The CEA at the heart of great new challenges - annual ...
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THE CEA AT THE HEART OF GREAT NEW CHALLENGES ANNUAL REPORT 2015
Transcript of The CEA at the heart of great new challenges - annual ...
THE CEA AT THE HEART OF GREAT NEW
CHALLENGES ANNUAL REPORT 2015
> WWW.CEA.FRTHE CEA AT THE HEART OF GREAT NEW CHALLENGES
KEY FIGURES 2015
4,908PUBLICATIONS in peer-review
magazines
1,146PHD STUDENTS AND
230 POST-DOCTORAL
RESEARCHERS at the CEA
MORE THAN 438
EUROPEAN PROJECTS including 316 FP7 projects and 122 H2020 projects
753PRIORITY PATENTS FILED The CEA holds fourth place in the National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI)
ranking of public and private patent applicants
5,844ACTIVE PATENT FAMILIES
187 TECHNOLOGICAL
START-UPSsince 1972 in the innovative
technology sector, 124 since 2000
MORE THAN 500
INDUSTRIAL PARTNERS,300 contracts worth more
than 50k€/an
53 FRAMEWORK AGREEMENTS
in force with universities and
graduate colleges
31COMPETITIVENESS
CLUSTERS, of which 18 are
administered by the CEA
51RESEARCH UNITS
co-supervised by the CEA
and academic partners (45 UMR, 5 UMS, 1 USR)
MORE THAN 220 projects
IN THE INVESTMENTS FOR THE FUTURE
PROGRAMME
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE(AS AT 1ST JUNE 2016)
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he CEA (Atomic Energy and Alternative Energy Commission), is a public establishment devoted to
scientific, technical and industrial research and development, under the authority of the Ministries of Energy, Research, Industry and Defence. Its stat-utes and missions are defined in Articles L. 332-1 to L. 332-7 of the Research Code, and are implemented by Decree No. 2016-311 of 17 March 2016 concerning the organisation and operation of the CEA.
At its head, the Chairman, who is responsible for the overall running of the entity, is largely empow-ered to act in CEA’s name, and represents it legally. The Chairman appoints the Directors, who supervise the operational execution of the CEA’s missions, pre-pares the meetings of the Board of Directors, and ensures that the Board’s decisions are carried out. The Chairman partakes in the French government’s control of the nuclear deterrent and the manage-ment of the nuclear material required for defence.
The High Commissioner for Atomic Energy acts as scientific advisor to the Chairman, and can be asked by the latter, or by a Government Minister, to take charge of various missions of consultancy and expertise in areas of interest to the CEA, and mis-sions concerning National Defence and Education.
Both are legally appointed by the Council of Ministers.
GOVERNANCE AND CONTROL BODIES The Board of Directors specifically oversees the
general organisation of the CEA, the contract of objectives and performance, the annual activity pro-gramme, the budget, the annual financial state-ments, the creation of subsidiaries, draft contracts, procurement contracts, transactions, international
GOVERNANCE OF THE CEA
agreements, and CEA participation in incorporated organisations. It may also be consulted by the Government Ministers under whose authority the CEA operates on any matter lying within the CEA’s domain of competence. It is informed of all impor-tant events affecting the CEA.
The Board of Directors’s Investment Committee examines, more particularly in their financial aspects, matters arising from the CEA’s strategic investments and commitments, and its annual planning. This com-mittee is responsible for consistency of civil pro-grammes, strategic investments and financial resources, and ensuring the smooth advancement of the civil programmes.
The Atomic Energy Committee is the body that has steered the CEA and France’s civil and military nuclear sector for longest. It decides on the CEA’s research, production and work programme, and examines all matters that concern the CEA, as ordered by the Board of Directors, the Chairman or the High Commissioner for Atomic Energy. The Investment Committee reports to it, and it can be questioned by the relevant Government Ministers concerning any projects for legislation and regula-tion that affect the CEA’s mission or organisation. It is chaired by the Prime Minister to discuss civil activ-ities, and the Minister of Defence for defence-related matters.
The Atomic Energy Committee delegates author-ity to the Armed Forces – CEA joint Committee to examine, more particularly in their financial aspects, matters concerning the execution of the nuclear weapons programmes for which the CEA is accountable.
The Scientific Council is chaired by the High Commissioner for Atomic Energy, whom it assists by shaping recommendations on the future directions to be taken by the CEA and on its scientific activities. It advises on the relevance of the CEA’s scientific activities and investments with regard to its mission. It is informed of the execution of the CEA’s pro-grammes and evaluates their results. The Scientific Council’s advice, recommendations and reports are passed on to the Board of Directors, the Atomic Energy Committee, and the relevant Government Ministers.
The CEA’s finances are state-controlled, through an Inspection Mission under the official general economic and financial monitoring body. Its reports are communicated to the Chairman and addressed to the relevant Government Ministers and the Minister in charge of the Budget. The annual finan-cial report, with if necessary the consolidated state-ment, and the CEA’s annual report, are submitted to the CEA economic and financial general control ser-vice Delegation.
TCEA’s administrative headquarters at Gif-sur-Yvette.
© PF.Grosjean/CEA
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renewable (solar), improving energy efficiency, and dynamic adjustment of supply and demand through energy storage (batteries), the use of hydrogen as an energy vector, or smart power grids.
The CEA serves France’s competitiveness by impel-ling the development of technology, particularly IT, to meet the needs of research, industry and society, transferring knowledge, skills and technology to indus-try, and valorising research findings. In close cooper-ation with academic research and the world of industry, the CEA supports industrial operators and helps the creation of companies based on innovative technology. Using its unique expertise gained through a culture of innovation, its mission is to produce and disseminate technology, bridging the gap between scientific research and the economy. In close collab-oration with local players, CEA Tech runs technology transfer platforms (PRTTs) in many French regions: Occitania (Toulouse), New Aquitaine (Bordeaux), Pays de la Loire (Nantes), Great East (Metz), and Hauts-de-France (Lille), and is adding to its activities in the Provence Alpes-Côte d’Azur region.
In the health sector, the CEA is part of the consid-erable progress made in biology and genomics, and the advances in imaging technology and medical devices. It is ready for the opportunities offered by the statistical processing of big data. The meshing of biotechnologies, nanotechnologies and IT is forming tomorrow’s healthcare – more individualised, more home-based and less invasive.
In pursuing its aims, the CEA is supported by dynamic fundamental research, both in-house and through its many partnerships with other research bodies, local authorities and universities. It is a stake-holder in national alliances coordinating French research in the domains of energy (Ancre), life and health sciences (Aviesan), IT and computer science (Allistene), environmental sciences (Allenvi) and human and social sciences (Athena).
With expert status in its domains of competence, the CEA plays a full part in the European Research Area, and is increasingly active internationally.
he CEA conducts its research in the framework of the French nuclear deterrent programme. The nuclear
defence mission is governed by a 15-year programme within a 30-year national defence strategy, set by the French President, and made law by the Military Planning Act. The CEA also provides technology to strengthen security in the face of new hazards such as terrorism and cyberattack, and to upgrade response to earthquakes and tsunamis.
A key player for energy research, the CEA mobi-lises its expertise and multidisciplinary competencies to propose innovative technological solutions to address major societal challenges, such as energy transition, nuclear and renewable energy, and under-standing the mechanisms of climate change.
The CEA offers public authorities and industrial operators expertise and innovative ideas for the pro-duction of nuclear power that is sustainable, safe and economically competitive, and contributes to national and international nuclear safety policies. It also fol-lows a research strategy encompassing the whole energy system, focusing simultaneously on means of electrical power production, both nuclear and
ABOUT THE CEA
THE CEA’S MISSIONS
15,958 EMPLOYEES
THE CEA IS LOCATED IN FRANCE IN
10 CENTRES
5 REGIONAL TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER
PLATFORMS (PRTTS)
4.1 BILLION EUROS
CIVIL AND DEFENCE BUDGET
* Key figures 2015
THESE MISSIONS FORM PART OF FRANCE’S MAJOR STRATEGIC OPTIONS: MILITARY PLANNING ACT, ENERGY TRANSITION FOR GREEN GROWTH ACT, COP21 PARIS AGREEMENT, NEW INDUSTRIAL FRANCE POLICY, AND NATIONAL RESEARCH STRATEGY.
