May 06, 2024
The Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR) hosted the 7th Programme Review Group and Management Board of the Advanced Thermo-Hydraulic Test Loop for Accident Simulation (ATLAS) Phase 3 project. The meeting was organized by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA), the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI), and attended by more than 30 officials from 10 countries.
As part of the ATLAS project, the meeting provided a platform for discussions surrounding reactor behavior during simulated accident scenarios, with the goal of improving reactor safety. The meeting reviewed the experimental data produced by the ATLAS facility and validation of safety analysis codes.
Furthermore, participants discussed the plans for Phase 4 of the ATLAS project which is expected to cover accident scenarios of high safety relevance involving the containment buildings for nuclear reactors.
Launched in 2014, the ATLAS project has involved more than 15 countries, who cooperated in investigations into thermo-hydraulics of nuclear reactors during accident scenarios, such as nuclear station blackout and loss of coolant, with the goal of improving the safety and resilience of nuclear power plants.
FANR joined the ATLAS-2 project in 2017 and contributed to the project through the publication of 4 research papers during Phase 2 and Phase 3 concerning the validation of safety analysis codes, aiming to enhance the reliability of safety codes utilized in licensing of nuclear power plants.
FANR's cooperation with the NEA began in 2020 and encompasses 5 working groups: the Committee of Nuclear Regulatory Activities; the Expert Group on Public Communication; the Working Group on Human and Organizational Factors; Working Group on Inspection Practices; and the Nuclear Law Committee.