Core Management and Fuel Handling for Research Reactors

This Safety Guide provides practical guidance and recommendations to meet the requirements on research reactor safety. It addresses aspects of those core management activities that should be performed to allow optimum reactor core operation and reactor utilization for experiments without compromising the limits imposed by the design safety considerations relating to the fuel assemblies and the reactor as a whole. It also covers the management of in-core and out-of-core experimental devices. The incorporation of newly designed fuel assemblies into an existing core is also considered. The guidance on the handling of fuel and core components covers the aspects of receipt, storage and handling of fresh fuel assemblies and other core components; inspection of fresh fuel assemblies; loading and unloading of fuel assemblies and core components; inspection of irradiated fuel; insertion and removal of other reactor materials, either manually or by automated systems; and preparation of fuel assemblies for shipment and loading of a transport container with irradiated fuel.