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DEFENCE & SECURITY
> WWW.CEA.FR
THE MISSIONS OF THE CEA INCLUDE DEFENCE AND SECURITY OF THE NATION IN VARIOUS FIELDS: NUCLEAR WARHEADS THAT EQUIP FRANCE’S SEA- AND AIRBORNE DETERRENCE FORCES, NUCLEAR REACTORS (INCLUDING REACTOR CORES) FOR NAVAL PROPULSION OF THE FRENCH NAVY SUBMARINES AND AIRCRAFT CARRIER, AND COMBATTING NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION AND TERRORISM.
The Military Applications Division (DAM) is responsible for: the design, manufacture, through-
life support and dismantling of the nuclear war-heads that equip France’s sea- and airborne deterrence forces, with the guarantee of their safety and reliability throughout their lifetime,
the design and manufacture of the nuclear reac-tors and reactor cores on French Navy
submarines and aircraft carrier, in support of the French Navy with in-service follow-up and through-life support for these reactors, procuring strategic nuclear materials required for the nation’s deterrence, providing technical support to national and international authorities relative to the preven-tion of nuclear proliferation and terrorism, and providing its expertise in conventional weaponry in support of the Ministry of Defence.
THE CEA AT THE HEART OF GREAT NEW CHALLENGES
RES building. © Yohan Brandt/Areva TA
DETERRENT WEAPON SYSTEMSTwo types of nuclear warhead are in service: the airborne nuclear warheads (TNA), which has been equipping France’s strategic air force mis-siles since the end of 2009; the seaborne nuclear warheads: the TN75, which equip the M45 missiles and the M51missiles. From 2016, the TNO will be deployed in the M51-2 missiles.
The safety and reliability of the TNA and the TNO, are guaranteed by Simulation, without further nuclear tests.
NUCLEAR PROPULSIONThe French Navy’s fleet of nuclear- powered ves-
sels has twelve steam supply systems equipped with nuclear reactor cores in service. This includes four nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, six nuclear attack submarines (SNAs) and the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier.
The Barracuda programmeFrance’s current fleet of SNAs will begin being
replaced by a new generation. This is the subject of the Barracuda programme, jointly coordinated by the DGA (the French Defense procurement agency) for the vessel and the DAM for the design and man-ufacture of the nuclear steam supply systems and the cores, together with all the logistics resources for maintenance.
The RES programmeMaintaining availability targets and ensuring high
standards in terms of safety is dependent not only on rigorous equipment maintenance, but also on
DEFENCE & SECURITY
3D simulation of hydrodynamic instabilities involved in nuclear weapon functioning. © CEA-DAM
skilled teams and land-based resources, under the responsibility of the Nuclear Propulsion Unit attached to the DAM Île-de-France Centre. They include in par-ticular the test reactor (RES): the implementation of its first core is planned for the end of 2016. Once it is in service, this experimental reactor will be an inval-uable simulation tool used in the design and through-life support for reactors and reactor cores on board French Navy vessels.
THE SIMULATION PROGRAMME The reliability and safety of French nuclear war-
heads are now guaranteed without further nuclear testing, through the Simulation Programme,
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French-United Kingdom Epure facility at the Valduc Centre. © CEA-DAM
launched in 1996. It relies on physical models (equa-tions) underlying the functioning of nuclear weapons, on high-performance computers solving these equa-tions, and on the experimental validation of these models in the major facilities Epure and the Megajoule Laser (LMJ).
Supercomputers The supercomputers are sized to match the
requirements of the nuclear weapons design and guarantee. The Tera 1000-1 supercomputer can per-form 2.6 petaflops (quadrillion operations per sec-ond), and Tera 1000-2, currently manufactured, will achieve 25 petaflops in 2017 with a very high energy efficiency.
The Epure facilityThe Epure facility, at the Valduc Centre, falls
within the context of the Teutates Treaty between France and the United Kingdom, signed in 2010, related to sharing radiographic facilities for the pur-poses of their respective deterrence programmes. Ultimately including three high-power radiographic axes, its commissioning with a first radiographic axis, since end 2014, makes it possible to characterise, to the highest level of precision, the state and
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hydrodynamic behaviour of materials, under the conditions encountered in the pre-nuclear phase of weapon functioning.
The Megajoule LaserThe Megajoule Laser at the Cesta Centre is an
indispensable tool for simulating the physical phe-nomena involved in the nuclear phase of weapon functioning, and for certifying the expertise of phys-icists in charge of weapons design. Since its commis-sioning by the Prime Minister of France at the end of 2014, the first experimental campaigns of weapon physics were successfully conducted.
COMBATING PROLIFERATION AND TERRORISM
The DAM provides its expertise, based on its knowledge in nuclear science and technology and its skills in detection and identification technolo-gies, in combating nuclear proliferation and terrorism.
To inform the French authorities in the event of
a nuclear test, the DAM participates in the imple-mentation of the means for verifying compliance with the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CNTBT). The observance of this treaty is verified by the analysis and characterisation of data col-lected by the 321 stations of the International Monitoring System, in which the DAM is strongly involved. Supported by its competencies in geo-physics, the DAM is also responsible for the French Tsunami Early Warning Centre for the Mediterranean and North-East Atlantic (Cenalt). The Cenalt’s mis-sion is to alert the French authorities responsible for protecting the population. The authorities of the countries bordering on the Mediterranean or North-East Atlantic that subscribe to Cenalt’s ser-vices are informed simultaneously. The DAM is entrusted by the French authorities and Defence
with managing the programme entitled “Global security: fight against Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosives (CBRN-E) ter-rorism, and cybersecurity”. This inter-ministerial R&D programme for fighting terrorism engages all the CEA’s operational divisions.
CONVENTIONAL DEFENCEThe DAM, mainly at the Gramat Centre, provides
assistance as a contracting authority to the French Defence procurement agency (DGA) for conventional defence activities, supported by expertise on weapons efficiency and systems vulnerability.
View of Tera 1000-1. © CEA-DAM
THE CEA AT THE HEART OF GREAT NEW CHALLENGES
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NUCLEAR AND RENEWABLE ENERGIES
THE CEA AT THE HEART OF GREAT NEW CHALLENGES
Modelling to support the design of sodium-cooled fast reactors. © P.Stroppa/CEA
NUCLEAR FISSION ENERGYTHE CEA PROVIDES THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT AND THE INDUSTRY WITH ITS TECHNICAL EXPERTISE AND INNOVATION TO DEVELOP SUSTAINABLE ENERGY THAT IS BOTH SAFE AND ECONOMICALLY COMPETITIVE. IT CARRIES OUT RESEARCH IN THREE KEY FIELDS: DESIGN OF NUCLEAR SYSTEMS FOR THE FUTURE; OPTIMISATION OF CURRENT INDUSTRIAL-SCALE NUCLEAR FACILITIES; IMPLEMENTATION OF LARGE EXPERIMENTAL AND SIMULATION TOOLS ESSENTIAL TO RESEARCH PROGRAMMES. THE CEA ALSO MANAGES AND UPGRADES ITS OWN FLEET OF NUCLEAR FACILITIES THROUGH CONSTRUCTION, REFURBISHMENT, CLEAN-UP AND DISMANTLING PROGRAMMES.
DESIGNING NUCLEAR SYSTEMS FOR THE FUTURE
The CEA is working on a long-term outlook on the future generations of nuclear reactors and fuel cycles. It is supporting EDF to optimise its pressurised water reactors like the EPR, while contributing to discus-sions on small modular reactors (SMR). The CEA is also responsible on behalf of France for research on innovative nuclear systems - called 4th generation - which integrate major technological breakthroughs
compared with the previous reactor generations. Within this scope, the CEA is the owner of the Astrid project (which stands for Advanced Sodium Technological Reactor for Industrial Demonstration), an integrated technology demonstrator of a sodi-um-cooled fast reactor. It also maintains a technology watch and R&D on all over relevant systems and tech-nologies for this fourth generation. In line with these studies, the CEA is also preparing the future fuel cycle by developing the advanced processes needed for the multiple recycling of plutonium.
Within a longer-term perspective, this involves assessing the options available for separating and transmuting long-lived radioelements called minor actinides. Keeping this in mind, the CEA, in collabo-ration with its partners EDF and Areva, has studied different industrial scenarios for deploying fast reac-tors. In the field of the fuel cycle, the aim was to ensure the best possible transition from the current fleet which enables the once-through recycling of plutonium, to a fast reactor fleet opening the way to its multiple recycling.
