REEL | ADVERTORIAL FEATURE
REEL, 80 years of nuclear fuel handling innovation
A historical partner of the nuclear industry, REEL designs, supplies and modernizes high
integrity fuel handling systems Combining precision, safety and availability across all reactor technologies, From existing fleets to SMRs, AMRs and cutting edge research facilities.
FOR 80 YEARS, REEL HAS been supporting the nuclear industry at the very heart of facilities, where the most sensitive operations are carried out: fuel loading and unloading. Our history is closely linked to the rise of nuclear technologies and to the increasing requirements in terms of safety, availability, reliability and performance. As early as the mid 1950s, with the design of a jib crane for loading the fuel core at one of the first French nuclear sites, REEL laid the foundations of what still remains its core business today: the fuel loading machine and, more broadly, nuclear handling systems combining precision, reliability, risk control and long-term industrial robustness. Over the decades, this expertise has been structured and industrialized through large scale projects such as the “all nuclear” program in France in the early 1970s. By developing standardized yet scalable solutions, REEL helped to harmonize and secure fuel handling systems, while progressively integrating new functionalities to improve performance and safety. This momentum continued with major international programs, particularly for series of reference reactors, where REEL successfully adapted its equipment to the specificities of local designs, national regulatory requirements and operators’ operational constraints. At the same time, REEL has established itself as a
key player in the refurbishment and modernization of handling systems, particularly in operating plants and for export. Our ability to integrate new systems into constrained buildings and processes, to replace all or part of existing equipment, and to optimize the duration of unit outages has become a major asset. Making a handling chain more reliable, integrating advanced automation, or strengthening functional safety are all challenges that have been met thanks to robust engineering and a clear understanding of operational needs on complex nuclear sites. The advent of the new generation of pressurized
water reactors marked a decisive step in this evolution. In this context, REEL developed a new generation of fuel handling systems, designed no longer as simple machines, but as systems integrated at the heart of the nuclear island. The integration of control command, instrumentation, active and passive safety functions, as well as facilitated maintenance devices and operator assistance systems, illustrates this shift towards complete, connected architectures designed for long- term operation. More recently, REEL has developed specific expertise in boiling water reactors, adapting its handling solutions to the particularities of this technology and capitalizing on international operating feedback. Finally, this technological diversification is continuing with small modular reactors
(SMRs), advanced modular reactors (AMRs) and research reactors. On these projects, REEL draws on its historical know how to design compact, modular, highly customized systems, incorporating from the design stage the challenges of decommissioning, operational flexibility and the industrialization of future series, in close partnership with utilities and technology vendors. ■
Fuel loading machine for the Flamanville 3 EPR reactor, showcasing REEL’s expertise in nuclear environments.
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