JRC Karlsruhe

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The JRC Karlsruhe (formerly the Institute for Transuranium Elements (JRC-ITU), English version of the name: Joint Research Center - Institute for Transuranium Elements, JRC-ITU ) is a research institute of the Joint Research Center of the European Commission .

The European Commission's JRC has had a new structure since July 1st, 2016. As a result of this restructuring, all research activities in the nuclear field have been brought together in a multi-site directorate, "Directorate for Nuclear Safety and Security", and the Institute for Transuranium Elements (ITU) has been renamed "JRC Karlsruhe Site". The location is on the premises of the "Karlsruhe Institute of Technology" (KIT) North Campus.

As a reference center for research and technology, it supports the political decisions of the European Union . The JRC-ITU with around 370 employees is located in Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen near Karlsruhe (Germany). It specializes in the fields of nuclear safety and security and has experimental facilities, some of which are unique in the world . The institute has 50 years of experience in the field of nuclear research. The JRC-ITU is located on the north campus of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology , the former (core) research center in Karlsruhe.

history

The founding treaties were signed on February 5, 1957. The foundation stone for what was then known as the “Plutonium Institute” was laid shortly afterwards. At the end of 1957 the name was changed to “Institute for Transuranium Elements”.

In July 1958, the EURATOM authority decided to participate in the project, which was not only met with approval by the German government.

On February 10, 1965, the first plutonium sample was introduced into one of the glove boxes in the so-called wing A. As early as 1966/67, 239 Pu was being processed on a large scale , so 2100 fuel rods were manufactured for the French atomic plant in Cadarache .

From this period also without dated Public Participation issued nuclear regulatory approval no. K / 30/65 its addenda, as amended by amendment approval on 19 September 1984 and the approval S 1/97 of 23 October 1997 on the treatment, processing and other Use of nuclear fuel and the handling of other radioactive substances. They allow maximum amounts of 180 kg plutonium , 50 kg 235 U and other radioactive material.

tasks

The task of the JRC-ITU is to provide the scientific basis for the protection of European citizens from the dangers associated with the handling and storage of highly radioactive materials. As a reference center for actinide research, the JRC-ITU contributes to an efficient safety and monitoring system for the nuclear fuel cycle and researches technological and medical applications of radionuclides / actinides. The JRC-ITU works very closely, in the EU and beyond, with national and international bodies in the nuclear field. Not only does it play a key role in EU policy on nuclear waste treatment and the safety of nuclear facilities, it also makes an important contribution to combating the illicit trafficking in nuclear materials and works to develop and use modern tools to uncover hidden nuclear activities . Another key role is in the study and production of radionuclides that are used in cancer treatment.

Within the 7th EU Research Framework Program , the EU is making a budget of 30 million euros available for the expansion and reorganization of the JRC-ITU.

The JRC-ITU supports the International Atomic Energy Agency with measurement technology. Around 30 cases of nuclear material smuggling were uncovered in the 1990s.

criticism

At the center of the criticism of the ITU and its expansion plans are the extensive amounts of radioactive inventory, including plutonium, its research and "pre-industrial" production activities for new nuclear power plants of the so-called fourth generation. Specifically, the ITU is accused of being the reference generator and engine for the continuation of the plutonium economy under the guise of research. It is significantly involved in the development of new nuclear reactors, which is hidden under the terms transmutation (= new fast breeders) and partitioning (= reprocessing of fuel rods). This criticism was expressed in detail, especially during the mediation process for the expansion of the ITU in 2016.

swell

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Organization - European Commission. Retrieved April 3, 2017 .
  2. ^ The JRC in Karlsruhe (Germany) - European Commission. Retrieved April 3, 2017 .
  3. ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from March 23, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / karlsruhe.bund.net
  4. ↑ http://itu.jrc.ec.europa.eu/index.php?id=20
  5. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20091220105407/http://www.karlsruhe.de:80/stadt/aktuell/nachrichten/transurane.de
  6. ↑ Cyrus Paques: Atomic Police in White Coats, in research eu , Magazine of the European Research Area, No. 52, June 2007
  7. ^ Joint Research Center (JCR) - formerly the Institute for Transuranium Elements. Retrieved May 13, 2018 .
  8. ↑ Nuclear Reactors / Thorium / KKP / KIT Nord. Retrieved May 13, 2018 .
  9. ^ Mediation for a new building at the Institute for Transuranium Elements in Karlsruhe: Beteiligungsportal Baden-Württemberg.de . ( baden-wuerttemberg.de [accessed on May 13, 2018]).

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