THE CEA
AT THE HEART
OF GREAT NEW
CHALLENGES
ANNUAL REPORT 2015
THE CEA
AT THE HEART
OF GREAT NEW
CHALLENGES
> WWW.CEA.FR
KEY FIGURES 2015
4,908
PUBLICATIONS
in peer-review
magazines
1,146
PHD STUDENTS AND
230
POST-DOCTORAL
RESEARCHERS
at the CEA
MORE THAN
438
EUROPEAN PROJECTS
including 316 FP7 projects
and 122 H2020 projects
753
PRIORITY PATENTS FILED
The CEA holds fourth place
in the National Institute of
Industrial Property (INPI)
ranking of public and private
patent applicants
MORE THAN
500
INDUSTRIAL PARTNERS,
300 contracts worth more
than 50k€/an
53
FRAMEWORK AGREEMENTS
in force with
universities and
graduate colleges
31
COMPETITIVENESS
CLUSTERS,
of which 18 are
administered by the CEA
51
RESEARCH UNITS
co-supervised
by the CEA
and academic partners
(45 UMR, 5 UMS, 1 USR)
MORE THAN
5,844
ACTIVE PATENT FAMILIES
187
TECHNOLOGICAL
START-UPS
since 1972 in the innovative
technology sector,
124 since 2000
220 projects
IN THE INVESTMENTS
FOR THE FUTURE
PROGRAMME
Cadarache
Centre
Christian
BONNET
Cesta Centre
Jean-Pierre
GIANNINI
Valduc Centre
François
BUGAUT
Le Ripault Centre
Serge DUFORT
Gramat Centre
Jehan
VANPOPERYNGHE
Marcoule
Centre
Philippe
GUIBERTEAU
Nuclear Energy
Division
François
GAUCHÉ
DAM Île-deFrance Centre
Pierre
BOUCHET
Security-Safety
Delegate
Director
Edwige
BONNEVIE
Saclay Centre
Michel
BÉDOUCHA
Fontenayaux-Roses
Centre
Anne
FLÜRY-HÉRARD
Grenoble
Centre
Philippe
BOURGUIGNON
Technological Research
Division
Stéphane
SIEBERT
International
Cooperations
Director
Gabriele
FIONI
Programmes and
Financial Division
Marie-Astrid
RAVON-BERENGUER
Communication
Division
Xavier CLÉMENT
Central Safety
Division
Edwige BONNEVIE
Information
Systems Division
Louis ARRIVET
Human Resources and
Social Relations Division
Philippe SANSY
Internationales
Relations Division
Frédéric JOURNÈS
Nuclear Safety and
Protection Division
Jean-Marc CAVEDON
Strategic Analysis
Division
Jean-Philippe BOURGOIN
FUNCTIONAL DIVISIONS
National Institute
for Nuclear
Science and
Technology
Philippe
CORRÉA
Legal Affairs
Division
Florence TOUÏTOU-DURAND
Special
Adviser
Director
Hervé
BERNARD
Chief of Staff
Claire KERBOUL
High Commissionner
for Atomic Energy
Yves
BRÉCHET
Strategic Partnerships
and Sales Division
Éric CAPELLE
Sustainable
Development
Director
Sophie
GALEYLERUSTE
Chief of Staff and Performance Director
Dominique MONVOISIN
Christophe
GÉGOUT
Daniel
VERWAERDE Renewable
Energy
Delegate
Director
Jean
THERME
Fundamental Research
Division
Vincent
BERGER
OPERATIONAL DIVISIONS
Military Applications
Division
François
GELEZNIKOFF
General
and Nuclear
Inspection
Division
Xavier
VITART
Deputy Chairman
Chairman
GENERAL DIVISION
CORPORATE
GOVERNANCE
(AS AT 1ST JUNE 2016)
GOVERNANCE OF
THE CEA
T
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 statutes 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 empowered 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, prepares 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 management 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 missions 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 programme, the budget, the annual financial statements, the creation of subsidiaries, draft contracts,
procurement contracts, transactions, international
CEA’s administrative headquarters at Gif-sur-Yvette.
