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Ensa successfully loads 4 casks in the ATI of the Ascó NPP

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Equipos Nucleares S.A., S.M.E successfully completed the loading of four spent fuel casks in Group I of the Ascó Nuclear Power Plant in Tarragona. The casks were duly positioned in the independent spent fuel storage installation of this plant.

Loading was carried out between February and May in collaboration with Enwesa S.A., S.M.E., a subsidiary of Ensa. The forecast for 2018 for the Ascó plant is to complete the load of 2 additional units in Group II foreseen for the third quarter of the year.

The main functionality of this system is the dry storage of the fuel in the plant. The Cantabrian Company has previously manufactured this type of containers for the same site and expects to participate in future loading campaigns for the Ascó y Vandellós Nuclear Association based on its experience and satisfactory results.

Ensa’s Advanced Technology Center designs an extendable lance for manual welding

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The first tests have obtained very satisfactory results.

The Automatic unit of the Advanced Technology Centre of Equipos Nucleares S.A., S.M.E has designed an extendable welding lance that allows reaching the most complicated and deepest areas of the components of the ITER project.

One of the fundamental points in the welding of these elements is the manual punching of the plates that join the components of «sectors and ports» that will later be welded by the robots. These components are double-walled and the work has to be carried out from the inside. The fact that they have double walls makes the access in a good part of the areas to the most external wall a tremendously difficult task due to the space that separates both walls.

The mast of the lance, designed by Automatic, can be modified in length and the torch has a ball-and-socket joint that allows the working angle of the tungsten to be adjusted slightly.  In addition, it has been incorporated a wire feeding system with adjustable position and speed and a camera next to a screen that allows to see the development of the weld during the work.

The first tests with the equipment were carried out on the welding of the first set of sheets of the ITER model and very satisfactory results were obtained.

Water tanks to quench ITER’s thirst

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Four more water detritiation tanks have been delivered to ITER as part of its fuel cycle system. The components were the result of a contract signed between F4E and Equipos Nucleares S.A., S.M.E to design, manufacture and deliver them to Cadarche. The works for their manufacture lasted approximately two years.

Two tanks known as «storage tanks», with capacity of 7 m3, will be used to store water. Two additional tanks known as «feed tanks», with capacity of 12 m3, will be used to feed the fuel cycle system with tritiated water. The four tanks will be installed next to the six water detritiation tanks, also manufactured by Ensa in 2015, being the first components in Europe delivered to ITER. The largest fusion device will have ten of these tanks in total to meet the needs of its fuel cycle.

Why do we need a water detritiation system at the ITER Tritium plant? This system is needed to recover the fuel to use it again in order to trigger a new fusion reaction. It works as follows: first, the two isotopes of hydrogen are supplied to the machine through the Tritium plant; second, when the two isotopes reach the core of the machine, they are heated to extremely high temperatures to fuse and release energy; finally, the remaining fuel from the fusion reaction, along with other gases, is pumped back to the ITER Tritium plant to recover the tritium and use it in a future reaction.

For Sofia Corino, Special Projects Manager for Ensa in the Business Development Division: «Ensa, in cooperation with its subsidiary, ENWESA, has been responsible for the design and manufacture of the four additional water detritiation tanks that will form part of ITER’s fuel cycle system. Ensa’s experience and commitment to innovation have been decisive in consolidating it as one of the leading European component manufacturers for the largest fusion energy project».

Ensa starts the welding work for the assembly of the vacuum vessel mockup of the ITER

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Ensa has started with the official welding work on the 1:1 scale model representing the union between two sectors of the vacuum chamber of the nuclear fusion reactor that the ITER consortium will build at the Cadarache facilities – France.

This work represents the beginning of the validation process of the numerous equipment, systems and procedures that have been developed over the last 5 years.

The activities are part of the first of the three phases of the project, which is expected to be completed by the middle of the next decade.

The ITER project is undoubtedly the most ambitious global research project, linked to demonstrating the technical feasibility of commercial nuclear fusion on Earth.

F4E highlights Ensa as a pillar in the scheme of companies for the manufacture of Vacuum Vessel

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Ensa has participated in a video made by Fusion for Energy , the European Union organization set up to manage Europe’s contribution to the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor , which shows the capabilities and contribution of the different European companies currently in different fields in of the design and manufacture of the largest international project for the development of fusion energy.

As the video explains, Ensa’s activity is mainly focused on two work packages: the manufacture of segments for the vacuum vessel sectors and the development of technology for the assembly, as well as the final welding of the reactor sectors in on site.

The sector segments that Ensa is manufacturing for the first order are called PS1 and PS4. The Cantabrian company is responsible for developing the technology, manufacturing, welding and supply of the components for sectors 3, 2 and 9 of the vacuum vessel.

For work related to PS1, there is an external company for electron beam welding of some of the sub-assemblies in Inner Shells such as T-Ribs, Intermodular Keys and Flexible Housings to Inner Shells; key and very precise welds. However, in the PS4 the Cantabrian Company is responsible for the entire cycle of preparation of work related to engineering, technology development, manufacture of parts and delivery.

For the second order, which Ensa has been awarded by the French agency IO , it has produced three 1:1 scale models on which all the processes developed by its engineering during the last 4 years are being validated, including robotic welding and non-destructive tests that will be performed when welding the sectors and ports to build the complete vacuum chamber.

