The fuel element loading and unloading machine (MCD) built by Onet Technologies for the RJH at Cadarache.
Onet Technologies has been involved in the construction of CEA Cadarache's Jules Horowitz Research Reactor (RJH) since 2012. Our teams have been working on the development of a loading and unloading machine (MCD) for fuel elements (EC).
Numerous expert reports called in
The RJH loading and unloading machine required 175,000 hours of design, installation, set-up and project management.
No less than 25 specialties are involved in our company, from mechanical designer to project manager, including staff in control, dimensional calculations, hydraulics, mechanics...
Onet Technologies chose Gonzales, our main partner for this project. The machine is installed on the company's premises, on their test site for mechanical manufacturing.
What is our loading and unloading machine?
Located in Cadarache, the RJH is a research reactor project led by CEA. The reactor's missions will include research into materials and fuels for the nuclear power industry and nuclear medicine.
The MCD, designed by our staff, consists of a walkway, which will be installed above the reactor core and will enable various operations to be carried out using the RCM column and DRG boom as the main tools.
The RCM column is a tool for recovering or loading fuel elements into the reactor core. The DRG rod is a cladding rupture detection rod, which will be placed above a cell to check that there is no rupture in the fuel element cladding.
A long and complex project led by Onet Technologies teams
In 2012, Onet Technologies responded to the CEA's call for tenders. Once our bid had been accepted, our teams embarked on a long phase of studies, lasting until 2017, when production of the machine could begin.
The MCD was then assembled, and in 2020, Onet Technologies entered the testing phase.
At present, more comprehensive testing of the machine, known as interconnected testing, is underway. They should be completed shortly, before leading to a new phase of complementary testing.
This project, which takes many years to complete, requires us to pay particular attention to the quality of our work. This operational excellence has been at the heart of our employees' concerns since the very beginning of their involvement.
The MCD is also a highly strategic project for Onet Technologies: it is the first time that such a loading and unloading machine has been developed.
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