A device designed to detect hydrogen in moderation controlled workshops

The MELOX plant, located in southern France, produces MOX fuels for light water reactors. The main control modes of the criticality risk are the limitation of fissile material mass and moderation. The main drawback of the moderation control mode is that it is essentially based on the application of procedures, and when the number of uses of hydrogenated products becomes significant, the rate of human failure implies that the procedure could be incorrectly applied, or even unintentionally omitted. . In order to make the introduction of hydrogenated products into glove boxes more reliable, MELOX has developed a hydrogenated product detection and alarm system at the entrance to its workshops that are managed by moderation. RFID tags are used on devices that are known for holding hydrogen. Then RFID gates are placed in the workshops entrances, associated with a clear alarm message when a forbidden device is detected. This system is found to perform well. (author)