Cutting-edge national technology for health, science and industry
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Argentina will solidify its position as a global leader in nuclear technology with the construction of the RA-10 Multipurpose Nuclear Reactor. This cutting-edge facility, currently being built by the National State, through the National Atomic Energy Commission, will provide essential medical isotopes, fuel cutting-edge research, and drive technological advancements, and it will revolutionize fields such as healthcare, science, and industry.
The RA-10 Project is located at the Ezeiza Atomic Center (Province of Buenos Aires) and includes the design, construction, assembly, start-up and delivery for the operation of a multipurpose nuclear reactor, with a contribution of more than 80% from local companies and institutions in technology and associated services.
The facility will ensure self-supply of radioisotopes for medical use, with the capacity to meet a huge part of the demand in Latin America. It will consolidate the capacities for cutting-edge technological developments in the nuclear and conventional industry, and will open a new horizon of research in basic sciences and applications based on the use of advanced neutron techniques.
The RA-10 is entirely developed in Argentina. CNEA and INVAP are working together on the construction of the new facility, integrating and developing national capabilities in different specific areas of small and medium-sized industry.
In parallel with its construction, which began in 2016, CNEA also made progress in the process of training the operations staff and in the development of future users to ensure full use of the facility.
In this way, with the RA-10, our country will be at the forefront of the development of this type of reactors, following a line of technological evolution of the successful OPAL Project, the modern radioisotope production reactor that Argentina built - through INVAP - for Australia in 2007. This cutting-edge reactor will solidify our leadership in the global nuclear community.
RA10+ Complex
The construction of the reactor is driving forward other projects to form a complex of medical radioisotopes, nuclear science and technology, with an impact on health, science and technology, industry and nuclear technology.
Impact on health
Technetium 99 is a radioisotope that is increasingly used worldwide for the diagnosis of diseases. There is also increasing global interest in other radioisotopes for therapeutic use. The RA-10 Reactor and its future associated Fission Radioisotope Production Plant (FRPP) will supply national needs and will be able to contribute to global demand by taking advantage of the unique opportunity presented by the decommissioning of several production reactors worldwide.
Impact on science and technology
Neutron techniques are currently the most advanced tools for cutting-edge research and development in different fields of science. The RA-10 Reactor, together with the Argentine Neutron Beam Laboratory (LAHN), will provide first-class instruments related to these techniques for the scientific and technological community.
The LAHN will be the first and only world-class facility to offer neutron techniques in Latin America, which will make it a scientific-technological hub for knowledge creation, innovation and technological development.
Impact on industry
Another notable contribution of the RA-10 Reactor will be the production of doped silicon by neutron transmutation, a high-quality raw material for the development of advanced electronic applications.
Industrial iridium sources will be also produced for the evaluation of the integrity and quality of large-scale constructions and components.
Impact on nuclear technology
The RA-10, together with the Laboratory for the Study of Irradiated Materials (LEMI), will make it possible to study the behavior of materials, expanding the capacity to produce and qualify new fuels and components for future experimental and power reactors.
As a result, the country will have a unique facility where basic research, technological development and production activities will be combined, which will have a transversal impact on our scientific and technological capabilities.
Technical characteristics
Civil works
Site: Ezeiza Atomic Centre
Implementation area: 3,85 Ha
Total surface to be built: 7.632 m2
Total covered surface: 17.723,52 m2 (between levels -8.8 m + 26.5 m)
Multipurpose research reactor
**Power: 30 MW
**Operating cycle: Continuous 29,5 days
**Weekly production of Molybdenum-99 > 2,000 Ci/W_
**Open pool
**Fuel: Low enrichment, plate type (MTR), Uranium Silicide
**Reflector: Heavy water (D2O)
**Cooling moderator: Light water (H2O)
Cooling flow direction in the ascending core
2 diverse and independent shutdown systems
Project Progress
The project has a cumulative overall progress of 80%.
In February 2024, the manufacture of the reflector tank was completed and in March the civil works were concluded.
The start of the last stage, the start-up of the reactor, is scheduled for March 2026 and the completion of the project is expected for December 2026.
Progress and milestones achieved
The RA-10 Project began in 2010 and its objective is to design, build and commission the RA-10 Multipurpose Argentine Nuclear Reactor.
Design
The design stage involved more than one million man hours and more than 10.000 technical documents were generated.
Licensing
In October 2014, the Construction License was obtained from the Nuclear Regulatory Authority.
In 2016, the Training and Licensing stage began for the professionals and technicians who will make up the future reactor operating staff.
In April 2024, the team of operators already has their individual licenses and is in the process of training to obtain the specific licenses that will allow them to execute the start-up of the reactor.
Environmental Management
In April 2016, the Provincial Agency for Sustainable Development (OPDS) granted the Environmental Aptitude Certificate.
Construction
- Construction began in 2016 and involves civil works, the supply and assembly of components and pre-operational tests.
- The civil works include the construction of the four buildings that make up the facility: Reactor Building, Auxiliary Building, Guidance Building and Services Building.
- In August 2018, with the assembly of the Reactor Pool, the supply and installation of the main major components of the Facility began. This stage ended in 2020.
- In August 2018, the Reactor Pool was assembled. See News
- In February 2019, the Primary Cooling System Decay Tank was assembled.
- In July 2019, the Service Pool was assembled.
- In October 2020, the assembly of the pumps of the Primary Cooling Circuit of the facility and the Heat Exchangers was completed.
- In February 2024, the manufacture of the reflector tank was completed. This is the last major component of the reactor. It was manufactured entirely in Bariloche and transferred to the site for subsequent assembly.
- The quality and power of electrical energy was improved with a new transformer station to feed the entire complex and it is now operational. Likewise, progress is being made on the installation of drinking water and natural gas.
- By March 2024, following the completion of work on the reactor buildings, service building, neutron guidance building, auxiliary building and training building, the civil works of the project have been completed.
- By August 2024, the reflector tank of the Reactor was installed.