National Nuclear Energy Commission
Encyclopedia
The National Nuclear Energy Commission is the Brazilian
government agency responsible for the orientation, planning, supervision, and control of Brazil's nuclear
program. The agency was created on 10 October 1956. The CNEN is under the direct control of the Ministry of Science and Technology
.
and manages several institutes and facilities throughout Brazil. It has five regional districts, with headquarters in Angra dos Reis
, Caetité
, Fortaleza
, Porto Alegre
, and Resende
, and a special office in Brasília
.
government and the University of São Paulo
. The IPEN has a broad infrastructure of laboratories
, a research reactor
(IEA-R1), an industrial particle accelerator, and a compact cyclotron
of variable energy. The IPEN is involved primarily in conducting research in the areas of nuclear materials and processes, nuclear reactors, applications of nuclear techniques, and nuclear safety. The IPEN is noted for its production of radioisotopes for nuclear medicine
.
of ionizing radiation
, and conducts inspection of radioactive use in the industry
, power plants and other areas. Since 1976, the IRD possesses a Secondary Standard Dosimetry Laboratory, recognized by the International Atomic Energy Agency
and the World Health Organization
.
institute of CNEN. It originated in the Engineering School of the Federal University of Minas Gerais, and was created in 1952 with the name of Institute of Radioactive Researches (IPR). It was the first institution in Brazil devoted entirely to the nuclear area. Its initial activities included the research of radioactive mineral
occurrences, studies in nuclear physics
field, metallurgy
and in materials of nuclear interest. In 1960 the research Reactor TRIGA
Mark 1 was inaugurated at the Institute, with the purpose of training, research and radioisotope production.
Patents publications, technology licensing, radiopharmaceuticals, materials essays and analysis, radioactive waste collecting, consulting and human resources
formation are IEN's main products and services.
management and deposit, and nuclear technology
in the Central-West Region of Brazil.
of Brazil.
s at Angra Nuclear Power Plant
(Angra I and II). A third reactor, Angra III, with a projected output of 1,350 MW, is planned to be finished by 2010. By 2025 Brazil plans to build seven more reactors.
Currently, all uranium exploration, production and export in Brazil is under the control of the state through INB, which is a subsidiary of the National Nuclear Energy Commission, although the Brazilian government has recently announced that it is prepared to move ahead with private sector involvement in the nuclear fuel cycle.
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
government agency responsible for the orientation, planning, supervision, and control of Brazil's nuclear
Nuclear technology
Nuclear technology is technology that involves the reactions of atomic nuclei. Among the notable nuclear technologies are nuclear power, nuclear medicine, and nuclear weapons...
program. The agency was created on 10 October 1956. The CNEN is under the direct control of the Ministry of Science and Technology
Ministry of Science and Technology (Brazil)
The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation of Brazil, is the civilian cabinet organization which coordinates science and technology activities in the country...
.
Organization
The agency is headquartered in Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
and manages several institutes and facilities throughout Brazil. It has five regional districts, with headquarters in Angra dos Reis
Angra dos Reis
Angra dos Reis is a Brazilian municipality located in the southern part of Rio de Janeiro state. It is located at an altitude of 6 meters and includes in its territory 365 offshore islands. It was discovered on January 6, 1502, but has been under continual settlement since 1556. Its population...
, Caetité
Caetité
Caetité is a Brazilian city located in the state of Bahia, which possesses approximately 47,000 inhabitants and is situated 757 kilometers away from Salvador. Its 2306,38 km². Its economy is based mostly on amethyst mining, uranium, iron and manganese...
, Fortaleza
Fortaleza
Fortaleza is the state capital of Ceará, located in Northeastern Brazil. With a population close to 2.5 million , Fortaleza is the 5th largest city in Brazil. It has an area of and one of the highest demographic densities in the country...
, Porto Alegre
Porto Alegre
Porto Alegre is the tenth most populous municipality in Brazil, with 1,409,939 inhabitants, and the centre of Brazil's fourth largest metropolitan area . It is also the capital city of the southernmost Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. The city is the southernmost capital city of a Brazilian...
, and Resende
Resende, Rio de Janeiro
Resende is a municipality located in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro. Its population was 119,801 and its area is 1,144 km².Resendense refers to people or things from Resende, RJ. Its territory boundaries to the state of São Paulo and Minas Gerais...
