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  • 1.
    book.ebook
    Review of literature-based models for skin and eye irritation and corrosion [er]. European Commission. Joint Research Centre.
    Publication
    Luxembourg : Publications Office, 2006.
    Summary
    This report reviews the state-of-the-art of in silico and in vitro methods for assessing dermal and ocular irritation and corrosion. Following a general introduction, the current EU legislation for the classification and labelling of chemicals causing irritation and corrosivity is summarised. Then currently available non-animal approaches are reviewed. The main alternative approaches to assess acute local toxic effects are: a) in silico approaches, including SARs, QSARs and expert systems integrating multiple approaches; and b) in vitro test methods. In this review, emphasis is placed on literature-based (Q)SAR models for skin and eye irritation and corrosion as well as computer-based expert systems.
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  • 2.
    book
    ESARDA 25th annual meeting symposium on safeguards and nuclear materials management : City Conference Centre Stockholm, "Norra Latin", Stockholm 13-15 May 2003 : proceedings. European Commission. Joint Research Centre.
    Publication
    [Luxembourg] : [Publications Office], [2003], c2003.
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  • 3.
    book.ebook
    ESARDA 25th annual meeting symposium on safeguards and nuclear materials management [er] : City Conference Centre Stockholm, "Norra Latin", Stockholm 13-15 May 2003 : proceedings. European Commission. Joint Research Centre.
    Publication
    [Luxembourg] : [Publications Office], [2003], c2003.
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  • 4.
    book
    Population Exposure to Air Pollutants in Europe (PEOPLE) : methodological strategy and basic results. European Commission. Joint Research Centre.
    Publication
    Brussels : European Commission, [2005]
    Summary
    This report is designed to enable general understanding of the Population Exposure to Air Pollutants in Europe (PEOPLE) project. The methodology and basic results of the PEOPLE project is described. A full interpretative analysis of the data is not presented here. In each city the project required collaboration between a local partner and the Emissions and Health Unit (EHU) of the Institute for Environment and Sustainability (IES). This institute is part of the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission. The main mission of the JRC is to provide scientific support to EC policy development, implementation and monitoring. PEOPLE campaigns were completed in six cities, namely; Brussels and Lisbon (22 October 2002), Bucharest and Ljubljana (27 May 2003), Madrid (3 December 2003) and Dublin (28 April 2004). The first stage of the project was accomplished with benzene as the pollutant considered. In Ljubljana, outdoor measurements were extended to include particulate matter and a number of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. In Madrid, measurements were further supplemented with an assessment of the heavy metal content of particulate matter. In Dublin, particulate monitoring also included human exposure and indoor environments. Mapping of outdoor measurements indicate areas of highest concentrations being associated with major road intersections. Transportation was identified as the dominant source of benzene in all six cities that were studied. Background levels of benzene measured on the day of the campaign, and the subsequent estimation of the yearly average city levels, revealed that PEOPLE cities are in compliance with the Directive 2000/69/EC, with the exception of Bucharest. The levels at ambient background sites, situated at the types of locations used for air quality directive monitoring, were comparable to the air quality of the control groups of this study, namely the homes of people that do not smoke and the personal exposure of people who neither commute to a workplace or smoke. City background benzene levels are therefore applicable as an indicator of human exposure for non smoking people that do not commute to work and are not exposed to indoor sources. In general, city background sites represent the lowest level of exposure. Higher levels of exposure were related to the different categories that were used in the project. The smoking group had the highest level of exposure. For the commuting categories the car user group has the highest exposure levels. The level of exposure of children was similar to that of the commuting categories. Some individuals and locations reported extremely high concentrations. Further analysis of the movement diaries from individuals whose measurements were identified as outliers could not always explain the elevated benzene concentrations. In these cases either the presence of unknown sources or unusual proximity to known sources are possible explanations of elevated exposure levels. The basic results have revealed that human exposure, of commuters and smokers, to the air pollutant benzene is higher, by a factor of two, than concentrations reported at urban background monitoring sites. This is due to the influence of traffic and smoking emission sources. When the commuters are considered together as a group, excluding the smoking participants and control groups, comparison with ambient city background data, for all six cities, indicates that a ratio of approximately 1.5 (commuters/background) for the median benzene concentrations. Citizens that are exposed to indoor emissions such as smoking, or move and work in proximity to traffic, can be expected to receive much higher pollutant exposures. Indoor locations that were influenced by smoking sources reported relatively high concentrations. While indoor pollution levels are usually determined by the external air quality, it is clear that the presence of indoor sources, such as smoking, can elevate pollution concentrations. This was evident for a number of individual sites. The highest indoor concentrations were measured in bars and inside taxis that travelled within traffic for the sampling period.
