;, lïL:ç COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 
C0M(94) 87 final 
Brussels, 23.03.1994 
JOINT RESEARCH CENTRE 
1993 ANNUAL REPORT 
(Presented by the Commission) 
-2-
PREAMBLE 
Following 
Article 4 of the Council Decision of 29 April 1992, adopting specific research programmes to be 
implemented by the Joint Research Centre for the European Economic Community 
(92/273/EEC) during the period 1992-1994, 
Article 4 of the Council Decision of 29 April 1992, adopting specific research programmes to be 
implemented by the Joint Research Centre for the European Atomic Energy Community 
(92/274/Euratom) during the period 1992-1994, 
Article 5 of the Council Decision of 29 April 1992, adopting a supplementary research 
programme to be implemented by the Joint Research Centre for the European Atomic Energy 
Community (92/275/Euratom) during the period 1992-1995; 
it is foreseen that an annual report on the execution of the programme will be transmitted by the 
Commission to the Council, the European Parliament and the Economic and Social Committee. 
The enclosed document constitutes the second of these reports and concerns the year 1993. 
It is accompanied by the observations of the Board of Governors. 
OBSERVATIONS OF THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS 
ON THE JRC ANNUAL REPORT 1993 i 
The Board notes that the Annual Report of the JRC provides information on all categories of 
activities, and that it is a well-prepared and usefully structured document. 
Rationalisation of Resources 
The Annual Report of the JRC reflects much of the work on which the Board has been concentrating 
throughout the year including improvements to the internal efficiency of the Centre. Although there 
are still various administrative measures and infrastructural adaptations to be implemented, the 
rationalisation of resources, mainly at the Ispra site, has been efficiently continued. Similarly, the 
Board has followed the plans for an ECO-Centre at Ispra. 
Human Capital and Mobility 
The Human Capital and Mobility Programme is a vital contribution to integrating the JRC in the 
European Scientific Community. It has been successfully launched as far as grantholders, networks 
with national partners and use of large-scale installations by teams from the Member States are 
concerned. Important emphasis has been placed on increasing the number of grantholders and 
selecting candidates relative to the appropriateness of their qualifications. In conjunction, a balanced 
geographical distribution has also been achieved. 
Cooperation with National Research Organisations 
The Board has closely followed the Centre's cooperation with National Laboratories and the setting 
up of research networks. The quality of their research and the methods coordinating their activities 
across Europe have been a main concern for the Board and a subject of intensive study throughout 
the year. The Board strongly emphasises that the JRC should collaborate with institutes in all Member 
States - and in the future from the participating EFTA countries. The large number of cooperations 
described in the Report bears witness to the Centre's understanding of true collaboration, which is 
also vital for the future. 
Global Change and its impact on Earth and Environment is amongst the new research areas in the 
field of environment. The Board has encouraged the Commission initiative on a European Network 
for Research in Global Change (ENRICH) to which the JRC should also contribute. 
The Centre for Earth Observation (CEO) falls within the same network initiative and should 
encourage and enable the use of Earth observation data for the benefit of society at large. It was 
conceived in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Board devoted most of its 
meeting in June 1993 to discussions regarding the outcome of the feasibility study. The next phase -
the pathfinder phase - is now in progress and the Board will follow this closely, emphasising 
particularly that the project be geared towards the needs of the users. 
Scientific and Technical Support 
The Board has noted the development of the scientific-technical support for Community policies 
requested by other Directorates General of the Commission. In this connection, it is with satisfaction 
that the Board has seen the Commission entrusting further long-term structured actions to the JRC. 
1 .The Observations of the Board of Governors accompanying the Annual Report are requested in the 
Council Decisions 92/273/EEC, 92/274/Euratom, 92/275/Euratom of 29 April 1992 on the JRC Specific 
Research Programmes 1992-1994 for the EEC and the EAEC and the supplementary programme (HFR 
Reactor) 1992-1995 for the EAEC. The Council Resolution 92/C 118/03 of 29 April 1992 stipulates that 
the Annual report shall provide information on all categories of activities of the JRC. 
-4-
These include the European Chemicals Bureau and the European Office for Wine, Alcohol and Spirit 
Drinks, while the European Centre for Alternative Methods (alternative to vivisections) initiated its 
work during the year. These are examples of the Commission benefitting from the scientific and 
technical competences of the JRC in areas requiring the intervention of its own laboratory. 
Evaluation of JRC Activities 
The current 1992-1994 programme passed its mid-term during the year. To this end with a view to 
better evaluating the outcome, quality and adequacy of the work, the Board has set up a system of 
independent visiting groups to inspect each of the JRC institutes. In late 1993 the Board 
acknowledged the reports from the evaluations of the High-Flux Reactor at Petten, the Institute for 
Prospective Technological Studies, and the Institute for Systems Engineering and Informatics. Further 
evaluations of the other JRC institutes are forth-coming and the reports will be subject to the Board's 
consideration during 1994. 
The Role of the JRC in the Community 
The Board has devoted much time and effort to the forward planning of the Centre, but 1993 has 
been particularly concentrated on this matter. The Board has discussed the role of the JRC in the 
Fourth Framework Programme of Community activities in research, technological development and 
demonstration, proposed by the Commission last summer, at all its meetings. An initial step in the 
decision process (European Parliament Opinion, Council Common Position) has now been reached. 
The Board, like the Commission, is keen to ensure a continuing position for the JRC as an integral part 
of the Community R&D system, but do realize that new ways to this end may be necessary. The Board 
has expressed its willingness to assist the Commission in the adaptations necessary for the future. 
In this respect the Board expresses with pleasure its gratitude to Professor Antonio RUBERTI, 
Commissioner for Research and to Professor Claude DESAMA, Chairman of the European Parliament 
Committee on Energy, Research and Technology for their discussions and valuable help to the Board 
for identifying the future role of the JRC. 
In summary, the Board acknowledges the continuous dedication and efficient work performed 
during the year by the Director General, the Directors and indeed the entire staff of the Joint 
Research Centre, and recognises their demonstrated will to embark on new orientations and changes 
from the past. The future will offer many new challenges to the JRC. 
During 1993, the Board, comprised of representatives of the 12 Member Countries, has been working 
closely with Observers from the EFTA countries in preparation for the Agreement on the European 
Economic Area (EEA) and wishes to acknowledge their valuable contributions. The Board welcomes 
the Agreement of the European Economic Area entering into force on 1 January 1994 and looks 
forward to the strengthened collaboration with the participating EFTA countries. 
Brussels, January 1994 
-5 
JOINT RESEARCH CENTRE 
1993 ANNUAL REPORT 
Report of the Commission 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 
Page 
The Joi nt Research Centre 7 
1. JRC Life in 1993 8 
1.1. Specific Research Programmes 9 
1.2. S/T Support to Community Policies 12 
1.3. Work for Third Parties 14 
1.4 Cooperation with National Research Organisations 16 
1.5. Ispra site renovation 19 
1.6. Publications and Eurocourses 20 
2. Activities of the JRC Institutes in 1993 21 
2.1. Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements 21 
2.2. Institute for Transuranium Elements 23 
2.3. Institute for Advanced Materials 25 
2.4. Institute for Systems Engineering and Informatics 26 
2.5. Environment Institute 29 
2.6. Institute for Remote Sensing Applications 31 
2.7. Institute for Safety Technology 33 
2.8. Institute for Prospective Technological Studies 36 
3. Human Resources 38 
3.1. Staff Policy 38 
3.2. Visiting Scientists, Seconded Experts and Scientific Fellows 39 
4. Finances 40 
Annex A: List of Tables and Figures 42 
Annex B: Glossary of Acronyms and Abbreviations 43 
7-
THE JOINT RESEARCH CENTRE 
The Joint Research Centre of the European Communities is a European scientific and technical 
research centre established by the Commission of the European Communities, with headquarters in 
Brussels. Four sites in Belgium, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands house eight different institutes, 
each with its own focus of expertise. 
These institutes are: 
IRMM The Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements (Geel) 
ITU The Institute for Transuranium Elements (Karlsruhe) 
1AM The Institute for Advanced Materials (Petten & Ispra) 
ISEI The Institute for Systems Engineering and Informatics (Ispra) 
El The Environment Institute (Ispra) 
IRSA The Institute for Remote Sensing Applications (Ispra) 
1ST The Institute for Safety Technology (Ispra) 
IPTS The Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (Ispra) 
This Annual Report intends to give a general overview of JRC life in 1993. 
Furthermore, readers may find more details in the Annual Reports of the eight Institutes. Finally, as in 
the past, the JRC publishes numerous scientific reports, presents papers in conferences and in 
scientific journals, and organises workshops, seminars and conferences to disseminate its scientific 
achievements. 
These documents may be obtained from 
Public Relations and Publications 
CEC - Joint Research Centre 
I-21020 Ispra (VA) Italy 
Phone: + 39 332 78 9180 
Fax: + 39 332 78 5818 
(2) 
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1. JRC LIFE IN 1993 
1993 saw the Joint Research Centre (JRC) passing the mid-term of the activities set out by the Council 
Resolution and Council Decisions adopted on 29 April 1992 for the 1992-1994 period. As expected, 
the Centre was fully engaged in the pursuit of its assigned activities and at the same time, in a 
dynamic planning for the future. 
The JRC continued its contribution to the 3rd Framework Programme via the lines of Industrial and 
Materials Technologies, Measurement and Testing, Environment, Nuclear Fission Safety, Controlled 
Thermo-Nuclear Fusion and Human Capital and Mobility. 
The JRC has a strong tradition of executing projects of a multidisciplinary nature. This was reflected 
in the subject areas of most of the Institutes with the aim of meeting the needs of the Community as 
a whole, its Institutions and Member States. All eight Institutes continued their activities within the 
context of specific programmes, scientific and technological support for the Commission, contractual 
work for external third parties and exploratory research. 
The neutral and independent role of the JRC was underlined, research of pre-normative character 
was emphasised as was the true European nature of its scientific-technical activities. Much attention 
has been paid by the JRC Board of Governors to ensure proper response to the subsidiarity principle 
and to foster increasing significant collaboration with national research in the Member States. Plans 
were drawn up for a possible coming collaboration with the EFTA Countries. Europe-wide or 
international collaboration continued under schemes like EUREKA and EC agreements with several 
countries around the world. Thanks to its capabilities and its involvement in the formulation and 
implementation of Community policies, the JRC assumed the role of a neutral and independent tool. 
Work undertaken as scientific and technological support for the Commission continued and much 
attention has been paid to applying the customer/contractor principle. Practically all major 
operations were covered during the year by an Inter-DG (Directorate General) multiannual contract, 
a Council decision or a Commission decision, and the remaining part was executed in response to 
more precise requests from Commission Directorates General. New initiatives included the European 
Centre for Validation of Alternative Testing Methods (alternative to vivisection) and the European 
Chemicals Bureau both for the Directorate General for Environment, Nuclear Safety and Civil 
Protection and new work in the nuclear safeguards area for the Directorate General for Energy. 
Contractual work performed for external third parties continued to be of a high quality and 
executed with speed, and the JRC strengthened its marketing efforts both at institute and central 
level. The volume of new contracts reached a higher level than in the previous year. 
The many exploratory research projects gave stimuli for possible new work orientations and added to 
the scientific vitality of the JRC. 
Early planning of the JRC's contribution to the 4th Framework Programme on Community activities in 
research and technological development was started; the scientific and technical objectives and 
contents of programmes were defined in cooperation with the JRC Board of Governors. 
The Commission issued its proposal on the 4th Framework Programme on Community activities of 
Research, Technological Development and Demonstration (1994-1998) and various accompanying 
documents. 
