requires teamwork wherein research, expertise and a wide range of
disciplines meet.”
Patricia DUPUY – Engineer, Systems and Risk Protection Assessment Department

IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006 I

19
IRSN IN 2006: REPORT AND OUTLOOKAXISThe strategic approach for
implementing IRSN missions
The year 2006 saw the adoption of three major Acts thatwill have a signiﬁcant impact on IRSN’s activities.
The Act on transparency and nuclear security (June13, 2006) sets out the principles for nuclear safety inthe broadest sense of the term. It provides a legal framework for inspecting civilian nuclear facilities and sets
up a Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) as an independentadministrative body. Consistent with existing practice, theAct states that this new authority will be based on thescientiﬁc expertise of the IRSN, with which it will havean agreement. Finally, it lays down the rights and obligations regarding access to information and sets up a HighCommission on transparency.
The Program Act on nuclear waste (June 28, 2006)
sets out the schedule for major projects involving backend fuel cycle management and deﬁnes the methods tobe implemented to manage reusable nuclear waste andmaterials. IRSN will have to conduct its research and appraisal actions within this context and, with this in mind,
is developing research partnerships in France and Europe
and, in conjunction with Andra, is drawing up a scientiﬁccooperation agreement aimed at regulating informationexchanges and, if necessary, the involvement of bothorganizations in joint research programs, in particular at
the Bures laboratory site (Meuse).
Finally, the Program Act on research (April 18, 2006)
creates new instruments for directing public research inFrance, such as the National Agency for Research (ANR)
and the Institute of Higher Studies in Science and Technology, with which IRSN works closely.
In this changing context, the users of IRSN services havealmost fully expressed their satisfaction with the qualityof the response to their needs. Considerable effort has
been devoted to mastering all performance and support processes, and this should continue with ISO 9000
certiﬁcation in 2007. In the wake of signing the four-year
contract of agreed objectives in the summer of 2006,
IRSN still needs to perfect how it manages its mediumand long-term development, in a particularly complex

20 I I R S N A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 6

institutional, scientiﬁc and economic environment.
The contract of agreed objectives deﬁnes four lines ofstrategy for IRSN’s development, namely research, technical support missions for the public authorities, the policyof opening up to society and international action.
A medium and long-term plan (MLTP), dealing with the
2007-2015 period, which started in the autumn of 2006,
will be added to the contract of agreed objectives following approval by the Board of Directors.
Implementation of this strategic tool will enable progress
in two key areas:
management of the Institute’s activities in the formof projects, which, together with stricter analyticalaccounting, will provide a clearer picture of the objectives targeted and their corresponding deliverables, theresources devoted to the various missions and the results
achieved in view of the resources effectively used;the deﬁnition of speciﬁc multi-year strategies for eachof the seventeen topics deﬁned to implement the sevenscientiﬁc and technical challenges mentioned in the contract of objectives. In terms of resources, this will mean
providing a vision of the future use of IRSN’s subsidy under the LOLF (Budget Act) 189 program, which deals with“research in the ﬁeld of risk and pollution”, and which
accounts for the majority of the Institute’s ﬁ nancial
resources. This program comes under the responsibilityof the Ministry for Ecology and Sustainable Development (MEDD).
For several years, the Institute has seen this subsidy simply
carried over in current euros. Over the years, this has insidiously but signiﬁcantly curtailed its capacity for action.
However, as part of the process set out for the contract ofobjectives, in-depth dialogue between IRSN, its supervisingauthorities and the main beneﬁciaries of its expertise andresearch, should clarify the public ﬁnancing requirements,
in particular as regards large-scale experimental resources(research reactors for example).
The MLTP will also deﬁne lines of strategy for developing
the IRSN’s own resources.

more
information

discussions have been set up with the ASN in view ofdeﬁning the procedure for publishing the ofﬁcial notices
submitted to the Safety Authority on the Internet in
the future. This will develop gradually and an initial
positive trial was conducted at the start of 2006, withthe publication on its website of the full version of theInstitute’s notice on the Andra report regarding thefeasibility of a geological HLLL waste repository at the
Bures site.
www.irsn.org

IRSN IN 2006: REPORT AND OUTLOOK

Furthermore, the emphasis currently placed on the needfor greater transparency in the area of nuclear safety has
led IRSN to speed up changes in practices:
regarding communications tools, and not forgetting thescientiﬁc publications mentioned in another chapter,
IRSN has continued to develop its websites, which are
now a major operational tool for making information
available. These sites are visited by well over a million
visitors a year. At the beginning of 2006, the Institutelaunched a monthly newsletter sent to MPs, ministries,
supervisory authorities and major partners. Reception
has been very positive and La Lettre de l’IRSN is now anintegral part of IRSN communications;

A new DSDRE at IRSN

The Department of Strategy,
Development and External
Relations (DSDRE) was
reorganized in March 2006.
Why was this necessary?
IRSN was officially set up by
the Order of February 22,
2002 and its organization wasestablished in the course of
the following year. The duties
of a Strategy Departmentin the early days of any
new organization are notnecessarily the same after
it has been in existence forseveral years. For example,
the State/IRSN contract ofobjectives has now beensigned for four years andthe work that led up to thiscontract has demonstrated
the advantages of projectbased management of IRSN
activities.

The notion of strategic
programs has thereforechanged.
How is the new organization
structured?
The contract of agreed
objectives is based on fourlines of strategy (research,expert appraisal, opening up
to society and international
relations) and the DSDRE hastaken account of this divisionin its organization.
It is now structured into four
divisions, corresponding
respectively to each of thesefour lines of development:
research programs;
expert appraisal programs;
opening up to society;international relations.

What is the role of
the DSDRE?
Acting mainly on behalf of the
Director General, the DSDRE
leads and coordinates actions,enabling the Institute in the
short, medium and long-term
to:conduct its missions underthe best possible conditions
in light of available orplanned resources andthe expectations of allconcerned;
consolidate its position
with regard to the scopeof its activity as anindependent reference
institution in drawing up
and communicating notices
and recognized by society ascredible given its specialised
scientific, technical andoperational know-how.

Michel Bouvet,
Director of the Department of strategy,
development and external relations

IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006 I

21

LINE

RE-ENGINEERING THE RESEARCH PROCESS

1

Research at the service ofappraisals
The research programs conducted by IRSN should enable it to develop the skills required for
its expert appraisals and to prepare the groundwork for future improvements in assessing therisks related to nuclear activities.

MANAGING MULTI-YEAR PROGRAMSTAILORING RESEARCH TOOLS

2006 saw the launch of eight-year plans for the Institute’s
research work and the organization of this work in theform of projects based on the subjects identiﬁed (radiation
protection of workers, fuel, etc.). This way of working isdesigned to enable IRSN to present its research objectives
more clearly and improve control (lead times, costs, etc.)of the programs it conducts or ﬁnances.

In order to successfully conduct research work, the Institute funds or possesses equipment that it renews ormaintains in order to remain pertinent and competitiveon the national or international scientiﬁc scene. The costof some of this equipment, qualiﬁed as “heavy-duty”, andthe time required to conduct the associated programs
have led IRSN to analyze the need for research making
use of such equipment and how it is funded (programs
using such tools currently involve numerous partners, areinternational in scope and last several years).

Michel BAUDRY,
in thewords of

Head of the Research
Program Division“Research activity at IRSN meetsthe Institute’s need to have accessto its own skilled personnel,
knowledge base and tools
required for expert appraisals.
It must also provide answers to
the questions asked by public authorities andsociety on issues related to the environment,
the impact of radiation on the population or
nuclear safety in the broadest sense. In order
to be relevant and “prepared in advance”,
it must anticipate these questions and keep
abreast of new developments.
In particular, it must take account of changes
planned in industrial tools.
IRSN’s choices regarding research plans arelimited both by the cost of the resources tobe implemented and by the duration of the
programs undertaken.

15%of research
programs arejointly funded byexternal revenue(14% in 2005)

It is for these reasons that the Instituteoperates a policy of partnerships, withresearch bodies, industry, and usually within
the framework of international programs(FP and OECD, etc.).”22 I I R S N A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 6

In 2006, this analysis continued actively, focusing, inparticular, on:
the work of the international group in charge of leading
the CEA and IRSN study on the possible future uses of
the PHEBUS reactor; two meetings discussed a possibleline of research in the ﬁelds of serious accidents and lossof primary coolant;
the review drawn up by the Institute, in conjunction
with the CEA and EDF, on research into serious reactor accidents, conducted in France and abroad to
identify future perspectives in this ﬁeld. This report,
available on the Internet, shows that signiﬁcant doubt
remains concerning certain phenomena. This includes
the erosion kinetics of containment enclosure foundations in the event of a melted core melting throughthe vessel or the behavior of iodine in the primarycircuit and in the containment enclosure. Additional
research will be conducted in this area in coming years(OECD-MCCI project, IRSN-SOURCE TERM project, etc.).
www.irsn.org
Furthermore, the renovation of facilities and preparationof the equipment needed for the international CABRICIP program continued. Nevertheless, the discovery of
unforeseen technical constraints led the CEA, operator of the CABRI reactor, to propose a more extensiverenovation plan to IRSN, which funds the facility. To
ensure that the deadlines of this program are met, the
CEA has also signiﬁcantly increased the funds allocatedto the project. Cost control will remain a priority for theInstitute in 2007.

IRSN IN 2006: REPORT AND OUTLOOK

Future uses of the PHEBUS reactor are currently being studied.

DEVELOPING PARTNERSHIPS
Developing national or international partnerships is also
one of the Institute’s priorities since this enables IRSN toshare the costs of research, promote its areas of expertiseand provides a guarantee of the relevance of some of its
programs.
Industrial partnerships
Two of the IRSN’s principal cooperation agreements withits major French partners in terms of R&D were renewedin 2006: the ﬁrst with the CEA and EDF (for ﬁve years)
and the second with Areva NC (for three years). These
agreements contribute a signiﬁ cant proportion of theInstitute’s external R&D resources.
Institutional partnerships
IRSN has many partnerships with French research institutes (CNRS, universities, Inserm, etc.). Most of these arebased on ofﬁcial cooperation agreements. In 2006, somewere renewed and others were created: renewal of theagreement between IRSN and INERIS, signing of agreements with the École Normale Supérieure in Cachan, thein thewords ofCentral Laboratory for Civil Engineering, the CNRS andthe University of Provence, etc.
In 2006, the Institute was also considerably involved in
the “risk management and territorial vulnerability” competitiveness cluster. Four of these projects in the area ofthe environment have received certiﬁ cation from thiscluster (PRIME, PRISME, MULTISTRESS and EXTREMA).
The CLARA II project, coordinated by the École des Minesin Alès and in which the Institute is involved, has also
been certiﬁed.
www.net-science.irsn.org
International partnerships
Following the SARNET network of excellence and theAlpha-Risk project, the European Commission appointed
IRSN to coordinate the FUTURAE project (feasibility study
regarding implementation of a European network of excellence in radioecology). Also in 2006, a large number offoreign partners joined IRSN’s PRISME program on conﬁned
and ventilated ﬁres, under the aegis of the OECD.

Jacqueline LECOURTIER,
Director of the National Agency for Research“The Pact for
Research, drawn
up in 2005, mustmeet various
challenges.
The aim is toprovide a strategic mediumand long-term vision ofresearch activity in France,
to clarify its organization, togive it greater flexibility andreactivity and to endow itwith harmonized evaluation
criteria. It was in this context

that the ANR was set up to
support research relating
to priority issues, such asenergy or information andcommunication science andtechnology.
The ANR must also contributeto helping new researchconcepts to emerge andencourage partnerships
between research andindustry. Within this new
system, an applied researchbody such as IRSN plays

a crucial role. Because
it is already involved inpartnerships with industry
and public research, andbecause it wants to open up
to different issues which also
concern us: safety, protecting
the environment, etc.
It can also make a usefulcontribution to the projectcommittees and strategic
analysis groups that we are
currently forming.”

IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006 I

23

LINE

OPTIMIZING TECHNICAL SUPPORT FOR PUBLIC AUTHORITIES

2Technical support: continuing
contractual relations
IRSN’s missions include providing technical support to the public authorities and public service
projects are one of the lines of development written into the 2006-2009 Government-IRSN
contract of agreed objectives. The Institute is adapting its resources and the way it is organized
to satisfy the demand for technical support. However, increasing demand for hi-tech skills will
require changes in the future.

INSTITUTIONAL PARTNERS
Technical suppor t activities represent about half
the subsidy granted by the Government to the Institute. It ismainly the IRSN’s institutional partners that beneﬁt:
nuclear safety and security authorities (ASN, DSND,
HFD of the Ministry of Finance);
ministerial departments (DPPR, DGT, DGS, DDSC);
health and safety institutes and agencies (InVS, INRS, Afssa,
Afsset, Afssaps, etc.).

FORMAL RELATIONS
In application of the Order setting up the Institute, projects
undertaken in implementation of the mission to provide
technical support to the public authorities are subject toformal multi-year agreements with the various partners
and divided into annual technical protocols.
In 2006, this policy was pursued with a view to deﬁning thescope of these support actions and allocating the related
annual resources. It was also a year in which links were
established between the Institute and health and safety
agencies, such as Afssa and Afsset. These links should leadto agreements being signed in 2007.
In this regard, IRSN presented the actions conducted aspart of the Cancer Plan, deﬁned by the DGS and that of
the National Environmental Health Plan (PNSE) coordinated by the Afsset.

Sylvie SUPERVIL,
in thewords of

Head of the Appraisal
Programs Division“In order to formalize relations,many of which have existed forseveral years, IRSN has, since
its foundation, drawn up andsigned framework agreementswith institutional partners towhich it provides technical support. The aimof these agreements is to identify the issues
and the nature of the work to be carried out.
They enable the priorities to be fi xed andthe resources allocated to this work to be
distributed.
Technical support work for the publicauthorities and public service missions
represent almost 50% of the State subsidy
paid to the Institute. In order to ensure theavailibilty of the knowledge and resources
required to perform quality appraisals, theInstitute relies on its research and anticipates
future expertise needs, for example for futurefacilities (4th generation reactors) or ageing
and decommissioning of existing facilities.”

port for the ASN. Priorities included nuclear power plant
ageing, dismantling civilian nuclear facilities, radioactive
waste management and examining safety ﬁ les for the
future EPR reactor.

FIELDS OF ACTION IN 2006
Nuclear facilities
In the ﬁeld of nuclear safety and radiological protection,such protocols were signed to deﬁ ne the priorities ofappraisal studies for 2006, particularly relative to sup-24 I I R S N A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 6

These actions for the ASN accounted for the majority of
IRSN resources, particularly human resources, devoted toproviding technical support to the public authorities.

IRSN IN 2006: REPORT AND OUTLOOKWorkers
As part of its radiation protection mission, the Institutecontinued to implement the information system for monitoring professional exposure to ionizing radiation (SISERI).
IRSN’s involvement in changes to the legislation, and inproviding technical recommendations for the approval ofmonitoring organizations, contributed to State missions
for the General-Directorate of Labor (DGT).
Finally, as part of their public service mission, throughscientiﬁc cooperation on the assessment and management of risks in the workplace, the Institute and the INRS
pooled their technical and scientiﬁc tools and conducted
knowledge transfers, in particular regarding metrology ofﬁne particles and epidemiology.
www.irsn.org

IRSN provides support for the work of a public debate
commission on the EPR reactor.

tocol, dealing mainly with appraisals, also includes actions
concerning the radiological impact of classiﬁed facilities
and of polluted soils, together with a radiological review
in the vicinity of former uranium mine sites.
Civilian safety
The Institute provides operational support to the DDSC.
The signing of the 2006 protocol was the occasion for
the Director of Defense and Civil Security to recall theimportance of IRSN’s contribution to the national scheme
implemented to deal with a radiological or nuclear emergency.
Preparedness for crisis management, response operations in an emergency situation and training personnel
in decentralized State departments all beneﬁted from IRSN
assistance in 2006.

Jean-Christophe NIEL,
in thewords of

Information systems for better individual protection.

The population
The Institute was entrusted with providing support to the
InVS in assessing exposure and risks associated with theuse of ionizing radiation. Both organizations are working on monitoring population groups that are likely to
be exposed. In 2006, implementation of an information
system to monitor the medical exposure of patients toradiation was launched.
The environment
The Institute provides support to the DPPR in the ﬁeld ofenvironmental protection. These actions are strategic for
the Institute and some also overlap with the issues dealt
with as part of opening up to civil society. The 2006 pro-

General Director of the Nuclear
Safety Authority (ASN)“The effectiveness of ASN
inspections requires high-quality
technical expertise. Today, theASN is satisfied with IRSN’swork, even though, in order toimprove performance, we areplanning to review the joint charter on safetyat basic nuclear facilities and to extend it
to other areas, such as medical radiation
protection.
The set up of the ASN and the changes
planned under the terms of the Act ontransparency and nuclear safety will
strengthen the system that exists between
the ASN and IRSN. Thus, the ASN wants to
support the reinforcement of IRSN resources
concerning it (71 million euros in 2007) insome areas. In particular, this concerns new
projects, such as EPR and ITER, shutdown
and decommissioning of nuclear facilities,
proximity nuclear (radiotherapy, etc.) andnew legislative requirements.”

IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006 I

25

LINE

RESPOND TO THE NEEDS OF OTHER ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL PLAYERS IN TERMS
OF INFORMATION, EXPERTISE AND STUDIES

3

Opening up to society
As part of its policy of opening up to society, IRSN is developing various initiatives: specificstudies and research, concerted pilot actions, reference documents aimed at the general public
and promotional operations. The aim is to eventually take account of society’s expectations
in all Institute activities and thus improve the quality and credibility of its work.

Studies on the perception of risks aim at a better understanding of society’s questions: although the public isoften consulted, in particular when drawing up the IRSN
barometer, few surveys of a similar nature questioning
scientists are carried out. The results of the PERPLEX
survey (perception of risks by the public and experts)
in which IRSN, INERIS, Afssa, Inra, InVS, Ademe and Ifen
were associated, and which finished in 2006, complete
those obtained for the 2006 edition of the barometeron the perception of risks.
www.irsn.org

Annie SUGIER,
in thewords of

Head of the Division in chargeof opening up to society“Contemporary society is
increasingly attentive to andvigilant about environmental
issues. The future of nuclear waste
and the construction of a newreactor are subjects that create
debate. In such circumstances, what the public
expects of an organization such as IRSN is that it
makes available objective information regarding
the risks involved in these projects, which
will enable the public to take a stand in thedebate. It expresses its requirements in termsof transparency, access to information andmulti-disciplinary expertise. Public debates are
privileged moments of participative democracy.
By taking part in organizing these debates,
IRSN is encouraging direct dialogue between
the various stakeholders and demonstrating its
commitment to transparency and opening up tosociety.
Personally, I participated in the debate on the
EPR reactor project and witnessed heateddiscussion which was a measure of the public’s
expectations and vigilance concerning this new
generation of reactors.”

26 I I R S N A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 6

One central objective of this approach is to contributeto changing practices regarding transparency and skills
in dialogue undertaken by the various actors (operators,
experts, authorities, associations, elected representatives,etc.), by making the Institute’s expertise accessible and byoffering to construct a technical dialogue between experts
from various disciplines on certain complex and potentiallycontroversial issues. Such a change may, in particular, befacilitated by the practice of pluralistic expertise together,enabling shared learning. Apart from a desire for an exhaustive critical analysis of the issues dealt with by thesebodies, this type of approach makes it possible to go beyond
the usual scope of an expert appraisal when the aim is toanswer the public’s questions concerning risk assessment.
Thus, within the framework of the new pluralistic expertisegroup on former mines in the Limousin region, IRSN offers
use of methods still being developed at European level,
to assess the impact of mining residues on the existing
environment (fauna and ﬂora), without limiting itself tothe health impacts required by legislation.

SHARING EXPERIENCE FEEDBACK
The partnership developed by the Institute with the National Association of local information commissions (Ancli)
is one of the key elements in IRSN’s strategy. Within
this context, a seminar was held on the feedback frominternational experience in terms of managing radioactive waste, jointly organized by IRSN and the Ancli. (seepage 51). Another joint decision was to set up a working
group with the aim of experimenting on the practicalways in which the Ancli and Cli can have access to theInstitute’s expertise.
In order to share concrete experience feedback with external partners, IRSN was involved in the European COWAM2
and Trustnet In Action programs, that were completed
at the end of 2006. To compare case studies and deﬁnecommon approaches in the area of opening up to society,
IRSN collaborated with four other expertise agencies orinstitutes (Afsset, InVS, INERIS and Inrets). This led tothe organization of a seminar in February 2006, following which the ﬁve General Managers made a statement
expressing their commitment to continue their joint studyof ”the role of national expertise institutes faced withchanges in the governance of activities and situations ofrisk to man and the environment”.

summarizing the lessons learned from this accident in thefollowing areas:
assessment of the impact and protection of individuals;
transparency and public information;
crisis management;
power plant safety.
www.irsn.org

Finally, setting up a strategic monitoring system will enable the Institute to better identify the needs of economic
and social players likely to be interested in the contractual
services offered by the Institute, developing the economic
potential of its know-how.

Furthermore, IRSN provided extensive support to the workof the two special public debate commissions devoted
respectively to the EPR reactor and to nuclear waste.
www.irsn.org

ACTIVITY IN RELATION WITH CURRENTAFFAIRSAs well as the operations mentioned above, whether
carried out in-house or with different partners, 2006 wasa busy year for news related to the nuclear debate, andthis provided the Institute with several opportunities tomanifest its desire to open up to society.
Thus, on the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of theChernobyl accident, IRSN published a report on its website,

in thewords ofIRSN IN 2006: REPORT AND OUTLOOKOn October 11, 2006, IRSN organized a public conference presenting its workon mapping fallout in France from the Chernobyl accident.

Within this framework, the study ordered by IRSN from
WISE-Paris and the CEPN on “access to information on
nuclear safety in a selection of western countries” wasa useful contribution to the debates of both these commissions. An agreement was signed in November 2006
between EDF, the Flamanville (Manche) Cli and the Ancli
on access to the EPR safety report as a direct consequenceof this. It provides a framework in which local actors inparticular can call on the expertise of IRSN.

Georges MERCADAL,
Vice-Chairman of France’s National Commission for Public Debate“By its very nature,public debate is anoccasion to build
up trust between
those in charge ofa project and the
public. This is fundamental,
particularly when the subjectof the debate is a difficult one,giving rise to a sentiment offear in the population. This
trust depends on the qualityof interaction between the

public and the project owner,
who must provide as many
answers as possible to its
questions. These answers
must also be backed up
by advice provided byinstitutions such as IRSN,
or by those opposed to theproject. It is this pluralistic
debate that we managed toestablish during the publicdebate organized in 2006 on
nuclear waste. The public

was thus given a stereoscopic
vision of the subject andaccepted the report written
following the debate.
I believe that IRSN’s initiativeon opening up its appraisal
processes to experts fromother disciplines is anextremely positive step forthe nuclear sector. It is boundto enhance the trust that the
public may have in it.”IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006 I

27

LINE

A DRIVING FORCE ON THE EUROPEAN AND INTERNATIONAL SCENE

4

IRSN, a key player
in international cooperation
For a research and expert appraisal institute specializing in nuclear risk, international affairs
are an essential aspect of developing the knowledge and skills required to carry out its missions.

FURTHERING KNOWLEDGE
In 2006, IRSN continued its efforts to internationalize
its research programs. The Institute signed new agreements with American (NRC) and Swiss (PSI) partners for
the SOURCE TERM program and with Canadian (AECL)
and Japanese (JNES) partners for ﬁre research programs(PRISME and PICSEL).
IRSN also stepped up its initiatives at European level. It
was involved in ten new projects under FP6 and actively
contributed to preparing FP7, launched in 2007.
The Institute also participated in extensive research projects conducted abroad, particularly under the aegis of
the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA), in ﬁelds suchas thermohydraulics (Japan and Germany), corium-waterinteraction (United States), the reliability of nuclear fueland human factors (Norway).

On the 20th anniversary of the Chernobyl accident, IRSN,
GRS and their Ukrainian, Russian and Belarusian partners,
presented the ﬁnal results of the French-German Initiative
for Chernobyl (IFA) regarding the safety of the sarcophagus, the accident’s environmental impact and its effects
on public health.
In addition, the safety and radiation protection organizations
involved in the EUROSAFE approach - AVN (Belgium), CSN(Spain), GRS (Germany), HSE (United Kingdom), IRSN, SKI(Sweden) and VTT (Finland) - organized the eighth EUROSAFE forum in Paris, in 2006, and published Issues 8 and 9 of
the EUROSAFE Tribune. They also participated in launchingworking groups to draw up a European safety assessment
guide, on identifying research needs for expert appraisals andon the management of scientiﬁc and technical knowledge.
www.eurosafe-forum.org

120 men/year
equivalent time
spent(100 in 2005)

Jean-Bernard CHÉRIÉ,
58 instances of
IRSN involvement
in international
expert groups(58 in 2005)

18 European
projects
in progress(10 in 2005)
48 visits fromforeign scientists(21 in 2005)

in thewords of

Deputy Director in charge of external relations,and head of the division of international relations“The international
relations developedby IRSN play anessential rolein maintaining
and developing
scientific excellence and a highlevel of expertise within theInstitute. They also enable it
to become actively involvedin drawing up guidelines
and recommendations, andpromote the sharing ofbest practices in radiation

28 I I R S N A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 6

protection, safety andsecurity. Finally, they help
to spread the Institute’s
reputation in France and on
the international scene.
At European level, IRSN
initiatives can be seen in its
close cooperation with the
GRS, its German counterpart,and in the set up in 2006 of
the European network oftechnical safety organizations,with the GRS and AVN,
the Institute’s Belgian

counterpart. Internationally,
the decision was taken in 2006
to host the fi rst international
conference of technical safety
organizations in France,
organized in 2007 by the IAEA
in liaison with IRSN.
Furthermore, in the field ofbilateral relations, cooperation
between IRSN and its
American (NRC and DOE),
Japanese (JNES) and Russian(MRRC and IBRAE) partners
was consolidated.”IRSN IN 2006: REPORT AND OUTLOOK

Finally, IRSN, the GRS and the AVN founded the European TSO network aimed at bringing together European
technical safety organizations, with a view to actively
harmonizing safety policies and technical expert assessment practices.
The EUROSAFE forum held in Paris.

DRAWING UP INTERNATIONALREFERENCE DOCUMENTS
In 2006, IRSN was actively involved in the continuing
process to draw up the new general recommendations of
the ICRP, in the work of the UNSCEAR scientiﬁc committee,
in the groups set up under the Euratom treaty or the ISO
standard and, in support of the ASN, in the committees
in charge of IAEA standards projects. In addition, two new
IRSN experts were sent to the European Commission andthree to the IAEA.
In support of the ASN, the Institute also participated in preparations for and work on the second review meeting of the
Joint Convention on the safety of spent fuel management andon the safety of radioactive waste management, which took
place in May at the IAEA and was attended by the countries
and organizations that have signed the Convention.

IMPROVING RADIATION PROTECTION,
NUCLEAR SAFETY AND SECURITY
ABROADIn 2006, in liaison with the ASN, IRSN continued its technical dialogue with STUK on the safety of the EPR reactor
and extended it to the NRC. It conducted cooperation
initiatives focusing particularly on the transfer of computation software and experience sharing, especially with its
Chinese (NNSA-NSC, CNNC) and Indian (BARC) partners,
and on consolidating the Vietnamese safety authority(VARANSAC) and its technical support agency (VAEC).

in thewords of

Lothar HAHN,
Director of the GRS“I see our relations with IRSN as
being of great importance. We havegone from occasional cooperation
to a long-lasting partnership, whichenables Management of our two
entities to meet twice a year to
defi ne their medium- and long-term strategy
in all areas of activity undertaken by our
institutions.
GRS and IRSN form the core of the EUROSAFE
network, in association with their Belgian
counterpart, AVN. Together, we coordinate
this network, drive its development and plan
to extend it to other specialist organizations inorder to create synergy and share resources.
Technical safety organizations are irreplaceable
for maintaining skills and know-how. Together,
we will continue to harmonize technical safety
practices.
The European network of technical safety
organizations is not a substitute for our bilateral
partnership, which will continue to develop
between the 2,000 or so experts at GRS and
IRSN, with a view to setting up more and more
joint projects with a European framework.
The excellent relationship I have personallyestablished with Jacques REPUSSARD can only
contribute to this.”

In partnership with GRS, IRSN also took part in implementing European Commission and EBRD programs designed
to improve safety at nuclear facilities in Eastern Europe.
In the context of contracts managed by RISKAUDIT, asubsidiary of IRSN and GRS, IRSN cooperated with other
European technical safety organizations, participating inaround thirty projects in Armenia, Bulgaria, Lithuania,
Romania, Russia and the Ukraine.
Finally, the Institute stepped up its contribution to planningand implementing initiatives decided by Russia and France
as part of the global G8 partnership, mainly aimed at reducing the risks of proliferation by reinforcing security at naval
bases and improving monitoring of radioactive sources.

IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006 I

29

OWN
RESOURCESIRSN: valued knowledge
and know-how
Faced with a constant State subsidy in current Euros, IRSN is pursuing its efforts to develop
its own resources, in a context marked by a reduction in revenues associated with majorinternational safety research programs.

54,262 euros
of revenue
from the sale oflicenses

1,518,412
personal
dosimetersprovided and used
(1,610,000 in 2005)

47 third-party
surveys andcritical analyses ofhazard studies(42 in 2005)
738 services toanalyze drinking
water(856 in 2005)
150 services
to analyze
foodstuffs(145 in 2005)

174 operationalradiation protection
services(127 in 2005)

The Institute’s own resources comprise, on the one hand,joint funding for international research projects or studies
conducted within the framework of industrial partnershipprograms and, on the other hand, contractual services
ﬁnanced by clients. Clients are a growing source of income,
implying the need to adapt our organization in line withthe clients’ expectations and market needs. This requires
the integration of a commercial culture which contributes
to growth in the Institute’s own resources, in compliancewith its missions. Contracted services include studies, thesale of catalogue services, promoting research results inthe form of licenses, patents and the sale of digital products such as computational software and databases ofexperiment results. These services can be provided either
within a regulatory framework (radiological inspection ofwater, radioprotection of workers, etc.) or not (radiation
protection in the medical ﬁeld, safety studies for Eastern
European countries, etc.).

A DIVERSIFIED OFFER
The services proposed by IRSN are based on over 20 years’of know-how developed by its researchers, engineers andtechnicians in the ﬁeld of facilities safety and human andenvironmental radiation protection. It may be speciﬁc tothe nuclear industry, as in the case of radiation protection
for workers or the environment, inspections of radiation protection and measurement instruments (α, β, γand neutrons), radiological surveys of the environment,
radiological emergency procedures, or management ofradioactive sources, etc.
Some of this know-how is also accessible to industry
outside the nuclear sector. This includes, for example, thecharacterization of particle transfer at industrial facilities,
the behavior of containment equipment in the event ofﬁre, simulation of the behavior of industrial ventilation
systems, third-party assessments, critical examination

30 I I R S N A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 6of hazard studies on SEVESO facilities, the evaluation of
olfactory nuisances, etc.
The Institute’s range of commercial services has been
available on the website since July 2006. A selection ofthese services, referenced by the technology transfer
networks, promotes the development of links with SMEs,
as a driving force in innovation.
www.irsn.org - Services sectionwww.rdt-france.org

FILING PATENTS
Another source of ﬁnancial resources involves making useof research results by ﬁling patents and selling licenses
to industry.
In 2006, the terms and conditions under which inventors
are remunerated were deﬁned and raising awareness atlaboratories encourages teams to include ﬁling patents
when promoting the results of their research. Hence, as
well as publishing the ﬁ rst IRSN patent application in
November 2006, two other patents have been ﬁled andtwo others identiﬁed. These are now part of the portfolio
developed before the Institute was set up as an independent establishment.

CHANGES IN OWN RESOURCES
The overall level of the Institute’s own resources remained
stable, with a slight drop in 2006 due to less involvementfrom the Institute’s major traditional partners, such as
CEA, EDF and Areva.
However, the provision of services for other clients hasgrown substantially, corresponding to contracts won on
a competitive market.

TRAINING

IRSN IN 2006: REPORT AND OUTLOOKTraining at the serviceof risk prevention
One of the public service missions assigned to IRSN is to contribute to training in radiation protection for health professionals and people exposed to radiation in the course of their work.

In 2006, with the set up of a teaching delegation, newinitiatives were launched to consolidate teaching andtraining within IRSN. These activities are now an integral
part of programs to develop IRSN’s scientiﬁc and technical excellence.
Transmitting IRSN knowledge is one of the factors thathelps to promote the quality of the Institute’s work andattract recognition among the scientiﬁc community andcivil society.
At the same time, new training programs have been designed and others updated to better meet the needsof those concerned by exposure to ionizing radiation.
www.irsn.org

Jean-Luc REHEL,
in thewords ofEngineer in the medical
radiation protection expert unit

“The request for training inradiation protection fromhealth professionals is growing
significantly, given the developmentof radiological imaging techniquesand concern regarding the risks ofpatient exposure to ionizing radiation.
One of the Institute’s tasks is to contribute todeveloping a culture of radiation protection,by organizing training courses adapted to thespecific constraints in the healthcare sector.
Thanks to its knowledge of radiation protection
in hospital environments, IRSN held numerous
training sessions for health professionals.
As experts in this field, it is our duty to place
our know-how and our skill at the disposalof all concerned. These training courses are
obviously a reciprocal source of enrichment.
They also enable us to develop our knowledgeof the difficulties facing the healthcare sector in
optimizing use of ionizing radiation, while at thesame time improving patient care.”Special training courses adapted to various
medical techniques.

New in 2006: a training for people specializing in radiation
protection and who are responsible for ensuring safety forworkers likely to be exposed to ionizing radiation. According
to the stricter legislation regarding radiation protection forpatients and the obligations now incumbent upon healthprofessionals, the Institute is increasingly called upon tocarry out appraisals and provide training. In order to satisfy their requirements, training programs were reviewed
this year to take better account of the speciﬁc nature ofvarious medical techniques that use ionizing radiation. In
the ﬁeld of nuclear safety, an international training course
was launched, on methods for managing serious accidents
which could occur at nuclear plants, as part of the European SARNET network. Finally, the induction course forsafety engineers opened itself to a wider public in orderto provide a generalist approach to nuclear safety.

IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006 I

55 training
sessions
conducted inradiation protection(41 in 2005)
725 hoursof training given
in 55 sessions

900 people
attended training
in radiation
protection(600 in 2005)
1,610 hoursof training
given externally by
IRSN employees

31

IRSN Activities“Our commitment also implies knowing how to mobilize our know-how and technical resources
as quickly as possible to be able to respond at key moments, as we did in the case of radiotherapy
practices at Épinal Hospital.“Agnès FRANÇOIS – Researcher, radiopathology laboratory

IRSN ACTIVITIESCHALLENGE 1

CHALLENGE 2

CHALLENGE 3

Safety of existing
facilities

Safety of futurefacilities

Exposure of
the environment
and people

Page 34

Page 48

Page 52

CHALLENGE 4

CHALLENGE 5

CHALLENGE 6

CHALLENGE 7

Security offacilities and nuclear
materials

Emergency response

Effects ofchronic exposure

Protection in the
medical sector

Page 58

Page 64

Page 70

Page 74IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006 I

33

CHALLENGEHELP ENSURE A HIGH LEVEL OF SAFETY AND RADIATION PROTECTION
AT EXISTING FACILITIES UNTIL THE END OF THEIR SERVICE LIFE

1

Making progress on safety
Maintaining a high level of safety at existing nuclear facilities calls for constant vigilance. In
this context, IRSN examines the reasons given by operators for any changes planned, to theirfacilities, their operating practices or to the organizational procedures they implement. Thesecritical analyses, followed by submission of technical notices to the relevant authorities or ofreports to the relevant standing advisory group of experts, concern reactors, fuel cycle plants,
laboratories, transportation of radioactive materials, dismantling and waste management.
Furthermore, special attention is focused on analyzing incidents that have occurred during
facility operating, based on information provided by the operator, in order to learn from theexperience and avoid repetition in the future. In 2006, 905 incidents were notified by thevarious operators.
To fulfill these missions in a satisfactory manner, IRSN conducts research programs whichenable it to develop useful knowledge and bring about technical or organizational changes toachieve better control of nuclear risks. These research actions are largely conducted throughnational and international cooperation.

Monitoring facilities
The technical support provided by IRSN to theauthorities concerns, in particular, the safetyof reactors, fuel cycle plants, laboratories anddismantling, for which the Institute studies thetechnical ﬁles submitted by operators.

630 inspectionsof basic nuclear
facilities(630 in 2005)

22 meetings heldby standing
advisory groups(25 in 2005)

690 technicalreports to ASN(688 in 2005)
9,870
radioactive source
movements
recorded(10,000 in 2005)

ANOMALY IN THE SAFETY INJECTIONSYSTEM OF GRAVELINES REACTOR 3
During the shutdown of Reactor 3 at the Gravelines (Nord)
power plant in April 2005, the operator was faced withthe temporary unavailability of the reactor’s automatic
trip breakers, preventing performance of the regular safety
injection system test. In order to carry out this test within
the time allowed by the plant unit shutdown schedule,
the operator disconnected two electric wires in the instrumentation and control system (one on each train) tosimulate the closing of the corresponding breakers. This
type of action (using temporary provisions and resources)
may be resorted to in exceptional circumstances. After
carrying out the periodic test, the inspections performedby the operator were unable to detect that the wires
had been left unconnected, thus preventing the safety
injection system from operating correctly. EDF discovered and declared this anomaly in March 2006 during
the subsequent shutdown of the reactor following an
operating cycle.

34 I I R S N A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 6

This incident did not have any real impact while the facility
was in operation, but analysis conducted by IRSN in 2006
showed that its possible consequences could have been
serious. Indeed, this analysis gave a clearer picture of all
the functional consequences of the anomaly. In particular,
it was found that the automatic switching of the safety
injection system into circulation mode on the sumps
would not have been possible on either of the system’s
trains. Using its SIPA post-accident simulator, the Instituteconcluded that operators would not have had sufﬁcient
time to manually modify the system conﬁguration in a
number of accident situations. The safety injection system
would then have been irretrievably lost due to destructionof its pumps. In the absence of safety injection, prolonged
dewatering of the fuel results in core meltdown.
In its analysis of the causes of this incident, IRSN revealed
that the temporary provisions and resources had been
implemented as a matter of urgency and without complying with the applicable rules. The use of temporary
provisions and resources is the cause of a substantial
proportion of incidents, and errors in their implementation(ﬁtting and removal) can have serious consequences. The
Institute drew attention to the essential provisions thatmust be complied with when using temporary provisions
and resources.
Another of the lessons learned thanks to analysis of thisincident was that this anomaly was not detected by regularSkills, a vital link in the safety chain for facilities.

more
details

The safety injection
system

The main purpose of the safety injection
system is, in the event of a break on the
primary cooling system, to remove theresidual heat which continues to be releasedby the fuel after reactor shutdown.
At a fi rst stage, this system injects water into
the reactor from a large-capacity water tank.
When this tank is nearly empty, suction by
the injection pumps is automatically switchedto sumps located in the reactor containment
which collect water exiting the primarycooling system in order to continue to provide
reactor cooling.
The safety injection system comprises
two redundant trains.

Steamgenerator

Containment
Injectionpump

ReactorvesselWater tank

Break
Sumps
ValvesMANAGING THE SKILLS OF OPERATINGPERSONNEL AT EDF PRESSURIZED WATER
REACTORSEDF set up a skills management system to deﬁne professional specialization paths that are geared more to theindividual and to anticipate demand for skills more effectively. In 2006, IRSN examined the principles adopted
by EDF, the management arrangements made in its departments and its management practices regarding skills
management. This investigation revealed that, although
the EDF management system is satisfactory on the whole,
improvements should nevertheless be made in some areas.
Firstly, arrangements facilitating the presence of managers
on site should be reinforced, to identify needs and checkthat skills are correctly used. Furthermore, although the
management system appears to be efﬁcient within departments, skills management at local level has not yet
been ﬁnalized in the case of temporary activities carriedout within project frameworks.

IRSN ACTIVITIES

tests. IRSN stated that EDF should take steps to correct
this failing to avoid similar incidents occurring in the future. Given its importance in terms of safety, this matteris being closely followed up by the Institute.

FRONT END CYCLE FACILITIESIRSN drives improvements in the safety of facilities at thefront end of the fuel cycle
Romans-sur-Isère plant (Isère) – French-Belgian fuelmanufacturing plant
During the safety review of the nuclear fuel manufacturing
facility for research reactors, IRSN felt that the operation
feedback from this facility was, on the whole, satisfactory
but it nevertheless considered that the operator should
continue its efforts to reduce ﬁre risks, improve waste
management and reconsider the hypotheses it had adopted
regarding criticality risks.
As regards renovation work on the nuclear fuel manufacturing plant for power reactors, IRSN considered that themodiﬁcations made to the hydroﬂuoric acid condensation
station, conversion furnaces, sintering furnaces, pelletizing presses and pellet storage facilities were helping to
improve safety.

IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006 I

35

CHALLENGE
1HELP ENSURE A HIGH LEVEL OF SAFETY AND RADIATION PROTECTION
AT EXISTING FACILITIES UNTIL THE END OF THEIR SERVICE LIFE

Melox facility in Marcoule (Gard)
In examining the request to increase the production capacity of the Melox fuel manufacturing plant from 145
to 195 tons of heavy metal a year, IRSN considered thatthe increase in production should be made on a gradualbasis and that the validity of some of the hypotheses ofthe safety demonstration, concerning the radiation protection of workers, could only be veriﬁed by feedback on
actual experience. In this context, the Institute felt thatthe operator should step up its analysis of failures in thecontainment provided by glove boxes and of changes inreceived doses.

and the removal of this waste. The Institute considered thatthe actions which resulted in the placing of a double loadof ﬁssile material in a machine could have led to a loss ofcontrol of ﬁssile material masses at workstations, and that
this control was crucial to prevent criticality risks. IRSN
considered that the operator should swiftly take corrective action regarding procedures and human factors. The
relevant activities were suspended by the operator

Furthermore, IRSN considered that proposed modiﬁcationsof an automatic system to monitor ﬁssile material masses
were a means of improving facility safety and should be
rapidly implemented.

In May 2006, EDF submitted a request for authorization to set up an EPR nuclear reactor at
the Flamanville site (Manche). The safety ﬁlesconcerning the EPR reactor submitted for thispurpose were assessed by IRSN.

Plutonium technology workshop – CEA facility at
Cadarache (Bouches-du-Rhône)
IRSN transmitted an initial recommendation to ASN on
November 14, 2006 following the incident that occurred on
November 6, 2006 at the Cadarache plutonium technology
shop, involving the treatment of fuel manufacturing waste

EPR reactor

In the ﬁrst half of 2006, IRSN completed its assessmentof the corresponding technical ﬁ les and presented its
conclusions to the standing advisory group for reactors.
These conclusions concerned the following points, inparticular:
the qualiﬁcation of equipment for accident conditions;the prevention of spent fuel pit drainage accidents;
the risk of clogging safety injection water intakes into
sumps;
the principles of computerized control;
protection against certain hazards (ﬁre, internal explosion, external ﬂ ood risk, lightning and extreme cold
weather conditions);
probabilistic safety analysis;
methods of assessing the radiological consequences ofaccidents;
the production and treatment of radioactive efﬂuent
and waste;
the characteristics of the Flamanville site.

The Institute also drew up a report on the steps taken by
EDF in light of its undertakings and in response to ASN
requests regarding all the ﬁles previously examined.
In the second half of 2006, IRSN sent a recommendation
to ASN regarding draft technical instructions to be linked
to the authorization to build the reactor.

The Melox facility in Marcoule.

36 I I R S N A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 6

Protecting facilities from flood hazards.

Natural hazards constitute a risk for nuclear
facilities. In 2006, IRSN focused, in particular,
on earthquakes and ﬂooding due to externalcauses.

REVIEW OF BASIC SAFETY RULESREGARDING PROTECTION AGAINSTEARTHQUAKE AND FLOOD RISKSIn February 2006, IRSN presented its conclusions on a
draft review of the basic safety rule regarding seismic
calculations for civil engineering structures to the standing
advisory groups for reactors and plants. After a numberof amendments, the document was released in the formof a guide in June 2006.
In addition, since Autumn 2006, IRSN has been leadinga working group tasked with identifying phenomena
which could result in flooding of nuclear facilities due
to external causes (storms, continuous heavy rain, tides,
tsunamis, etc.) and examining methods to characterize rare or extreme events which may be caused byinternationalsuch phenomena or combinations of them. This group,
which comprises representatives of nuclear operators,
ASN and IRSN, along with experts from MEDD, Minéfi,
CETMEF, CEMAGREF, SHOM, Météo-France (the Frenchmeteorological service) and CNR, is to draw up a draft
guide which will replace the current basic safety ruleon flooding due to external causes, applicable to pressurized water reactors only. Its work will be continued
in 2007.

REVIEWING THE IAEA SAFETY GUIDEON FLOOD RISKS
Following the tsunami that swept the coasts of the
Indian ocean at the end of 2004, the IAEA formed aninternational working group in May 2006 to examine
the need to review the agency’s guides on the subject ofprotecting nuclear facilities against external flood risks
and to propose improvements considered necessary.
France was represented by IRSN, owing to its knowledge
on this subject and, notably, on improvements made toFrench nuclear power plants since the partial flooding of
the Le Blayais site (Gironde) in December 1999. All theexperts stressed the need to review IAEA guides.

IRSN ACTIVITIESNaturally-occurring hazards

Improving the safety of nuclear facilities
in East European countries

Cooperation programs in thisfield continued at a steadypace in 2006. These programs
concern the modernizationof safety-related systems,
such as reactor control andprotection systems andemergency cooling systems,
as well as the examinationof safety analyses such as
studies of normal operating
situations and accident
situations.

For RBMK reactors, IRSN
continued its participationin two projects regarding
Reactor No. 2 of the Iganlina
power plant in Lithuania. Oneof these projects concerns theinstallation of new motors on
the rods of the reactor control
and protection system andthe other concerns severe
accident analyses.
For VVER reactors, the Institutetook part in about 10 projects

in Armenia, Bulgaria, Russia
and Ukraine. In the field ofdismantling and waste, IRSN
participated in projects in
Bulgaria, Lithuania, Russia,
Ukraine and Kazakhstan.
An important part of all theseprojects is dedicated to thetransfer of western safety
approaches and methods tothe safety authorities andtechnical safety organizationsin the countries concerned.

IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006 I

37

CHALLENGE
1HELP ENSURE A HIGH LEVEL OF SAFETY AND RADIATION PROTECTION
AT EXISTING FACILITIES UNTIL THE END OF THEIR SERVICE LIFE

advisory group, mainly concern the assumptions adopted
by EDF in dimensioning certain systems, especially thoseused for monitoring control rod insertion and protection
against boiling crisis. Furthermore, IRSN considered thatthe technological limit of M5 TM alloy as regards the failureof fuel rods due to pellet-cladding interaction had notbeen demonstrated. Further studies and, in particular,
test results with power ramps are therefore required
from EDF before the Alcade management system can be
implemented.

GOOD PROGRESS ON FUEL BEHAVIOR IN
ACCIDENT SITUATIONSThe new Alcade management system
extends operating cycles.

New reactor fuels and their
management
The study of the thermomechanical behaviorof reactor fuel rods in the event of an accident
involving control rod ejection or loss of primarycoolant is aimed at ensuring their mechanicalstrength. Work is currently focused on new
advanced claddings and fuels envisaged byoperators and on new operating conditions inreactors.

Drawing up of a safety standard for future fuel management systems calls for the development and validationby IRSN of various software packages used to assess the
behavior of these fuels in accident situations.

a) Examining
a cracked fuelsampleb) Discretizationof the computation
area

EXAMINING THE NEW ALCADE FUELMANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR 1,450 MWE
REACTORS
The acceptability of the new Alcade fuel management
system proposed by EDF for 1,450 MWe reactors was examined by IRSN between the end of 2005 and mid-2006.
This management system has the effect of extending
operating cycles by increasing the initial enrichment of
the fuel and the number of new fuel assemblies reloadedon each shutdown. For the corresponding safety demonstration, EDF employed new methods based, notably, on
the use of 3D computing tools and also the use of M5TM
alloy as the material for the cladding and structure of fuelassemblies.
On completion of this study, IRSN presented its conclusions
to the standing advisory group for reactors in September
2006. The Institute’s reservations, taken up by the standing

38 I I R S N A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 6c) Simulationof crack propagation

Cracking of UO2 fuel under mechanical loadingin the presence of fi ssion gas at grain boundaries.

DRACCAR software, whose development began in 2005,
is aimed at modeling the deformations that occur in fuelrod assemblies in the event of a loss of primary coolant
accident. A new interpretation of the results regarding
mechanical and thermal interactions observed between
rods during PHEBUS tests was put forward on the basisof the calculations already performed.
Furthermore, operations for the detailed modeling of thethermomechanical behavior of claddings and fuel pellets
were conducted in the context of close cooperation withCNRS and various university laboratories. These haveresulted in signiﬁcant progress, especially in understanding
the basic phenomena of clad cracking during accidentsof the above-mentioned types. The effects of irradiationand ﬁssion gases on the behavior of UO2 porosities werealso modeled.

Test enclosure for NSRR.

CLOSE COOPERATION BETWEEN FRANCE
AND JAPAN IN THE FIELD OF REACTIVITYACCIDENTS
In the context of the international CABRI-CIP program focused on the study of the behavior of fuel during a reactivity
study, close cooperation between IRSN and JAEA involves
the secondment of IRSN staff to Tokaimura in Japan overa period of several years. A test program jointly deﬁned
by JAEA and IRSN, dedicated to the study of the dynamic
behavior of ﬁssion gases present in highly irradiated fuels, isunder preparation. In addition, the detailed analysis of tests
performed in the Japanese NSRR reactor made it possible,
using SCANAIR software, to model heat exchanges between
claddings and water in NSRR fast transients.
This cooperation has also given IRSN access to the resultsof certain tests conducted for the Japanese ALPS program,and these will also be analyzed and interpreted in close
liaison with those of the CABRI-CIP program. All thesetests, concerning advanced fuels (UO2, MOX with highburnup rate, fuel with additives, etc.) and new cladding
alloys (M5TM, Zirlo, etc.), are aimed at studying the effectof the microstructure of highly irradiated fuel and theenergy injection rate on the strength of claddings, and theconsequences of rod failure.

IRSN ACTIVITIESIn this context, the purpose of SCANAIR software, jointly
funded by EDF, is to model the behavior of a fuel rod
subjected to a sudden power change. It is used in Franceby IRSN and EDF, as well as in Japan (JAEA), the UnitedStates (NRC), Belgium (AVN) and Spain (CSN), for control
rod ejection accidents. Version 5 of this software, suppliedat the end of 2006, takes into account all the results of
the CABRI program and of the Japanese NSRR program,and its ability to predict the various failure modes for acladding during a transient rod ejection accident has been
demonstrated.

Alain CHABOD,
in thewords of

Head of the department responsible for the assessmentof thermal-hydraulics, control, cores and fuels“Fuel management
presents major
technological,
industrial andfinancial challenges.
EDF wishes tooptimize the operation of its
power plants by extending
the length of cycles andincreasing the burnup rate offuel assemblies.
These developments may
have an important impact, in
terms of safety,on the behavior of fuel andits cladding (the fi rst barrier).
As a provider of technicalsupport to the safety authority,
IRSN is responsible forassessing the various fi les
submitted by the operator.
In order to be able to give
appropriate recommendations
on proposed developments,
the Institute must possess
expertise in many different
areas: mechanics,
thermal-hydraulics, material

physics and neutronics.
To support this expertise,
IRSN conducts importantresearch and development
work in order to obtainbetter knowledge of fuellimits in the most hypotheticalsituations and to be an
authoritative source ofproposals regarding thedevelopment of safety
requirements.”

IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006 I

39

CHALLENGE
1HELP ENSURE A HIGH LEVEL OF SAFETY AND RADIATION PROTECTION
AT EXISTING FACILITIES UNTIL THE END OF THEIR SERVICE LIFE

Fire and dispersionof radioactive materials
Controlling the risk of dispersion of radioactive
materials is a major safety objective. Fire candamage the containment, ventilation and ﬁltration systems designed to prevent dispersion. In
these areas, IRSN is developing assessment tools
and conducting studies and research in cooperation with various partners.

PICSEL: HOW DO ELECTRICAL CABINETSBURN?
The PICSEL program, launched in 2004, is jointly ﬁnancedby IRSN and Areva NC. Its purpose is to study the dynamics
of ﬁre occurring in a nuclear environment: in a laboratory,
workshop or plant. Following two test campaigns on ﬁrephenomenology in various types of electrical cabinet andon the breakdown of glove box components and waste
drum elements, tests were conducted in 2006 to study anelectrical cabinet ﬁre in an isolated room and, thereafter,
in a room connected to other premises via a ventilation
system with calibrated openings. For these tests, carried

opening
up tosociety

PICSEL experimental team.

out in the DIVA facility, actual or simulated cabinets wereused, with and without doors. In the tests with the cabinet
door closed, a sudden ignition phenomenon was noted
along with excess pressure in the premises where the ﬁreoccurred, resulting in a reversal of air circulation in the air
inlet duct, thereby affecting target rooms in a conﬁguration
involving several rooms.

Cooperation with the French National School
for Fire Service Officers and the Paris Police
Headquarters Central Laboratory

IRSN organizes meetings with
non-nuclear parties that may
be interested in some of its
research topics.
In this way, areas of cooperationin research and training wereidentified with the national
school for fi re service officers(ENSOSP), and this has alreadybeen followed up by organizing
practical action exercises in a
hot laboratory at the Cadarache
center (Bouches-du-Rhône).
A framework agreement forcooperation is being prepared.
Shared interest in developing
simulation tools and databasesin the areas of fi re andexplosion have already resulted
in a cooperation agreement
signed between IRSN and
the Paris police headquarters
central laboratory (LCPP).
Work has started on two
projects: comparison of theresults of large-scale fi re

40 I I R S N A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 6

simulation using the FDS
software (LCPP) and ISIS
software (IRSN) and a study on

the conditions and mechanismsof ignition of electrical andelectronic equipment.

Search for contamination in a hot cell.

ULTRAFINE AEROSOLS: NANOPARTICLEMETROLOGY, EMISSION
CHARACTERIZATION AND FILTRATIONThe use of lasers during dismantling and clean-up of nuclear
facilities results in the emission of ultraﬁne aerosols liable
to cause speciﬁc problems insofar as concerns measuring, containing and ﬁltering them as well as radiologicalhazards for service personnel.
Fire scenarios in the DIVA facility.

In a more general context, the development of nanotechnologies raises questions on the risks associatedwith nanoparticles measuring between 1 and 100 nm.
Recent studies show that, to assess their toxicity, it would
be more appropriate to think in terms of deployed area
than in terms of weight. At IRSN, work was started inconjunction with INRS on the metrology of the deployed
area of nanoparticles. Initial studies in 2006 identiﬁed
physical mechanisms that could be used to assess thisarea, such as the ﬁxing of ions on the surface of particles.
This method, which was validated for the case of ideal
spherical particles, is being studied for the case of particles
that are representative of real industrial conditions, suchas nanoparticle aggregates.

Some recent studies may, moreover, show a reduction in
the air cleaning efﬁciency of conventional ﬁbrous ﬁlters
for particles smaller than 25 nm, which would contradict
existing knowledge of ﬁltration. IRSN can provide a better
understanding in this ﬁeld by proposing a meticulously
validated method together with development of a bench
for the production of standard nanoparticles between 3
and 40 nm and the use of ideal ﬁlters (calibrated metal
screens) whose performances can be easily modeled. The
ﬁrst results obtained in 2006 did not show any decrease in
the air cleaning efﬁciency of the ideal screens for particles
smaller than 25 nm.

international

PRISME: how doesfi re propagate inrooms?

IRSN ACTIVITIESIn order to assess the risks generated by these ultraﬁneparticles, appropriate measuring equipment is required
and the emission sources must be characterized. In addition, suitable containment systems should be used. A
study conducted at IRSN, in cooperation with CEA andAreva NC, aims to characterize the particles produced bylaser paint stripping. The size of the particles formed is
between 5 and 100 nm. A relation between the number ofparticles and the energy deposited per unit area (known
as ﬂuence) by the laser on the material was noted. This
will be used to facilitate the design of suitable containment devices.

In order to improve our understanding of
how fi re propagates through a series ofrooms connected by doors and a ventilation
system, IRSN proposed an international
research program, known as PRISME, which
has been launched for a fi ve-year period.
This program, carried out under the aegis of
the OECD, is supported by Belgium, Canada,
Finland, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands,
Spain and Sweden, and these countries may
soon be joined by the United States and South
Korea. On the French side, IRSN is partneredby EDF and DGA, and discussions arein progress on CEA joining this partnership.
The program started in 2006 with the
PRISME DOOR test campaign (on propagation
through doors), with the aim of characterizing
the transfer of heat, gas and soot throughan open door separating two or three rooms,
one of which contains a fi re. These tests aremainly being conducted by IRSN at its DIVA
facility. The project partners will be able touse the results to compare their calculations
with the experimental results and so evaluate
the ability of various models to simulate fi rescenarios.

Particles produced during the synthesis of SiC nanopowder.

IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006 I

41

CHALLENGE
1HELP ENSURE A HIGH LEVEL OF SAFETY AND RADIATION PROTECTION
AT EXISTING FACILITIES UNTIL THE END OF THEIR SERVICE LIFE

more
details

Multi-year program on the effectsof wind on containment of radioactive
materials in buildings

Modeling of the effects of windon air flows in facilities andexchanges with the outside iscurrently inadequate insofar as
concerns the effects of pressureand negative pressure onbuildings and owing to thelack of qualification of air flow
models. A multi-year research
program was launched by IRSN
in order to improve assessmentof the influence of wind on
contamination transfers.