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  • 5.
    book
    TG2, final report on material characterisation : final report. European Commission. Joint Research Centre.
    Publication
    Brussels : European Commission, [2000], c2000.
    Summary
    The mechanical and physical properties and fracture toughness of the NESC spinning cylinder materials were measured in a comprehensive material characterisation programme completed at the end of 1998 (excluding reporting). The programme was implemented by the Materials Task Group of the project (Task Group 2), in which nine European institutes took part. The purpose of the programme was primarily to collect the material data needed for the structural integrity assessment of the cylinder in the simulated pressurised thermal shock (PTS) event. The material data produced were also used to assess the fracture behaviour of the cylinder in the experiment as well as to make sure that the test material used for the programme and the cylinder material corresponded with each other. The initial content of the programme was revised several times during the implementation. An overview of the main results of the material characterisation programme carried out for the cylinder materials (i.e. base metal, cladding, heataffected zone under the cladding and weld) as well as the manufacturing history of the cylinder and other background data are given in the report. The material tests carried out for the cylinder material after the PTS experiment confirm that the material used for pre-test material characterisation is representative with the cylinder material.
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  • 6.
    book
    Crack arrest : final report. European Commission. Joint Research Centre.
    Publication
    Brussels : European Commission, [2000], c2000.
    Summary
    The failure prevention concept based on the avoidance of fracture initiation is now applied world-wide during design, operation and evaluation of structures. The crack arrest philosophy provides a complementary and, in some circumstances, alternative approach which is particularly useful where there exists the possibility that a specific combination of circumstances might promote initiation of a flaw, but where such initiation is not threatening to the overall structural integrity. For example, a weld flaw in a locally embrittled region subject to an unusual combination of loading, possibly as a result of an accident, might initiate but then arrest as the propagating defect emerges from the critical region. Such an approach can provide additional confidence in the safety of a structure, especially under accidental conditions, and it may also be used for justifying life extensions. The crack arrest approach to structural integrity is simple in its philosophy if not always in its application. The basic concept is that the material used will arrest brittle, fast propagating cracks, initiated in regions of low toughness and/or high stress, when they emerge from the critical zone. It is an approach which is particularly useful for nuclear applications where additional assurance of integrity is required and localised in-service embrittlement may occur. An advantage of considering crack arrest is that attention can be redirected from the microscale {i.e. from the local brittle zone and the local stress concentration) to the intermediate scale {i.e. the properties of the parent plate, weld metal, or heat affected zone, and the nominal applied stress). In the framework of the Network for Evaluating Steel Components (NESC I), a steel cylinder (o0 χ 1 χ s = 1400 χ 1300 χ 175 mm3) with a number of various defects was fabricated. After extensive non-destructive examinations and instrumentation, the cylinder was tested under simulated pressurized thermal shock loading in the spinning cylinder test facility Risley, UK. This report describes the background and application of crack arrest concepts to the NESC I spinning cylinder test.
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  • 7.
    book
    TG3, thermal and structural analyses : final report. European Commission. Joint Research Centre.
    Publication
    Brussels : European Commission, [2000], c2000.
    Summary
    The assessment of the integrity of a cracked structure is an interdisciplinary activity requiring input from NDE, materials, manufacturing, and stress and fracture analyses. Practices used in different countries to inspect and assess the fitness for purpose of cracked structures such as pressure vessels and piping vary. Benefits can be obtained through international exchanges of information and experience on common problems so as to promote best practice and the harmonisation of international standards. In the past, there have been several collaborative programmes designed to evaluate and exchange knowledge and capability in specific disciplines of integrity assessment; PISC and FALSIRE are recent examples in the NDE and Fracture mechanics areas respectively. However, it is the interaction between the disciplines and the actual ways by which technical decisions and judgements are made which are crucial in determining the outcome of the total structural assessment process. It is in this way that the concept of the NESC project took birth, to explore international practice throughout the entire process of structural integrity assessment. The major objectives of NESC were laid down as follows: - to create an international forum in which information about the processes of structural integrity assessment can be exchanged through study of selected problems and other means, - to create an organisation to undertake specific collaborative projects, - to work towards the use of best practice and support the harmonisation of international standards. The first project started in the framework of NESC, called the NESC I spinning cylinder project, formally started with the NESC launch meeting in September 1993 and will be completed during 1999. In NESC I, the focus is on methods used in studying the behaviour of under-clad and through-clad cracks in PWR vessel steels, and to investigate PWR RPV belt line integrity assessment by means of a spinning cylinder experiment. The NESC I network has comprised members from 33 different organisations from 12 different countries.
