JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #143 - November/December 2021 - 31

Megapol by EDF: the polymer wild card of the nuclear sector
- the American Electric Power Research
Institute (EPRI), which off ers its
engineering and R&D expertise in
the American nuclear sector as well as
through its network of international
operators;
- the Canadian Candu Owner Group
(COG), which controls the Canadian
nuclear industry, widely exported internationally;
-
Framatome (France), a manufacturer of
nuclear reactors and specialist in nuclear
maintenance.
Megapol can now meet the requirements of
all types of commercial reactors and represents
80% of the plants currently operating
around the world. Th e consortium is also
Nuclear submarine «le Terrible» © Naval group
open to any other industries interested in
developing the use of polymers in their
own businesses.
As, beyond just the nuclear sector, all industries
have benefi ted from these new
materials, military and civil aeronautics -
through Airbus Helicopters - and the naval
defence industry - through Naval Group
- also engaged in this EDF project. In recent
decades, these companies massively
increased the proportion of polymeric materials
used in their production. Th ey see in
this cross-discipline collaboration the possibility
of gathering feedback and experience
from nuclear engineers while sharing
their unique industrial experience.
Airbus Helicopters type
«H175»
© photo Ned DAWSON
A complex background
From the beginning of the 2000s, the French
national power company EDF understood
the major potential for change represented
by polymers in the nuclear sector.
Indeed, regulatory pressure is increasing,
reference standards are being strengthened,
the French nuclear safety authority (ASN)
requirements are becoming more stringent
and fl eet maintenance costs are increasing,
thus impacting the competitiveness of EDF.
Th e Group is now involved in extending
the operating life of its plants beyond 40
years. From this perspective, the safety of
the production installations is encouraging
the search for new materials solutions that
are both safe and cheaper, and if possible,
more eff ective.
A project at just the right time
In this context, the Megapol project set up
by EDF's R&D department is very persuasive:
its role to develop the use of polymers
in maintenance operations could help in
controlling the cost of work carried out and
lead to a safe energy transition for users,
resulting in a French energy mix that will
keep a signifi cant proportion of nuclear
energy.
Megapol was created in November 2019.
Its main mission is to identify the domains
where polymers could contribute to the
extension of the fl eet's operating life and to
implement the solutions chosen.
Designed in the fi rst instance for nuclear
engineers by nuclear engineers (see inset),
Megapol now includes, in addition to EDF:
EDF's Polymer R&D group
EDF's R&D unit is split between three
sites around Paris and employs 1,900
people working within new departments.
The
lab in Les Renardières has three
research departments. The MMC department,
with 160 employees, mainly
studies materials intended for the
nuclear industry: concrete, steel, polymers
and composites. About a dozen
researchers are dedicated to polymers,
in particular the problems raised by
their service life.
The fi rst objective of the Polymers
team is to release a residual margin for
extending the operating lifetime of the
plants, to make it compatible with the
ASN regulations and requirements.
N°143 November - December 2021 / jec composites magazine
31
Feature Energy
JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #143 - November/December 2021

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