National Nuclear Laboratory
| National Nuclear Laboratory | |
| Formed | 1692 AN |
|---|---|
| Type | Federal agency |
| Jurisdiction | Federation of Nouvelle Alexandrie |
| Headquarters | Central Laboratory, near Cárdenas, Federal Capital District |
| Responsible Secretary | Secretary of Energy and Environment |
| Parent agency | Department of Energy and Environment |
The National Nuclear Laboratory (Alexandrian: Laboratoire national de l'énergie nucléaire; Martino: Laboratorio Nacional de Energía Nuclear, LNEN) is a government agency of the Department of Energy and Environment of Nouvelle Alexandrie. It provides nuclear science, technology, and engineering expertise covering the whole of the nuclear fuel cycle, and maintains the federation's research and development capabilities for the nuclear energy industry. LNEN publishes a quarterly magazine, Futuro Nuclear, which carries technical papers, essays, and interviews from the nuclear industry.
History
LNEN was founded in 1692 AN to consolidate nuclear science research in a single federal laboratory. Its reactor development work supported the growth of nuclear power to over 11% of annual power generation in Nouvelle Alexandrie by 1715 AN.
In 1724 AN, the Department of Research and Development transferred the National Isotopes Facility in Punta Santiago to LNEN, expanding its mandate to nuclear medicine and isotope production. After the discovery of Alexandrium in Alduria in 1729 AN, LNEN worked with the National Energy Commission on the development of the first microreactors capable of Alexandrium-derived power generation.
In 1738 AN, the Frontera Program allocated NAX€8.4 billion to LNEN to expand and upgrade its facilities. The largest single project was a new center near Parap for fusion power research.
Facilities
Central Laboratory
The headquarters of LNEN are located near Cárdenas, the capital of Nouvelle Alexandrie. The Central Laboratory (LC) sits on a 20-hectare campus and has four main buildings.
- The Main Building houses administrative offices that manage the other facilities of LNEN nationwide, as well as lecture halls, a conference center, and a specialized library. It is also home to the National Nuclear Museum, with exhibitions on the history of nuclear energy, prototypes, and nuclear science.
- The Reactor Design Building tests new nuclear reactor designs for power generation and other tasks. Experimental reactors built and tested there include:
- The Advanced Heavy Water Reactor (RAAP), which operated between 1694 AN and 1698 AN. It was built to demonstrate AHWR technology, but the design lost out to gas-cooled reactors.
- The Advanced Gas-Cooled Reactor (RARG), which operated between 1694 AN and 1710 AN. It became the template for eight nuclear power plants throughout Nouvelle Alexandrie.
- The Very-High-Temperature Reactor (RMAT), which operated between 1712 AN and 1724 AN, combining pebble-bed technology with HTGR design. It replaced the AGR as the main nuclear power reactor type in Nouvelle Alexandrie by 1730 AN.
- The Molten-Salt Reactor (RSF), in operation since 1728 AN. It demonstrates MSR technology but has not yet displaced HTGR designs in commercial service.
- The Nuclear Fuel Building researches nuclear fuel production, waste management, and radioactivity, with the aim of improving fuel efficiency and reducing radiation hazards.
- The Decommissioning Building provides technical expertise to industry partners and government agencies on decommissioning operations, including radioactive waste, shutdown safety, and environmental restoration.
Potosí Nuclear Fuel Factory
The Potosí Nuclear Fuel Factory (FCNP), also known as PotosíNuclear, supports the operations of the Central Laboratory. It produces the bulk of the nuclear fuel for Nouvelle Alexandrie's nuclear power stations, as well as for international customers. It has four main buildings.
- The Main Building houses administrative offices, a lecture hall, a conference hall, and a specialized library.
- The Oxide Fuel Plant produces oxide fuels for advanced gas-cooled and heavy water reactors, as well as intermediate fuel products, including uranium dioxide powders, granules, and pellets.
- The Hex Fuel Plant produces uranium hexafluoride ("hex") for enriching uranium for nuclear reactors.
- The Fuel Cycle Processing Plant processes fuel-cycle residues, in particular those produced by gas-cooled reactors.
FCNP also has a large area for the containment of radioactive waste, using both dry cask storage and a deep geological repository for transuranic radioactive waste.
Nuclear Isotope Facility
The Nuclear Isotope Facility (IIN) in Punta Santiago, the capital of Alduria, is the nation's largest supplier of medical and research isotopes. It sits on a 20-hectare campus with six main buildings.
- The Main Building houses administrative offices, lecture halls, a conference center, and a specialized library. It also houses the National Isotopes Museum, with exhibitions on the history of medical and research isotopes, reactor designs, and nuclear science.
- The Linear Accelerator Isotope Plant produces isotopes for medical and research purposes by linear acceleration of protons, using a 30 m beam line with 200 MeV capacity. It also provides non-isotope irradiations for materials research.
- The Low-Energy Accelerator Plant combines linear acceleration with a VDG electron accelerator to study radiation effects in radioisotope separation, purification, and targetry methods.
- The High Flux Isotope Reactor is a light-water cooled and moderated reactor fueled by uranium-235 that produces radioisotopes for nuclear research.
- The Medical Cyclotron Facility produces medical radioisotopes by cyclotron acceleration of proton, deuteron, helium-3, or alpha particle beams. It is the nation's largest producer of medical radioisotopes for cancer treatment.
- The Radiochemical Processing Laboratory prepares radioisotopes for medical, research, and non-lethal military applications, using products from the other facilities.