Wind tunnel tests must becontinued for a new facility
mockup including a ventilation
network.

The fi rst step entailed assessing
the capability of the CFX
multidimensional software tofi nd the pressures obtained
during wind tunnel tests in 2005
on two mockups representing,respectively, buildings of the“reactor” type and “laboratory
and plant” type. Satisfactory
results were obtained whencomparing the experimental
results and the digital resultsin 2006.

Core meltdown accidents
The aim of research carried out into core meltdown accidents is to develop an adequate understanding of the phenomena involved in order toassess the associated risks including, in particular,
predictable releases of radioactive materials into
the containment and then into the environment.
This primarily concerns radioactive iodine whichis the main short-term radiological risk for the
population.

NEW TESTS FOR BETTER MODELING
OF SEVERE ACCIDENTS
Analysis of current results from the international PHEBUS
FP and SOURCE TERM programs, both focused on the
study of releases which may result from a core meltdown
accident in a pressurized water reactor, was continued
throughout 2006.
Unexpectedly, FPT3, the last PHEBUS FP test during whicha boron carbide control rod was used (similar to those used
in 1,300 MWe and 1,450 MWe reactors and the EPR reac-

42 I I R S N A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 6The experimental results
will be compared withthose obtained using SYLVIA
software.

3D modeling to simulate the effects of wind on buildings.

tor), revealed the presence of considerable quantities ofgaseous iodine in the containment as from the beginningof fuel degradation. This gaseous iodine was not retainedby the ﬁlters and therefore presented a high potential for
dispersion in the environment (see box opposite).
The SOURCE TERM program saw completion of the CHIP
test devices used to study the chemistry of iodine in the
primary cooling system and carried out the following
tests:
two series of tests at the EPICUR facility concerning
the radiolysis of iodine in the aqueous phase and theformation of organic iodides in the gaseous and aqueous
phases. The results will be used for future assessmentsof possible iodine releases;
a series of tests regarding the study of the chemistryof ruthenium: this revealed the presence of signiﬁcantquantities of volatile ruthenium oxide in the containment
in certain conditions;several MOZART test campaigns on the oxidization by
air of fuel claddings of Zircaloy-4 or M5TM alloy. These
showed that the models used until now do not take all
the phenomena observed into account;A new assessment standard to protect man and the environment.

All these results are used to improve the ASTEC software
for the simulation of a core meltdown accident in a pressurized water reactor.

Radiological consequencesof accidents
IRSN analyzed the new standard for the assessment of radiological consequences, which covers
both assessment of the activity released outside
the containment and the dosimetric impact on
man and the environment.

EXAMINATION OF THE NEW STANDARD
FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF RADIOLOGICALCONSEQUENCES OF ACCIDENTS
In 2006, IRSN analyzed the new standard proposed by
EDF for the assessment of the radiological consequencesof accidents. This new standard will be applicable toreactors in service and to the EPR reactor project. The
Institute examined the radiological objectives and themarker values proposed by EDF for design basis accidents
for reactors in service, as well as the methods and hypotheses adopted to assess radioactive releases associated with the various accident situations not leading tocore meltdown. For the EPR project, IRSN also carriedout a detailed appraisal of accident situations involving
core meltdown aimed at factoring them in at the design
stage. In addition, the Institute analyzed the method andhypotheses proposed by EDF to assess the impact of accidental radioactive releases on man and the environment.
IRSN’s analysis was presented to the standing advisorygroup for reactors in June and July 2006. EDF will make
improvements, in terms of methods or hypotheses, tothe standard initially proposed.

moredetails

PHEBUS FPT3,
unexpectedbehavior of iodine

In assessing possible releases or radioactive
elements into the environment in case ofa reactor core meltdown, special attention
is paid to iodine which makes a major
contribution to calculated doses inthe short term. Iodine can be released in
the containment in the form of particles
or in gaseous form, these forms being more
prone to leakage to the outside.
As from the beginning of core degradation
during the FPT3 test, 80% of the iodine
present in the containment was in gaseous
form, this value being much higher than
expected.
This test shows that gaseous iodine is
rapidly trapped on painted surfaces of thecontainment. In a radioactive environment,
the interaction of gaseous iodine with paints
leads to the formation of volatile organic
iodides which are then partially destroyed
to form less volatile compounds. For thisreason, after a few hours, the concentration of
gaseous iodine in the containment returns to
the levels measured in previous tests. Studies
are now being conducted to assess the impactof these results on calculations of radioactive
releases in case of a severe accident.

Gaseous
seous iodine
iodi concentr
entration
ation
in the containment
contai(aarbitrary
yu
unit)

IRSN ACTIVITIESa ﬁ rst test series on the study of the oxidisation ofboron carbide/steel mixtures in the presence of steam.
This showed that material transfers must be taken into
account in reactor core degradation models.

FPT3: samples
FPT3: online gamma measurement
FPT2: samples

17
15

Mosstlstlly gaseo
stly
ous iodinee

13
11
9
7
5

M ly
Most
y aerosol
erosol iodine
iod

3
1
1

1240
0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

Time (hour)

Evolution of gaseous iodine in the containment.

IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006 I

43CHALLENGE
1HELP ENSURE A HIGH LEVEL OF SAFETY AND RADIATION PROTECTION
AT EXISTING FACILITIES UNTIL THE END OF THEIR SERVICE LIFE

implementation and project management which, in thepast, have led CEA to face difﬁculties to comply with someof its commitments, especially as regards the recovery of
waste temporarily stored in pits in the CEA storage site
in Cadarache (Bouches-du-Rhône).

REVISING THE SAFETY REPORT ON
THE AUBE DISPOSAL CENTER

The CEA decided to install a new facility for processing
and storing type B, low and medium radioactive waste.
This new facility is the CEDRA project, “Radioactive wasteconditioning and storage”.

Decommissioning and waste
IRSN assesses the safety of ﬁnal shutdown operations followed by dismantling of old reactors andold fuel cycle facilities. It also examines the safetyof facilities for the storage of short-lived, low- andmedium-level waste, operated by Andra.

EXAMINATION OF THE APPROPRIATENESSOF CEA’S DISMANTLING STRATEGY FORCIVILIAN FACILITIESOn December 6, 2006, IRSN presented the standing
advisory group with its assessment of the appropriateness of CEA’s civil facilities clean-up and dismantlingplan for 2015.
The Institute examined the safety aspects of CEA’s strategy
and its application to the facilities in question as well as
the means planned for implementation (waste and efﬂuent
management, management of waste packages and transport containers, organization and ﬁnancing methods).
IRSN considered that the strategy adopted by CEA, backed
by the provision of a special fund, was globally satisfactoryfrom the safety point of view and that the stated cleanup operations and dismantling schedules should ensure
an acceptable level of safety for the relevant facilities
through to their the termination of the licence. However,
IRSN drew attention to difﬁ culties regarding program

44 I I R S N A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 6

IRSN examined the revised version of the ﬁ nal safety
report on Andra’s disposal center at Aube, together withthe related new operating rules. Its conclusions were
presented to the standing advisory group on June 20,
2006. The Institute’s examination focused primarily on
the following points:
feedback on the quality of waste packages received at
the center;
exposure levels for workers and the general public;
ﬁre hazards;
progress on the study of design regarding the coveringof the storage facility;
the deﬁnition and justiﬁcation of “items that are important for safety”.
feedback of the ﬁrst years of operating
Overall, operating safety at the center appeared to besatisfactory. Nevertheless, IRSN drew attention to theneed for some improvements concerning, in particular,
package speciﬁcations, target performances for the storage
facility’s coverage, analysis of ﬁre and explosion hazards
and dose rates inside and around the transit building.
Furthermore, modiﬁcations planned by Andra were also
examined. The planned extension of the storage area andthe reception of large packages appeared to be acceptablesubject to certain additional supporting evidence. On theother hand, IRSN expressed opposition to the receptionof packages containing sealed sources with a half-life of
more than 30 years.

Aerial view of the Aube disposal facility.

AMETHYSTE nuclear attack submarine (RUBIS type).

ASSESSING THE SAFETY OF MILITARY NUCLEAR SYSTEMS, BASIC NUCLEAR FACILITIES AND DEFENSE-RELATED TRANSPORTSYSTEMS.
Action in this ﬁeld is undertaken by IRSN in thecontext of technical support to the Delegate fornuclear safety and radiation protection of defense-related facilities and activities (DSND), an
authority that comes under the supervision of
the Defense and Industry Ministers.

SAFETY OF SUBMARINES, AIRCRAFTCARRIERS AND DEFENSE-RELATEDMILITARY OR CIVILIAN FACILITIESThe assessment carried out by the Institute covers every
stage in the life cycle (from design through to dismantling)of these facilities used by the armed forces, CEA, Areva or
EADS. It also covers major changes made at these facilities
for the purpose of future activities.
Design and construction
In 2006, IRSN examined the safety of:
nuclear submarines in the Barracuda program (see box
opposite),the future treatment unit for alpha-emitter contaminatedwaste at the Marcoule facility (Gard).
The Institute also examined the plan to renovate part of
the facility at CEA’s Cadarache center (Bouches-du-Rhône)
dedicated to the manufacture of fuel for naval propulsion
reactors. The renovated workshop will accommodate a new
production line, the design of which must comply with current safety standards including, in particular, those regarding
earthquake risk.
The Institute also examined adaptations to the Marcoule
vitriﬁcation shop(1) proposed by the operator for the purposeof receiving alpha-emitter contaminated waste.
Operation
The level of safety at a facility depends not only on its
design but, in particular, on the quality of maintenanceand servicing operations. For this reason, IRSN was asked,
in 2006, to examine the ﬁle concerning the ﬁrst scheduled
downtime for maintenance and repairs (IPER)(2) of Le Triomphant, a French nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine(SNLE). IRSN assessed the preventive maintenance policy
implemented, paying special attention to the submarine’s
safety systems, instrumentation and control, and power
generating plant. The IRSN’s report covered the following
points in particular:
inspection programs for equipment contributing to thecontainment of radioactive substances,
the standard preventive maintenance schedule for equipment related to nuclear safety.
Furthermore, for the purposes of the periodic safety review,
IRSN reassessed the safety of a facility using tritium at the
CEA center in Valduc (Côte-d’Or), especially with regard
to ﬁre, explosion and earthquake risks. It gave its position

more
details(1) High-activity
liquid waste
treatment process(2) Scheduled
downtime formaintenance andrepairs (IPER) entails
the periodic overhaulof all onboard
equipment, including
the nuclear reactor
and its auxiliaries.
This procedureveriﬁes that all
equipment comply
with approved safety
requirements andclears them for
operation until
the next scheduled
downtime formaintenance andrepairs.

IRSN ACTIVITIESABOUT DEFENSE

Barracuda Program

The purpose of this major Defense Ministry
program is to bring six new nuclear attack
submarines into service as from 2017.
In the fi rst half of 2006, IRSN completed
its assessment of the general safety objectives
and of the preliminary safety report forthis new type of submarine. Its assessmentof this report noted that significant progress
had been made compared with previous
submarine generations by taking into accounthazards and core meltdown accidents as fromthe design stage.

107 technicalnotiﬁcations to
the Defense nuclear
safety authority(DSND)(132 in 2005)

Barracuda Project: model of nuclear attack
submarine (SNA).

IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006 I

8 meetings held bysafety commissions(13 in 2005)

45

CHALLENGE
1HELP ENSURE A HIGH LEVEL OF SAFETY AND RADIATION PROTECTION
AT EXISTING FACILITIES UNTIL THE END OF THEIR SERVICE LIFEon the appropriateness of improvements planned by CEA
to ensure the safe operation of this facility for the coming
ten years.
Dismantling
IRSN continued its assessment of the safety of operations to
dismantle a number of facilities at the CEA site in Marcoulein 2006. In particular, this focused on the safety of operations to decommission and dismantle the UP1 plant (see box
below), the decladding shop and MAR 400 shop.
IRSN also issued reports on dismantling SUPERPHENIX reactor sub-assemblies and on the storage of fuel rods from thePHENIX reactor at the irradiated fuel assembly monitoring
facility (ISAI). The bitumen waste drum recovery and packaging containment (ERCF) at the liquid efﬂuent treatment
plant (STEL) was also examined.
Furthermore, regarding the Areva NC facility in Pierrelatte(Drôme) and the facilities located there, the Institute issued
reports on the dismantling of gas diffusion facilities (UDG)
and the last operations in the diffusion building before
permanent shutdown of operations.

moredetails

SAFETY OF DEFENSE-RELATED MILITARY OR
CIVILIAN NUCLEAR ACTIVITIESTransportation of radioactive materials
Among the many ﬁles dealt with in 2006, IRSN appraised a
new package model (IR800) designed for the dry transportof irradiated fuel elements in naval propulsion nuclear reactors. As a result of this appraisal, CEA improved the safetyof this model.
IRSN also gave DSND its opinion on an incident that occurredat the CEA center in Cadarache, concerning a fuel transferfrom the new generation reactor (RNG) to the experimental
reactor (RES) by means of a BK15 packaging (unsuitableprocedures implemented).
Internal emergency plans (PUI)
IRSN’s work in 2006 focused on the internal emergency
plans for the Ile Longue site and nuclear-powered ballistic
missile submarines (SNLE) of the Le Triomphant type. The
corresponding assessments were carried out simultaneously in order to check the consistency and satisfactoryinterlinking of the emergency organizations described inDismantling the UP1 plantat the Marcoule site (Gard)

The UP1 plant was France’s
fi rst irradiated fuel treatment
plant, in service from 1958 to
1997. Since its fi nal shutdown, it
has undergone decommissioning
and dismantling operations.
In October 2006, IRSN presented
its position on continuingthese operations to the safetycommissions responsible forlaboratories, plants and waste.
The analysis showed that

feedback was satisfactory:
most of the radioactive material
had been removed without
any significant incident andthe exposure of personnel wasunder proper control.
The position submitted by
IRSN stressed the importanceof organizational and humanfactors which are possible
causes of incidents.
It also dealt with the defi nitionof treatment and storage
systems for radioactive waste
containing high levels of alphaemitters.
IRSN also submitted a positionon the targeted fi nal radiologicalsituation at the end of operations
and on the continuation of
those operations on the basisof an updated, validated safety
standard.

The Marcoule facility.

46 I I R S N A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 6

these two plans which are likely to be implemented at thesame time.
In addition, a three-party working group (DSND, French
Navy and IRSN) was set up to conduct an overall assessmentof the four internal emergency plans for the facilities andactivities at the Toulon naval base.

The naval docks in Brest.

Other activities
In 2006, IRSN examined the 2004 annual report on the radiological and geo-mechanical monitoring of the Mururoa
and Fangataufa atolls, presented by France’s nuclear test
center monitoring department (DSCEN). In particular, thisassessment covered the results of measurements of radiological activity in the atmosphere and in ground water.

IRSN ACTIVITIESRadioactive sources
About 25 facilities where radioactive sources are held or usedhave already been placed under DSND control. Some of them
have received only provisional clearance at present.
IRSN increased its technical support to DSND in 2006 so thatit could issue new permanent clearances. The transfer to thisauthority of the control of facilities having received clearance
from the Interministerial Commission for Artiﬁcial Radioelements (CIREA) before 2002 is expected to continue.
In addition, IRSN monitors the movements of sources held atthese facilities and records them in a national database.

A report is drawn up on radiological and geo-mechanicalmonitoring of the atolls every year.

IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006 I

47

CHALLENGE

DEVELOP, IN ADVANCE, THE EXPERTISE AND APPRAISAL RESOURCES REQUIREDTO ASSESS THE RISKS POSED BY FUTURE NUCLEAR FACILITIES

2

Preparing for the future
In order to provide the most appropriate expert appraisals concerning projects for futurenuclear facilities, the Institute carries out research aimed at proposing safety objectives anddeveloping, well in advance, the expertise required to perform detailed technical assessmentson the safety of new reactors and nuclear waste disposal facilities.

Future reactors
IRSN identiﬁes and assesses safety problems relative to industry plans for the facilities that will
replace the current generations of reactors. Thisimplies that the research topics to be investigatedmust be deﬁned accurately enough to be able toconduct appropriate assessments.

SAFETY OF GENERATION IV REACTORSAt the beginning of 2006, the President of France announced the commissioning of a prototype reactor
before the end of 2020, and this announcement wasreflected in the Planning Act of June 2006 on sustainable
management of radioactive waste materials. In 2006,
IRSN drew up a report on safety and radiation protection issues raised by the six types of reactor studied

Didier PERRAULT, inin thewords ofcharge of safety monitoring
for the ITER project“The ITER project is a special
case in many respects. First of all,it involves nuclear fusion, a field
in which IRSN has little expertise.
What is more, it calls for the useof rather unusual equipment(such as a ring shaped vacuum chamber
and a complex magnetic system). All thisknowledge has to be acquired before we canassess the facility’s safety.
There are seven partners in the international
ITER project (Europe, Japan, the UnitedStates, South Korea, China, Russia and India),and each will supply part of the equipment.
Technical discussions were initiated withthe operator, well before the release of thepreliminary safety analysis report which isscheduled for the end of 2007.
These discussions will probably be lengthy
and complex.
This is a growing field of activity for IRSN
and it should last a long time, so we areconsidering research actions to prepare
future safety assessments.”

within the framework of the Generation IV International Forum (GIF). The six types of reactor have not allreached the same level of maturity. The only ones forwhich significant industrial experience has so far beendeveloped are helium-cooled high or very high temperature thermal neutron reactors and sodium-cooled
fast neutron reactors.

HTR/VHTR reactors are capable of producing
high temperatures (800 to 1,000°C).

48 I I R S N A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 6

The Institute has started to examine the issues which
may require research and the skills to be maintained,
reactivated or acquired.

SETTING UP A NEUTRONICS CENTERIRSN has launched a new project involving the neutronics
of cores and systems containing ﬁssile materials. The aim is
to develop the tools and skills required to conduct criticalanalysis of the most credible designs for Generation IV
reactors and the corresponding fuel cycle facilities.
These tools and skills will also enrich expertise on nuclear
facilities currently in service or under construction. The
scientiﬁc scope of this project includes:
the means of creating and managing nuclear datalibraries;
computer codes and tools to process results;
methods of analyzing the impact of various types of
uncertainty;
expertise regarding qualiﬁcation of the tools.

STUDY PROGRAM ON REACTIVITYACCIDENTS
This program, launched in 2005 and continued in 2006, isaimed at assessing the consequences of an explosive Borax

SIMMER software, initially used to model a rapid powerchange in fast neutron reactors, underwent major adaptations to its neutronics module in 2006. A cooperationagreement was signed on this subject with the German
research center, FzK, which is responsible for this software.
Furthermore, certain neutronics parameters calculated
by SIMMER software were validated by comparison withthose determined using APOLLO 2 software, with a viewto using SIMMER software for experimental thermal neutron reactors.
In addition, so as to be able to assess the safety ﬁle for theJules Horowitz reactor project, IRSN undertook analysisof the thermal-hydraulic processes occurring during rapid
power change and steam explosion, using MC3D simulation software developed by IRSN with CEA.

RAPHAEL: developing European researchon very high temperature gas reactors

The aim of the RAPHAEL
project, within the framework of
the FP6, is to carry out important
R&D actions at European level
to demonstrate the feasibility of
an industrial prototype of a very
high-temperature gas reactor.
It involves around 30 industrial
fi rms, universities and researchbodies.

by experimental measurements
scheduled for 2007 on irradiatedfuel samples in the HFR reactor
at Petten (Netherlands).

Graphite reactor core
Control rods
Graphitereflector

Pump

IRSN’s contribution, initially
focused on analysis of thereactor’s behavior in an accident
situation, has been extended toinclude the study of the behavior
of its fuel in various irradiation
conditions.
A number of studies andcalculations have been performed
in order to assess the release offission products under irradiationand their physicochemicalinteractions with the fuel coating.
The results obtained will becompared with those obtained

IRSN ACTIVITIESinternational

reactivity accident for French experimental reactors and,notably, for the Jules Horowitz reactor project. For thesereactors, fast reactivity insertion causes a rapid powerincrease and then practically instantaneous meltdownof the fuel, followed by a steam explosion.

Water

OxygenHeat
Sink
Heliumcoolant fluid

Reactor

Fan
Heat exchanger

Hydrogen production system

Hydrogen

Block diagram of a 600 MWth VHTR reactor.

IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006 I

49

CHALLENGE
2

DEVELOP, IN ADVANCE, THE EXPERTISE AND APPRAISAL RESOURCES REQUIREDTO ASSESS THE RISKS POSED BY FUTURE NUCLEAR FACILITIESDeep disposal facilities
IRSN is developing modeling tools and carryingout studies and research work in order to extend
its expertise regarding the safety of future radioactive waste disposal facilities in deep geologicalformations.

ORGANIZING RESEARCH IN THE FIELD OF
DEEP DISPOSAL FACILITIESThe French Act of June 28, 2006 relative to sustainable
management of radioactive waste materials set the dateof 2015 for the assessment of the application to develop
a reversible geological disposal facility for high-activity,
long-life waste. In 2006, IRSN surveyed the actions it
will be required to take in order to be able to draw up a
relevant technical notice on the application to develop
the facility, which Andra is expected to submit by the
speciﬁed deadline. These actions include the following
in particular:
develop a better understanding of the major safetyrelated phenomena for which there are or will be few
sources of information;
develop the capability to model these phenomena, taking
account of the experimental results obtained;

carry out analysis and simulations using models in order to independently assess whether the containment
performances that the disposal facility may be expected
to provide are well founded.
In constructing its program, IRSN relied on its own experience in this ﬁeld including, notably, the assessment of
the feasibility of repositories in an argillaceous medium.
A detailed multi-year program will be deﬁned in 2007. It
is already apparent that there should be two successive
study phases:
the ﬁrst will aim to produce a notice, in 2010, on the likely
site for the disposal facility and on the appropriatenessof the design options retained by Andra;
the second will entail assessment of the application forauthorization to develop the disposal facility.
IRSN will examine the research work notably carried out
at the Bure underground laboratory (Meuse) by Andra.
Further more IRSN’s scientiﬁ c board will examine theresearch carried out by IRSN in Tournemire experimental
center (Aveyron).

TOURNEMIRE: WORKING TOWARD AN
INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH PLATFORM
In order to conduct its research work on the safety ofstoring radioactive waste in an argillaceous formation,
IRSN relies, in particular, on the Tournemire experimental center. Indeed, the similarities between the argillite
at the Bure and Tournemire sites mean that there is ahigh probability that their behavior will be similar and,
therefore, the Tournemire site’s access facilities (a railway
tunnel) can be used to study the following points at alimited cost:damage related to the excavation of underground structures;the efﬁ ciency of tight sealing and supporting structures;the effects of thermal-hydromechanical disturbanceson radioactivity containment properties;
chemical interactions between the main componentsof the disposal facility;
detection of fractures in the geological environment of
the disposal facility and their possible role with regard
to the transfer of radionuclides.

Simulation of radionuclide flows in deep disposal projects.

50 I I R S N A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 6

These programs will be conducted within the framework of cooperation with institutions concerned withthe disposal of radioactive waste and the properties ofargillites. For this purpose, IRSN organized several visits
to the Tournemire site in 2006 and established con-

Research on the deep disposal of high-activity, long-life waste carried out at Tournemire was presented
to the IRSN Scientific Board on February 22, 2006 during a visit to the facility.

tact with many scientists in the various disciplines concerned. Cooperation has been arranged, in France, with the
CNRS, the universities of Montpellier (Hérault) and Orsay(Essonne), INERIS, the Laboratoire Central des Ponts
et Chaussées and the Institut Français du Pétrole, and,Seminar on governance of nuclear waste
and analysis of public debate

IRSN and Ancli conductedvarious actions regarding thegovernance of nuclear waste
in 2006, including the joint
organization of a seminar oninternational feedback on thisissue. The topics presented at
this seminar included workon the European COWAM
program, in which Ancli and

IRSN are involved.
More than 50 participants(IRSN, Cli, and interested
government departments andbusinesses) attended this oneday event. It was followed by an
Ancli/IRSN working meeting
focused on shared expertise inwaste management.

IRSN and Ancli also launched
the joint production ofa CD-ROM covering the main
points of the public debate
concerning nuclear waste,from the angles of governanceand participation of local
players in decision-making
processes.

IRSN ACTIVITIES

opening
up tosocietyabroad, with CEN-SCK (Belgium) and the universities ofBerne (Switzerland), Minneapolis (USA) and Clausthal(Germany).
IRSN’s intention is now to make the Tournemire site a
research center for disposal in geological formations thatis open to the international community.

J. REPUSSARD, J. LABROYE (INERIS MD) and M.-C. DUPUIS (ANDRA MD) at Tournemire on February 22, 2006.

IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006 I

51

CHALLENGEMONITOR EXPOSURE LEVELS OF BOTH WORKERS AND THE PUBLIC TO IONIZING RADIATION
AND MONITOR RADIOACTIVITY IN FRANCE

3

Knowing the radiological statusof the environment and worker
exposure levels at all times
Continuous monitoring in the field of radiological protection is one of the Institute’s public
service missions. It entails monitoring radioactivity in the environment in France and assessing
the exposure of workers and members of the public to ionizing radiation. This assessment relies
on a cutting-edge range of technical resources for the analysis of radioactive substances andradiation measurement, and on expert knowledge of doses and environmental contaminationlevels.

210 radiation
monitoring
beaconsmake up thecountry’s remotemonitoring network(213 in 2005)
1,000 ambient
dose rate measuring
points(1,000 in 2005)

Radiological monitoringof French territory andcontributing to public
information
IRSN maintains radiological surveillance of theenvironment in France so that it is constantly
aware of the levels of radioactivity to which the
population is exposed and to ensure early detection of any abnormal increase in radioactivity
in different types of environment. The Institutehas to provide the public with information on
the radiological status of the environment in response to public concern over this matter.

600 sampling
points acrossthe country(500 in 2005)

PUBLISHING THE FIRST ANNUAL
RADIOLOGICAL REPORT ON MONITORING
OF THE ENVIRONMENT

31,500environmental
samples taken
per year(30,000 in 2005)

100,000
radiologicalanalyses conducted(100,000 in 2005)

To optimize the provision of information on the radiological monitoring of the national environment,
the Institute opted for continuous publication of its
results on the Internet, backed up by an annual summary published on paper and CD-ROM. The first radiological report of this type was issued in June 2006
on the database for 2004. It was sent to about 400
recipients (French préfectures , DRASS, DDASS, CLI andassociations, etc.). Readers were asked to complete
accompanying questionnaires in order to gauge theirpreferences for the 2005 report, which was produced in

52 I I R S N A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 6

the second half of 2006 with, in particular, the additionof national or local maps.
www.irsn.org – IRSN website: “Radioactivité dansl’environnement”

opening
up tosociety

Cooperation between
IRSN and CLIs of theLoire basin

The survey conducted in 2004, for ANCLI
and IRSN, questioning local informationcommissions (CLI) and the Institute’s
personnel, showed that there was a sharedinterest in cooperating in the field ofenvironmental monitoring. As a result,the Institute soon launched a pilot projectin conjunct with some CLIs in the Loirebasin to specify their requirements interms of issuing the results of environment
monitoring and the possible uses ofthese results.
In 2006, IRSN drew up an inventory of
the existing data and identified organizations
which could produce environmental
radioactivity measurement results in theareas concerned. An initial summary report
regarding Saint-Laurent-des-Eaux(Loir-et-Cher) was presented to the CLIs in
July 2006 in Orléans (Loiret). This study will
be extended to the whole Loire basin in 2007.

MONITORING IN FRENCH POLYNESIA
As it has done every year since 1962, IRSN carried out
radiological monitoring in French Polynesia, excluding theexperimental nuclear sites of Mururoa and Fangataufa
which are covered under Challenge 1 (see page 47).
The results of the measurements performed on representative samples of Polynesian foodstuffs and the related estimated effective doses were included in a report available
on the Institute’s website which, above all, is intended for
local elected representatives and the French authorities.
www.irsn.org – IRSN website: “Radioactivité dansl’environnement”

MODERNIZING AND IMPROVINGRADIOLOGICAL MONITORING OF THE AIR
The ﬁrst studies on the technical modernization of theTeleray remote monitoring network and the design of a
new automated aerosol monitoring network were launchedin 2006. Their purpose is to improve the capability ofdetecting and assessing any accidental radioactive air
pollution which could originate from a facility in France
or abroad.
These studies are being conducted with a wide scope
under the ARGOS project, the aim of which is to use atest platform to establish the appropriateness of future
choices as regards measuring devices, analysis software,transmission systems and database structures for IRSN’s
remote radiological monitoring networks.
A study of the existing situation, needs and potential
solutions was conducted in combination with a technicalstudy of remote monitoring in other European countries.
This revealed that few existing operating systems werecapable of satisfying IRSN’s requirements, i.e. to supervise all monitoring networks with a single supervisory
software package. IRSN therefore opted for a software
package used in industry which can easily be adapted
for its purposes. A full technical assessment is required,however, regarding the choice of radioactivity measuring
sensors. Various measuring sensors were acquired with aview to intercomparison and assessment. The ﬁrst stage

Filter used to collect aerosols.

of this assessment was carried out in Germany in September 2006 as part of the European EURADOS dose ratemeasurement exercise.
In parallel, work on setting up a special test room for
the ARGOS platform, physically separate from the IRSN
computer network and existing remote monitoring networks, was started at the Vésinet site (Yvelines). The
platform will be used to create the interface between
the sensors or prototypes and the supervision software
already acquired.

