Devices for technological irradiation experiments

The experimental devices of lengths between 2 and 6 metres are cylindrical casings with diameters of several centimetres (from 3.3 to 10 cm, and 20 cm) designed to hold experimental samples so they can be subjected to the neutron fluxes. These devices can be placed:

• In the core for experiments on material samples
• Outside the core, in the reflector for experiments on fuels.

There are two types of experimental devices:

• ‘Simple’ capsule-type devices, i.e. a protective casing that contains the sample to irradiate and is sometimes equipped with some instrumentation (MICA, OCCITANE, FUICA)

MICA, an example of a capsule type device

• ‘Loop devices’ in which the samples can be instrumented so measurements can be recorded and temperature, water circulation and pressure levels can be changed inside the device (ADELINE, LORELEI, MADISON, CLOE).

These experimental devices will be assembled and tested inside the assembly building located next to the reactor building (to limit handling as much as possible), before being transferred and installed in the reactor building.

Devices for the production of radioisotope

The experimental devices required to produce radioisotope are quite similar to those used for irradiation experiments. They come in the shape of long pins (sheathing); irradiation capsules (about 7 per pin) containing the target(s) for irradiation are inserted into these pins, except in the case of molybdenum targets (see photo).  This equipment and these devices are currently being optimised take into account prospective requirements (technical expectations and characteristics):

• Quality
• Production capacity
• Irradiation times
• Loading, unloading and packaging kinematics
• Potential management of upstream and/or downstream phases, while remaining competitive and maintaining market appeal.

One of the issues involves developing more versatile irradiation containers, if possible reusable, which can contain very different targets.Another consists in studying the implementation of an automatic system for loading, unloading and transferring targets.

Only the design of the molybdenum irradiation system differs from the others. This complex system has been designed in such a way that it must be integrated and assembled at the same time as the reactor.