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  • 8.
    book
    Technology transfer to other nuclear and non-nuclear plant : final report. European Commission. Joint Research Centre.
    Publication
    Brussels : European Commission, [2000], c2000.
    Summary
    Although the NESC experiment was initially set up to simulate a PWR pressurised thermal shock (PTS) transient, the findings of NESC are applicable to a broad range of stress situations, types of nuclear power plant and many more non-nuclear industries. Indeed although NESC obviously has its origins in the nuclear industry, the large expenditure incurred in carrying out the NESC experiment would be difficult to justify unless a clear ability to utilise the results across a broad spectrum of structural integrity applications can be demonstrated. The reason for choosing a PTS PWR transient was, that this was considered to be extremely challenging from a structural integrity viewpoint, with the interaction of primary stresses and secondary stresses due to both thermal stresses and cladding residual stresses. It was hoped that the use of such a challenging experiment would facilitate the discovery of any deficiencies in the existing structural integrity process and also provide confidence in the ability of these processes to adequately deal with less complex problems. The aim of NESC was to examine the reliability of the whole structural integrity process. This consists of examining the component parts of this process, i.e. the reliability and accuracy of inspection, the accuracy of stress and fracture analyses, the translation of material properties derived from material tests to structures, and their interactions.
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  • 9.
    book
    Residual stress measurement : final report. European Commission. Joint Research Centre.
    Publication
    Brussels : European Commission, [2000], c2000.
    Summary
    This test report provides the results of residual stress measurements on the inside cladding of the spinning cylinder before and after a pressurized thermal shock (PTS). The work was performed within the NESC Spinning Cylinder Project and was funded by Siemens/KWU. The results show: - After manufacturing the distribution of the residual stresses show maximum tensile stresses in the cladding and a steep gradient to the base material. - After PTS the tensile stresses in the cladding are decreased to a low level. - The distribution of the residual stresses in the cladding and in the base material - is uniform at a low level.
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  • 10.
    book
    Relevance for reactor transients : final report. European Commission. Joint Research Centre.
    Publication
    Brussels : European Commission, [2000], c2000.
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  • 11.
    book
    Proceedings of the AMES workshop on reactor pressure vessel life predictions : Madrid, 2 November 1999. European Commission. Joint Research Centre.
    Publication
    Brussels : European Commission, [2000]
    Summary
    The knowledge of the damage produced in a reactor vessel by the combined effect of radiation, high temperatures and pressures, and the cycling and transients inherent to the operation, is of paramount importance for the utilities and plant owners, the regulatory bodies and the Departments of Energy. The optimum utilisation of the resources within the frame of the electric system and, above all, the maximum achievable nuclear safety are the reasons supporting the need of the above mentioned knowledge. Since the beginning of the Nuclear Technology, it is well-known that the neutron fluence upon a material structure, or more specifically upon the crystal structure of a solid, produces displacements of nuclei from their thermodynamic equilibrium positions. Obviously, if this degradation is severe enough, the material mechanical (or, in general, physical) behaviour could be dramatically modified, being transformed into another one with different macroscopic properties, (e.g. strength and fracture toughness, tenacity, etc). Consequently, the design hypothesis should not be any longer valid, or, at least, they should not be applicable to the same level as they were at the beginning of its life. Clearly, the influence of this phenomenum on the nuclear plant safety is most important. All these considerations support the need for the evaluation of the irradiated material integrity along the reactor life time, and for thoroughly investigating in parallel the mentioned phenomena and the consequent remedial actions, in order to foresee and prevent dangerous deviations of the irradiated materials properties, leading to a potential disruptive failure.
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  • 12.
    book
    Consistency of fracture assessment criteria : final report. European Commission. Joint Research Centre.
    Publication
    Brussels : European Commission, [2000], c2000.
