Nuclear: the relaunch? The trends? Go, Pyrocontrole !

- Jean-Jacques, how did you end up in the Nuclear sector?

After specialized studies in quality/safety and the environment, I first came across the nuclear sector in 2015 when I was taken on to handle quality monitoring, inspection and scheduling at Pyrocontrole. I very quickly found myself having to monitor the execution of the contracts and the communication with customers about quality issues.

My position upstream of the contracts soon gave me an idea of the growing requirements in terms of system quality, leading me to apply for the job of QHSE (Quality, Health, Safety, Environment) Supervisor, as it also played into my determination to evolve towards managerial and decision-making responsibilities.

- What is Pyrocontrole’s latest news in the Nuclear sector?

At Pyrocontrole, we have been proving our expertise in the nuclear sector since the 1970s, supporting our customers through all the changes demanded for this market. In 2023, we will be continuing our long-term contracts with the power plants (Hualong-1, ex-Fangchenggang) developed by China General Nuclear Power in China, as well as the HPC Hinkley Point project in  the UK.

We are also working for EDF to supply probes for the Grand Refit (renovation of France’s nuclear power plants with the aim of prolonging their life span).

In 2023, with the energy crisis and ecological issues, nuclear power has once again become a crucial worldwide resource for short, medium and long-term decarbonization.

- What is the advantage of Framatome certification?

The certification granted by EDF or Framatome is strategic, as it helps to confirm for prime contractors that Pyrocontrole is capable of meeting the organizational and quality requirements.

For Pyrocontrole, it is important to be acknowledged as a reliable actor on the temperature measurement market for nuclear activities.

- What is  ISO 19443: Nuclear Quality?

ISO 19443 certification covers suppliers or subcontractors whose products or services have an impact on the safety of the electricity or fuel production installations. It is based on ISO 9001 and integrates the specific requirements of the nuclear sector.

- What does the future hold for the nuclear sector?

In my opinion, in the future the nuclear sector will be focused mainly on SMRs (Small Modular Reactors). These will be very small power plants which can be manufactured in factories in the form of industrialized modules installed directly on site. These modules will be simple, economical and very safe. What more could we ask for? The applications are so varied they are almost infinite, ranging from urban heating to desalination of seawater or even hydrogen production….

Vidéo Nucléaire Pyrocontrole

Chauvin Arnoux Energy has updated its Relays Catalog, adding two new Series of fast-acting relays:

-              RGMVX-RMMVX Series - Fast-acting monostable relays, 4, 8 and 12 CO contacts RT, response time less than 8 ms,

-              RGBV-RMBV Series - Fast-acting bistable relays, 4, 8 and 12 CO contacts, response timeless than 10 ms,

-              HB "High Burden" option available for these two new Series.

This has also allowed us to complete our Relays Catalog with:

-              A selection guide page:  presentation of the different types of relays and the features toi take into account when choosing your relays

-              A page on installation, use and maintenance.

Discover the Chauvin Arnoux Energy Relays Catalog.

The company "Groupement des Enrobés de l’Ain" and MRI have once again placed their trust in Pyrocontrole! Follow us!

For this new episode at the heart of our products, Alexandre Soukphouangkham, Product Manager - Control Products, and the sales engineer Valentin Filser are working for "Groupement des Enrobés de l’Ain". This job involves joint work between MRI, which installed the system, and Pyrocontrole, which handled commissioning of the Thyritop 500 models at GEA in Bourg-en-Bresse (Ain, France).

Our Thyritop 500 power controllers can optimize the heating of tar. Once the right temperature is reached (120 °C), it is mixed with various gravels and maintained at that temperature by means of the Thyritop 500s. Once this operation has terminated, the asphalt is finally ready to cover our roads and motorways, either for maintenance or for building new infrastructure.

