Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission
Chalk River Laboratories
Owned by Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL), Chalk River Laboratories (CRL) is both a national research facility and an international production center for medical radioisotopes.
CRL is one of the most complex laboratories in Canada, with activities ranging from services and development related to the nuclear industry, to other science areas such as physics, metallurgy, chemistry, biology, and engineering.
Chalk River Laboratories welcomes more than 200 professors, students and industrial researchers to its facilities each year to use the laboratories. Researchers use the reactors and other laboratories at CRL to analyze the properties of structural materials such as metals, alloys, polymers, biomaterials, glass, ceramics, films, cement and minerals.
National Research Universal (NRU) reactor
The NRU reactor, one of the world’s most versatile research reactors, has been operating at CRL since 1957. NRU is Canada’s only major materials and fuel testing reactor, used to support and advance the CANDU design. It also produces neutrons, used by the National Research Council’s Neutron Beam Centre to investigate and non-destructively study all types of industrial and biological materials. Lastly, NRU continues to produce a large percentage of the world’s medical isotopes, used in both the diagnosis and treatment of life-threatening diseases. NRU does not produce electricity, but rather tests the fuels and materials for CANDU reactors, which AECL designs and sells around the world. (Source: AECL)
NRU shutdown and restart
Many lessons were learned during 2007–08, when AECL’s Chalk River NRU reactor was temporarily shut down to address safety issues. These situations triggered concerns regarding domestic and worldwide supplies of radioisotopes and the safety of the facility.
After these events, the CNSC and AECL retained the services of Talisman International, LLC, an independent consultant, to identify the underlying causes of the extended shutdown and to make recommendations for improvements in both organizations that would prevent a repeat occurrence or similar situation. The CNSC extensively examined the Talisman Lessons Learned report, and fully accepted the review team’s recommendations. This report provided additional opportunities to further the CNSC’s commitment to continuous improvement.
Additional information on NRU events
- NRU events, 2007-2010: Read about the shutdown and the restart of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited’s National Research Universal (NRU) reactor in Chalk River, Ontario.
Nuclear Legacy Liabilities Program
In 2006, the Government of Canada established the Nuclear Legacy Liabilities Program (NLLP) to safely manage and reduce Canada’s nuclear legacy liabilities at Atomic Energy Canada Limitied (AECL) sites. The liabilities consist of outdated facilities and buildings, stored legacy waste and affected lands, as result of over 60 years of nuclear research and development conducted by the National Research Council of Canada and AECL on behalf of the Government of Canada from 1944 to present at this site.
- In the first -five years of the NLLP (April 1, 2006 to March 31, 2011), AECL has made considerable progress regarding infrastructure decommissioning, environmental restoration and improved management of legacy radioactive waste at the Chakl River Laboratories (CRL).
- July 2011, Protocol for the Nuclear Legacy Liabilities Program Licensing Activities at the Chalk River Laboratories (PDF). As part of a second phase of the NLLP, a Protocol was signed by AECL and the CNSC in July 2011 to establish the administrative framework for planned activities and projects at CRL for the proposed licence period of 2011-2016. The Protocol which includes responsibilities and clear milestones will be used to track progress and measure successes.
Read more about nuclear research and test facilities and non-power reactors.