1.1 Specific Research Programmes 
The predominant task of the JRC is still its contribution to the implementation of the Framework 
Programme which accounted for 65% of the JRC Budget. It contributed to the objectives of the 3rd 
Framework Programme by the execution of the following specific programmes : 
• The Industrial and Materials Technologies programme encompassed research on Advanced 
Materials executed by the Institute for Advanced Materials (1AM), and on the Working Environment, 
executed by the Institute for Safety Technology (1ST), the Institute for Systems Engineering and 
Informatics (ISEI) and by the Environment Institute (El). 
European research networks were actively promoted by the 1AM within the growing field of surface 
engineering. Research work covered hard surfacing for the wear resistance, fibre coatings for 
composite interface engineering and biocompatible coatings for prostheses. The Advanced Coating 
Centre, a joint venture with the Netherlands Energy Foundation (ECN), became fully operational in 
1993. 
A methodology for the engineering of composite interface structures has been established in the 
frame of the EUREKA-CEFIR project; a technique for producing nanocrystalline ceramic coatings has 
been developed. 
Three Networks were launched to integrate European efforts on inspection procedure qualification 
for heavy duty structural components; these networks in which the IAM acts as the Operating Agent 
and the Reference Laboratory are: 
AMES: European Network on Reactor Pressure Vessel Embrittlement and Annealing; 
ENIQ: European Network of Inspection Validation or Verification; 
NESC: Network for the Evaluation of Steel Components. 
The research on Working Environment at ISEI was focused on models and methods for human error 
assessment in avionics, air traffic control and chemical industries. Models have been validated by field 
research and by analysis of recorded accidents and incidents. 
The El activity on Trace Metals Exposure and Health Effects was mainly directed towards the 
assessment of the toxicological impact of trace metals on general and occupational exposed 
populations. Experiments with a new walk-in environmental test chamber for indoor pollution and 
exposure studies (INDOORTRON) were started. 
• The Measurement and Testing programme encompassed research projects on measurements 
and reference materials, executed by the Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements 
(IRMM), and research projects on reference methods for non-nuclear energies and the assessment of 
the reliability of structures, executed by the Institute for Systems Engineering and Informatics (ISEI) 
and by the Institute for Safety Technology (1ST). 
IRMM continued the elaboration of reference materials, as in the past. In collaboration with national 
institutes, the value of the Avogadro constant has been redetermined to a precision of 10~7, which 
promises application for redefinition of the international standards. 
Nuclear data continued to be measured; measurements of very low contaminations in various 
materials have been performed in the Ultra Clean Chemical Laboratory and with a new detection 
device installed in an underground facility of the SCK/CEN, Mol; interlaboratory measurements have 
been performed to analyse trace elements in water and in human serum within the International 
Measurement Evaluation Programme (IMEP). 
10-
The European Laboratory for Structural Assessment (ELSA) continued its experimental and modelling 
activities in collaboration with the European Association of Structural Mechanics Laboratories which 
comprises around 30 laboratories from the Member States. The main objective is prenormative 
research for an improved understanding of the nonlinear response of materials and structures to 
dynamic loading for the design of civil engineering structures in seismic areas. At the ISEI, 
prenormative research was pursued with the development of a new test procedure for thin 
photovoltaic films. 
• The Environment Protection programme consisted of research projects executed by the 
Environment Institute (El) on atmospheric pollution, and on soil, water and waste pollution. It also 
encompassed applications of remote sensing techniques, executed by the Institute for Remote 
Sensing Applications (IRSA), and research activities on industrial hazards executed by the Institute for 
Safety Technology (1ST) and by the Institute for Systems Engineering and Informatics (ISEI). 
At the Environment Institute, the activity on "Biogenic Emissions in the Mediterranean Area" (BEMA) 
was continued as a contribution to the global change programme by setting up the concept for a 
European 4-year project. The JRC acted as a project coordinator of a first measuring campaign 
performed in May 1993 with the interdisciplinary cooperation of 12 laboratories from various 
European countries,. 
The El coordinated the European participation in an international experimental study on aerosols 
and climate. Data from a scientific campaign across the North Atlantic was analysed and showed the 
influence of continental pollution on the aerosol and cloud systems of the remote North Atlantic 
ocean. 
In the frame of global change study the IRSA developed remote sensing based approaches to study 
the terrestrial and marine biospheres with particular emphasis on changes in vegetation distribution 
(e.g. biomass burning) and regional and temporal variations of sea surface temperature and 
biological activity. 
Advanced techniques for remote sensing were evaluated; high spectral resolution sensors have been 
shown to provide information on specific elements of interest such as lignin and moisture content, 
which cannot currently be obtained with existing sensors. Microwave remote sensing techniques 
were also evaluated for forestry and agricultural applications; these provide possible means to 
acquire data independent of prevailing weather conditions. 
The EMSL (European Microwave Signature Laboratory) facility will be used in an experimental 
programme devoted to undertake spectral signature research in preparation for future spaceborne 
observations. This programme has been defined on the basis of recommendations and requests 
emanating from interested research institutes across Europe. 
Methodologies (neural networks, expert systems and spectral mixture modelling) are being 
developed to monitor vegetation and environmental conditions in several parts of Europe, with 
particular emphasis on ecosystem mapping, land degradation and desertification. 
The setting-up of a Centre of Earth Observation (CEO) has been examined by the ISEI, the IRSA and 
the El; the main objective of the Centre is to provide an efficient decentralised network for the full 
exploitation of the earth observation data including those obtained by spaceborne sensors. 
At the Institute for Safety Technology research on Industrial Hazards continued. The Facility for 
Investigating Runaway Events Safety (FIRES) aimed at studying the safety of batch chemical reactors 
has been operating for the study of aromatic nitrations. Studies have been performed to develop and 
apply to FIRES advanced methodologies for determining safety conditions, process optimisation, 
process control and early warning detection of runaway initiation. 
• The Nuclear Fission Safety programme encompassed a number of research activities ranging 
from reactor safety executed by the Institute for Safety Technology (1ST), to research activities on 
nuclear safeguards and fissile materials management, executed by the Institute for Safety 
11 
Technology and the Institute for Systems Engineering and Informatics (ISEI), and to research activities 
on nuclear fuels and actinides executed by the Institute for Transuranium Elements (ITU). 
The 1ST continued its contribution to the study of severe accident phenomena in nuclear power plants 
with the participation in the international PHEBUS programme at CEA Cadarache and with the 
execution of the FARO (experimental facility for fuel melting) test programme at Ispra, simulating 
severe accidents in the core of nuclear reactors. 
The development of the European Source Term Research (ESTER) computer code package continued 
in collaboration with many European Institutions; it is designed to become the European best 
estimate code for the calculation of Source Term in severe accident scenarios. 
The Institute for Transuranium Elements (ITU) contributed to the study of safety of nuclear fuels, and 
especially to the effect of high burn-up on fuel and cladding integrity. Particular attention was paid 
to structural changes occurring at the fuel surface and to the influence of fission products on the fuel 
thermal conductivity. Studies concerning the safety and transmutation of actinides were continued 
in cooperation with several European Laboratories. 
Nuclear Safeguards research continued at ISEI-ITU and 1ST; a mobile robot for remote verification and 
an active video detection system were developed. On-site sealing techniques have been pursued; 
ultrasonic sealing and identification techniques have been patented. 
• The Fusion Technology and Safety programme is executed by the Institute for Safety 
Technology, (1ST) the Institute for Systems Engineering and Informatics (ISEI) as well as the Institute 
for Advanced Materials (1AM). 
Verification and testing of the safety relevant systems in the European Tritium Handling 
Experimental Laboratory (ETHEL) continued during 1993 with the aim of obtaining the operational 
licence for Nuclear Testing in 1994. Cooperation between the 1ST (ETHEL) and the 
Kernforschungszentrum Karlsruhe (KFK) Tritium Laboratory Karlsruhe (TLK) facility is progressing. 
Various computer packages were developed by the ISEI to model physical phenomena within a 
reactor and a facility to simulate remote handling procedures has been built. 
• The Human Capital and Mobility programme of the JRC continued with increased activities in 
1993 and covered all Institutes. It offered individual research fellowships to interested scientists, 
participation to Networks with other research organisations and Access to Large Scale Facilities 
projects. The Board of Governors of the JRC approved during 1993, 200 individual fellowships on a 
post-doctoral level, 11 networks involving a JRC participation and 3 projects on Access to Large Scale 
Facilities of the JRC. 
Progress made in the execution of these programmes is reported in more detail in Chapter 2, 
dedicated to the activities of the JRC Institutes. 
12-
1.2 JRC S/T Support to Community Policies 
The JRC scientific and technical expertise is available to other Directorates General of the 
Commission for support in the formulation and implementation of Community policies. 
The JRC support can take several different forms: 
laboratory work or theoretical studies drawing on the scientific competences or experimental 
facilities of the JRC; 
scientific and technical work for implementing EC legislation or S/T support to drafting new 
legislation; 
scientific assistance in the management of projects or contracts, 
In 1993, the JRC scientific and technical support accounted for 22 % of the JRC budget, at the same 
level as in 1992. Figure 1 shows how this support was divided amongst the various Community 
policies. 
During the year, a number of multi-annual agreements have been signed by the Director General of 
the JRC with other Directorates General in order to provide an effective customer/contractor 
relationship, as well as a degree of continuity and long-term planning. Futhermore, major long-term 
agreements have been consolidated by decisions of the Commission, which have been communicated 
to the Council and to the European Parliament. The main sectors concerned were Environment, 
Energy and Agriculture. 
Practically around 83% of all operations were covered during the year by an Inter-DG multi-annual 
contract, a Council Decision or a Commission Decision, with the remaining part executed in response 
to more urgent requests from Commission Directorates General. 
• JRC support for the Environmental policy, which accounts for 27.8% of the scientific and 
technical support budget, provides DG XI with scientific and technical assistance in the 
implementation of legislation on chemical pollutants, atmospheric pollution, water quality, chemical 
waste, industrial risks and major accidents. This work is part of the EC Action Programme in the field 
of the Environment and includes the following actions: 
atmospheric pollution support concerns the implementation of EC Directives 80/779 and 
85/203/EEC on air quality (SO2, NO2, photochemical oxidants); work for the establishment of 
the European Reference Laboratory of Air Pollution (ERLAB) has considerably progressed and 
the Communication of the Commission to the Council and the Parliament will be issued 
shortly; 
support in the management of waste is provided with the co-ordination of a group of 
independent experts for the preparation of the European Waste Catalogue (Directive 
91/156/EEC); 
setting up of the "European Tracer Experiment" (ETEX), to test the validity of atmospheric 
models for emergency response by using artificial released tracers. Initiated in 1992 to support 
DG XI activities on radiation protection, the experiment is progressing well with more than 
twenty countries participating, and it should be operational for the first experiment in 1994; 
work on major accidents supports the implementation of EC Directive 82/501/EEC and the 
investigation of hazards of certain industrial activities such as processing and storage 
installations for hazardous chemicals; 
establishment of the European Chemicals Bureau within the El since January 1st, 1993, with the 
task of carrying out and coordinating the scientific/technical work for the implementation of 
EC legislation for the control of chemicals in continuation of similar work performed by the El 
for DG XI since several years. 
-13 
Figure 1 
S/T Support to Commission Services 
JRC Support Budget 
(MioEcu) 
DGVI DG VIII DGXI DGXIII DGXVII Other DG 
FSU 
CPS 
DGI 
DG III 
DGVI 
DG VIII Forward Studies Unit 
Consumer Policy Service 
External Economic Relations 
Industrial Policy 
Agricultural Policy 
Development Policy DGXI 
DGXIII 
DG XVII Environmental Policy 
Telecommunications, 
Information Market and 
Exploitation of Research 
Energy Policy 
• JRC support for Energy policy (DG XVII) accounts for 27.2% of the scientific and technical 
support budget. 