MANAGING THE NATIONAL NETWORKOF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY
MEASUREMENTS
IRSN is in charge of technical management for the Frenchnational network for environmental radioactivity measurements and provides secretarial services for its steeringcommittee.
In accordance with Article 5 of the Order dated June 27,
2005, IRSN issued the ﬁrst report on management of thisnetwork in 2006. This report assesses the work of the steering committee and the approval commission, as well assummarizing the state of progress on the various projects
being developed. It is intended for parties involved in thisnetwork, professionals and members of the public whowish, ﬁrstly, to understand the procedures for obtaining
laboratory approval and organizing inter-laboratory tests
and, secondly, to know more about the development oftools for the centralization, management and public distribution of environmental radioactivity data.

IRSN ACTIVITIESThe unit in charge of remote monitoring at IRSN
is currently testing several types of beacon.

National network portal: www.mesure-radioactivite.fr

IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006 I

53

CHALLENGE
3MONITOR EXPOSURE LEVELS OF BOTH WORKERS AND THE PUBLIC TO IONIZING RADIATION
AND MONITOR RADIOACTIVITY IN FRANCE

This initiative to improve public information also resulted,
in June 2006, in setting up the network’s own web portal,
which will be followed by a website providing access to all
the results of environmental radioactivity measurements
covered by the Order of June 27, 2005. To this end, IRSN
consulted the relevant data producers (EDF, Areva, CEA,etc.) in 2006 to draw up the functional speciﬁcations forthe national network’s information system. On the basis ofthese speciﬁcations, IRSN conducted a technico-economic
study of two solutions for the system’s computer architecture and management, and the results were presented
to the steering committee in October 2006. In the lastquarter, the solution that will be implemented was chosen
by IRSN, ASN and the data providers.

ORGANIZING INTER-LABORATORYCOMPARISONS
IRSN’s division for sample processing and environmental
metrology organizes an annual test campaign for theintercomparison of environmental radioactivity measurements with laboratories seeking approval to join thenational network. In November 2006, it obtained COFRAC
certiﬁcation as “organizer of inter-laboratory comparisons”(CIL). As a result, this division became the ﬁrst and, so far,only French laboratory to receive CIL certiﬁcation for the
analysis of radionuclides in the environment.

moredetails

Improving and consolidating
expertise in radioecology
Knowledge of the mechanisms governing the
behavior of radionuclides and their effects on
ecosystems, together with the spatial and temporal development of radioactivity in the environment, have always been of major concern to
the Institute which is conducting many research
programs in the ﬁeld of radioecology.

RECOGNITION AND FINANCING
OF RADIOECOLOGY RESEARCHIn 2006, the Institute sought to win recognition of therelevancy and quality of its radioecology projects by submitting them to the selection processes of competitivenessclusters and the French national research agency (ANR).
As a result, by the begining of the year, ﬁve radioecology
projects had been approved.
Two projects were ofﬁcially recognized by the “Mer PACA”
competitiveness cluster:
MERLUMED (pollution of a food chain in the Mediterranean),
EXTREMA (transfers of masses and associated pollutants).
As a result of these approvals, regional financing was
obtained for MERLUMED and inter-regional and European
financing was secured for the marine section of EXTREMA,
pending overall financing by ANR.

IRSN’s contribution in the 20th anniversaryof the Chernobyl accident

IRSN has been closely involved
in work conducted on theoccasion of the 20th anniversaryof Chernobyl accident, throughaction focused on bothscientific aspects and public
information. On the scientificside, IRSN completed a study
to improve knowledge of andquantify radioactive fallout inFrance caused by the accident
and to analyze the consistencyof the various approaches
to reconstitute the deposits
that occurred and ascertain
their significance in terms of
dosimetric impact on people.

54 I I R S N A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 6

The Institute’s recent work,
along with its work over thelast 10 years, was examinedby its scientific board, which
validated the Institute’s
approach and suggested
various areas of improvement
in assessing the consequencesof a possible future accident.
In association with this work,
IRSN used the air contamination
measurements conducted inEurope at the time of theaccident to test the longdistance atmospheric dispersion
model that is currently
developing. As a result of thistest, the propagation throughout
Europe of the radioactive
discharges resulting from theaccident were illustrated in
an animated simulation, which
was widely circulated in the
media in France and abroadowing to its extremely graphic
nature. In the field of public
information, IRSN placed adetailed pedagogical study of
the accident and its consequenceson line in April and organizeda public conference in October
to review its most recent work.
www.irsn.org/net-science etwww.irsn.org

As part of the EXTREME project, IRSN took part in an exercise for the inter-comparison of measurementsof flows and stocks of suspended materials in the Rhone river in September 2006.

the last quarter with a questionnaire sent out to morethan 50 European radioecology teams.

DEVELOPING TOOLS TO SIMULATERADIOACTIVITY TRANSFER
IN THE ENVIRONMENT
Another current area of study for IRSN is the improvement of tools to assess the dosimetric impact on man
resulting from the presence of radioactive contaminationin the environment. Since 2003, the Institute has beenworking on the design of a platform to accommodate
models and codes for various environmental compartments (atmospheric, land and aquatic) and to enable themto interact automatically, for any type of release (chronic
or accidental releases). After constructing a prototype(2003-2005) which was used to validate the feasibility ofthe platform which was named SYMBIOSE, work in 2006
focused on industrializing the tool. This development isbeing conducted in cooperation with EDF, under a research
agreement jointly ﬁnanced by IRSN, EDF and CEA.

ASSUMING EUROPEAN LEADERSHIP
IN THE FIELD OF RADIOECOLOGY
In 2006, IRSN took charge of the supervision of the European FUTURAE project comprising nine partners fromeight different countries. The purpose of this project is
to study the feasibility of a radioecology excellence network which could be set up within the framework of FP7.
At its launch meeting in Vésinet on October 10 and 11,
the partners deﬁned a working program for the project’s
two-year period.
The ﬁrst stage, consisting in assessing the situation ofresearch in radioecology in Europe, was launched during

Partners in the FUTURAE projectat the project’s launch meeting in Vésinet.

moredetails

Epidemiologicalstudies on domestic
radon

IRSN ACTIVITIESThree projects were approved by the competitivenesscluster for “French territory risk and vulnerability management”:
PRISMES (risks associated with all pollution for aquaticorganisms);
PRIME, which is a research project concerning radioecological sensitivity indicators and multi-criteria methods
applied to the environment in an industrial area;
CLARA II (marine section of the SENSIB project, aimed atclassifying territories with regard to their sensitivity toradioactive pollution) which is also ﬁnanced by ARN.

In 2006, IRSN conducted a methodologicalstudy to take into account uncertainties
regarding the assessment of the risk posedby domestic radon and used the results ofthis study to re-assess this risk for the wholeof France: between 2.2% and 12.4% of lungcancer cases could be blamed on radon.
This work follows the joint epidemiologicalstudy conducted in nine European countries
with the participation of IRSN, which
confi rmed that there was a significant linear
relation between domestic exposure to radon
and the risk of death due to lung cancer.
This risk increases by approximately 8%
when the measured radon concentration
increases by 100 Bq/m3, allowing for age,sex, region of residence and smoking habits.
A North American study obtained the same
results. The European Alpha-Risk research
program, coordinated by IRSN, will gather
together all worldwide
epidemiological data (United States, Europe
and China).

IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006 I

55

CHALLENGE
3MONITOR EXPOSURE LEVELS OF BOTH WORKERS AND THE PUBLIC TO IONIZING RADIATION
AND MONITOR RADIOACTIVITY IN FRANCE

Conducting assessments on
uranium mining sites
Thanks to its experience in assessing the radiological impact of uranium mine sites on the environment, IRSN is regularly called upon as a thirdparty expert to conduct assessments of sites inFrance and abroad.
In 2006, two assessment reports were submitted to
Areva NC. The ﬁrst concerned the radiological situationin the area around the former mining works at Mounana,
Gabon. This report was based on the study of ﬁles andobservations made during a trip to the site. The assessment evaluated the appropriateness of the environmental
radioactivity monitoring systems around the sites andidentiﬁed areas of improvement for monitoring exposureof local inhabitants. In particular, two situations werestudied: one was the result of the dispersion of treatment
residues along a water course, and the other concerned
the use of materials with a high level of radioactivity forbuilding purposes. In the latter case, as a result of theﬁndings, it was recommended that a strategy should be
implemented to reduce exposure in homes partly builtwith such materials.

international

The second report concerns the ﬁrst part of a third-party
expert assessment requested of Areva NC by the Prefectof the Haute-Vienne, regarding operation of the mining
residue storage facility at Bellezane (Limousin) and theimpact of uranium works on the Ritord drainage basin. This
work led to numerous exchanges with a pluralistic groupof experts formed by the Ministries of Industry, Environment and Health, and placed under the chairmanship ofAnnie Sugier.

Monitoring the exposure ofworkers to ionizing
radiation
IRSN has a duty to monitor the exposure ofworkers to ionizing radiation under the conditions laid down by the decree issued on March
31, 2003, relative to the protection of workers
against ionizing radiation.
The Institute continued operational deployment of the
SISERI system, set up in 2005 to centralize and store

Improvement of whole-bodycounting measurements

In the field of internal
dosimetry, cooperation wasdeveloped between IRSN and
IBPh of Moscow with the aimof achieving improvements
in whole-body counting
measurement methods, using
the ŒDIPE software (tool for
personalized internal dose
assessment) developed by
the Institute. Experimental
validation based on humandata represents an important
step in this project.
A fi rst validation study was
conducted on animals
contaminated with actinides
in the lungs at IBPh.
The project continued in 2006
with whole-body counting
measurements performed at
IRSN on three Russian workers
previously contaminated byplutonium.

56 I I R S N A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 6

Analysis of the results
obtained using the ŒDIPE
software is currently inprogress and should soon
be available for comparison
with the measurements

performed in Russia.
Furthermore, there are plansto set up a French-Russian
network of experts working in
the field of internal dosimetry.

Whole-body counting measurement for Russian workers.

A report on the external exposure of workers in 2005 was
drawn up using passive dosimetry data for 273,886 exposed
workers. This report was based on statistics supplied by six
laboratories approved for monitoring external exposure,including the IRSN dosimetry laboratory, and using the
SISERI system.
The analysis conducted by IRSN revealed the following
salient points:
the number of workers monitored in 2005 was higher
than in 2004 (+7%), covering practically all ﬁelds ofactivity;
the decrease in collective doses that started at the endof the 1990s is continuing, especially in the nuclear
industry and medical sector, whereas the corresponding
number of workers monitored has tended to increase.
However, in the sector of non-nuclear industries, collective doses have remained practically the same forabout 10 years;
the number of workers who received a dose exceeding
the regulatory limit of 20 mSv in 2005 was, for the ﬁrst
time, less than 50.
www.irsn.org and www.net-science.irsn.org

STUDY OF WORKPLACES IN THE
VICINITY OF MEDICAL ACCELERATORSIn 2006, upon a request from France’s nuclear safety authority (ASN), IRSN conducted a measurement campaign
on several high-energy medical accelerators representing
the range of facilities in service in France. The aim of thiscampaign was to check the validity of protection systems
implemented against parasite neutron radiation and toevaluate the consequences, in terms of radiation protection, of activating some of the equipment’s component
materials. The measurement results will allow ASN to draw
up recommendations regarding the design of facilities andthe dosimetric monitoring of workers.

Prototype RPL dosimeter.

Service in the ﬁeld of external
dosimetry of workers
IRSN currently equips more than half the dosimeter
holders in France. In addition to the gradual phasingout of dosimetric ﬁlm, the technology used has to keep
pace with changing regulations. 2006 was marked by thelaunching of the project for change in passive dosimetry
technique which will replace the photographic dosimeterwith a radiophotoluminescent (RPL) dosimeter (see box
below).

Patrice FRABOULET,in thewords of

Head of the “change of
dosimetry technique” project“The eventual phasing out of
dosimetric fi lm means to fi ndanother technique for the passive
dosimetry.
With this in mind, IRSN decided
to use a new dosimeter thatoffers better performance and features sothat, in particular, a lower dose threshold
can be obtained in accordance with changes
in regulations. The Institute launched acall for tender and chose a dosimeter using
radiophotoluminescence, proposed by theJapanese company, Chiyoda Technol.
This technique has proved that it provides
very good dosimetric performance and will
make it possible to modernize the operatingprocess of dosimeters, which will be reusable.
IRSN will be the fi rst European organization
to use this efficient technique on a large scale,and the cost will be very competitive.
This project represents an importantinvestment for our Institute and provides
it with the means of strengthening its
commercial position and improving
the quality of its service in the field of passive
dosimetry.”

IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006 I

137 test reports
provided regarding
inter-comparison
exercises(143 in 2005)

152,028
workers
monitored byexternal dosimetry(150,000 in 2005)

21,978radiotoxicologicalanalyses(20,234 in 2005)

247 whole-bodycounting
measurements(208 in 2005)
57

IRSN ACTIVITIES

individual dosimetric data on workers. In this area, theInstitute plans to improve analysis of the results for occupational exposure according to ﬁ eld of activity andtrade. By the end of 2006, the SISERI system was receiving
about 180,000 records each month from passive dosimetrylaboratories and regularly retrieving active dosimetry datafrom 240 plants and hospitals for some 36,000 workers.
These individual dosimetric results are available on an
extranet and are accessible to occupational health doctors
and the relevant radiation protection specialists (PCR) in
order to optimize their medical monitoring and radiation
protection for workers.
www.siseri.com

CHALLENGEHELP PREVENT THE PROLIFERATION OF NUCLEAR, BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS,
AND CONTROL NUCLEAR AND RADIOLOGICAL SECURITY IN THE FACE OF TERRORISM

4Imperative vigilancein the ﬁeld of Nuclear security
IRSN’s activities in this area cover, first, the protection and control of nuclear and sensitive
materials and, second, the protection of nuclear plants and radioactive and fissile materialtransports against malicious acts.

Protection and control of
nuclear and sensitive
materials(1) For information,
legislation distinguishes
between plants subject
to a prior authorizationand plants subject toa prior declaration,
depending on
the nature and quantityof materials held.

172 inspections
related tothe control of
nuclear materials(183 in 2005)

45 support
missions withinternational
inspectors forcontrolling nuclear
and sensitive
materials(56 in 2005)

PHYSICAL PROTECTION OF NUCLEAR
MATERIALS
The physical protection of nuclear materials is ensured by aseries of concrete and organizational measures designed toprovide an in-depth defense appropriate to the risk of theftfrom or sabotage of plants housing such materials. These
measures include detection systems, delaying systems,
access control systems and response resources.
Public authorities deﬁne the required objectives as regards
physical protection and the Ministry of Industry (Mineﬁ)
checks that the measures implemented by nuclear operators and holders of nuclear materials ensure compliancewith these objectives.

material inspectors conducted 52 inspections, including
a speciﬁc inspection conducted at the Valduc CEA center(Côte-d’Or), prior to the commissioning of a new materials
storage building.
One of the purposes of inspection is to assess the performance of physical protection systems. Throughout theyear, the effort was especially focused on:electrical fencing;remote monitoring;access controls;
nuclear material detection beacons.
Inspections cover compliance with technical instructions
and checking that the selected equipment matches thedesired objective, considering the plant layout (distance
between buildings, location of the security control center,surface area of the zone to be monitored, etc.).

Expert assessment and inspection activities
IRSN places its technical expertise at the disposal of publicauthorities to assess the efﬁciency of physical protection
measures adopted or proposed by operators and holdersof nuclear materials. When applicable, it proposes any
corrective actions that may appear to be necessary. For
example, in 2006, the IRSN conducted 156 case analyses,
at the request of the Senior Defense representative at the
Ministry in charge of Industry (HFD/Mineﬁ)(1).
In addition, IRSN experts are appointed by a Mineﬁ order,
to carry out inspections under its authority, at facilities where nuclear materials are held. The aims of suchinspections are to check that the baselines applicable tothe possession of materials are complied with and to allow on-site checking for implementation and operationalfeatures of the protective measures. In 2006, the nuclear

58 I I R S N A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 6

Physical protection.

Nuclear material measurement in a drum.

Expert assessment and inspection activities
IRSN also places its technical expertise at the disposal of
public authorities to assess the effectiveness of follow up
and accounting measures adopted or proposed by operators and holders of nuclear materials. When applicable,
it proposes any corrective actions that may appear tobe necessary.
For this purpose, IRSN analyzes the reports required by
the regulations and, especially, reviews the measures
implemented by the operators in order to:have accurate, quantitative and qualitative informationon all the nuclear materials that enter and leave the facilities;
ensure materials follow up, i.e. always know where they
are located and what they are used for;check that the actual stock of materials held corresponds
to the accounting ﬁgures they are obliged to maintain.
In 2006, at the request of the HFD/Mineﬁ, IRSN conducted
151 ﬁle analyses and 86 analyses of nuclear material inventory reports.
In addition, as above, IRSN experts are appointed by a
Mineﬁ order, to carry out inspections under its authority,
at facilities where nuclear materials are held. The aims ofsuch inspections are to check that the baselines applicableto the possession of materials are complied with and toallow on-site checking for implementation and operationalfeatures of the nuclear material follow up and accounting
measures. In 2006, nuclear material inspectors conducted
68 inspections at operators’ facilities, some of which
included an accounting audit. It should be noted that theeffort applied during the past three years to authorization and control ﬁles now allows operational applicationof these documents during inspections.
Finally, inspectors conducted 16 technical inspections at
facilities subject to declaration.

Metrology of nuclear materials
During checks on nuclear material follow up and accounting, nuclear material inspectors apply measuringsystems in order to specify the nuclear materials held by
the operators and holders, both for quantity and quality.
High-performance systems have to be operated in orderto obtain unquestionable measurements.
Inspections involving measurements were conducted by
the inspectors at about ten facilites operated by CEA andAreva NC. Measurements concerned various products:
nuclear fuel sub-assemblies, plutonium waste, uraniumoxide powder, etc.
The measuring systems are therefore constantly being
improved in a bid to meet the requirements. In addition
to the quality of measurements, efforts are especially
focused on:
developing easily transportable equipment;
fast implementation (requirement resulting from theobviously short duration of inspections);
reducing uncertainty for a necessarily short measuring
time.

more
details

IRSN ACTIVITIESFOLLOW UP AND ACCOUNTING FOR
NUCLEAR MATERIALS

Upgradingthe accounting of
nuclear materials

In 2006, IRSN initiated a project focused on
restructuring national accounting of nuclear
materials. The aim is to redesign the system,
based on twenty years’ of experience
feedback.
This restructuring includes fi rst,
improvement of the coding system appliedby operators when preparing their accountstatements and second, development of a toolfor entering the account statements, which
will now be e-mailed.
Data transfer via this procedure, associatedwith the implementation of an electronic
signature system, will make it possible toreduce the circulation and archiving of alarge amount of hardcopy.

IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006 I

59

CHALLENGE
4HELP PREVENT THE PROLIFERATION OF NUCLEAR, BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS,
AND CONTROL NUCLEAR AND RADIOLOGICAL SECURITY IN THE FACE OF TERRORISM

more
details

Cooperation with the DOE on
metrology of nuclear materials

An agreement was signed in2006 between IRSN and the
US DOE, aimed at working
together on topics associatedwith the protection of nuclear
materials. Two cooperative
actions in particular concern themetrology of nuclear materials:
measurements of plutonium
masses in different ways:
the purpose is to assess newacquisition systems basedon the analysis of neutron
multiplicities;
defi nition of the plutonium
and uranium isotopic
composition via spectrometryof gamma radiation emissions:the purpose of which is tovalidate spectrum analysis
software.

TRANSPORT OF NUCLEAR MATERIALSIn anticipation of these studies,
experiments were conductedat the PERLA facility of
the Ispra European common
research center (Italy), whichholds reference products:
IRSN commissioned the centerto create calibrated sources,
both for mass and enrichment,
in a wide range of uranium 235
enrichment.

thermal, chemical hazards, etc.). They also specify actions
to be taken immediately and actions to be avoided, as wellas the safety distances to be observed for the response
teams and for the public (evacuation zone). These sheets
were released at the end of 2006.

The regulation stipulates that the transportation of themost sensitive materials must be escorted, and that stops
during transportation must be limited to approved areas.
During the year 2006, in cooperation with the authorities
in charge of escorts and approved stopping areas, and in
relationship with transport safety experts, IRSN set up asystem of “reﬂex sheets” speciﬁc to nuclear and sensitive
material transports.

INTERNATIONAL CONTROLS ON
NON-PROLIFERATION

These sheets are designed on the basis of the radioactive
material description sheets deﬁned in the PSS-TMR (“radioactive material transport” special emergency plans set up
in the various departments). They describe the features of
the transported nuclear materials and specify a summaryof risks in case of damage to the packages (radiological,

In compliance with the application of treaties against
nuclear and chemical proliferation in France, the Frenchauthorities asked IRSN to collect and/or draw up theactivity declarations due under these treaties, to support
inspectors from the international bodies visiting French
territory, to analyze the justiﬁ cation documents thus
produced, and to advise the operators.
In 2006, to support industrialists in drawing up theirdeclarations, IRSN posted a new non-proliferation section
on its website. This section describes the international
agreements, the control bodies (Euratom, IAEA, OPCW),
the obligations and rights of the organizations concernedand provides the required declaration media.
In parallel, IRSN conducted preliminary studies for converting declarations to electronic format, enabling fasterprocessing of information by international bodies.
www.irsn.org/non-proliferation

Irradiated fuel shipment container.

60 I I R S N A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 6

Chemistry
During the past year, IRSN prepared and sent to the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, for the OPCW:
the declaration on activities conducted in 2005 by the
144 chemical sites in France;
the declaration of activities planned by 23 of these sites
in 2007.

IRSN mobile laboratory.

Furthermore, IRSN provided support for all six inspections requested by the OPCW at French civil facilities.
On these occasions, the OPCW did not issue any comment relative to compliance with the provisions of theConvention in France.

to the French authorities 39 declarations required by the
IAEA under nuclear non-proliferation safeguards. In total,
1,400 notices of transfer of materials were analyzed andforwarded to the authorities in charge of checking application of the various international agreements.

Within the scope of its advice activities with industrialists,
the Institute has written a manual on declaring chemical
products listed in Table 1 (most sensitive products), andimplemented various initiatives designed to prepare theindustrialists concerned for the new sampling procedure
followed with on-site analyses, a procedure that the OPCW
wishes to implement starting from 2007.
Consequently:
bilateral exchanges were initiated with the OPCW, in order to negotiate agreements protecting the industrialist
interests: for example, on-site analyses might be carriedout in the mobile laboratory developed by IRSN;
an awareness-raising and information meeting for industrialists, together with advisory assignments to themost concerned sites, were organized.

Changes to European Commission controls in France had
a major impact for IRSN, which provided support for 55
inspections, including two audits at the La Hague (Manche) and Melox (Gard) sites. IRSN also took an active partin the ESARDA working group on the audit method as atool for Euratom controls, and in the negotiations overtransmission to the Commission of certain documents
associated with the inspected facilities.

international

IRSN ACTIVITIES

Nuclear
In 2006, insofar as regards nuclear materials, IRSN centralized over 600,000 lines of declarations received from
French operators, before transmitting them to the European Commission. The Institute also prepared and forwarded

Furthermore, in relation to the future application of theEuratom/Japan agreement, IRSN supported the Frenchauthorities in negotiations over the technical provisions
for application of the agreement.
Finally, IRSN and the authorities in charge of applying
the additional protocol to the nuclear non-proliferation
safeguard agreements, developed procedures that allow
national management of the so-called additional accessprocedure, which may now be applied by the IAEA with
24 hours notice.

Ten years of application of the Convention
prohibiting chemical weapons

The Convention prohibiting
chemical weapons was enforcedon April 29, 1997. Insofar
as regards its application in
France, the Government relies
on IRSN, which provides
technical support relative to thecivil sector. Consequently, since1997, the Institute collects theannual declarations issued byabout 250 plants and its experts
have provided support for 48
inspections, as representativesof the French authorities.
IRSN published a statementon these activities during theinformation meeting intended
for industrialists jointly
organized by the Ministry ofIndustry and the Chemical
Industry Union, on September
27, 2006.
This meeting provided an
opportunity to raise awarenessamong the French chemicalindustry representativesof current changes in theapplication of the Convention.

IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006 I

61

CHALLENGE
4HELP PREVENT THE PROLIFERATION OF NUCLEAR, BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS,
AND CONTROL NUCLEAR AND RADIOLOGICAL SECURITY IN THE FACE OF TERRORISM

Protection against malicious
acts
IMPROVING REGULATORY TEXTSIn 2006, IRSN continued the work undertaken during previous years on reinforcing and harmonizing defense code
legislation relative to the protection of nuclear materials
against theft or diversion, and that relative to the protection of nuclear materials and facilities against sabotage.
In particular, at the request of the HFD/Mineﬁ, IRSN was
involved in writing the draft decree to apply Articles L.13331 and following of the French Defense Code. IRSN also
proposed a number of draft orders on speciﬁc topics, suchas the procedures for nuclear material holding authorization, material follow up and accounting, general provisions
for transportation, as well as the case of small holders of
nuclear materials. IRSN also participated in the preparationof the National Security Directive (DNS) for nuclear activities, in application of the new decree relating to the protection of activities of vital importance. Finally, IRSN was
involved in work conducted by the General Secretariat for
National Defense (SGDN) regarding changes in legislation
on nuclear materials dedicated to the deterrent force.
These tasks will be pursued in 2007, especially with the
preparation of draft orders relating to protection studies,
physical protection provisions, and the various modes oftransportation for nuclear materials.

SECURITY OF RADIOACTIVE SOURCES
The study program aimed at tightening up security forradioactive sources that are potential targets of malicious
acts, initiated by IRSN in 2004, was continued in 2005
and 2006. In particular, protection measures designed
to prevent or limit the consequences of a malicious act
perpetrated using a radioactive source were proposed for
operating, storage, movement and transportation phases.
A progress report was sent to the various authorities that
may be involved in this activity. Furthermore, calculations
were initiated with a view to specifying the consequencesof malicious acts involving radioactive sources.

INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIESIn 2006, at the request of the IAEA, IRSN participated, as
an instructor or speaker, in international courses covering
design basis threats (Tunisia), physical protection of research reactors (Australia), and basis for physical protectionof nuclear materials and facilities (Algeria). The Institutealso took part in two IPPAS missions (International Physical Protection Advisory Service) in Serbia-Montenegro
and in Mexico.
IRSN took part in various working groups implemented
by the IAEA, with a view to drawing up guidelines thatbasically cover: the fundamentals of nuclear security, theprinciples of protection against the threat of sabotage,
the protection of transport, the protection of radioactive
sources, the deﬁnition of design basis threats, the identi-

Gérard Charneau, Head of the Economic andin thewords of

Nuclear Infrastructure Security Department at the Ministry of Industry,
Economy and Finance (HFD/Minefi)“What are the latest changes
made to the regulations?
The fi rst change concerned
the protection and control of
nuclear materials, for which it
was necessary to update
the application decrees of
the 1980 Act, by explicitly
integrating facilities, whichwere not integrated until now,
thus allowing improved
reporting on the protectionof nuclear materials.
The second concernedvital activity sectors.

62 I I R S N A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 6

A national security directive,
especially dedicated tonuclear activities, was draftedin 2006, aimed at tightening
security for nuclear sites andfacilities.
Finally, we implemented theprovisions of the Convention
on the physical protection of
nuclear materials (CPPMN),
adopted in 2005 by the IAEA.
What was IRSN ‘scontribution to these works
IRSN was deeply involvedin preparing the documents
related to these regulations.
It supported the Minefi and
the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
during the CPPMN drafting
process, initiated in 1999 andadopted in 2005.
In 2006, it provided its
expertise in restructuring theregulatory framework relative
to security in the nuclear
sector and was partly incharge of document drafting.”

International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna.

Security of radioactive sources

As from 2004, a working groupwas set up within the Institute,with a view to producing areview of radioactive source
security in France, andpropose measures to deal withthe risk of malicious acts.
The hazard thresholds defi nedby the IAEA provided a frameof reference for determining
the sources to be included in
the scope of the study.
These were grouped into
various families having similar
characteristics (design, use,
mobility, etc.) and the operating
conditions of the most sensitive
sources were thoroughly

reviewed in order to propose,
if necessary, appropriate
protection-improving measures.
A progress report was sent
to the relevant authorities atthe beginning of 2006.
A further report will be
submitted in 2007.