© PF.Grosjean/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 important 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 committee is responsible for consistency of civil programmes, 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 regulation that affect the CEA’s mission or organisation. It
is chaired by the Prime Minister to discuss civil activities, and the Minister of Defence for defence-related
matters.
The Atomic Energy Committee delegates authority 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 programmes 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 financial report, with if necessary the consolidated statement, and the CEA’s annual report, are submitted to
the CEA economic and financial general control service Delegation.
To the left: © D.Guillaudin/CEA - To the right © D.Morel/CEA
ABOUT THE CEA
THE
CEA’S
MISSIONS
THESE MISSIONS FORM PART OF
FRANCE’S MAJOR STRATEGIC
OPTIONS:
M
ILITARY PLANNING ACT,
E
NERGY TRANSITION FOR GREEN
GROWTH ACT,
C
OP21 PARIS AGREEMENT,
N
EW INDUSTRIAL FRANCE POLICY,
A
ND NATIONAL RESEARCH
STRATEGY.
T
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 mobilises its expertise and multidisciplinary competencies
to propose innovative technological solutions to
address major societal challenges, such as energy
transition, nuclear and renewable energy, and understanding the mechanisms of climate change.
The CEA offers public authorities and industrial
operators expertise and innovative ideas for the production of nuclear power that is sustainable, safe and
economically competitive, and contributes to national
and international nuclear safety policies. It also follows a research strategy encompassing the whole
energy system, focusing simultaneously on means of
electrical power production, both nuclear and
THE CEA IS LOCATED
IN FRANCE IN
10
CENTRES
5
REGIONAL
TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER
PLATFORMS (PRTTS)
4.1 BILLION
EUROS
CIVIL AND DEFENCE
BUDGET
15,958 EMPLOYEES
* Key figures 2015
1
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 impelling the development of technology, particularly IT, to
meet the needs of research, industry and society,
transferring knowledge, skills and technology to industry, and valorising research findings. In close cooperation 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 collaboration 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-deFrance (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 considerable 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 stakeholder 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.
THE CEA
AT THE HEART
OF GREAT NEW
CHALLENGES
> WWW.CEA.FR
DEFENCE
& SECURITY
THE MISSIONS OF THE CEA
INCLUDE DEFENCE AND SECURITY
OF THE NATION IN VARIOUS
FIELDS: NUCLEAR WARHEADS
THAT EQUIP FRANCE’S SEAAND 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.
T
he Military Applications Division
(DAM) is responsible for:
the design, manufacture, throughlife support and dismantling of the nuclear warheads 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 reactors 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 prevention of nuclear proliferation and terrorism,
and providing its expertise in conventional
weaponry in support of the Ministry of Defence.
RES building.
© Yohan Brandt/Areva TA
2
DEFENCE & SECURITY
3D simulation of hydrodynamic
instabilities involved in nuclear
weapon functioning.
© CEA-DAM
launched in 1996. It relies on physical models (equations) underlying the functioning of nuclear weapons,
on high-performance computers solving these equations, and on the experimental validation of these
models in the major facilities Epure and the
Megajoule Laser (LMJ).
Supercomputers
DETERRENT WEAPON SYSTEMS
Two types of nuclear warhead are in service:
the airborne nuclear warheads (TNA), which has
been equipping France’s strategic air force missiles 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 PROPULSION
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 particular 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 invaluable simulation tool used in the design and throughlife support for reactors and reactor cores on board
French Navy vessels.
THE SIMULATION PROGRAMME
The reliability and safety of French nuclear warheads are now guaranteed without further nuclear
testing, through the Simulation Programme,
The supercomputers are sized to match the
requirements of the nuclear weapons design and
guarantee. The Tera 1000-1 supercomputer can perform 2.6 petaflops (quadrillion operations per second), and Tera 1000-2, currently manufactured, will
achieve 25 petaflops in 2017 with a very high energy
efficiency.
The Epure facility
The 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 purposes 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
The French Navy’s fleet of nuclear- powered vessels 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 programme
France’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 manufacture of the nuclear steam supply systems and
the cores, together with all the logistics resources
for maintenance.
The RES programme
Maintaining availability targets and ensuring high
standards in terms of safety is dependent not only
on rigorous equipment maintenance, but also on
French-United Kingdom Epure facility at the Valduc Centre.