Most of the work undertaken deals with the following tasks: 
training of inspectors, harmonisation of in service inspection practices providing state of the 
art equipment and reference analyses of nuclear materials samples;. 
operation of on-site laboratories for safeguards analysis at reprocessing plants such as 
Sellafield and La Hague; 
contribution to long-term energy scenarios, including the evolution of nuclear energy 
industry; 
contributions to energy conservation and to rational use of energy in small and medium size 
industries, buildings and transport systems; 
monitoring of photovoltaic and solar thermal demonstration projects. 
• JRC support for the Common Agricultural Policy, which accounts for 14.2% of the scientific and 
technical support budget, covers mainly the following research areas: 
-14 
application of remote sensing to agricultural statistics with the aim to develop and 
demonstrate, up to the semi-operational level, methodologies integrating remote sensing 
data into the collection of statistics for the monitoring of crop acreage and agricultural 
production in the EC (Council Decision of 26.9.1988); 
support to applications in establishing registers of inventory control systems in agriculture, 
using either airborne or spaceborne remote sensing techniques; 
creation of the European Office for wine, alcohol and spirit drinks was communicated by the 
Commission to the Council and the European Parliament (COM(93) 360 final, 
16 September 1993). 
Further information on the JRC Scientific and Technical support activities to the Commission's services 
may be found in Chapter 2. 
1.3 JRC Work for Third Parties 
The customers of the Joint Research Centre 
The JRC is offering its scientific expertise to external customers since 1988, totalling a volume of 
orders of more than 60 Mioecu during the last six years since this activity was initiated. 
Industry remains by far its most important 
customer, with 68% of the orders received by the 
JRC and being still today under execution while 
research organisations and public administrations 
account for 22% and 8% respectively. Others 
cover the remaining 2% [Fig. 2]. Research 
Organisations 
Public 
Adminis­
trations Figure 2 
Others 
Industry 
The nuclear sector remains also the predominant 
client of the JRC expertise, while other sectors 
amount globally just over 25% of the total orders 
received by the JRC and being now executed. Other 
Sectors 
Nuclear 
Sector 
The public sector, with its increasing needs for expertise in the area of environmental management, 
is emerging as a customer of the JRC for projects involving the study of air, water and soil pollution 
and the management of industrial and urban waste. 
Environment related contracts being now executed at the JRC account for 9% of the total orders 
executed in 1993, which is an increase of 25% compared with the past year. 
15-
The total volume of new orders received in 1993 by the JRC reached the level of 11.7 Mioecu. 
The volume of new orders received in 1993 is 30% higher than that received in 1992. 
Fig. 3 details the evolution of orders, invoices and payments for third party work contracted during 
the period 1992-1993. 
During this period, the total volume of invoices reached [10 Mioecu], which means that roughly half 
of the orders received in 1992-1993 have been completed during these two years, while the other 
half will be executed in 1994 and later on. 
Payments received are following closely the amounts invoiced. 
Figure 3 
Third Party Work ordered to the JRC during the period 1992-1993 
Amount (MioEcu) 
22 
16 
12 Orders •-
Invoices A 
Payments received * 
1992 1993 
As in 1992, two Institutes, namely the Institute for Advanced Materials and the Institute for 
Transuranium Elements are far ahead the other JRC Institutes in the winning of contracts for Third 
Party Work.; The Institute for Safety Technology acknowledged the biggest increase in earning 
contracts for Third Party Work since the volume of its orders doubled in 1993 in comparison with 
1992. 
(3) 
16 
The evolution of the execution of work ordered during the period 1988-1991 is proceeding smoothly 
but will further extend over the next years. 
Table 1 shows, by period, the evolution of the execution of the Third Party Work ordered during the 
years 1988-1991. 
Table 1 
JRC Execution of Third Parties Work (Mioecu) ordered during the period 1988-1991 
Year 
Initial Order book 
Cancellation 
Actual order Book 
Amounts invoiced 
Payments received 1988-1991 
45.64 
— 
45.64 
17.83 
15.33 1988-1992 
45.64 
1.45 
44.19 
25.43 
23.38 1988-1993 
45.64 
1.79 
43.85 
29.18 
27.74 
The volume of contracts signed during that period totalled 45.64 Mioecu, now adjusted to 43.85 
Mioecu following cancellations or modifications of a few contracts. 
End 1993, the invoices issued for work on the contracts totalled 29.18 Mioecu; 66% of the work 
ordered was thus executed at that time. The corresponding payments received totalled 27.74 
Mioecu. 
The execution of the remaining work on the 1988-1991 contracts will continue, as foreseen in the 
contracts, during the coming years, and in a few cases up to 2000. 
1.4 JRC Cooperation with National Research Organisations 
The JRC is cooperating with national organisations through various schemes : bilateral cooperations, 
multilateral cooperations, Human Capital and Mobility Networks, and Eureka projects. 
Bilateral cooperations between the JRC Institutes and national organisations within the Member 
States of the European Community are numerous, roughly more than 100 bilateral cooperations are 
today in force; they are generally focused to highly specialised fields where the JRC is sharing its 
scientific expertise with other research organisations in order to increase the scientific excellence of 
both partners. 
Around 60 multilateral cooperations between the JRC institutes and national organisations are 
operational. The number of partners of those collaborations is generally comprised between two 
and 20 partners but in an extreme case, up to 70 laboratories are participating. The subject of 
collaboration is, generally, broader than in the bilateral co-operations and its goal is to enhance the 
collective scientific knowledge of the partners. Therefore, this kind of cooperation has an important 
Community significance. Figure 4 is giving the distribution of these bilateral and multilateral 
collaborations among the JRC Institutes. 
The JRC is also participating in eleven Human Capital and Mobility Networks (HCM). The distribution 
of these cooperations among the JRC Institutes is given on Figure 5 while Table 2 lists the most 
important bilateral and multilateral collaborations. 
All these cooperations are open to new prospective participants who want to join and benefit from 
them in bringing their additional scientific expertise. 
17 
Figure 4 
JRC bilateral and multilateral Cooperations 
Nr of Cooperations Bilateral 
Multilateral 
IRMM ITU IAM El ISEI IRSA 1ST IPTS 
Figure 5 
JRC HCM and Eureka Cooperations 
Nr of Cooperations HCM 
EUREKA 
IRMM ITU IAM El ISEI IRSA 1ST IPTS 
-18-
Table 2 
Most important research areas where the JRC is animating a significant cooperation throughout the EC 
Institute Research Areas Observations 
- Reference Nuclear Materials Measurements - REIMEP collaborative effort involving more than 30 laboratories 
IRMM - Reference Measurements for Chemical Analysis - IMEP : collaborative effort involving up to 65 laboratories 
- Polluting Trace element determination in the environment; - Envirotrace: an HCM network involving 15 laboratories 
- Basic Actinide Research - Bilateral cooperation with interested universities and research institutes 
ITU - Partitioning and transmutation of long lived actinides in order to - Network with interested research institutes 
mitigate their long term hazards 
- High temperature ceramic fibres for ceramic-matrix composite materials - Research networks with universities and research institutes 
- Prenormative research on advanced materials - VAMAS 
- Non destructive inspection techniques for reliability assessment of - PISC longstanding multinational cooperation system expanded to embrace 3 new 
mechanical structures Networks: 
IAM NESC : Network for Evaluating Steel Components 
ENIQ : European Network for Inspection Qualification 
AMES : European Action group on aged reactor materials and components. 
- Development of reliable ceramic components for advanced gas turbines - HCM network involving 5 European Laboratories 
- Semi-autonomous Monitoring and Robotics Technology (SMART) - HCM network involving 13 European organisations 
- Interactive image synthesis and processing on Innovative Computer - HCM network involving 8 European laboratories 
ISEI Architectures 
- Diagnostics and Reliability of Innovative Materials and Structures for - HCM network involving 8 European partners 
Transportation Applications 
_. - Intercalibration and development of measurement methods for air - Major collaborative effort in intercalibration and development of measurement 
pollution monitoring methods with all interested European laboratories 
- International forest investigation - Existing cooperation with ESA and four national institutes 
IRSA - Agricultural statistics - Contractual activities in network 
- Monitoring of Common Agricultural Policies - Contractual activities in network 
- Structural mechanics (earthquake engineering research), operation of - Existing European Association of Structural Mechanics Laboratories (30 European 
the ELSA facility laboratories) 
1ST - Prenormative research in support to EurocodeN0 8 - HCM network involving 19 European organisations 
- Reactor Safety : Severe accidents - Cooperation with 16 European Laboratories contributing to the PhebusPF 
programme, cooperation with 8 organisations involved in the FARO projects 
. . : 
.,,.„,,.,,..,.,, ». . <• t J - ESARDA longstanding formal cooperation with all interested European research 
IST/ISEI/ITU - Nuclear Safeguards Institutes 
19 
The JRC is also participating in five EUREKA (European Cooperation on Advanced Technology)1 
projects : 
CEFIR (Ceramic European Fibre Research, EU 658), an initiative aiming at the production of 
European high temperature resistant ceramic fibres,where a novel methodology for the 
engineering of fibre and composite interface has been developed (see par. 2.3 IAM); 
FORMENTOR (EU 19), related to the development of expert systems to support decision 
making in hazardous situations where a first version of a coherent methodology has been 
developed (see par. 2.4), for real time operator decision support system; 
EUROTRAC (EU 7), with the TRACT (Transport of Air Pollutants over Complex Terrain) sub-
project that uses artificial tracers for assessing the transport of atmospheric pollutants in the 
Alpine region where data related to previous experiments have been assembled in a data base, 
which is now available for predictive model verification; and the LACTOZ (Laboratory Studies 
of Chemistry related to Tropospheric Ozone) sub-project that evaluates, by laboratory 
experiments, the chemical and photochemical transformation of atmospheric pollutants 
where cooperation with the University of Keel and with the University of Milano has led to 
interesting results (see par. 2.5); 
EUROENVIRON (EU 330), with the TRACY (Toxic Metals in Human Tissues and Fluids) project 
(EU 618) which aims to develop a state base for toxic materials in human tissue and fluids and 
the mobile analysis laboratory project (EU 674) aiming at developing a mobile analytical 
laboratory for the in-field analysis of water, waste and soil and where an interlaboratory 
exercise has been launched (see par. 2.5); 
VISIMAR (Visualisation and Simulation of Marine Environmental Processes, EU 495), to monitor 
the marine environment has been concluded in producing an animation system showing the 
dynamic behaviour of geophysical processes (see par. 2.6). 
1.5. Ispra site renovation 
The plans for an ECO-Centre at the Ispra site are progressing towards a fully fledged 
masterplan for the site and its energy balance. First accomplishments include a survey by 
infrared measurements of energy losses from buildings, the on-going retrofitting of several 
buildings and the detailed plans for installation of solar panels on the south façade of the ELSA 
(European Laboratory for Structural Assessment) experimental hall foreseen to be installed in 
1994. 
The EUREKA initiative was set-up to raise, through closer cooperation among enterprises and 
research institutes in the field of advanced technologies, the productivity and competitiveness of 
Europe's industries and national economies on the world market, and hence strengthen the basis 
for lasting prosperity and employment. It involves 20 countries plus the Commission of the 
European Communities. 
20 
1.6. Publications and Eurocourses 
• Publications - Patents 
In 1993 the JRC published 884 papers. The following Table 3 gives the distribution of these 
publications among the JRC Institutes. 
