The Radiation Protection, Environmental Protection and Civil Protection Laboratory (LRPMPC) of RATEN ICN is member of IAEA Analytical Laboratories for the Measurement of Environmental Radioactivity (ALMERA) Network since 2005 and is participating annually in environmental radioactivity proficiency tests organized by the Network. Recently, the RATEN ICN LRPMPC infrastructure was modernized, and now includes laboratory spaces equipped with systems that allow staff to carry out their activities in optimal conditions.

Biofilm formation and the establishment of an aerobic environment on EDZ fractures in Deep Neogene Sedimentary Rock have been observed. This aerobic environment is suggested to be formed by microbial production of dark O2.

In order to refine the 3D finite element model, it is important to verify the correspondence to the seismic observation behaviors. In this study, we analyze the basic response characteristics, such as the natural frequencies and modes of the reactor building, and evaluate the effects of the amplitude of the seismic excitation on the response characteristics based on seismic observation records.

As it has been the case with its previous editions, ETSON and its member organizations will contribute extensively to the upcoming IAEA lnternational Conference on Enhancing Nuclear Safety and Security Through Technical and Scientific Support Organizations which will take in place at the Agency´s headquarters in Vienna, Austria, from December 2 to 6 and is being organized jointly by the IAEA and ETSON.

The Chinese Shidaowan nuclear power plant recently made the headlines in Germany: According to a paper published in the scientific journal Joule, tests are said to have proven that a core meltdown accident in the world's first commercially operated pebble bed reactor has been ruled out and that it is therefore ‘inherently safe’. This article describes how this type of reactor works, what follows from the experiment, and what safety challenges may nevertheless arise.

SafeG Final Workshop took place on 11th of September 2024 in Bratislava and was attended by 43 participants (+ 10 remotely connected). The aim of this event was to present the key results and outcomes of our 4 years effort within the SafeG project to nuclear community and young generation of researchers.

The SELENE project, funded by the Italian Space Agency, aims at advancing both technical and programmatic aspects needed to bring to industrial maturity a nuclear reactor-centered energy hub for a lunar outpost.

With the shutdown of the last German nuclear power plants, the decommissioning of these installations is now at the centre of attention. However, the impending shortage of skilled labour poses major challenges for the industry. Experts from GRS are therefore working with their partners in a research project that has just been launched to train specialists more efficiently in the future and to promote young talent in a more targeted manner: A hybrid learning platform with VR and AR elements and an innovative AI application are intended to optimise dismantling processes and prepare the industry for the future. In addition, a digital platform is being developed to make licensing processes more transparent and efficient.

A unique project was carried out aimed at identifying steam generator tubes with operationally induced defects from the history of each unit. The selected tubes were then extracted, decontaminated, and preserved for future use. This effort was part of the broader decommissioning project for Units 1 and 2 at the Jaslovské Bohunice Nuclear Power Plant in Slovakia.

An improvement work of an anticoincidence gamma spectrometry system for the detection of noble gases located at the Laboratory of ENEA Research Center in Brasimone has been carried out. The interest of setting up and optimizing this instrument is linked to the analysis of the radioactive isotopes of xenon, which are of particular interest for the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT).