Mr. Arnaud Gay, Executive Vice President Technical Department &International Operations – Recycling Business Unit Arnaud joined the AREVA group in the early 1990's, working as a nuclear engineering project control manager for the construction of the La Hague facilities.In 1994, as an R&D and Advanced Studies manager, he helped developing the potential of the La Hague and MELOX plants. He was also involved in driving the international business development, with a focus on Asia and the US. In year 2000, arnaud took the responsibility of spent fuel treatment contract negotiations with EDF (Electricité de France, the French utility). From 2002 to 2005, he was also in charge of corporate business development. In 2006, he was appointed Vice President for Innovation, Research and Projects and Director of D&D (Decontamination and Decommissioning) projects within the Treatment Business Unit. In this capacity he was responsible for oversight of the overall operations of AREVA on the Marcoule Site under decommissioning. In year 2008 Arnaud was appointed as Executive Vice President of the newly created AREVA’s D&D Business Unit with the management responsibility for all D&D projects (internal projects where AREVA is the owner-operator as well as external projects with customers. Following the FUKUSHIMA tsunami, Arnaud took over the lead of AREVA’s worldwide task force that was setup in an emergency for the responding to TEPCO requests. This includes on site operations from March to September 2011. The 1st January 2014, Arnaud was appointed as Executive Vice President International Operations, with oversight of all the international projects for the Back End Business Group. In this capacity he represents AREVA as, Lead Director at the Board of NMP, the JV in charge of the management of the Sellafield Site in the UK. In July 2016, in addition to his present position, he was appointed Head of the Technical Department of the Recycling Business Unit.
Abstract:The
vitrification of high-level liquid waste produced from nuclear fuel
reprocessing has been carried out industrially for over 40 years by orano, with
three main objectives : durable
containment of the long lived fission products, minimization of the final
volume of waste and operability in an industrial context.
The
vitrification process developed by CEA and successfully operated by orano is a
two step vitrification process where High Level Liquid Wastes (HLLW) are first
calcined before to be vitrified with glass frit into an induction-heated
metallic melter.
These
process and technological choices led to simple and compact equipment easy to
operate, to maintain, to adapt and to replace in minimum time with minimum
secondary waste.
Since
the beginning of french vitrification history in the 50’s, continuous effort
have been made to improve process (in line vitrification of fission products
and noble metals, increase feeding calciner from 60l/ to 90l/h), technologies
(melter reliability, evolution from hot induction melter to cold induction
melter), and to adapt containment waste form matrix formulation for effluents
to be vitrified (different fissions product, effluent coming from rinsing and
decommissioning operation).
As
a result Orano group, supported by CEA, has developped integrated a unique
experience in the field of the design and operations of facilities with high
record of safety, reliability and product quality in line with reprocessing
plant Operations objectives
A
new generation of process and melter is now under development for in situ
D&D waste vitrification.