ﬁcation of vital zones in nuclear facilities and protection
principles for the fourth generation reactors.

ies. On this occasion, IRSN was able to demonstrate its
extensive experience in this activity.

The Institute also took part in a working group, sponsoredby the ESARDA European Association, concerning the newinspection procedures to be implemented by the European
Commission. It involved representatives of the European
operators and of national and international control bod-

Finally, cooperation established since 2004 with the US
Department Of Energy (US DOE) resulted in the development of a method for assessing the internal threat tosecurity, which was adopted by the IAEA and is due to be
published in 2007.

in thewords ofIRSN ACTIVITIES

more
information

Roger BRUNT,
Director of the Office for Civil Nuclear Security (OCNS, Great-Britain)“I consider theEuropean Nuclear
Security Regulators
Association (ENSRA)
as a most interesting
place to discuss
the issues involved in nuclear
security regulations in Europe.
All ten member countries
maintain a deep mutual
confidence, and can thus
discuss such problems as theterrorist threat, beyond thescope of information that isaccessible to the public.
Due to their involvement in
the ENSRA, regulatory
authorities such as the British
OCNS, and technical bodies
supporting the authorities,
like IRSN, can learn from theexperience of other member
countries and promoteconsistent security levels in
the civil nuclear industry inEurope. Finally, the ENSRA
members, signatories of the
IAEA Convention on thephysical protection of nuclear
materials and facilities, sharethe objective of encouraging
best practices, not onlyin Europe but worldwide,
proposing common approaches
at international meetings.”

IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006 I

63

CHALLENGE

DEVELOP IRSN’S RESPONSE AND MOBILIZATION CAPABILITIES IN VIEW
OF THE RISK OF A MAJOR RADIOLOGICAL EMERGENCY

5 Ensure operational andtechnical support in an emergency
In the event of a major radiological emergency, IRSN would provide the public authorities
with operational technical support, based on its monitoring and alert networks, its emergency
response center, its mobile response and measurement resources and its know-how in physicaland biological dosimetry. The Institute ensures the relevancy of this expertise by constantly
upgrading its tools and response resources.

Renovating IRSN’s
mobile radiologicalresponse resources
Since 2005, IRSN has been implementing amodernization scheme for its mobile response
resources in case of radiological emergency, inthe bid to fulﬁl its duty to provide technical support to the Public Authority.

0 actual action
taken by the emergency response
center(2 in 2005)

10 national
nuclear emergency
exercises(excluding defenserelated activities)(9 in 2005)

77 doseassessments
by biologicaldosimetry(8 in 2005)

The scheme reﬂects a new strategy for resource deployment in the ﬁeld: the vehicles and equipment dedicated tothe measurement of samples collected in the environment,
are now separate from the resources assigned to population radiological monitoring. Speciﬁc resources are also
provided for managing the entire system. Various vehicles
and equipment were purchased in 2006.

VEHICLES FOR ENVIRONMENT
CHARACTERIZATION
Two kinds of vehicle are involved. Four emergency reponse
vehicles have been operational since the ﬁrst quarter of
2006, designed to transportthe measurement coordination team in the event of an accident. They are ﬁtted withmeasuring and sampling equipment used to meet ﬁrstdegree emergency assistance requirements, and include
ofﬁce space. To shorten journey times, these vehicles arelocated across France: in Agen (Lot-et-Garonne), Fontenay-aux-Roses (Hauts-de-Seine), Les Angles (Vaucluse)and Le Vésinet (Yvelines). The Institute is also purchasing
laboratory-vehicles, designed for mass measurementsof samples collected in the environment (earth, plants,
liquids, sediments, foodstuffs, etc.). The year 2006 saw
conﬁ rmation of the manufacturer’s proposal selected

64 I I R S N A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 6

more
details

IRSN expert appraisal
in the polonium 210
case

In November 2006, the poisoning of
the former Russian secret agent,
Viktor Litvinenko, with polonium 210, andthe detection of traces of this radionuclide invarious places in London, resulted in the IRSN
becoming involved in an assessmentof this type of contamination for French
citizens present in these places.
To this end, a urine analysis protocol
for polonium 210 was validated by the Institute.
At the beginning of December, the HealthProtection Agency (Great Britain) requested
the Institute to communicate its operational
capability in terms of polonium 210 analysis
resources, with a view to making use ofthem if necessary. Furthermore, the British
authorities
communicated to the French Nuclear Safety
Authority a list of French citizens identified
as being present in the contaminated places
around November 1, 2006. 24 analyses
were performed, but no contamination was
detected.

A protocol was developed to analyze
polonium in urine.

Prototype satellite communications unit onboard
all new generation mobile resources.

New generation laboratory vehicle formeasuring environment samples.

and the development of the ﬁrst vehicle, for which theacceptance procedure was conducted in December; after
testing and operational qualiﬁcation of this ﬁrst mobilelaboratory, two other vehicles of this type will be purchased
in 2007 and 2008.

been specially developed for facility onboard each IRSN
vehicle. The prototype has been tested since the Autumn
of 2006, during emergency exercises in which the Instituteis involved.

In 2006, IRSN completed the RFQ procedure for deliveryof two expertise vehicles dedicated to whole-body measurements and intended for mobilization in order to treat
individuals exposed to an internal contamination hazard.
Delivery of the ﬁrst vehicle is planned for the ﬁrst halfof 2007. The second vehicle will be ordered when tests
conducted on the ﬁrst vehicle are considered successful.
For this purpose, it will scour the country to monitor
workers in nuclear medicine departments.

TEAM COORDINATION AND
COMMUNICATION IN THE FIELD
The IRSN crisis management system involves the deployment of teams and equipment in the ﬁeld.
Communication with the Crisis Technical Center (CTC)and among the different teams sent to the site should
be fast, efﬁcient and permanent. In order to meet theserequirements, satellite communications equipment has

Organization ofenvironmental radioactivity
measurements in the eventof an emergency

IRSN ACTIVITIESVEHICLES FOR PERSONAL EXAMINATION

To make the overall system more robust and ensure timely
crisis management, a so-called “command vehicle” project was decided in 2006. This vehicle will be the CP ofthe mobile cell ofﬁcer in charge of coordinating all the
Institute resources deployed in the ﬁeld. It will also allow
data and information collected locally to be centralized
as well as communications and interchange with the CTC
management cell. The equipment is designed for 24/24
operation.

The interministerial directive of November 29,
2005, on performing and processing environmental radioactivity measurements speciﬁes

Henri MASSE,
in thewords of

Préfet, Defense and Civil Security Officer,
Senior Defense representative“The DDSC relieson the IRSN inmanaging nuclear
or radiologicalhazards. Thus,in the event of an
emergency or an emergency
exercise, the Institute provides
technical and educational
support to the Prefecturesand response teams in thefield, both for the purposes ofassessment to be performed
and for assessing the potential
impact on the population andenvironment.
From the health point of view,it provides whole-body checks
and dosimetric assessment
resources.
IRSN is also involved in
feedback on emergency
response exercises andsupports the Prefectures in the

preparation ad revision of PPI(specific response schemes)
and their ORSEC systems
relative to the transportationof radioactive material.
Finally, the Institute also
provides its expertise in postaccident activities, as in 2006
during the exercise conductedthat same year at the Chinon
faciliity (Indre-et-Loire).”IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006 I

65

CHALLENGE
5

DEVELOP IRSN’S RESPONSE AND MOBILIZATION CAPABILITIES IN VIEW
OF THE RISK OF A MAJOR RADIOLOGICAL EMERGENCY

that, in the event of a radiological emergency,
the organization of measurements must be detailed for each speciﬁc action scheme, in a measurement master scheme (PDM) approved by the
Préfet.

Developing a national policyon the management of postaccident situations

In addition, the directive includes the development by
IRSN, under DDSC control, of support guidelines on drawing up the PDM, intended for the Prefectures. In 2006,
IRSN deﬁned a PDM draft structure and drew up an initial
version of the support guidelines, based on its experiencein emergency exercises.

The main purpose of the Executive Committee
for management of the post-accident phase in
the event of a nuclear accident or radiologicalemergency situation (CODIR-PA), implemented
by the Safety Authority in June 2005, is to establish the policy governing the organization
and action of the Public Authority in a post-accident situation.

The Institute also provides practical illustration of application of these guidelines with a draft master measurement
program (PDM) for the Paluel CNPE (Seine-Maritime),
mainly based on information provided by the Seine-Maritime Prefecture.

Throughout the year, IRSN was deeply involved in therelated tasks, and took part in six out of seven working
groups set up.

The PDM will eventually provide an operational baseline
for crisis management, shared by all involved in measurement, and organized around four main points:
availability of basic information about the site and theenvironment;
assignment of responsibilities to each player, describedin speciﬁc action sheets for each phase of the crisis situation;
description of the organization and interfaces between
players;reminder of the principles and strategies used in preparing measurement and sample schedules.

more
details

The Institute drew up two accident scenarios to support
the working group’s studies, and led the group in chargeof assessing the radiological and dosimetric consequences
for the environment and people; in 2006, the work of thisgroup basically concerned action to be taken immediately
after the end of the emergency phase, i.e. once radioactive
releases are over or very low.
The key results of this work on the post-accident phasein the event of a nuclear accident include:
the IRSN proposal for the initial basis of a policy on thelifting of sheltering after a short radioactive release (afew hours); this study proposes a set of references to help
the Public Authority decide whether to let people stay inthe area or to move them temporarily, bearing in mind
the amount of time required to perform radioactivity
measurements in the ﬁeld and take decisions;

Raising awareness of IRSN’s expertise capabilities
in emergency situations

In the event a radiologicalemergency situation, whether
or not this requires initiating
an emergency plan, IRSN
provides technical support topublic authorities.
It provides them with expertiseand advice, especially for the
emergency response center,
together with response teams
and resources.

66 I I R S N A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 6

In a bid to raise awareness ofthe different kinds of situation
for which IRSN may intervene
and the various componentsof the “technical platform”
that may be mobilized in suchsituations, the Institutepublished a brochure aimed
at the public authorities andrisk managers describing thevariety and capabilities of

the resources available andspecifying the provisions
for mobilization.
A second brochure, intended
for hospital units that may haveto treat people who may havebeen exposed accidentally, hasalso been designed. Both will
be released in 2007.

Environmental radioactivity measurements in the event of an emergency are essential.

Guidelines for agricultural environment
management in the event of a nuclear accident

Under an agreement signed on
December 27, 2005 between
IRSN, the agricultural
technical coordination
association (ACTA), theASN and the Ministry ofAgriculture and Fisheries(General Directorate for Food),
IRSN and ACTA were asked, in
2006, to prepare decision-aid
guidelines for agriculturalenvironment management in
the event of a nuclear accident.
These guidelines should
provide an overview of
how to manage a nuclear
accident in France and of theenvironmental contamination
phenomena involved, as wellas methodological support
intended for Government
agencies and agriculturalbusinesses concerning
livestock and crops, in orderto mitigate the impact on
production.
This support consists of“reflex” sheets describing
action to be taken in the
agricultural environment,
during the release threat phaseor at the beginning of
the post-accident phase.

a comparative analysis of predictive assessment
methods, based on models and measurement techniques
used to characterize deposits in the soil quickly, in orderto determine the doses to people who may be exposedinternational

and the contamination of agricultural production;
drawing up management guidelines for agriculturalenvironments (see box above).

IRSN ACTIVITIES

opening
up tosociety

The urban environment: a major challenge
in the post-accident phase

With over 70% of the
population in developed
countries living in urban
areas, the radiological impact
of contamination in such areas
is a major issue in preparedness
for a possible post-accident
situation.
In 2006, IRSN conducted two
actions related to this area.
Its involvement in the Urban
Remediation working group of
the EMRAS program, controlled
by the IAEA, consisted,fi rstly, in drawing up a listof computational software
designed for assessing

exposure levels of thepeople living in urban areas
contaminated due to an
accident, and secondly, in areview of the effectiveness ofrehabilitation operations inthese areas. By the end of 2007,
the EMRAS program should
result in recommendations on
the best operational softwareand most effective operations.
Under the EURANOS European
project, IRSN reviewed aEuropean guide concerning
management of contaminatedbuilt-up areas, which included
the issue of drinking watersupplies in post-accident
situations.
This relied on a groupof local players (elected
representatives, association
members, representatives ofGovernment decentralized
agencies and department
technical agencies), involved in
the Belleville-sur-Loire
post-accident exercise in
March 2005. Descriptive
sheets were produced on
decontamination techniques
for the urban environment,
specifying the relevant
operational requirements andtheir effectiveness.

IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006 I

67

CHALLENGE
5

DEVELOP IRSN’S RESPONSE AND MOBILIZATION CAPABILITIES IN VIEW
OF THE RISK OF A MAJOR RADIOLOGICAL EMERGENCY

IRSN, an international
expert in irradiation accident
management
The Institute’s skills in assessing and mapping
received doses, diagnosing radiation-induced
injuries, and therapeutic strategy, were put into
practice in response to a number of accidents.

In 2006, the results of research work carried out by IRSN
on the subject of radiopathology were applied in actual
accident situations: local irradiation of individuals inChile, Senegal and Ivory Coast, whole-body irradiationof a worker in Belgium and the consequences of radiotherapy in Epinal (see Challenge 7 on page 75).
www. irsn.org
Insofar as concerns the accident in Chile, the doses received
by the victim were reproduced through physical dosimetry,moredetails

Source used in a gammagraph.

as a surface and in-depth mapping of injuries. This helped
guide the surgery needed to eliminating tissue that received
more than 20 Gray (Gy). The therapeutic strategy, organizedin close cooperation with the Percy Hospital, used the injection of mesenchymal stem cells, a technique developed
during IRSN experimental research into the treatment ofradiation-induced burns.

Operational EPR in the event of an irradiation accident

Dosimetry based on theelectronic paramagnetic
resonance (EPR) spectrometryis operational for many
years at IRSN for various
interesting materials, such as
tooth enamel, dentine, bone
tissue and sugars located in
the environment close to an
irradiated individual. In 2006,
it was successfully applied
on tooth enamel and bonebiopsies during irradiation
accidents that occurred in
Chile and in Africa. The R&D
work covers the decrease indetection limits, the reductionof uncertainty and also thedosimetric characterizationof other materials to perform
population screening in theevent of a major radiologicalaccident. For population
triage, nails are extremelyinteresting because theanalysis can be performed
rapidly and even several days
after exposure, provided
however, they are stored at low
temperature. Furthermore, thesignal is linear up to 100 Gy,

68 I I R S N A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 6

with a detection limit being
estimated at 2 Gy. A protocol
describing the steps involvedin preparation, measurement
and analysis of the signal anddose assessment has been
already drawn up.

Other promising materials
are also under study, suchas plastic materials andglasses materials that may berecovered from an irradiatedindividual (mobile phone,glasses, watches,.).

EPR signal strength
ngth
g (u.
((u.a.)
20,000R di tion-induced
Radiatduced signals15,00010,0005,000
0- 5,000- 10,000Internal
nal standarstan d sig
gnal
gnal

- 15,000- 20,000
3,440
440

3,460
460

3,480
480

3,500
500

3,520
520

3,540
540

Magnetic field strength (G)EPR spectrum of a tooth enamel biopsy.

Biological dosimetry was also used in screening people
for exposure during the Dakar and Abidjan accident, inwhich 63 individuals were involved. This expert assessment involved the Institute’s entire biological dosimetrylaboratory: several weeks were required for microscopecounting of radiation-induced chromosomal anomalies(over one million chromosomes were observed). Irradiation heterogeneity can also be conﬁ rmed throughmeasurements performed using electronic paramagnetic
resonance (EPR) spectrometry. This technique, operational
at IRSN (see box on page 68), was successfully applied in2006 during the Chile and Africa accidents.

Thierry de REVEL,
in thewords ofHematology Department
Manager, Percy Hospital“Cooperation between IRSN and thePercy Hospital proved its efficiency in 2006.
During the accidents that occurred in thecourse of the year (in Chile, Belgium andAfrica), IRSN provided its skills in physicaland biological dosimetry, and we werethen able, quickly and jointly, to plan thetherapeutic protocols appropriate for eachspecific situation. The medical treatment of
the young Chilean man was only possible
thanks to the accurate assessment of theirradiation.

ABOUT DEFENSECRISIS SITUATION EXERCISESINVOLVING INVENTORY OF NUCLEAR
MATERIALS
Every year, the IRSN prepares and conducts, on behalf of the
HFD/Mineﬁ, a crisis situation exercise involving the inventory of nuclear materials. The basic purpose of this type of
exercise is to test both the organization implemented andthe methods applied to check, as early as possible, whether
nuclear materials have been stolen or diverted.
In 2006, two exercises were carried out. One concernedthe Eurodif and Cogema plants in Pierrelatte, the second
concerned the Valduc CEA center. The ﬁrst exercise testeda scenario highlighting the synergy between nuclear safety
and monitoring and accounting methods.
The second exercise was based on the assumption of theftin relation with a malicious act. Each exercise involved up
to one hundred people, and lasted six hours. A new exercise
is already being planned; it is due to be carried out during
the ﬁ rst half of 2007, at one or more EDF nuclear power
plants.

FACILITY PROTECTION EXERCISES
At the request of the HFD/Mineﬁ, IRSN prepares, conducts
and assesses security exercises in the area of nuclear facilities
physical protection. These exercises aim to test the decisionmaking system, the coordination and interfaces between
participants (operators, public authorities, etc.).
Therefore, preparations for a national security exercise,the third of its kind, were initiated in June 2006. Working
groups, consisting of representatives from the administrative and legal authorities, gendarmerie, police force, EDF
and IRSN, worked out a “malicious” crisis scenario involving
approximately 200 people. The exercise, planned for 2007at an EDF plant, will be conducted by IRSN agents and theInstitute will be in charge of supervising the assessments
required.

IRSN ACTIVITIESThis world-ﬁrst application of cell therapy for treating
local irradiation is a major step forward in the highly
complex treatment of this type of radiation-induced
pathology. Insofar as regards the accident in Belgium, thebiological dosimetric analysis of radiation-induced chromosomal anomalies was used to conﬁrm the radiologicalorigin of clinical symptoms observed in the irradiatedindividual and the exposure scenario. At the same time,
the accident was reproduced using digital simulation tovalidate the received dose and this, in particular, made it
possible to assess its heterogeneity. This last factor wasessential in deciding the therapeutic strategy, in whicha cytokine treatment was preferred to a bone marrowtransplant.

1 emergency
exercise related
to the securityof facilities(1 in 2005)

This assessment, performed by IRSN
laboratories, allowed us to defi ne an appropriate
therapeutic strategy. Discussions with IRSN
also covered the research work carried out at
the Institute on mesenchymal stem cells, andthe transplant we were able to perform on thispatient was a world fi rst.”

4 emergency
exercises
related to the safetyof defense-related
facilities(4 in 2005)

IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006 I

69

CHALLENGEUNDERSTAND THE EFFECTS OF CHRONIC LOW-LEVEL EXPOSURE

6

Low level chronic exposure: morethorough analysis required
Current radiation protection guidelines are based on long-term observations performed on
exposure levels following the Hiroshima and Nagasaki explosions. Extrapolation to low dose
rates is the subject of much scientific debate. The aim of IRSN’s activities related to low level
chronic exposure is basically to acquire data and develop knowledge in this area, which is yet
to be fully explored.

ENVIRHOM
The purpose of the ENVIRHOM program is toassess the impact of chronic exposure to lowdose radionuclides on human beings and theenvironment.

IMPACT ON HUMAN BEINGS
The ﬁrst years of the program were devoted to studying thefeasibility of an innovating experimental approach, basedon observation of the effects of uranium administered in
the drinking water of rodents, with conclusive results. In
2006, a new research line was opened up to gain a better
understanding of the biological and health consequencesof long-term exposure to cesium 137. The initial studies were performed on rodents, in order to develop ourinternational

Effects of chronic contamination (three months)
via 137Cs ingestion (150 Bq/day) in rats.

First results of the EPICE program

The EPICE program, launchedin October 2005, is aimed at
improving our knowledge ofpathologies showed by children
living in contaminated area asa result of Chernobyl accident.
The fi rst phase of the program
involved 49 children living incontaminated areas, inthe south-west of Russia,
and presenting specific cesium
137 activity ranging from 0 to
80 Bq/kg.

70 I I R S N A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 6

Analysis of the results showsthat no link can be foundbetween contamination bycesium 137 and the existence of
cardiac arrhythmia, which isevenly distributed regardlessof the specific cesium activity
for children. Insofar as
concerning cataracts, eight outof nine cases are found in thegroup of children showing a
specific cesium 137 activity ofless than 10 Bq/kg.

Furthermore, no evidenceof cesium 137 activity inexcess was found in heart,thyroid or stomach for 42 outof 49 children. However, it isinteresting to note that, among
the seven children showing
higher activity in the thyroid,fi ve suffer from a cataract, apathology that will be studied
in the second phase of the
program.

knowledge of cesium behavior in the body and its effects
on large physiological systems. Cesium toxicity was thus
analyzed in the intestine, central nervous system and in
the metabolism of vitamin D and cholesterol.

Also, the experimental model used claims to represent
healthy adults and cannot simulate the behaviour ofmore sensitive and more fragile individuals, such as young
children or individuals predisposed to certain pathologies.
Research will thus continue, both in order to obtain resultsin areas still to be explored (immunology, reproduction,
cardiovascular and endocrine systems), and for othercategories of population.

opening
up tosociety

The Daphnia Magna crustacean was selected to conduct
experiments covering several generations.

EFFECTS ON ECOSYSTEMS
Implementing an environmental radiation protection approach requires knowing the levels of chronic exposure
to radionuclides which are likely to cause damage inecosystems.
This implies considering the environment as a set of ecosystems hat must be protected rather than as a simple
food chain for human beings. The practical implementationof such a change in perception comes up against a lackof knowledge, especially insofar as regards the biologicaleffects due to chronic exposure to low doses and in a
multiple contamination context.
In practice, deﬁning ecosystem protection criteria requires
a number of extrapolations, especially for predicting theincidence of effects observed on the biological functionsof individuals at the higher ecological organization level
represented by populations. The approach consists indetermining, for various exposure conditions (internal orexternal), the relative sensitivity of individual functions(survival, reproduction age, fecundity), in order to model
the impact on population dynamics. These developments
require ﬁne measurements of the energy consumed in
major processes (maintenance, growth, reproduction)

IRSN ACTIVITIES

Most of the results have been published in international
scientiﬁc journals. Following ingestion of cesium in thesame quantities as are likely to be received in post-accident
situations, there was little evidence of effects on intestine(in terms of morphology, inﬂammatory status or secretory
functions) not on central nervous system (locomotor
activity or quantity of certain chemical substances synthesized in the brain (neurotransmitters). Nonetheless, after
30 days’ contamination, cesium signiﬁcantly modiﬁed thewake-sleep cycle of the contaminated animals. Concerning
results about metabolisms, it appears that cesium added todrinking water modiﬁes the level of vitamin D in blood, andinduces changes in the liver and central nervous system,to the expression of genes involved in the metabolism of
this hormone. Similarly, changes in the expression of genes
involved in cholesterol metabolism were observed in theliver. All these results suggest that in vivo metabolism ofvitamin D and cholesterol may be modiﬁed by the ingestionof cesium 137. Most of the changes observed are speciﬁc
to biological effects, but do not systematically result inpathological consequences.

Presentation of epidemiological studies to the Cli

Some population groups
living in the vicinity of nuclear
facilities are worried about theincrease in the number of childleukemia cases, and of cancers
in general. For this reason,
the Cli are querying the IRSN
on this topic more and more
frequently. In June 2006, theInstitute presented a statementon the studies carried out,

especially in conjunction with
the Inserm, on child leukemia
to the Cli at the Bugey (Ain)plant.
It is now possible to conclude
that no overall increase in
the risk for leukemia is reported
in the vicinity of nuclear
facilities. Furthermore, theCli of the Tricastin (Drôme)and Gravelines (Nord) plants

questioned the Institute about
the impact on health of chronic
exposure resulting fromthe operation of nuclear plants.
As a result, IRSN and
the Ancli decided in December
2006 to set up a working
group in charge of analyzing
the Cli requests and jointly
establishing a procedure to
respond to them.

IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006 I

71

CHALLENGE
6

UNDERSTAND THE EFFECTS OF CHRONIC LOW-LEVEL EXPOSURE

moredetails

Assessment of
the radiological riskfor ecosystems

A tool for computing radiological hazards
for natural ecosystems (CARREN tool)
was developed in 2006 by IRSN, under the
EDF/IRSN/CEA research tripartite
agreement. This tool is designed to assess
chronic risks for ground and aquatic
ecosystems (continental and marine)
associated with the normal operation ofelectricity-producing nuclear plants, which
involve controlled releases of liquid andgaseous radioactive effluents.
Risk assessment is based on the method
typically applied for chemical materials
released to the environment, recommended by
the partners of the European ERICA project(FP6). Based on cautious assumptions, thefi rst step provides a simplified assessment:
for the receiver ecosystem, a risk index is
calculated according to the ratio between theconcentrations in the medium andthe concentrations considered as ineffective
for the same medium. This approach is basedon the assumption of the additivity of risks
associated with the various radionuclides
present in releases, which is consistent withthe assumption applied in chemical activities
when various substances are present.
IRSN extended the use of the CARREN
software to assess the acute risk associatedwith incidental releases.

governing population dynamics. In particular, the amountand quality of energy dedicated to producing the next
generation seem to provide a clue about the renewal
capacity of a population, as shown by studies conductedin the short term (resistance of young people in a fasting
situation) and in the medium term (impact over several
generations).
A small water crustacean called Daphnia Magna, characterized by a short lifetime of about one month, was selectedby IRSN to carry out the experiments.
This organism, which is widely used in ecotoxicology, wasselected for the fact that it is easy to control and has afast reproductive cycle, thus saving time and cutting theworkload and the cost of data acquisition.
The research carried out in 2006 on this organism showeda decrease by approximately 15% in the growth of individuals chronically exposed to americium 241 (23 days),
as from a 110 μGy/hr dose rate (UNSCEAR considers that
effects are observed on aquatic organisms as from 400
μGy/hr). Female fertility remained unchanged for one generation, but the ovum and larva numbers produced werereduced as compared with a non exposed control group.
The additional energy consumption induced by the stressassociated with chronic internal exposure to an α emitteris passed on to the next generation. This is suggested bylower resistance to fasting observed in young individuals
born from irradiated mothers as compared with those bornfrom non-irradiated mothers. Other studies on external
exposure γ (up to 31 mGy/hr) concluded that the energy
delivered by a γ emitter was 30 times less efﬁcient than thesame energy delivered by an α emitter for the survival of
second generation young individuals. Finally, contamination by americium 241 continued over three generations(10 weeks) with an internal dose rate varying from 0.4 to40 μGy/hr resulted in a net effect on the survival of thesecond and third generation individuals.

Chronic risks
PECTIN: FIRST STATEMENT OF ACTIONTAKEN BY IRSNCARREN software is used to assess risks
for ground and aquatic ecosystems, for normal
or incidental operation of nuclear electric power plants.

72 I I R S N A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 6

At the request of the French Ambassador in Belarus,
IRSN analyzed the interest of administering pectin to
reduce contamination by cesium 137 of children living incontaminated areas in Belarus. A review of the literature,published in February 2006 by the Institute, also helped
identify the studies that would be required to answer

Research on the Envirhom program: making progress due to the many lab experiments carried out
by PhD students and Post-doctorate students.

unresolved questions. This analysis was presented at a
meeting with the parties involved in May. A clinical study
protocol was then deﬁned, in liaison with the Minsk Belrad
Institute, and proposed to the members of the CORE program approval committee. A recommendation concerning
the purposes and implementation of this study will bedelivered in 2007.

vide all the parties concerned with information on which
to base the develpment of their own opinions.
www.irsn.org

NEW ENVIRONMENTAL RADIATIONPROTECTION CONCEPTin thewords ofIRSN ACTIVITIESIn July 2006, IRSN published a document entitled “Environmental radiation protection: summary and prospect s”,
in the Policies and Summaries collection. This document
describes the state of international knowledge regarding
the assessment of environmental risks associated with thecontamination of ecosystems by radionuclides and follows
on from the document entitled Environmental protection,
IRSN’s position. IRSN policy and summary documents pro-François BRÉCHIGNAC,
Scientific Activity and Assessment Manager“CIPR’s fi fth
committee
in charge ofenvironmental
protection against
ionizing radiation
has been set up. This is a
key step in the history ofthis organization. Foundedby doctors, it was, until
now, dedicated to humanprotection, based on theassumption that, as mankind
is one of the most radiation

sensitive species, everything
contributing to humanprotection systematicallycontributes to the protection ofother living beings present in
the environment.
This assumption was challenged,
as it relies on a logic thathas not been scientificallydemonstrated,
as explained by IRSN in
the notice published in 2005.
At present, CIPR’s Committee
5 is in charge of developing

an environmental radiation
protection system (plants
and animals), that will beconsistent not only with humanradiation protection, but alsowith protection against othertoxic products, especially toxic
chemicals. IRSN’s involvementin this committee reflects theInstitute’s desire to contributeto efforts to maintain asustainable environment.”

IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006 I

73

CHALLENGE

DEVELOP PROTECTION AGAINST IONIZING RADIATION
IN THE HEALTHCARE SECTOR

7

Optimizing
professional practice
IRSN activities in the area of protection against ionizing radiation in the medical sector concern
both health professionals and patients. Above all, they are aimed at optimizing professional
practice in order to reduce exposure without diminishing the medical benefits. With this inmind, the Institute has developed cooperative partnerships with various organizations in the
medical sector.

DEVELOPING PROTECTION AGAINSTIONIZING RADIATION IN THE MEDICALSECTOR
Research carried out by IRSN, in partnership with theInstitut Gustave Roussy, in preventing and reducing earlyand late side effects of radiotherapy, aims to optimize
the use of ionizing radiation in medical treatment andto improve assessment of the risks associated with suchtreatments.
A survey conducted in 2006, based on samples frompatients undergoing radiotherapy treatment for prostatecancer and suffering from radiation-induced ﬁbrosis of therectum, revealed the extent of damage to blood vessels inthe development of these side effects. The involvementof speciﬁc growth factors , such as the TGF, was demonstrated. Furthermore, signiﬁcant progress was achieved in

opening
up tosociety

Use of mesenchymal stem cells in the treatmentof radiation induced injuries.

Cooperation to improve radiation protectionfor Hospital patientsIRSN launched a cooperative
project with the managers ofBelfort-Montbéliard Hospital,
within the framework of the“radiation protection” pilot
project embarked upon in 2004
by the Montbéliard region
urban consortium.
In 2006, this cooperation dealt
with two aspects:
support in setting up a
new radiation physics andradiation protection unit
encompassing activities
associated with the protection

74 I I R S N A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 6

of patients and workers
and applying its skills acrossthe board for the benefi t of all
departments concerned;
radiation protection ofradiology patients inwhich IRSN was involvedin justification for andoptimization of treatment.
Concerning the justificationof treatment, the Instituteprovided advice on theposition of the radiologist
as the preferred contact fortreatment prescribers andthe only person responsible
for the fi nal decision. Insofar
as concerns optimizing
treatment, the Institutecontributed to drawing
up the specifications
for centralized image
management software,with a view to integrating
all relevant information onradiological exposure due toexaminations performed into
patient records.

The use of mesenchymal stem cells affords real hope in the treatment of radiation induced damage.

doses received by 20 patients undergoing key examinations. The data collected by IRSN are used to update thediagnostic DRL. The progress report shows that, after three
years, application of this regulation remains inadequate
in radiology (only 430 sites out of approximately 6,000
in France sent data to IRSN), and is quite satisfactory innuclear medicine (over 50% of sites complied). MICADO
software should help to improve the situation in radiology.
www.irsn.org

APPLICATION OF IRSN EXPERTISE
FOLLOWING THE EPINAL
RADIOTHERAPY ACCIDENT
Thanks to this research, together with the Institute’s
expertise in radiopathology and the treatment of highly
irradiated tissue, IRSN was in a position to respond to therequest for assistance issued by the Health Minister in
October 2006, following the radiotherapy accident that
occurred at Jean Monnet Hospital in Epinal (Vosges). This
accident involved 24 patients treated for prostate cancer.
An error in operating the software that controls the radiotherapy equipment resulted in excessive exposure of therectum and bladder. This excessive exposure generated
very severe complications for several of the patients, which
could, in some cases, develop into a rectal perforation. IRSN
performed a comprehensive and accurate re-assessment of
the doses received by each victim and the consequences.
The medical treatment of the victims, intended to provide
the best treatment, resulted from a joint decision basedon research conducted by the Institute in this area.

MICADO, A TOOL FOR RADIOLOGISTSIn December 2006, IRSN posted the MICADO dose computing software on its website. Reserved for radiology
professionals, this software enables the entrance surface
dose to patient during conventional radiology examinations to be estimated. MICADO software is designed tosupport application of the Order of February 12, 2004,
relative to diagnostic reference levels (DRLs) in radiology
and nuclear medicine, requiring radiology and nuclear
medicine departments to submit each year to IRSN the

moredetails

Analysis ofa radiation protection
incident

In 2006, IRSN analyzed the incident
that occurred in March 2005 at FrédéricJoliot Hospital in Orsay (Essonne), during
the synthesis of a radioactive pharmaceuticalpreparation. After the detection ofa disfunction in the manufacturing process,the agents opened the shielded enclosure
containing the preparation, in order tocorrect the situation. During this action, an
agent was contaminated.

IRSN ACTIVITIES

the development of new therapeutic approaches aimed
at treating such radiotherapy toxicity.
IRSN’s results, mainly obtained through animal experimentation, demonstrate the interest of a therapeuticstrategy based on the use of mesenchymal stem cells in
the reconstruction of healthy tissue lesions. These results
are still to be conﬁrmed, but afford real hope for improving
treatment of radiotherapy toxicity.

Following the incident, the manufacturing
device was transferred to a new shielded
enclosure, equipped with an interlocking
door system that only the system controller
can neutralize.
The IRSN analysis demonstrated theimportance of limiting the situations in which
an action inside the shielded enclosure may
be required: in particular, the agents should
be provided with facilities that enable them toidentify a malfunction and take appropriate
action from outside the enclosure. It alsoemphasized the importance of not leaving it
up to the technician alone to decide whether
to stop production or not in the event of amalfunction and of formalizing the decisionmaking process.

IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006 I

75

Ensure efﬁciency“To guarantee the highest levels of excellence and efficiency, we must integratea continuous improvement and progress program. We must also maintain a vital link with
our environment at all times.“François BRÉCHIGNAC – Scientific Activity and Assessment Manager

ENSURE EFFICIENCYIRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006 I

77

ENSUREEFFICIENCYIn order to fulfill the expert assessment and research missions entrusted to it, IRSN implements
cross-divisional initiatives, focused especially onhuman resources, quality, scientific excellence andcommunications. These initiatives are designed toenable IRSN to enhance the quality, relevancy andunderstanding of its daily activities.

78 I I R S N A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 6

REAL ESTATEThe real estate master plan
The principle of a master plan for IRSN sites was enacted in 2006 with the Supervisory
Ministries. This master plan provides for the Institute’s Head Office to move back to the
Fontenay-aux-Roses site and for the possible set up of a new site in one of the provinces, toreplace the Le Vésinet site.

MOVING BACK TO FONTENAY-AUX-ROSES
IRSN’s Head Ofﬁce was temporarily relocated to Clamart(Hauts-de-Seine) in 1996 when ﬁre destroyed the buildingthat previously housed the Head Ofﬁce, i.e. the CEA centerin Fontenay-aux-Roses (Hauts-de-Seine). The operation
to move back to the former Head Ofﬁce site started in
2005. This involved the purchase, on August 5, 2005, of abuilding adjoining the CEA Center in Fontenay-aux-Roses,
redevelopment of this building and construction of another building at the center. These buildings will house thegeneral management teams and staff departments currently located in Clamart. The building permit was applied
for on July 13, 2006 and granted on January 15, 2007.
Furthermore, when IRSN was founded, the public authorities decided to assign the “Annexe” of the CEA Center in
Fontenay-aux-Roses to IRSN and leave the other part of
the Center, known as the “Fort”, to CEA. This means thatthe operation to relocate to the new IRSN Head Ofﬁce
also involves conversion of part of the “Annexe”. Thispublicly-owned property was returned to the State by
CEA and assigned to IRSN by an Order dated November
29, 2006, published in the Ofﬁcial Journal on December
29, 2006.

POSSIBLE SET UP OF A NEW IRSN SITE IN
THE PROVINCESIn response to requests from the public authorities, IRSN
studied the possibility of setting up a new scientificand technical center outside the Île-de-France region
to replace the site in Le Vésinet (Yvelines). The project,focused on radiation protection of man and the environment, was presented to the interministerial committee
for regional planning and development (CIACT) chairedby the prime Minister on March 6, 2006. The CIACT has
taken note of the project and asked the Environment andSustainable Development Minister to study its ﬁnancial
feasibility and its location in liaison with the Institute.
At the meeting held on March 28, 2006, IRSN’s Boardof Directors took note of CIACT’s decision and approved
the Institute’s choice of site location criteria, notably thescientiﬁc criteria.
A call for proposals was issued and seven strongly-supported proposals were received by October 15, the closing
date set by the public authorities. The proposed sites
include Aix-en-Provence (Bouches-du-Rhône), Avignon(Vaucluse), Bordeaux (Gironde), Caen (Calvados), Nîmes
(Gard), Valence (Drôme) and Villeurbanne (Rhône).

ENSURE EFFICIENCYIRSN presented an examination report on these proposals
to its Board of Directors at the meeting on December 5,
2006. As requested by the Board of Directors, the Institute sent recommendations on this project together
with a ﬁnancing plan to its Government Commissioner
on December 21, 2006.

Illustration of the new Head Office.

IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006 I

79

HUMANRESOURCES

A dynamic human resourcesmanagement policy
The quality of human resources is vital to implementation of IRSN’s strategic policy. The
Institute has therefore adopted a dynamic human resources management policy. In 2006,
several major initiatives concerning employment, training, personnel management andindustrial relations were successfully concluded.

OBJECTIVES:

71%
engineers,
researchers andmanagerial staff(68% in 2005)

29%
technicians andtechnical andadministrative
support staff(32% in 2005)

76 employees
recruited on
permanent
contracts(122 in 2005)
Ð1,364 million
spent on training(Ð1.33 million in 2005)
45,947 training
hours(42,000 in 2005)
2,922
people took
training courses(2,100 in 2005)

Age pyramid

anticipate the Institute’s skills requirements anddeal with them in a context of strong competition related to renewed dynamism in the nuclear
industry;
encourage individual skills development and poolskills to promote collective action;
ensure quality discussions between management
and labor;
stay in contact with the 69 members of staff who
have been seconded or leased to other organizations(see table page 91).

3%Over 60 years

0.5%
22%

51 to 60 years

16.5%
26%

41 to 50 years

25%
16%

36 to 40 years

17%
17%

31 to 35 years

21%
15%

25 to 30 years

17%

Insofar as training is concerned, in 2006, management
and labor negotiated and then signed an agreement on
the individual right to training. This mutually-consented
agreement provided an opportunity to update and extend
all the measures implemented to maintain levels of professional training. The Institute devotes about 5% of its
payroll to training and this represents more than 45,000
hours of activity.
As far as recruitment is concerned, the human resources
division systematically interviewed and assessed applicants, in accordance with the procedure introduced in
2005. Changes were made to the induction course for
new employees in 2006 and thus the whole process of
selecting applicants and integrating new employees at
IRSN has been adapted over a period of two years. In
2006, about one hundred new employees attended thefour induction courses.
Moreover, two operational divisions initiated a process
involving the forward planning of jobs and skills. Thisentailed more than thirty working meetings, mainly withthe different laboratory heads, to analyze all the positions

80 I I R S N A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 6

1%

Under 25 years

3%
0

25

Men

50

100

Women

in their unit and start drawing up job proﬁles. This process
will be prolonged and extended in 2007.
As for career development, extremely open discussions
continued with CEA: in 2006, employees were seconded
within the framework of the mobility agreement signedby the two organizations and one IRSN unit manager
followed CEA’s higher training course.
Personnel management also saw the introduction of an
intranet portal which simpliﬁ es formalities related tooutside assignments, holidays, RTT (reduction of workingtime), etc. for employees while at the same time limiting
the issue and circulation of paper documents.
Insofar as regards social welfare, an agreement led to improved beneﬁts from the mandatory mutual insuranceSigning the DIF agreement (individual right to training) with all the trade unions.

BREAKDOWN OF TRAINING BY DISCIPLINE

44%

56%
Women

Men

company chosen by IRSN, with employee contributions
remaining low.
Finally, as part of its policy on training through researchand taking on trainees, IRSN received 77 thesis writersand 120 trainees in 2006, mainly in ﬁelds related to theenvironment, experimentation and studies.

SUMMARY
13 WORKS COMMITTEE MEETINGS WERE ORGANIZEDAS WELL AS 33 PERSONNEL REPRESENTATIVE MEETINGS,ABOUT TWENTY NEGOTIATION MEETINGS, THREE
INFORMATION GENERAL ASSEMBLIES FOR PERSONNEL, SEVEN INFORMATION MEETINGS FOR DIVISIONS;NEARLY 1,700 PAY SLIPS WERE ISSUED EACH MONTH;
OVER 130 RECRUITMENT INTERVIEWS AND APTITUDETESTS WERE CONDUCTED; 12,000 ASSIGNMENT STATEMENTS WERE REGISTERED.

Discipline

Breakdown of hours

Economics, management

1.50%

IT

10.30%

Foreign languages

20.51%

Quality, methodology

6.66%

Relations, communication,
management

10.28 %

Science and Technology

31.88%

Safety, prevention

18.88%

in thewords ofPatricia de la MORLAIS,
Director of Human Resources“Insofar as human resources areconcerned, we are going througha consolidation phase, following
the setting up of IRSN. Thus, in2006 two operational divisions
volunteered to initiate forward
planning for jobs and skills. Training is very
important in our area of activity and 2006
saw the implementation of the individual
right to negotiated training (by unanimous
consent); professionalization should follow
in 2007. In addition, multidisciplinary
training for directors was set up. As for tools,
progress was made in enabling staff to carryout administrative formalities online and theInstitute’s pay software was adapted to meetthe new declaration requirements. Now thatthe period of change, following set up of theInstitute, is over, staff seem to have developed
a sense of belonging to IRSN. Therefore,
we now need to work with the different
IRSN players to fulfi ll the Institute’s goals
as described in the contract of objectives.
Building a human resources policy is a longterm process.
It is built gradually, step by step, and must
be interactive to motivate all the employees
around the same goals.”

IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006 I

ENSURE EFFICIENCY

Men/Women breakdown

81

QUALITY

Total quality management
As part of IRSN’s certification process, a mock audit was carried out in 2006 on the Institute’s
total quality management system. It was carried out by the certifying organization LRQA, prior
to the certification audit scheduled for the summer of 2007.

OBJECTIVES:
implement the quality policy by focusing on threemain lines of improvement: customer satisfaction, professionalism and the benefits that thewhole of society will reap from IRSN actions;for each macro-process corresponding to theInstitute’s different types of activity, (see mapping of macro-processes), identify, quantify andmonitor the most appropriate objectives andindicators.

Pilot external andinternal
communication

Define and pilot theInstitute’s company
project
M1

approved inaccordance with
ISO 17025 standard(6 in 2005)

2 laboratories
certiﬁed inaccordance with
ISO 9001standard,version 2000
(2 in 2005)

R2

Assess and promotescientific excellenceManage by quality

M3

M4

M2

Provide technical support or assistance for public authorities
Participate in managing crises and emergency situations

R3

Conduct missions of radiological monitoring of populations
and the environment

R4

Carry out research to acquire knowledge, develop and maintainthe skills required to accomplish the Institute’s missions

R5

Meet the need for expert assessments and studies
expressed by companies and other society actors

R6

Formalize, promote and teach the know-how and positionsof the Institute

R7

Customer satisfaction

6 laboratories

Customer needs and expectations

R1

The ﬁrst eight months of 2006 were mainly devoted topreparing the mock audit, with:the construction of 80% of the Institute’s macroprocesses being completed in the summer of 2006;
training courses to prepare staff for the audit - followed by about 450 employees from November 2005 to
September 2006;
three half-day seminars to inform personnel on progress
made on the certiﬁcation project and the launch of aperiodic newsletter on the same subject (the third issue
was mainly devoted to preparations for the mock audit);

Contribute to public information on radiological and nuclear risks

Manage humanresources andensure internal
communication

Ensure financial
and economic
management

S1

S2

Manageinformation
systems

Managecontracts

S3

Manage health,safety, working
conditions andenvironmental
protection
S4

S5

Manage property
assets andgeneral services

S6

IRSN process mapping.

82 I I R S N A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 6

The auditors day (July 2006).

the implementation in the summer of 2006 of the ﬁrst
version of ISIMAN, the IT tool that manages the Institute’s quality-based system (SMQ).

personnel were also held in November in Fontenayaux-Roses, Cadarache and Le Vésinet; 150 employees
attended.

The audit is a kind of ﬁnal rehearsal mainly aimed at:comparing IRSN’s QMS with ISO 9001 standard;
identifying improvements to be made to this QMS toensure that it will be granted certiﬁcation in 2007, i.e.
checking that it complies with the standard’s requirements (well designed, efﬁcient and capable of runninga continuous improvement loop).

The auditors’ main conclusions were:
IRSN’s QMS is well designed and appropriate to theInstitute’s activities;
personnel involvement is satisfactory;
however, to receive certiﬁcation, the system still requires
substantial changes to be made - it should be possible
to make these changes in a little over six months, whichmeans we should be able to meet the certification
deadline.

June 20: LRQA examined IRSN’s documented QMS andaudit plans were drawn up at the sites of Fontenay-auxRoses (Hauts-de-Seine), Cadarache (Bouches-du-Rhône),Le Vésinet (Yvelines) and Clamart (Hauts-de-Seine);from September 13 to 29: audit performed;
October 9: the results were presented to IRSN’s Quality
Managment Committee and this committee validated
the Institute’s version of the action plan drawn up after the audit. Meetings to present these results to the

SUMMARY
IN 2006, THE DEPARTMENT OF SAMPLE PROCESSING
AND METROLOGY FOR THE ENVIRONMENT (STEME)OBTAINED COFRAC APPROVAL AS AN ORGANIZER OF
INTER-LABORATORY COMPARISONS.

ENSURE EFFICIENCY

The actual mock audit was carried out in three stages:

IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006 I

83

SCIENTIFICAND TECHNICALEXCELLENCE

Consolidate scientiﬁc andtechnical excellence
The Institute’s scientiﬁc and technical excellence policy, pursued since IRSN was set up, is based on
promoting the excellence of its teams and activities both within the Institute and among partners.
In 2006, the second in-house seminar on scientiﬁc excellence provided an opportunity to assess
the action taken and commit to new projects.

OBJECTIVES:
Achieve the highest level scientiﬁ c and technicalexpertise possible in all IRSN’s research and assessment activities, based on three major criteria of
excellence:the scientiﬁc and technical quality of the teams
and results;
the relevancy of the subjects dealt with;the efﬁcient organization of scientiﬁc and technicalactivities (methods, cooperation, etc.).

79 doctorate
students(72 in 2005)

students(24 in 2005)

THE SECOND IN-HOUSE SEMINAR ON
SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL EXCELLENCEWAS HELD IN APRIL 2006

14 theses

This aimed to assess the results achieved since the lastseminar in 2004 and continue studying ways of making
progress in ﬁ elds that were not discussed at the ﬁ rst
seminar.

39 holders of
doctorates
qualiﬁed to direct
research(42 in 2005)
122 publicationsin scientiﬁc journals,
with review
committees(144 in 2005)

350
communications
at conferences(350 in 2005)

In 2006, the Institute’s College of Experts was set up. During its ﬁrst seminar, at the end of August, the operationalrules were set out and a few topics for study were deﬁned,
such as: selecting exploratory research projects, identifying
subjects for cross-divisional scientiﬁc events and helping
to develop the medium- and long-term plan (PMLT).

TARGETED SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICALASSESSMENT

26 post-doctorate

vivaed(17 in 2005)

THE EXPERTS: SETTING UP
THE COLLEGE OF EXPERTS

Several important decisions were taken after this seminar.
More speciﬁcally, these concern:
the Institute’s scientiﬁc and technical assessment system; the seminar highlighted the need to complete
implementation of a long-term program of targeted
assessments, with the setting up of theme-based scientiﬁc councils on some of the Plan’s mid- and long-term
research projects;
sustained efforts in continuous professional training
and researcher training (doctorate and post-doctorate
students), in the Institute’s areas of expertise;
the need to put more effort into scientiﬁc communications; as well as encouraging researchers to systematically publish their work, IRSN’s work should also be
promoted via public media (scientiﬁc websites, scientiﬁcand technical reports, books).

84 I I R S N A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 6

Several summary reports on pilot assessments, mainly
conducted by outside experts at IRSN’s request, were
circulated in 2006. These included proposals by the units
assessed on how they intended to take the recommendations into account.
The proposals concerned:
working together with Eastern European countries onradioecology, thermohydraulics and the release of ﬁssion
products;
the CHIP program (chemistry of iodine);
the Biological Dosimetry Laboratory;
IRSN’s safety analysis of the ATALANTE facility.

EXPLORATORY RESEARCH
On the recommendation of a special workshop, the Committee for Scientiﬁc and Technical Excellence suggested
that the Director General should encourage research
project initiatives that showed creativity: the projects
chosen should be potential forerunners of new practices
and methods, or new programs. As an experiment, a callfor proposals was sent out at the beginning of March andfour projects were chosen for 2007.

SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITIESIRSN was involved in developing the ECCOREV researchpooling project (continental ecosystems and environmental risks), conducted by the CEREGE (European research
hub of L’Arbois), which groups together several partners(INRA, CNRS, CEA, Cemagref and the University of AixMarseille, etc.). This research pool should eventually become an important instrument for the “risk management
and territorial vulnerability” competitive cluster, set up
in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region. 57 researchers
belonging to four IRSN laboratories are involved.

KNOWLEDGE SHARINGIn 2006, IRSN developed a new software tool to manage
its scientiﬁc publications - MINERVE. Eventually, all IRSN
articles published in journals or books, presentations given
at conferences and some research reports will be grouped
together in a database.
The project on “capitalizing on scientiﬁc and technicalknowledge” (CCST), aimed at making all documents produced by the Institute available to IRSN employees, waspursued, with the identiﬁcation of databases that could
be grouped together in a global, pooling system andthe proposal for an interfacing scheme for the different
databases.

SUMMARY
IN ITS “LIGNES DIRECTRICES” COLLECTION (Guidelines
Collection), IRSN PUBLISHED THE FRENCH TRANSLATION OF ICRP PUBLICATION No. 85 “AVOIDANCE OF
RADIATION INJURIES FROM MEDICAL INTERVENTIONAL
PROCEDURES”.
IRSN’s FIRST SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL REPORT (RST2005) SINCE IT WAS SET UP WAS RELEASED IN JUNE
2006. INTENDED FOR THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY,
THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE RESULTS OF PROGRAMSTHAT REACHED A KEY STAGE IN THEIR PROGRESS IN
2005.
THREE AND A HALF TIMES MORE VISITORS CONNECTEDTO IRSN’s SCIENTIFIC WEBSITE BETWEEN 2005 AND
2006 (440,000 VISITORS COMPARED WITH 67,000 VISITS IN 2006).
www.irsn.org/net-science

Joseph LEWI,
Director of Scientific, Technical and Quality Assessment“The seminar
held in April
2006 on scientificand technicalexcellence at
IRSN underlined
just how much progress had
been made since 2004 whena policy on this subject was
implemented. Our links withacademic research havebeen strengthened througha substantial increase in thenumber of doctorate and postdoctorate students;

in the future, researchers at
IRSN who supervise thesis
writers must be “qualified
to direct research”.
Almost all the results ofour scientific work are now
systematically published inrecognized journals. In thefield of scientific assessment,a process that is specific to theInstitute has been developed
through test assessments.
This will now be implemented
at all the laboratories.
Finally, a College Experts

was set up.
For the future, we plan to
specify the Institute’s
training programs in moredetail, in line with the training
mission, improve scientificcommunications and work
to improve cross-divisional
scientific pooling.
Of course, the teams are
expected to work very hard
but we have a duty to provide
excellence as this ranks usamong France’s top researchand expertise organizations.”

IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006 I

ENSURE EFFICIENCY

in thewords ofPresenting the RST to the BNF.

85

PREVENTION

Health, safety and environmental
protection
In line with the Director General’s May 2005 safety policy declaration, IRSN implemented a
prevention program in 2006 based on the assessment of occupational risks at workstationsin accordance with the quality management process.

OBJECTIVE:
Everyone, whether they are employees at the Institute, or from co-contracting companies or temporary employment contractors, must be able to workat IRSN sites in total safety and in conditions that
protect their health.

ASSESSING OCCUPATIONAL RISKS
The identiﬁcation of occupational hazards and the resultsof workstation risk assessments are now presented in asingle document for each IRSN site. Unit managers use
this document to set up prevention initiatives focusing
on training, studies or the purchase of personal protective equipment.
In 2006, this assessment was supplemented by the initialassessment of risks related to exposure to substances thatare carcinogenic, mutagenic and toxic to reproduction(CMR) and by an in-house guide assessing the ignition
hazards of explosive atmospheres.
The occupational risk assessment process is now systematically used to draw up safety ﬁles for high-risk facilities.
At the end of 2006, there were ﬁles of this type for almost
half of the high-risk facilities.

REVISING ADMINISTRATIVE FORMALITIESFOR REGULATED FACILITIES

27 ICPE under
the French
Environmental
Code(25 in 2005)

For the Fontenay-aux-Roses site (Hauts-de-Seine), theInstitute drafted the impact and hazard studies requiredby the regulations relative to facilities classiﬁed for environmental protection (ICPE). In addition, as part of the
project to assign the CEA Center’s “Annexe” building in
Fontenay-aux-Roses to IRSN (see text on the Real Estate
Master Plan on page 79), a convention specifying CEA’s and
IRSN’s respective responsibilities with regard to safety

86 I I R S N A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 6

was drafted and a working group deﬁned the action to betaken to enable IRSN to acquire the appropriate resources
for managing a site of over 1,000 employees.
For Cadarache (Bouches-du-Rhône), the internal emergency plan for facilities classiﬁed for environmental protection was drafted, studies on pollution prevention for watersupply systems and studies on loading and unloading areas
were conducted, in accordance with the requirements of
the Prefectorial Order of August 12, 2005.
For Le Vésinet (Yvelines), the Institute declared a newclassiﬁed facility to the Prefect, covering the uses andstorage of all the site’s radioactive sources.

UPGRADING FACILITIES: INVESTMENT OF
Ð2.9 MILLION IN 2006
Work on upgrading facilities in terms of technical andregulatory standards was carried out at facilities which
did not comply with current regulations. At Le Vésinet inparticular, the conformity of electrical and ventilation
systems in laboratories monitoring the environment was
upgraded.
At Fontenay-aux-Roses, a safety audit was carried out on
Building 02 to decide on its future. Over 200 employees
work in this building. Indeed, it is an old building and nolonger complies with ﬁre risk or electrical risk protection
standards.
Decontamination operations were carried out in the premises formerly used for the storage of radium 226 sources
at Le Vésinet and in a disused research laboratory at
Cadarache.

Fatal accidents

0 0
Occupational accidents reported to the Social Security
organization resulting in work stoppage2

Occupational accidents reported to the Social Security
organization resulting or not in work stoppage

10 2 + 8

Occupational accidents reported to the Social Security
organization resulting or not in work stoppage
and minor accidents

20 2 + 8 + 10
Number of days lost: 88

Tf : 0.79

Number of hours worked: 2,519,804

Tg : 0.03

The National Health Insurance Fund defined two national indicators:• the frequency rate (Tf): number of occupational accidents with work stoppage per one million of hours worked• the severity rate (Tg): number of days lost per one thousand of hours worked

Pyramid of accidents occurring in the workplace at IRSN in 2005.

IRSN set up a department specializing in radiation protection, in accordance with regulations, and appointed two
radiation protection specialists in charge of conducting
workstation studies and monitoring work environments
at the Fontenay-aux-Roses and Cadarache sites. This has
led to a new distribution of tasks with the host sites’
radiation protection departments, which will continue
to provide services related to environmental monitoringand incident response.