Table 3 
Distribution of JRC Publications among JRC Institutes in 1993 
Institutes 
Directorate General 
Institute for Reference Materials and 
Measurements 
Institute for Transuranium Elements 
Institute for Advanced Material 
Institute for Systems Engineering and 
Informatics 
Environment Institute 
Institute for Remote Sensing 
Applications 
Institute for Safety Technology 
Institute for Prospective 
Technological Studies 
Total EUR 
Reports 
6 
6 
2 
13 
18 
14 
9 
31 
1 
100 Conference 
Papers 
5 
60 
109 
79 
82 
94 
98 
63 
4 
594 Articles 
28 
33 
63 
20 
19 
21 
6 
190 Total 
11 
94 
144 
155 
120 
127 
128 
100 
5 
884 
The detailed list of JRC publications is published each year in the "Publications Bulletin". The last 
issue, No 13/ISSN0254-3133, published in April 1993, gives the list of JRC publications in 1992. 
In 1993,26 JRC patents were also granted. 
• Eurocourses - Other Workshops and Seminars 
The JRC organised 8 Eurocourses with 90 guest lecturers from EC Member States, USA, Canada and 
Japan and 40 experts from the JRC Institutes and various Directorates General of the Commission. 
The courses encompassed topics within environment, remote sensing, nuclear safety, materials 
sciences and civil protection. They were attended by 316 participants coming from industry, public 
administration, universities and research organisations from the EC-Member States and from 20 
non EC countries. 
Three other one-week courses were organised for the European Association for Environmental 
Management Education in the frame of the programme of the European Master in Environmental 
Management established by the Commission in 1991. 
Furthermore, the JRC Institutes organised various workshops and seminars to discuss their activities 
with scientists of other organisations and to disseminate the results of their work. 
-21-
2. ACTIVITIES OF THE JRC INSTITUTES IN 1993 
This chapter outlines the activities of the Institutes of the JRC during 1993. 
2.1. The Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements (IRMM) 
The IRMM, the former Central Bureau for Nuclear Measurements (CBNM), located in Geel (Belgium), 
is dedicated to the promotion of European standards and the harmonization of reference materials 
and methodologies. The Institute contributed to the Framework Programme Line "Measurement 
and Testing" by executing its specific programme under the heading "Reference Materials and 
Measurements". The character of its work continued to favour non-nuclear aspects and to move 
from fundamental studies to applied research, without, however, disregarding the commitments 
defined in the Treaty of Rome. It is engaged in support activities related mainly to nuclear 
safeguards at the requests of the Directorate General for External Relations (DG I) in support to the 
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and to the Directorate General for Energy (Euratom 
Safeguards Directorate, DG XVII). It also provides services and reference materials to various 
customers from the EC Member States. 
• Reference Materials and Measurements 
The IRMM is providing high quality reference materials for the calibration of analytical equipment in 
all stages of the nuclear fuel cycle and in various fields of non-nuclear issues, with the aim of 
improving the reliability of measurements in chemistry and physics. Special targets and samples for 
nuclear data measurements have been prepared and characterised such as new 10B and 6Li F reference 
deposits. 
Various reference materials were prepared, characterised and certified. Productivity and quality in 
the preparation of biological, environmental and food reference materials were improved as well as 
the control of their elaboration (humidity, particle size, homogeneity and contamination). Several 
special reference materials for BCR were certified, such as orange juice (sugar, amino-acids), pig liver 
(vitamins), fly ash (dioxines) or soils (phenols, cyanides). Analytical work on metallo-proteins and 
heavy metal traces of environmental or bio-medical importance also continued. 
The Regular European Interlaboratory Measurement Evaluation Programme (REIMEP) activity 
continued with various Interlaboratory Measurement on Mixed Oxide pellets and solutions of spent 
fuel, synthetic input and plutonium nitrate; furthermore, the International Atomic Energy Agency 
(IAEA) has proposed to include REIMEP into its quality analysis scheme. 
The now operational Ultra Clean Chemical Laboratory will be used for the determination of very low 
concentration trace elements in a variety of materials. The interlaboratory rounds with up to 70 
partners on trace elements in natural and synthetic water as well as that on iron in human serum 
have been concluded within the International Measurement Evaluation Programme (IMEP). 
Determinations of the silicon molar mass to improve the accuracy of the Avogadro Number were 
performed for German, Italian and Japanese partners. Nearly absolute isotopic measurements on 
several gases and amount measurements on gravimetrically prepared gas mixtures were conducted 
applying procedures developed in the Avogadro project. 
A set of rules of "Good Practice" have been worked out to enable accurate worldwide traceability of 
chemical measurements. 
In the field of fission technology, neutron measurements continued to be carried out on basic cross-
sections: 
-22 
experiments on the fission cross-section of 235u relative to the neutron-proton scattering (in 
the neutron energy range from 0.3 to 2 MeV) and on the total cross-section of 10B (in the 
neutron energy range from 100 eV to about 10 MeV); 
analysis of total cross-sections of 58Ni and 60Ni up to 800 keV neutron energy which has been 
included in the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) Data Bank and in the ongoing evaluation for the 
Joint European File; measurements of the radiative capture cross-sections as well as the 
capture y-ray spectra of 58Ni have been started; 
the cross-sections for neutron inelastic scattering from 238u and from palladium isotopes 
(fission products) are being investigated. The alpha and triton yield (important for tritium 
build-up in fuel elements) from ternary fission of 235U in the resonance region, as well as 
fragment mass- and energy distributions for the spontaneous fission of 242Pu, 244pu and for 
neutron induced fission of 243Am were investigated. 
As for fusion technology, high resolution total cross-section measurements on natural iron have been 
performed. Data relevant to the prediction of gas production, in particular the 58(y|i(n,a) cross-section 
relative to 27AI(n,a) as standard, are being measured. 
An intercomparison of the standardisation of thin 233u layers involving also the US National Institute 
of Standards and Technology (NIST) was finalised. 
Measurements of very low contaminations in various materials, e.g. environmental samples, have 
been performed using a shielded 100 cm3 HP (High Purity) Ge detector. This detection system was 
installed at 225 m depth in the HADES (High Activity Disposal Experimental Site) underground 
laboratory of the SCK/CEN, Mol. The purpose of this was to reduce considerably the background 
from cosmic rays and neutron activation. 
In the programme on radiation physics, optical transition radiation was used for energy and 
divergence measurements of the electron beam with on-line display of the beam parameters. 
At the 7MV Van de Graaff nuclear reaction analysis was applied for the stoichiometric analysis of pm 
thick boron-nitride films via simultaneous recording of boron and nitrogen (a,p) reactions. Analysis of 
oxygen diffusion in implanted stainless steel continued. Structural work for the generation of a 
15N + beam for hydrogen profiling experiments will be finalised. 
• Community and External Services 
The IRMM continued the preparation of a series of solid spikes for safeguards measurements which 
were supplied to the IAEA. It also executed safeguards verification measurements according to the 
requests of the Euratom Safeguards Directorate of DG XVII. This is the quality control programme co­
ordinated by the Institute for all ECSAM (European Commission's Safeguards Analytical 
Measurements) laboratories. In particular, results of the analytical measurements on mixed uranium 
plutonium oxide pellets, plutonium nitrate solution, spent fuel and synthetic input solutions were 
collected for evaluation. 
The isotopic fingerprint method which allows the identification of origin of some products or 
pollutants, has been developed and applied to sulphur in fossil fuels (responsible for SO2 emissions 
during combustion leading to environmental pollution) and to carbon, oxygen and nitrogen in food 
and drugs, to prevent fraudulent actions. 
Activities have been initiated on the development of means for legislative controls (DG III) by 
providing suitable certified reference materials. 
In the frame of support of the Consumer Protection Service, test measurements have been executed 
by performing lead analyses in different hair products 
23 
Work in support to the Directorate General for Agriculture has been started: test production of ewe-
curd reference materials, freeze-drying procedure of lemon juice and preparation of milk powder 
spiked with dioxines and furanes. 
2.2. The Institute for Transuranium Elements (ITU) 
The ITU has expertise and unique equipment for property studies on nuclear fuel materials. It 
executes, within the Nuclear Fission Safety Programme, research on the safety of actinides in the 
nuclear fuel cycle. It also contributes to research on reactor safety and on the management of 
radioactive waste. It provides scientific and technical support of nuclear safeguards upon request 
from the Directorates General for External Relations (DG I) and for Energy (DG XVII). In addition, the 
ITU is engaged in a number of important contracts at the request of the nuclear industry. 
• Safety of Actinides in the Nuclear Fuel Cycle 
The ITU concentrated its efforts to assess the limits of safe operation of nuclear fuels. The study on 
the limitation of the lifetime of current Light Water Reactor (LWR) fuels put emphasis on the 
formation of structural defects at the fuel rod surface at high burn-up ("rim effect"). 
Work on transmutation of actinides was continued. In a collaboration with CEA, EdF, ECN and KFK, 
the major part of studies focused on the transmutation of Tc-99,1-129, and minor actinides in an inert 
matrix in view of irradiations in PHENIX, HFR, and OSIRIS. An irradiation experiment to study 
possibilities of transmuting technetium in the Petten reactor was started. Moreover, a new "Minor 
Actinides" laboratory, conceived in view of preparing and testing fuel for new transmutation 
experiments, has been designed. Separation of actinides has been experienced with trialkyi-
phosphine oxide in processes including centrifugal extraction. 
An experiment for investigating the transport mechanisms of large nuclear aerosol particles (in 
particular, UO2 particles) in ducts and chimneys was carried out. The agglomeration of fine dust 
particles in a turbulent flow field was studied in detail. 
Experimental studies on the high temperature phase transitions in UO2 were performed in order to 
complete existing heat capacity data in the pre-melting region. A thermodynamic model for 
electronic and atomic point defect contributions to the heat capacity of UO2 has been designed and 
validated. 
A laser flash machine for diffusivity measurements on irradiated fuel samples was constructed and a 
shielded Knudsen cell for vaporisation experiments with irradiated fuel samples was calibrated. 
Studies concerning the safety of actinides were pursued in collaboration with more than 50 national 
research institutions in the world. 
• Reactor Safety 
Mathematical codes for reactor safety studies have been further developed and applied in view of 
the planned PHEBUS fission gas release experiments. Ultrasonic thermometers for in-pile centre line 
temperature measurements have been installed and tested. 
• Characterisation of Radioactive Waste 
Work in the field of nuclear waste characterisation concentrated on the study of effects which 
determine the long term stability of spent fuel in various environments. Leach tests were and will be 
carried out in autoclaves with: 1) irradiated UO2 powder; 2) segments of irradiated fuel rods with 
pre-formed defects; 3) mixed oxide fuel irradiated to a burn-up of 50 GWd/t (in preparation). 
24 
The effect of radiation damage and of the oxidation state on the leaching behaviour of simulated 
high burn-up fuel was further investigated. Models describing the interaction of steam and water 
with spent fuel were extended to leaching and oxidation. 
Efforts were made to clarify the oxidation of fission product containing fuel and to establish relations 
between oxygen potential and oxygen to metal ratio for various burn-ups. 
Newly developed equipment has been used for the non-destructive analysis of irradiated fuel rods by 
passive neutron interrogation. 
• Basic Studies on Actinides 
Different classes of neptunium and plutonium compounds were prepared (mostly in the form of 
single crystals), characterised and encapsulated for basic physical property studies. Special efforts 
were made to produce large single crystals of NpSb and of UFe8AI4 for structural investigations. 
Môssbauer measurements on NpX3 compounds were performed under pressure in order to elucidate 
the electronic structure of these compounds. A new facility for measuring the specific heat of 
actinides at low temperatures underwent testing. Attempts were made to clarify factors which 
influence permanent magnetism in rare earth-transition metal systems, and a theory of the Curie 
temperatures of localized systems was developed. Electronic and structural investigations were 
carried out with synchrotron radiation from European and US sources. 
• Community and External Services 
The analysis of samples taken by inspectors at different nuclear installations within the European 
Community continued to be achieved upon request by the EURATOM Safeguards Directorate (ESD). 
