Page 4 - AERB Bulletin English

Preface

We at AERB are pleased to see the encouraging reactor physics, probabilistic safety, radiological
response to the annual edition of AERB Bulletin to assessment and environmental safety studies and
enhance its transparency and public outreach. This experimental studies. AERB continued to contribute
is the eighth issue of Bulletin, which attempts to in development of ‘PRABHAVINI’, an integral safety
present information contained in the Annual Report analysis code of DAE. An in-house computer code
2019 in a more accessible and attractive format. has also been developed for analysing flow and
power transients in fast breeder reactors.
During the year, AERB continued its regulatory
safety oversight on all regulated installations and As a requirement under the Convention on Nuclear
activities i.e. the entire gamut of nuclear fuel cycle Safety (CNS), to which India is a party, AERB
facilities, namely uranium mines and mills, thorium coordinated the preparation of National Report
mines and mills, fuel fabrication facilities, heavy which has been submitted to IAEA on August 15,
water plants, nuclear power plants and research 2019. Preparations were going on for forthcoming
reactors, as well as the large spectrum of facilities IAEA IRRS follow-up mission.
involved in the application of radiation in the field
rd
The 63 Regular Session of the IAEA General
of medicine, industry, agriculture and research, the
Conference and the Senior Safety and Security
facilities processing Naturally Occurring Radioactive
Regulators’ Meeting was held at Vienna, Austria in
Materials and activities such as radioactive waste
September 2019. Chairman, AERB attended this
management and transport of radioactive material
prestigious event.
in public domain, following a graded approach to
With continued efforts towards, ‘Minimum
safety regulation in line with international regulatory
Government, Maximum Governance’, AERB has
practices.
further simplified the licensing requirements for
As part of pre-commissioning activities for Kakrapar
dental X-ray equipment and amend the Safety Code
Atomic Power Project (KAPP-3), hot conditioning of
on Industrial Radiography with a view to infuse
primary coolant system, which is one of the major
more trained manpower to further elevate the level
milestones in the commissioning programme,
of safety in this practice. AERB initiated suitable
has been completed. AERB officers witnessed
measures to resolve the large number of excessive
the commissioning activities as an independent
exposure cases got accumulated in diagnostic
observers. After completion of En-Mass coolant
radiology practice. AERBs sustained and continuous
Channel Replacement activities and satisfactory
efforts, through a multipronged approach, to bring
review and approval by AERB, KAPS-1 was restarted
the diagnostic X-ray facility under regulatory
and synchronized to the grid on May 24, 2019.
umbrella have been vindicated by the order of
In order to further strengthen preparedness, new National Human Rights Commission while disposing
system for conducting off-site emergency exercises off a petition.
are being evolved through Table Top exercise,
AERB views public outreach as an essential element
Integrated Command Control & Response (ICCR)
to build a long lasting trust and confidence with
exercise and field exercise. The first ICCR exercise
media and the public, at large. This annual bulletin
was conducted at Rawatbhata Rajasthan (RR) and
is aimed to provide in a nutshell the major activities
second at Kalpakkam site. All the response agencies,
of AERB during 2019. Efforts have been made to
AERB and NDMA actively participated in the exercise
include more visuals and to keep the technical
at Kalpakkam.
content simple. AERB would be happy to elicit
Safety studies were continued in areas covering feedback on this attempt and suggestions for further
severe accident, thermal hydraulics safety, improving this bulletin.
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AERB BULLETIN 2019
AERB BULLETIN 2019