, and a special office in Brasília
Brasília
Brasília is the capital city of Brazil. The name is commonly spelled Brasilia in English. The city and its District are located in the Central-West region of the country, along a plateau known as Planalto Central. It has a population of about 2,557,000 as of the 2008 IBGE estimate, making it the...
.
Nuclear Energy Research Institute
The Nuclear Energy Research Institute is an agency managed by CNEN and associated to the São Paulo StateSão Paulo (state)
São Paulo is a state in Brazil. It is the major industrial and economic powerhouse of the Brazilian economy. Named after Saint Paul, São Paulo has the largest population, industrial complex, and economic production in the country. It is the richest state in Brazil...
government and the University of São Paulo
University of São Paulo
Universidade de São Paulo is a public university in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. It is the largest Brazilian university and one of the country's most prestigious...
. The IPEN has a broad infrastructure of laboratories
Laboratory
A laboratory is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. The title of laboratory is also used for certain other facilities where the processes or equipment used are similar to those in scientific laboratories...
, a research reactor
Research reactor
Research reactors are nuclear reactors that serve primarily as a neutron source. They are also called non-power reactors, in contrast to power reactors that are used for electricity production, heat generation, or maritime propulsion.-Purpose:...
(IEA-R1), an industrial particle accelerator, and a compact cyclotron
Cyclotron
In technology, a cyclotron is a type of particle accelerator. In physics, the cyclotron frequency or gyrofrequency is the frequency of a charged particle moving perpendicularly to the direction of a uniform magnetic field, i.e. a magnetic field of constant magnitude and direction...
of variable energy. The IPEN is involved primarily in conducting research in the areas of nuclear materials and processes, nuclear reactors, applications of nuclear techniques, and nuclear safety. The IPEN is noted for its production of radioisotopes for nuclear medicine
Nuclear medicine
In nuclear medicine procedures, elemental radionuclides are combined with other elements to form chemical compounds, or else combined with existing pharmaceutical compounds, to form radiopharmaceuticals. These radiopharmaceuticals, once administered to the patient, can localize to specific organs...
.
Radiological Protection and Dosimetry Institute
The Radiological Protection and Dosimetry Institute is an institute of CNEN responsible for radiological protection and dosimetryDosimetry
Radiation dosimetry is the measurement and calculation of the absorbed dose in matter and tissue resulting from the exposure to indirect and direct ionizing radiation...
of ionizing radiation
Ionizing radiation
Ionizing radiation is radiation composed of particles that individually have sufficient energy to remove an electron from an atom or molecule. This ionization produces free radicals, which are atoms or molecules containing unpaired electrons...
, and conducts inspection of radioactive use in the industry
Industry
Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...
, power plants and other areas. Since 1976, the IRD possesses a Secondary Standard Dosimetry Laboratory, recognized by the International Atomic Energy Agency
International Atomic Energy Agency
The International Atomic Energy Agency is an international organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. The IAEA was established as an autonomous organization on 29 July 1957...
and the World Health Organization
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
.
Nuclear Technology Development Center
The Nuclear Technology Development Center is a nuclear researchNuclear physics
Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies the building blocks and interactions of atomic nuclei. The most commonly known applications of nuclear physics are nuclear power generation and nuclear weapons technology, but the research has provided application in many fields, including those...
institute of CNEN. It originated in the Engineering School of the Federal University of Minas Gerais, and was created in 1952 with the name of Institute of Radioactive Researches (IPR). It was the first institution in Brazil devoted entirely to the nuclear area. Its initial activities included the research of radioactive mineral
Mineral
A mineral is a naturally occurring solid chemical substance formed through biogeochemical processes, having characteristic chemical composition, highly ordered atomic structure, and specific physical properties. By comparison, a rock is an aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids and does not...
occurrences, studies in nuclear physics
Nuclear physics
Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies the building blocks and interactions of atomic nuclei. The most commonly known applications of nuclear physics are nuclear power generation and nuclear weapons technology, but the research has provided application in many fields, including those...
field, metallurgy
Metallurgy
Metallurgy is a domain of materials science that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their intermetallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are called alloys. It is also the technology of metals: the way in which science is applied to their practical use...
and in materials of nuclear interest. In 1960 the research Reactor TRIGA
TRIGA
TRIGA is a class of small nuclear reactor designed and manufactured by General Atomics. The design team for TRIGA was led by the physicist Freeman Dyson.TRIGA is the acronym of Training, Research, Isotopes, General Atomics.-Design:...
