Nuclear Energy Division 2013 Activity Report Profile Contents Within the CEA, the Nuclear Energy Division (DEN) provides the French 02 Message from the CEA Director of Nuclear Energy government and industry with technical expertise and innovations in nuclear 04 Key Figures energy systems to develop sustainable nuclear energy that is both safe and economically competitive. To rise to this challenge, the DEN is engaged in three main areas of investigation: future nuclear systems: 4th-generation reactors and their fuel cycle; optimising the current nuclear industry; development and operation of large-scale experimentation and simulation 05 FUTURE INDUSTRIAL NUCLEAR 20 CLEAN-UP AND DISMANTLING tools that are essential for its research objectives. SYSTEMS OF NUCLEAR FACILITIES 06 4th-generation Reactors 21 Dismantling Projects At the same time, as a nuclear operator, the DEN manages and develops its 08 Back-end of the Future Fuel Cycle 24 Waste and Material Flow Management 09 Basic Scientific and Technological 25 Nuclear Service Facilities own fleet of nuclear facilities. It implements construction and refurbishment Research 26 R&D and Promotion programmes for its facilities, together with clean-up and dismantling programmes for those that have reached the end of their service life. 10 OPTIMISING THE CURRENT 27 CENTRES NUCLEAR INDUSTRY 28 Marcoule: Progress and Future Prospects 11 Front-end of the Current Fuel Cycle 30 Cadarache: Energies of the Future 12 2nd- and 3rd-generation Reactors 32 Saclay: Nuclear Sciences and Simulating GENERAL DIRECTORATE 14 Back-end of the Current Fuel Cycle Reactors and the Fuel Cycle HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR ATOMIC ENERGY CHAIRMAN DEFENSE NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGICAL FUNDAMENTAL FUNCTIONAL SECTOR SECTOR RESEARCH RESEARCH SECTOR SECTOR SECTOR MILITARY NUCLEAR TECHNOLOGICAL PHYSICAL LIFE APPLICATIONS ENERGY RESEARCH DIVISION SCIENCES SCIENCES DIVISION DIVISION DIVISION DIVISION 15 MAJOR TOOLS FOR 34 PROGRAMME SUPPORT DEVELOPING NUCLEAR ENERGY AND EXTERNAL RELATIONS 35 Cross-disciplinary Programme on DANS CEA CEA 16 Numerical Simulation NUCLEAR ACTIVITIES CARADACHE MARCOULE 17 Research facilities: Jules Horowitz Advanced Materials DIRECTION OF SACLAY MANAGEMENT MANAGEMENT Reactor (JHR) 36 Nuclear Energy Division Scientific Activities 38 The Nuclear Energy Division and the 18 Promoting Resources and Expertise International Scientific Community 19 Economic Support in the Haute-Marne 40 Quality within the Nuclear Energy Division and Meuse Regions: the Syndiese Project 42 I-tésé 02/ DEN 2013 ACTIVITY REPORT /03 Message from Christophe Béhar CEA Director of Nuclear Energy Nuclear energy is an advantage in a low-carbon energy mix. Innovation is a prerequisite if we wish to keep it. ontrolling the energy supply of a country is not different in principle, which means they can be used com- recoverable (i.e. recyclable) materials in symbiotic fleets made on the Fontenay-aux-Roses site, e.g. with the end of only a vital need and a factor of growth, but also plementarily: one uses large-scale plant units for the comprising EPRsTM and SFRs. Within this context, the DEN dismantling of the Gascogne, Guyenne, Eole and Cyrano a key issue for tomorrow’s world. In this respect, baseload production of nuclear energy while the other is also instigated a significant R&D action plan on plutonium shielded lines in Building 18 of the process regulated the nuclear industry has a number of solid based on small decentralised power units operating inter- multiple recycling in 2013. In association with AREVA, the nuclear facility (INB(4)). advantages even if it must ensure technical and mittently. Though their synergy is a significant advantage DEN issued its preliminary orientations to define a process The DEN’s major milestones achieved in 2013 will be Ceconomic control over issues of safety, resource sustaina- to improve the future energy mix, innovation is an absolute suitable for the quantitative dissolution of plutonium-rich described in greater detail throughout this report which I bility and accountable waste management, which all call necessity if we wish to keep this advantage in the long- fuels. hope you will enjoy reading. I would like to share my strong for the pursuit of innovation in technology. term. Within the CEA, the Nuclear Energy Division (DEN) We have also made significant progress in the present-day conviction with you that the quality of our research, all of Some figures speak for themselves: in 2030, the global provides the French government and industry with techni- industrial nuclear sector. Such progress includes the our scientific and technical results, and the dedication of energy consumption is expected to have increased by 50% cal expertise and innovations in nuclear energy systems to publication of a state-of-the-art report describing all of the men and women working for the DEN, are all contribut- compared with that of 2005 owing to the combined effect develop sustainable nuclear energy that is both safe and the R&D work led within the DEN to better understand the ing to the consolidation of a sustainable nuclear