On the 9th of May SCK CEN, ATG Europe, Heemskerk Innovative Technology (HIT) and IDOM came together at ATG HQ in Noordwijk, The Netherlands, to formalize the end of the current contracts on the evolution of the conceptual design for the Ex-Vessel Remote Handling and Ex-Vessel Fuel Handling.

These assignments were undertaken within a framework agreement which envelopes general engineering services in support to the conceptual design phases of the MYRRHA reactor’s primary systems as well as the balance of plant (BOP) systems, for which we won a public tender in 2021.

In these assignments, the team of ATG, HIT and IDOM has developed a large part of the fuel handling system and ex-vessel remote handling system, including the design requirements, the concept selection and improvement, as well as a cost assessment and the identification and development of the associated task descriptions and their procedures.
The part of the fuel handling system on which the team has focused actually consists of two subsystems, which are the Fuel Transfer Device (FTD) and the Ex-vessel Fuel Handling System (EVFHS). These subsystems together enable the MYRRHA reactor to ensure a safe and remotely controlled way to unload spent fuel assemblies from the reactor and replace them with new fuel assemblies.
The Ex-Vessel Remote Handling System (EVRHS) enables safe maintenance and replacement of components in potentially hazardous environments, thus ensuring that all items located where humans are not able (or allowed) to enter can be safely maintained and replaced, if necessary, which is vital to keep the MYRRHA reactor up and operating in the longer term.

During the project, several workshops were organised to ensure a good integration with the other sub-systems and other companies involved in the MYRRHA reactor. With the new conceptual design an important step is taken towards a feasible and safe MYRRHA reactor. Next to this, the cost and TRL estimations will help SCK CEN in their way forward.

Team ATG is proud to have received the following testimony from customer SCK CEN:

“The SCKCEN team appreciated the quality of the consortium’s work, the agility to work to a dynamic project plan/schedule enabling design solutions to evolve in a way that benefitted the project and integration best. The SCK CEN team valued the open communication and access to the consortium team, which was suitable for effective collaborative progress of a complex assignment.”
Graham Kennedy, Engineering Manager of the MYRRHA Reactor Design at SCK CEN

MYRRHA Project
The MYRRHA (Multi-purpose hYbrid Research Reactor for High-tech Applications) project is run by SCK CEN and is the world’s first large scale Accelerator Driven System (ADS) that consists of a subcritical nuclear reactor driven by a high-power linear accelerator. With the subcritical concentration of fission material, the nuclear reaction is sustained by the particle accelerator only. Turning off the proton beam results in an immediate and safe shutdown of the nuclear reactions. MYRRHA offers unparalleled research opportunities in spent nuclear fuel, nuclear medicine and fundamental and applied physics (www.myrrha.be).

ATG EUROPE
For 50 years we have been supporting our customers to transform their challenges into success by providing services with expertise and innovative thinking. Today, ATG Europe is a key player in delivering engineering services, solutions, and technologies to the European Space, Defense and Big science sectors. We provide value-added engineering services, products, and technology at the highest possible standards in order to help accelerate innovation on all fronts.

HIT
Heemskerk Innovative Technology is a company founded in 2007 focusing on the areas of Haptics, Dexterous manipulation, Master-slave control, Dynamic contact, and Augmented Reality. They provide advice and support to innovative high-tech projects in the field of robotics and mechatronics.

IDOM
IDOM is an employee-owned, independent firm developing projects in over 125 countries with more than 5,000 professionals. IDOM is participating in some of the most advanced and innovative projects in the world in the fields of power generation, infrastructure, architecture, consulting and nuclear services, providing clear added value to their clients. Specifically, IDOM Nuclear Services (NS) is present in more than 32 countries, working along the entire nuclear energy and research life cycle. IDOM is participating not just in fission projects, but also fusion projects such as ITER, as well as research reactor and nuclear medicine projects.

For more information, please visit www.idom.com