© CEA-DAM
3
THE CEA
AT THE HEART
OF GREAT NEW
CHALLENGES
> WWW.CEA.FR
View of Tera 1000-1.
© CEA-DAM
hydrodynamic behaviour of materials, under the
conditions encountered in the pre-nuclear phase of
weapon functioning.
The Megajoule Laser
The Megajoule Laser at the Cesta Centre is an
indispensable tool for simulating the physical phenomena involved in the nuclear phase of weapon
functioning, and for certifying the expertise of physicists in charge of weapons design. Since its commissioning 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 technologies, in combating nuclear proliferation and
terrorism.
To inform the French authorities in the event of
a nuclear test, the DAM participates in the implementation 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 collected by the 321 stations of the International
Monitoring System, in which the DAM is strongly
involved. Supported by its competencies in geophysics, the DAM is also responsible for the French
Tsunami Early Warning Centre for the Mediterranean
and North-East Atlantic (Cenalt). The Cenalt’s mission 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 services are informed simultaneously. The DAM is
entrusted by the French authorities and Defence
4
with managing the programme entitled “Global
security: fight against Chemical, Biological,
Radiological, Nuclear and Explosives (CBRN-E) terrorism, and cybersecurity”. This inter-ministerial
R&D programme for fighting terrorism engages all
the CEA’s operational divisions.
CONVENTIONAL DEFENCE
The 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.
THE CEA
AT THE HEART
OF GREAT NEW
CHALLENGES
> WWW.CEA.FR
NUCLEAR AND
RENEWABLE
ENERGIES
NUCLEAR
FISSION
ENERGY
THE 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 INDUSTRIALSCALE 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 discussions 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
Modelling to support the design of
sodium-cooled fast reactors.
© P.Stroppa/CEA
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 sodium-cooled fast reactor. It also maintains a technology
watch and R&D on all over relevant systems and technologies 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 collaboration with its partners EDF and Areva, has studied
different industrial scenarios for deploying fast reactors. 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.
5
OPTIMISING THE CURRENT
INDUSTRIAL-SCALE- NUCLEAR
FACILITIES
The CEA provides support to its industrial partners 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 competitiveness, reactor service life, performance, availability
and nuclear safety must be met in the field of reactors. 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 working condition. Actions also focus on improving the
performance of processes used for the selective
extraction of uranium, for its purification for enrichment purposes, and then for its conversion. The CEA
supports also Andra by providing scientific and
THE CEA
AT THE HEART
OF GREAT NEW
CHALLENGES
Shielded lines for studies on
irradiated materials.
© PF.Grosjean/CEA
> WWW.CEA.FR
technical data needed for the deep geological repository project called Cigéo for which Andra is the project owner.
It is helping to elaborate the technical and material 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 reactors to conduct neutronic experiments).
Some of these facilities are reaching the end of
their service life after more than 40 years of operation. Discussions on renewing or refurbishing these
facilities to maintain a relevant fleet of research tools
ZOOM ON...
IMPACT ON HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT
The 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.
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 collected 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 laboratories, 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 experience, both in project ownership and in the methodologies 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 dismantling projects often require the development of specific 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 improving safety on worksites.
NUCLEAR FUSION BY MAGNETIC
CONFINEMENT
The 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.).
6
Cutting operation on a tank that was used
to store radioactive effluents.
© CEA
NUCLEAR AND RENEWABLE ENERGIES
RENEWABLE
ENERGIES
T
he work of the Liten1 covers in priority solar energy (thermal and photovoltaic) and its integration in the
habitat, batteries for stationary applications and
transport, the production of vector hydrogen, and
energy recovery from waste.
SOLAR ENERGY
Research 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, communicating, self-diagnosing premium quality modules. In parallel, it is developing integrated,
functionalised modules for specific applications:
boat decks, mall roofs, roadways, etc.
The Liten is developing technologies to manage 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 successfully 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.
Inspection of
interconnections on
photovoltaic cells.
© P.Avavian/CEA
These can, for example, power seawater desalination plants.
ELECTRICITY STORAGE
In the field of electrochemical storage, work is
directed not only to on-board applications (electric vehicles and mobile devices), but also to stationary storage, which is indispensable for the
development of intermittent renewable energy
sources.
