South African Licensing Framework for the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Bester ◽  
T. Hill
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Safety Management ◽  
Regulatory Framework ◽  
Normal Operation ◽  
Engineering Practice ◽  
Pebble Bed ◽  
Regulatory Guidance ◽  
Design Basis ◽  
Safety Case

The electrical utility in South Africa (Eskom) plan to construct a first of a kind Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR). It has been recognized that there is a need to adapt the licensing process for the PBMR to ensure that credible and effective licensing process be developed and implemented for this technology. This paper will briefly outline the regulatory framework within South Africa, explain the licensing process adopted and present the challenges that the South African National Nuclear Regulator (NNR) was facing in developing and implementing the licensing process and how these are being addressed. The paper will discuss the update of the regulatory framework and the gaps identified in terms of regulatory requirements needed for such a project. The scope of the regulatory assessment for the licensing of the PBMR is based on the licensing requirements and criteria defined by the NNR in regulatory documents that expand on the current legislative requirements. In addition guidance is provided on selected issues in regulatory guidance documents and position papers. The requirements comprise, besides the general requirements to respect good engineering practice and the ALARA and defense-in-depth principle, specific risk criteria and radiation dose limits. These are categorized for normal operation and operational occurrences as well as for design basis events and beyond design basis events for workers and the public. Additional requirements and recommendations are stipulated by the NNR on safety important areas like quality and safety management, qualification of the nuclear fuel and the core structures, core design, verification and validation of computer codes, source term analysis and others. Selected NNR Position Papers have been developed to elaborate and provide further clarification on NNR requirements. For preparation of the PBMR safety case so-called Key Licensing Issues have been defined and agreed with the applicant. Discussions relating to these Key Licensing Issues allow important nuclear safety aspects identified for the PBMR demonstration plant to be clarified in advance of the safety case submittal.

scholarly journals A Safety Re-Evaluation of the AVR Pebble Bed Reactor Operation and Its Consequences for Future HTR Concepts

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rainer Moormann
Keyword(s):  
Fission Product ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Fission Products ◽  
Normal Operation ◽  
Primary Circuit ◽  
Pebble Bed ◽  
Pebble Bed Reactor ◽  
Hot Gas ◽  
Design Basis ◽  
Gas Tight

The AVR pebble bed reactor (46 MWth) was operated 1967–1988 at coolant outlet temperatures up to 990°C. Also because of a lack of other experience the AVR operation is a basis for future HTRs. This paper deals with insufficiently published unresolved safety problems of AVR and of pebble bed HTRs. The AVR primary circuit is heavily contaminated with dust bound and mobile metallic fission products (Sr-90, Cs-137) which create problems in current dismantling. The evaluation of fission product deposition experiments indicates that the end of life contamination reached several percent of a single core inventory. A re-evaluation of the AVR contamination is performed in order to quantify consequences for future HTRs: The AVR contamination was mainly caused by inadmissible high core temperatures, and not — as presumed in the past — by inadequate fuel quality only. The high AVR core temperatures were detected not earlier than one year before final AVR shut-down, because a pebble bed core cannot be equipped with instruments. The maximum core temperatures were more than 200 K higher than precalculated. Further, azimuthal temperature differences at the active core margin were observed, as unpredictable hot gas currents with temperatures > 1100°C. Despite of remarkable effort these problems are not yet understood. Having the black box character of the AVR core in mind it remains uncertain whether convincing explanations can be found without major experimental R&D. After detection of the inadmissible core temperatures, the AVR hot gas temperatures were strongly reduced for safety reasons. Metallic fission products diffuse in fuel kernel, coatings and graphite and their break through takes place in long term normal operation, if fission product specific temperature limits are exceeded. This is an unresolved weak point of HTRs in contrast to other reactors and is particularly problematic in pebble bed systems with their large dust content. Another disadvantage, responsible for the pronounced AVR contamination, lies in the fact that activity released from fuel elements is distributed in HTRs all over the coolant circuit surfaces and on graphitic dust and accumulates there. Consequences of AVR experience on future reactors are discussed. As long as pebble bed intrinsic reasons for the high AVR temperatures cannot be excluded they have to be conservatively considered in operation and design basis accidents. For an HTR of 400 MWth, 900°C hot gas temperature, modern fuel and 32 fpy the contaminations are expected to approach at least the same order as in AVR end of life. This creates major problems in design basis accidents, for maintenance and dismantling. Application of German dose criteria on advanced pebble bed reactors leads to the conclusion that a pebble bed HTR needs a gas tight containment even if inadmissible high temperatures as observed in AVR are not considered. However, a gas tight containment does not diminish the consequences of the primary circuit contamination on maintenance and dismantling. Thus complementary measures are discussed. A reduction of demands on future reactors (hot gas temperatures, fuel burn-up) is one option; another one is an elaborate R&D program for solution of unresolved problems related to operation and design basis accidents. These problems are listed in the paper.