An expert system for quality assurance was further developed and tested. Preparations for the 
installation and operation of analytical safeguards laboratories at the site of large reprocessing 
plants continued. New methods for the separation of input samples and for gravimetric analysis have 
been developed. The final specifications for the Sellafield laboratory were issued. The equipment for 
non-destructive analysis (n-gamma coincidence analysis, K-edge densitometry) has been tested and 
installed. New staff has been recruited and is being trained for the on-site laboratory in La Hague 
and Sellafield. 
In 1993, illegally imported nuclear material was discovered in the Member States and submitted to 
ITU for analysis which proved it to be of low significance. 
External contract work deals with the fabrication of minor actinide containing fuel, the 
characterisation of uranium dioxide irradiated to high burn-up in power plants, the analysis of 
chemical interactions between ZrÛ2 and UO2, and a study of mechanical properties of Light Water 
Reactor fuel. Third party contract work increased during 1993 and now constitutes about 5% of the 
budget of the Institute. 
• Exploratory Research 
UN powders, UN-AI powder blends, and sintered UN-AI discs were prepared and characterised. 
Compatibility tests were performed at temperatures up to 600°C. The results are being evaluated in 
view of the development of new fuels for Materials Test Reactors. 
25 
2.3 The Institute for Advanced Materials (IAM) 
With sites at both Petten and Ispra, the IAM executes the specific programme on Advanced Materials 
and exploits and operates the High Flux Reactor for the Dutch and German authorities. The Institute 
is engaged in pre-normative research related to standards and codes, and in work on a contractual 
basis for industry. During 1993 the Institute concentrated its effort on the research areas of surface 
modification technology, reliability and life extension, materials for extreme environments, and 
fusion materials. 
• Materials and Measurements 
European research networks were actively promoted within the growing field of surface 
engineering. Research work covered hard surfacing for wear resistance, fibre coatings for composite 
interface engineering and biocompatible coatings for prostheses. The Advanced Coating Centre, a 
joint venture with the Energie Centrum Nederland (ECN), became fully operational in 1993 and 
initiated bilateral actions for the development of new coatings and coating processes technology. Its 
range of facilities include plasma and thermal spraying, and thermal and plasma assisted chemical 
vapour deposition techniques. 
In the frame of the EUREKA-CEFIR project on Ceramic Fibre Research, a methodology for the 
engineering of composite interface structures has been established by application of controlled 
coating layers onto ceramic fibres coupled with a novel composite fabrication process. 
A chemical technique for producing nanocrystalline ceramic coatings has been developed. 10 - 25 nm 
thick coatings of alumina and yttria were produced on ceria-stabilized zirconia. An emulsion 
precipitation technique was developed for the production of large amounts of ceramic powder of 
composition difficult to obtain by other means. 
Laser surface melting can improve the fatigue life of stainless steel at least as much as high quality 
electropolishing. The substitution of gold alloys in dental prostheses by plasma sprayed titanium 
glass ceramic layers was studied. The adhesion of glazed films deposited on titanium or on an 
intermediate layer was determined by pull-off and shear tests. Low pressure plasma spray, multilayer 
coatings of porous titanium and hydroxyapatite on titanium alloy substrates for orthopedic 
applications, in particular for femoral and knee prosthesis, were characterised structurally and 
mechanically. The wear rate and the friction coefficients of titanium and CoCrMo alloys as 
articulating components against polyethylene were determined. 
Three Networks were launched to integrate European efforts on inspection procedure qualification 
for heavy duty structural components - on materials rejuvenation, on integration of fracture 
mechanics and on inspection. These networks in which the IAM acts as the Operating Agent and 
Reference Laboratory are: 
AMES: European Network on Reactor Pressure Vessel Embrittlement and Annealing; 
ENIQ: European Network of Inspection Validation or Verification; 
NESC: Network for the Evaluation of Steel Components. 
These European initiatives officially launched in 1993, involve the management of projects aiming at 
codes, standards and industrial practice improvement. They support activities within DG III, DG XI 
and DG XVII. 
Characterisation of chemical/mechanical properties of newly developed advanced metallic materials 
having potential for gas turbine applications has been performed under long term exposure at high 
temperatures. Corrosion studies have been targeted at determining the reason why industrial 
corrosion found in practice is underestimated by laboratory studies in simulated environments. 
Unique facilities were developed to allow creep crack growth to be measured on either compact 
tension test-pieces or notched components under the combined conditions of stress and very high 
-26-
hydrogen pressure such as those occurring in the petrochemical industry. A model predicting the 
creep behaviour of steels for steam raising plant has been established and verified. 
An ultra high temperature facility was built for testing the high temperature mechanical behaviour 
of ceramic composite materials (e.g. bi-directionally reinforced ceramic composites) in corrosive 
environments. 
Work on SiC/SiC material, which is potentially applicable to fusion reactors, showed that European 
industrial SiC/SiC material produced by chemical vapour infiltration will satisfy low activation criteria. 
However, ceramic breeder materials were found to be reactive in high temperature tests, towards the 
SiÛ2 content of SiC/SiC composites. The thermal fatigue lives of first wall components, manufactured 
with welded and brazed segments, were found to be a factor 5 below that estimated using nuclear 
codes. In contrast, components with cracks produced by plasma disruption simulation with electron 
beams have shown to have fatigue lives at least one order of magnitude more than that foreseen by 
fracture mechanics. 
• High Flux Reactor 
The High Flux Reactor (HFR) at Petten was operated at close to 100% of the scheduled operation time 
and the irradiation capacity was used to about 60%. 
The topical sectors of utilised capacity remained largely unchanged with respect to 1992, i.e. 40% for 
materials and fuel irradiations for fission reactors and for fusion applications, 30% for radioisotope 
production mainly for medical applications, 12% for exploratory R&D dealing with Boron Neutron 
Capture Therapy; neutron radiography, activation analysis and silicon doping at low scale absorbed 
the remaining irradiation capacity. 
• Community and External Services 
A considerable effort was invested in the performance characterisation of new and/or improved 
mechanical testing methods for advanced materials. This prenormative research has also resulted in 
improvements to equipment such as prototypes of a high temperature radiant furnace, of a laser 
extensometer, and of an advanced pyrometer. These improvements are now being transferred into 
commercially available products. 
The IAM was strongly involved in an interlaboratory prestandardisation testing programme on 
advanced ceramics/composites/coatings. European workshops on standardisation of test 
methodologies for ceramics corrosion and mechanical testing were also organised. 
A study on the corrosive degradation of automobile catalyst systems enabled improvements in the 
catalyst/washcoat/support system to be formulated. Technical advice was provided to DG XI 
(Environment) and DG III (Industry), in the formulation of Commission directives on ceramic catalyst 
supports and ceramics standards. 
Third party contract work increased during 1993 and now constitutes about 10% of the budget of the 
Institute. Contracts were obtained from the energy sector for materials development. Contracts for 
the High Flux Reactor related to the production of radioisotopes, used in medical and industrial 
applications, and for the nuclear irradiation of structural materials. 
2.4. The Institute for Systems Engineering and Informatics (ISEI) 
The ISEI contributes to some parts of the specific research programmes on Working Environment, 
Measurement and Testing, Environment, Nuclear Fission Safety and Fusion. It executes several 
activities in Support of the Community Policies and is engaged in Exploratory Research and in Third 
Party Work. 
27 
• Working Environment 
The activity on cognitive ergonomics and organisational factors was centred on experimental and 
field research in the working environment of air traffic control. Studies on new technologies for 
safety at work were focused on analysis of human-machine interactions, modelling of integrated 
control in complex domains, research on human reliability and development of simulation models of 
human supervisory control. Identification and diagnostics of real industrial processes has been carried 
out by the computer code TREE, previously developed. 
• Measurement and Testing, 
In the area of reliability modelling of structures, the development of a portable electronic speckle 
pattern interferometer was completed. The optical method for stone surface diagnostics during salt 
crystallisation was tested and the development of standards for the application of acoustic emissions 
to aeronautic materials was pursued. Improvement of the interferometry technique by pulsed laser 
and tests of two high sensitivity interferometric sensors for weak gradient temperature 
measurements, were also carried out. 
The new methodology previously developed to assess high cycle fatigue damage in metallic 
structures was tested for deterministic loading conditions. 
Prenormative research in photovoltaic systems was pursued with the development of a fast, sampling 
flash radiometer and of thin film reliability test procedures. Annealing tests of light induced 
degradation on thin film large area amorphous silicon modules were performed. Work to integrate 
large area facade modules in new facilities was continued as well as the contribution to standards 
organisations, namely International Electrotechnical Commission and Deutsches Komite fur 
Elektrotechnik. 
• Environment 
In the area of industrial risk, the application of decision support systems to the management of 
hazardous wastes has been pursued and a first experiment with multi-media decision support systems 
has been made together with studies for integration of geographic information system with decision 
support techniques. Plant safety and reliability studies have been also pursued, with the participation 
to TOMHID, a STEP (Science and Technology for Environmental Protection) project for the 
identification and screening of hazards in socio-technical systems, and to FORMENTOR, a EUREKA 
project aiming to develop real time operator decision support systems for on-line use in the control of 
complex hazardous plants. Applications of the STARS (Software Tools for the Analysis of Reliability 
and Safety) integrated software system to specific cases have also been performed. Finally, a new 
activity on safety critical computer systems has started. 
In the area of remote sensing techniques, the feasibility phase of the Centre for Earth Observation 
(CEO) was completed and the pathfinder phase started. 
• Nuclear Safeguards, Nuclear Fission Safety and Fusion 
In the area of safeguards and fissile materials management, a mobile robot for remote verification in 
storage areas and an active video vision system triggered by scene change detection were developed. 
Thermal, humidity and mechanical tests were performed in the Laboratory for Surveillance and 
Containment (LaSCo) as well as sensor studies and investigation on integrated systems of video 
surveillance with other sensors. Development and on-site applications of sealing techniques have 
been pursued. An international patent on ultrasonic sealing and identification bolts has been 
deposited. Needs for the TAnk MEasurement laboratory (TAME) were specified and data for nuclear 
power plants and materials, including those from Former Soviet Union, have been collected. 
Fission reactor safety studies proceeded by application of the living Probabilistic Safety Assessment 
(PSA) technique in complex plant reliability and safety models, as the STARS computer system, and by 
implementation of the DYLAM-TRETA code package for reliability assessment by dynamic event tree 
techniques. Experiments on the pressurised thermal shock test rig were completed. The knowledge 
28 
based system (BOSS - Backtracking and Overviewing for Structural Safety) was linked with that for 
data acquisition from the monitored structures and material damage data storage. 
In the area of thermonuclear fusion, the work in support of the design of a blanket handling device 
for the Next Step (NET/ITER - Next European Torus/International Thermonuclear Experimental 
Reactor) machine was pursued in the ROBERTINO facility by combined computer simulation and 
experimental validation on 1/3 mock-ups. 
Electromagnetic forces occuring in blanket attachment locks of the Next Step in case of plasma 
disruption were calculated and validation tests of damping effects on magnetically induced 
vibrations started. Envelope post-accidental temperature, transient analysis for the Next Step and for 
a power reactor, as well as classification studies of activated wastes were also carried out. 
• Community and External Services 
Image processing and laser range finder were applied for design information verification, thermal 
mechanical tests for containment and surveillance, installation of ultrasonic sealing-bolts in Sellafield 
plant of BNFL and volume tests in mini-TAME (in support of DG I on nuclear safeguards for IAEA). 
The new parallel computer CONCERTO was implemented and a software for remote sensing 
applications (SPACE) was tested (in support of DG III). 
The pilot of an European coordination centre for aircraft incident reporting systems was developed 
(in support of DG VII). 
