[en] The hot laboratories of the Nuclear Research Center of Saclay have been modified for working on more radioactive materials. After a brief description of the installations the safety is analyzed for different accidental situations and especially in case of fire

[en] The design claimed avoid clogging the extractor by solids which are collected in a conical decantation chamber. Application is made to the separation of the aqueous nitric solution, the organic phase of TBP diluted by an aliphatic hydrocarbon and heavy solid particles during spent fuel reprocessing

[en] Submarine springs are common discharge features of karstic systems along the Mediterranean coast. In some cases, these submarine springs allow occasional seawater intrusions in the karstic aquifer causing an adverse impact on the quality of the groundwater resources. In order to manage and npreserve the water resources, it is required to have a deep understanding of this phenomenon. The aim of this study is thus to characterize the hydraulic and geochemical impacts of such local and temporary saltwater intrusions on a karstic system and to determine the recovery of the aquifer. The karstic and thermal aquifer of the Thau basin is investigated in this study since the quality of the groundwater resource has been threatened and temporarily impacted over the last 50 years by occasional saltwater intrusions (a few weeks to several months long) from the Thau lagoon through a submarine spring. The causes and impact of this process named “inversac” are not well understood. This work is based on a comprehensive review of the last 6 saltwater intrusion episodes (from 1967 to 2014) and the integration of both historical and new hydrogeological and geochemical data. Results show that the hydraulic perturbation is propagated instantly in the Balaruc-les-Bains peninsula and reaches a distance of about 5 kilometers upgradient within 9 days. The comparison of hydraulic heads during the 2010 and 2014 inversac episodes indicates an aggravation of the phenomenon with an increase in hydraulic head variations. In contrast, isotopic tracers (87Sr/86Sr, water stable isotopes) and Rare Earth Elements show that the geochemical impact of these inversac events is only observed at the local scale and is still perceptible several years after the event stopped. For example, some of the thermal wells still have not recovered their initial geochemical state 20 and 40 months after the last two inversac events (2010 and 2014), suggesting a geochemical remanence of the phenomenon in the karstic system of more than 3.5 years. In addition, this study shows that the deep karstic compartment located south of the study area is not affected by the saltwater intrusion episodes and presents a different dynamic than the rest of the hydrosystem. Overall, this work on episodic and local saltwater intrusions is a key step in understanding the dynamics of this complex karstic and thermal aquifer and will support the management of the groundwater resource

[en] 'To detect then delay the progression of a potential adversary in order to have time for interception before he reaches his target' is a concept as old as the hills that is sometimes also called 'defense in depth'. While this physical protection principle is simple, the development of such systems sometimes is not. The analyst, who does not want to find out to his cost that his facility is vulnerable, then has to face the tricky problem of assessment. For this reason, CEA developed the EVA method, which allows demonstrating that 'the adversary would actually be intercepted before reaching his target'. With regard to the protection of nuclear materials, in 1995, the regulatory authority notified its approval for application of the EVA method in security surveys for CEA facilities. (author)

[en] CEA's missions in various sectors of activity such as nuclear, defence, industrial contracts and the associated regulatory requirements, make it necessary to develop a strategy in the field of physical protection. In particular, firms having nuclear materials are subject to the July 25, 1980 law no.80-572 on the protection and control of nuclear materials. A holding permit delivered by the regulatory authority is conditioned to the protection by the operator of the nuclear materials used. In France it is the nuclear operator who must demonstrate, in the form of a security study, that potential aggressors would be neutralised before they could escape with the material. To meet these requirements, we have developed methods to assess the vulnerability of our facilities. The EVA method, the French acronym for 'Evaluation de la vulnerabilite des Acces' (access vulnerability system) allows dealing with internal and external threats involving brutal actions. In scenarios relating to external threat, the intruders get past the various barriers of our protection system, attempting to steal a large volume of material in one swoop and then escape. In the case of internal threat, the goal is the same. However, as the intruder usually has access to the material in the scope of his activities, the action begins at the level of the target. Our protection system is based on in-depth defense where the intruders are detected and then delayed in their advance towards their target to allow time for intervention forces to intercept them

[en] The nuclear doctors are rarely requested face to a table of segment or diffuse edema. The lymphedema is certainly the only pattern of using radioisotopes. however, other rare pathologies can find benefit of the expertise of nuclear doctors. The use of functional nuclear imaging examinations can help the clinician in a diagnosis approach sometimes difficult face to pathologies for which the vital prognosis can be engaged at short term. (N.C.)