AREVA North America Projects

U.S. Technical Center

The U.S. Technical Center is a major component of the AREVA Solutions Complex designed to help utility clients and equipment manufacturers meet the ever-increasing requirements for safe nuclear electricity production. The Solutions Complex is comprised of eight unique service centers providing one convenient location for pump and motor repair, seismic, metallurgic and environmental testing, chemistry and materials analysis, in-core instrumentation fabrication, and fuel field services. With the addition of this new Technical Center, the AREVA Solutions Complex is now home to the most comprehensive and innovative nuclear testing capabilities in North America.

As a key resource for AREVA’s Integrated Solutions, the U.S. Technical Center is a welcome addition to AREVA's world-wide testing capabilities. The solutions will enable utilities to address plant life extension, simplify procurement and inventory management of equipment and components and streamline their qualification, and develop performance improvement capabilities.

The U.S. Technical Center offers full-service nuclear safety testing capabilities, including: a seismic analysis laboratory with a multi-axial shake table capable of testing items weighing up to 10 tons, environmental chambers to test the performance of components and products in harsh conditions, metallurgical and chemistry labs to evaluate material properties including a scanning electron microscope, and industrial ovens for thermal aging to support commercial grade dedication testing of safety-related components. The U.S. Technical Center testing capabilities are supported by AREVA’s Appendix B Quality Assurance Program, mechanical design engineering, specialty machining and fabrication activities also located at the AREVA Solutions Complex.

Completion of the AREVA Solutions Center will add up to $7 million of procurement and facility modifications through 2015 in the Lynchburg area and will lead to the creation of additional jobs by 2013. The expansion required for the development of the U.S. Technical Center began in mid-February 2012, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony September 2012.

  • Ribbon-cutting

    • Mike Rencheck, AREVA Inc. President and CEO, and Claude Jaouen, AREVA Vice President of Reactors & Services, cut the ceremonial ribbon in front of AREVA customers, marking the official opening of the U.S. Technical Center within the AREVA Solutions Complex.

      AREVA Inc. CEO Mike Rencheck speaks with attendees about the U.S. Technical Center's unique capabilities.

      Maureen Matsen, from the Office of Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell, was an honored guest and speaker at the event.

      A chamber in the Environmental Testing Laboratory, a key component of the U.S. Technical Center

      Guests are impressed with AREVA’s new 10x10 Seismic Shake Table that can test components up to 10 tons at 7g's.

  • Shake Table Concrete

    • Shake Table

      • Shake table weighs 10,000 lbs (5 tons)
      • Tests up to 7g’s (gravitational force) and 100 Hz (hertz)

      This system is one of the largest of its kind in North America and a key component in addressing industry obsolescence and safety-related procurement issues.

      The shake table foundation vault measures 29 x 29-feet and 12-feet thick.

      Thirty-three truckloads of concrete, the equivalent of pouring foundations for 20 homes at the same time, were delivered in rotation during the 5-hour concrete pour.

      The resulting 1.3 million pound concrete reaction mass, which provides the foundation for the seismic response testing system, is one of the largest of its kind in North America.

      The 5-ton shake table allows AREVA to develop, analyze and validate nuclear plant equipment and its performance under harsh conditions such as earthquakes and high temperatures.