scholarly journals Nuclear Newcomer Countries—The Path of the United Arab Emirates

Nuclear Law ◽  
2022 ◽  
pp. 299-318
Author(s):  
Hamad AlKaabi
Keyword(s):  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Radiation Sources ◽  
Nuclear Policy ◽  
Financial Investments ◽  
High Level ◽  
International Conventions ◽  
Nuclear Power Programme

AbstractEmbarking on nuclear power requires high-level political decisions and commitments, considerable planning efforts, financial investments and commercial considerations, long-term sustainability for safety; as well as international and legal framework for a nuclear power programme. There are numerous challenges surrounding government decisions to introduce nuclear power into the energy mix of a country. This chapter highlights the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) experience and accomplishments in the development and regulation of its nuclear power programme. In particular, it focuses on the milestones of the UAE path, which might be of interest to nuclear newcomer countries and to a broader international community. This chapter outlines the development of the UAE comprehensive national nuclear law and regulatory framework, which started with the so-called “nuclear policy”. It also includes an overview of a strategy that was developed and set the early path for the UAE peaceful nuclear programme, including timelines for specific targets. The international conventions and UAE’s nuclear cooperation agreements, as well as the cooperation with the IAEA are also mentioned. Particular attention has been paid to the role of the UAE nuclear regulator and its mandate and the development of the UAE regulations and regulatory guides. The licensing of the nuclear power programme, as well as the licensing of other activities and practices involving radiation sources have been also described in the publication. In conclusion, the publication shares some lessons the UAE learnt and on which it will base its efforts towards the continuous enhancement of its legal framework.

Steam Line Integrity Analyses for LTO: Enhancing Credibility With Comprehensive Measurement

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Horst Rothenhöfer ◽  
Andreas Manke
Keyword(s):  
Power Plant ◽  
Nuclear Power Plant ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Simulation Models ◽  
Proper Function ◽  
Blow Down ◽  
Term Operation ◽  
High Level ◽  
Comprehensive Measurement

The safety relevant components of nuclear power plant Neckarwestheim 1 — in service since 1976 — have been reviewed and updated for long-term operation (LTO). The actions included hardware retrofits as well as updates of analysis according to the latest state of the scientific and technical knowledge. For large piping such as the steam lines, the established pipes have been retained while the supports have been optimized. All shock absorbers (snubbers) including corresponding inertia have been eliminated resulting in a defined guidance and statically defined displacements. The integrity analyses for the optimized steam lines, including break preclusion, have been validated successfully with comprehensive measurements. The verification has delivered an extra high level of credibility, exceeding the “standard” requirements to achieve fitness for service in long-term operation. Measurement and validation, which are the main focus of this paper, range from monitoring of service loads to the static and dynamic measurements of pressure, local temperatures and displacements during initial start-up after implementation of the design modifications. The proper function of supports has been proved and the quality of the simulation models has been confirmed. Some expected and some unexpected dynamic events have been detected during blow-down tests. It was demonstrated that the amplitudes of all dynamic loads stay within limits. The validation of analyses with comprehensive measurement has been an important proof of quality and delivered the redundancy required for the integrity of a nuclear power plant in service, enhancing the high level of safety even more.

Issues in the Timing of High Level Waste Disposal: An International Perspective

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stan Gordelier ◽  
Pa´l Kova´cs
Keyword(s):  
Radioactive Waste ◽  
Waste Disposal ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Nuclear Industry ◽  
High Level Waste ◽  
Geological Disposal ◽  
The Public ◽  
Deep Geological Disposal ◽  
High Level

