RESULTS AND EVALUATION OF THE TRAINING COURSES ON THE APPLICATION OF THE CRITICALITY TESTER

Since 1997, the IAEA and the EURATOM Safeguards Office have been able to use the Criticality Tester (CT) as a routine inspection device designed for the criticality check at small and medium size research reactors. The Dresden University of Technology (TUD), where the CT has been developed under the funding of the BMWi/IAEA Joint Programme, offers training courses for inspectors, in order to support the practical implementation of the new CT device in routine safeguards. The courses aim to show the capabilities, limitations, and practical applications of the CT. In the frame of the German Support Programme a sequence of seven training courses has been planned. The course program is divided into a theoretical and a practical part. Fundamental information on hardware and software is presented in the theoretical sessions. To the extent necessary, the knowledge about reactor physics and measurement techniques is refreshed and extended. The TUD operates a small training and research reactor, the AKR. Here, the practical sessions take place. Each trainee is instructed in starting up and operating the reactor, in order to provide a better understanding of the CT measurements and the interpretation of the acquired results. Towards the end of the course the participants have the opportunity to apply the CT in a field trial at another reactor facility of a different type. Here, the trainees have to demonstrate their ability to prepare and perform the measurements using the CT. Furthermore; they have to make sure that the reactor operator runs the reactor in the proper way. Presently, the field trial takes place at the VR-1 research reactor of the Technical University of Prague. On the basis of the trainees’ responses and the trainers’ experience the training program is subject to permanent revision and improvement. The paper presents the results and evaluation of the hitherto held training courses and the improvements applied.