Cadarache
Encyclopedia
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Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique
The Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives or CEA, is a French “public establishment related to industrial and commercial activities” whose mission is to develop all applications of nuclear power, both civilian and military...
Cadarache facility is a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
scientific research centre which specialises in nuclear energy
Nuclear energy
Nuclear energy usually means the part of the energy of an atomic nucleus, which can be released by fusion or fission or radioactive decay.Nuclear energy also may refer to:*Nuclear binding energy, the energy required to split a nucleus of an atom....
research. It is located in the commune
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
of Saint-Paul-lès-Durance
Saint-Paul-lès-Durance
Saint-Paul-lès-Durance is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France.The Cadarache research center for nuclear energy is located in Saint-Paul-lès-Durance.-Population:-External links:* * * * * * * * *...
, Bouches-du-Rhône
Bouches-du-Rhône
Bouches-du-Rhône is a department in the south of France named after the mouth of the Rhône River. It is the most populous department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Its INSEE and postal code is 13.-History of the department:...
, in the southern region
Régions of France
France is divided into 27 administrative regions , 22 of which are in Metropolitan France, and five of which are overseas. Corsica is a territorial collectivity , but is considered a region in mainstream usage, and is even shown as such on the INSEE website...
of Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur. Lying approximately 60 kilometres (37.3 mi) north-east of the city of Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
, Cadarache has been a nuclear research centre since President Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
launched France's atomic energy program in 1959. The centre is operated by the Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique
Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique
The Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives or CEA, is a French “public establishment related to industrial and commercial activities” whose mission is to develop all applications of nuclear power, both civilian and military...
(en
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
: Atomic Energy Commission).
In 2005, Cadarache was selected to be the site of the international International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER). Construction of the ITER complex began in 2007, and is projected for completion in 2018. Cadarache also plays host to a number of research reactor
Research reactor
Research reactors are nuclear reactors that serve primarily as a neutron source. They are also called non-power reactors, in contrast to power reactors that are used for electricity production, heat generation, or maritime propulsion.-Purpose:...
s, such as the Jules Horowitz Reactor
Jules Horowitz Reactor
The Jules Horowitz Reactor is to be Europe's newest research reactor. The 100 MWt reactor is being built at Cadarache in southern France....
, which is expected to be completed in 2014.
Facilities
The Cadarache facility is one of the largest nuclear research sites in Europe, hosting 21 fixed nuclear installations, including reactors, waste stockpiling and recycling facilities, and research centers. It employs over 6,000 people, and approximately 130 doctoral students carry out research at the facility’s laboratories.One of the most notable nuclear installations at Cadarache is the ITER
ITER
ITER is an international nuclear fusion research and engineering project, which is currently building the world's largest and most advanced experimental tokamak nuclear fusion reactor at Cadarache in the south of France...
experimental nuclear fusion
Nuclear fusion
Nuclear fusion is the process by which two or more atomic nuclei join together, or "fuse", to form a single heavier nucleus. This is usually accompanied by the release or absorption of large quantities of energy...
tokamak
Tokamak
A tokamak is a device using a magnetic field to confine a plasma in the shape of a torus . Achieving a stable plasma equilibrium requires magnetic field lines that move around the torus in a helical shape...
, which is expected to be completed by 2018. When operational, ITER is hoped to be the first large-scale fusion reactor to produce more energy than is used to initiate its fusion reactions. Other nuclear installations at Cadarache include the Tore Supra
Tore Supra
Tore Supra is a French tokamak that began operating after the discontinuation of TFR and of Petula...
tokamak – a predecessor to ITER – and the Jules Horowitz Reactor
Jules Horowitz Reactor
The Jules Horowitz Reactor is to be Europe's newest research reactor. The 100 MWt reactor is being built at Cadarache in southern France....
, a 100-megawatt research reactor which is planned for completion in 2014.
