Abstracts and Available Papers Presented at the
2003 International RERTR Meeting

OVERVIEW OF THE STATUS OF RESEARCH REACTORS WORLDWIDE

Pablo Adelfang and Iain G. Ritchie

Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Materials Section
Division of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology
International Atomic Energy Agency
Wagramer Strasse 5, P.O. Box 100
A-1400 Vienna, Austria

ABSTRACT

The IAEA continuously updates the information available on the status of research reactors (RRs) and their spent fuel around the world. This information is gathered in many different ways, including questionnaires, fact-finding missions, expert mission reports, and technical and consultancy meetings. It is then fed into the IAEA’s databases. Statistical analyses of these databases provide a useful perspective on the status of the world’s RRs and their spent fuel. In this paper an updated review of the information contained in the IAEA’s databases is presented. It includes data on the number of RRs operational, shut down, decommissioned, under construction, and planned. Information on the geographical distribution and utilization patterns of the RRs will also be discussed. Particular attention will be paid to the distribution of types of fuel, enrichment and origin of the enriched fuel material.