OPTIMISING THE CURRENT INDUSTRIAL-SCALE- NUCLEAR FACILITIES
The CEA provides support to its industrial part-ners in the nuclear sector, whether for their current fleet of facilities or for new build. Its programmes cover a broad range of R&D topics in the fields of reactors and the fuel cycle, with considerable effort being devoted to developing the simulation tools needed for such research. Objectives of competitive-ness, reactor service life, performance, availability and nuclear safety must be met in the field of reac-tors. Research is also lead to support Areva in the fuel cycle field. This involves optimising or adapting the processes both for spent fuel reprocessing at La Hague plant and for MOX fuel fabrication at the Melox plant, as well as keeping Areva plants in good work-ing condition. Actions also focus on improving the performance of processes used for the selective extraction of uranium, for its purification for enrich-ment purposes, and then for its conversion. The CEA supports also Andra by providing scientific and
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for the next fifty years is a key issue for the CEA. This is why the Jules Horowitz reactor (JHR) is currently under construction on the CEA Cadarache centre. Once completed, it will provide a unique tool for studying materials and fuels under irradiation to support current and future nuclear reactors. It will also be used to produce a sizeable fraction of the radioisotopes needed for medical purposes.
The CEA is developing software platforms and computational codes in the key fields of nuclear energy (neutronics, thermal-hydraulics, mechanical and thermal behaviour, fuels, fuel cycle chemistry, and materials) to model the complex phenomena occurring under normal or accident conditions in a reactor or a nuclear facility. This is mostly done in partnership with the main players in the French nuclear sector (EDF, Areva, IRSN, etc.). The CEA’s modelling programmes are based on the data col-lected from such experimental tools.
MANAGING NUCLEAR CLEAN-UP AND DISMANTLING
As a nuclear operator, the CEA is responsible for dismantling its nuclear facilities and managing the waste generated by such activities. A specificity of the CEA is that it has a broad range of facilities to dismantle: research reactors, chemistry laborato-ries, and effluent and waste treatment plants. The dismantling of each facility gives rises to a specific case each time, thus feedback can generally not be used for the next case (no standardised operations). Over the years, the CEA has gained significant expe-rience, both in project ownership and in the meth-odologies and expertise required for the implementation of such dismantling projects. Some operations rely on standard techniques that have been adapted to a nuclear environment, yet disman-tling projects often require the development of spe-cific tools and technologies. In this context, the CEA is running several pioneering R&D programmes in this field with the objective of reducing the overall costs of the work and waste volumes, while improv-ing safety on worksites.
technical data needed for the deep geological repos-itory project called Cigéo for which Andra is the pro-ject owner.
It is helping to elaborate the technical and mate-rial specifications for high-level (HLW) and long-lived intermediate-level (LL-ILW) waste packages, as well as to define the safety measures applicable to waste disposal in the Cigéo facility.
IMPLEMENTING LARGE EXPERIMENTAL AND SIMULATION TOOLS TO SUPPORT NUCLEAR DEVELOPMENT
Research on current and future nuclear systems require specific experimental and simulation tools.
These tools can be: experimental platforms, hot laboratories (to study irradiated objects), research reactors, and critical mock-ups (very low power reac-tors to conduct neutronic experiments).
Some of these facilities are reaching the end of their service life after more than 40 years of opera-tion. Discussions on renewing or refurbishing these facilities to maintain a relevant fleet of research tools
ZOOM ON...
IMPACT ON HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTThe Institute of Cellular and Molecular Radiobiology and the Institute of Biosciences and Biotechnologies (Aix-Marseille) are working on the impact of the technologies they use and develop, in particular on the potential radioactive contamination of persons and the environment. They have demonstrated the role of a protein that tells the other proteins in the cell the exact position of damage to DNA (after exposure to ionising radiation) that has to be repaired, among billions of possible sites.At the macroscopic level, scientists have shown the value of a new treatment against lung contamination with polonium.In the environmental sphere, the DEMETERRES project is developing innovative technologies for depollution (remediation) of contaminated soils and effluents, such as mutant plants that can accumulate caesium, and a remarkable bacterium discovered in the contaminated soils at Chernobyl, that can “eat” uranium by mineralising it.
NUCLEAR FUSION BY MAGNETIC CONFINEMENTThe CEA, within the organisation Euratom, contributes to the European programme for research on fusion by magnetic confinement, which aims to show the feasibility of producing cheap, safe and sustainable energy from fusion plasmas. ITER, the thermonuclear fusion reactor being built at the Cadarache site, is of strategic importance for the CEA and its partners.Experiments on remote operation and machining, high-voltage test beds and plasma diagnostics are conducted in parallel on the test platform West (Tungsten W Environment in Steady-State Tokamak). Supercomputing also allows the numerical simulation of turbulence in a fusion plasma measured by reflectometry in tokamak experiments.These experiments have enabled the CEA to make an important contribution to ITER’s extended Approche programme, in particular for the future Japanese tokamak JT-60SA (cryogenic plant, first toroidal coil, etc.).
Shielded lines for studies on irradiated materials. © PF.Grosjean/CEA
Cutting operation on a tank that was used to store radioactive effluents. © CEA
> WWW.CEA.FRTHE CEA AT THE HEART OF GREAT NEW CHALLENGES
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NUCLEAR AND RENEWABLE ENERGIES
RENEWABLE ENERGIES
The work of the Liten1 covers in pri-ority solar energy (thermal and pho-tovoltaic) and its integration in the
habitat, batteries for stationary applications and transport, the production of vector hydrogen, and energy recovery from waste.
SOLAR ENERGYResearch in the field of solar photovoltaics
aims to meet two major challenges: lowering costs, and raising the energy yield of photovoltaic cells and of the system as a whole. The CEA is working in particular on very high-yield, two-sided, com-municating, self-diagnosing premium quality mod-ules. In parallel, it is developing integrated, functionalised modules for specific applications: boat decks, mall roofs, roadways, etc.
The Liten is developing technologies to man-age thermal solar energy: capture (collectors), storage for later use, efficient use in industry, or distribution via heat networks. A first coupling of a thermal solar plant / heat network has been suc-cessfully achieved.
The CEA supports industrial operators seeking to install thermodynamically in a concentrated solar powerplants, by developing technologies, software and tools for sizing such installations.
These can, for example, power seawater desali-nation plants.
ELECTRICITY STORAGEIn the field of electrochemical storage, work is
directed not only to on-board applications (elec-tric vehicles and mobile devices), but also to sta-tionary storage, which is indispensable for the development of intermittent renewable energy sources.
Inspection of interconnections on
photovoltaic cells. © P.Avavian/CEA
Photovoltaic cell modules made up of lenses and cells that concentrate sunlight in their centre. © P.Avavian/CEA
Efforts are being focused in particular on improving the performance and lifespan of Li-ion batteries, and on developing a system of battery management to improve reliability.
In parallel, the CEA takes part in the develop-ment of breakaway technologies for new applica-tions: low-cost sodium-ion batteries, promising for stationary applications, or lithium-sulphur bat-teries, particularly well-suited to applications in aeronautics.
Further upstream, the research teams of the Fundamental Research Division are studying ways to improve the performance of lithium-ion batter-ies. One approach is to increase the conductivity of ions by “channelling” them in carbon nanotubes.
Another approach aims to gain a better under-standing of electrolyte ageing mechanisms, through experimental simulation by exposure to ionising radiation. To increase the charge capacity of lithium-ion batteries, one research direction is to favour the insertion of the lithium in the graph-ite anode, by calcium or europium doping. Using a nuclear microprobe for quantitative local anal-ysis of light elements contained in samples, the layer structure of the ternary compound Li0.2Eu2C6 was determined with precision.
1. Liten: Laboratory for Innovation and New Energy Technologies and Nanomaterials, part of the Technological Research Division.
CEA RAPPORT ANNUEL 2014
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BIORESOURCESThe Liten’s Genepi platform is helping to develop
innovative, high-performance production of biofuels from solid bioresources, such as residues from agri-culture and household waste. The bioresources are converted into synthetic gas by high-temperature treatment. The resulting biogas can, for example, be converted into synthetic natural gas. In parallel, the Liten is developing alternative processes for the treat-ment of wet waste, such as sewage plant slurries, by hydrothermal liquefaction. Lastly, it is seeking to extend recycling to actual chemical molecules, by taking apart polymers from forestry waste or plastics using processes working at ambient temperatures and pressures, using metal-free catalysts. The mole-cules thereby obtained could be re-used to make plastics, food additives, or cosmetics.
