Azur celebrates its 60th anniversary

Sixty years ago, on April 9, 1962, the Azur reactor (Zirconium-Uranium Alloy) went into operation for the first time at the Cadarache site. Designed by the pioneers of nuclear propulsion, it was one of the CEA’s first facilities. It has been operated by TechnicAtome since 1974.

Just 10 years before our company was founded, the nuclear propulsion program was gaining momentum with the commissioning of the Azur reactor. The history of this experimental facility, built in just two years—a remarkable feat!—is closely linked to the leading names in France’s nuclear submarine programs—Le Redoutable, Le Rubis, Le Triomphant, and Barracuda—as well as the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle.

Over the decades, the experiments conducted by TechnicAtome’s teams have validated design choices, enriched an experimental database aimed at qualifying computational codes, and established the neutron acceptance criteria for the reactor cores. Today, on a daily basis, a staff of just 10 TechnicAtome employees oversees the Azur reactor to ensure the facility’s operation and conduct tests. They have chosen to pay tribute to it by soon wearing a new emblem on their jackets (see photo below).

Since its creation, the Azur reactor has also contributed to the training of French Navy personnel. More than 5,500 sailors have thus been able to gain an understanding of the “reactivity” of a real reactor core, in addition to their training on simulators.