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NRU Status Report #12
(2009 July 15) The following information bulletin is in accordance with Atomic Energy of Canada Limited’s (AECL) commitment to enhance its voluntary public disclosure of events related to the Chalk River Laboratories (CRL).
AECL provides update on NRU activities
Non Destructive Examinations (NDE) of the interior of the reactor vessel continues with approximately 80 per cent of the vessel circumference surveyed. Data has been collected on eight of the nine identified areas of interest, including the leak site. The NDE team is currently preparing to deploy modified NDE tooling in order to complete the vessel inspection process.
Evidence collected to date continues to support AECL’s belief that the necessary vessel repairs can be made and that NRU will be returned to service.
The duration of the shutdown continues to be founded on the best evidence available, including the most up-to-date analysis of the inspection data, progress on repair strategies, and critical path requirements for restart after an extended shutdown.
Further guidance on a return to service date will be provided as more data is collected and analyzed, and the decision is made about the repair technique and extent of required repairs.
The NRU return to service project demands more effort and different skills than normal operation of the NRU reactor. Work to address the vessel repair continues around the clock, drawing upon multiple AECL and external resources. AECL staff continues to work with specialized vendors on proving repair concepts, as well as developing equipment to clean the interior of the vessel. Operations staff not required to support the NRU return to service plan have been deployed on parallel activities related to license renewal in 2011 and the continued reliable operation of the NRU and its associated isotope processing facilities.
AECL continues to work very closely with the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), and CNSC safety inspectors are directly involved at the Chalk River site. There is no threat to workers, the public, the environment or nuclear safety related to this event. More information on the repair and status updates on the NRU is available at www.nrucanada.ca.
For more information contact:
Dale Coffin Director, Corporate Communications
AECL,
1-866-886-(AECL) 2325