PRODUCTION OF MOLECULES WITH AN INTEREST FOR ENERGY
Certain micro-organisms can make fuel: scien-tists at the Biam2 and BIG3 Institutes are hoping to
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Studies of micro-organisms (micro-algae and cyanobacteria) that are able to produce energy-rich substances naturally. © G.Lesénéchal/CEA
use them to support renewable energy sources, in particular to develop catalysts that do not contain rare metals to produce hydrogen, or to develop pro-cesses to produce lipids for biodiesel fuel.
Researchers have elucidated the cell mechanisms responsible for the astonishing photosynthetic capacity of diatoms: these single-cell marine organ-isms account for 20% of planetary photosynthesis. The discovery of an unexpected interaction between their photosynthesis and their respiration promises the possibility of boosting biomass production to make molecules of interest by using light and carbon sources together.
As part of efforts to valorise CO2, the CEA has elu-cidated a key step in the maturation of some bacte-rial enzymes: the formate dehydrogenases. These catalyse the reduction of CO2 to formic acid, which offers an interesting way to store and transport energy: it can be decomposed as required to give CO2 and hydrogen, for example to power a fuel cell.
HYDROGEN AND FUEL CELLS Hydrogen as an energy vector will play a major
role in many sectors, in particular for extending the range of electric vehicles by means of fuel cells. The CEA’s work in this field focuses especially on reduc-ing the quantity of platinum needed, and lengthen-ing the lifespan of the proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) system, so as to propose econom-ically viable alternatives to current solutions.
For oxygen reduction, fuel cells could gain ben-efit from a new stable, efficient catalyst, based on a
Pilot assembly line of modules and battery packs in small runs. © D.Guillaudin/CEA
nanostructured graphene, free of rare or toxic met-als such as the platinum used today.
In parallel, the Liten has developed a reversible hydrogen production system by high-temperature electrolysis of water vapour (HTE or steam electrol-ysis), opening up new prospects at ecodistrict scale, in addition to its usefulness for smoothing fluctua-tions in renewable energy availability
Hydrogen power generator. © P.Avavian/CEA
2. Biam: Biosciences and Biotechnologies Institute (Aix-Marseille), part of the Fundamental Research Division.3. BIG: Biosciences and Biotechnology Institute of Grenoble, part of the Fundamental Research Division.
THE CEA AT THE HEART OF GREAT NEW CHALLENGES
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TECHNOLOGICAL RESEARCH FOR INDUSTRY
> WWW.CEA.FRTHE CEA AT THE HEART OF GREAT NEW CHALLENGES
THE CEA SERVES FRANCE’S COMPETITIVENESS BY HELPING TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT AND TRANSFER OF KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND TECHNOLOGY TO INDUSTRY, IN PARTICULAR AT REGIONAL LEVEL, TOGETHER WITH THE VALORISATION OF ITS OWN RESEARCH RESULTS.
MICROELECTRONICSIn the domain of microelectronics and microtech-
nologies, the Leti1 is conducting research in close cooperation with industrial operators and the scien-tific community as a whole.
Its priorities are: Ultimate miniaturisation of microelectronic components (“More than Moore”).
To this end, the Leti is developing new substrates and FD-SOI components with Soitec, STMicroelectronics and GlobalFoundries (Dresden). It is also developing tomorrow’s non-volatile memories, which are essen-tial in particular for microcontrollers, which work at low voltage and are revolutionising the architecture of integrated circuits.
Jointly with the CEA’s Fundamental Research Division, it is also studying original transistor struc-tures such as the single electron transistor (SET), silicon components for quantum computers, and transistors with semiconducting nanowires.
Diversification, or “More Than Moore”.The Leti is studying the chip-scale integration of
mechanical, chemical, biochemical and photonic functions. Through the use of innovative assembly techniques, the SoC (System on Chip), or 3D integra-tion (including extremely dense CoolCubeTM technol-ogy), chips can integrate not only computing capabilities (CMOS components and memories), but also micro- and nano-sensors and actuators, local
energy sources, and radiofrequency (RF) or optical communication modes. Innovative devices derived from this research benefit from nano-scale minia-turisation, the introduction of new materials, and new associated properties. These components can help meet the needs of new communicating systems and services for many sectors of activity, such as tel-ecommunications, healthcare, and more generally what we call the Internet of Things (IoT). These devel-opments are being made in partnership with numer-ous French, European and international industrial operators.
NANOTECHNOLOGIES AND NANOSCIENCES
The nanosciences and nanotechnologies took shape in the 1980s with the development of new atom-scale manufacturing, measurement and char-acterisation tools. These tools, such as tunnel effect microscopes and tomography, enable us not only to observe matter at atomic or even subatomic scale, but also to reconstitute in three dimensions the loca-tion and movement of atoms.
Today the nanosciences are seeking to under-stand and reproduce the phenomena, laws and
Bonding of wafer on frame. © P.Jayet/CEA
Deposition of metal layers for 3D. © P.Jayet/CEA
properties that appear in objects of nanometric size. Understanding why and in what conditions matter organises itself in nanostructures, and establishing the link between the structure of a material at nano-metre scale and its electrical, optical and mechanical properties, open the way to original applications. For example, carbon nanotubes can be used to store energy, and 1D (nanowires, nanotubes) or 2D devices (graphene, MOS2, etc.) to store and process informa-tion in computers. In this context, fundamental
1. Leti: Electronics and Information Technology Laboratory, part of the Technological Research Division.
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research scientists at Inac2 and Iramis3 have suc-ceeded in reproducing a 3D image of the geometry and chemical composition of quantum boxes in nano-wires from two 2D images taken from two different angles. They are also seeking to develop nanowire transistors with ultimate dimensions, which will be tested on a semi-automatic test bed. Non-volatile, dense and robust, the new STT-MRAM magnetic mem-ory studied at the CEA offers a sub-nanosecond writ-ing speed for applications using SRAM-type cache memories.
The chemical and biochemical properties of these nano-objects also open up exciting prospects for applications in healthcare, novel components for tomorrow’s electronics and optics (such as optical sources that can be integrated on silicon, by means of a crystalline germanium mesh distorted by 1.5%, which improves the capacity of this material to emit light).
The nanotechnologies cover all the instruments, manufacturing techniques and derived applications that exploit phenomena taking place at the scale of a nanometre, a billionth of a metre.
ADVANCED MANUFACTURING The CEA, as a founding member of the Future
Industry Alliance, helps companies achieve their digital make-over. Digital technologies offer tomor-row’s production plants the opportunity to gain agil-ity, flexibility, responsiveness and performance.
The solutions developed at List4 support and facilitate the work of operators throughout the value chain. Thus tailor-made robotic and cobotic solu-tions improve their productivity and make tasks less arduous. Augmented reality offers high-perfor-mance tools for maintenance and training.
Innovative sensors and algorithms enrich instru-mentation systems. And non-destructive inspection can determine, with unequalled precision, the mechanical integrity of a part, its areas of fragility, its residual lifespan, or its reliability.
ON-BOARD SYSTEMSOn-board systems are widely used in many appli-
cations by both professionals and the general pub-lic. Their levels of safety, security, reliability and performance are crucial. At the European scale, the List is involved in particular in the KIC EIT5 Digital initiative, which brings together the major research actors (Inria, Fraunhofer, VTT, etc.). In this domain, the List also develops research activities in part-nership with major industrial groups such as Renault, STMicroelectronics, Thales, Airbus, Areva and EDF, and also SMEs such as Esterel Technologies, Sherpa Engineering, and All4Tec.
Through several technological levers – design, modelling, computing architectures, and hard-ware-software convergence –, the List has risen to the challenge in the energy, transport, telecommu-nications, connected device, and home automation sectors, and of course cybersecurity, a domain in which the CEA enjoys international acclaim.
AMBIENT INTELLIGENCEHow do we extract useful information from the
huge flow of data generated by computer systems and the Internet of Things, and convey it? How can we secure data using innovative encryption? Researchers at the List are developing new technol-ogies for better management of our environment through vision, geolocalisation, augmented reality, intelligent processing of big data, or human-machine interfaces. The List is conducting research on ambi-ent intelligence in partnership with industrial oper-ators in transport (Renault), cybersecurity (Thales), energy (Schneider Electric), electronic document management (Bureau Veritas), etc.
