This page lists the common standards and regulations that a criticality assessor should expect to become familiar with, or know of. Here standards may provide best practice and guidance while regulations provide a statutory framework or set minimum requirements. Please also see the WPC Publications page for best practice guidance produced by the WPC.
Standards
American Nuclear Society (ANS)
The ANS is an international organisation based in the United States. The ANS is open to all and facilitates a connected and engaged community of nuclear professionals around the world.
Along with being an industry, professional and networking body, the ANS develops standards for those working in the nuclear industry and supply chain. Those interested can track the development and revision of standards through the ANS’ online standards store. All ANS standards related to criticality are detailed and available in the ANS’ criticality safety standards bundle.
The ANS have produced a number of standards that could be of use to criticality assessors including standards on criticality control of actinide nuclides, criticality safety based on limiting and controlling moderators, burnup credit for LWR fuel and many others.
British Standards Institute (BSI)
The British Standards Institution is the independent national standards body in the UK. They are appointed by the government to develop British standards and represent the UK’s interest in standards development at a European and global level. As such the BSI participates in ISO standard development and may adopt ISO standards as their own.
The BSI have adopted ISO standards concerning criticality safety, which sit within the NCE/9 committee where Published, In Progress and Withdrawn standards can be viewed.
Note: Many, if not all, BSI standards related to criticality safety will be adopted from the ISO. This is due to the BSI participating in the development of such standards with other national standards bodies. It is possible to determine whether BSI standards have been adopted from ISO and/or European Norm. standards using the BS designation, “BS” denotes a BSI standard, if followed by “EN” then it has been adopted from a European level and if followed by “ISO” it has ultimately been adopted from an international level.
International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO)
The ISO is an independent international standards organisation body composed of the national standards bodies of other countries, including the British Standards Institution (BSI). The ISO through the BSI and other member bodies bring together global experts to agree on the best way of doing things.
The ISO, through Technical Committee ISO/TC 85, produce best practice and standards documents in the field of “nuclear energy, nuclear technologies, and radiological protection”. The specific sub-committee for standards relating to criticality safety can be found under ISO/TC 85/SC 5, “nuclear installations, processes and technologies”.
Interested parties can maintain awareness of the technical committee or the sub-committee through an RSS feed.
Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA)
The NEA is an intergovernmental body organised by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The NEA’s mission is to support member countries to maintain and further develop, through international co-operation, the scientific, technological and legal bases required for the safe, environmentally friendly and economical use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.
The NEA hosts and produces useful resources for those working in a nuclear-related field, including the NEA Data Bank. The NEA also hosts the Working Party on Nuclear Criticality Safety (WPNCS) who maintain and develop the International Criticality Safety Benchmark Evaluation Project (ICSBEP).
Regulations
Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR)
The Office for Nuclear Regulation is the UK’s regulating body with legal authority to regulate nuclear safety, civil nuclear security and safeguards, and conventional health and safety at the 36 licensed nuclear sites in Great Britain (GB). This includes the existing fleet of operating reactors, fuel cycle facilities, waste management and decommissioning sites, as well as other licensed and, in part, authorised defence sites, together with the regulation of the design and construction of new nuclear facilities. The ONR also regulate the transport of nuclear or radioactive material by road, rail or inland waterways.
The ONR have provided the nuclear industry within the UK access to ONR publications to provide regulatory guidance to licensed sites, operators and the supply chain. These documents include:
While the ONR is the UK’s nuclear regulator, it may also be useful to be aware of other regulators that may have nuclear-related competencies, including:
International Atomic Energy Authority (IAEA)
The IAEA is an autonomous intergovernmental organisation that exists within the United Nations. It provides an international forum for scientific and technical cooperation in the nuclear field, and work to ensure the safe, secure and peaceful uses of nuclear science and technologies.
Through its work, the IAEA publishes its Safety Standards Series of publications, which includes General Safety Guides (GSGs), Specific Safety Guides (SSGs), General Safety Requirements (GSRs) and Specific Safety Requirements (SSRs).
Of particular note is SSR-6, which is the Specific Safety Requirement for the regulations for the safe transport of radioactive material.