The ITER project is a great opportunity for the nuclear industry. In fact, it is a «first of a kind» project, which means it has its own challenges. That is why Ensa has had to develop its own processes and robotic solutions to be able to face these challenges, among which there are very strict dimensional requirements, very demanding quality standards, the segregation of hardware and materials and special sequences that it has to think about, develop and implement to make sure that they adjust to the high levels that they have to have when they are carried out on the hardware and components.

But in order to be able to face all these challenges, Ensa has its Advanced Technology Center where all the necessary technology is developed, ranging from the hardware, software and methodology to have the precise technique for its successful implementation first in its Maliaño facilities and then in Cadarache when its final assembly is carried out.

The Advanced Technology Center of Ensa designs a new system of alignment of parts in the head of X-ray (RX)

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Maliaño, 17th of September, The Automatic unit from the Advanced Technology Center of Equipos Nucleares S.A., S.M.E , in collaboration with the QC Area , has implemented a system of alignment of parts in the X-ray head.

 This new design, based on the use of linear laser diodes, allows defining the exposure center and the axes located at 45 °. In addition, a point laser diode defines the optimum separation distance of the piece inspected

 With this new system, it is obtained an improvement in the radiographic images performance, which positively affects in the quality of products.

Ensa and the Brazilian Navy held a meeting at the facilities of the Cantabrian company

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Maliaño, 20th of August, 2018-Equipos Nucleares S.A., S.M.E. received the visit of an important delegation from the Technological Centre of the Brazilian Navy headed by its director, the Vice-Admiral , Sydney dos Santos Neves.

During the meeting at the company’s facilities in Maliaño, the progress of the work at the La Marinha Nuclear Power Generation Laboratory Plant for radioactive waste processing was analysed.  In addition, during the visit to the Advanced Technology Centre and the Ensa workshop, the Marinha was able to learn more about the technological capabilities and projects in which the company currently Works.

Companies of the Future Program: CINC (Cluster of the Nuclear Industry of Cantabria)

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“Popular TV” broadcasted a program dedicated to the CINC sponsored by SODERCAN

The program talked about the history of the Cluster since its foundation in 2013. María Vega, president of CINC and director of Business Development of Ensa – company which leads this business conglomerate – explains the value of clusters in the international market as vehicle to strengthen ties and foster synergies, in this case within the nuclear industry.

In addition to Maria’s intervention, the program includes the participation of Sergio Gómez, vice president of CINC and responsible for Nuclear and Manufacturing ENWESA and Beatriz San Cristobal, secretary of CINC and director of Projects and Technological Development CTC.

To know more about the Cluster, you can access the following direct link to the video: vimeo.com/278993506

Ensa receives the Certificate of Compliance of the ENUN 24P cask in Spain

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Maliaño, October 31, 2017. – Equipos Nucleares S.A, S.M.E. has received the approval of the MINETAD for the design of its ENUN 24P cask for the transportation of spent nuclear fuel. With this approval, the licensing process in Spain of the cask is concluded.

The design of the ENUN 24P allows the storage and transportation of up to 24 non-damaged used PWR fuel by road, rail and sea. Ensa has already manufactured a unit of this model, which has already been delivered to the Daya Bay plant in Shenzhen – China.

This license approval is a milestone for the Spanish nuclear industry, since  the ENUN 24P is the first cask licensed in Spain that allows the transportation of high burnup fuel . Additionally, the ENUN 24P increases the list of self-designed casks already licensed by Ensa, adding to ENUN 32P and ENUN 52B.

The Energy Policy and Mines General Directorate of MINETAD, in accordance with the favorable report issued by the CSN and, as a result of the evaluations carried out, agreed to approve this design for «complying with the requirements for type B packages as per the regulations of the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Spanish regulations on the transport of dangerous materials «.

Ensa is currently providing support to its customer URC for the design validation process by the Chinese Nuclear Regulator Authority . This validation will presumably  enable URC to carry out the first commercial high burnup fuel transportation in China.

Ensa belongs to the SEPI Group, a corporate holding company that comprises a total of 15 Spanish public companies directly and majority owned, with a workforce of almost 73,000 professionals. SEPI is also a shareholder of the Spanish Broadcasting Corporation , and has a public foundation and direct minority interests in nine other companies and indirect in more than one hundred companies.

The Nuclear Spanish Group for the Cooperation took part in the International Youth Nuclear Congress in Hangzhou, China

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Maliaño, 11th August.- The consortium of the Nuclear Spanish Group for the Cooperation that Ensa belongs, took part from 24th to 30th of July in the International Youth Nuclear Congress celebrated in Hangzhou, China.

During the presentation of the different Stands, the SNGC had the opportunity to present his capacities, services and products to the different representatives and authorities participants in the event, as well as of giving information to all his assistants.

Alejandro Palacio and Alberto Gonzalez were the professional young persons who represented Ensa in the SNGC in China.

In the session of opening they took part: the president of State Nuclear Power Technology Corporation , the vice-presidents of Nuclear China E&C Group , CGN Power Co, Ldt, Shanghai Electric Group Company and Dongfang Electric Company and the chief of engineering of China National Nuclear Corporation .

The Congress possessed the presence of the Authority of Atomic power of China and of representatives of the Government of the province of Zhejiang, of the National Administration of the Energy and of the State Agency of Nuclear Security.

The IYNC assembled in China more than 400 professional young people and students proceeding from 30 different countries, as well as to several of the principal companies of the nuclear sector.