This Safety Guide provides recommendations on the safety assessment for research reactors in the authorization process, and on performance of safety analysis and preparation of the safety analysis report. It also incorporates the relevant lessons learned from the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant and elaborates guidance on interfaces between nuclear safety and nuclear security. The recommendations in this Safety Guide are intended for operating organizations of research reactors; it can also be used by designers performing a safety assessment for a research reactor. Furthermore, this guide provides useful guidance for regulatory bodies performing a review and assessment of submitted safety analysis reports as an important document within authorization process. This Safety Guide is a revision of IAEA Safety Standards Series No. SSG-20, which it supersedes.

• 1. INTRODUCTION
  • Background
  • Objective
  • Scope
  • Structure
• 2. SAFETY ASSESSMENT IN THE AUTHORIZATION PROCESS
  • Responsibilities
  • Acceptance criteria
  • Information requirements at the various stages of the authorization process
  • Submission of information to the regulatory body
    • Schedule for the submission of information
    • Siting and site evaluation
    • Design and construction
    • Commissioning
    • Operation
    • Utilization and modification
    • Decommissioning and release from regulatory control
• 3. PREPARATION OF THE SAFETY ANALYSIS REPORT
  • Purpose and scope of the safety analysis report
  • Specific recommendations on the safety analysis report
  • Development of the safety analysis
    • General considerations
    • Identification, categorization and grouping of postulated initiating events
    • Deterministic and probabilistic methods
    • Consideration of design extension conditions in the safety analysis
    • Summary of results
• 4. INFORMATION TO BE SUBMITTED FOR THE REVIEW AND ASSESSMENT PROCESS
  • Purpose and scope of the review and assessment
  • Programme for review and assessment
• Appendix CONTENT OF A SAFETY ANALYSIS REPORT
• REFERENCES
• Annex I APPROACH TO AND METHODS OF SAFETY ANALYSIS
• Annex II EXAMPLES OF INPUT PARAMETERS AND INITIAL CONDITIONS
• Annex III ITEMS TO BE CONSIDERED IN THE DESCRIPTION OF THE RESEARCH REACTOR
• Annex IV TYPICAL RADIATION SOURCES IN A RESEARCH REACTOR
• CONTRIBUTORS TO DRAFTING AND REVIEW