scholarly journals A Comparative Synopsis of the Enforcement of Market Abuse Prohibition in Australia and South Africa

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-77
Author(s):  
Howard Chitimira
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Insider Trading ◽  
Regulatory Framework ◽  
Securities Markets ◽  
Market Manipulation ◽  
Market Abuse ◽  
The Government ◽  
Australian Experience

In Australia, the market abuse prohibition is generally well accepted by the investing and non-investing public as well as by the government. This co-operative and co-ordinated approach on the part of all the relevant stakeholders has to date given rise to an increased awareness and commendable combating of market abuse activities in the Australian corporations, companies and securities markets. It is against this background that this article seeks to explore the general enforcement approaches that are employed to combat market abuse (insider trading and market manipulation) activity in Australia. In relation to this, the role of selected enforcement authorities and possible enforcement methods which may be learnt from the Australian experience will be isolated where necessary for consideration in the South African market abuse regulatory framework.

scholarly journals DIRECTOR AND EXECUTIVE REMUNERATION CLAWBACKS: A SUGGESTED APPROACH FOR SOUTH AFRICA

Obiter ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vela Madlela
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
European Union ◽  
South African ◽  
Regulatory Framework ◽  
Suggested Approach ◽  
Legal Proceedings ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
Executive Remuneration ◽  
The Us ◽  
Potential Benefits

The purpose of this article is to explore clawbacks as a means of addressing problematic executive remuneration through an examination of the approaches adopted by the US, Australia, and certain European Union (EU) member states and to highlight the lessons that South Africa may draw from the experiences of these jurisdictions. The article first considers the intentions and assumptions of remuneration reforms, which have introduced clawbacks in these international jurisdictions. It then moves on to provide an overview of the US, Australian and EU clawback reforms, identifying and analysing the potential benefits and shortcomings of the regulatory reforms in each jurisdiction. The article asserts that the absence of a requirement for the clawback of incentive-based remuneration in South Africa is not in the interests of companies and their stakeholders since shareholders will have to institute often protracted and costly legal proceedings in order to recover erroneously awarded incentives. The article then makes recommendations on how remuneration clawbacks could be effectively incorporated into the South African regulatory framework.

South African Safety Assessment Framework for the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean Joubert ◽  
Norbert Kohtz ◽  
Ian Coe
Keyword(s):  
South African ◽  
Safety Assessment ◽  
Assessment Process ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Pebble Bed ◽  
Formal Assessment ◽  
Safety Case ◽  
Regulatory Assessment ◽  
Safety Assessments ◽  
Assessment Activities

