Abstracts ASN Report 2019

• Áǝƺ ÁȸǣƬƏɀɎǣȇ ɖȸƏȇǣɖȅ ɀɎȒȸƏǕƺ ǔƏƬǣǼǣɎɵ ٫ zX ژ ׏ זו łĿĿłŊļŁĺ ŇĻĸ ķĸĿļĶĸŁņļŁĺ łĹ ŃĴŅŇ łĹ ŇĻĸ ļĸŅŅĸĿĴŇŇĸ ׇĵŌ ķĸĶļņļłŁ łĹ ŇĻĸ Ņļŀĸ ļŁļņŇĸŅё ׇӄӊӋׇ҂łŅ ŇĻĸ ŅļĶĴņŇļŁ ňŅĴŁļňŀ storage facility– was created. This facility groups the uranium storage facilities and the platform’s new emergency management premises. ASN registered this facility in December 2016. • Áǝƺ ¨ ژדב ǔƏƬǣǼǣɎɵ ٫ zX ژ ׏ חו łĿĿłŊļŁĺ łŁ ĹŅłŀ ŇĻĸ ķĸĿļĶĸŁņļŁĺ ŃŅłĶĸņņ ĹłŅ ŇĻĸ ļĸŅŅĸĿĴŇŇĸ ׇĵŌ ķĸĶļņļłŁ łĹ ŇĻĸ Ņļŀĸ ļŁļņŇĸŅё ׇӄӊӌё ľŁłŊŁ Ĵņ Ѣ ӆӈ ѣ ŊĴņ ĶŅĸĴŇĸķє Ļļņ ĹĴĶļĿļŇŌ ĶłŀŃŅļņĸņ ŇĸŁ ňŅĴŁļňŀ ņŇłŅĴĺĸ ĵňļĿķļŁĺņє ŅĸĺļņŇĸŅĸķ ŇĻļņ ĹĴĶļĿļŇŌ ļŁ ĴŁňĴŅŌ ӅӃӄӋє ׏ِ א IɖƺǼ ǔƏƫȸǣƬƏɎǣȒȇ The fabrication of fuel for electricity generating reactors involves ŇĻĸ ŇŅĴŁņĹłŅŀĴŇļłŁ łĹ 6 ׇļŁŇł ňŅĴŁļňŀ łŋļķĸ ŃłŊķĸŅє Ļĸ ŃĸĿĿĸŇņ ĹĴĵŅļĶĴŇĸķ ĹŅłŀ ŇĻļņ ŃłŊķĸŅ ļŁ ŇĻĸ ŅĴŀĴŇłŀĸ Ѣ ѣ ŃĿĴŁŇ ļŁ łŀĴŁņіņňŅі ņŲŅĸ Ҏ ׇӌӋҏ ĴŅĸ ŃĿĴĶĸķ ļŁ ōļŅĶłŁļňŀ ŀĸŇĴĿ ĶĿĴķķļŁĺ to constitute the fuel rods, which are then grouped together to form fuel assemblies. The fuels used in experimental reactors are more varied and some of them for example use highly-enriched uranium in metal form. Ļĸņĸ ĹňĸĿņ ĴŅĸ ĹĴĵŅļĶĴŇĸķ ļŁ ŇĻĸ ŅĴŀĴŇłŀĸ ŃĿĴŁŇ ĴŇ łŀĴŁņі ņňŅі ņŲŅĸ ĶĴĿĿĸķ ĸŅĶĴ Ҏ ׇӉӆҏє The MOX fuel, consisting of a mixture of depleted uranium and ŃĿňŇłŁļňŀ łŋļķĸņё ļņ ĹĴĵŅļĶĴŇĸķ ļŁ ׇӄӈӄׇ ĸĿłŋё łŃĸŅĴŇĸķ ĵŌ Orano Cycle and located on the Marcoule nuclear site. ׏ِ ב Áǝƺ ƫƏƬǸ ٮ ƺȇƳ ǔɖƺǼ ƬɵƬǼƺ ٫ ȸƺȵȸȒƬƺɀɀǣȇǕ • …ȸƏȇȒ !ɵƬǼƺ ȸƺȵȸȒƬƺɀɀǣȇǕ ȵǼƏȇɎɀ ǣȇ ȒȵƺȸƏɎǣȒȇ ƏɎ nƏ ژ RƏǕɖƺ The La Hague plants, intended for reprocessing of spent fuel assemblies from nuclear reactors, are operated by Orano Cycle. Ļĸ ʼnĴŅļłňņ ĹĴĶļĿļŇļĸņ łĹ ŇĻĸ ӆі Ҏ ׇӄӄӉҏ ĴŁķ ӅіӋӃӃ Ҏ ׇӄӄӊҏ ŃĿĴŁŇņ ĴŁķ łĹ ŇĻĸ ӆ Ҏ ׇӄӄӋҏ ĸĹĹĿňĸŁŇ ŇŅĸĴŇŀĸŁŇ ņŇĴŇļłŁ ŊĸŅĸ ĶłŀŀļņņļłŁĸķ ĹŅłŀ ӄӌӋӉ ҎŅĸĶĸŃŇļłŁ ĴŁķ ņŇłŅĴĺĸ łĹ ņŃĸŁŇ ĹňĸĿ ĴņņĸŀĵĿļĸņҏ Ňł ӅӃӃӅ Ҏ ӇׇŃĿňŇłŁļňŀ ŅĸŃŅłĶĸņņļŁĺ ĹĴĶļĿļŇŌҏё ŊļŇĻ ŀłņŇ łĹ ŇĻĸ ŃŅłĶĸņņ ĹĴĶļĿļŇļĸņ ĸŁŇĸŅļŁĺ ņĸŅʼnļĶĸ ļŁ ӄӌӋӌіӄӌӌӃє Ļĸ ĸĶŅĸĸņ łĹ ӄӃׇ ĴŁňĴŅŌ ӅӃӃӆׇņĸŇ ŇĻĸ ļŁķļʼnļķňĴĿ ŅĸŃŅłĶĸņņļŁĺ ĶĴŃĴĶļŇŌ łĹ ĸĴĶĻ łĹ ŇĻĸ ŇŊł ŃĿĴŁŇņ ĴŇ ӄёӃӃӃׇŇłŁŁĸņ ŃĸŅ ŌĸĴŅё ļŁ terms of the quantities of uranium and plutonium contained in the fuel assemblies before burn-up (in the reactor), and limit the ŇłŇĴĿ ĶĴŃĴĶļŇŌ łĹ ŇĻĸ ŇŊł ŃĿĴŁŇņ Ňł ӄёӊӃӃׇŇłŁŁĸņ ŃĸŅ ŌĸĴŅє Ļĸ ĿļŀļŇņ and conditions for discharges and for water intake by the site ĴŅĸ ķĸĹļŁĸķ ĵŌ ŇŊł ŅĸņłĿňŇļłŁņ łĹ ӅӅׇ ĸĶĸŀĵĸŅ ӅӃӄӈׇҎ ŅĸņłĿňŇļłŁ ӅӃӄӈі іӃӈӆӈׇĴŁķ ŅĸņłĿňŇļłŁ ӅӃӄӈі іӃӈӆӉҏє • …ȵƺȸƏɎǣȒȇɀ ƬƏȸȸǣƺƳ ȒɖɎ ǣȇ Ɏǝƺ ȵǼƏȇɎɀ The reprocessing plants comprise several industrial units, each of which performs a specific operation. There are thus the reception and storage installations