Safety of operating nuclear power plants and research reactors

Euratom research will be driven by the increasing importance of long-term operation (LTO), and the fact that the current and planned innovative fleet will consist mainly of Light Water-cooled Reactors.

Proposals should address challenges related to ageing management and/or the evaluation of safety margins of the reactors’ fleet. Such challenges relate, among other things, to the development of methods and tools to increase safety, the availability of systems, structures and components needed for reliable and safe management, core physics and thermal hydraulics, monitoring, digital including artificial intelligence, internet of things and digital twins, modelling and simulation, as well as prevention and mitigation strategies for long-term operation.

Adequate safety margins, the early detection of degradation and prevention of failures in pressure boundary components is of high priority to ensure the important third physical barrier in light water reactors. During the long operating life of nu