Research and training programme (Euratom) - Reactor safety -, 1973-1976

This programme on reactor safety was drawn up in accordance with the Council Resolution of the 17 December 1970 concerning the procedures for adopting research and training programmes (Official Journal No L 16 of 20.1.1971).

These activities were carried out at the Ispra establishment and were stimulated by the involvement of European and international committees involved in reactor safety research, and made up of representatives from reactor constructors, licensing authorities, national laboratories and utilities.
To carry out experimental and theoretical investigations of outstanding reactor safety problems for light water reactors (LWR) and liquid metal fast breeder reactors (LMFBR).
Five objectives:

- Engineering research connected with serious accidents and their prevention;

- Thermohydraulic phenomena in the coolant associated with accidents;

- Early failure detection;

- Reliability studies;

- Reactor dynamics.
The Commission, assisted by the board of governors of the Joint Research Council (JRC), was responsible for the implementation of the programme by means of the services of the JRC (Ispra).

In order to ensure that the research was related to the problems experienced by nuclear plant designers and licensing bodies, it was considered necessary to work closely with the national programmes. This was achieved through the Advisory Committee for the Management of the Safety Programme which set up five ad hoc specialist working groups, one for each of the major areas of work of the JRC in this area.