industry of the population rise and growth in emerging countries. economically competitive. changes in the characteristics of pressurised water reac- that is even safer and economically competitive than Europe must come to terms with a number of constraints While reasserting the DEN’s main missions, this activity tor (PWR) vessels and vessel internals with respect to irra- before. with respect to this demand, such as the fight against report presents the key results achieved by its teams in diation. Such R&D work aims at providing the information global warming, the depletion of energy resources, the 2013 in their different fields. Without detailing all the sci- needed to extend the lifetime of PWRs beyond 40 years security of energy supplies, the control over energy costs, entific and technological achievements, I would like to and therefore supports the files submitted by EDF to the and the preservation of a favourable balance of trade. acknowledge a few noteworthy ones in this foreword. French nuclear safety authority (ASN(3)). Among the various sources of CO2 emissions, electricity In the field of future nuclear systems, I would like to men- Our research programmes could not be conducted without generation largely dominates the field; it represents 27% tion the launching of the conceptual design phase (AVP2(1)) the major research tools and simulation devices that we of the total anthropogenic production, which is well ahead of the Astrid project, an integrated technology prototype both develop and exploit. The Jules Horowitz Reactor (JHR) of industry, road transport and residential and service sec- designed for the industrial-scale demonstration of is a research facility currently being built on the CEA/ tors. Yet another example is Europe’s energy dependency 4th-generation sodium-cooled fast reactors (SFRs), for Cadarache site. The project achieved a major milestone on which is constantly increasing. Its import dependency ratio which the DEN is the owner. The preconceptual design 13 December with the installation of its reactor dome, is expected to reach 80% in 2035. Within this context, it is phase (AVP1(2)) of this project defined the main characte- marking the completion of 80% of the civil engineering increasingly apparent that we must have access to energy ristics of the reactor, its key innovative technological work. sources that are both competitive and green to ensure a options and its main safety orientations. This second We have also made great strides in the clean-up and dis- sufficient level of energy self-sufficiency and secure phase from 2013 to 2015 aims at consolidating and fina- (1) AVP2: a French acronym for avant-projet som- mantling of our nuclear facilities. Marcoule saw the end of maire phase 2. energy supplies. lising the design options chosen. the dismantling of the separation units at the UP1 spent (2) AVP1: a French acronym for avant-projet som- maire phase 1. Faced with these issues, nuclear energy has a vital role to Regarding the future fuel cycle, the year was marked by a fuel reprocessing plant which represented the core of the (3) ASN: a French acronym for Autorité de Sûreté play in synergy with renewable energies since they repre- series of studies led by the DEN in partnership with EDF extraction process. Within the scope of this same UP1 pro- Nucléaire. (4) INB: a French acronym for Installation Nucléaire sent the only green method of electricity generation avail- and AREVA, focusing on industrial SFR deployment sce- gramme, 2013 also saw the first phase of Level 1 disman- de Base. Also referred to as “licensed nuclear able today. These two types of energy are fundamentally narios. These scenarios aim at optimising exploitation of tling of the decladding workshop. Much headway was also facility” in English. 04/ Key Figures 1 ,156 Future Industrial 1 ,762 Saclay Cadarache+Grenoble Nuclear Systems 1,404 Marcoule+Pierrelatte 3,012 men The Nuclear Energy Division (DEN) is currently working on “4th-gen- eration” nuclear fast reactor systems for the future. Their develop- 4,322 ment is needed to better meet requirements regarding secure employees 1 ,835 non-management 1 ,310 women 2,487 management energy supplies and energy independence. These systems make it possible to optimise the management of materials thanks to the 103 241 prospects they offer in terms of better exploiting uranium resources, new hires doctoral candidates FONTENAY-AUX-ROSES while making plutonium multiple recycling possible and minimising SACLAY radwaste production. The options for the related future fuel cycle including 143 42 funded by the are also being investigated in coherence with studies led by the DEN post-doctoral Nuclear Energy on the Astrid project - an integrated technology demonstrator of researchers Division 4th-generation sodium-cooled fast reactors - for which the CEA is GRENOBLE the project owner. This project is currently in its conceptual design phase. MARCOULE 422 65 CADARACHE publications patents filed 06/ DEN 2013 ACTIVITY REPORT /07 4th-generation Reactors The CEA is responsible for conducting research on “4th-generation” innovative nuclear systems on behalf of France.