The NEA Working Party on Nuclear Criticality Safety (WPNCS) and its subgroups convened at the NEA headquarters during the week of 23 September 2024 for their annual plenary meetings. This year’s event brought together over 100 delegates representing 18 countries and two international organisations. Attendees included experts from academia, industry, research institutions, safety authorities, and their technical support organisations.
Meeting participants discussed current and future activities, including the launch of three key initiatives:
- Nuclear data uncertainty propagation for used nuclear fuel depletion calculations;
- A calculational exercise focused on decay heat modelling and simulation for used fuel assemblies;
- The application of innovative data assimilation techniques to inform criticality safety assessments.
Delegates also discussed the latest edition of the International Criticality Safety Benchmark Experiments Project’s Handbook, new evaluations from the International Assay Data of Spent Nuclear Fuel Database project, and various forthcoming technical reports.
Throughout the week, participants shared expertise, tackled pressing challenges, and gained deeper insights into the latest global developments in nuclear criticality safety. The event reinforced the collaborative spirit of the international nuclear community, highlighting the shared commitment to advancing safety standards worldwide.
