Delivering on our Committment to Restart
On August 17, 2010, the National Research Universal (NRU) reactor at Atomic Energy of Canada Limited’s (AECL) Chalk River Laboratories was safely returned to operation. All of the operating systems are now in service and the NRU is once again harvesting medical isotopes.
AECL’s employees, with guidance and assistance from outside advisors, have delivered on their commitment to safely return the NRU to service. Everyone involved in this challenge has managed the project to the highest technical and professional standards and as a result, the NRU is now ready to continue reliable operations for years to come.
With the repair complete and several additional enhancements made to the reactor during the outage, NRU can now return to its regular operating schedule. This means the reactor will run at high-power for 23 straight days and then go into a planned five day shutdown. The planned shutdown allows AECL to perform routine scheduled maintenance on the reactor over the five day period. The NRU is then returned to high power and the 28 day cycle starts all over again. This scheduled maintenance and inspection program will ensure that the NRU remains fully operational and meets its regulatory obligations.
In addition to isotope production for medical purposes, the NRU is the main research reactor providing materials and radio-chemistry testing for the Canadian nuclear industry. It also produces neutrons for the National Research Council, an organization that is on-site at Chalk River Laboratories to perform neutron scattering experiments.
It was these contributions to the Canadian nuclear industry and the global medical and scientific communities that drove AECL’s commitment to returning the NRU to service. With immense pride, AECL’s employees will continue to operate the NRU to the best of their abilities.
Restarting safely • Reassuring Canadians
On May 14, 2009, the National Research Universal (NRU) reactor at Atomic Energy of Canada Limited’s (AECL) Chalk River Laboratories was safely shut down due to a loss of electrical power that occurred in parts of eastern Ontario and western Quebec. During routine monitoring in the early morning hours of May 15, a small leak of heavy water was detected within the NRU reactor facility. An initial investigation confirmed the location of the heavy water leak at the base of the reactor vessel. As a result, NRU will remain out of service until repairs are complete.
Returning the NRU to service as safely and as quickly as possible to support the production of medical isotopes for Canadian patients and healthcare practitioners is our top priority. We have determined the extent of damage to the reactor vessel and repair of the reactor is underway.
We are also committed to providing regular communications updates on the status of the NRU. This website is one way in which we will keep our stakeholders informed of our progress. AECL’s commitment to returning the NRU to service quickly is consistent with our strong commitment to safety.
Throughout the NRU outage and the completion of the repair work, AECL will ensure that there is no threat to workers, the public, the environment or nuclear reactor safety.
The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) safety inspectors continue to provide independent regulatory oversight of AECL activities at the Chalk River site.
The duration of the shutdown continues to be founded on the best evidence available, including the most up-to-date analysis of the heavy water leak site, vessel condition, repair strategies, and critical path requirements for restart after an extended shutdown.
Employees at AECL are very aware of the importance of the NRU facility to Canadians and nuclear medicine patients around the globe. This awareness drives our commitment to returning the NRU to service as soon as is safely possible.
AECL will deliver on that commitment.