Rimarima Nuclear Facility
The Rimarima Nuclear Facility (INR) provides the bulk of uranium enrichment services for Nouvelle Alexandrie. It processes natural uranium for civil use, manages and stores depleted uranium, and supports the decommissioning of enriched uranium reactors. Since 1724 AN, it has produced only low-enriched uranium for civil use, having ceased military production. It has four main buildings.
- The Main Building houses administrative offices, a lecture hall, a conference hall, and a specialized library.
- The Gas Centrifuge Plant produces low-enriched uranium by gas centrifuging, providing the bulk of enriched uranium fuel for nuclear power plants in Nouvelle Alexandrie.
- The Advanced Fuels Plant, built in 1738 AN, produces high-assay low-enriched uranium for small and advanced modular reactors.
- The Hex Processing Plant de-converts depleted uranium hexafluoride tails to a more stable uranium oxide compound for long-term storage and disposal.
Like FCNP, INR has a large radioactive waste containment facility with dry cask storage.
Nuclear Reprocessing Facility
The Nuclear Reprocessing Facility near Ravaillac, the capital of New Caputia, was built in 1743 AN to reprocess depleted nuclear fuel rods and store spent nuclear fuel. Its core process separates uranium for use in new nuclear fuel and plutonium for mixed oxide fuel, reducing the volume of spent fuel. This has significantly extended the fuel cycles of the nation's nuclear power plants. It has two main buildings.
- The Main Building houses administrative offices, a lecture hall, a conference hall, and a specialized library.
- The Fuel Reprocessing Plant reprocesses nuclear fuel to recover enriched uranium and plutonium for mixed oxide fuel.
National Nuclear Fusion Reactor
The National Nuclear Fusion Reactor (RFNN) near Parap, the capital of Wechua, is a prototype fusion power plant, known locally as Proyecto Inti, based on a spherical tokamak. Construction began in 1740 AN, and the first phase was completed in 1749 AN. When finished, the site will have seven main buildings.
- The Main Building (1743 AN) houses administrative offices, meeting rooms, an auditorium, a library, a canteen, lecture halls, and a visitor center. It also houses the National Fusion Museum, with exhibitions on the history of nuclear fusion and the development of the RFNN site.
- The Control Building (1744 AN) houses the main control room, a server room, offices and meeting rooms, a leisure area, open spaces, and a public gallery.
- The Neutral Beam Test Facility (1746 AN) tests neutral beam injection, one of the main heating systems of tokamak fusion, using negative ion technology.
- The Cryoplant (1749 AN) provides cooling for the magnets of the tokamak complex. It includes three liquid helium refrigerators and a 1,400 m3 vacuum vessel.
- The Cooling Tower Area (scheduled 1759 AN) will provide cooling water and heat exchange for the main reactor area and power systems.
- The Power Conversion Building (scheduled 1762 AN) will house the main switchyard needed to power the 10,000 tons of superconducting magnets of the tokamak.
- The Tokamak Complex (scheduled 1762 AN) is the main facility of the RFNN: a tokamak hall seven stories tall, 120 m long, and 80 m wide, with auxiliary systems for heating, ventilation, power, networking, and sensors.
Organization
LNEN answers directly to the Department of Energy and Environment. Daily operations are run by an Executive Team under a Director, assisted by:
- a Chief Science Officer, in charge of scientific programming and nuclear research;
- a Chief Nuclear Officer, in charge of nuclear operations, including safeguarding, engineering, and waste management;
- a Chief Operations Officer, in charge of facilities administration, logistics, and procurement;
- a Chief Finance Officer, in charge of budgeting, finances, and auditing; and
- a Chief Customer Officer, in charge of public relations, training, and industrial collaboration.
A Board of academic and industrial experts, led by a Chair, oversees the activities of the Executive Team.
Divisions
LNEN is organized as follows:
- Director
- Chief Operations Officer
- Department of Administration and Planning
- Department of Facilities
- Chief Science Officer
- Nuclear Energy Division
- Office of Fuel
- Office of Enrichment and Processing
- Isotopes Division
- Office of Nuclear Medicine
- Office of Research Isotopes
- Decommissioning Division
- Fusion Division
- Nuclear Energy Division
- Chief Customer Officer
- Industry Collaboration Office
- Office of Public Engagement
- Office of Nuclear Education
- Chief Nuclear Officer
- Department of Nuclear Safety
- Department of Containment and Waste Management
- Chief Operations Officer
Support departments handle finance, human resources, technical services, IT infrastructure, and public relations. LNEN also operates three advisory boards:
- Nuclear Research and Innovation Council
- Security and Ethics Council
- Non-Proliferation Council
Research
Besides its departmental funding for fundamental and applied nuclear science, LNEN established the Associates Grants Program (PSA), also known as Invención Nuclear (InNuc), in 1738 AN to provide match-funding grants to public and private research. As of 1746 AN, the program had funded over NAX€600 million in research on nuclear energy, medicine, and fusion. InNuc runs three programs:
- Core Science (NAX€50 million): match-funding and technical expertise for researchers and industrial partners in fundamental and applied nuclear science, including safeguarding and waste management.
- Innovation (NAX€250 million): match-funding and technical expertise for engineers and industrial partners to test and develop new technologies, methods, and concepts. LNEN operates an open platform, NuFronta, for exchanging innovations and ideas.
- Strategic Research (NAX€300 million): match-funding and technical expertise for industrial partners maintaining, upgrading, and expanding the domestic and international civil nuclear industry, including nuclear power, medicine, and fusion technology.