The world is facing energy difficulties for the future, in terms of security of supply and climate change issues. Nuclear power is virtually carbon free and it contributes to energy security, being a quasi-domestic source. Whilst it cannot provide a complete answer to these challenges, it is certainly capable of providing a significant component of the answer. However, nuclear power remains controversial. In order to gain public acceptance, it is widely recognised that a number of key issues need to be addressed, amongst which is resolution of the high-level radioactive waste (HLW) (including spent fuel) disposal issue. This is an important issue for all countries with an existing nuclear programme, whether or not it is intended that nuclear power should be phased out or expanded — the waste already exists and must be managed in any event. It is equally important for countries planning a new nuclear power programme where none has previously existed. Since nuclear power was first developed over fifty years ago, HLW arisings have been stored as an interim measure. It is widely believed by experts (though not by many opponents of the nuclear industry, nor by the public) that deep geological disposal, after a reasonable cooling time in interim storage, is technically feasible and constitutes a safe option [1] at an acceptable cost. The total volume of HLW from nuclear reactors is relatively small. A key issue, however, is the time-scale for developing such a final disposal solution. Considerations of security and inter-generational equity suggest that geological disposal should be implemented as soon as possible irrespective of whether or not new arisings are created. The question of managing HLW is not necessarily related to the issue of building new nuclear power stations. However, many opponents argue that there has been insufficient demonstration of the long-term safety of deep geological disposal. The same opponents also argue that there should be a moratorium on building new nuclear power plants (NPPs) until the issue of long-term management of HLW is resolved. These arguments have a powerful influence on public opinion towards both the construction of a waste repository and the building of new NPPs. The intent of this paper (developed from the current OECD NEA study on “Timing of High Level Waste Disposal”) is to identify and discuss some of the factors influencing the timing of the implementation of a HLW disposal strategy and to demonstrate to decision makers how these factors are affecting country strategies, based on current experience. Determining an optimum timescale of HLW disposal may be affected by a wide range of factors. The study examines how social acceptability, technical soundness, environmental responsibility and economic feasibility impact on the timing of HLW disposal and can be balanced in a national radioactive waste management strategy taking the social, political and economic environment into account. There is clear evidence that significant fractions of the public still have serious misconceptions with respect to the issues surrounding nuclear waste. The nuclear industry, together with governments in those countries who would like a component of nuclear power in their energy mix, has a responsibility for and a significant challenge in presenting its case to the public.

scholarly journals Russian Vision of the Problems and Prospects of the International Legal Framework in the Context of Small Modular Reactors and Transportable Nuclear Power Units

Nuclear Law ◽  
2022 ◽  
pp. 45-54
Author(s):  
Andrey Popov
Keyword(s):  
Future Development ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Civil Liability ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Shared Responsibility ◽  
Developing Regions ◽  
International Convention ◽  
Small Modular Reactors ◽  
International Conventions

AbstractSmall modular reactors (SMRs) could be key to providing developing regions with clean and affordable (and cost-effective) electricity. Deployment of SMRs requires a transparent and balanced legal framework that will define the specifics and boundaries of shared responsibility between the host and supplier country, especially in the case of innovative floating SMR projects. Legal experience in nuclear-powered vessels and nuclear installations can be used in the development of regulatory approaches for floating SMRs. This chapter provides an analysis of the applicability of the existing international conventions, including the 1974 International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, the IAEA safeguards agreements, and civil liability instruments, to the floating SMRs. In addition, some considerations for the future development of the legal framework for floating SMRs are proposed.

Analytical Study of United Arab Emirates Copyright Federal Law No. 7, 2002

2018 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 281-297
Author(s):  
Fayez Al Nusair ◽  
Firas Massadeh
Keyword(s):  
Intellectual Property ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Analytical Study ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Federal Law ◽  
Economic Rights ◽  
Economic Justification ◽  
Comprehensive Examination ◽  
International Conventions ◽  
Neighbouring Rights

Abstract This article presents a comprehensive examination and analysis of copyright protection under the provisions of the United Arab Emirates’ Federal Law No. 7, 2002 concerning copyrights and neighbouring rights in preparation for the accession of relevant international conventions. The law revoked Federal Law No. 40, 1992 regarding intellectual property copyright. The nature of copyright and its economic justification, the scope of its protection in the United Arab Emirates’ legal framework, the concepts of originality and creativity, and the author’s moral and economic rights are scrutinized in comparison with the provisions of related international intellectual property treaties and conventions (i.e. the TRIPS Agreement and the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works 1886, last revised in Paris, 24 July 1971).

scholarly journals Charter Cities: Development Model or Neocolonialism?

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 180-187
Author(s):  
Tillman Van de Sand
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Theoretical Background ◽  
New Order ◽  
Partner Country ◽  
High Level ◽  
New Framework ◽  
Country Specific

Facing the problems of corruption, inefficient bureaucracy, a lack of property rights or of the rule of law in developing countries, Paul Romer, the current Chief Economist of the World Bank, has chosen a radical approach when he provided advice to the Honduran government in 2010. His idea was to establish a new constitution of the regional administrations and the legal framework in areas of developing countries where no settlements exist. To establish such a special administrative region, so called Charter City, a developing country requires a partner country which already enjoys credibility in terms of a functional administrative order. A high level of trust is presupposed, because the Charter City will be highly independent from the state ruling government. In fact Romer assumes that it is far easier to establish a new framework under the condition of good governance in a region which will attract citizens and investors than to change an existing system. Certainly the possibilities of a far-reaching independence contain some fundamental problems at the same time. The cultural heritage of a society and the country-specific characteristics might oppose the new order. Even when no one should be forced to live in a Charter City such problems will occur, because not only the region will change but also the rest of the country will be affected in the long term. In this context the activities of a partner country could be seen as an act of paternalism. The paper deals with the theoretical background of trust and compatibility in international administrative cooperation such as Charter Cities.

Creating a generic model of a high level waste (HLW) repository in crystalline rock and determining hydraulic parameters to investigate minimum requirements to the host rock for a safe storage location according to national German law

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Weihmann ◽  
Jobst Maßmann
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Crystalline Rock ◽  
Chemical Processes ◽  
Nuclear Power Generation ◽  
Long Term Storage ◽  
Storage Solutions ◽  
High Level ◽  
Hlw Repository ◽  
Term Storage

<p>Nuclear power generation became popular in the 1950s in industrialised countries as an alternative to fossil energy sources to provide large amounts of low cost, low carbon energy. Currently 6% of the world’s energy supply is produced in 451 nuclear reactors across 30 countries. However, nuclear power generation has a serious disadvantage and hidden cost: the accumulation and disposal of spent fuel or high level nuclear waste (HLW) - notably highly radioactive nuclear fission products and the absence of suitable long-term storage solutions, threatening livestock and the environment. Sustainable disposal of HLW holds many challenges: fluid and heat transfer may induce strongly coupled undesirable thermal, hydrological, mechanical and chemical processes.</p><p>A crystalline rock repository construction license has been accomplished by Finland in 2015 for the first long-term HLW repository worldwide. In Germany, a consortium of federal offices is exploring the opportunity of establishing a long-term underground repository in crystalline rock for HLW as an alternative to potential repositories in salt rock and mudrock.</p><p>The aim of this research is to de-risk hypothetical storage solutions for long-term HLW repositories in Germany in crystalline rock. As no geological site must be alluded to for legal reasons during the repository site investigation process at the time being, flow is modelled for a generic fractured rock site based on academic studies of crystalline rock. An inverse problem approach is applied to investigate hydraulic site requirements for the long-term storage of HLW and provide footing for the analysis of coupled thermal, hydrological, mechanical and chemical processes. </p><p>This work demonstrates progress towards finding a long-term storage solution for HLW in Germany through evaluating hydrological processes in a generic crystalline rock site. Through Oda analysis and simulating steady-state flow and particle tracking in a synthetic discrete fracture network (DFN), degrees of fracture connectivity and hydraulic conductivity of fractures have been identified for the hydraulic (boundary) conditions in a repository in crystalline rock.</p>

Vivid Imagers Are Better at Detecting Salient Changes

2006 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 218-228 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Rodway ◽  
Karen Gillies ◽  
Astrid Schepman
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
Change Detection ◽  
Visual Imagery ◽  
Detection Task ◽  
Level Of Detail ◽  
Detection Accuracy ◽  
Change Detection Task ◽  
Term Change ◽  
High Level

This study examined whether individual differences in the vividness of visual imagery influenced performance on a novel long-term change detection task. Participants were presented with a sequence of pictures, with each picture and its title displayed for 17  s, and then presented with changed or unchanged versions of those pictures and asked to detect whether the picture had been changed. Cuing the retrieval of the picture's image, by presenting the picture's title before the arrival of the changed picture, facilitated change detection accuracy. This suggests that the retrieval of the picture's representation immunizes it against overwriting by the arrival of the changed picture. The high and low vividness participants did not differ in overall levels of change detection accuracy. However, in replication of Gur and Hilgard (1975) , high vividness participants were significantly more accurate at detecting salient changes to pictures compared to low vividness participants. The results suggest that vivid images are not characterised by a high level of detail and that vivid imagery enhances memory for the salient aspects of a scene but not all of the details of a scene. Possible causes of this difference, and how they may lead to an understanding of individual differences in change detection, are considered.

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