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LEMA hot facility (in ATALANTE)

Located at CEA Marcoule, the Laboratory of actinide-based materials studies (LEMA), which is managed by the Fuel Cycle Technology Department (DTEC), is a hot laboratory dedicated to radioactive source manufacturing, used source recycling, and elaboration and manufacturing methods for minor actinide-based and plutonium fuel-based materials. This laboratory is implemented in ATALANTE, which is the major nuclear cycle R&D facilities in CEA and in the world. The facilities include several installations.

• The L6 laboratory is dedicated to ceramic and minor actinide-based fuel elaboration, as well as Am chemistry. It is equipped with several shielded cells with mixer mills, a press, and a sintering furnace;

• The L7 laboratory is devoted to the study and characterization of minor actinide-based materials. It includes various types of equipment, such as a thermobalance, a He pycnometer, a BET, a dilatometer, and a XRD…;

• The C9 and C10 shielded cells are equipped with various devices and systems dedicated to actinides purification, actinide-based matrices manufacturing, sample preparation for ceramography, and fuel or radioactive source elaboration;

• The LES 216 laboratory is dedicated to microstructure analyses. It is equipped with several SEM's (both inside and outside the hot cells).