WNE: AREVA Awarded in the Fields of Safety and Innovation

During the second annual World Nuclear Exhibition (WNE), AREVA was awarded two first prizes.

More than 120 projects were chosen for the WNE Awards which competed in four categories: innovation, nuclear safety, knowledge management and operational excellence.

During the ceremony, a jury comprised of internationally renowned experts awarded two of AREVA's projects.

In the category of innovation, AREVA was awarded a prize for the development of its cavitation peening technique. This technique is designed to extend the life of nuclear reactor primary circuit components for more than 20 years and can be used on all reactor designs.

To prevent stress corrosion cracking on reactor components, ultra-high-pressure water jets generate vapor bubbles that collapse with enough force to create beneficial compression of the components’ internal surfaces. This surface compression improves the component’s material properties and enhances resistance to corrosion and other types of degradation, which reduces the effects of aging.

AREVA recently executed this maintenance technique on the reactor vessel closure head at Unit 2 of Exelon’s Byron Generating Station in Illinois. This was the first time that this technique has been used on a reactor vessel closure head. Following the completion of this project, AREVA can now offer to nuclear operators worldwide a proven alternative to component replacement.

In the nuclear safety category, AREVA’s development of a versatile robotics pack for examining nuclear environments was awarded a prize. Known as RIANA and DORICA, these cordless robots are designed to operate in nuclear zones in order to remotely perform detailed analysis in hard-to-reach areas.

The RIANA robot is a remote-control platform that can perform mapping, sampling and radioactivity measurements. DORICA is an investigation drone equipped with a high-definition camera and a probe to collect information and measure radiation inside nuclear installations.

Philippe Knoche, CEO of AREVA, said: “I would like to congratulate our teams for their drive and creativity. Safety and innovation are indispensable to the nuclear industry. We continue this work in order to offer our customers competitive and sustainable solutions and technologies to meet their challenges."