18 Dec (NucNet): Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) has confirmed that its National Research Universal (NRU) research reactor at Chalk River Laboratories, Ontario, was safely returned to service at 3:44 am local time on 16 December 2007.
The company said it anticipated that medical isotopes will begin to be removed from the NRU for processing and distribution within four days.
During a safety inspection of the NRU reactor last month, Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) staff discovered that significant safety upgrades that were meant to be implemented by AECL by 31 December 2005 had not been carried out.
The CNSC said non-compliance revolved around the lack of connection of two heavy water pumps to an emergency power supply in order to avoid a fuel failure resulting in potential radioactive releases into the environment.
Upon discovery of the non-compliance, AECL extended a scheduled maintenance shutdown of the reactor that began on 18 November 2007 to connect the two pumps. The CNSC had said that for operations to resume it needed to be satisfied that AECL had met all of its regulatory requirements and licence conditions.
AECL said safety was never compromised, and the reactor operated safely up to the point of the outage.
Last week, a Bill was approved by Canada’s House of Commons allowing the “safe re-opening” of the NRU reactor. A government statement said the “unexpected extension” of the shutdown caused concern amongst medical professionals and patients who required the medical radioactive isotopes produced by the facility.
At the time, health minister Tony Clement said passage of the Bill into law was “wonderful news for patients, their families and loved ones”. He said the NRU reactor would be back up and running, producing medical isotopes, in seven to eight days instead of seven to eight weeks.
The NRU reactor, which has been operating since 1957, is a multipurpose research reactor and Canada’s main facility for nuclear power research and materials research. It also produces several longer-lived isotopes used for medical imaging and cancer therapy to the benefit of more than 76,000 people each day.
On 14 December 2007, Canada’s prime minister Stephen Harper announced he had accepted the resignation of AECL chairman Michael Burns. Mr Harper announced the appointment of Glenna Carr as the new chair as well as Hugh MacDiarmid as chief executive officer.
>>Related reports in the NucNet database (available to subscribers)
Milestone For Canada’s NRU Research Reactor (World Nuclear Review No. 44, 2 November 2007)
Canada To Carry Out ‘Full Review’ Of AECL's Structure (World Nuclear Review No. 48, 30 November 2007)
Petten Research Reactor Helps Meet Shortage Of Radioisotope (World Nuclear Review No. 49, 7 December 2007)
