ZOE

ZOE WAS THE FIRST FRENCH NUCLEAR REACTOR

The Zoé reactor contained 1,950 kg of uranium oxide immersed in 5 tonnes of heavy water and housed in an aluminium vessel with a 90 cm-thick envelope of graphite. The pure, nuclear-quality graphite was then enveloped in a 1.5 m-thick concrete container to absorb radiation. The reactor’s output was very low; it was cooled by natural convection of the heavy water in the vessel and by forced air circulation around the vessel.