TECHNOLOGIES FOR HEALTHThe CEA proposes innovative approaches in the
domains of diagnostics, therapy and prophylaxis. These approaches are helping to develop individu-alised medicine, by enabling doctors to prescribe early care for health disorders, avoid treatments that may be ineffective for certain patients, and have access to therapies that are better tolerated.
Medical imaging and radiotherapyThe CEA coordinates the national France Life
Imaging (FLI) infrastructure, a coherently organised network for biomedical imaging in France, supported by the Investments for the Future Programme.
Researchers at the I2BM6 and Biam are working on improving the quality of MRI images and their interpretation, developing original contrast agents, such as those composed of nano-magnets produced
Transmission electron microscope for characterisation of materials. © P.Stroppa/CEA
Software integration of home automation management, in particular for heating. © V.Guilly/CEA
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Cobot composed of a mechatronic arm dedicated to tasks such as brushing, chiselling or handling. © P.Stroppa/CEA
THE CEA AT THE HEART OF GREAT NEW CHALLENGES
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Quick diagnostic test for Ebola virus disease. © CEA
2. Inac: Institute for Nanosciences and Cryogenics, part of the Fundamental Research Division. 3. Iramis: Saclay Institute of Matter and Radiation, part of the Fundamental Research Division.4. List: Laboratory of Systems Technology Integration, part of the Technological Research Division.5. KIC EIT: Knowledge and Innovation Communities of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology.6. I2BM: Institute of Biomedical Imaging, part of the Fundamental Research Division.7. Ibitecs: Institute of Biology and Technology, part of the Fundamental Research Division.8. Imeti: Institute of Emerging Diseases and Innovative Therapies, part of the Fundamental Research Division.
by bacteria, which can show up targets at the molec-ular scale, and improve diagnosis. Tests carried out on a rodent brain tumour model are promising.
The List collaborates with all the players in the domain: industrial operators, clinical centres, researchers, and regulators, in particular as part of the Doseo platform, dedicated to metrology, training and R&D in radiotherapy and imaging.
Thanks to tools for calibration and dose metering, instrumentation and simulation, radiotherapy and X-ray imaging are bringing forth new solutions for individualised medicine, and innovative therapies that are more efficacious and safer for both patients and carers.
DiagnosticsAt Ibitecs7, scientists have developed a rapid diag-
nostic tool that will identify the Ebola virus in 15 min-utes from a few drops of blood or serum. This test was evaluated over several months in Guinea-Conakry, and obtained CE marking for commercialisation.
In the field of therapyThe Ibitecs and Imeti8 research teams are follow-
ing several avenues: A nano-drug, now in the test phase, to treat certain neurological diseases, such as cerebral ischemia (interrupted blood flow in the brain) and bone marrow trauma. Composed of a ther-apeutic agent, adenosine, and a vector, squalene, this drug can circulate in the body without being eliminated, and reach areas to be treated with a spectacularly higher effi-ciency than that obtained by adenosine admin-istered alone. The design of a therapy to treat chronic myeloid leukaemia, the prevalence and relapse rate of which are high. This novel treatment targets the stem cells that are the source of the disease. Added onto the classical treatment, it involves an agent already used as an anti-diabetic. The
Medical linear accelerator on Doseo platform. © L.Godart/CEA
first patients treated in a clinical trial no longer showed any detectable illness 5 years and more after the treatment was stopped, and so were in good hope of a full cure. Gene therapy, a fast-growing field, has been developed to fight Alzheimer’s disease.Targeting intracerebral cholesterol, this method has proved its efficiency against the disease in animal models. Biologists are now considering moving on to clinical trials.
Platforms for medical devices and trialsThe Leti is one of France’s major actors in the
development of healthcare technology, and in par-ticular medical devices. Supported by active collab-oration with nearly 80 clinical teams across the world, it addresses the domains of in vitro diagnos-tics, health monitoring and connected healthcare, medical imaging, drug delivery systems, active med-ical devices and innovative therapies.
For the last two years it has been working on how to deal with the regulatory constraints that apply to
the conception, prototyping and clinical trial design for innovative devices. The “Platform for Medical Devices” enables developers to reduce technological lead times for novel devices, gives them rapid entry to preclinical and clinical trials, and helps industrial partners with conformity for prompt CE marking.
With Clinatec, in collaboration with the University Hospital, Grenoble, the Leti places its competencies and technological resources at the disposal of a world-class state-of-the-art preclinical and clinical trial platform. Besides its own research programmes, Clinatec also acts as a project facility, hosting its clin-ical partners in a high-tech environment for the dura-tion of their project.
Cell culture laboratory of biosafety level 3 dedicated to infectious diseases and gene therapy. © P.Stroppa/CEA
Outside view of Clinatec building © F.Ardito/CEA
TECHNOLOGICAL RESEARCH FOR INDUSTRY
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FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH
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THE CEA CONDUCTS RESEARCH IN PHYSICS, MATERIALS SCIENCE, CHEMISTRY, BIOLOGY AND HEALTH. IT ALSO DEVELOPS AND IMPLEMENTS TECHNOLOGIES AND INSTRUMENTATION AT TOP WORLD LEVEL.
he CEA is breaking ground in funda-mental research in the life sciences to support all its other missions, in
particular in the domains of low-carbon energy and new technologies for industry applied to healthcare. This solid foundation covers, among other areas, the molecular basis of immunity, host-pathogen relations and the major cell functions.
LIFE IS MOVEMENT...... and observing it at sub-nanometric scale is an
exciting challenge. The IBS1 is a major actor in the field of integrated structural biology via its partic-ipation in the Partnership for Structural Biology (PSB) at Grenoble, in the Labex GRAL2 and in the FRISBI3 national infrastructure.
Scientists deploy complementary methods (nuclear magnetic resonance, neutron diffusion, etc.) to observe the dynamics of proteins. For exam-ple, they have designed an NMR device that can
observe the gradual “wake-up” of a protein from its inert state to its working state, with a temperature ramp from −168 °C to +7 °C. They have seen its com-ponent parts wake up each in turn under thermal agitation.
Neutron diffusion technology combined with simulations of molecular dynamics, has revealed the role of water in making proteins active and oper-ational, especially at their surfaces.
The CEA’s research teams are also working on the structure of viruses. One discovery concerns an essential enzyme of the H5N1 virus, which can take either of two forms. The first, the “closed” form, is familiar to scientists, and occurs in virus replication. The second, the “open” form, hitherto unknown,
T Video-microscopy at the IBS. © D.Morel/CEA
1. IBS: Structural Biology Institute, part of the Fundamental Research Division.2. Labex Gral: Laboratory of excellence Gral (Grenoble Alliance for Integrated Structural Cell Biology). 3. FRISBI: French Infrastructure for Integrated Structural Biology, a French network of platforms dedicated to integrated structural biology.
LIFE SCIENCES
enables the enzyme to penetrate the cell nucleus where it plays its role in replication.
Several exciting new findings have been made by researchers at the BIG in cell mobility. One con-cerns the microtubules, the main elements of the cell’s skeleton. They display fascinating unexpected abilities to adapt to physical constraints due to their micro-environment, and undergo self-repair. Their
THE CEA AT THE HEART OF GREAT NEW CHALLENGES
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repair dynamics may prove useful in materials engi-neering. Another finding is a new role identified for the centrosome, the cell’s central organelle, consid-ered to be the microtubule architect. It also proves to be responsible for the assembly of the actin fila-ments, another part of the cytoskeleton.
LIFE IN ALL ITS DIVERSITYScientists never cease to be surprised when work-
ing on biodiversity. High throughput technologies enable them to probe living systems in a systematic, unbiased way. The IG4 and BIG are helping to develop these “omic” technologies (genomics, meta-genom-ics, proteomics, etc.) in several national infrastruc-tures funded by the Investments for the Future Programme: France Génomique, ProFI and MetaboHub. These techniques have enabled researchers to draw a detailed portrait of a giant virus discovered in the Siberian permafrost. Some 30,000 years old, Mollivirus sibericum is quite dif-ferent from the other giant viruses discovered in the far north, in particular Pithovirus. Its genome com-prises 650,000 base pairs coding for more than 500 proteins. Researchers are also interested in the
biodiversity of the oceans, which are still largely unexplored. Massive sequencing of data collected during the travel of the schooner Tara found 40 mil-lion microbial genes, the great majority of which were unknown. Researchers recorded 150,000 genetic types of single-cell eukaryotic organisms (protists), only 11,000 species being currently described.