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 development of breakaway technologies for new applications: low-cost sodium-ion batteries, promising
for stationary applications, or lithium-sulphur batteries, 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 batteries. One approach is to increase the conductivity of
ions by “channelling” them in carbon nanotubes.
Another approach aims to gain a better understanding 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 graphite anode, by calcium or europium doping. Using
a nuclear microprobe for quantitative local analysis 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.
7
THE CEA
CEA
RAPPORT
AT
THE HEART
ANNUEL
OF
GREAT NEW
2014
CHALLENGES
>>WWW.CEA.FR
WWW.CEA.FR
use them to support renewable energy sources, in
particular to develop catalysts that do not contain
rare metals to produce hydrogen, or to develop processes to produce lipids for biodiesel fuel.
Researchers have elucidated the cell mechanisms
responsible for the astonishing photosynthetic
capacity of diatoms: these single-cell marine organisms 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 elucidated a key step in the maturation of some bacterial 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.
Pilot assembly line of modules and battery
packs in small runs.
© D.Guillaudin/CEA
BIORESOURCES
The Liten’s Genepi platform is helping to develop
innovative, high-performance production of biofuels
from solid bioresources, such as residues from agriculture 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 treatment 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 molecules thereby obtained could be re-used to make
plastics, food additives, or cosmetics.
HYDROGEN AND FUEL CELLS
Hydrogen power generator.
© P.Avavian/CEA
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 reducing the quantity of platinum needed, and lengthening the lifespan of the proton exchange membrane
fuel cell (PEMFC) system, so as to propose economically viable alternatives to current solutions.
For oxygen reduction, fuel cells could gain benefit from a new stable, efficient catalyst, based on a
nanostructured graphene, free of rare or toxic metals 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 electrolysis), opening up new prospects at ecodistrict scale,
in addition to its usefulness for smoothing fluctuations in renewable energy availability
Studies of micro-organisms (micro-algae and
cyanobacteria) that are able to produce energy-rich
substances naturally.
© G.Lesénéchal/CEA
PRODUCTION OF MOLECULES
WITH AN INTEREST FOR ENERGY
Certain micro-organisms can make fuel: scientists at the Biam2 and BIG3 Institutes are hoping to
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.
8
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TECHNOLOGICAL
RESEARCH FOR
INDUSTRY
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.
MICROELECTRONICS
In the domain of microelectronics and microtechnologies, the Leti1 is conducting research in close
cooperation with industrial operators and the scientific 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 essential 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 structures 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 integration (including extremely dense CoolCubeTM technology), chips can integrate not only computing
capabilities (CMOS components and memories), but
also micro- and nano-sensors and actuators, local
Bonding of wafer on frame.
© P.Jayet/CEA
energy sources, and radiofrequency (RF) or optical
communication modes. Innovative devices derived
from this research benefit from nano-scale miniaturisation, 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 telecommunications, healthcare, and more generally
what we call the Internet of Things (IoT). These developments are being made in partnership with numerous French, European and international industrial
operators.
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 nanometre 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 information in computers. In this context, fundamental
1. Leti: Electronics and Information Technology Laboratory,
part of the Technological Research Division.
NANOTECHNOLOGIES
AND NANOSCIENCES
The nanosciences and nanotechnologies took
shape in the 1980s with the development of new
atom-scale manufacturing, measurement and characterisation 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 location and movement of atoms.
Today the nanosciences are seeking to understand and reproduce the phenomena, laws and
9
Deposition of metal layers for 3D.
© P.Jayet/CEA
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Innovative sensors and algorithms enrich instrumentation 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.
Transmission electron microscope for
characterisation of materials.
© P.Stroppa/CEA
research scientists at Inac2 and Iramis3 have succeeded in reproducing a 3D image of the geometry
and chemical composition of quantum boxes in nanowires 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 memory studied at the CEA offers a sub-nanosecond writing 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.
ON-BOARD SYSTEMS
On-board systems are widely used in many applications by both professionals and the general public. 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 partnership 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 hardware-software convergence –, the List has risen to
the challenge in the energy, transport, telecommunications, connected device, and home automation
sectors, and of course cybersecurity, a domain in
which the CEA enjoys international acclaim.
