The nuclear fuel cycle backend The use of the CEA critical facilities for the assessment of the physics

The French strategy of nuclear fuel cycle development is at the basis of large R and D programmes performed in the framework of the collaboration involving EDF, FRAMATOME, COGEMA and CEA. In the specific field of reactor physics large experimental programmes are being conducted at the critical facilities of CEA, MASCURCA, EOLE and MINERVE. They provide a large set of results to validate calculation schemes and nuclear data. (orig.)