Comparison of frequency rates
Frequency rate
1088Technical Committee“Service activity I”(national level)

7.7
7.5

Branch of activity“Public-sector technicaland research establishment”

6

3.83

3.93

4

3.89

3.57
2.94

2

0.79
0

IRSN

2003

2004

0

2005

2006

year

Comparison of severity rates
Severity rate
0,4

0.36

0.35

Technical Committee“Service activity I”(national level)

-

0.33

0,3
0,2
-

0.14

0.15

Branch of activity“Public-sector technicaland research establishment”

0.14

0,1

0.03

-

0.05

SUMMARY
THE PROGRAM OF INITIATIVES UNDERTAKEN IN 2005
HAS HELPED MAINTAIN A LOW LEVEL OF OCCUPATIONAL ACCIDENTS (SEE DIAGRAM). OVERALL, RESULTS HAVEREMAINED STABLE OVER THE PAST THREE YEARS. TO
ACHIEVE THIS, THE PEOPLE IN CHARGE OF SAFETY AND,
GENERALLY SPEAKING, ALL THE INSTITUTE’S EMPLOYEESAND EMPLOYEES FROM OUTSIDE COMPANIES WHO
COME TO WORK WITH IRSN MADE A HUGE EFFORT TO
IMPLEMENT RISK PREVENTION INITIATIVES.
THE INSTITUTE CONTINUED TO PROVIDE ITS STAFF
WITH SAFETY TRAINING (1,742 PEOPLE WERE TRAINED)AND STEPPED UP FIRST AID AND FIRE RESPONSE TRAINING. AT LEAST ONE EMPLOYEE IN TEN IS NOW AN
INDUSTRIAL RESCUER / FIRST AID ATTENDANT AND
ONE THIRD OF STAFF HAVE BEEN TRAINED IN HOW TO
HANDLE FIRE EXTINGUISHERS. THIS GENERAL TRAINING WAS ACCOMPANIED BY SPECIFIC TRAINING SESSIONS, SUCH AS AWARENESS RAISING FOR MANAGERIAL STAFF, ON ISSUES OF HEALTH, SAFETY ANDENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION WHICH CONCERNED
37 HEADS OF DEPARTMENT.
IRSN SET UP A “HIGH-RISK FACILITY OPERATORS CLUB”
WHICH BRINGS TOGETHER REPRESENTATIVES OF OPERATIONAL DIVISIONS THAT OPERATE THE MOST SENSITIVE FACILITIES. THIS CLUB’S OBJECTIVES ARE TO
IDENTIFY THE PROBLEMS THAT FACILITY OPERATORSHAVE IN COMMON, TO PROPOSE AND SHARE SOLUTIONS AND TO TRY TO HARMONIZE PRACTICES. A
REPRESENTATIVE FROM THIS CLUB NOW TAKES PART IN
THE INSTITUTE’S ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETINGS, WHICH MAKES SUGGESTIONS TO THE
DIRECTOR GENERAL ON INITIATIVES THAT COULD BE
IMPLEMENTED TO APPLY THE SAFETY POLICY.

ENSURE EFFICIENCYIMPLEMENTING AN IN-HOUSE
RADIATION PROTECTION ORGANIZATION

IRSN

0.03

0
0

2003

2004

2005

2006

year

IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006 I

87

COMMUNICATION

Making knowledge and expertiseon nuclear and radiological risks
accessible
Contributing to public information on nuclear and radiological risks is one of IRSN’s missions.
In 2006, as part of its goal to obtain ISO 9001 certification in 2007, the Institute formalized
the information and communication processes designed to take account of the public’s expectations more effectively. Two important information initiatives were also launched in 2006
- one for the 20th anniversary of the Chernobyl accident and the other within the frameworkof the Act on radioactive waste.

OBJECTIVES:

Road show

4,500 visitors

THE CHERNOBYL ACCIDENT

contribute to information and meet publicdemands;
enhance IRSN’s status as a public authority expert on
the prevention of nuclear and radiological risks;develop a shared culture within the Institute, taking account of the diversity of its activities andstrengthen in-house awareness and dialogue.

Information initiatives were taken to mark the twentiethanniversary of the Chernobyl accident. A press trip to theChernobyl site was organized, a booklet on the subject
was updated, as was the module devoted to Chernobyl
in the IRSN-ASN road show, i.e. “Nucléaire et société : dela connaissance au contrôle”.
The Institute made a large information ﬁle available on
the Net listing its entire scientiﬁc output over the lasttwenty years and the lessons to be learnt from this accident. Moreover, on October 11, it organized a conference
on the mapping of fallout in France from the accident;
this was attended by 85 people from government andadministrative departments, health and safety agencies,
learned societies and associations.

(3,360 in 2005)

2 towns visited(2 in 2005)

5 conferences
organized(5 in 2005)

GEOLOGICAL DISPOSAL OF RADIOACTIVE
WASTE
One of the major events for IRSN in 2006 was the Institute’s
examination of the Andra ﬁle on the feasibility of geological disposal of radioactive waste in clay formations. Its
opinion was posted online on the Institute’s website. In
addition, the discussions and studies on radioactive waste
management that took place within the framework of the1991 Act also led to a complete rewriting of IRSN’s ﬁleon radioactive waste. This is available on the Institute’s
website.

761 requests for
information
processed via
the contact box
on IRSN’s website“contact@irsn.fr“(831 in 2005)

1,400,000 hits
on IRSN’s website(864,996 in 2005)
The Road Show.

88 I I R S N A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 6

The IRPA Congress.

The MEDEC medical exhibition.

SUMMARYPRESENTATION OF THE IRSN-ASN “NUCLÉAIRE ET SOCIÉTÉ : DE LA CONNAISSANCE AU CONTRÔLE” ROAD
SHOW FIRST IN FONTENAY-AUX-ROSES, FROM MARCH
18 TO APRIL 14, AND THEN IN MARSEILLE, FROM MAY
9 TO JULY 15. IN MARSEILLE, IT WAS ALSO ACCOMPANIED BY THREE CONFERENCES ON REACTORS OF
THE FUTURE, RADIOACTIVITY AND HEALTH, AND THE
ENVIRONMENT.
IRSN PARTICIPATION IN THE IRPA CONGRESS FROM
MAY 15 TO 19. THE INSTITUTE CONTRIBUTED TO THISEVENT THROUGH TALKS GIVEN BY ITS EXPERTS AND ITSSTAND WHICH PRESENTED THE ENVIRHOM PROGRAM
AND ITS WORK ON MESENCHYMAL STEM CELLS, THE
NEW THERAPEUTIC STRATEGY FOR THE TREATMENTOF RADIOLOGICAL BURNS.
IRSN HAD A STAND AT THE MEDEC MEDICAL EXHIBITIONFROM MARCH 14 TO 17 AT WHICH IT PRESENTED THREE
SUBJECTS: RADIOLOGICAL ACCIDENTS, WORKERS’ EXPOSURE TO IONIZING RADIATION AND TRAINING IN
RADIATION PROTECTION. THE 19 EXPERTS FROM IRSN
WHO ATTENDED THE MEDEC WELCOMED OVER 1,000
VISITORS TO THE INSTITUTE’S STAND.
ON JUNE 12, IRSN’S FIRST SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICALREPORT WAS PRESENTED AT THE FRANÇOIS MITTERRAND LIBRARY (PARIS).
IRSN AND ITS PARTNERS, GRS AND AVN, HELD THE
EIGHTH EUROSAFE FORUM ON NOVEMBER 13 AND 14.
THE MAIN THEME CHOSEN WAS “RADIOACTIVE WASTE
MANAGEMENT: LONG-TERM SAFETY REQUIREMENTS
AND SOCIETY’S EXPECTATIONS”. THIS CONFERENCEWAS ATTENDED BY OVER 400 EXPERTS IN NUCLEAR
SAFETY FROM VARIOUS COUNTRIES.

in thewords ofMarie-Pierre BIGOT,
Communications Director“What did the Communications
team get out of formalizing its
work processes?

IRSN is making progress insofar
as concerns quality and hopes toobtain ISO 9001 certification in2007. For the Communications Department,
this goal has led to the formalization ofprocesses and procedures that govern its
initiatives, whether they involve organizing
national or international events, producing
information materials, or organizing visits
to our facilities. We see it as an opportunity
to step back from our day-to-day activities
in a bid to improve how we make information
available. Our procedures will be audited
sometime in 2007.
What is the most commonly used meansof communication these days?
The Net! It is the most efficient and responsive
way of reaching all our audiences: journalists
can fi nd press packs and press releases online,
the general public can fi nd fi les providing
more detailed information on subjects
presented at exhibitions, and professionals
in the nuclear sector can fi nd technical fi les,etc. It isn’t just a communication tool, it isalso becoming a tool for professionals.
For example, it allows radiologists to maketheir dosimetry declarations online.
In a similar vein, IRSN redesigned its intranetsite to improve the functions available toemployees, thereby enhancing the Institute’s
efficiency.”(*) Since 2006,
IRSN hasencouraged people
to read anddownload documentson the Net

4,700
information
booklets
distributed*(24,500 in 2005)

5,500
copies of
the Annual Report*(5,000 in 2005)

Participated in
3 professional
trade fairs or public
events(5 in 2005)

230 press
requests processed

600 mentionsin the press(250 in 2005)

IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006 I

89

ENSURE EFFICIENCYMRS NELLY OLIN VISITED IRSN ON FEBRUARY 14.
FRANCE’S ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT MINISTER WAS IMPRESSED BY THE INSTITUTE’SASSESSMENT AND RESEARCH CAPABILITIES.

Appendices

90 I I R S N A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 6

ADDITIONAL
INFORMATIONSTANDING ADVISORY GROUP MEETINGS IN 2006
The expert assessments conducted by IRSN gave rise to discussions with the following standing advisory groups in2006: Standing Advisory Group for Nuclear Reactors; Standing Advisory Group for Basic Nuclear Facilities other than
nuclear reactors and excluding facilities designed for long-term storage of radioactive waste; Standing Advisory Groupfor Facilities designed for long-term storage of radioactive waste.
Subjects

Date of meetings

Continuation of safety assessment of ERP nuclear reactor project

01/26/2006

Examination of proposed guidelines on the seismic designof civil engineering works at all BNI

02/02/2006

Containment of radioactive materials awareness days

02/08 and 09/2006

Information meeting on the revision of statutory regulations
drawn up within the WENRA framework

02/16/2006

Re-examination of the safety of the MASURCA reactor and examination of the directions takenby the operator with regard to renovation works

03/09 and 16/2006

Examination of operating staff skills management
at pressurized water reactors

03/14/2006

Examination of the qualiﬁcation of equipment to accidental conditionsat pressurized water reactors

03/23/2006

Examination of ageing management of pressurized water reactors

05/11/2006

Visit to the Aube disposal centre in preparation for the meeting on June 20, 2006

06/12/2006

Examination of the revision to the Aube disposal center’s safety report

06/20/2006

Examination of the assessment of the radiological consequences of accidents
on pressurized water reactors and the EPR project

06/29/2006 and 07/11/2006

Examination of the request to increase production capacityof the MOX (Melox) fuel manufacturing plant at Marcoule

05/07/2006

Examination of the preliminary safety report for the EPR project

07/06 and 11/2006

Examination of proposed new ALCADE fuel management system for 1450 MWe reactors

09/28/2006

Information meeting on “severe accident” R&D

10/12/2006

Visit to the French-Belgian fuel manufacturer (FBFC) at Romans-sur-Isèrein preparation for the meeting on November 29, 2006

11/22/2006

Re-examination of safety at the facility that manufactures nuclear fuelfor research reactors – French-Belgian fuel manufacturer (FBFC) in Romans-sur-Isère

11/29/2006

Examination of strategy to clean up and dismantle CEA’s civilian facilities

12/06/2006

IRSN PERSONNEL MADE AVAILABLE OR SECONDED TO PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS
Organization
IAEA

IRSN personnel
seconded

IRSN personnel
made available

7

NUCLEAR SAFETY AUTHORITY

7
53

CEA

1

COGEMA1

IRSN WORKS COMMITTEE

2

EUROPEAN COMMUNITY COMMISSION

1EDF
INSERM
InVS

1MINISTRIES

1RISKAUDIT
SFRP
1

Total

15

53
1

1

2

2

3

1

1

2

2

3

4

6

6

2

1

1

SGDN

Total

1
1

69

84

IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006 I

91

ABCDE

GlossaryA
ADEME ______________________________________________________________________

AVN
Belgian Vinçotte nuclear association

French environment and energy management agency
AECL _________________________________________________________________________
Atomic Energy of Canada Limited – Canadian researchorganization
AFSSA _______________________________________________________________________
French food safety agency
AFSSAPS ____________________________________________________________________
French agency for the safety of health products
AFSSET ______________________________________________________________________
French agency for environmental and occupational healthsafetyAlcade _______________________________________________________________________Name of a fuel management method used at French
power plants
Alpha (α symbol) _______________________________________________________
Radiation composed of helium 4 nuclei, highly ionizing
but not very penetrating; a sheet of paper is sufﬁcient
to stop alpha radiation
ALPS __________________________________________________________________________
Japanese experimental research program on reactivity
injection accidents
ANCLI ________________________________________________________________________
French association of local information commissions
ANDRA _____________________________________________________________________
French national agency for radioactive waste
management
ANR __________________________________________________________________________
French national research agency
APOLLO 2 __________________________________________________________________
Neutron calculation code used to calculate the conditions
governing the nuclear reaction in a ﬁssile medium
ARGOS ______________________________________________________________________
Project for developing a scientiﬁc and technicalassessment platform for the renovation of the radiologicalremote monitoring network for the environment
ASN ___________________________________________________________________________
French nuclear safety authority
ASTEC _______________________________________________________________________
Accident Source Term Evaluation Code
ATALANTE _________________________________________________________________
Alpha workshop and laboratories for transuranics
analyses and reprocessing studies, CEA’s R&D facility
on reprocessing and waste

92 I I R S N A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 6

B
BARC _________________________________________________________________________
Bhabha Atomic Research Center (India)
Becquerel (Bq) ___________________________________________________________
Ofﬁcial and international unit for radioactivity
measurement; the Becquerel corresponds toone disintegration per second
Beta (β symbol) _________________________________________________________
Radiation composed of electrons of negative or positive
charge; a few-millimeter air screen or a simple sheet ofaluminum can stop this type of radiation
BNF ___________________________________________________________________________
Basic Nuclear Facility
Borax ________________________________________________________________________
Boiling Water Reactor Experiment
BSR ___________________________________________________________________________
Basic safety ruleC
CABRI ________________________________________________________________________
Test reactor for fuel safety used by IRSN (CEA)CABRI-CIP __________________________________________________________________CABRI International Program with pressurized water loop
Caesium (Cs, atomic number 55)________________________________
Noble, toxic metal whose characteristics are comparable
to those of potassium
CARREN ____________________________________________________________________
Calculation of the radiological hazard for natural
ecosystems; dosimetric design code for organisms(fauna, ﬂora) from natural ecosystems
CEMAGREF _________________________________________________________________
French Institute for Agricultural and Environmental
Engineering Research
CEN-SCK ___________________________________________________________________
Studiecentrum voor Kernenergie – Belgian nuclear research
center
CEPN _________________________________________________________________________
French nuclear protection evaluation center
CETMEF _____________________________________________________________________
French maritime and river technical studies center

CHIP __________________________________________________________________________
Study program on iodine chemistry in gaseous phasein the primary system of a PWR during a core meltdown
accident
CLARA II ____________________________________________________________________
Calculations related to accidental releases to sea,
prediction and assessment aid system in case of
accidental pollution in Mediterranean
CLI ____________________________________________________________________________
Local information commission

DIVA _________________________________________________________________________
System used to study ﬁre, ventilation and air
contamination
DMP __________________________________________________________________________
Interim provision and means
DOE __________________________________________________________________________
Department of Energy (USA)

CNDP ________________________________________________________________________
National public debate commission

Dosimetry ________________________________________________________________
Detection, by assessment or measurement, of the doseof radiation (radioactivity) absorbed by a substanceor a person

CNNC ________________________________________________________________________
China National Nuclear Corporation (China)

DPPR _________________________________________________________________________
Division for the prevention of pollution and risks (IRSN)CNPE _________________________________________________________________________
French nuclear power generation site

DSND ________________________________________________________________________
Nuclear safety and radiological protection representative
for activities and facilities relating to defence

CNR __________________________________________________________________________
Compagnie Nationale du Rhône – French electricity utility
CNRS _________________________________________________________________________
French National Center for Scientiﬁc Research
COB __________________________________________________________________________
IRSN-Government contract of agreed objectives
Containment building or reactor building___________________
Leaktight concrete building housing the reactor
pressure vessel, primary system, steam generatorsand main auxiliaries ensuring the safety of a pressurizedwater reactor

E
EADS _________________________________________________________________________
European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company
EBRD _________________________________________________________________________
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

CORE _________________________________________________________________________
Cooperation for the rehabilitation of living conditions
in contaminated areas

ECCOREV ___________________________________________________________________
Continental ecosystems and environmental risks –research federation project including several
organizations from the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur(PACA) region

COWAM ____________________________________________________________________
Community Waste Management – European program

EMRAS _______________________________________________________________________
Environmental Modeling for Radiation Safety

Criticality (risks) ________________________________________________________
Risk associated with uncontrolled ﬁssion phenomena
in ﬁssile materials

ENSRA _______________________________________________________________________
European Nuclear Security Regulators’ Association

CSN ___________________________________________________________________________
Consejo de Seguridad Nuclear (Spain)
CTC ___________________________________________________________________________
IRSN’s emergency response center

D
DDSC ________________________________________________________________________
Directorate of Civil Defense and Security

ENVIRHOM ________________________________________________________________
Research program aimed at studying radionuclide accumulation processes and the biological effects,
during such accumulation, induced in the living organisms of plants, animals and humans subject to chronic
exposure
EPICE _________________________________________________________________________
Assessment of the pathologies induced by chronic
caesium contamination

DGA __________________________________________________________________________
French Defense procurement agency

EPICUR ______________________________________________________________________
Cobalt-60 irradiator used to study the behavior of iodine
under radiation (Cadarache)

DGS __________________________________________________________________________
Directorate-General for Health

EPR ____________________________________________________________________________
European Pressurised Water Reactor

DGT __________________________________________________________________________
Directorate-General for LaborERCF __________________________________________________________________________
Containment for recovering and conditioning drums

IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006 I

93

FGHIJKLMNOESARDA _____________________________________________________________________
European Safeguards Research and Development
Association
EURADOS __________________________________________________________________
European Radiation Dosimetry GroupEURATOM __________________________________________________________________
European Atomic Energy Community
EXTREMA __________________________________________________________________
Research program studying extreme climatic events andto the redistribution of sedimentary masses andassociated pollutants within a coastal systemF

HSE ___________________________________________________________________________
Health and Safety Executive (United Kingdom)

I
IAEA __________________________________________________________________________
International Atomic Energy Agency
IBPh ___________________________________________________________________________
Institute of Biophysics (Russia)
IBRAE ________________________________________________________________________
Nuclear Safety Institute of the Russian Academyof Sciences
ICRP __________________________________________________________________________
International Commission on Radiological Protection

FPRD __________________________________________________________________________
Framework Program for Research and Development(European union)

IFEN __________________________________________________________________________
French Institute for the Environment

Fuel assembly ____________________________________________________________
Cluster of fuel rods, connected with a metallic structure,used in nuclear reactors

INERIS _______________________________________________________________________
French National Institute for the Industrial Environment
and Risks

FUTURAE ___________________________________________________________________A Future for Radioecology in Europe

INRA _________________________________________________________________________
French National Institute for Agricultural Research

FzK ___________________________________________________________________________
Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe – Karlsruhe study
center in Germany

INRETS ______________________________________________________________________
French National Institute for Transport and Safety
ResearchG
Gamma (γ symbol)_____________________________________________________
Highly penetrating but not very ionizing electromagnetic
radiation, emitted by the disintegration of radionuclides– shielding of concrete or lead is necessary to protect
persons
GRS ___________________________________________________________________________
Gesellschaft für Anlagen- und Reaktorsicherheit (Germany)
GWd/t ______________________________________________________________________
Fuel burnup rate – Giga Watt Days per ton of fuel,customary unit for measuring fuel assembly irradiation,
expressed as the energy extracted from the assembly inthe reactor per ton of initial uranium

H
HFD ___________________________________________________________________________
Senior defense representative at the French Ministryof Finance
HFR ___________________________________________________________________________
High-ﬂux research reactor at Petten (Netherlands)

94 I I R S N A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 6

INRS __________________________________________________________________________
French National Health and Safety Research Institute
InVS __________________________________________________________________________
French Health Watch Institute
IRPA __________________________________________________________________________
International Radiation Protection Association
ISAI ___________________________________________________________________________
Irradiated fuel monitoring installation
ISIS ____________________________________________________________________________
Calculation software that precisely simulates the progressof a ﬁre, gas, smoke and structures in conﬁned andventilated premises laid out in any way
Isotopes ____________________________________________________________________
Elements whose atoms have the same numberof electrons and protons, but a different numberof neutrons: they have the same name and the samechemical properties. Around 325 natural isotopes and1,200 artiﬁcially-created isotopes are currently listed
ISPRA ________________________________________________________________________
Euratom research center
ITER __________________________________________________________________________
International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor

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

K
kV _____________________________________________________________________________
kiloVolt

L
LOLF __________________________________________________________________________
Organic law relating to ﬁnance acts
LRQA _________________________________________________________________________
Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance Ltd – certifying
agencyM
M5TM __________________________________________________________________________
Type of pressurized water reactor fuel cladding
MASURCA _________________________________________________________________
Breeder model – research reactor (CEA)
MC3D ________________________________________________________________________
Multi Composants 3 Dimensions – software program
which calculates the corium-water interaction or vapor
explosion
MCCI _________________________________________________________________________
Melt Coolability and Concrete Interaction – OECD project
MEDD ________________________________________________________________________
French ministry for ecology and sustainable development
MEDEC ______________________________________________________________________
French health exhibition
MERLUMED ________________________________________________________________
Research program dedicated to the study ofpollutions within a food chain including the hakein the Mediterranean
Mesenchymal Stem Cells ___________________________________________
Cells from the bone marrow able to proliferate anddifferentiate into many types of cells
mGy __________________________________________________________________________
milli-Gray – unit of absorbed radiation dose of
the International System of Units
MICADO ____________________________________________________________________
Module Interactif de Calcul de Dose – ionizing radiationdose computer

MINEFI _______________________________________________________________________
French Ministry for the Economy, Finance and Industry
MINERVE ___________________________________________________________________
Tool used to manage IRSN’s scientiﬁc publications,
including a computerized authorization process anda database feeding
MOX __________________________________________________________________________
Fuel of uranium (natural or depleted) and plutoniumoxidesMOZART ____________________________________________________________________
Analytic tests to study the oxidation kinetics of cladding
in air
MRRC ________________________________________________________________________
Medical Radiological Research Center of the Russian
Academy of Medical Sciences
mSv ___________________________________________________________________________
milli Sievert – unit of dose equivalent of the international
system of units
MULTISTRESS _____________________________________________________________
Research project on the impact of stressor mixtureson the environment
MWe __________________________________________________________________________
MegaWatt electric

N
NNSA-NSC ________________________________________________________________
National Nuclear Safety Administration (China)
NRC __________________________________________________________________________
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USA)NSRR ________________________________________________________________________
Nuclear Safety Research Reactor (Japan)
Nuclear fuel ______________________________________________________________
Fissile material (capable of undergoing ﬁssion reactions)used in a reactor to develop a nuclear chain reaction ;after being used in a nuclear reactor, this is referred
to as irradiated fuelO
OCNS _______________________________________________________________________
Ofﬁce for Civil Nuclear Security (United Kingdom)OECD ________________________________________________________________________
Organization for Economic Cooperation andDevelopment
OPCW _______________________________________________________________________
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons

IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006 I

95

PRSTUVWP
PDM __________________________________________________________________________
Measurement master program
PERLA ________________________________________________________________________
Performance Laboratory – research center set up at
the Ispra site
PHEBUS _____________________________________________________________________
Experimental reactor
PHEBUS-PF ________________________________________________________________
Experimental program on the degradation of a nuclear
reactor core and the release of ﬁssion products (FP)PHÉBUS FPT3 _____________________________________________________________PHEBUS-FP program test
PICSEL _______________________________________________________________________
Propagation of ﬁre in solid fuels in laboratory or industrial
environments
Plutonium (Pu, atomic number 94) _____________________________
Transuranic chemical element; the isotope 239 has a halflife of 24,110 years
PMLT__________________________________________________________________________
IRSN’s medium- and long-term plan
PRIME ________________________________________________________________________
Research project on the radioecology sensitivity
indicators and multicriteria methods applied tothe environment of an industrial territory
PRISME ______________________________________________________________________
Fire propagation during elementary multi-premises
scenarios
PRISMES ____________________________________________________________________
Integrated consideration of risks associated with stressor
mixtures on aquatic ecosystems and health
PSI _____________________________________________________________________________Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen (Switzerland)
PUI ____________________________________________________________________________
Internal emergency plan

R

Radionuclide ______________________________________________________________
Radioactive isotope of an element
RAPHAEL ___________________________________________________________________
ReActor for Process Heat, Hydrogen And ELectricity
generation
RBMK ________________________________________________________________________
Reactor Bolshoi Moschtnosti Kanalny – pressure tube
nuclear reactor cooled by a water-vapor mixture andmoderated by graphite (designed by the Soviets,
this type of reactor, such as the one involved in
the Chernobyl accident, only exists in Russia,
Lithuania and the Ukraine)
RNM __________________________________________________________________________
National network of environmental radioactivity
measurementS
SARNET _____________________________________________________________________
Severe Accident Research NETwork of Excellence –European network of excellence on core meltdown
accidents in water reactors (FPRTD 6)
SCANAIR ___________________________________________________________________
Software used to calculate an RIA-type transient
SENSIB ______________________________________________________________________
Research project on radioecological sensitivity
SHOM _______________________________________________________________________
French Naval Hydrographic and Oceanographic Service
SIMMER _____________________________________________________________________
Multiphase and multicomponent thermal hydraulics
software, coupled to a space-dependent neutron model
SISERI ________________________________________________________________________
Ionising radiation exposure monitoring information
systemSKI ____________________________________________________________________________
Statens Kärnkraftinspektion – Swedish nuclear safety
authority
SNLE __________________________________________________________________________
Nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine

Radiation protection _________________________________________________STEL __________________________________________________________________________
Liquid efﬂuent treatment station

Set of measures intended to ensure protection of the
population and workers using ionizing radiation sources

STUK _________________________________________________________________________
Stäteilyturvakeskus – Finnish nuclear safety authority

Radioactivity _____________________________________________________________
Property of certain chemical elements whose nuclei
spontaneously disintegrate into other elements emitting
ionizing radiationSYLVIA ______________________________________________________________________
IRSN’s software system for the study of ventilation,ﬁre and air contamination

Radioelement ____________________________________________________________Natural or artiﬁcial radioactive element

96 I I R S N A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 6

SYMBIOSE _________________________________________________________________SYstemic approach for Modeling the fate of chemicals
in BIOSphere and Ecosystems

T
Trustnet In Action ______________________________________________________
European and cross-disciplinary network aimed atdeveloping the quality of decision-making processes
related to the management of hazardous activitiesU
UNSCEAR __________________________________________________________________
United Nations Scientiﬁc Committee on the Effects ofAtomic Radiations
UO2 ___________________________________________________________________________Uranium oxide

V
VAEC _________________________________________________________________________
Vietnam Atomic Energy Commission
VARANSAC ________________________________________________________________
Vietnam Agency for Radiation and Nuclear Safety & Control
VTT ___________________________________________________________________________
Valtion Teknillinen Tutkimuskeskus – Finnish technicalresearch center
VVER or WWER __________________________________________________________
Vodo Vodianoï Energetitcheskyi Reactor ou Water Water
Energetic Reactor – Russian-designed reactors,
that operate along similar lines to Western european
pressurized water reactors

W
WENRA _____________________________________________________________________
Western European Nuclear Regulators Association
WISE-Paris _________________________________________________________________
World Information Service on Energy – agency for
information and studies on energy and nuclear industry

IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006 I

97

EDITORIAL COORDINATION
Department for Strategy, Development and External Relations
STEERING COMMITEE
Chairman: Michel BOUVETMichel BAUDRYMarie-Pierre BIGOT
Jean-Bernard CHÉRIÉMarie-Line de HEAULMEEDITORIAL COMMITTEE
Bernard ADROGUER
Jocelyne AIGUEPERSE
Françoise BRETHEAU
Nathalie CHAPTAL-GRADOZ
Stéphanie CLAVELLE
Patrick COUSINOU
Didier DEMEILLERS
Agnès DUMAS

Emmanuelle MUR
André OUDIZ
Yves SOUCHET
Sylvie SUPERVIL

Dominique FRANQUARDMarie-Line de HEAULME
Anne-Marie GIRARDIN
Jean JALOUNEIX
Pascale MONTIEmmanuelle MUR
Jean-Louis ROY

AUTHORSIIRSN with the assistance of Camille JAUNET (La Clé des mots) and Jean-Christophe HEDOUIN (HIME)PRODUCTION COORDINATION
Communications Department
GRAPHIC DESIGN AND PRODUCTION

TRANSLATION
Mic Assistance
PRINTERS
Idéale Prod
PHOTO CREDITS
Andra: page 44 (bottom) AREVA: page 60 Xavier Bellanger: pages 18-19, 32-33, 76-77
Dean CALMA / IAEA: page 63 CEA: page 23 CEA / Gérard LESENECHALLESENECHAL:: page 44 (top)Claude CIEUTATCIEUTAT:: page 53 COGEMA / JEZEQUEL: page 36
EDF / Serge LOHNER
LOHNER:: page 37 EDF / Philippe LOPARRELLILOPARRELLI:: page 35 (top) EDF / Claude PAUQUETPAUQUET:: page 38
Getty images: page 67 milieu Thomas GOGNYGOGNY:: page 29 (top)Didier GUY
GUY:: page 22 Image-et-process: page 25 (top)
IRSN: pages 31, 39 (top), 40-41, 45 (top), 47 (top), 55 (bottom), 56, 59, 61, 64-65, 75, 81, 83
Stéphane JUNGERS
JUNGERS:: pages 35, 48-49, 87 M. LAFONTAN / O. SEIGNETTESEIGNETTE:: cover, pages 5-6, 11 (left and right),
20, 25 (left), 27-28, 39 (bottom), 47 (bottom),50-51, 53 (left), 55 (top), 57 (bottom), 67 (top), 71, 73, 85, 88-89
Médiathèque EDF: pages 43, 72 Ministère de l’Écologie et du Développement Durable: page 11 (centre)
Noak / Le Bar Floréal: pages 23, 57 (top)This annual report is printed on 100% recyclable and biodegradable, chlorine-freecoated paper using vegetable-based ink.

