Description: The objective of the course is to prepare NPP computational evaluation model to address relevant safety phenomena, like CHF, CCFL, Reflux Condensation, Natural Circulation, Break Flow, ECC bypass, Pressurizer Behavior, Phases Separation, Steam binding etc… during selected accidents (LOFW, SGTR, SBLOCA, LBLOCA etc…). Additionally the course covers the issue related with the qualification of the NPP evaluation models, including qualitative and quantitative analysis. The different approaches on how to perform the uncertainty evaluation are also presented with particular emphasis to the method based on propagation of output accuracies.
Instructors: D. De Luca (NINE), M. Cherubini (NINE), A. Petruzzi (NINE)
Registration Fee: 3000 / 3200 euros (early/late registrations)

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Description: A detailed modeling of the core is becoming more important in response of the industry toward higher utilization factor. Fuel cycles increased from 12 months to 18 months and more recently to 24 months over the last three decades and average discharge burnup almost doubled in the same time period. New fuel degradation phenomena have been discovered and, as result, regulatory requirements evolved to reflect the new knowledge gathered. A detailed analysis of the core component is now typical for most scenarios, both Anticipated Operation Occurrences (AOOs) and Design Basis Accidents (DBAs). Moreover a detailed core thermal-hydraulic model is required in various disciplines associated with core engineering (core design, fuel rod design, subchannel analysis, etc.). The trend is now to develop detailed core models in the framework of multiphysics tools.  The objective of this course is to review the model needs with focus on the core component and the approach taken for various scenarios. The course provides an overview of the computer codes used to perform safety analyses and address core engineering problems. Students can learn about the purpose and various uses of these methods.
Instructors: M. Avramova (NCSU), C. Frepoli (FPoliSolution), A. Del Ferraro(NINE)
Registration Fee: 3000 / 3200 euros (early/late registrations)

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Description: The aim of the training is to provide both practical and theoretical insights on nuclear fuel behavior. Nuclear fuel undergoes continues changes while it is irradiated. Such changes affect the thermo-mechanical fuel characteristics and hence the fuel behavior and response both under normal and off-normal conditions. A series of relevant phenomena are illustrated and discussed within the theoretical part and addressed into the practical sessions by hands-on training on suitable computational tools.
Instructors: M. Cherubini (NINE), F. Corleoni (NINE)
Registration Fee: 2800 / 3000 euros (early/late registrations)

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Description: The severe accidents at Three Mile Island (TMI), Chernobyl, and Fukushima are a reminder that commitment to nuclear power includes a commitment to public safety.  The nuclear industry recognized early the potential hazards of nuclear power.  Severe accident has acquired an increasing relevance from the point of view of licensing and some severe accident are now recognized and included in the design basis accidents.  Features to prevent, contain, and otherwise protect the public from reactor accidents were applied from the outset.  As the industry has evolved, so has safety in the form of design features and strategies to both prevent severe accidents and mitigate consequences should they occur.  This course presents both historical and technical information regarding severe accidents in the design and safety assessment of nuclear power plants.  It is divided into daily morning theory and afternoon practice sessions.  Theory aspects address phenomenology, accident progression, challenges to containment integrity, and radiological release and transport, computational tools.  Practice aspects address licensing, computer codes applications, deterministic and probabilistic evaluation methods, and modeling.
Instructors: W. Giannotti (NINE), R. P. Martin (BWXT), R. Sanders (AREVA)
Registration Fee: 2800 / 3000 euros (early/late registrations)

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Description: The fundamental objective of nuclear safety is to protect the environment and the general public from harmful effects of ionizing radiation. To achieve this objective the safety analyst has to provide, among other things, which consequences are to be expected in case of a release of radioactive materials from a nuclear facility. This is the goal of “Radiological Consequence Analysis” RCA. This course will explain all aspects of RCA, starting from the scope of RCA up to the actual analysis. Within licensing analysis, the analyst has to show that also under severe conditions the environment and the general public are protected. Main focus here is placed on the close-up range of the nuclear power plant, models are simple and conservative. On the other hand, in the field of civil protection and catastrophe management, models need to cover long range and are aiming to be as accurate as possible. The course will cover both applications, explain boundary conditions, tools and models used.
Instructors: N. Muellner (BOKU), W. Giannotti (NINE)
Registration Fee:  2600 / 2800 euros (early/late registrations)

