Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations (CSNI)

Ongoing

Workers at a General Electric factory in Poland prepare a massive generator stator for shipment to the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station. Photo: GE Power, Canada.

The Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations (CSNI) is responsible for NEA programmes and activities that support maintaining and advancing the scientific and technical knowledge base of the safety of nuclear installations.

The Committee constitutes a forum for the exchange of technical information and for collaboration between organisations, which can contribute, from their respective backgrounds in research, development and engineering, to its activities. It supports the exchange of information between member countries and safety R&D programmes of various sizes in order to keep all member countries involved in and abreast of developments in technical safety matters.

The Committee reviews the state of knowledge on important topics of nuclear safety science and techniques and of safety assessments, and ensures that operating experience is appropriately accounted for in its activities. It initiates and conducts programmes identified by these reviews and assessments in order to confirm safety, overcome discrepancies, develop improvements and reach consensus on technical issues of common interest. It promotes the co-ordination of work in different member countries that serve to maintain and enhance competence in nuclear safety matters, including the establishment of joint undertakings (e.g. joint research and data projects), and assists in the feedback of the results to participating organisations. The Committee ensures that valuable end-products of the technical reviews and analyses are provided to members in a timely manner, and made publically available when appropriate, to support broader nuclear safety.

The Committee focuses primarily on the safety aspects of existing power reactors, other nuclear installations, new power reactors and Small Modular Reactors; it also considers the safety implications of scientific and technical developments of future reactor technologies and designs. Further, the scope for the Committee includes human and organisational research activities and technical developments that affect nuclear safety.

The Committee may sponsor specialist meetings and technical working groups to further its objectives. In implementing its programme the Committee establishes co-operative mechanisms with the Committee on Nuclear Regulatory Activities in order to work with that Committee on matters of common interest, avoiding unnecessary duplications.

The Committee also co-operates with the Committee on Radiation Protection and Public Health, the Radioactive Waste Management Committee, the Committee for Technical and Economic Studies on Nuclear Energy Development and the Fuel Cycle, the Nuclear Science Committee, and other NEA committees and activities on matters of common interest.

Working methods

The CSNI meets twice per year to discuss nuclear safety and regulatory issues, review the work performed, and decide on the future programme.

This programme of work is carried out mostly by working groups. These working groups meet once or twice per year to discuss progress and to integrate their efforts; they often rely on the work of task groups to complete specific tasks.

Typical "products" are as follows:

Several specialist meetings and workshops are organised each year, addressing specific topics.
Most tasks result in a technical report that collects the progress and results of research for a particular area, typically with recommendations and conclusions of the research.
State-of-the-Art reports bring together the latest developments in a given area or give a "snapshot picture" of the international situation regarding a particular issue, stimulate the formation of common understanding, and provide a source of up-to-date information for those countries that may not have an activity in the area.
Technical opinion papers are the summary consensus of experts for a particular topic.
Collective opinion statements are in general prepared by a senior expert group and reflect the CSNI collective opinion and recommendations for particular issues (e.g. recommendations for preserving certain facilities or capabilities).
International Standard Problems (ISP) are comparative exercises in which predictions of different computer codes for a given physical problem are compared with each other or with the results of a carefully controlled experimental study. The main goal of ISP exercises is to increase confidence in the validity and accuracy of tools which are used in assessing the safety of nuclear installations.
Somewhat related to the ISP programme is the establishment of sets of experiments for use in comparing codes. Known as a Code Validation Matrix, the results of such an extensive list of experiments are collected and stored in the NEA Data Bank for the purpose that they be made available to Member countries wishing to validate relevant codes.

Effective Nuclear Regulation and Safety Management in a Pandemic

On 1 June 2022, the NEA Committee on Nuclear Regulatory Activities (CNRA) and the Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations (CSNI) brought together the operational experiences of three guest speakers from the aviation, health and nuclear sectors. The speakers participated in a panel session that discussed lessons learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Effective Nuclear Regulation and Safety Management in a Pandemic brochure highlights the lessons learnt related to ensuring business continuity during a health crisis and long-term risk management, as well as new initiatives to potentially build upon.

Contact and members' areas

Véronique Rouyer
Natalie Bonilla (CSNI activities related to WGHOF)

CSNI members' area CSNI meetings (password protected | retrieve password)

Activities

results

CSNI Programme Review Group (CSNI PRG)

The Programme Review Group is established to perform a programme quality review function within the Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations (CSNI) and to provide scientific assistance to the decision-making process of the CSNI. The PRG also supports the Bureau in preparing CSNI meetings and in proposing actions concerning the achievement of CSNI objectives.

CSNI Task Group on Defence in Depth of Electrical Systems and Grid Interaction (DIDELSYS)

The NEA Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations (CSNI) established a task group to examine Defence in Depth of Electrical Systems and Grid Interaction (DIDELSYS). The DIDELSYS Project, carried out in 2008-2009, made recommendations (see the final report NEA/CSNI/R(2009)10) to strengthen the robustness and defence in depth capabilities of individual NPP onsite electric systems. This was done by systematically evaluating the full range of voltage/frequency transient hazards and planting specific capabilities to cope with these hazards.

