In an effort to ensure up-to-date knowledge delivery and the highest level of education in the field of nuclear power at the Faculty of Mechanical and Power Engineering, our employee Wojciech Zacharczuk, PhD, from the Division of Nuclear Power Engineering in the Department of Thermal Sciences, took part in a training course organized by EDF and Framatome - renowned companies in the energy sector. The training took place from 19.06-02.07.2022 and 18-24.09.2022 in France, at selected nuclear centers belonging to EDF and Framatome.

The first part of the internship included theoretical training conducted by EDF experts at the Saclay training center near Paris. Topics discussed included the operation and safety of nuclear power plants, reactor fuel changeover and procedures for dealing with LOCA-type accidents. Emergency conditions were simulated on a full-scale EPR reactor simulator. The training also included a number of technical visits to, among others, research and development centers in Chatou and Saclay near Paris, the Superphenix research reactor in Creys-Malville in the Rhône-Alpes region, and the EDF-Framatome CETIC training center in Chalon-sur-Saône in the Burgundy region.

The second part of the training included a week-long internship at the Civaux nuclear power plant, which operates power units with two PWR-type reactors of 1450 MWe each. During the internship, a number of visits and meetings were held with representatives of various departments, during which the most important issues related to the operation, maintenance and safety of the nuclear power plant as well as radiological protection were discussed.

The final stage of the training was a trip to the uranium conversion plant in Tricastin, owned by Orano, and a visit to the nuclear fuel production plant in Romans sur Isere, owned by Framatome. During the week-long visit, practical knowledge was gained in the chemical processing of uranium, its enrichment and the manufacture of fuel elements for modern nuclear reactors, along with quality control.