It is planned to construct a first of a kind Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) in South Africa. A need has been recognized to accompany the licensing process for the PBMR with independent safety assessments to ensure that the safety case submitted by the applicant complies with the licensing requirements of the NNR. At the HTR 2006 Conference, the framework and major challenges on safety assessment that the South African National Nuclear Regulator (NNR) faces in developing and applying appropriate strategies and tools were presented. This paper discusses the current status of the various NNR assessment activities and describes how this will be considered in the NNR Final Report on the PBMR Safety Case. The traditional safety assessment process has been adapted to take into account the developmental nature of the project. By performing safety assessments, the designer and applicant must ensure that the design as proposed for construction and as-built meets the safety requirements defined by the regulatory framework. The regulator performs independent safety assessments, including independent analyses in areas deemed safety significant and potentially safety significant. The developmental nature of the project also led to the identification of a series of regulatory assessment activities preceding the formal assessment of the safety case. Besides an assessment of the resolution of Key Licensing Issues which have been defined in an early stage of the project and are discussed in /1/, these activities comprise the participation in an SAR Early Intervention Process, the execution of a regulatory HAZOP and the development of a regulatory assessment specification for the formal assessment of the safety case. This paper briefly describes these activities and their current status. During the last two years, significant progress was made with the development or adjustment of tools for the independent analysis by the regulator of the steady state core design, of the transient neutronic/thermal hydraulic behaviour of the reactor, of fission product release from the fuel elements, and of activation of fuel matrix and graphite impurities.

scholarly journals Road accidents fatalities trends and safety management in South Africa

2016 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 627-633 ◽  
Author(s):  
Prince Z. Ncube ◽  
Priviledge Cheteni ◽  
Kholeka P. Sindiyandiya
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Safety Management ◽  
Drunk Driving ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Jel Classification ◽  
Road Accident ◽  
Transport Sector ◽  
African Government ◽  
Drunken Driving

Road related fatalities remain high in South Africa compared to other African nations. The purpose of this study was to analyze the determinants of road accident fatalities in South Africa’s transport sector. The determinants were examined using the ordinary least squares (OLS) method. The results suggest that drunken driving, paved roads and use of seatbelts are some of the determinants in the number of road related fatalities. The study recommends that the South African government put strict measures in dealing with drunk driving that has contributed to the unnecessary loss of life, especially during holiday periods. Keywords: drunk driving, road safety management, Haddon matrix, enforcement, seatbelts. JEL Classification: O18, R41, Z00, Z18

Reframing Xenophobia in South Africa as Colour-Blind: The Limits of the Afro Phobia Thesis

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 433-444
Author(s):  
Amanuel Isak Tewolde
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
Conflict Theory ◽  
Black African ◽  
South Africans ◽  
Theoretical Perspectives ◽  
Online Newspaper ◽  
Close Proximity ◽  
Realistic Conflict Theory

Many scholars and South African politicians characterize the widespread anti-foreigner sentiment and violence in South Africa as dislike against migrants and refugees of African origin which they named ‘Afro-phobia’. Drawing on online newspaper reports and academic sources, this paper rejects the Afro-phobia thesis and argues that other non-African migrants such as Asians (Pakistanis, Indians, Bangladeshis and Chinese) are also on the receiving end of xenophobia in post-apartheid South Africa. I contend that any ‘outsider’ (White, Asian or Black African) who lives and trades in South African townships and informal settlements is scapegoated and attacked. I term this phenomenon ‘colour-blind xenophobia’. By proposing this analytical framework and integrating two theoretical perspectives — proximity-based ‘Realistic Conflict Theory (RCT)’ and Neocosmos’ exclusivist citizenship model — I contend that xenophobia in South Africa targets those who are in close proximity to disadvantaged Black South Africans and who are deemed outsiders (e.g., Asian, African even White residents and traders) and reject arguments that describe xenophobia in South Africa as targeting Black African refugees and migrants.

Region of Birth and Child Mortality among Black Migrants to South Africa: Is there a foreign-born advantage?

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 359-376 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiffany L Green ◽  
Amos C Peters
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Child Mortality ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
Strong Relationship ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Black Immigrants ◽  
Foreign Born ◽  
Region Of Origin ◽  
Child Deaths

Much of the existing evidence for the healthy immigrant advantage comes from developed countries. We investigate whether an immigrant health advantage exists in South Africa, an important emerging economy.  Using the 2001 South African Census, this study examines differences in child mortality between native-born South African and immigrant blacks.  We find that accounting for region of origin is critical: immigrants from southern Africa are more likely to experience higher lifetime child mortality compared to the native-born population.  Further, immigrants from outside of southern Africa are less likely than both groups to experience child deaths.  Finally, in contrast to patterns observed in developed countries, we detect a strong relationship between schooling and child mortality among black immigrants.

