UK Irradiated Materials Archive Options Study

对于许多学术和工业核能研究，使用NNUF和其他设施，重要的是已知来源的中子辐照材料是可用的。在反应堆中获得辐照样品既耗时又昂贵，应尽可能多地利用现有材料。在英国有广泛的监测和其他样本，由核退役管理局（NDA），EDF能源和劳斯莱斯等组织拥有。联合王国政府的核创新和研究咨询委员会（NIRAB）已将建立一个可供研究人员查阅的这种材料的中央或分布式档案确定为优先事项。该档案是EPSRC的NNUF第二阶段电话中首选投资表中的第二项。虽然由大学、国家核实验室（NNL）、英国原子能管理局（UKAEA）、NDA和其他利益攸关方组成的辐照材料档案组（IMAG）已经提出了这一概念，但在关键利益攸关方能够决定是否以及如何继续进行之前，还需要进一步的工作。选择的范围可以从离开材料，它目前是，并有系统，使个人能够确定材料和谱系可用，并要求样品为他们的研究，把样品从地点在英国的专门商店在塞拉菲尔德（较高的活动）和英国原子能机构的卡勒姆网站（低活动）。因此，建议分两个阶段建立档案。第一阶段是方案研究，也是本建议的主题。在第一阶段结束时，主要利益相关者-包括EPSRC、材料所有者和拟议商店的管理者-将决定是否继续进行以及采用哪种选择。第二阶段将需要根据第一阶段确定的费用估计数提出新的供资提案。第一阶段的重要考虑因素包括：确定哪些材料样品是可用的，哪些是英国研究人员感兴趣的;后勤问题，包括所有权和责任，运输和废物处理;以及对档案数据库的要求。最后一个有吸引力的选择可能是NDA和其他材料所有者管理自己的数据库，允许用户查询这些数据库并请求样本。UKAEA、NNL和布里斯托大学（UoB）建议进行第一阶段，并在咨询所有利益相关者后，为EPSRC及其NNUF管理团队进行选项评估。这将需要19个月的时间，需要52.4万英镑。亨利罗伊斯先进材料研究所和AWE的首席执行官苏·扬夫人（NIRAB的第一任主席）的信证实了这一提议得到了广泛的支持。NDA在起草该提案时已被咨询，并表示愿意在该项目中合作，罗尔斯·罗伊斯在其支持信中也表示了这一点。美国拥有一个国家档案馆已有数年，从其经验中学习将是该项目的一部分;爱达荷州国家实验室核科学用户设施主任发出了一封确认该档案馆价值的信。

SummaryFor a lot of academic and industrial research into nuclear energy, using NNUF and other facilities, it is important that neutron-irradiated material of known provenance is available. Getting samples irradiated in reactors is both time-consuming and expensive, and as much use as possible should be made of existing material. There is a wide range of surveillance and other samples in the UK, owned by organisations like the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), EDF Energy and Rolls-Royce. Establishing either a central or distributed archive of a selection of this material that can be accessed by researchers has been identified as a priority by the UK Government's Nuclear Innovation and Research Advisory Board (NIRAB). The archive is the second item in the table of favoured investments in EPSRC's NNUF Phase 2 call. While the Irradiated Materials Archive Group (IMAG), comprising universities, National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL), UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), NDA and other stakeholders, has developed this concept, further work is required before the key stakeholders are in a position to decide if and how to proceed. Options could range from leaving the material where it presently is and having systems that enable individuals to ascertain the material and pedigree available, and request samples for their research, to bringing samples from locations in the UK to dedicated stores at Sellafield (higher activities) and UKAEA's Culham site (low-activity). It is, therefore, proposed that the archive is taken forward in two stages. Stage 1 is an option study and the subject of this proposal. At the end of Stage 1, key stakeholders - including EPSRC, the owners of the material and the managers of proposed stores - would decide whether to proceed and with which option. Stage 2 would require a new proposal for funding based on cost estimates established in Stage 1. However, an upper bound for the latter is indicated in this proposal.Important considerations in Stage 1 include: ascertaining what material samples are available and which are of interest to UK researchers; logistical issues including ownership and liability, transport and waste disposal; and the requirements for the archive database(s). An attractive option for the last of these may be for NDA and other owners of material to manage their own databases in a way that permits users to interrogate these and request samples.UKAEA, NNL and the University of Bristol (UoB) propose to undertake Stage 1 and produce an options appraisal for EPSRC and its NNUF Management Team, having consulted all stakeholders. This would take 19 months and require £524,000.Wide-ranging support for this proposal is confirmed by letters from Dame Sue Ion (first chair of NIRAB), the CEO of the Henry Royce Institute for Advanced Materials and AWE. The NDA has been consulted in the drafting of this proposal and expressed its willingness to collaborate in the project, as has Rolls-Royce in its letter of support. The US has had a national archive for some years and learning from its experience would be part of this project; a letter confirming the value of the archive is from the Director of Nuclear Science User Facilities at Idaho National Laboratory.