The Community Documentation Centre on Industrial Risk (CDCIR) and that for biotechnology safety 
and regulation (BIOSAFE) were operated. The work on the civil protection pilot information system 
was completed. Assistance on nuclear safety started (in support of DG XI). 
Studies also concerned the area of holograms synthesis, interferometry, tagging / sealing and solar 
techniques (in support of DG XIII for valorisation of European research and for technology transfer). 
Several works as the realisation of video surveillance systems for computer aided recording and 
reviewing (CAVIS/CARES), the production of sealing bolts and the development of transport and 
training computerised information archives were implemented (in support of DG XVII). 
European demonstration project proposals in the area of photovoltaics, thermal, buildings, transport 
and industry sectors were appraised (in support of DG XVII on solar energy and energy savings). 
The ISEI continued to assist the General Secretariat of the Commission for operation and 
development of the authoring system of the documentation antifraud project and for the computer-
aided management of parliamentary petitions. 
Connectionist tools were implemented for statistical applications such as typology of European 
regions or time series of foreign trade statistics (in support of EUROSTAT). 
For Third Party Work, calibration and certification tests as well as assistance tests on new photovoltaic 
devices were performed in ESTI (European Solar Test Installation) under contract with various 
organisations. Contracts were also won in the areas of risk assessment and nuclear safeguards, in 
particular in that of sealing bolts. 
• Exploratory Research 
Exploratory research was dealing with various subjects as neural networks for teleoperated vehicles, 
surface sensors and propagation of solitons. 
29-
2.5. The Environment Institute (EI) 
The El is based at Ispra, its activity being essentially focused on the Environment Protection 
Programme and on the Working Environment Subprogramme. The Institute's scientific and technical 
effort is also dedicated to support different Commission's services, such as the Directorate General 
for Environment. Nuclear Safety and Civil Protection (DG XI). 
• Environmental Chemicals 
The European Collaborative Action (ECA) "Indoor Air Quality and its Impact on Man", gathering 
experts from laboratories in 14 European countries, has continued to review indoor air quality issues 
and to develop guidance for indoor investigations and the achievement of "healthy" buildings. 
Particular attention has been paid to the characterisation and the evaluation of sources of organic 
indoor pollution. 
A third updated compact disc version of the ECDIN (Environmental Chemical Data and Information 
Network) databank on environmental chemicals has been made available. 
• Atmospheric Pollution 
The work in the field of atmosphere-biosphere interactions has concerned the potential contribution 
of vegetation emissions in the Mediterranean basin to the troposheric ozone formation and to the 
global change. The JRC also acted as a coordinator of an European project on Biogenic Emissions in 
the Mediterranean Area (BEMA). A preliminary measuring campaign in May/June 93 at Castel 
Porziano near Rome has been joined by 12 scientific laboratories from different European countries. 
The measurements have been focused on the estimation of VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) fluxes 
from selected ecosystems including the comparison of enclosure- and micrometeorological-
methods. 
The European IGAC (International Global Atmospheric Chemistry) Project Office (EIPO) has been 
established at Ispra to coordinate European participation in IGAC and to promote links with the CEC 
Environment Programme. 
Laboratory, field and modelling studies of the chemistry of sulphur products in the marine 
troposphere, of their conversion into particles and the impact of the aerosol formation on the 
radiative properties of the atmosphere have been pursued and extended. Data collected during a 
campaign across the North-Atlantic in autumn 1992, have been analysed in order to assess the role of 
natural and anthropogenic sulphur in the area covered. 
The plans for an Aerosol Characterisation Experiment (ACE-2) in the North-Atlantic were accepted as 
an International (Europe-USA) experiment within the IGAC Project. 
The data collected in the atmospheric tracer campaigns carried out in 1989-1991 and 1992 (in Baden-
Wurtenberg) under the EUREKA programme TRACI7TRANSALP (Transport of Air Pollutants over 
Complex Terrain/Transalpine Transport of Air Pollutants) have been assembled in a data base, which 
is available to the TRACT modellers for model verification. 
Laboratory studies of the tropospheric oxidation mechanisms of biogenic and anthropogenic 
emissions have been continued in the frame of the Joint CEC/EUROTRAC LACTOZ project. Focus has 
been maintained on the nighttime chemistry and the role of the nitrate radical, NO3. Further insight 
into the mechanism of alkene (isoprene) - NO3 reactions leading to epoxide formation, has been 
gained in collaboration with the University of Kiel. The generation of toxic nitrocompounds in the 
reaction of aromatics (methylarenes) with NO3 has been evaluated in a cooperative research with the 
University of Milano. 
The El has contributed, together with four European laboratories active in LACTOZ, to a joint project 
aiming at the development of a large outdoor smog chamber. This tool will significantly enlarge the 
30 
range of experimental facilities at the disposal of European researchers for studies of kinetics and 
mechanisms of atmospheric reactions. 
The analysis of trends and episodes of tropospheric ozone in the Alpine region has continued. 
Peroxyacetylnitrate (PAN) is now regularly measured, simultaneously with the ozone level, to 
characterise the photochemical components appearing in surface ozone episodes. 
• Soil and Water Pollution; Waste 
The field scale verification of laboratory-derived models of contaminants spreading in terrestrial and 
aquatic systems has progressed in cooperation with the "Universidad Politécnica de Cataluna" in 
Barcelona. The validity of the ground water tracing with 7$Br has been demonstrated. 
Non invasive spectroscopic measurements at soil/water interface by means of X-ray synchrotron 
radiation have been used for investigating the transport behaviour of Se in field migration 
experiments. 
The handbook on toxin detection, environmental monitoring and therapies to counteract 
intoxications connected with mycotoxins development in algal blooms, has been updated. 
A number of interlaboratory exercises with the participation of laboratories of the Member Countries 
have been organised to assess analytical errors in water analysis. 
In the frame of the EUROENVIRON Project, the EU-674 subproject (mobile analytical laboratory) has 
progressed steadily. Soil interlaboratory comparison has been launched and the preparatory 
campaign at Brembate (Bergamo - Italy) has been defined. 
• European Chemical Bureau (ECB) 
The ECB which is established within the El since January 1st 1993 (Communication from the 
Commission to the Council and the European Parliament, O.J. CI, January 5, 1993), is carrying out the 
scientific and technical work for the implementation of EC legislation for the control of chemicals, 
i.e.: classification and labelling of dangerous substances, notification of new substances, testing 
methods, existing chemicals, export/import control, etc. 
The European Chemicals Inventory Database (EUCLID) database has been made operational and a 
number of Harmonized Electronic Data-set discs from chemical industry and from importers has been 
processed and registered. 
Some 15 meetings of experts of the Member Countries have been organised and hosted to deal with 
the above issues. 
• European Centre for Validation of Alternative testing Methods (ECVAM) 
The ECVAM has been formally created by a Commission decision and a communication to the Council 
and European Parliament, SEC (91) 1794. The ECVAM is providing a support for DG XI in relation to 
all aspects of Directive 86/609/EEC on the protection of animals used for laboratory experiments. 
Work focused on the development, pre-validation, formal validation and scientific and regulatory 
acceptability of non-animal procedures and tests, test batteries and testing strategies, as 
replacements for the currently accepted animal procedures and tests. 
• Working Environment 
Within the framework of the EUROENVIRON project, the TRACT subproject (EUROENVIRON EU/618) 
continued the systematic collection and critical evaluation of the published information concerning 
trace metals in human tissues and fluids for the derivation of "reference values". Work is done in 
cooperation with the International Commission on Occupational Health and the International Union 
for Pure and Applied Chemistry. 
-31 
• Community and External Services 
Organisation and execution, by means of the calibration bench of the JRC Ispra Central 
Laboratory of Air Pollution, of the second intercomparison exercise for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) 
measuring procedures, especially addressed to laboratories of South-European countries; 
coordination of the weekly air sampling in some EMEP (European Monitoring and Evaluation 
Programme) stations located in the Mediterranean basin for the control of VOC; 
implementation of a campaign of air quality in Brussels in close collaboration with DG XI/A3 
and Municipal Environmental Authorities; 
development and management of data banks on radiological contamination of the 
environment and occupational exposure of nuclear plants operators; 
preparation on CD-ROM (Compact Disk Read-Only-Memory) of a first pilot version of the EC 
databank on pharmaceutical products (ECPHIN) in support of DG III; 
preparation of coding/decoding software for rapid exchange of information within the EC in 
case of radiological emergency (ECURIE - Radiological Information Exchange System). 
The European Atmospheric Tracer Experiment (ETEX), aimed at evaluating the quality of atmospheric 
models when used in emergency conditions, met an unexpected success of participation, with 23 
countries participating to the first dry run, held in spring 1993. 
Work performed for DG VI (since 1987), concerning the NMR control of wine (sugaring, watering, 
data bank, etc.), has led to the creation of "The European Office for wine, alcohol and spirit drinks". 
2.6. The Institute for Remote Sensing Applications (IRSA) 
Located at Ispra, the IRSA executes the programme on the Application of Remote Sensing 
Techniques. The Institute provides a major scientific support for the utilisation of remote sensing 
data in agricultural statistics, at the request of the Directorate General for Agriculture (DG VI) and 
the European Statistical Office (EUROSTAT); it also provides scientific and technical support at the 
request of the Directorates General for External Relations (DG I), Development (DG VIII), and 
Environment, Nuclear Safety and Civil Protection (DG XI). 
Within the programme on the Application of Remote Sensing Techniques, the IRSA has undertaken 
work on a number of themes related to the monitoring of the environment and to global change. 
• Environmental Monitoring In Europe 
The Collaborative Programme for the development of remote sensing techniques to monitor less 
favoured areas of the European Community has been transformed into a project on integrated 
ecological mapping. This has resulted in a number of new initiatives: 
the development of a new project on European forest ecosystems, entitled Forest Information 
from Remote Sensing (FIRS); 
the development of operational methodologies for the mapping and the monitoring of land 
degradation in Mediterranean regions using data from satellite and airborne sensors, 
including high resolution imaging spectrometers. This work, inspired from a previous project 
undertaken in southern France on land use mapping, is currently being tested over sites in 
Greece and Spain. 
32-
In support of these activities, data interpretation was carried out by newly developed techniques 
including neural networks, expert systems, integrated geographical information systems and 
automatic image segmentation. 
• Global Change 
As a contribution to the worldwide effort to understand and predict changes in the global 
environment, the IRSA has continued to develop techniques to derive relevant information from 
earth observation data. 
Continental scale data sets for Africa and Asia have been collected and processed in order to evaluate 
continental scale vegetation processes on a multi-temporal basis. The results were used as input into 
climate models. New techniques have been developed to derive information from these data. In this 
respect, a new vegetation index, the Global Environmental Monitoring Index (GEMI), has been 
developed. 
Global change research has also considered the marine environment. Particular emphasis has been 
given to the development of techniques to measure sea surface temperature and primary 
productivity via ocean colour and to assimilate these data in numerical models 
• Advanced Techniques of Earth Observation 
The evaluation and promotion of advanced techniques of earth observation have continued. 
Polarimetric radar data collected from airborne campaigns have been analysed and correlated with 
high spectral resolution optical data, with the objective of the campaigns being to obtain a better 
understanding of forests and their evolution. 
In addition, two ERS-1 (European Remote Sensing Satellite Nr 1) projects are being undertaken : 
the International Forest Investigation project which is evaluating the potential of satellite 
borne Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data to map and monitor forests; 
an ERS-1 Pilot Project which is evaluating the capability of the SAR data to provide information 
on European agriculture in terms of surface and yield. 
The calibration of the European Microwave Signature Laboratory (EMSL), a facility for measuring the 
signatures of a range of natural and man-made targets, was completed in 1993. In addition, a Call for 
Experiments was distributed to European laboratories and an experiment plan formed, overseen by 
an Advisory Committee of internationally recognised experts. 
