The OECD NEA (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Nuclear Energy Agency) headquarters with the support of the State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom has organized a refresher course on the SCALE code – Security of critical installations and radiation protection for employees of the Russian Federation nuclear industry, which was attended by staff of Institute of Nuclear Physics and Engineering MEPhI Mikhail Ternovykh and Ivan Saldykov. 

The courses were held from 17 to 21 of September and were devoted to the additional training on the SCALE software package, which was developed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA. This code is capable of calculating various neutron-physical characteristics of reactors and spent nuclear fuel storage facilities. Based on the analysis of the results obtained in this complex, it is possible to draw conclusions about the safety/insecurity of facilities with nuclear materials.

This complex is distributed in MEPhI under the license of NEA OECD through a special database of software codes. Some scientific laboratories of the University have already had experience of work with this code. At the end of the course, all participants received certificates confirming their completion.

American scientists and developers of the SCALE program from the Oak Ridge laboratory were invited as lecturers. The opening of courses was attended by representatives of NEA OECD, among which were Elena Poplavskaia, Nuclear Scientist, Data Bank. These courses are enhanced versions of training courses that took place in MEPhI two years ago. That time among the speakers was William A. Wieselquist, PhD, who currently holds the post of Director of the SCALE Code System in Reactor and Nuclear Systems Division. All certificates received by the participants were signed by him personally..

The course covered a number of tasks related to the justification of the safety of critical systems (which include each operating reactor facility), as well as the justification of the safety of personnel working at nuclear power facilities. Participants discussed issues of analysis of the environment safety and the population who are at a certain distance from nuclear power plants and spent nuclear fuel storage facilities with the help of the SCALE complex. All participants of the courses got an idea how to solve such problems with the help of the American program. This knowledge can be used to create and test domestic codes and to formulate problems of nuclear safety justification in our country.