© Communication IRSN
ISSN NO.: 1762-0600

Sites coordinates,
Maps for accessing IRSN sites
are available on our Internet site www.irsn.org

Clamart(IRSN Head Office)77-83, av. du Général-de-Gaulle
92140 Clamart
Tel.: +33 (0)1 58 35 88 88

Agen
B.P. 27
47002 Agen
Tel.: +33 (0)5 53 48 01 60

Cadarache
B.P. 313115 Saint-Paul-lez-Durance Cedex
Tel.: +33 (0)4 42 25 70 00

Cherbourg-Octeville
Rue Max-Paul Fouchet
B.P. 1050130 Cherbourg-OctevilleTel.: +33 (0)2 33 01 41 00

Fontenay-aux-Roses
B.P. 1792262 Fontenay-aux-Roses Cedex
Tel.: +33 (0)1 58 35 88 88

La Seyne-sur-Mer
Centre Ifremer de Méditerranée
B.P. 330
83507 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

Les Angles – Avignon
550, rue de la Tramontane – Les Angles
B.P. 70295
30402 Villeneuve-Avignon Cedex
Tel.: +33 (0)4 90 26 11 00

Mahina – Tahiti

Annual Repor t

ANNUAL REPORT 2006

B.P. 519
Tahiti Papeete, Polynésie française
Tel.: +689 54 00 25

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

Pierrelatte
B.P. 166
26702 Pierrelatte Cedex
Tel.: +33 (0)4 75 50 40 00

SaclayCentre CEA de Saclay
91191 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex
Tel.: +33 (0)1 69 08 60 00

Head Office
77-83, avenue du Général-de-Gaulle
92140 Clamart
RCS Nanterre B 440 546 018
Telephone+33 (0)1 58 35 88 88
Postal address
B.P. 17 - 92 262 Fontenay-aux-Roses Cedex
IRSN web sitewww.irsn.org

2006

2006
business report,
ﬁnancial facts & ﬁgures

Didier DEMEILLERS,Finance Director

Contents
01 Management report
06 Income statement
08 Balance sheet
10 Interim balances
11 Forecasts-operations reconciliation

2006 BUSINESS REPORT,FINANCIAL FACTS & FIGURESManagement report
1 OVERVIEW
2006 was an eventful year for IRSN, due to:transfer of headquarters from Clamart to Fontenay-

the adoption of the nuclear transparency and safety

aux-Roses;

Act setting up ASN and consolidating the naturechange of technology in the worker dosimetryof the contractual relationship between ASN andmonitoring sector;

IRSN;

launch of a priority investment plan, including

the signature on July 5 of the first Government-IRSN

renewal of mobile response equipment and impro-

contract of agreed objectives for the period 20062009 and the launch of a medium-/long-term plan,
enabling strategic objectives to be quantified;direct allocation to IRSN of part of the income fromthe tax on basic nuclear facilities (BNFs) to financestrategic investment and future dismantling costs,
amounting to Ð4 M in 2006.

vements to radiological monitoring and radio activity measurement networks;
progressive creation of a dedicated fund to financefuture dismantling costs assessed at Ð31 M.
The forecast overall initial investment was aroundÐ40 M, Ð 6 M of which was cancelled by DM 2, by
withdrawal from the loan reserve set up by LOLF.

However, clarification of the Institute’s tax base has

It has not been possible fully to complete this ambi-

yet to be finalized, due to lack of response from thetious plan during the financial year, Ð15.2 M of com-

Tax Legislation Directorate (DLF).

mitted and uncompleted operations being carriedforward to the 2007 financial year. Most of this sum

Moreover, amending decisions (DM 1 and 2), pre-relates to the three principal operations (transfer ofsented to the Board of Directors in March and June,

headquarters, dosimetry and monitoring and measu-

integrated:rement networks).

frozen expenses of Ð10.6 M created by LOLF (Finance
Reform Act);
carry forward of Ð12.2 M uncompleted investmentsfrom the 2005 financial year, transferred to working
capital on 2005 closure;an increase in costs and resources of Ð31 M, relative
to the entries for dismantling assets and corres-

Budgetary balanceYear(in ÐM)

2004(1)

2005

2006 (2)Change2006/2005

Total assets

280.2

287.6

306.9

+6.7%

Total liabilities

281.0

268.1

301.7

+12.5%

Balance

-0.8

+19.5

+5.2

NS

ponding provision, pursuant to accounting regulations.

Items carried forward have almost all balanced during
the financial year, apart from long-term projects(renovation of headquarters building, new technology
dosimetry project).

(1) To enable financial years to be compared, the 2004 financial

year is presented with a hypothetical integration of the Institute’s
new tax basis that only changed on January 1, 2005, resulting
in an increase in revenue of Ð33 M and a corresponding debitof about Ð23 M. The difference of Ð10 M enables absorption of
the budget deficit arising from the tax underestimate.
(2) The 2006 financial year integrates + Ð31 M in expenditure
on dismantling assets, balanced in revenue by a corresponding
provision.

Implementation of the 2006 budget included a major
investment program, in particular:

IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006 I

3

Financial year 2006, like that of 2005, shows a balan-

2006 is therefore marked by:ced budget, in reality over-valued by the Ð15.2 M

observance of balances in the EPRD (Interim Income

investment carried forward. Reprocessing would& Expenses Statement) approved by the Manage-

result in the following situation:

ment Board;a budget completion rate of 94.3% (95.7% in

Reprocessed year (in ÐM)

2005

2006

Balance

+19.5

+5.2

2005 carry forward

-12.2

+12.2

2006 carry forward

-

-15.2

7.3

2.2

Net balance2005), a variation of Ð19.5 M, Ð15.5 M of which isaccounted for by deferral of certain investments.
Ignoring such deferral, the expenditure completion
rate would be 98.8%.

2 INCOME STATEMENT ANALYSIS
2.1. Revenue

Ð4 M partial allocation of income from the tax on
BNFs, a provision voted under the 2005 Finance Act

Financial Year(in ÐM)

2004(1)

2005

2006

Change2006/2005

amendment, to enable financing of the Institute’s

Turnover

35.2

36.1

35.1

-2.8%

priority investments and dismantling of facilities;

Subsidies

206.7

240.2

233.4

-2.9%

Ð35.1 M own resources from IRSN expert consul-

Other operating
income

3.7

2.2

3.3

+33.0%

S/T operations

245.6

278.5

271.8

-2.4%

Financial income

1.4

1.2

1.6

+25.0%

Extraordinary
income

6.7

4.2

2.0

-52.4%

253.8

283.9

275.3

-3.0%

Total

tancy activities, joint financing of research programs
or other provision of services, down by Ð1 M incomparison with 2005;

Ð3.3 M sundry income, as against Ð2.2 M in 2005;
this income represents patent royalties (Ð 0.1 M,
stable), sundr y current management income(Ð 0.4 M, stable) and writebacks on depreciation(1) year not reprocessed; on a comparable tax basis, Ð33 M

subsidies should be added

and provisions (Ð2.8 M, an increase) representing
early retirement costs (CAPRON agreement).

Operating income of Ð271.8 M, down by Ð 6.7 M incomparison with the preceding financial year (-2.4%)
includes:Ð226.2 M subsidy from the Ecology & Sustainable

Financial income of Ð1.6 M rose as against that of2005 (+Ð 0.4 M, or +33%) due to cash released bydeferral of the Institute’s investments.

Development Ministry (MEDD), down by Ð10.6 M,
a sum corresponding to cancellation of credit

Extraordinary income fell to Ð2 M, against Ð4.2 M

released at the end of 2006;

in 2005. This mainly comprises investment subsidies

Ð 2.9 M under a Defense Ministry agreement,

transferred to the Income statement. This accounting

renewed at its 2005 level;

operation, inherited from CEA assets and having noÐ 0.3 M in other subsidies, notably from local autho-

impact on the operating balance, will continue torities, as against Ð 0.5 M in 2005.

decrease until it disappears completely.

4 I IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006

2006 BUSINESS REPORT,FINANCIAL FACTS & FIGURES

2.2. Expenses"Other expenses" accounts for Ð1 M, against

Ð2.1 M in 2005.
Year(in ÐM)

2004(1)

2005

2006

Change2006/2005

Purchases (1)

118.0

128.7

125.5

- 2.5%

Personnel

117.7

109.2

112.6

+3.1%

Tax & rates

1.3

1.2

8.1

+575%

Depreciation

13.6

13.4

15.3

+13.4%

Provisions

4.2

8.3

7.0

-15.7%

Other expenses

1.2

2.1

1.0

-52.4%

S/T operations

246.0

262.9

269.5

+2.5%

Financial expenses

NS

0.1

0.3

+200%

Extraordinary
expenses

13.8

0.4

0.6

+ 50%

259.8

263.4

270.5

+2.7%

Total

(1) 2004 figures relate to the former tax basis, thereby reducing
total purchases by about Ð23 M.

Year(in ÐM)

2004(1)

2005

2006

Change2006/2005

60 - Purchases

58.3

69.1

68.0

-1.6%

61 - External
services

42.3

41.1

39.3

- 4.4%

62 - Other external
services
Total

17.4

18.4

18.2

-1.1%

118.0

128.7

125.5

-2.5%

(1) 2004 figures relate to the former tax basis, thereby reducing

total purchases by about Ð23 M.

Detailed study of this table shows:a reduction in the volume of purchases, if accountis taken of price increases;

Financial year operating expenses rose by Ð 6.5 M

a very sharp reduction in Item 61 – External ser-to Ð269.5 M (+2.5%). This moderate variation, reflec-

vices, resulting in particular from the reduction inting that in prices, conceals significant disparities,

subcontracting;broken down as follows:a significant reduction in Item 62 – Other external

personnel expenses up by 3.1% to Ð112.6 M. This

services.

variation is split between a modest increase insalaries, growth in the average workforce andFinancial expenses increased from Ð 0.1 M to Ð 0.3 M,

increase in certain welfare contributions (UNEDIC).

due to loans contracted (Ð7.2 M + Ð4.8 M) to financeTax & rates, totaling Ð 8.1 M, increased very sharply

the new headquarters.

by Ð 6.9 M, due to IRSN’s subjection to payroll tax
from January 1, 2006. This tax levy is however

Financial expenses also rose, from Ð 0.4 M to Ð 0.6 M,

less than the DM 2 provision, insofar as part of the

as a result of subsidies granted to Société Française

business tax, allocated to tax and rates under DM 2,

de Radioprotection (SFRP) and Médecins du Monde,

was provisioned in the accounts while awaiting

the balance having been paid in the dispute overclarification from DLF of IRSN’s tax basis on thisthe fuel leak at the Vésinet site.

point.
Depreciation allowances (Ð15.3 M), increased byÐ1.9 M, to take account of the high level of investment in recent years. Provisions of Ð7 M relate
mainly to taxation (cf. supra).
Purchases of goods and services fell by Ð 6.6 M to

Ð125.5 M (-5%), as a result of a decrease in thevolume of purchases pursuant to partial cancellationof credit (- Ð10.5 M). These decreased by 2.5% incomparison with 2005.

IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006 I

5

3 RESULTS AND FINANCINGYear(in ÐM)

2004

2005

2006

Change2006/2005

Profit or Loss

-6.0

20.4

4.9

-75.9%

SFC

5.1

37.8

22.4

-40.7%

-10.8

19.5

5.2

-73.3%

Working capitalvariation

Year

EPRD

DM 2

ActualProfit or Loss

6.9

3.4

4.9

SFC

15.6

13.3

22.4

The Institute’s self-financing capacity (SFC), budgeted at Ð13.3 M in DM 2 and at Ð15.6 M in EPRD,

The financial year shows a profit of Ð4.9 M againstis Ð22.4 M, or +Ð 9.1 M over DM 2, due to:Ð 20.4 M in 2005, Ð 3.4 M forecast in DM 2 andimprovement in profit of Ð1.5 M;

Ð 6.9 M in the 2006 EPRD.

increase in provisions of Ð7 M;
reduction in provision write back of Ð 0.6 M.

The variation of Ð1.5 M between the DM 2 forecast
and the accounts is due to:This SFC of Ð22.4 M, increased by external resources

improvement in financial income of Ð 0.6 M;of Ð5.3 M (including a Ð4.8 M loan to finance impro-

reduction in provision write back of Ð 0.6 M;

vements to the Institute’s new headquarters), enables

reduction in depreciation expenses of Ð 0.3 M;

financing of investment and financial debts up to

reduction in operating expenses by transfer toÐ22.6 M, swelling working capital by Ð5.1 M.

depreciation of Ð1.2 M.
60%, or Ð22.6 M, of total planned investments of
The variation of Ð 2 M between the EPRD and theÐ37.8 M, has been completed. The difference of Ð15.2

accounts is mainly due to depreciation on dismant-

M is explained by a carry forward of the same amountling assets.

to the 2007 financial year. A proposal to integrate itin the 2007 DM 1 was presented to the Management
Board in March 2007.

4 BALANCE SHEET ANALYSIS
4.1. Liabilities

The increase in short and medium term debt toÐ 94 M (Ð72.7 M in 2005) is due to the combined
The profit of Ð4.9 M has improved the net position

effect of subscription to the Ð4.8 M loan to finance(Ð59.9 M) by 8.9%. Taking account of the gradualimprovements to the Institute’s new headquarters,

decrease in investment subsidies (- Ð 2 M) and theand the sharp increase in supplier debts (+Ð13.2 M).

sharp increase in Contingency provisions (+Ð35 M),

The remaining variation is caused by tax and welfare

including, in particular, the creation of a Ð31 M dis-

debts (+Ð3.5 M).

mantling provision, the Institute’s investment capital
stands at Ð122.1 M, against Ð 83.8 M in 2005.

6 I IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006

2006 BUSINESS REPORT,FINANCIAL FACTS & FIGURES

4.2. Assets

This healthy Ð 90.2 M cash position is the principal
component (77%) of current assets of Ð116.9 M that

Fixed assets have sharply increased to Ð 99.2 M,

should be reconciled with short- and medium-term(+Ð36.7 M), mainly due to setting up dismantlingdebts of Ð94 M. Moreover, the amount of committed

assets of Ð31 M, balanced by a provision of the samebut uncompleted investments of Ð15.2 M shouldamount entered under Liabilities (cf. supra). The net

also be covered by current assets. Uncommitted

increase of Ð5.7 M in fixed assets confirms com-capital is therefore only Ð7.7 M, whereas contingency

mencement of renewal of the Institute’s facilities

provisions, excluding dismantling and tax, amountand equipment.

to Ð 9.4 M, a shortfall of Ð1.7 M.

Current assets have also increased to Ð117 M, theThe 2006 financial year ends with growth in working

result of an increase in cash of Ð19.8 M, following

capital of Ð5.2 M, but with a charge of Ð15.2 M tocarry forward of part of the investments in the sum

be made in 2007 for sums carried forward.

of Ð15.2 M, and transformation of a provision forpart of the tax burden, while awaiting DLF’s clarification of IRSN’s tax status.

CONCLUSION
The 2006 budget has been executed in observance of

the BNF tax. The guarantee of long-term financingbalances presented to the Board of Directors.

of these costs depends nonetheless on continued
provisioning of the dedicated fund that for IRSN

The accounts will henceforth integrate a Ð 31 M

depends in turn on continued allocation to it of theprovision to cover future dismantling and drainage

portion of the BNF tax income.

costs. Financing for this provision will be provided
gradually through the setting up of a dedicated

The Institute’s tax status is still awaiting clarification

fund, provisioned from 2006 by allocation of part offrom DLF.

IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006 I

7

Income statement
REVENUE
Euros, excl. VAT

2006

2005

2004

2003

271,761,730.22

278,533,129.53

245,598,908.63

235,482,280.96

Net turnover

35,094,526.08

36,082,032.27

35,164,526.17

35,590,211.96

Operating subsidies

233,413,984.22

240,153,038.38

206,681,399.76

198,098,871.94

2,770,683.10

522,051.53

80,417.64

20,504.32

Transfer of expenses

24,721.71

54,410.88

36,839.37

25,349.47

Other income

457,815.11

1,721,596.47

3,635,725.69

1,747,343.27

1,571,625.06

1,190,690.45

1,446,579.93

1,018,763.58

Operating income

Write backs on depreciation & provisions

Financial income
From holdings

104,780.21

Other interest & similar income

52,762.66

19,690.46

8,710.77

Positive currency variation

12,011.51

4,800.05

19,953.00

38,568.13

1,506,850.89

1,061,419.73

1,417,916.16

980,195.45

2,013,326.86

4,146,552.62

6,721,564.71

25,211,622.50

6,554,482.13

18,742,326.22

Net income from sale of investments
Extraordinary income
Income from asset sales

20,516.72

Investment subsidies transferred to financial year income statement

1,958,340.98

3,791,414.60

Non-staggered investment subsidies

28,163.26

265,856.15

Management operations

26,822.62

68,765.15

167,082.58

6,469,296.28

275,346,682.14

283,870,372.60

253,767,053.27

261,712,667.04

TOTAL REVENUE
Debit balance = loss

6,045,350.60

OVERALL TOTAL

275,346,682.14

Operating income (in €M)
226.2

2.9

271.8
278.5
1.6

MINDEF subsidy

2.9
4.3

2

2006

3.3

Miscellaneous

2.2
10

2006

10

100

Own resources

36.1

100

1000

2005

8 I IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006

Operating income

Extraordinary income

4.2
0

35.1

261,712,667.04

Financial income

1.2

Other subsidies

0.5

259,812,403.87

Details of income (in €M)

MEDD subsidy

236.8

0

283,870,372.60

2005

1000

2006 BUSINESS REPORT,FINANCIAL FACTS & FIGURESEXPENSES
Euros, excl. VAT

2006

2005

2004

2003

269,549,127.59

262,953,012.10

245,997,066.23

261,015,076.71

External financial year OPEX

125,464,361.29

132,158,168.96

158,454,902.47

182,831,266.23

Tax, rates & similar payments

11,117,320.62

3,302,586.05

2,776,145.74

1,381,124.89

Personnel expenses

109,618,595.41

103,617,061.44

65,805,418.98

45,440,248.53

Depreciation & provisions

22,295,556.87

21,734,857.59

17,771,491.98

28,404,363.46

Other expenses

1,053,293.40

2,140,338.06

1,189,107.06

2,958,073.60

Financial expenses

323,419.25

99,153.11

33,456.39

21,155.29

Interest & similar expenses

319,792.03

88,837.44

9,805.48

1,881.88

Negative currency variation

3,627.22

10,315.67

13,650.91

19,199.31

10,000.00

74.10

Operating expenses

Net expenses on sale of investments
Extraordinary expenses

613,616.11

375,520.45

13,763,131.25

260,535.00

On management operations

263,442.72

292,742.13

13,763,131.25

35.00

On capital operations

350,173.39

82,778.32

500.00Depreciation & provisions

260,000.00

Tax on profit

0.00

18,750.00

18,750.00

18,750.00

18,750.00

270,486,162.95

263,446,435.66

259,812,403.87

4,860,519.19

20,423,936.94

275,346,682.14

283,870,372.60

Fixed annual taxation
TOTAL EXPENSES
Credit balance = profit
OVERALL TOTAL

Details of charges (in €M)
269.5

0.9

0

10

2006

100

415,900.04
259,812,403.87

112.6

261,712,667.04

Personnel

109.2
8.1

Other charges

0.5

261,296,767.00

Operating charges (in €M)

Operating expenditure

262.9

0.00

Taxes

1.2

1000

22.3

Depreciation-provisions

21.7

2005

126.5

Purchases goods-services

130.8
0

10

2006

100

1000

2005

IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006 I

9Balance SheetASSETS
Euros
Gross

2006

2005

2004

2003

Net

Net

Net

Net

Depreciation& provisions

Intangible fixed assets

10,969,097.47

8,350,866.07

2,618,231.40

1,597,325.37

1,742,147.10

1,845,335.08

Tangible fixed assets

153,110,332.52

58,705,072.59

94,405,259.93

59,558,191.36

47,190,404.05

45,435,018.48

2,139,011.49

1,314,180.01

1,196,078.27

635,212.81

99,162,502.82

62,469,696.74

50,128,629.42

47,915,566.37

Financial assets

2,139,011.49

Fixed assets

166,218,441.48

67,055,938.66

Current assets
Inventories

34,943.08

Advances & deposits
paid on orders

142,937.41

Operating receivables

26,482,769.80

client receivables

24,551,355.83

other receivables

1,931,413.97

142,937.41

140,499.71

9,824,069.06

7,758,726.96

4,555.79

26,478,214.01

26,716,089.71

48,360,217.79

108,077,954.31

4,555.79

24,546,800.04

24,984,581.97

29,826,904.94

28,178,006.45

1,931,413.97

1,731,507.74

18,533,312.85

79,899,947.86

1,069.28

1,069.28

Sundry receivables
Investments

85,092,342.32

85,092,342.32

65,313,646.29

10,938,217.44

33,680,806.20

Cash

5,254,892.15

5,254,892.15

1,905,219.84

2,565,411.71

10,370,525.94

72,469.00

72,469.00

241,517.33

Prepaid expenses-

Current assets

116,972,941.68

4,555.79

116,968,385.89

94,075,455.55

71,761,454.28

160,165,543.10

OVERALL TOTAL

283,191,383.16

67,060,494.45

216,130,888.71

156,545,152.29

121,890,083.70

208,081,109.47

2%
54%

46%

Details of assets
Tied-up assets €99.2 M
Current assets €117 M

10 I I R S N A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 6

21%
0%

77%

Current assets
Treasury €90.2 M
Advances €0.2 M
Client receivables €24.6 M
Sundry receivables €2 M

2006 BUSINESS REPORT,FINANCIAL FACTS & FIGURES

LIABILITIES
Euros

2006

2005

2004

2003

Allowances

8,782,859.59

8,782,859.59

8,782,859.59

8,782,859.59

Reserves

46,222,746.95

31,844,160.61

31,844,160.61

31,428,260.57

0.00-6,045,350.60

4,860,519.19

20,423,936.94-6,045,350.60

415,900.04

59,866,125.73

55,005,606.54

34,581,669.60

40,627,020.20

6,547,264.28

8,505,605.26

12,297,019.86

18,851,501.99

66,413,390.01

63,511,211.80

46,878,689.46

59,478,522.19

Risk provision

2,013,000.00

1,278,000.00

1,260,000.00

260,000.00

Tax provision

15,375,369.57

9,250,369.57

1,300,000.00

Expenses provision

38,285,000.00

9,806,000.00

9,882,369.57

8,150,000.00

55,673,369.57

20,334,369.57

12,442,369.57

8,410,000.00

11,012,752.99

7,283,771.11

190.50190.50312.42

312.42

Advances and deposits received on current orders

2,432,850.45

2,468,724.45

2,426,504.71

2,426,504.71

Supplier debts & attached accounts

44,716,299.49

31,459,617.08

33,998,794.86

79,002,887.85

Tax & welfare debts

24,085,228.42

20,529,969.47

16,649,279.72

11,409,966.28

Carried forward
FY result (profit or loss)
Net position
Investment subsidies
EquityContingency provision
Loans and debts to credit institutions
Sundry loans and financial debts

136,224.68

Other operating debts

39,514,301.48

Debts on fixed assets & attached accounts

9,042,920.05

9,306,807.42

6,583,920.72

5,386,816.45

Other debts

2,753,887.23

1,650,490.89

2,792,448.24

2,197,809.41

117,764.00

117,764.00

Accruals
Debts

94,044,129.13

72,699,570.92

62,569,024.67

140,192,587.28

OVERALL TOTAL

216,130,888.71

156,545,152.29

121,890,083.70

208,081,109.47

17%

26%

Analysis of debts

46%

49%

Net Assets €59.9 M
Investment subsidies €6.5 M
Provisions €55.7 M

Tax and social debts €24.1 M
Debts to suppliers €53.7 M
Sundry debts €16.2 M

57%

Invested capital

5%

IRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006 I

11

Interim balances

ENTRIES12/31/2006%

12/31/2005

12/31/2004

12/31/2003

Turnover

35,094,526.08

13.07%

36,082,032.27

35,164,526.17

35,590,211.96+ Operating subsidies

233,413,984.22

86.94%

240,153,038.38

206,681,399.76

198,098,871.94

FY PRODUCTION

268,508,510.30

100%

276,235,070.65

241,845,925.93

233,689,083.90- External OPEX

125,464,361.29

46.73%

132,158,168.96

158,454,902.47

182,831,266.23

ADDED VALUE

143,044,149.01

53.24%

144,076,901.69

83,391,023.46

50,857,817.67- Tax & rates

11,117,320.62

4.14 %

3,302,586.05

2,776,145.74

1,381,124.89- Personnel expenses

109,618,595.41

40.82%

103,617,061.44

65,805,418.98

45,440,248.53

GROSS OPERATING SURPLUS

22,308,232.98

8.31%

37,157,254.20

14,809,458.74

4,036,444.25+ Writeback, transfer of expenses

2,795,404.81

1.04%

576,462.41

117,257.01

45,853.79

457,815.11

0.17%

1,721,596.47

3,635,725.69

1,747,343.27- Depreciation, provisions

22,295,556.87

8.30%

21,734,857.59

17,771,491.98

28,404,363.46+ Writeback on equipment subsidies

1,986,504.24

0.74%

4,057,270.75

6,554,482.13

18,742,326.22- Other expenses

1,053,293.40

0.39%

2,140,338.06

1,189,107.06

2,958,073.60

4,199,106.87

1.56%

19,637,388.18

6,156,324.53- 6,790,469.53+ Financial income

1,571,625.06

0.59%

1,190,690.45

1,446,579.93

1,018,763.58- Financial expenses

323,419.25

0.12%

99,153.11

33,456.39

21,155.29

5,447,312.68

2.03%

20,728,925.52

7,569,448.07-5,792,861.24+ Extraordinary income

26,822.62

0.01%

89,281.87

167,082.58

6,469,296.28- Extraordinary expenses

613,616.11

0.23%

375,520.45

13,763,131.25

260,535.00-586,793.49-0.22%-286,238.58-13,596,048.67

6,208,761.28

18,750.00

18,750.00

20,423,936.94- 6,045,350.60+ Other income

OPERATING RESULTCURRENT PRE-TAX RESULTEXTRAORDINARY RESULT- Tax on profit
FINANCIAL YEAR PROFIT/LOSS

12 I I R S N A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 0 6

4,860,519.19

1.81%

415,900.04

2006 BUSINESS REPORT,FINANCIAL FACTS & FIGURESForecasts-operations
reconciliation
INCOME STATEMENT in Euros

2006 Budget

2006 - Actual

Sales of services

39,079,470.00

35,094,526.08

State subsidies

243,320,400.00

233,413,984.22

Other operating income

1,813,930.00

2,109,147.76

Internal operations

5,657,320.00

4,729,024.08

TOTAL REVENUE

289,871,120.00

275,346,682.14

Personnel expenses

112,478,660.00

109,618,595.41

Other operating expenses

147,839,510.00

138,572,010.67

Internal operations

15,600,000.00

22,295,556.87

Emergency reserve

10,574,160.00

REVENUE

EXPENSESTOTAL EXPENSES

286,492,330.00

270,486,162.95

RESULT (PROFIT)

3,378,790.00

4,860,519.19--

289,871,120.00

275,346,682.14

TRANSFER OF RESULT TO SFC TABLE in euros

2006 Budget

2006 - Actual

RESULT

3,378,790.00

4,860,519.19+ Depreciation and provisions

15,600,000.00

22,295,556.87- Portion of subsidies transferred to result

2,200,000.00

1,958,340.98- Writeback on depreciation & provisions

3,457,320.00

2,770,683.10

SELF-FINANCING CAPACITY

13,321,470.00

22,427,051.98

SUMMARY FINANCING TABLE in euros

2006 Budget

2006 - actual

SELF-FINANCING CAPACITY

13,321,470.00

22,427,051.98

Acquisitions of tangible & intangible fixed assets

34,169,010.00

20,180,971.60

Financial fixed assets

1,245,000.00

1,180,229.55

Reimbursement of financial debts

1,200,000.00

1,193,199.18

Dismantling assets

31,000,000.00

31,000,000.00

67,614,010.00

53,554,400.33

Other resources (excluding Internal operations)

4,930,000.00

5,277,579.13

Dismantling provision

31,000,000.00

31,000,000.00

TOTAL RESOURCES

35,930,000.00

36,277,579.13- 18,362,540.00

5,150,230.78

RESULT (LOSS)TOTAL INCOME STATEMENT BALANCETOTAL APPLICATION OF FUNDSState investment subsidies

CONTRIBUTION TO WORKING CAPITALIRSN ANNUAL REPORT 2006 I

13

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