Expert Group on Small Modular Reactors (EGSMR)

With the growing importance of SMRs, following the proposal of the CSNI Bureau, the CSNI has decided to create an Expert Group on SMRs (EGSMR), at its 69th meeting held on 2-3 June 2021.

See

Senior Expert Group on Safety Research / Support Facilities for Existing and Advanced Reactors 2 (SESAR/SFEAR2)

The Senior Expert Group on Safety Research / Support Facilities for Existing and Advanced Reactors 2 (SESAR/SFEAR2) is responsible for reviewing and updating the previous SESAR assessments of research facilities required to support the safety of nuclear installations. The group shall recommend actions to be taken by the Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations (CSNI) and its member countries to facilitate broader use and sustained operation of essential research facilities required to support nuclear safety.

Senior Expert Group on Safety Research Opportunities Post-Fukushima (SAREF)

The Senior Expert Group on Safety Research Opportunities Post-Fukushima (SAREF) was established at the June 2013 CSNI meeting to identify research activities to address safety research knowledge gaps related to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident, which would also support safe and timely decommissioning in Japan.

See

Task Group on Advanced Reactor Experimental Facilities (TAREF)

A Task Group on Advanced Reactor Experimental Facilities (TAREF) had been set up to provide an overview of facilities suitable for carrying out safety research on gas-cooled and sodium fast reactors.

Task Group on Robustness of Electrical Systems of NPPs (ROBELSYS)

A Task Group on the Robustness of Electrical Systems of NPPs in Light of the Fukushima Daiichi Accident (ROBELSYS) had been set up to improve the understanding of nuclear power plant electrical system robustness and defence in depth by comparing design practices and plant emergency and operating procedures in member countries; to improve the safety review process of nuclear power plant electrical systems by learning from best practices in member countries; and to promote co-operation among member countries to improve safety.

Task Group on Safety Margin Applications and Assessment (SM2A)

This task group was set up to carry out a pilot project using the methodology propsed in the final SMAP report published in 2007. In this pilot project, the SMAP methodology was applied to the Zion nuclear power plant in consideration of the US NRC loss-of-coolant accident rulemaking change and a power uprate of 10%.

Task Group on Sump Clogging

The Task Group on Sump Clogging had been set up to update the State-of-the-art Report (SOAR) on Knowledge Base for Emergency Core Cooling System Recirculation Reliability issued in 1996, and with focus on chemical effects and downstream effects.

Working Group on Analysis and Management of Accidents (WGAMA)

The Working Group on the Analysis and Management of Accidents (WGAMA) focuses on the NEA activities related to potential design-basis and beyond design-basis accidents in nuclear reactors and related technologies.

Working Group on Electrical Power Systems (WGELEC)

The main mission of the Working Group on the Safety of Electrical Systems (WGELEC) is to advance the current understanding and address safety issues related to electrical systems of nuclear installations. The activity of the Working Group aims at enhancing the safety performance of nuclear installations and improving the effectiveness of regulatory practices in NEA member countries.

Working Group on External Events (WGEV)

The main mission of the Working Group on External Events (WGEV) is to improve the understanding and treatment of external hazards that would support the continued safety performance of nuclear installations, and improve the effectiveness of regulatory practices in NEA member countries.

Working Group on Fuel Cycle Safety (WGFCS)

The objective of the Working Group on Fuel Cycle Safety (WGFCS) is to advance the understanding of relevant aspects of nuclear fuel cycle safety, including: uranium mining and milling; uranium refining and conversion to uranium hexafluoride; uranium enrichment; fuel fabrication and storage (including MOX fuel); spent fuel storage; spent fuel reprocessing; decommissioning of nuclear facilities; radioactive waste management and disposal options (including for spent fuel) and the research and demonstration facilities that support these activities.

Working Group on Fuel Safety (WGFS)

The main mission of the Working Group on Fuel Safety (WGFS) is to advance the current understanding and address cross-cutting issues related to fuel behaviour in accident conditions, including work on associated aspects of thermal-hydraulics, oxidation, chemistry, mechanical behaviour and reactor physics.

Working Group on Human and Organisational Factors (WGHOF)

The main mission of the Working Group on Human and Organisational Factors (WGHOF) is to improve the understanding and treatment of human and organisational factors within the nuclear industry in order to support the continued safety performance of nuclear installations and improve the effectiveness of regulatory practices in member countries. The WGHOF address safety aspects of existing power reactors, but also the emerging safety challenges required to enable safety in design and operation of advanced and innovative nuclear technologies, including the ones used for small modular reactors (SMRs).

See

Working Group on Integrity and Ageing of Components and Structures (WGIAGE)

The main mission of the Working Group on Integrity and Ageing of Components and Structures (WGIAGE) is to advance the current understanding of the relevant aspects related with ensuring the integrity of components, systems and structures (SSC), and to propose general principles on the optimal ways of dealing with respective challenges facing operating and new nuclear power plants as well as other nuclear facilities, and to make use of an integrated approach to design safety and plant life management.

Working Group on Risk Assessment (WGRISK)

The Working Group supports improved uses of Probabilistic Safety Assessment (PSA) in risk-informed regulation and safety management through the analysis of results and the development of perspectives regarding potentially important risk contributors and associated risk-reduction strategies. The Working Group addresses PSA methods, tools, and data needed to provide this information.

See