Some Reflections on Reparation in Post-Apartheid South Africa, using a Couple Therapy Intervention as a Microcosm of South African Society

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Hill ◽  
Sylvia Poss
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Couple Therapy ◽  
South African Society ◽  
Depressive Position ◽  
Central Hypothesis ◽  
Transference And Countertransference ◽  
Constructive Engagement ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Therapy Intervention

The paper addresses the question of reparation in post-apartheid South Africa. The central hypothesis of the paper is that in South Africa current traumas or losses, such as the 2008 xenophobic attacks, may activate a ‘shared unconscious phantasy’ of irreparable damage inflicted by apartheid on the collective psyche of the South African nation which could block constructive engagement and healing. A brief couple therapy intervention by a white therapist with a black couple is used as a ‘microcosm’ to explore this question. The impact of an extreme current loss, when earlier losses have been sustained, is explored. Additionally, the impact of racial difference on the transference and countertransference between the therapist and the couple is explored to illustrate factors complicating the productive grieving and working through of the depressive position towards reparation.

The Final ‘Thank You’

Derrida Today ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-36
Author(s):  
Grant Farred
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Jacques Derrida ◽  
Political Transition ◽  
The Other ◽  
World Cup ◽  
The Core ◽  
Nelson Mandela ◽  
Black President ◽  
The Moment

‘The Final “Thank You”’ uses the work of Jacques Derrida and Friedrich Nietzsche to think the occasion of the 1995 rugby World Cup, hosted by the newly democratic South Africa. This paper deploys Nietzsche's Zarathustra to critique how a figure such as Nelson Mandela is understood as a ‘Superman’ or an ‘Overhuman’ in the moment of political transition. The philosophical focus of the paper, however, turns on the ‘thank yous’ exchanged by the white South African rugby captain, François Pienaar, and the black president at the event of the Springbok victory. It is the value, and the proximity and negation, of the ‘thank yous’ – the relation of one to the other – that constitutes the core of the article. 1

Apartheid Aesthetics and Insignificant Art

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-69
Author(s):  
Stephanus Muller
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
South African ◽  
Cultural Production ◽  
Art Songs ◽  
Cultural Significance ◽  
European Culture ◽  
Small House ◽  
The Rich ◽  
Selection Of

Stephanus Le Roux Marais (1896−1979) lived in Graaff-Reinet, South Africa, for nearly a quarter of a century. He taught music at the local secondary school, composed most of his extended output of Afrikaans art songs, and painted a number of small landscapes in the garden of his small house, nestled in the bend of the Sunday’s River. Marais’s music earned him a position of cultural significance in the decades of Afrikaner dominance of South Africa. His best-known songs (“Heimwee,” “Kom dans, Klaradyn,” and “Oktobermaand”) earned him the local appellation of “the Afrikaans Schubert” and were famously sung all over the world by the soprano Mimi Coertse. The role his ouevre played in the construction of a so-called European culture in Africa is uncontested. Yet surprisingly little attention has been paid to the rich evocations of landscape encountered in Marais’s work. Contextualized by a selection of Marais’s paintings, this article glosses the index of landscape in this body of cultural production. The prevalence of landscape in Marais’s work and the range of its expression contribute novel perspectives to understanding colonial constructions of the twentieth-century South African landscape. Like the vast, empty, and ancient landscape of the Karoo, where Marais lived during the last decades of his life, his music assumes specificity not through efforts to prioritize individual expression, but through the distinct absence of such efforts. Listening for landscape in Marais’s songs, one encounters the embrace of generic musical conventions as a condition for the construction of a particular national identity. Colonial white landscape, Marais’s work seems to suggest, is deprived of a compelling musical aesthetic by its very embrace and desired possession of that landscape.

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