TOXICOLOGY ON ALL FRONTS The CEA’s historical expertise in nuclear toxicol-
ogy and its observation tools at several scales, in particular methods of isotopic marking for studies at the nanometric scale, have caused it to extend its scope to the toxicology of other substances. One instance is the observation of the effects of various chemical products on the development of human and rodent foetal testicular functions in culture, which has given rise to a test. Another example: bisphenol A is known to inhibit testosterone; biolo-gists at the IRCM5 have shown that bisphenols S and F, which sometimes replace bisphenol A, now banned in food containers, are also potentially hazardous. A further challenge: follow the bioaccumulation of nan-oparticles present at low doses in the environment. Scientists at Ibitecs have succeeded in following the fate of low doses of titanium dioxide nanoparticles in river mussels.
EXPLORING THE BRAINThe development of high-field and functional
imaging are opening up new avenues of brain research: conscience, thought, language, etc. In par-ticular, they allow the identification of a network of brain areas whose organisation could explain spe-cific features of human cognitive functions. These studies, carried out at I2BM6, compare humans and other primates, and show a brain circuit in humans connected to the areas of hearing, which may have let our species acquire a unique ability to recognise the complex sequences characteristic of human lan-guages. In addition, a crossover study using neu-ro-imaging and genetics has linked genetic mutations to variations in the size of deep brain structures. This study could lead on to an assess-ment of risk factors for developing neurodegener-ative disease.
ZOOM ON...RNA, AN UNKNOTTED MOLECULE
Physicists at the Institute of Theoretical Physics have shown that RNA seems to be the only “strand of life” with no “knot”. Has evolution selected unknotted sequences because they fold back more easily with no errors, and can be processed more efficiently in the cell machinery?
MRI examination at NeuroSpin. © PF.Grosjean/CEA
Particle scanning electron microscopy of the four families of giant viruses known to date. © IGS CNRS/AMU
Phytotechnology platform for studies of the biological effects of environmental pollutants. © L.Godart/CEA
4. IG: Institute of Genomics.5. IRCM: Institute of Cellular and Molecular Radiobiology 6. I2BM: Institute of Biomedical Imaging.All three are part of the Fundamental Research Division.
FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH
Cryostat for obtaining ultra-low temperatures in continuous mode with no cryogenic fluid supply. © P.Avavian/CEA
PHYSICAL SCIENCES
Fundamental research at the CEA also covers the exploration of the subatomic world (physics of parti-
cles and the nucleus), quantum systems (atoms, materials, radiation-matter interactions), and at larger scales, the study of the Earth and the Universe. These branches of knowledge use advanced technologies in accelerators, supercon-ducting magnets, detectors, cryogenics – tech-niques and skills to study both the microcosmos and the macrocosmos, and our environment.
LAWS OF THE UNIVERSE In this domain, the CEA has concentrated its
activity on topics in physics (astrophysics, nuclear physics and particle physics). In addition to this research, it designs and constructs unique instru-ments such as detectors, accelerators, and mag-nets, supported by its strong competencies in IT, electronics, magnetics, cryogenics and systems engineering.
To test the idea of a remote surveillance of nuclear reactors by detecting the antineutrinos they emit, physicists at the CEA have participated in the design and construction of the Nucifer detector. This experiment has produced its first results on elec-tronic antineutrino fluxes from the radioactive decay of fission products from nuclear fuel in the Osiris reactor. Engaged in space missions, the CEA teams have launched the construction of equipment
The Minos experiment at Riken (Japan), exploit-ing a device developed at the CEA, dedicated to the exploration of exotic nuclei, has revealed radioac-tive isotopes of chromium and iron that are the most neutron-rich accessible to date.
By means of supercomputing, numerical simu-lations have revealed mechanisms able to bring the temperature of the Sun’s atmosphere to very high levels (more than a million degrees in the corona). Under the star’s surface, “boiling” plasma gives birth to “mangrove-like” magnetic structures.
CLIMATE AND ENVIRONMENTThe Laboratory for Climate and Environment
Sciences (LSCE) groups various resources devoted to climatology, in partnership with other French research bodies (CNRS and University of Versailles Saint-Quentin). It is part of the Pierre Simon Laplace Institute (IPSL). It helps draft the reports of the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), and
Mass spectrometry with accelerator for radiocarbon measurement from natural climate archives. © PF.Grosjean/CEA
for Euclid1, intended for the study of black matter and energy. A new three-dimensional map of galaxy clusters has been published by examining two large areas of the sky. It gives a first picture of the struc-ture of the Universe up to distances of more than 11 billion light years.
1. Euclid: space satellite of the European Space Agency (ESA), due to be launched in 2020, and in which ten French laboratories are involved.
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THE CEA AT THE HEART OF GREAT NEW CHALLENGES
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participated in the 21st UN Climate Change Conference in Paris (COP 21).
One research thrust is the collection and analy-sis of natural climate archives (ice, sediments, tree rings, etc.). The climate study at the end of the last ice age will help us understand and simulate the evolution of the Earth as a system undergoing rapid climate change. Lava flows in the Canary Islands, collected and dated in particular by radiocarbon, have enabled scientists to establish, for the first time, the history of variations in the Earth’s mag-netic field over the last 15,000 years.
The CEA’s experience in collecting and tracing sediments has been applied along the coastal rivers in the region of Fukushima to monitor radioactive elements, using original methods of elemental and isotopic geochemistry.
The study of past climates is coupled with mod-elling and simulation, essential for understanding the phenomena taking place and the processes reg-ulating exchanges and transfer of water between oceans, continents and the atmosphere. From mod-els describing climate and vegetation, researchers have found that the concentrations of pollen from ragweed (an invasive, highly allergenic plant) could increase fourfold on average by 2050. Other work combining climate simulations, recent oceano-graphic measurements and information from nat-ural climate archives have shown that a major volcanic eruption will cause several oscillations in the North Atlantic oceanic circulation fifteen years later, with a twenty-year period.
The climatology-simulation combination helps us gauge the impact of climate change linked in part to human activity, and predict future climate.
LASER-MATTER INTERACTIONLasers are unique instruments for probing mat-
ter and studying its properties in extreme states of excitation and density, and the mechanisms in play in atomic and molecular bonds.
Ultrashort (attosecond) pulse lasers like Attolab and ultra-high intensity lasers like Apollon are val-uable exploration tools for chemistry and biology, as well as for high-field physics and inertial confine-ment fusion. Attosecond lasers enable us in particu-lar to study the dynamics of electrons and atomic nuclei in matter in its gaseous and condensed phases.
ACCELERATORS AND CRYOTECHNOLOGIES
The CEA has unique competencies for carrying through large-scale projects:
One such is the new 11.7 tesla MRI magnet to be installed at NeuroSpin (Saclay). The delicate assembly of the structure supporting the shielding magnets (30 t) around the main mag-net (80 t) was fabricated at Alstom’s Belfort factory. The cryogenic plant that supplies the magnet with liquid helium has been installed at NeuroSpin. Another is the new ITER fusion demonstrator, where 54 supraconducting magnets, their mechanical structures and their electrical power supplies are scrupulously monitored using some two thousand thermometers and measurement chains.
Ultra-high intensity laser. © P.Stroppa/CEA
ZOOM ON...LIGHT BENT IN QUANTUM GRAVITY
A hundred years ago, Albert Einstein calculated the bending of light rays by the Sun, predicted by his new theory of gravitation (general relativity).Physicists at the Institute of Theoretical Physics have calculated, for the first time, the quantum gravity correction for this angle of deviation.
Panoramic view of 11.7 tesla magnet in the course of assembly. © General Electrics
FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH
CEA RAPPORT ANNUEL 2014
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> WWW.CEA.FR> WWW.CEA.FR
THE RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURES (RIS)
Fundamental and applied research both require large-scale scientific facilities, constructed and run
through international collaboration.The CEA represents France, often alongside the
CNRS, in the bodies that steer these infrastructures (RIs). It provides the national and international com-munity with expertise:
In operation in the key branches of knowledge (nuclear and high-energy physics, science of materials, nanosciences, chemistry, etc.), and experience in them; Construction, with a broad range of basic skills (accelerator engineering, instrumentation, metrology, vacuum and cold technology) and project organisation associating different designers and users.
