Regular Article

Evolution of the collective radiation dose of nuclear reactors from the 2nd through to the 3rd generation and 4th generation sodium-cooled fast reactors

¹ CEA, DEN, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
² CEA, DEN, DMRC, SA2I, 30207 Bagnols-sur-Cèze, France

^* e-mail: joel.guidez@cea.fr

Received: 30 January 2017
Received in final form: 23 May 2017
Accepted: 26 September 2017
Published online: 22 November 2017

Abstract

During the operation of a nuclear reactor, the external individual doses received by the personnel are measured and recorded, in conformity with the regulations in force. The sum of these measurements enables an evaluation of the annual collective dose expressed in man·Sv/year. This information is a useful tool when comparing the different design types and reactors. This article discusses the evolution of the collective dose for several types of reactors, mainly based on publications from the NEA and the IAEA.

The spread of good practices (optimization of working conditions and of the organization, sharing of lessons learned, etc.) and ongoing improvements in reactor design have meant that over time, the doses of various origins received by the personnel have decreased.

In the case of sodium-cooled fast reactors (SFRs), the compilation and summarizing of various documentary resources has enabled them to be situated and compared to other types of reactors of the second and third generations (respectively pressurized water reactors in operation and EPR under construction). From these results, it can be seen that the doses received during the operation of SFR are significantly lower for this type of reactor.