    Summary
    Fracture mechanics parameters are widely used to determine materials resistance to fracture. Presently there exists a number of both standardized as well as non-standardized parameters. Their main ambition is to be able to describe the material fracture resistance with one single factor. Examples of such interrelated parameters are the plane-strain fracture toughness, K c the crack arrest toughness, Kia, the critical J integral, Jic, and the critical crack-tip opening displacement (CTODc or δc). The parameters can be divided into two different categories, namely those parameters based on linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) and those based on elastic plastic fracture mechanics (EPFM). LEFM requires that the plastic zone in front of the crack is much smaller than the smallest structural dimension, i.e. the structure behaves in a linear elastic manner. EPFM allows the structure to yield to some extent. In principle the EPFM parameters are valid also in the case LEFM, but not vice versa. The three main micromechanisms encountered in fracture resistance testing are ductile fracture, cleavage fracture and grain boundary fracture. Out of the three, the fracture mechanical modelling of grain boundary fracture is still most incomplete.
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  • 13.
    book
    Integrated approach sensitivity analysis : final report. European Commission. Joint Research Centre.
    Publication
    Brussels : European Commission, [2000], c2000.
    Summary
    Integrity assessment of pressurised components in the case of combined thermal and mechanical loads as it originates in PTS scenarios require a comprehensive analysis of the sensitivity of the final results to all important influencing factors. Table 1 taken from reference [1] summarises the factors influencing the RPV integrity in a general way. The NESC I project provided an excellent platform to check the predictive capabilities of present analysis methods and assessment procedures. The general perception to reactor safety relevant matters is that the safety demonstration is performed in a way that the existing safety margin can be quantified in a consistent way. Therefore, sensitivity studies have been established as a common tool to analyse the structural response of the component in all aspects relevant to the integrity. The first goal of a sensitivity study is to deepen the understanding of the structural behaviour and a second goal is to quantify safety margins. The reports being prepared as part of the NESC I addressing already the question of sensitivity of the results with respect to the topics being addressed in the reports. Specifically questions regarding crack detection and sizing [2], material characterisation [3], calculation of stress intensities and their interaction with the material response, the adequacy of codes and standards [4], consistency of fracture assessment criteria [5], as well as the integrated assessment [6]. In this report the question of sensitivity is being addressed as a supplement to the discussions contained in the reports.
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  • 14.
    book
    The International Measurement Evaluation Programme : IMEP-13 trace elements in polyethylene : report to participants. European Commission. Joint Research Centre.
    Publication
    Brussels : European Commission, [2000]
    Summary
    The International Measurement Evaluation Programme (IMEP®) was established in order to shed light on the current state of the practice in chemical amount measurements. In IMEP® participating laboratories receive a Certified Test Sample (with undisclosed concentration values), which they can analyse using their routine analytical procedures. The measurement results of participants are evaluated against metrologicai reference values, traceable to the Système Internationale (SI). IMEP-participants can hence compare, on an international forum, their values to the IMEP-reference values and in this way assess the quality of their results. This report presents all participants' results (in graphical form) obtained in IMEP-round 13: trace elements in polyethylene. Participants could measure the content of As, Br, Cd, Cl, Cr, Hg, Pb and S in a polyethylene sample in granulate form. This round was organised because of the general interest expressed by the polymer producing and processing industry. Moreover, there was a specific need in view of the EC-directive 94/62/EC on packaging and packaging waste which regulates the amounts of heavy metals, more specifically Cd, Cr, Hg and Pb in packaging material. IMEP-13 served as a pilot round in the co-operation between IRMM and the EEE-PT WG. A total of 85 participating laboratories from 31 countries received a polyethylene sample and 80 laboratories reported results. IRMM co-operated with BAM (Germany) and the University of Mainz (Germany) in order to obtain the Sl-traceable reference values. This report presents, in a graphical form, the results of all participants together with the reference value. Sorting of the results was done according to different criteria such as level of experience and self-declared status of accreditation, certification, authorisation for the element under investigation in this kind of material, analytical technique used, the quality management system in use in the laboratory and the affiliation of the nominated laboratories. For some elements, an asymmetrical distribution around the reference value was obtained with a lot of reported results lower than this reference value. This might be caused by losses for specific elements due to the inadequate destruction of this complex matrix. Therefore this report also contains, as additional information, details about the destruction methods used by the participants.