Finally, a new programme has been initiated that explores the performance of high spectral 
resolution data in order to derive geophysical parameters, with particular reference to forestry and 
agriculture applications. This will use laboratory, field and airborne data as input. 
• Community Services 
Work continued on the observation of the up welling area off the North West African coast. Data 
from a sea truth collection campaign undertaken in 1992, as well as satellite derived sea surface 
temperature and ocean colour data were analysed to assess the marine productivity in this area. 
These data are being used to validate the ongoing work on the derivation of chlorophyll maps from 
satellite data and the modelling of the hydrodynamics of the upwelling area (in support of DG I). 
In the pilot project for the application of remote sensing to agricultural statistics, Action 2 
(monitoring the condition of vegetation on a continental scale using low spatial resolution satellite 
data) has concentrated on the routine processing of satellite data. Action 4 (rapid estimates of 
change in acreages and potential yield) has taken into account 53 sites across Europe, from which 
biweekly facsimiles showing the current estimate of areas under crop are forwarded to DG VI and 
EUROSTAT. 
-33 
The work for the "Fond Européen d'Orientation et de Garantie Agricole" (FEOGA) of DG VI has 
concentrated on the establishment of olive tree, vineyard and citrus registers. 
Techniques were developed to monitor and characterise vegetation patterns, and particularly 
biomass burning, at continental scales. This was supported by a field campaign in southern Guinea 
and the collection and processing of continental scale earth observation data sets. From this work, a 
new project entitled "Fire In Global and Environmental Monitoring (FIRE)" has been developed to 
map and to monitor fire events on a continental or sub-continental basis (in support of DG VIII). 
The Ocean Colour European Archive Network (OCEAN), a joint project with the European Space 
Agency (ESA), has prepared all facilities and tools required for the processing and archival of the 
Coastal Zone Color Scanner satellite data. In addition, an Application Development Programme for 
the exploitation of the data, incorporating more than 30 European laboratories, has been initiated. 
Linked to this, a new programme, the Ocean Colour Techniques for Observation, Processing and 
Utilisation System (OCTOPUS) project, for the utilisation of data from the Sea viewing Wide field of 
view Sensor (SeaWifs) has been initiated with ESA. Work was also undertaken to investigate the use 
of remote sensing in the revision of the CORINE (Coordination of Informatics on the Environment) 
land cover map using computer aided interpretation, plus semi-automatic and automatic updating 
techniques (in support of DG XI). 
• External Services 
The Tropical Ecosystem Environmental Observations by Satellites (TREES) project (a joint project with 
ESA) has established a base line inventory of tropical forest cover using data from the Advanced Very 
High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) sensor. In addition, the first data from the ERS-1 SAR have been 
received and are being evaluated. 
For the European Airborne Remote Sensing Capability (EARSEC - a joint project with ESA), work 
progressed satisfactorily. This included contracts for the development of an advanced airborne 
imaging spectrometer, the improvement of an existing airborne SAR and the development of systems 
for the processing of both the SAR and spectrometer data, amongst others. 
A Third Party Work contract was won from a French organisation to establish a network of 
Mediterranean regions for the timely monitoring of available water resources, including the creation 
within each region of Water Resources Monitoring Units. 
The EUREKA/EUROMAR project VISIMAR (Visualisation and Simulation of Marine Environment 
Processes) has produced an animation system that shows the dynamic behaviour of geophysical 
processes as derived from remote sensing and mathematical modelling data. The project entered its 
final phase and was concluded in 1993. 
2.7. The Institute for Safety Technology (1ST) 
Located at Ispra, the 1ST contributes to the Measurement and Testing, the Nuclear Fission Safety and 
Fusion, and to the Environment Programmes. The Institute is engaged in several support activities at 
the request of Commission's services, mainly in the field of nuclear safeguards for the Directorates 
General for External Relations (DG I) and Energy (DG XVII). 
• Reactor Safety 
The study of severe accident phenomena, an area where public perception of risk is high and 
international cooperation is important, has been the subject of activities related to the FARO and 
the joint CEA/JRC Phebus Fission Products programmes. 
Concerning FARO, tests simulating on a large scale, in-vessel phenomena during severe accidents 
have been carried out on molten fuel quenching in water, after an extensive facility modification 
34-
In relation to Phebus-FP, the preparations for the first test, involving fuel melting and release of 
fission products in a simulated reactor containment, have been completed with the collaboration of 
the CEA in the following order: introduction of new shroud parameters and other design 
modifications, execution of analytical recalculations, production of the final test protocol, post-test 
examination, and the test itself performed in 1993. 
The 1ST continued, in collaboration with many European institutions, the development of the ESTER 
(European Source Term Research) computer code package; it is designed to become the European 
best estimate code for the calculation of source term in severe accident scenarios. ESTER will be 
applied to the post-test analysis of the first Phebus-FP tests. 
• Fusion Technology 
Verification and testing of safety relevant system in the European Tritium Handling Laboratory 
(ETHEL) has continued under the supervision of the Italian Regulatory Authority (ENEA/DISP), in the 
perspective of the Nuclear Testing in 1994. 
The assembly of two experimental loops in ETHEL glove-boxes, the testing of their components and 
systems, and the acquirement and the assembly of components for another experimental loop have 
been achieved in view of Tritium research activity. 
Preparatory research activities using hydrogen and deuterium have also continued. 
The cooperation between the 1ST (ETHEL facility) and the German Kernforschungzentrum,Karlsruhe, 
(KFK) (TLK facility) continued and a third workshop has been organised to discuss progress achieved 
on preparatory research activities for their respective facilities. 
The EURATOM Safeguards Directorate and the joint ETHEL/TLK task force pursued discussions on the 
elaboration of a common tritium control methodology specifically applicable within these two civil 
tritium facilities. 
• Working Environment 
The Ventilation and Pollutant Transport Modelling project has progressed via the refinement of the 
computer code TRAFLU (e.g. introduction of a transport equation for the computation of product 
concentration, modification of the turbulence model mainly related to the discrete representation of 
the boundary conditions, etc.). 
• Measurement and Testing 
The new reaction wall facility (ELSA) is being used for prenormative research in support of 
EUROCODE 8, the provisional European standards for the design of civil engineering structures in 
seismic areas. This activity performed within a scientific network under the Human Capital and 
Mobility programme, aims to enlarge the current field of application of EUROCODE 8 and improve its 
reliability. A 4-storey reinforced concrete structure has been constructed and tested at the ELSA 
reaction wall under simulated severe earthquake loading. In parallel, preparatory work has been 
performed to test a large-scale model of an irregular bridge using the so-called substructuring 
technique. This technique allows to limit physical testing of a complex structure to its critical parts 
(i.e. those which are expected to undergo severe deformations), the rest of the structure being 
modelled by a computer code running in parallel with the experiment. 
As a part of the ongoing research in collaboration with the European Association of Structural 
Mechanics Laboratories, a large steel/concrete composite structure designed according to 
EUROCODE 8 will be tested in 1994 with the view of comparing its actual behaviour against the 
intended design behaviour. The ELSA team has also contributed to the COST C1 project, the European 
Concerted Action on Control of semi-rigid behaviour, of civil engineering structural connections. 
-35-
• Industrial Hazards 
The focus of this work was on the assessment, improvement and harmonisation of safety 
methodologies. 
The Facility for Investigating Runaway Events Safely (FIRES) was operated to study the safety of batch 
aromatic nitrations in order to develop advanced methodologies for the determination of safety 
conditions, process optimisation, process control and early warning detection of runaway initiation. 
Commissioning tests are now underway on the new large-scale DRACULA (Depressurisation, Relief 
and Containment Using Large Apparatus) venting facility, and commissioning of the COLUMBUS 
facility (venting of long horizontal vessels) is expected to start by the end of the year. Experimental 
data and design methodologies based on the previous MPMC (Multi-Phase Multi-Component) facility 
have contributed to the work of a number of international working groups (ISO Technical Committee 
185, DIERS/Design Institute for Emergency Relief Systems and DECHEMA "Deutsche Gesellschaft fur 
chemisches Apparatewesen, chemische Technik und Biotechnologie, e.V."). 
The emergency pressure relief computer package RELIEF is ready for use and validation against 
experiments. A model describing the runaway/venting of high pressure (supercritical) catalyst bed 
reactors has been completed. 
In the field of dense gas dispersion, a three-dimensional computer code is under validation, the 
extension of the one-dimensional shallow layer model into two-dimensions being under progress. 
A two-dimensional computer code for the numerical simulation of combustion and explosion 
processes, currently under development, showed a high resolution prediction capability. 
• Community and External Services 
The 1ST has continued to provide a scientific and technical support to the Directorate General for 
External Relations (IAEA) and the EURATOM Safeguards Directorate (ESD) in the field of nuclear 
safeguards. 
An intense programme of training courses and calibration exercises has been performed in PERLA to 
meet and satisfy the Commission policy related to nuclear safeguards in fuel fabrication facilities. 
Instruments for Non Destructive Analysis techniques and related data evaluation methods have been 
developed and tested for being applied by IAEA inspectors. 
Development of industrial size volume calibration and measurement techniques for reprocessing 
plants in support of the Euratom Safeguards Directorate has also continued at the TAnk 
MEasurement (TAME) Laboratory. TAME, which is a large scale multitank laboratory, has become 
fully operational in 1993. Studies on the accurate bulk volume measurement have been performed in 
the key points of typical reprocessing facilities where such measurements are usually made for the 
fissile material balance/accountancy purposes. 
• Exploratory Research Activities 
Several activities covered long-term environmental problems like radioactive waste management, 
iron production using hydrogen, and atmospheric circulation models. 
36-
2.8. The Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (IPTS) 
The IPTS has a technology watch function and also performs scientific and technological studies, at 
the request of the Services of the Commission, mainly in the fields of transport, the environment 
and energy and with particular attention to industrial innovation. 
Work on the development of ESTO (European Science & Technology Observatory) aims at the 
realisation of an information system on current-research in Europe. Data collected in the 1992 survey 
from sources of information on R&D projects were analysed and made compatible with the 
Commission's recommended standard, CERIF. User requirements and a feasibility study concerning 
the implementation of an intelligent interface for this information system were completed. 
Following the study on the Competitiveness of European Space Industries, the IPTS worked out a 
study on future Space Markets whose scope was : 
to describe space markets according to a number of criteria: competitivity, transition, potential 
captive markets; 
to provide, for each class of application, an estimation of the current size of the market and its 
potential for growth; 
to evaluate the competitive position of the European Space Industry. 
The second phase of a study initiated in 1991, concerning the Electrification of the European High 
Speed Train Network, was completed. The scope was : 
to perform in-depth evaluations of the relative merits of three competing electrification 
systems; 
to execute techno-economic modelling of the future growth of international traffic 
throughout Europe; 
to forecast demand for high-speed rolling stock in different regions (in support of DG for 
Industry). 
Activities in support of the Forward Studies Unit of the Commission concerned industrial and 
environmental problems, including global change aspects. Work related to market-based 
approaches for environmental protection focused on least-cost solutions for achieving environmental 
quality targets, and on barriers to business acceptance of market-based instruments. The report "The 
Environmental Business", reviewing the activities of the Institute in this field over the last three years 
(case studies, employment impacts, market-based instruments), was completed and issued. The 
survey of global change research and policy began in 1991, and continued in 1993 to update the 
scientific assessment of these issues and to serve as a basis or a reference for the definition and/or 
evaluation of Community and international response policies. 
In the field of environmental protection, the IPTS has also made a proposal for the establishment of 
an "Observatory in BAT developments" (BAT-Best Available Technologies). A contribution 
concerning steel coil coating technology will serve as a prototype for further BAT exercises. A 
standardised annex on prospective technologies in all other BAT technical notes is being considered. 
