Nuclear energy

Solutions to support you throughout the life cycle of your parts.

You are a builder, manufacturer or sub-contractor

You would like to:

Meet your contractors' requierements on certification, according the latest standards
Be supported throughout parts manufacturing, from design all the way up to final compliance assessment
Have your works monitored in accordance with manufacturing codes acceptance criteria: RCC-M, ASME, CODETI, CODAP
Evaluate the conformity of your pressure equipment (EP) and nuclear pressure equipment.

You are an operator

You wish to:

Ensure the integrity and safety of your plants
Develop innovative repair solutions
Extend the life span of your equipment
Anticipate and reduce maintenance costs
Minimise downtime and optimise monitoring or maintenance plans in order to increase equipment availability.

A single player in France and internationally

Design, manufacturing, in service monitoring and life span

You design, build or maintain components of nuclear power plants or nuclear fuel reprocessing plants.

There are many requirements related to the diversity of the materials used, installation operating conditions, regulations, codes and specifications.

We propose a global offer in the nuclear sector, from the design to the maintenance of your installations, avoiding the multiplicity of actors.

We assist you in carrying out dimensional designs for all equipment in accordance with standards in force.

We work on your manufacturing projects through technical welding and metallurgy assistance missions and engineering missions.

We monitor your manufacturing operations. We assist your in determining the inspection specifications. We qualify your non-destructive test methods and test the new equipment.

We are a member of the French Organization for Safety on Pressure Vessels (ASAP) and we are authorised to decide upon conformity of your new pressure vessels. We can also work within a contractual framework (second and third party inspection).

We supervise your non-destructive testing operations during maintenance steps.

Finally, we can help you extend the life of your equipment through our expertise and advice. We can study the harmfulness of defects and possibly validate them. We advise you about measures to be taken to put your installation back into service.

What solutions does the Institut de Soudure provide?

Research & Development

Development and engineering of assembly and monitoring procedures
Development of multimaterials assembly solutions
Creation of prototype parts and mock up in our workshops
Static or dynamic characterisation (fatigue, fracture mechanics) of materials and assemblies
Studies on the resistance od welded assemblies againt corrosion
Development of dedicated NDT for corrosion, welding, monitoring, etc.

Engineering - Advice

Development of welding procedures (WPS)
Qualification of welding procedures (PQR)
Qualification of welders (WPQ)
Destructive testing: chemical analyses, mechanical testing

Training,qualification and certification

Training on non-destructive testing (ET, MT, PT, RT, UT: conventional, Phased Array; TOFD)
Welding theoretical and practical training
Training on innovative welding procedures
Preparation for international welding qualifications (IIW and EWF)
Preparation for the certification and qualification of staff
Training in boiler work and pipe work.

Inspection

Regulatory inspection,
Pressure equipment (EP) conformity assessment through ASAP, the French agency authorised and notified by Brussels to assess and monitor regulated pressure vessels
Welding operating procedure qualification, qualification of personnel
Third-party inspections: surveillance
Verification of welding machines (metrology).

Technical assistance

Welding procedures examinations
Validation of testing procedures by certified agents according to NF EN ISO 9712 Level 3 (ET, MT, PT, RT, UT, TOFD)
Production of NDT procedure qualification file
Quality monitoring/Inspection: documentary review
Follow-up of welding operations on-site.

Audit

Metallographic and fractographic examination in SEM
Assessment of the frangibilty of the roof of storage tanks
Materials and procedures audit
Residual life assessment, structural stress calculations
Defect assessment or Fitness-for-Service (FFS) analysis

Expertise

Failure analysis on metallics or composites partss
Expertise in materials and procedures

Standard non-destructive testing

Penetrant testing, Magnetic particle testing , Eddy Current testing
Ultrasonic testing: standard, Phased-Array,TOFD, IRIS
Storage tank NDT (ACFM, Guided Wave technique, Phased-Array, MFL scanner)
Radiographic testing: X-ray and γ (Ir 192, Se 75, Co 60), on-site and in blockhouse, with radiation attenuator (γ-Prox)

Control of inaccessible areas

Visual testing: laser profilometry (3D scan), 3D endoscope
Drone inspections (visual, thermographic)

Control of non-metallic materials

Composite material NDT
Polyethylene (HDPE) material NDT

Optimization of radiographic testing

BE-tag, an RFID solution for live and remote monitoring and supervising radiographic testing

Non-destructive examinations

Chemical analyses using spectroscopy analyzers (material supply recipe, material certificate establishment, etc.)
Metallographic replicas (heat treatment verification)

Why choose Institut de Soudure Group?

With over 100 years of experience and recognised by the French Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Industry as a reference for technical industrial welding, assembly and associated monitoring in France and internationally
Its extensive offer includes everything from design up to fitness for service examinations and equipment maintenance, sparing you the inconvenience of having to tum to multiple service providers

Members of the ASAP: a notified body by ASN, the French nuclear safety authority
Its Composite Integrity brand, specialising in composites
Its many locations in France
Its ability to work abroad.

Documentation

Our references

Chrome, copper and molybdenum content analysis using X-ray fluorescence on non-alloy steels
Determination of carbon content of moulded, forged, or wrought iron parts using a portable optical spectrometer
Characterisation of indication using replicas
Verification of steam-drying tank dimensioning note
Characterisation of an indication using multi-element ultrasound monitoring on primary circuit welding
Collection of fault indications using boat shape sampling techniques before laboratory expertise
Welding inspection and NDT on new assemblies
Monitoring of repair of penetrations to the bottom of the tank operations...

You are looking for a quotation? A first contact?

Together we will develop various offers tailored to your needs.

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