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  • 15.
    book
    Evaluation of CEN field test procedure to demonstrate equivalence of sampling methods for the PM10 fraction of suspended particulate matter with a reference sampling method for PM10. European Commission. Joint Research Centre.
    Publication
    [Luxembourg] : [OPOCE], [2000], c2000.
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  • 16.
    book
    Strategy for the definition of future training related activities in the CEECs, Russia and Ukraine. European Commission. Joint Research Centre.
    Publication
    Brussels : European Commission, [2000], c2000.
    Summary
    Training has been considered as an important domain for activities since the early beginning of the assistance programmes related to nuclear safety in Eastern Europe as an important domain for action. It indeed supports the improvement of the safety culture. The importance of the topic is demonstrated by the large number of projects, which have been financed by the international community and by the own efforts of the concerned countries. One can say that today the training related projects are reaching the end of a first cycle of activities. Most of the methodologies and tools for training have been transferred and the efforts should now be pursued with internal means to implement and maintain the locally developed training systems. Time has come to think to the future and evaluate the need for « second cycle activities ». Training can only be effective if integrated with an overall appropriate management of human resources and the state education qualification system. That is where the focus should also be placed in the future.
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  • 17.
    book
    Science and governance in the European Union : a contribution to the debate. European Commission. Joint Research Centre.
    Publication
    Brussels : European Commission, [2000], c2000.
    Summary
    The relationship between science and policy can be divided into two related but conceptually different areas: 1) matters concerned with the management and support of a scientific infrastructure and with the selection and evaluation of scientific programmes; 2) matters that are basically political or administrative but that arc significantly dependent on technical factors — for instance disarmament policy, pollutant limits, pharmaceuticals licensing, vehicle safety standards ...
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  • 18.
    book
    SeaWiFS data processing code REMBRANDT : (REtrieval of Marine Biological Resources through ANalysis of ocean color DaTa) code elements. European Commission. Joint Research Centre.
    Publication
    Brussels : European Commission, [2000], c2000.
    Summary
    A processing scheme for the retrieval of geophysical parameters from ocean color imagery is here presented. The related code is flexible in term of adaptability to different ocean color sensors, efficient in terms of speed, ft accounts for Rayleigh multiple scattering, aerosol single scattering, Rayleigh-aerosol coupling. The scheme accuracy is improved by the use of vicarious calibration factors.
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  • 19.
    book
    Validation of an analytical method to determine the content of anatoxin in animal feeding stuff. European Commission. Joint Research Centre.
    Publication
    Brussels : European Commission, [2000], c2000.
    Summary
    An interlaboratory comparison was carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of an immunoaffinity column clean-up HPLC method for the determination of aflatoxin B1 in animal feed at concentrations of 1 and 5 ng/g. The test portion of the sample was extracted with aceton-water (85 + 15 [v + v]). The sample extract was filtered, diluted with water and applied on an immunoaffinity column. The column was washed with water to remove any interfering matix components while the purified aflatoxin B[ (together with other anatoxins present) was subsequently eluted with methanol. The following separation and determination of the aflatoxin Bi was performed by reversephase high performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) and detected by fluorescence after post column derivatisation (PCD) involving bromination. PCD was achieved with either an electrochemical cell (KOBRA ® cell) and addition of bromide to the mobile phase or with pyridinum hydrobromide perbromide (PBPB). The feeding stuff samples, both spiked and naturally contaminated with aflatoxins, were sent to 23 laboratories in 12 different European and 2 non European countries (USA, Japan). Test portions of samples were spiked at levels of 1.2 ng/g and 3.6 ng/g for aflatoxin B1. Recoveries ranged from 74 % - 157 %. Based on results for spiked samples (blind pairs at two levels) as well as naturally contaminated samples (blind pairs at three levels) the relative standard deviation for repeatability (RSDr) ranged from 5.9 % - 8.7 %. The relative standard deviation for reproducibility (RSDR) ranged from 17.5 % - 19.6 %. The method showed acceptable within-laboratory and between-laboratory precision for this matrix, as evidenced by HORRAT ratios, at the target levels of determination for aflatoxin B1.
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  • 20.
    book
    On science and precaution in the management of technological risk. Volume II, Case studies. European Commission. Joint Research Centre.
    Publication
    Brussels : European Commission, [2002], c2002.
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