The field of nuclear engineering is particularly demanding, and delivering a Preliminary Draft (APS) is a major challenge that requires rigor, coordination, and precision. In less than a year, and with the support of our partners, we are proud to have successfully delivered three APS: that of Stellarium, our reactor, which was then developed into two APS (Alvin, our fission experiment, and MegAlvin, our prototype), all structured and compliant with the highest standards of our industry. As good news never comes alone, the Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection Authority has just placed us in the preliminary phase, with the goal of finalizing the DAC* for the creation of a basic nuclear installation for our fission experiment.
It took us only a few months to deliver the APS for Stellarium, allowing us to apply all the parameters to the design of Alvin and MegAlvin. Thanks to the hard work of our team, we are simultaneously saving valuable time in the development of the demonstrators.
Validation of Safety Criteria
Our work has allowed us to validate two crucial aspects:
- The intrinsic safety of the reactor in a way that is representative of Stellarium, as well as the validation of calculation codes with Alvin.
- The verification of obtaining a neutron flux similar to that of the first reactor with MegAlvin.
Safety authorities consider these steps essential for the development of this new type of reactor.
Better Control of Technical Parameters
This milestone has enabled us to further mature our concept while identifying critical points and anticipating them by considering various solutions.
At this stage, uncertainties regarding project size in terms of concrete mass, costs, complexity, and overall architecture have been reduced. As a result, we have delivered several technical elements, including:
- Our plans and model 3D,
- The list of components,
- The overall architecture of Stellarium,
- Details on the type and volume of fuel, as well as a clear vision of our strategy for managing salt and fuel corrosion.
We have also provided a Preliminary Safety Report , which includes potential incident and accident scenarios, along with a statistical and deterministic analysis of each critical point.
Heading to the Preliminary Phase
Thanks to the completion of this milestone and the demonstration of safety, we have entered the preliminary phase with the relevant authorities in record time. This step aims to finalize the drafting of the DAC of INB for our fission experiment. The DAC is submitted to theASNR, and must demonstrate that the project meets safety, radiation protection, and environmental impact requirements.
The application will therefore include:
- A justification of the project and its significance,
- A waste management plan,
- An environmental impact study,
- A nuclear safety study (including associated risks and preventive measures),
- A monitoring and maintenance program for the facility.
During this preliminary phase, we will further explore all technical aspects with the ASNR before our project receives authorization to build the world's first liquid fast neutron fission experiment.
See you in few months to follow the progress of our DAC application and our journey toward sustainable and renewable nuclear energy! A huge thank you to the teams for their unwavering dedication for nearly two years now.
* DAC: A Demande d’Autorisation de Création, which could be translated as "drafting of the authorization request file", is a mandatory regulatory procedure in the nuclear sector to obtain authorization to construct and operate a basic nuclear installation.