Activities
Numerous nuclear research activities are conducted at Cadarache, including mixed-oxide fuel (MOX) production, nuclear propulsionNuclear propulsion
Nuclear propulsion includes a wide variety of propulsion methods that fulfil the promise of the Atomic Age by using some form of nuclear reaction as their primary power source.- Surface ships and submarines :...
and fission reactor prototyping, nuclear fusion
Nuclear fusion
Nuclear fusion is the process by which two or more atomic nuclei join together, or "fuse", to form a single heavier nucleus. This is usually accompanied by the release or absorption of large quantities of energy...
research and research into new forms of fission fuel. Nuclear waste is also treated and recycled at the site.
Notable incidents
A number of accidents, of varying severity, have occurred at Cadarache since its inception. Some of the more notable such incidents are listed below.- 31 March 1994: A violent sodiumSodiumSodium is a chemical element with the symbol Na and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal and is a member of the alkali metals; its only stable isotope is 23Na. It is an abundant element that exists in numerous minerals, most commonly as sodium chloride...
explosion took place while the RapsodieRapsodieRapsodie is an experimental nuclear reactor built in Cadarache in France.It was France's first fast reactor, and first achieved criticality in 1967. Rapsodie was a loop-type reactor with a thermal output of 40MW and no electrical generation facilities, and closed in 1983....
experimental reactor was being dismantled. The explosion was classified as a Class 2 incident by the ASNAutorité de sûreté nucléaireThe Autorité de sûreté nucléaire is an independent French administrative authority set up by law 2006-686 of 13 June 2006 concerning nuclear transparency and safety. Its task, on behalf of the State, is to regulate nuclear safety and radiation protection in order to protect workers, patients, the...
. - 2 November 2004: A fire broke out, but caused no radioactive contamination.
- 6 November 2006: A fault in the equipment used to weigh MOXMoxMOX might be a name or acronym for:*Malaysian Oxygen Berhad - A Malaysian company that is specializes in providing total gas solutions.*Mixed Oxide Fuel, from nuclear reprocessing*An alien race in the TimeSplitters 2 video game, the Mox...
led to a grinder being loaded with more than the authorised amount of fissile material, presenting the possible threat of a spontaneous nuclear reaction. Initially classified as a low-priority Class-1 level incident, it was subsequently revised to Class 2 by the ASN.. - 1 October 2008 : A fire broke out in a non-nuclear installation.
- 6 October 2009: A higher quantity of plutoniumPlutoniumPlutonium is a transuranic radioactive chemical element with the chemical symbol Pu and atomic number 94. It is an actinide metal of silvery-gray appearance that tarnishes when exposed to air, forming a dull coating when oxidized. The element normally exhibits six allotropes and four oxidation...
than authorised was uncovered in the Plutonium Technology Workshop. The ASN classified the incident as Class 2, and suspended dismantling work on the workshop. After investigation, it was revealed that the cause of the incident was the accumulation between 1966 and 2004 of fine plutonium dust in the 450 glove boxes in the workshop. Following the incident, further inspections revealed that another installation, STAR, also showed quantities of plutonium in excess of the authorised amounts. The incident was classified level 1 by the ASN.
Seismological risk
Cadarache is situated on the Aix-en-ProvenceAix-en-Provence
Aix , or Aix-en-Provence to distinguish it from other cities built over hot springs, is a city-commune in southern France, some north of Marseille. It is in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, in the département of Bouches-du-Rhône, of which it is a subprefecture. The population of Aix is...
-Durance
Durance
The Durance is a major river in south-eastern France.Its source is in the south-western Alps, in Montgenèvre ski resort near Briançon and it flows south-west through the following départements and cities:* Hautes-Alpes: Briançon, Embrun.* Alpes-de-Haute-Provence: Sisteron, Manosque.* Vaucluse:...
seismological fault, and lies close to another fault, Trévaresse. The Aix-Durance fault caused France's worst recorded earthquake
1909 Lambesc earthquake
The 1909 Lambesc earthquake occurred on June 11, 1909 in Provence. Measuring 6 on the Richter Scale, it is the largest ever recorded earthquake in metropolitan France....
in 1909. In a 2000 report, the ASN mandated the closure of six installations at Cadarache that did not meet aseismic construction standards. By 2010, three of these had been shut down, with the remaining three to be shut down by 2015.
External links
- Cadarache, European site for ITER
- CEA research center of Cadarache
- BBC News article on Cadarache to host ITER