January-February 2019 NPJ

Nuclear Plant Journal, January-February 2019 NuclearPlantJournal.com 13 Nuclear Transport Orano TN, a subsidiary of the Orano Group specializing in nuclear logistics, has recently concluded a strategic partnership agreement with Bureau Veritas to support the development of maritime transport flows of materials from the nuclear cycle as well as rare earth elements and medical sources. This agreement aims to guarantee Orano customers transportation solutions that meet the highest standards of quality and safety. To this end, the two partners will develop a new offer for the inspection and certification of ships as well as the ports through which materials transit, particularly in the fast-growing markets of Africa and Asia. The partnership also covers cask design for the transport and storage of nuclear materials, of which Orano is a world leader. Bureau Veritas will verify the conformity of the manufacturing process by providing its expertise in the inspection on production sites. To achieve these objectives, Orano and Bureau Veritas have planned to pool their inspection resources and develop innovative digital tools. Contact: Orano Group, telephone: 33 (0)1 34 96 12 15, email: press@ orano.group . MoU Increasing its strategic cooperation with local companies in Hungary, Rolls- Royce has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with OT Industries. The agreement is to explore areas of joint work for the provision of Emergency Diesel Generators (EDGs) and Instrumentation and Control (I&C) systems for the new reactors planned at the Paks Nuclear Power Plant in Hungary. OT industries is majority owned by the MOL Group, an international and integrated oil and gas company having a strong experience in engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) projects, including in the nuclear area. The Paks nuclear power plant, located in Hungary, currently comprises four VVER-440 nuclear reactors. The Paks-II project involves building two additional Russian-designed VVER-1200 reactors. Contact: Romain Desgeorge, Rolls- Royce, telephone: 33 (0) 4 76 61 16 17, email: desgeorge.cn@rolls-royce.com . Fukushima Device Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation (ESS) announced that it has developed a device that investigates the status of deposits at the bottom of the pedestal area interior of the primary containment vessel (PCV) of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Unit 2. A February 2017 investigation by Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO) using a small robots, etc, developed by Toshiba ESS and the International Research Institute for Nuclear Decommissioning (IRID) found that part of the grating of the platform inside the PCV had been dropped. Toshiba ESS and IRID developed a suspended pan-tilt camera attached to a telescopic guiding pipe, and a subsequent investigation held in January 2018 showed that there were deposits at the bottom of the PCV. Using know-how cultivated through previous investigations at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, Toshiba ESS added a finger drive mechanism for Device developed by Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation. touching the deposits to investigate their condition to the telescopic guiding pipe developed in January 2018. The device is scheduled to be shipped to Fukushima Prefecture and deployed to the interior investigation of the PCV at Unit 2 in February 2019 after the installation. Contact: Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation, website: www. toshiba-energy.com. Accident Tolerant Fuel Development Westinghouse Electric Company has been awarded $93.6 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in support of their accident-tolerant fuel program, EnCore ® Fuel. The EnCore Fuel program includes the development of both short- and long- term products that provide advanced safety features, enhanced fuel cycles and economic advantages. The first phase of the program will deliver chromium-coated zirconium cladding for enhanced oxidation and corrosion resistance, and higher density ADOPT™ pellets for improved fuel economics. The second phase will introduce silicon carbide composite cladding and high- density uranium silicide pellets to offer significantly higher safety and economic benefits. The funding will be used by Westinghouse, in partnership with General Atomics, as well as our national laboratory and university partners to accelerate the introduction of lead test rods of silicon carbide cladding into a U.S. commercial reactor by 2022. The funding will also support the implementation of the first load fuel assemblies containing lead test rods of Encore Fuel, currently scheduled to be inserted in Exelon Generation’s Byron Unit 2 in spring of 2019. Contact: Sarah Cassella, Westinghouse Electric Company, telephone: (412) 374-4744, email: cassels@westinghouse.com.