Mark 1 was inaugurated at the Institute, with the purpose of training, research and radioisotope production.
Nuclear Engineering Institute
The Nuclear Engineering Institute is a research unit of CNEN. Since 1962, IEN has been contributing to the national mastering of technologies in the nuclear field and its correlates. Its scope is generating and transferring knowledge and technology to the productive sector - public and private - with society as its final beneficiary.Patents publications, technology licensing, radiopharmaceuticals, materials essays and analysis, radioactive waste collecting, consulting and human resources
Human resources
Human resources is a term used to describe the individuals who make up the workforce of an organization, although it is also applied in labor economics to, for example, business sectors or even whole nations...
formation are IEN's main products and services.
Central-West Regional Center of Nuclear Science
The Central-West Regional Center of Nuclear Science is a regional institute of CNEN responsible for radioactive wasteRadioactive waste
Radioactive wastes are wastes that contain radioactive material. Radioactive wastes are usually by-products of nuclear power generation and other applications of nuclear fission or nuclear technology, such as research and medicine...
management and deposit, and nuclear technology
Nuclear technology
Nuclear technology is technology that involves the reactions of atomic nuclei. Among the notable nuclear technologies are nuclear power, nuclear medicine, and nuclear weapons...
in the Central-West Region of Brazil.
Northeast Regional Center of Nuclear Science
The Northeast Regional Center of Nuclear Science is a regional institute of CNEN responsible for inspection and control of facilities and radioactive materials in the Northeast RegionNortheast Region, Brazil
The Northeast Region of Brazil is composed of the following states: Maranhão, Piauí, Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Sergipe and Bahia, and it represents 18.26% of the Brazilian territory....
of Brazil.
Nuclear energy
Nuclear energy accounts for about 4% of the Brazil's electricity. It is produced by two pressurized water reactorPressurized water reactor
Pressurized water reactors constitute a large majority of all western nuclear power plants and are one of three types of light water reactor , the other types being boiling water reactors and supercritical water reactors...
s at Angra Nuclear Power Plant
Angra Nuclear Power Plant
Angra Nuclear Power Plant is Brazil's sole nuclear power plant. It is located at the Central Nuclear Almirante Álvaro Alberto on the Itaorna Beach in Angra dos Reis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil...
(Angra I and II). A third reactor, Angra III, with a projected output of 1,350 MW, is planned to be finished by 2010. By 2025 Brazil plans to build seven more reactors.
Currently, all uranium exploration, production and export in Brazil is under the control of the state through INB, which is a subsidiary of the National Nuclear Energy Commission, although the Brazilian government has recently announced that it is prepared to move ahead with private sector involvement in the nuclear fuel cycle.
See also
- Brazilian-Argentine Agency for Accounting and Control of Nuclear MaterialsBrazilian-Argentine Agency for Accounting and Control of Nuclear MaterialsThe Brazilian–Argentine Agency for Accounting and Control of Nuclear Materials is a binational safeguards agency playing an active role in the verification of the peaceful use of nuclear materials that could be used, either directly or indirectly, for the manufacture of weapons of mass...
- Brazil and weapons of mass destructionBrazil and weapons of mass destructionIn the 1970s and 80s, during the military regime, Brazil had a secret program intended to develop nuclear weapons. The program was dismantled in 1990, five years after the military regime ended, and Brazil is considered free of weapons of mass destruction....
- NUCLEPNUCLEPNuclep is Nuclebrás Equipamentos Pesados SA, and Nuclebrás is Empresas Nucleares Brasileiras SA, part of Nuclep.Nuclep was founded in December 1975 to design and fabricate heavy components for nuclear power plants.-See also:...
- Brazilian science and technologyBrazilian science and technologyBrazilian science and technology have achieved a significant position in the international arena in the last decades. The central agency for science and technology in Brazil is the Ministry of Science and Technology, which includes the CNPq and Finep...
- EletronuclearEletronuclearEletronuclear is a nuclear power company, which was established in 1997 in Brazil. It operates Angra Nuclear Power Plant. Eletronuclear is a wholly owned subsidiary of Eletrobrás....