for spent fuel, facilities for shearing and dissolving it, for chemical separation of fission products, uranium and plutonium, for purification of the uranium and plutonium and for treatment of effluents and conditioning of waste. When they arrive in the plants, the spent fuel assemblies in their transport casks are unloaded either “under water” in the spent fuel pool, or dry, in a leaktight, shielded cell. The assemblies are then stored in pools for cooling. Afterwards, the assemblies are sheared and dissolved in nitric acid to separate the pieces of metal cladding from the spent fuel. The pieces of cladding, which are insoluble in nitric acid, are removed from the dissolver, rinsed in acid and then water, and transferred to a compacting and drumming unit. The nitric acid solution comprising the dissolved radioactive substances is then processed in order to extract the uranium and plutonium and leave the fission products and other transuranic elements. After purification, the uranium is concentrated and stored in the form of uranyl nitrate UO 2 ׇҎ 3 ) 2 . It is intended for conversion ļŁ ŇĻĸ ӈׇĹĴĶļĿļŇŌ łŁ ŇĻĸ ŅļĶĴņŇļŁ ņļŇĸ ļŁŇł Ĵ ņłĿļķ ĶłŀŃłňŁķ (U 3 O Ӌ ), called “reprocessed uranium”. After purification and concentration, the plutonium is precipit- ated by oxalic acid, dried, calcined into plutonium oxide, packaged in sealed containers and placed in storage. It is then intended for the fabrication of MOX fuels in the Orano Cycle plant in Marcoule (Melox). • Áǝƺ ƺǔǔǼɖƺȇɎɀ ƏȇƳ ɯƏɀɎƺ ǕƺȇƺȸƏɎƺƳ ƫɵ Ɏǝƺ ȒȵƺȸƏɎǣȒȇ of the plants The fission products and other transuranic elements resulting from reprocessing are concentrated, vitrified and packaged in standard vitrified waste packages (CSD-V). The pieces of metal cladding are compacted and packaged in compacted waste packages (CSD-C). These reprocessing operations also use chemical and mechanical processes, the operation of which generates gaseous and liquid effluents as well as solid waste. The gaseous effluents are given off mainly during fuel assembly shearing and during the dissolving operation. These gaseous effluents are processed by scrubbing in a gas treatment unit. Tricastin site ex-Comurhex GB II TU5 and W ex-Socatri Uranium storage areas in Tricastin P35 Atlas Romans-sur-Isère site FBFC Cerca Malvési site ex-Comurhex Marcoule site Melox La Hague plant UP3 UP2-800 STE3 Installations of the fuel cycle in operation or undergoing decommissioning ASN Report on the state of nuclear safety and radiation protection in France in 2019 317 ׏׏ ٲ NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE INSTALLATIONS 11