[en] The most significant progress in the world of control valves is the introduction of digit positioners that allow a finer control and give access to data on the system and on the valve itself. Now preventive and even predictive maintenance become possible on control valves. (A.C.)

[en] The enterprises Newton Research Labs and IHI Southwest Technologies have developed a robot equipped with sensors to inspect the inside walls (partially) and bottom of water tanks without being obliged to empty them. The robot called 'Inspector' is made up of 4 main components: a chassis with 4 independent steering wheels, a camera video system able to provide a 360 degree view, various non-destructive testing devices such as underwater laser scanners, automated ultra-sound or Foucault current probes and an operation system for both driving the robot and controlling the testing. The Inspector robot has been used to inspect the inside bottom of an operating condensate tank at the Palo Verde nuclear station. The robot was able to check all the welds joining the bottom plates and the welds between the walls and the bottom. The robot is also able to come back to the exact place where a defect was detected during a previous inspection. (A.C.)

[en] A new European directive on the protection against ionizing radiations will compile and reinforce 5 existing EURATOM directives (89/618, 90/641, 96/29, 97/43 and 2003/122) that will be repealed later. The implementation in the French law will imply changes in the radiological zoning of controlled areas concerning the zoning itself (4 zones instead of 5), the color code and their access. A task group involving experts from ASN (French Nuclear Safety Authority) and DGT (General Direction of Work) has been set up whose mission will be to harmonize all the rules concerning controlled areas in any nuclear sector (industry, power plants, medical and research)

[en] Nuclear industry is a key player for a carbon-free future which is precisely the topic of the 2021 edition of the World Nuclear Exhibition (WNE) that will take place in Villepinte near Paris (France ) from 30 november until 2 december. 600 exhibitors and 18.000 visitors are expected. Small Modular Reactors (SMR) and carbon-free hydrogen will be new growth drivers. Workshops will be organized and a corner will be dedicated to start-ups. The WNE is also a place where business can be made. The 2021 edition will be both on site and live via a dedicated web site. (A.C.)

[en] The aging of industrial facilities rises concerns about security and safety. More constraining regulations have been recently implemented in France. An enhanced follow-up of the instrumented measures taken to master risks (IMMR) is now compulsory for any upgrading scheme of an industrial facility classified as Seveso-class. The industrialists can find help in the DT93 guide published by the French authority in charge of the prevention of risks. DT93 is a methodology guide based on the international IEC 61511 standard. (A.C.)

[en] Nuclear industry plays an important role for instrumentation manufacturers and for service suppliers. This role is more an question of high-tech, know-how and company image than a matter of turnover. Nuclear activities are highly regulated and procedural: a lot of tests, checks and calculations have to be performed for new equipment and the consequences of the Fukushima accident and the EDF's policy of extending the operating life of reactors have strengthened this trend. The high levels of excellence demanded for companies working in the nuclear sector allows them to apply the same standards in other industrial sectors which is good for their competitiveness. Although the nuclear sector appears to be ahead of its time for issues concerning quality, reliability and safety, it has to face other challenges such as digitalization, 2.2 future industry, composite materials, internet of things or cyber-security, like any other industrial sector. Progress in robotics, additive manufacturing and artificial intelligence open the way for promising technological applications in the nuclear industry. (A.C.)

[en] A balancing bench for turbines and alternators used in nuclear power plants has been completely refurbished. The solution proposed by DV Group and Siemens is based on the replacement of an analog speed controller by 3 digital speed controllers and a new control command system. The supervision system allows the recording and the analysis of all the data from each step of the turbine balancing session. (A.C.)

[en] Steam jet ejectors are used in the nuclear industry particularly for the transfer of radioactive fluids. Their working is based on the Venturi effect and the conservation of energy. A steam ejector can be considered as a thermodynamical pump without mobile parts. The Descote enterprise manufactures a broad range of steam jet ejectors and the characterization and testing of the steam ejectors was made manually and empirically so far. A new test bench has been designed, the tests are led automatically and allow a more accurate characterization and optimization of the steam jet ejectors. (A.C.)

[en] X-ray tomography has entered the industrial world. The last Nikon XTH450 machine acquired by Sematec Metrology can control the sizes of metal pieces up to a diameter of 400 mm and a length of 600 mm. The accuracy is in the 10, 20 μm range and the spatial resolution reaches 30 at 400 μm. This X-ray digital tomograph will allow Sematec Metrology to work on any metal parts made of steel, silver, lead, gold... up to a thickness of several centimeters. (A.C.)

[en] Food safety through standards and regulations imposes food products to be tested for the presence of alien elements. So far metal detectors have been used to detect metal parts, now they have been progressively replaced with X-ray scanners that allow the detection of a lot more contaminants. The improvement of algorithms for image processing combined with the availability of ever more powerful PC have led to the routine use of X-ray testing on industrial processes. Technological progress has made X-ray testing more efficient: while previously a power of 500 W was necessary to cross a 10 cm thickness of water, now only 100 W is necessary. The main advantage of X-ray testing is to be able to test food even packed in metal containers and to detect if the container is deformed. Another advantages is to be able to detect a lot of elements like pieces of glass, small stones or bits of bones. The minimal size to be detected is 0.5 mm for stainless steels and 2 mm for glass or bones. Usually metal detectors are set at the end of the production line just before packaging but in some cases they can be included in the line in order to protect the next machine that intervenes to process the food. (A.C.)