Components

Key equipment of the nuclear island

The Components Business Unit produce the key equipment for nuclear steam supply systems to equip new build power plants or to replace items of equipment at power plants

The Business Unit manufactures:

  • Heavy equipment: large forged, molded and machined parts that make up the nuclear island, such as vessels, vessel heads, reactor internals, steam generators and pressurizers
  • Mobile equipment: reactor coolant pumps (pump, motor and sealing systems, shaft seal) and control rod drive mechanisms

The Components Business Unit is committed to supplying its customers with equipment that meets the highest safety and quality standards.

The Business Unit employs more than 1,500 people in France and China. More than twenty trades are represented on its forging, machining, boiler making, welding, inspection, and R&D sites.

Framatome components equip more than 100 power plants in 11 countries, always meeting the most demanding nuclear safety and quality standards.

The components manufactured by Framatome equip more than 100 reactors in 11 countries

Since 1970, Framatome has also produced more than 6,000 control rod drive mechanisms, 3, 000 nuclear parts, 670 components and 300 reactor coolant pumps for its customers operating around the world.

  • Heavy equipment: our unique expertise

    Framatome uses state-of-the-art technologies to produce high-quality, competitive heavy equipment—key components of the nuclear island.

    The Project and Components Business Unit designs and manufactures heavy nuclear island components for its customers, including:

    • Nuclear reactor vessels (vessel head, heavy reflector and core shroud)
    • Steam generators (elliptical dome, shells and tube sheets)
    • Pressurizers
    • Reactor coolant pumps
    • Primary piping that connects the reactor to the steam generators

    Manufacturing heavy equipment involves three steps:

    1. The Saint-Marcel engineering plant (Saône-et-Loire) defines the technical specifications.

    2. The Creusot plant (Saône-et-Loire) manufactures the parts forged and molded in carbon steel or stainless steel.

    3. Once manufactured, inspected and declared compliant, the parts are delivered to Saint-Marcel assembly plants to manufacture the heavy components for the primary reactor loop.

    For its international customers, the Components Business Unit also manufactures containers for transporting and storing used nuclear fuel.

    High-precision mechanics

    Framatome employs cutting-edge technologies to produce high-quality, competitive heavy equipment. Reactor vessels, steam generators and pressurizers are sophisticated components requiring precise mechanical operations to the hundredth of a millimeter on forged parts weighing several tens or hundreds of tons. To maintain the highest level of safety, Framatome also relies on its unparalleled experience as its components equip more than 100 power plants worldwide.

  • Design, manufacture and maintenance of mobile equipment

    The Jeumont site (France) designs the mobile equipment required by power plant operators. The site aims to combine performance, safety and timely delivery worldwide.

    The Components business unit designs, manufactures and delivers mobile equipment for nuclear reactors around the world. This equipment includes:

    • Reactor coolant pumps (pump, motor and sealing system, shaft seal), which ensure cooling of the reactor coolant system
    • Control rod drive mechanisms that regulate the nuclear reaction within the reactor core

    The business unit carries out R&D and production tests on this mobile equipment before producing it.

    Maintenance and modernization

    Framatome also carries out all maintenance operations for this mobile equipment, including:

    • Modernization of components and integration of modifications
    • Supplying a wide range of replacement parts
    • Fast delivery of components
    • Modernization of motors on site or in the workshop

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