PIPING
CLIENT : CEA
MECANA sodium test platform
Project: To recommission a set of sodium testing devices and develop others to meet new needs within the PAPIRUS (Small Research Facilities Park for the Use of Sodium) platform and as part of the ASTRID project.
Aims and characteristics:
- To produce the MECANA test circuit, composed of a sodium circuit with purification unit, a glove box formed of two sections and an airlock, and an argon inerting circuit
- To satisfy needs across four different business lines for the production of the MECANA test loop: mechanics and sheet metalwork; specific sodium instrumentation (sodium valves, electromagnetic flowmeters, level probes and electromagnetic pump); electricity, control and command; and heat insulation
- To consider the specific requirements of low pressure, high temperatures, conduction, radiation and convection
- To design a sodium loop coupled with a glove box
- To provide for enclosure’s cooling
- To perform thermal simulations
- To respect lead times and the overall project budget (€620 k)
- To assign a project engineer to ensure monitoring and documentation; a design engineer to supervise the « process » element of the project; a storekeeper/picker; two designers; a calculation engineer; a research office manager; a technical and production engineering manager; two qualified sheet metal workers; two qualified welders; a workshop manager; and a qualified fitter
CSTI Group services:
- Design and execution studies according to French standards (NF EN 13445 and 13480, EUROCODE, etc.)
- Bringing other equipment used on other test loops up to applicable standards (equipment formerly designed under ASME, then modified and qualified to meet French standards)
- Consideration of the specific issues of sodium in the design and choice of commercial materials/equipment
- Equipment sourcing
- Manufacturing
- Checks (100% radiographic testing on all equipment in contact with sodium, and dimensional checks on all sodium lines with a slope of 3 to 5%)
- Factory acceptance
- Packaging, transport and on-site delivery
- On-site installation of the entire assembly and completion of the final connection welds (with radiographic testing)
- Submission of contractual documents
