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3.2. Integration
3.2.1. Pool Facilities
A major step towards integration is improved access of European scientists to the actinide laboratories
within the framework of joint research projects. For this purpose, a European “pool” of institutions
was and is being established under ACTINET, in which experimental and analytical infrastructure
is available for actinide research. Presently, these “pool facilities” include institutions in
France, Belgium, Switzerland, and Germany. In France, the pool facilities are the CEA at Marcoule,
Cadarache, and Saclay. In Belgium, laboratories of SCK-CEN at Mol represent pool facilities. In
Switzerland, the synchrotron radiation source Swiss Light Source (SLS) of the Paul Scherrer Institute
in Villingen is a pool facility. As a European establishment, the Institute for Transuranium
Elements (ITU) is pooling its unique nuclear research facilities. German pool facilities comprise the
Institute for Radiochemistry of the Forschungszentrum Dresden-Rossendorf with its Rossendorf
beamline (ROBL) at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) and the Institut für Nukleare
Entsorgung (INE) of the Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe (FZK) with its radiochemical laboratories
and the INE Beamline for Actinide Research at the ANKA synchrotron radiation source. AC-
TINET allocates funds for providing access of external scientists to the pooled facilities.
Pool facilities enable a wide range of various experiments with actinides or actinide-containing material.
Such experiments range from the investigation of irradiated materials and selective actinide
partitioning to actinides speciation in the geo- and biosphere, to name just a few. The pool facilities
are equipped with most modern analytical devices to cover the whole spectrum of analytical problems.
The focus is not only on qualitative and quantitative analysis down to the ultra trace range,
but increasingly on the speciation of actinides and their compounds, which is indispensable for understanding
the occurring processes or materials properties. Important examples are nuclear magnetic
resonance spectroscopy as well as laser and X-ray spectroscopy using synchrotron radiation.
An overview of and detailed information on the equipment and activities of the ACTINET pool facilities
are provided on the ACTINET homepage under http://www.actinet-network.org.
As mentioned above, handling of actinides is subject to strict safety requirements and permitted in
controlled areas only. For access to and work in these areas, a personal reliability check and a medical
examination, but also training concerning special work techniques and safety regulations are
required. Due to specific plant-related requirements and national provisions, the time needed to
meet these requirements was varying considerably among the various pool facilities. Within the
framework of ACTINET, a certain level of harmonization was achieved, for instance, by mutual
recognition of training courses and examinations.
3.2.2. Theoretical User Laboratory
In recent years, theoretical chemistry increasingly gained importance for actinide science. To efficiently
use the synergy between experiment and theory, however, it turned out to be necessary to
intensify the not always simple communication between experimentalists and theoreticians. For this
purpose a concept for a platform called “Theoretical User Lab (ThUL) was developed and implemented.
Organising workshops on selected topics, training and education of young scientists but
also the procurement and joint use of special software are among the key issues of ThUL. In October
2005 a brainstorming seminar was organised with about 60 scientists both theoreticians and experimentalist
and the scope of ThUL was developed A ThUL School was established and has already
been organised twice, in May 2006 in Lille (France), and in November 2007 in Cadarache
(France). About 50 students and 18 lecturers discussed various topics e.g. theoretical and experi-
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