The domains of application and the associated instruments are:
Neutron sources (Orphée – Léon Brillouin Laboratory, Laue-Langevin Institute and the
Test of Spiral2 injector. © P.Stroppa/CEA
Setting up an experiment in a beam line of the ESRF synchrotron. © D.Morel/CEA
THE CEA AT THE HEART OF GREAT NEW CHALLENGES
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The Curie supercomputer. © Cadam/CEA
European Spallation Source (ESS)). The CEA will supply several contracts for the linear pro-ton accelerator, and will take part in the design, construction and operation of six out of the sixteen instruments already selected for the ESS neutron source. Light sources (Synchrotron Soleil, ESRF and XFel). The CEA has assembled more than 80 cryomodules for the XFel free electron laser. Nuclear and high-energy physics and astro-physics (Ganil, Spiral2, LHC, Fair, and tele-scopes such as the CTA).
A pioneer in exotic nuclei study, the Ganil (National Large Heavy Ion Accelerator) was set up jointly by the CEA and CNRS, which took equal shares in its construction and operation. Experiments with the European Detector Agata began with a first series devoted to the evolution of the nuclear struc-ture in the vicinity of double magic nuclei1 (78Ni, 100Sn, 208Pb). This facility will also shortly be equipped with a second ion accelerator Spiral2.
The CEA is a stakeholder in the research con-ducted at the LHC (Large Hadron Collider), which opens a window on the microcosm (elementary particles, supersymmetry, antimatter, black matter, etc.), and takes us closer to understanding the very first instants in the life of the Universe. A very rare decay of a B0s particle into two muons2, observed for the first time at the LHC, should allow physical theories beyond the standard model to be tested. This instrument can now reproduce collisions between protons at a record energy of 13 TeV.
In addition, in the European accelerator Fair, the R3B-GLAD magnet will be used to analyse nuclear reactions produced by relativistic heavy ions.
Laser physics (the Megajoule Laser), Environment (Icos),
To study the climate, the LSCE performs atmos-pheric monitoring via a network of 16 stations, inte-grated in Icos, the European consortium for monitoring greenhouse gases.
Supercomputing (Genci, Prace). A large quota of computation hours has been
set aside for numerical climate simulations for the
IPCC, to be spent on the Curie mainframe at the CEA’s computer centre. A first investment phase has been programmed for the storage of the relevant data.
Analysing bottles of air samples in the Icos
laboratory. © F.Rhodes/CEA
1. Double magic nuclei: Experiments of these unusual nuclei afford interesting special cases for theoretical models describing interactions between nucleons.2 B0s particles: Composed of a quark and an antiquark bound by a strong interaction, this particle is unstable. Its specific decay pattern is of interest in research into new physical theory.
FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH
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CEA’s risk control policy and for setting the pro-gramme of audits and inspections, a central part of the CEA’s continuous improvement strategy in this domain. It especially raises awareness and mobilises all the CEA’s personnel around the vital need to pro-tect and monitor the environment, ensure nuclear safety, transport safety, the health, safety and radi-oprotection of personnel, the security of sites, plant and assets, the management of emergencies and the control of legal risks.
HUMAN RESOURCESThe CEA is committed to managing the develop-
ment of its permanent and temporary personnel’s scientific and technological competencies, by means of several levers for forward workforce and skills planning (identification and preparation of skills to meet the needs of future programmes), recruiting and training.
The CEA is also committed to favouring construc-tive dialogue with mandated representatives of its
personnel, and to ensuring professional equality and good working conditions.
TRAININGThe National Institute for Nuclear Science and
Technology (INSTN) is a state-funded higher educa-tion establishment run by the CEA and placed under the joint authority of the Ministry of Education, Universities and Research, the Ministry for the Environment, Energy and the Sea, and the Ministry of the Economy, Industry and Information Technology.
Created in 1956, the INSTN trains engineers, researchers and technicians in both higher and fur-ther education. It delivers highly specialised educa-tion and training in nuclear science and technology implemented in the domains of energy and health. Engaged in the European and international dynamic alongside the I2EN (International Nuclear Energy Institute), the INSTN is actively participating in the creation of a European Higher Education Area in the nuclear sector. It is a founder member of the
RISK CONTROLThe CEA is a nuclear operator in many laborato-
ries and other facilities. It is responsible for operat-ing them and conducting research and R&D projects while controlling the risks linked to its activities.
Identifying risks, assessing them and then rank-ing them, provides a yearly updated risk map. This map serves as a reference for implementing the
PROGRAMME SUPPORTTHE CEA RELIES ON ITS DIVISIONS TO ENSURE BACKING AND SUPPORT FOR ITS RESEARCH PROGRAMMES: RISK CONTROL, HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT, EDUCATION & TRAINING, PLANNING, INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, VALORISATION, AND COMMUNICATION...ALL THESE COMPETENCIES ENABLE OUR ORGANISM TO LOOK FORWARD WITH CONFIDENCE.
Training platform for dismantling, radioprotection and intervention in nuclear environments. © S.Le Couster/CEA
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THE CEA AT THE HEART OF GREAT NEW CHALLENGES
THE CEA’S INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
The CEA’s International Relations Division advises the government on issues of external nuclear policy, and represents France in international organisations in the nuclear sector, such as the IAEA and the AEN.
It leads and develops cooperation in different domains of activity with counterpart bodies in other countries.
The CEA’s European and international policy hinges on several major objectives: participate in the construction of the European Research Area, develop its international scientific repute, support France’s policy of exporting nuclear energy, in particular through its collaboration with international partners developing civil nuclear power programmes, and through the I2EN’s training activity.
VALORISATIONThe CEA is conducting top-level research in sev-
eral domains – energy, information, technology, healthcare technology, defence and security.
Since its creation it has been committed to a pol-icy of valorisation. Teams dedicated to economic intelligence and strategic marketing are entrusted
with drawing up and explaining good practice for protecting and valorising knowledge and expertise in all sectors of activity.
The results of research conducted at the CEA form the substance of patent applications that have raised it to fourth place in the National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) 2015 ranking of organisation and companies in France. Patent portfolios are then put to gainful use, mainly through technological transfer to industry, in particular under joint agreements in which this intellectual property capital is invested.
The CEA has successfully used its services to com-panies to help them drive their capacity for innova-tion, whether these are large international operators, SMEs or mid-size companies.
This strategy has led the CEA to play an essential role in the creation of innovative companies that use its technologies or that stem from strong R&D col-laboration. To support these enterprises and help them grow industrially, the CEA has two subsidiaries, CEA Investment and Emertec Gestion investment fund, that help find venture capital.
COMMUNICATIONThe CEA’s Communication Division is responsible
for keeping the public informed about the organisa-tion’s research options and results, and the favour-able impact of these on economic wealth creation and employment. Another of the CEA’s missions is to propagate the scientific and technical culture under-pinning its research and jobs.
Association ENEN (European Nuclear Education Network), which works for the promotion of this spe-cific area of teaching.
PLANNING AND STRATEGYTo enable the CEA to plan ahead and look forward
with confidence in its future research efforts, while at the same time making sure public money is well spent, the Financial and Planning Division works with the operational Divisions to draw up annual and pluri-annual programmes for the CEA, consistent with its missions and strategic orientations. To ensure its programmes are clearly defined and con-sistently implemented across all the relevant oper-ational Divisions, the CEA has segmented its civil research programmes into major mission areas (nuclear energy – fission and fusion –, technological research for industry, fundamental research ground-ing). Twenty-six separate segments have thus been earmarked, of which the scientific, planning and budgetary contents reflect the CEA’s strategic vision for the next ten years. All the heads of the segments, under the coordination of the Financial and Planning Division, are responsible for constantly updating this strategic scientific analysis.
Sterile host under nitrogen for the culture of micro-organisms in the absence of oxygen for research into soil depollution, bioremediation, etc. © F.Rhodes/CEA
Exercise for the evacuation of a casualty
by a Local Security team at a CEA centre.
© S.Le Couster/CEA
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The CEA’s research programmes favouring the development of low carbon energy sources (nuclear and renewable), to supersede fossil fuels, are offi-cially recognised by the government as among the organism’s central missions.
