Study center for nuclear energy
| Study center for nuclear energy | ||
|---|---|---|
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| location | ||
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| Coordinates | 51 ° 12 '55 " N , 5 ° 5' 45" E | |
| Country: | Belgium | |
| Data | ||
| Operator: | Center d'etude de l'energie nucleaire (Study Center for Nuclear Energy) | |
| Project start: | 1955 | |
| Commercial operation: | Oct 10, 1962 | |
|
Decommissioned reactors (gross): |
1 (12 MW) | |
| Energy fed in since commissioning: | 759 GWh | |
| Website: | Official website | |
| Was standing: | June 30, 1987 | |
| The data source of the respective entries can be found in the documentation . | ||
The Study Center for Nuclear Energy ( Dutch Study Center for Nuclear Energy • French Center d'Étude de l'énergie Nucléaire , SCK • CEN for short ) in Mol was founded in 1952 as the Belgian Nuclear Research Center and was initiated by Pierre Ryckmans. A treaty for the development of uranium deposits in the Belgian Congo had already been signed with the USA in 1942 .
Construction of the first BR-1 research reactor began on January 1, 1954. The BR-3 reactor was the first commercial nuclear reactor in Belgium and the first commercial power-generating pressurized water reactor in Europe from 1962 to 1987.
Most reactors are research reactors . The BR-1 and BR-2 reactors are still in operation, the VENUS reactor is temporarily shut down and the BR-02 is shut down.
From 1967 to 1974 the Eurochemic , a reprocessing plant , was operated here.
Nuclear reactors
BR-1
Construction of the BR-1 research reactor began on January 1, 1954. In May 1956, it became critical as the first Belgian research reactor. It is an air-cooled reactor with graphite as moderator, natural uranium as fuel and a thermal output of 4 MW in total.
BR-2
Construction began on the light water-cooled reactor with a thermal output of 100 MW on January 1, 1958, so that it could go into operation on June 29, 1961.
BR-3
The third reactor was an American license and prototype pressurized water reactor from Westinghouse with a thermal output of 40.9 MW and an electrical output of 10 MW net , 12 MW gross. Construction began on November 1, 1957. BR-3 became critical for the first time in August 1962 . In October 1962 it was synchronized with the power grid for the first time and went into commercial operation on the same day. On June 30, 1987, the power plant was finally shut down.
VENUS
The zero-power reactor VENUS ( Vulcain Experimental Nuclear Study ) became critical for the first time in April 1964 after construction began on January 1, 1963. It was temporarily shut down in January 2007 and is currently undergoing a renovation.
BR-4
Another commercial reactor, a pressurized water reactor with 1000 MW capacity, was vaguely planned.
Data of the reactors
A commercial power plant unit was located in the study center :
| Reactor block | Reactor type | net power |
gross power |
start of building | Network synchronization |
Commercialization of essential operation |
switching off processing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BR-3 | Pressurized water reactor | 10 MW | 12 MW | 11/01/1957 | 10/10/1962 | 10/10/1962 | 06/30/1987 |
Four research reactors were operated in the nuclear research center:
| Reactor block | Reactor type | Thermal performance | start of building | First criticality | status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BR-1 | GRAPHITE | 4,000 kW | 01/01/1954 | 05/11/1956 | In operation |
| BR-2 | TANK | 100,000 kW | 01/01/1958 | 06/29/1961 | In operation |
| BR-02, Power Mockup of BR-2 | POOL | 0.5 kW | 01/01/1959 | December 01, 1959 | closed since March 1st, 1993 |
| VENUS | ZERO | 0.5 kW | 04/30/1960 | temporarily shut down since January 3, 2007 |
Further research projects
The MYRRHA transmutation project is also to be set up at the research center . Here, with the help of an ADS , it is to be researched whether it is possible and sensible to shorten the half-life of radioactive waste with such a system.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ 1952-2002 - Brochure for the 50th anniversary of the Belgian Nuclear Research Center. P. 6 , archived from the original on March 3, 2016 ; accessed on March 25, 2018 .
- ↑ BR1 - 50th Anniversary - The very first beginning ( Memento from April 5, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) (English)
- ↑ a b BR-3 (Belgian Reactor-3) , Power Reactor Information System of the IAEA , English
- ↑ BR1 - 50th Anniversary ( Memento from March 13, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) (English)
- ↑ Nuclear Power in Belgium (English)
- ^ Co-ordination Network on Decommissioning of Nuclear Installations (CND). BR3 Nuclear Power Plant ( Memento of the original from January 30, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ ICJT - Belgium Locations ( Memento from March 1, 2005 in the Internet Archive ) (English)
- ↑ Research Reactor Database of the IAEA : "Research Reactors: by country - Belgium" (English, no longer online)
- ^ Website of the MYRRHA project
