Establishing the 1 st RR in Lebanon: Justification , Needs and - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Establishing the 1 st RR in Lebanon: Justification , Needs and Strategy Rony El Bitar, Bilal Nsouli Lebanese Atomic Energy Commission IAEA Workshop on Regulatory Inspection Programmes for Research Reactors . 28 September – 2 October 2014, Cairo, Egypt .

Lebanon country profile Total Area: 10452 Km 2 Sea Port: Beirut Coastline: 220 Km Population: 3,578,036 (July 2000 est.) Climate: Mediterranean. Languages: Arabic (official), French, English.

Establishment of the LAEC Mandate, Function and Responsibilities The LAEC was established in 1996 with the full support and assistance of the IAEA LAEC mandate : Encourage and develop the peaceful use of Atomic Energy in the country and • spread the Culture of Safety and Security of Radiation Sources. Fulfill the technical requirements of ratified conventions between Lebanon and • IAEA. Establish the national infrastructure for radiation protection and prepare the • necessary legislations for protecting the public, workers and environment against ionizing radiation. Strengthening regulatory capabilities and regulatory infrastructure, and • Establishment of the necessary safety infrastructure to build our first research reactor. Developing Human Resources for Nuclear Technologies. •

Justification (Why a RR?)  Create a national research team in the field of nuclear applications /reactor physics: coordinated and supported by the CNRS (new mandate by law 2008)  Initiate a synergy between concerned researchers and create a good research atmosphere in the field of fundamental and applied nuclear physics  Build and develop national capacities in the field of nuclear reactor for any possible development in the future  Follow the trend of socio economical development via nuclear program in the nuclear renaissance era and put the country on the regional map in this field

Needs and Issues : Choice of the RR type Potential use (NAA, PGNAA, ND)  Elemental characterization and quantification in various kind of samples (environment, geology, agriculture, biology, archeology, interstellar, materials science, forensic)  Neutron diffraction including reflectometry for surface and thin films application  Education and training in basic sciences and technology  HRD for nuclear technology and applications

Stakeholders, Potential Allies and Impacted Domains Forensic Environment Education/Training Research Reactor Geology Biology/pharmaceutics Archaeology Agriculture

Advantages of LPR’s :MNSR Low capital cost 5-10M$ project • Low operating cost • High Safety • Simple to operate • Less restrictive containment and sitting requirements • Location at universities • Low fuel burn-up (no need for refueling) • Long operation times per year (short maintenance time) • Irradiated samples are not highly radioactive • Fewer handling restrictions are required • Administrative procedures may be less stringent (political issues) • Long lifetime of the RR due to less ageing effects •

Status and progress of on-going preparatory activities . • On-going TC project to start the 1 st RR in the country “Studying the Feasibility of Establishing a Nuclear Research Reactor and Developing Human Resources for Nuclear Technologies”. • Preparing Pre-project assessment report and preliminary strategic plan. • National Seminars : National Seminar on Establishment of a New Research Reactor, Beirut 25-29 October 2010. – National workshop on methodology for Research Reactor site evaluation and review of proposed – site options, Beirut, 13 - 14 December 2012 .

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