Additional technical details…

Products // Thyritop 500 power controller

Voltage // 400V

Loads // 12Kw

Conduction mode // BURST firing

Options // Open loop

Fieldbus // MODBUS RTU

The earliest known uses of tar have been found in Mesopotamia, where it served as glue in prehistoric times.

Tar is derived from coal and should not be confused with bitumen, which is derived from oil.

From energy meters via measuring transducers to relays, Chauvin Arnoux Energy proposes a selection of precision products.

 Download our 2023 product selection!

1. Power monitors: for on-site or remote monitoring LV, MV and HV electrical networks

Discover our MEMO and ENERIUM ranges which have the following specific features:

MEMO

• All-in-one screen, particularly easy to read
• Easy to implement and operate
• Controlled inventory covering all your essential needs

ENERIUM

• Accuracy adapted to the most critical MV/LV measurements
• A history log and diagnostic tools to help you understand your electrical feeder
• Unique on the market: up to 8 totally-integrated inputs/outputs (on-off or analog)

2. Measuring transducers: efficient real-time monitoring of electrical networks

Whether analog or digital, Chauvin Arnoux Energy’s measuring transducers propose all-systems communication (4-20 mA, Modbus, IEC 61850). Designed and manufactured in France, they offer you the benefit of 40 years’ experience. 

The Triad 2, Chauvin Arnoux Energy's flagship transducer, stands out with the following features:

• IEC 60688 Class 0.1
• IEC6000-6-5 substation environment compliance
• 4 analogue, RS485 or ethernet outputs

To learn more about our top ranges, download our 2023 Selected Products brochure!

3. Network analyzer: the black box that doesn't miss any event in your electrical network

The MAP range proposes permanent analyzers and non-intrusive analyzers offering the following advantages:

Compliant with the IEC 61000-4-30 Class A standard

• Data processing as per the EN 50160 n standard
• Detection of the directionality (upstream/downstream) of the events
• Analysis of fast transients

The most extensive and critical electrical networks require particular supervision of energy quality at the points of connection.

Chauvin Arnoux Energy proposes analysis and report generation to monitor energy quality on a national or regional scale : E. Qual-Premium Server.

4. Digital panel meters: for industrial environments

These particularly compact panel meters can be fixed immediately without tools. Programming is simple and quick and the digital processing of the data makes it possible to connect the panel meters to external measuring or supervision systems.

Our digital panel meter ranges are entirely programmable whether for industrial use or for more universal applications.

Multimeters, megohmmeters, calibrators, loggers, wattmeters, current clamps…

Metrology is the science of measurement and its applications; metrology integrates all the theoretical and practical aspects of measurements.

Manumesure offers you a unique metrology partnership to check and calibrate your fleet of measuring instruments.
These services are provided in our technical centres or on your site, in France or abroad.

See all our metrology services

Ask for a quote

Read the interview with Patricia Rouquette, our Energy Market Manager, presenting the issues encountered in distribution network infrastructure and the solutions proposed by Chauvin Arnoux Energy. 

What are the issues encountered and what are the risk factors?

The main problems facing network managers are premature aging of the power transformers and equipment, technical losses and so-called "non-technical losses" linked to fraud.

A high temperature and a heavy load on the transformer significantly reduce its life span. Degraded ambient conditions in the transformer substation increase the probability of failure in the equipment composing it.

Significant overloading of the LV feeders and excessive heating of the cables and transformers may cause technical losses.

What impact can this have?

Premature aging or failure of the equipment in a substation not only generates maintenance costs, but may also have a negative impact on the network's users.

The technical losses, meanwhile, contribute to network operating cost overruns and may reach an annual volume which is greater than the electricity consumption of the network's largest customer.

Furthermore, the variability of the load on the transformers due to decentralized generation flows makes sizing the equipment more complex.

Is there a preventive solution available to avoid these issues?

