Have you heard of ITER? ITER is undoubtedly one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken by mankind, not only because it constitutes a challenge in terms of complexity and cost, but also because it involves the coordination of more than 35 countries across the world. This said, what is it about? The aim of … Read more
Visual inspection consists of observing the external or accessible surfaces of parts, components or materials, either with the naked eye or using optical instruments. It is the Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) technique par excellence and its physical agent – light – does not cause any damage to the vast majority of materials. Changes in the properties … Read more
As of 2020 there are more than 100 nuclear power plants in the world whose reactors have been in operation for more than 40 years. It is now necessary to check that the vessel materials, subjected to high levels of irradiation and temperatures for several decades, have not become degraded and that they maintain their … Read more
The company Nucleoeléctrica Argentina S.A. (NASA), the owner of Atucha nuclear power plant, has awarded Tecnatom a new contract for the supply of valves and spares. This is the second contract for the supply of Walthon Weir Pacific components to the Argentinean nuclear programme. This order arises in the wake of an in-depth review of … Read more
As is described in our article “Ultrasonics. Beyond the coupling medium” , dry inspection makes it possible to address the evaluation of components under extreme working conditions, the inspection of complex geometry elements, the reduction of surface contamination on parts and the avoidance of the need to install water circuits in productive machines, also facilitating … Read more
Recent simulation tools allow us to anticipate and increase our knowledge of responses to complex scenarios. In the field of Non-Destructive Testing (NDT), simulation takes on special importance through its use in various critical areas such as the aeronautical, nuclear, industrial, healthcare and military sectors, where the levels of safety and quality involved require particularly … Read more
IBERDROLA Generación Nuclear, S.A., the company owning Cofrentes nuclear power plant (Spain), and Tecnatom have reaffirmed their collaboration in the fields of training and inspection from now until the definitive shutdown of this Spanish plant, scheduled for late 2030. These agreements consolidate the relationship between the two companies in two very different areas: On the … Read more
Krško nuclear power plant (Slovenia) has awarded Tecnatom a new engineering services contract, in this specific case for the use of Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) for buried piping. The Slovenian plant is involved in a series of improvements and investments aimed at extending its operating lifetime to 60 years. This will require the analysis and assessment … Read more
The Spanish nuclear regulatory body, the Nuclear Safety Council, has awarded Tecnatom an important contract for the design of the training programmes for its entire staff, these to be based on the SAT (Systematic Approach to Training) methodology. What is the SAT methodology? The SAT methodology is recognised internationally as being one of the best … Read more
Large infrastructures and buildings, such as nuclear power plants, carry with them the need to verify the status of certain concrete structures in order to ensure their structural integrity. Although specific standards are currently being drawn up for this purpose, a need is foreseen for the development of inspections capable of detecting possible discontinuities, … Read more
El proyecto ITER es uno de los proyectos de inversión más grandes del mundo, en el que colaboran más de 35 países con el objetivo de demostrar la viabilidad de la fusión nuclear como fuente de energía inagotable. Para ello se está construyendo uno de los dispositivos de fusión por confinamiento magnético más grandes del mundo, en el que se probarán tecnologías, materiales y regímenes físicos integrados necesarios para la producción de electricidad basada en la fusión.
Tecnatom forma parte del proyecto aportando la creación de la plataforma de simulación de lo que será el simulador de la sala de control de ITER, la integración de modelos existentes desarrollados por distintos suministradores, la integración del sistema de control CODAC, el desarrollo de modelos adicionales, así como el mantenimiento y la formación en la plataforma.