Concerning the evaluation of environmental projects and programmes, another study based on an 
extensive literature review, complemented by interviews with experts and attendance at specialised 
conferences and workshops, has resulted in a catalogue of the various methods and techniques 
currently applied in the evaluation of environmental effects, together with a preliminary assessment 
of the strengths and weaknesses of each approach (in support of DG for Environment, Nuclear Safety 
and Civil Protection). 
37 
As a contribution to the study of long-term energy scenarios, work in support of the DG for Energy 
involved the review and the assessment of energy technologies which may become available in the 
long term (year 2020 and beyond). Three technologies were initially taken into consideration: 
the first study on the evolution of fuel cells technology which was completed in September 
1993, has allowed the definition of many criteria of interest: the specifications of the 
prevailing system configurations, the approximate dates for their commercial availability, the 
operational parameters, the expected investment/operating costs, the areas of application, 
the impact on the environment, etc.; 
the second study aimed to identify the current status and the possible evolution, on a mid-term 
horizon (year 2020), of technologies for CO2 separation, storage and/or sequestration. These 
technologies could become "a must" for preventing the increase of atmospheric CO2 
concentration, as a result of fossil fuel combustion, if the greenhouse effect is confirmed as a 
severe threat to the Earth's climate. The emphasis was placed upon forecasting the possible 
future range of the technological and economic parameters (efficiency, energy intensity, 
investment and operating costs, etc.) controlling the accession of these technologies to the 
energy technology market, as inputs to energy scenarios; 
the third study dealt with nuclear fission reactor and fuel cycle data. A preliminary survey of 
the state of the art of the fuel fabrication and recycling, and of prospects for improvements in 
the reprocessing plants has been carried out in order to set a background for the introduction 
of advanced reactors into the nuclear energy system. 
Numerous seminars or workshops, involving the participation of external experts, were organised 
during 1993 in connection with the above studies. 
-38-
3. HUMAN RESOURCES 
3.1. Staff Policy 
The JRC authorised statutory staff ceiling amounts to 2080, including both scientific-technical and 
administrative staff. 
JRC statutory personnel is governed by the EC staff regulations. For many years, the JRC has not 
recruited staff as officials. Scientific/Technical temporary agents are recruited under a five year 
contract, which is renewable; after two terms the contract becomes of undetermined duration. 
Administrative temporary agents are directly recruited under a contract of undetermined duration. 
Table 4 gives the distribution of the JRC officials and temporary agents present at the JRC on 
31 December 1993, by Directorates and Institutes. Until December 1993, 80 people of these two 
categories left the JRC and 54 people were recruited. 
Table 4 
Distribution of Statutory Staff 
Location Staff 
Directora te General 21 
Programmes Directorate 18 
Resources Coordination - Scientific & Technical Support 397 
Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements 170 
Institute for Transuranium Elements 192 
Institute for Advanced Materials 261 
Institute for Systems Engineering and Informatics 213 
Environment Institute 196 
Institute for Remote Sensing Applications 91 
Institute for Safety Technology 292 
Inst i tu te for Prospective Technological Studies 16 
JRC Seconded Staff 8 
Total 1875 
The difference between the authorised ceiling in statutory staff and the staff effectively present at 
the JRC can be explained as follows: 
posts for statutory staff, in agreement with the Council and the Parliament, have been 
deliberately kept vacant, in order to save personnel credits to allow hiring of visiting scientists, 
seconded experts and other scientific grant holders falling outside the Human Capital and 
Mobility Programme conditions; 
the remaining part of the difference corresponds to the necessary margin of flexibility ( ± 6%) 
required to allow for movement of staff during the year. 
39-
3.2. Visiting Scientists, Seconded Experts and Scientific Fellows 
Numerous scientists, besides the statutory staff, are active in the JRC under various hosting 
schemes: 
the JRC hosts senior scientists for one or sometimes two years as visiting scientists; 
experts from national organisations may be seconded to the JRC to participate in selected 
scientific work; 
the JRC trains researchers through a programme of fellowships, granted to postgraduate 
students preparing a doctor degree; 
the JRC participates in the Human Capital and Mobility (HCM) Programme and hosts post­
doctoral scientists under this programme. 
Table 5 shows where these people worked in the various JRC Institutes. 
It is also worthwhile mentioning that thanks to the Human Capital and Mobility Programme, the 
number of Post-doctoral scientists present at the JRC increased from 13 to 91; furthermore, there are 
about 18 scientists from third countries working at the JRC on a grant in the framework of a 
Commission agreement with their countries or with the IAEA. Besides the above mentioned 
scientists, several senior scientists and about 120 trainees are working at the JRC with no cost to the 
EC budget, in general for a short period of time. 
Table 5 
Visiting Scientists. Seconded Experts, Grant Holders on 31 December 1993 
Institutes 
Institute for Reference 
Materials and Measurements 
Institute for Transuranium 
Elements 
Institute for Advanced 
Materials 
Institute for Systems 
Engineering and Informatics 
Environment Institute 
Institute for Remote Sensing 
Applications 
Institute for Safety 
Technology 
Institute for Prospective 
Technological Studies 
Total Visiting 
scientists 
2 
-
3 
5 
6 
8 
-
2 
26 Seconded 
experts 
1 
-
-
3 
3 
2 
2 
1 
12 Post-Doctoral 
Scientists 
9 
8 
24 
12 
9 
12 
13 
4 
91 Post-
Graduate 
Students 
9 
3 
20 
13 
17 
9 
12 
5 
88 Total 
21 
11 
47 
33 
35 
31 
27 
12 
217 
Furthermore the Directorate General has one seconded expert bringing thus the total to 218. 
40 
4. FINANCES 
The commitment credits fixed by the Budgetary Authority for the execution by the JRC of the Specific 
Research Programmes and S/T Support Activities to the Commission for 1993 are as follows : 
Specific Research Programmes 
S/T Support to the Commission 177.3 MioEcu 
62.1 MioEcu 
Total 239.4 MioEcu 
Other resources for HFR operation and third party work are : 
HFR Reactor 
Work for Third Parties 18.5 MioEcu (Supplementary programme) 
14.1 MioEcu (Budgetary advance) 
Total 32.6 MioEcu 
The total amount of the available credits is therefore 272.0 MioEcu. 
Details about 1993 commitments are given in Table 6 covering Specific Research Programmes, 
Exploratory Research, S/T Support to the Commission and Work for Third Parties (HFR Reactor and 
others). 
The advance in the budget of reimbursable credits for the execution of work for Third Parties has 
been committed only to the level of 8.11 MioEcu because the amount of orders for such activities did 
not reach the original target; the unused credits of this advance, of 6.0 MioEcu have been reimbursed 
to the budget by cancellation. 
For exploratory research the budget initially foresaw pm; appropriations have been provided -during 
the year by transfers from the programme lines within the cealing set by the Council Decisions, and 
the Financial Regulations. 
41 
Table 6 
Commitments for Programme Execution 1993 
(Rounded figures, MioEcu) 
Specific Research Programmes 
Industrial and Materials 
Technology 
Measurement and Testing 
Environment 
Human Capital and Mobility 
Nuclear Fission Safety 
Controlled Thermonuclear 
Fusion 
Exploratory Research 
Subtotal 
S/T Support to the Commission 
Subtotal 
Others 
HFR Reactor 
Work for Third Parties 
(Advance: reimbursable 
credits) 
Subtotal 
Total Personnel 
17.41 
18.09 
31.48 
0.15 
27.63 
8.54 
5.46 
108.76 
33.92 
33.92 
5.90 
4.44 
10.34 
153.02 Other 
Expenditures 
7.52 
10.21 
15.57 
7.54 
18.55 
4.91 
3.10 
67.40 
25.44 
25.44 
11.02 
3.67 ** 
14.69 
107.53 Total 
24.93 
28.30 
47.05 
7.69 
46.18 
13.45 
8.56 
176.16 
59.36 
59.36 
16.92 
8.11*** 
25.03 
260.55 Budget 1993 
25.42 
30.04 
48.93 
8.23 
50.93 
13.71 
pm 
177.26 
62.12 
62.12 
18.51* 
14.14 
32.65 
272.03 
*) 
**\ HFR foreseen resources. 
Specific credits, paid by the contractors in order to perform the work are not included in these 
figures; they amount to 3.36 Mioecu. 
The total volume of contractual work performed in 1993 amounts thus to 11.47 Mioecu. 
r) The advance in the budget of reimbursable credits for the execution of work for Third Parties 
has been committed only to the level of 8.11 Mioecu because the amount of orders for such 
activities did not reach the original target; the unused credits of this advance, of 6 Mioecu 
have been reimbursed to the budget by cancellation. 
-42 
LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES 
Page 
Tables 
1. JRC execution of TPW ordered during the period 1988-1991 16 
2. Most important research areas where the JRC is animating 
a significant cooperation through the EC 18 
3. Distribution of JRC Publications among JRC Institutes in 1993 20 
4. Distribution of Statutory Staff 38 
5. Visiting Scientists, Seconded Experts and Grant Holders 39 
6. Commitments for Programme Execution 1993 41 
Figures 
1. S/T Support to Commission Services 13 
2. JRCWork for Third Parties 14 
3. Third Party Work ordered to the JRC during the period 1992-1993 15 
4. JRC bilateral and multilateral cooperations 17 
5. JRC HCM and EUREKA Cooperations 17 ANNEX A 
43-
ANNEX B 
JOINT RESEARCH CENTRE 
GLOSSARY OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS 
BCR 
CEA 
CEN 
DG 
DYLAM-TRETA 
EAEC 
ECN 
EdF 
ELSA 
ESA 
ESD 
ESTER 
ETHEL 
EURATOM 
EUREKA 
EUROENVIRON 
EUROSTAT 
EUROTRAC 
FARO 
FIRES 
FORMENTOR 
HCM 
HFR 
IAEA 
ISO 
KFK 
LACTOZ 
NMR 
PERLA 
PHEBUS 
PHENIX 
SAR 
SCK/CEN 
STARS Bureau Communautaire de Référence 
Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique 
Comité Européen de Normalisation 
Directorate General 
Dynamic Logical Analytical Methodology-Transient Response Thermal-Hydraulic 
Analysis 
European Atomic Energy Community 
Energie Centrum Nederland 
Electricité de France 
European Laboratory for Structural Assessment 
European Space Agency 
Euratom Safeguards Directorate 
European Source Term Research Code 
European Tritium Handling Experimental Laboratory 
European Atomic Energy Community 
European Research Coordination Agency 
EUREKA Environmental Umbrella Project 
European Statistical Office 
European Experiment on Transport and Transformation of Environmentally Relevant 
Trace Constituents in the Troposphere (EUREKA project) 
Experimental Facility for Fuel Melting 
Facility for Investigating Runaway Events Safely 
EUREKA project to develop expert system to help decision in hazardous situations 
(complex man made systems) 
Human Capital and Mobility 
High Flux Reactor (Petten Site) 
International Atomic Energy Agency 
International Standards Organisation 
Kerforschungszentrum Karlsruhe 
Laboratory Studies of Chemistry Related to Tropospheric Ozone 
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance 
Performance and Training Laboratory (Nuclear Safeguards) 
French In-Pile Programme (Severe Fuel Damage) 
French Prototype Fast Reactor 
Synthetic Aperture Radar 
Studiecentrum voor Kernenergie/Centre d'Etudes Nucléaires 
Software Tools for Analysis of Reliability and Safety 
ISSN 0254-1475 
COM (94) 87 final 
DOCUMENTS 
EN 12 15 
Catalogue number : CB-CO-94-096-EN-C 
ISBN 92-77-66646-3 
Office for Official Publications of the European Communities 
L-2985 Luxembourg