[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will compile and reinforce 5 existing EURATOM directives (89/618, 90/641, 96/29, 97/43 and 2003/122) that will be repealed later.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] X-ray radiography is a very common technique used to check the homogeneity of a material or the inside of a mechanical part. Generally the radiation that goes through the material to check, produced an image on a sensitized film. This method requires time because the film needs to be developed, digital radiography has no longer this inconvenient. In digital radiography the film is replaced by digital data and can be processed as any computer file. This new technique is promising but its main inconvenient is that today its resolution is not so good as that of film radiography. (A.C.)

[en] Gamma radiography with iridium source is largely used in the industrial sector for the control of welds, tubes and pressure vessels as well as for monitoring corrosion. Hazards due to the handling of ionizing radiation sources (Ir¹⁹²) and constraints due to a more and more demanding regulations call for alternative methods. The French 'Institut de soudure' has led a 4-year long study (Alter-X project) and has identified 3 alternative methods for the iridium gamma radiography: -) the TOFD (Time Of Flight Diffraction) which is based on the analysis of the diffraction of ultrasound waves on the edges of defects; -) phased array ultrasound which is based on a series of elementary sensors that can be handled in an individual manner by specific electronics, the sweeping is no more manual but electronic and enables the operator to localize and size defects deep under the surface; -) digit radiography that is a common radiography in which the film is replaced by a re-usable phosphorus screen that is more sensitive and can be easily digitalized and has no need for a chemical treatment to be read. Digit radiography used with Se⁷⁵ (another gamma emitter) gives comparable or even better results than with Ir¹⁹² but with a dose rate cut by half at least. (A.C.)

[en] Raman spectrometry has long be used only in laboratories. Now the in-line analysis in industrial processes benefits this technique. An installation based on Raman spectrometry monitors the biggest unit of xylene-para production in South-Korea. 4 sensors measure the concentration of 5 constituents at 4 places along the production line. 200 metre long optical fibers link the sensors to the spectrometer. Raman spectroscopy challenges infra-red spectrometry and is more suitable to analyse aqueous solutions or constituents that strongly absorb infra-red radiation. THE installation is described. (A.C.)

[en] The monitoring of the LHC (Large Hadron Collider) operation is performed by the OASIS system (Open Analogue Signal Information System). OASIS deals with signals coming from different places to see if the LHC operates as expected. OASIS uses a series of digital converters but to limit the number of digital converters, a switch system is used to select the signal to digitize. Up to 16 analogue signals coming from 104 sensors must be made available for digitizing. Then a 104*16 switching matrix was necessary with a good cross talk behavior and with a few tens of MHz bandwidth. Pickering Interfaces has proposed a large bandwidth matrix based on the LXI platform and including a self-test function

[en] PlastX project aims at developing an X-ray tomography system able to control plastic items in real time. PlastX relies on a new technology called CRS (Radio Synthetic Control) patented by Spectroscan company. The CRS tomograph is characterized by the fact that the X-ray source and the detector are mobile, driven by computer and this mobility allows the production of only useful images and as a consequence has cut dramatically the acquisition time. Where a classical tomograph requires 20 minutes to control an item a few tens of seconds are sufficient for the CRS tomograph. (A.C.)

[en] Framatome, formerly known as AREVA NP, a supplier of nuclear fuels, reactor components and services to the fleets of nuclear reactors, has acquired the nuclear part of the control and instrumentation activities of Schneider Electric. This takeover broadens Framatome's commercial offer in the control and instrumentation activities sector, it allows Framatome to become a supplier of original parts for the upgrading of the control systems of the reactors it has built. Furthermore, a long-term partnership has been signed between Framatome and Schneider Electric to design and fabricate new technological solutions for control and instrumentation systems. (A.C.)

[en] The 'Lucent technologies' firm at North Andover in Massachusetts (Usa) produces electronic circuits and telecommunication equipment. Electronic cards are getting more and more integrated and complex, they are expensive and the need for a careful and appropriate quality control is more necessary than ever. It is not easy to fulfill this need because electronic cards may involve components such as CMS, BGA (ball grid array), μBGA... that are very difficult to test. The solution proposed by firm's engineers has been a combination of classical in-situ tests and a 3-dimensional X-ray radiography. In-situ tests control that the adequate component is at the right place and that it complies with technical specifications, X-ray radiography controls the quality of nodes and weld spots on the different layers of the electronic card. This article presents how these complementary techniques have been implemented for detecting fabrication defects. (A.C.)

[en] The Malvesi site in southern France is the most important uranium conversion plant in the world. It belongs to Comurhex and its purpose is to turn uranium ore into uranium tetrafluoride (UF₄). This transformation requires successive purification stages for the ore. This purification process generates large amount of liquid effluents containing nitrates. Large reservoirs in open air covering an area of about 80 hectares are used to evaporate water and concentrate the effluents. A new system based on a network of ultrasound level sensors that send information to the control room through radio waves, is operating to control the levels of the reservoirs. For some reservoirs solar panels supply energy for the sensors and the radio modem. The main assets of this wireless installation is its reduced cost compared to the cost of setting a cable network and its flexibility when an ancient reservoir is put aside or when a new one is added, the installation can be easily moved. (A.C.)

[en] A new regulation has been implemented in France concerning the safety and the transparency of nuclear activities. The main changes are the centralisation of the responsibilities through first, a clear reaffirmation that the operator of the facility is the only responsible for the facility operations and secondly the limitation of sub-contracting to the level 3 for instance a society chosen by EDF to provide services can sub-contract some of these services but the sub-contractor himself is not allowed to sub-contract. The transparency of nuclear activities is improved through making it compulsory to have a written record of any decision taken in a nuclear facility. (A.C.)