Description: The objective of this course is to give participants adequate knowledge of selected elements and aspects of the probabilistic safety analysis (PSA) and risk quantification which are of highest importance but are usually only briefly touched at the training courses aiming at providing a practical overview of PSA as a whole. The intent is to make the participants understand the key elements of quantitative risk modeling regardless of the software to be used and of the facility or system to be modeled, and to enable them, thus, to build the quantitative risk model by means of any software tool and for any industry or particular facility. PSA training courses many times focus on event trees and fault trees which are the skeleton of the risk model for any complex system. In engineering practice (and nuclear safety engineering in particular), however, no fault tree for a system or function should be developed by an analyst who does not have the essential knowledge in the topics which include reliability engineering (with underlying knowledge of probability theory), human reliability analysis (HRA) techniques, quantitative parameters estimate and quantitative treatment of uncertainty, to name some of them. Likewise, any member of a PSA / risk quantification project or group should understand the principles of the risk curve and the roles of deterministic safety margin analyses and probabilistic risk analyses in the design verification process. This course purposefully does not involve work on or presentation of any particular PSA software tool. However, it includes practical examples concerning relevant aspects of risk quantification by means of the elementary tools such as spreadsheets or “manual” calculations, which provide the first-hand experience. The overall course is divided into the nine main topical areas covered by nine lectures.
Instructors: I. Vrbanic (APOSS)
Registration Fee: 2600 / 2800 euros (early/late registrations)

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Description: The objective of the seminar is to develop practical skills required for the preparation and review of the safety related documentation. Target audiences are staff of the regulatory bodies, technical supporting organizations and plant personnel involved in the process of the preparation and review of the safety documentation. Concept of the safety assessment process is discussed including the relevant safety issues, such as defense in depth, graded approach, basic safety functions etc. The seminar primarily focuses on preparation and review of design basis deterministic safety analyses and includes practical exercises on review of selected parts of the SAR of existing PWR, BWR and VVER. Simplified plant simulator calculations are used during the exercises to enhance the development of review and evaluation skills. The safety assessment requirements practiced during the seminar are based on IAEA safety standards.
Instructors: M. Modro (NINE), M. Kristof (NINE)
Registration Fee:  2600 / 2800 euros (early/late registrations)

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Description: This course is designed with primarily staff from the nuclear regulatory organizations in mind. As other courses, it aims to transfer the experience and know-how of recognized experts in the field to those who are beginning their career or wish to benchmark their knowledge and skills against practices of their peers. Thus, the lectures will summarize the highlights of some of the national experiences and the international guidance from the leading organizations. While touching upon the origins of the safety fundamentals, the intent of the course is to focus on the current challenges and achievements. The course covers diverse aspects of the safety case of nuclear facilities, including but not necessarily limited by the nuclear power plants. Starting with the core question of the role of nuclear regulation, touching on the function of major international organizations, the course then will spend time delving into the key safety principles and diverse elements of the safety case, as well as the new issues and possibilities arising in the 21st century.

Instructors: A. Viktorov (CNSC), M. Modro (NINE, former at IAEA), A. Petruzzi (NINE), W. Giannotti (NINE), P. Hughes (former at IAEA)
Registration Fee: 3000 / 3200 euros (early/late registrations)

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Digital I&C Training: Chapter 7 Preparation

Description: This course provides and overview of the current issues in licensing digital systems for new reactors and existing reactor upgrades around the world that impact on plant safety margins and the economics of supply. The major elements in the course are:

   - Summary of digital system impact on safety margins

   - Experience base of digital upgrades and new reactor licensing thru IAEA, International Electrotechnical
     Commission (IEC) and country specific requirements

   - Latest issues in digital licensing that impact on safety margins and methods to improve

   - Latest issues in digital licensing that impact on the economics thru engineering delivery, licensing and
     potential delays

Instructor: T. Quinn (Technology Resources)
Registration Fee: 3000 / 3200 euros (early/late registrations)

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Description: The operative time of early designed NPP was established in about 30 years. Life extension programs moved this limit to about 50 years. However a number of NPP and nuclear facilities have arrived to the end of their operative time and the decommissioning phase is approaching and in very few cases completed.
Decommissioning is one of major stages in the lifetime of an authorized facility and it is constituted by the administrative and technical actions taken to allow the removal of the regulatory controls from a facility. Decommissioning includes: preparation of a decommissioning plan, collection of relevant information and data, selection of a decommissioning strategy, radiological characterization of the facility, estimation of costs, management of radioactive waste and non-radioactive waste, safety assessment of workers, population and of the environment. All these actions must be performed in the respect of the rules of the regulatory body.
Many technological areas are treated and the course is articulated in three levels. The Level 1 is focused on basic concepts, theoretical and regulatory aspects. Some sessions have also practical activities. Level 2 includes some of the Level 1 arguments which are addressed in a deeper detail and sessions have more activities devoted to practices and illustration of operative experiences. Level 3 is largely devoted to practices and focused on the organization and managing of the plan of the decommissioning phase.
Instructors: W. Giannotti (NINE), K. Kristofova (NINE), M. Morichi (CAEN-SYS), A. Pepperosa (CAEN-SYS)
Registration Fee:  2800 / 3000 euros (early/late registrations)

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