AMBIENT INTELLIGENCE
How 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 technologies 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 ambient intelligence in partnership with industrial operators in transport (Renault), cybersecurity (Thales),
energy (Schneider Electric), electronic document
management (Bureau Veritas), etc.
TECHNOLOGIES FOR HEALTH
The CEA proposes innovative approaches in the
domains of diagnostics, therapy and prophylaxis.
These approaches are helping to develop individualised 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.
ADVANCED MANUFACTURING
The CEA, as a founding member of the Future
Industry Alliance, helps companies achieve their
digital make-over. Digital technologies offer tomorrow’s production plants the opportunity to gain agility, 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 solutions improve their productivity and make tasks less
arduous. Augmented reality offers high-performance tools for maintenance and training.
Cobot composed of a mechatronic arm
dedicated to tasks such as brushing,
chiselling or handling.
© P.Stroppa/CEA
Medical imaging and radiotherapy
Software integration of home automation
management, in particular for heating.
© V.Guilly/CEA
10
The 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
TECHNOLOGICAL RESEARCH FOR INDUSTRY
by bacteria, which can show up targets at the molecular 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.
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.
Quick diagnostic test for Ebola virus disease.
© CEA
Diagnostics
At Ibitecs7, scientists have developed a rapid diagnostic tool that will identify the Ebola virus in 15 minutes 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 therapy
The Ibitecs and Imeti8 research teams are following 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 therapeutic 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 efficiency than that obtained by adenosine administered 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
Platforms for medical devices and trials
The Leti is one of France’s major actors in the
development of healthcare technology, and in particular medical devices. Supported by active collaboration with nearly 80 clinical teams across the
world, it addresses the domains of in vitro diagnostics, health monitoring and connected healthcare,
medical imaging, drug delivery systems, active medical devices and innovative therapies.
For the last two years it has been working on how
to deal with the regulatory constraints that apply to
Cell culture laboratory of biosafety level 3 dedicated
to infectious diseases and gene therapy.
© P.Stroppa/CEA
11
Outside view of Clinatec building
© F.Ardito/CEA
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 clinical partners in a high-tech environment for the duration of their project.
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.
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FUNDAMENTAL
RESEARCH
THE CEA CONDUCTS RESEARCH
IN PHYSICS, MATERIALS
SCIENCE, CHEMISTRY,
BIOLOGY AND HEALTH.
IT ALSO DEVELOPS AND
IMPLEMENTS TECHNOLOGIES
AND INSTRUMENTATION
AT TOP WORLD LEVEL.
LIFE
SCIENCES
T
he CEA is breaking ground in fundamental 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 participation 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 example, they have designed an NMR device that can
Video-microscopy at the IBS.
© D.Morel/CEA
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 component 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 operational, 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,
12
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 concerns 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
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.
FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH
repair dynamics may prove useful in materials engineering. Another finding is a new role identified for
the centrosome, the cell’s central organelle, considered to be the microtubule architect. It also proves
to be responsible for the assembly of the actin filaments, another part of the cytoskeleton.
LIFE IN ALL ITS DIVERSITY
Scientists never cease to be surprised when working 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-genomics, proteomics, etc.) in several national infrastructures 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 different from the other giant viruses discovered in the
far north, in particular Pithovirus. Its genome comprises 650,000 base pairs coding for more than
500 proteins. Researchers are also interested in the
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
biodiversity of the oceans, which are still largely
unexplored. Massive sequencing of data collected
during the travel of the schooner Tara found 40 million 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 toxicology 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; biologists 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 nanoparticles 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 BRAIN
The development of high-field and functional
imaging are opening up new avenues of brain
research: conscience, thought, language, etc. In particular, they allow the identification of a network of
brain areas whose organisation could explain specific 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 languages. In addition, a crossover study using neuro-imaging and genetics has linked genetic
mutations to variations in the size of deep brain
structures. This study could lead on to an assessment of risk factors for developing neurodegenerative disease.
MRI examination at NeuroSpin.
© PF.Grosjean/CEA
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?
13
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.
