Chemical hazards are an important subject for Fuel Cycle facilities, including various chemical processes and substances such as explosions and healthy risks. On 17-18 April 2018, the Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations (CSNI) Working Group on Fuel Cycle Safety (WGFCS) held the International Workshop on Chemical Hazards in Fuel Cycle Facilities Nuclear Processing at the NEA offices in Boulogne-Billancourt, France.
The Boulogne workshop focused on methods to ensure that fuel cycle facilities (FCFs) are designed and operated in a manner that prevents or mitigates the risks of hazardous chemical exposure, corrosion, fire, explosion and contamination.
The main objective of this workshop was to bring together specialists involved in FCF safety in order to discuss chemical hazards associated with nuclear fuel processing. The objectives of the workshop were to review national activities, safety and regulatory approaches for managing chemical hazards at FCFs, the effectiveness of these activities, and areas for improvement. The scope of FCFs covered included uranium conversion facilities, uranium enrichment facilities, all types of fuel fabrication facilities, irradiated material processing facilities and waste management operations.