Enhancing utilization and ensuring security: Insights to compromise contradicting conditions in new research reactors

• Main Author: Ibrahim Alrammah
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2021-05-01
• Series: Nuclear Engineering and Technology
• Subjects: Research reactor; Safety; Security
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1738573320309256

Research reactors are typically well-suited for outreach activities at different levels. However, unplanned seeking to increase the utilization of a research reactor may result in weakening the nuclear security of this facility. Research reactor staff might be in shortage of a functional nuclear security culture; specifically, there might be a conviction that the necessities of research can be given the priority over consistence with security procedural requirements.Research reactors are usually parts of bigger institutes or research labs of different activities. Moreover, the employments of research reactors are usually with the purpose that easy entry to the reactor premises is fundamental. So, they could be co-situated in places with different sorts of activities, mostly under similar security arrangements. The co-area of research reactor offices among different kinds of research labs introduces explicit security issues, the effects of which should be viewed as when building up a nuclear security framework.Notwithstanding potential security vulnerabilities presented in the design, research reactors frequently have devices kept promptly accessible to encourage research and education. The accessibility of these sorts of hardware could be used by an authorized person to commit an unapproved activity or cause harm.This paper aims to present insights to compromise contradicting conditions in new research reactors in which both enhancing utilization and ensuring security are satisfied.