An integrated product range and a global presence

Nuclear island components

The Equipment business unit provides heavy and mobile components for the nuclear island. The components are used in new power plants and to replace equipment at the end of its service life. The components are required for every aspect of pressurized water reactor (PWR) technical operations.

• Heavy components: steam generators, pressurizers, vessels, heads, internal vessel equipment, and support structures. These components are at the core of nuclear steam production.
• Mobile components: primary reactor pumps cooling the main reactor circuit, and control rod drive mechanisms enabling precision reactor core regulation.
• Large forged, molded and machined parts used to manufacture heavy components for the nuclear island and in the refining industries (e.g. petrochemicals).

An international presence

Extending the Equipment business unit over several industrial sites internationally allows it to secure reliable component procurement on behalf of AREVA’s customers.

In France:

• the Saint-Marcel plant, near Chalon-sur-Saône, manufactures heavy nuclear components,
• the JSPM plant, in northern France, produces mobile components for nuclear power plants, 
• the casting and machining workshops of Creusot Forge and Creusot Mécaniques, located in Le Creusot, Saône-et-Loire, produce the large forged and molded parts used in the manufacture of the heavy components,
• the SOMANU subsidiary, located in Maubeuge maintains nuclear equipment in a hot workshop.

International:

• AREVA DONGFANG (ADJV), in Deyang, China: this joint venture, formed with DongFang Electrical Machinery (DFEM) in 2005, manufactures JSPM-designed reactor coolant pumps for the Chinese market.
• AREVA Newport News LLC, in Newport News, United States (Virginia): this joint venture was created by AREVA and Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding to construct a new world-class industrial site for the engineering and manufacture of heavy components. The plant will enter service in 2013.

The nuclear components market

AREVA's Equipment business unit serves all pressurized water reactor (PWR) applications, and serves 2 market segments.

• New power plants market: the market is growing significantly owing to the resurgence in new nuclear power plant construction around the world (United States, Europe, China). The market is also being boosted by the development of new markets, in India and the Near East in particular.
• Component replacement market: this sector is growing as plant operators seek to extend the service life and improve the performance of their nuclear installations.

In step with anticipated market trends, AREVA is forming strategic partnerships with major players in the energy market to guarantee its customers secure and reliable procurement. These partnerships include:

• Sandvik (Sweden), Valinox (France) and Sumitomo (Japan) for the supply of steam generator tubes,
• Japan Steel Works (JSW) to guarantee reliable provision of large forged parts for use in other power plant components.

Continuous innovation

AREVA's equipment manufacturing sites design and produce specialist tools with support from senior scientists and specialists from the group’s Technical Center. The Equipment business unit is committed to industrial process innovation, exploring wherever possible:

• the use of new materials,
• modeling and digital simulation applications,
• the use of even more reliable and more precise manufacturing systems,
• increasingly rigorous equipment inspections.

Innovation is sought across the product range.

• Forged parts: processes for manufacturing very large forged parts
• Heavy components: welding processes, reduction of manufacturing time cycles
• Mobile components: development of a primary reactor coolant pump for the American market, of a full capacity test loop, and of new shaft seal technology.

The Technical Center is a hugely valuable resource available to all AREVA business units right through the nuclear energy cycle. The Center advises on a wide range of development and improvement initiatives.

Located at St-Marcel, at Le Creusot and in Germany, Technical Center laboratories are acknowledged to be world leading centers of expertise for welding techniques, corrosion chemistry, mechanical engineering, hydraulics, and non-destructive testing (NDT).