The concept of sustainable nuclear power covers the clean-up and dismantling operations needed to leave clean sites to future generations for the devel-opment of new activities. These operations take place in the framework of a participative dialogue with the Local Information Commissions.
The work of the Climate Science and Environment Laboratory significantly contributed to the IPCC report linked to the preparation of the COP21, held in Paris in December 2015. The CEA is especially
active in the bodies involved in the response to cli-mate change, and is already mobilised for the upcom-ing COP22 in Morocco.
In the field of renewable energy sources, the CEA is focused on those sectors where it is competitive, and where innovation is still needed to cut costs and raise yields: solar photovoltaic energy, batteries for electric vehicles, energy storage, hydrogen fuel cells, on-board intelligence in vehicles and buildings, smart power grids, etc., and in ecodesign (to replace plat-inum), material recycling, and the circular economy, etc. The CEA seeks to strengthen its reference posi-tion in the development of renewable energy sources at European and international levels, through many joint endeavours with other academic partners.
he CEA, through its missions in areas as wide-ranging as low-carbon energy sources, technologies for information
and healthcare, defence and global security, and more generally in top-level research, assumes societal responsibilities of the highest order, just as other gov-ernment services and public bodies. Its missions place it directly at the heart of the great challenges of the future and of major societal issues as both expert and player. It is also the CEA’s duty to ensure transparency and optimal efficiency in its governance, its internal organisation and its relations with stakeholders, in accordance with the government action plan for exem-plary administration adopted by the government on 4 February 2015.
A NEW ROADMAP The governance of the CEA has been renovated
with the approval at the end of 2015 of a new medium- and long-term plan covering the next ten years, and by the new public statute of 17 March 2016, which reasserts and details the CEA’s missions, and affirms its new strategic steering.
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENTTHE NATIONAL STRATEGY FOR AN ECOLOGICAL TRANSITION TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, TOGETHER WITH THE LAW OF 17 AUGUST 2015 CONCERNING ENERGY TRANSITION FOR GREEN GROWTH, LAYS SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON THE NEED TO CONTINUE THE TRANSFORMATION OF CORPORATE AND ORGANISATIONAL GOVERNANCE TO INTEGRATE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND ECOLOGICAL TRANSITION ISSUES IN THE DRAWING-UP OF GLOBAL PERFORMANCE STRATEGIES.
TMyrte photovoltaic platform in Corsica, coupling solar energy with a hydrogen chain as energy vector for the storage of renewable energy. © P.Avavian/CEA
THE CEA AT THE HEART OF GREAT NEW CHALLENGES
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CONCERN FOR SAFETY AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Besides the societal responsibilities arising from its missions, the CEA has to be constantly watchful to maintain security and safety in its own installations, to protect not only its own workforce, and that of its employees, suppliers and service providers, but also persons living nearby, and the public in general. The CEA is especially alert to the prevention of accidents at work, and has set objectives to reduce their fre-quency and seriousness for all persons working on their sites.
Protecting the environment is also one of the CEA’s constant concerns in the course of its activities. The CEA operates a well-proven system for measuring any pollution or contamination of the environment.
The CEA’s assets are mostly spread over ten research centres. The total land area occupied amounts to some 5,500 hectares, on which stand 2,500 buildings, including 233 installations meeting environment-friendliness criteria (ICPEs) and 37 basic nuclear installations (INBs). France’s Grenelle 1 and 2 laws on the national environmental commitment, together with the Energy Transition Act, have prompted the CEA to intensify its sustainable devel-opment approach. Firm action is being taken to con-tinuously improve the environmental performance of installations and processes at all stages in their life cycle: design, construction, operation and dismantling. This action aims in particular to reduce the consump-tion of fluids and energy, and the release of gaseous effluent, by continuing efforts for the thermal insula-tion of buildings, improving the detection of leaks in pipework, and upgrading outside lighting systems.
Some centres, for example, now make systematic use of occupancy sensors to trim office lighting, and have replaced bulbs by LEDs.
AT THE CEA’S CENTRESCadarache: The water supply from the Canal de
Provence, for the RJH and ITER, was planned so as to limit ecological impact.
Cesta: In 2015, the centre finalised a pilot pro-gramme for the thermal renovation of tertiary build-ings, mainly by outside insulation.
DAM-Île-de-France (Bruyères-le-Chatel): Action taken for the cooling of the supercomputers (monitoring and adjustment of settings for the pro-duction of ice-water) has improved their energy effi-ciency, and saved 1,040 MWh in one year.
Fontenay-aux-Roses: The building housing the Centre’s management structure has been renovated, in particular with 100% recycled floor carpeting and
LOCAL AND NATIONAL IMPLANTATION The CEA wishes to further develop technology
transfer to companies in these areas, in particular via the regional deployment of its activities in its Regional Technology Transfer Platforms (PRTTs), intended to dynamize local industry and help create jobs through green growth. The results set out in the PRTT report for 2015 show that this aim is being achieved.
As regards the economics of sustainable devel-opment, the CEA is remarkably well-positioned: it is a leader among public bodies for patent submissions in France, and was top world research innovator in 2015. It is also contributing to the creation of many innovative start-ups.
As a public body, in relations with its suppliers and service providers, the CEA has long adhered to the principles of public procurement, and imple-ments a responsible purchasing policy. For example, in 2015, more than 13% of its contracts contained an environmental protection clause, exceeding the ini-tial objective of 10%. The CEA also integrates social clauses in its procurement contracts that enable the employment of persons with disabilities.
Finally, the CEA continues its actions in favour of the dissemination of scientific and technical infor-mation, and in particular educational actions for youngsters to raise their awareness of the reality of climate change and the need for energy transition. One of the important keys to this transition will be promoting innovation, backed by legislation. The CEA intends to take a full and active part in this endeavour.
Mobility Village at Grenoble. © P. Jayet/CEA
solvent-free paint made from seaweed harvested on the north coast of Brittany.
Gramat: In 2015 the Centre finalised its pro-gramme for returning the Gouffre des Besaces site to its original state, after dismantling and removal of water pumping plant, piping and associated elec-trical equipment.
Grenoble: On 17 September 2015 the CEA organ-ised an event on the theme of sustainable mobility, innovation, accessibility and prevention, which hosted some 5 000 visitors, 400 delegates and 500 exhibitors.
Le Ripault: The Centre is developing battery technology deployed on the Myrte platform in Corsica, where a programme for the demonstration of storage of electricity from solar photovoltaic col-lectors is underway.
Marcoule: A forestry conservation plan has been implemented with the National Forestry Office (ONF) to preserve the biodiversity of fauna and flora around the Centre.
Saclay: The Centre has launched a triple ISO 50001, 14001 and 9001 certification process (energy management system).
Valduc: More than 80% of the Centre’s heating is provided by a locally produced renewable energy source (wood and straw combustion).
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
External thermal renovation at Cesta. © CEA/MS
French atomic energy andalternative energy Commission91 191 Gif-sur-Yvette cedex
Cover photos: Left to right and top to bottom: Microscope observation in lithography zone 200 mm - Purification of proteins by chromatography – LHC tunnel – Bare chip with BiCMOS technology for broadband communication at millimetre frequencies – View of pool in an experimental reactor – Photovoltaic solar energy platform – Test of Spiral 2 injector - Megajoule Laser experiment chamber. Credits : P.Avavian - PF.Grosjean - P.Jayet – P.Labeguerie – Leti - D.Morel – P.Stroppa/CEA. Design and production: EFIL – efil.fr – Printed with an Imprim’Vert printer on paper from sustainably managed forests - June 2016
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10CEA’S
CENTRESIN FRANCE
1 HEADQUARTER
CIVIL RESEARCH CENTRES
2 SACLAY (Headquarter) (91)
3 FONTENAY-AUX-ROSES (92)
4 GRENOBLE (38)
5 MARCOULE (30)
6 CADARACHE (13)
CENTRES FOR MILITARY APPLICATIONS
7 DAM-Île de France (91)
8 LE RIPAULT (37)
9 VALDUC (21)
10 CESTA (33)
11 GRAMAT (46)
REGIONALTECHNOLOGY-TRANSFERPLATFORMS
12 TOULOUSE (31)
13 BORDEAUX (33)
14 NANTES (44)
15 METZ (57)
16 LILLE (59)
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