IAEA conducts safety review of South Africa’s SAFARI-1

A team of nuclear safety experts with the International Atomic Energy Agency completed a five-day safety review of the SAFARI-1 reactor in Pelindaba, South Africa, focusing on aging management and continued safe operation of the 61-year-old 20-MW research reactor.

The IAEA team found that the SAFARI-1's management and technical staff had a strong commitment to and involvement with the assessment but recommended that formal programs be established to address the aging reactor's equipment.

The reactor: SAFARI-1, which first reached criticality in March 1965, is a light water-cooled, beryllium-reflected, pool-type research reactor. Originally fueled by high-enriched uranium, SAFARI-1 was converted to low-enriched uranium fuel in 2009.

First used for research and training purposes, the reactor is now used in part to produce the medical isotope molybdenum-99, whose decay product, technetium-99m, is used in diagnostic imagery. According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, SAFARI-1 accounts for 13 percent of globally available Mo-99 production capacity.

The reactor is also used for neutron transmutation doping of silicon, neutron activation analysis, neutron radiography, and neutron diffraction.

The mission: SAFARI-1's operator, South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (NECSA), requested the IAEA review, which was done as part of the agency's Safety Review Mission on Aging Management and Continued Safe Operation (SALTO-RR).

During the mission, which was conducted February 2-6, the research reactor's preparedness, organization, and programs were reviewed. The six-person IAEA team included experts from Australia, Ghana, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and Pakistan, as well as two IAEA staff members. Representatives from South Africa's National Nuclear Regulator also participated in the mission as observers.

The review included a walkdown of the reactor facility, examination of safety and technical documentation, and discussions with SAFARI-1 counterparts.

The IAEA's reviews of research reactor aging management and safe operation are based on the agency's Safety Aspects of Long-Term Operation (SALTO) peer review service.

The findings: The team identified the following good performances:

• Strong commitment and involvement of the reactor management and technical staff by conducting a self-assessment against SALTO-RR guidelines as part of mission preparation.
• Effective engagement and communication between the operating organization and the regulatory body at an early stage for the ongoing periodic safety review.

The team also provided several recommendations and suggestions to strengthen SAFARI-1's aging management program, including the following:

• Management of financial and human resources to meet the organization's objectives of continued safe operation.
• Development of a systematic screening process to identify the structures, systems, and components in the scope of the aging management program.
• Establishment of formalized programs to proactively address the obsolescence and qualification of equipment.

They said it: "We appreciated the high quality of the discussions during the mission, and the openness of the SAFARI-1 counterparts is well noted," said Kaichao Sun, mission team leader and nuclear safety officer at the IAEA. "Systematically implementing the aging management activities can be challenging. Continuously improving the management system that integrates the existing operational programs helps address this challenge."

Sammy Malaka, acting group executive for nuclear operations and SAFARI-1 reactor manager, commented, "We recognize that our SAFARI-1 reactor, which is over 61 years, ages. Our responsibility to manage the aging process becomes increasingly critical. We view this SALTO mission as a collaborative opportunity to strengthen our safety culture, enhance our aging management program, and ensure the long-term sustainability of our research reactor operation and capabilities."