GridWatch, the substation supervision solution developed by Chauvin Arnoux Energy, is ideal for preventing these issues. Based on the integration of the Ulys MCM multi-channel meter and sensors monitoring electrical or physical quantities, it can be used to:

-      Monitor the transformer's load level and unbalance

-      Monitor the energy flows at the level of the feeds and feeders on the substations in order to trace potential technical and non-technical losses

-      Assess the available reserve or the effective overloading of the feeders by measuring the power and the current at the level of the LV feeders

-      Monitor the temperature and the connection hot spots on the transformer and the ambient conditions and the hot spots and humidity in the MV cells

-      Detect flooding by monitoring the water level in the substations

-      Detect intrusions in the substations

Watch the video presenting our GridWatch kit.

Bruno Burioni, product manager at Pyrocontrole meeting one of our customers, Michelin in Vannes, to present the new range of temperature regulators. 

Find our Statop offer!

Pyrocontrole's Thyritop 101 is an essential instrument for controlling the currents, voltages and power of industrial electrical heating processes. Today, it is facing a new adventure: energy performance.

To reduce energy bills and decarbonize our industry, here is the brand new Thyritop 101 Series.

Episode 1 – the birth of a super static relay

Whether you have a solar farm or a single panel and whether your installation is single-phase, three-phase or multistring, the FTV500 multifunction tester can be used to:
- measure the I-V curves and the efficiency of the installation
- check electrical safety (insulation & continuity)
- record the parameters over long periods

The 5-in-1 FTV500 multifunction tester performs all the measurements in compliance with the applicable international standards.
It also offers a large number of other advantages: anti-glare screen, remote unit, Wifi communication, etc.

Pyrocontrole, part of the Chauvin Arnoux Group, has been working with Actini for some years now to supply control solutions, in this case the Thyritop 600, coupled with their thermal treatment equipment for pasteurization and sterilization in the agri-food sector.  

For this commissioning work, Alexandre used the panel of solutions offered by the Chauvin Arnoux Group's various measuring instruments, linking it to a CA 1950 thermal camera for no-contact infrared temperature measurement in the sterilization process and a Scopix oscilloscope from our Metrix brand for voltage analysis, coupled with the PyroTools software for analysing the data from the Thyritop power controllers to ensure that the thermal food pasteurization process is reliable.

The PyroTools software can be downloaded free of charge from our website.

Téléchargez le catalogue des contrôleurs de puissance Thyritop 600

Téléchargez le catalogue du CA 1950 Diacam 2

Additional technical information…

Products // Thyritop 600 3-phase and 2-phase power controller in 100 A, 150 A, 200 A and 400 A versions

Voltage // 400 V for the 100 A, 150 A and 200 A versions, 690 V for the 400 A version

Loads // resistors wired with Y-connection without neutral

Conduction mode // BURST firing

Options // HB - detection of partial and total load break + UIP - UxI, U², I², U & I power control

Fieldbus // Profinet

Did you know?

Pasteurization is a thermal treatment process used to destroy micro-organisms present in foodstuffs. The process was developed by Louis Pasteur in the 19^th century.

This technique involves heating the foodstuff to a specific temperature for a specific time and then quickly cooling it. This is enough to kill most bacteria, yeasts, moulds and other micro-organisms present without altering the product's nutritional and organoleptic qualities.

There are various methods, such as high-temperature short-time pasteurization (HTST) and low-temperature long-time (LTLT) pasteurization. HTST pasteurization heats the product to approximately 72 °C for 15 to 20 seconds, while LTLT pasteurization heats the product to approximately 63 °C for 30 minutes.

This process helps to prolong the shelf life of foodstuffs by using the bioburden and preventing the proliferation of micro-organisms which might cause food-related illness. However, it is important to note that pasteurization does not destroy all the micro-organisms, such as heat-resistant bacterial spores. As a result, pasteurized products must always be handled and stored appropriately to avoid any subsequent contamination.

Focus on Actini

Actini is a 100%-French international company based in Evian.  The company has been designing, producing and installing thermal treatment equipment "Made in France" for the agri-food and biopharmaceutical sectors for 70 years.