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In the late 50s, civil applications of nuclear energy, such as electricity generation, were developed in parallel in the West and in the Soviet Union. For pressurized light water reactors, the concepts are much the same, with liquid water in the primary circuit, steam generators and secondary circuits; nuclear fuel is uranium oxide weakly enriched up to around 5%. However, these are the only similarities, engineering solutions developed being quite different between the West and the Soviet Union. This paper presents the history and development of the Soviet-designed pressurized water reactors, including the latest generation III designs.
This article first introduces the reader to the two types of space nuclear propulsion systems currently being developed: thermal and electric, by presenting their principles, the performance gains they offer over current technologies and the space applications/missions for which they may offer decisive advantages. The second part of the article focuses on space nuclear thermal propulsion engines, addressing design, development and qualification options and issues and the associated technological and programmatic challenges.
The Cigéo project will be designed to dispose, in an underground facility located in a geological layer, high and long-lived intermediate radioactive waste produced by French facilities since the beginning of nuclear programs until today. The Cigéo disposal will be in operation for around one hundred years. During this period and far beyond it - the safety of the facility will have to be maintained and radioactivity confined to protect human beings and the environment. For over 30 years, Andra has been carrying out research and development work. In the context of the high-level waste cells, R&D work is studying the evolution of the main metallic components of this cell, the liner and the overpack, under the combined effect of corrosion and mechanical processes.
This article deals with the application of thermodynamics to severe accident studies in nuclear reactors. First, the problems associated with severe accidents will be described. Next, a description of the physical phenomena that can lead to partial or complete core meltdown will be presented. The application of a thermodynamic approach to severe accident studies will then be discussed, starting with a description of the CALPHAD method and its use for modelling binary and ternary systems. The experiments required to build and validate thermodynamic databases will then be discussed. After describing the contents of the TAF-ID and NUCLEA databases, application calculations will be shown. Finally, the prospects for studies on future reactors will be presented.
The condensers constitute the cold source of the water-steam cycle: after having worked in the turbine, the steam is condensed by thermal exchange with tubes inside which the cooling water circulates. The behavior of condenser tubes is thus at the heart of several issues, the plant performance depends closely on the integrity of the tubes and their state of cleanliness, the water quality necessary for the preservation of steam generators cleanliness is very restrictive and the condenser must therefore limit the risk of pollution. This article presents the way in which the operator monitors the integrity of tubes and deals with any leaks.
The high energy density offered by nuclear power is a key asset in space, both for power generation and propulsion. For each of these two fields, this article justifies those missions for which it offers proven or potential advantages over alternative technologies. It presents the principles, architecture, state of the art and specific features of the various types of space nuclear systems: radioisotope and nuclear fission power generators, nuclear thermal propulsion engines and nuclear electric propulsion systems. Safety aspects of these space nuclear systems are also covered.
This article presents industrial experience feedbacks related to the corrosion of equipments in nuclear fuel treatment-recycling plants from La Hague. These feedbacks illustrate the process of sustainability evaluation of these plants. The progressive evolution of this process now allows the permanent verification of the conformity of equipments during their ageing, with respect to safety, security and operating requirements. The objective is to guarantee industrial operation of the factories until 2040, or even beyond.
Relying on MAGNOX feedbacks (gas cooled reactors, metallic natural uranium, graphite moderator) and moving from natural uranium metallic fuel to oxide low enriched steel clad, British designed a high thermal yield 650MWe power reactor type : AGR (Advanced Gas cooled Reactor) that should be still operating until 2028. This article aims to give an overview of a gas cooled reactor design and describes the main characteristics of this sole power reactor type: general design, vessel, core, neutronics, fuel management, cooling and power systems. A comparison with MAGNOX and a brief analysis of main assets and peculiar features are given.
This article deals with the management of corrosion in the French nuclear fuel reprocessing plants, from the R&D angle. Nitric acid used for the dissolution of used fuel leads to some specific corrosion phenomena. Suitable materials such as stainless steels and zirconium have been chosen to effectively resist to such an oxidizing environment. This article describes the properties of these materials, the various possible modes of degradation, the factors influencing this corrosion as well as the various means implemented to control the aging of installations.
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