IAEA Mission Praises Safety Improvements At Turkey Research Reactor

9 May (NucNet): The Turkish Atomic Energy Authority (TAEK) has implemented several safety improvements to the TR-2 research reactor in Turkey, including modifications to strengthen protection against seismic hazards, upgrades to operational safety systems and improvements to safety documentation, an International Atomic Energy Agency integrated safety assessment of research reactors (INSARR) follow-up mission has concluded. In its assessment, the mission team said improvements carried out following a 2015 review covered areas such as reactor safety analysis, management systems, training and qualification of personnel, commissioning of the reactor with the new fuel, and seismic safety. The TR-2, a 5-MW research reactor at the Cekmece nuclear research and training centre in Istanbul, was commissioned in 1981 and initially used high-enriched uranium (HEU) fuel to carry out research and training and to produce radioisotopes. To decrease nuclear proliferation risks and perform reactor upgrades, the reactor was shut down in 2009 and converted to use low-enriched uranium fuel. The HEU fuel was shipped back to the US in 2009. The TAEK is now asking for regulatory approval to restart the reactor using LEU fuel. A spokesman for the TAEK said the reactor is needed for nuclear research, training and radioisotope production. Turkey has no commercial nuclear reactors, but is planning to build its first, at Akkuyu, in cooperation with Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom.