Up Close: Materials Research at the Grenoble Nuclear Research Center of the French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA)

Extract

Most great technological advances initially required finding a solution to materials problems, a fact that is not very often recognized. The development of nuclear energy is no exception to this rule. The fuel in the reactor core, cladding of the fuel, and structures which support the core or which carry the coolant are, indeed, subjected to extreme conditions of radiation flux, temperature, pressure, and corrosion. In order to achieve safe, industrial reactors, the French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) had to build an enormous program in materials research and development from the ground floor. At present, CEA has reached a very high level of knowledge and expertise through excellent scientific teams and exceptional equipment.

In its present industrial phase, the French Nuclear Program still requires considerable effort in research, but it does enable the nation's industry to take advantage of the CEA's materials capabilities. In accordance with its mission to facilitate the utilization of research results, the CEA launched research and development programs in different non-nuclear industries where its research could find new applications.

Since its creation in 1955, the Grenoble Nuclear Research Center (CEN-G), one of the five civilian centers of the CEA, has concentrated a great part of its research on basic (solid-state physics) and applied aspects (nuclear metallurgy). This double orientation, in which basic research is used as a basis for applied research, is an original feature of the CEN-G.