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PHYSICAL
SCIENCES
F
undamental research at the CEA
also covers the exploration of the
subatomic world (physics of particles 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, superconducting magnets, detectors, cryogenics – techniques 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 instruments such as detectors, accelerators, and magnets, 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 electronic 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
Cryostat for obtaining ultra-low temperatures in continuous
mode with no cryogenic fluid supply.
© P.Avavian/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 structure of the Universe up to distances of more than
11 billion light years.
Mass spectrometry with accelerator for radiocarbon measurement
from natural climate archives.
© PF.Grosjean/CEA
The Minos experiment at Riken (Japan), exploiting a device developed at the CEA, dedicated to the
exploration of exotic nuclei, has revealed radioactive isotopes of chromium and iron that are the
most neutron-rich accessible to date.
By means of supercomputing, numerical simulations 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 ENVIRONMENT
The 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
1. Euclid: space satellite of the European Space Agency
(ESA), due to be launched in 2020, and in which ten French
laboratories are involved.
14
FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH
participated in the 21 st UN Climate Change
Conference in Paris (COP 21).
One research thrust is the collection and analysis 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 magnetic 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 modelling and simulation, essential for understanding
the phenomena taking place and the processes regulating exchanges and transfer of water between
oceans, continents and the atmosphere. From models 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 oceanographic measurements and information from natural 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.
Ultra-high intensity laser.
© P.Stroppa/CEA
ACCELERATORS AND
CRYOTECHNOLOGIES
Panoramic view of 11.7 tesla magnet
in the course of assembly.
© General Electrics
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 magnet (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.
LASER-MATTER INTERACTION
Lasers are unique instruments for probing matter 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 valuable exploration tools for chemistry and biology,
as well as for high-field physics and inertial confinement fusion. Attosecond lasers enable us in particular to study the dynamics of electrons and atomic
nuclei in matter in its gaseous and condensed
phases.
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.
15
THE CEA
CEA
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AT
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2014
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THE RESEARCH
INFRASTRUCTURES
(RIS)
F
undamental 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 community 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
16
FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH
The Curie supercomputer.
© Cadam/CEA
European Spallation Source (ESS)). The CEA
will supply several contracts for the linear proton 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 astrophysics (Ganil, Spiral2, LHC, Fair, and telescopes 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 structure in the vicinity of double magic nuclei1 (78Ni,
100
Sn, 208Pb). This facility will also shortly be
equipped with a second ion accelerator Spiral2.
The CEA is a stakeholder in the research conducted 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 atmospheric monitoring via a network of 16 stations, integrated 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
Analysing bottles of
air samples in the Icos
laboratory.
© F.Rhodes/CEA
17
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.
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.
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PROGRAMME
SUPPORT
THE 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.
RISK CONTROL
The CEA is a nuclear operator in many laboratories and other facilities. It is responsible for operating them and conducting research and R&D projects
while controlling the risks linked to its activities.
Identifying risks, assessing them and then ranking them, provides a yearly updated risk map. This
map serves as a reference for implementing the
CEA’s risk control policy and for setting the programme 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 protect and monitor the environment, ensure nuclear
safety, transport safety, the health, safety and radioprotection of personnel, the security of sites, plant
and assets, the management of emergencies and
the control of legal risks.
HUMAN RESOURCES
The CEA is committed to managing the development 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 constructive dialogue with mandated representatives of its
personnel, and to ensuring professional equality and
good working conditions.
TRAINING
The National Institute for Nuclear Science and
Technology (INSTN) is a state-funded higher education 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 further education. It delivers highly specialised education 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
Training platform
for dismantling,
radioprotection and
intervention in nuclear
environments.
© S.Le Couster/CEA
18
Exercise for the
evacuation of a casualty
by a Local Security
team at a CEA centre.
© S.Le Couster/CEA
Association ENEN (European Nuclear Education
Network), which works for the promotion of this specific area of teaching.
PLANNING AND STRATEGY
To 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 consistently implemented across all the relevant operational Divisions, the CEA has segmented its civil
research programmes into major mission areas
(nuclear energy – fission and fusion –, technological
research for industry, fundamental research grounding). 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.
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.
VALORISATION
The CEA is conducting top-level research in several domains – energy, information, technology,
healthcare technology, defence and security.
Since its creation it has been committed to a policy 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 companies to help them drive their capacity for innovation, 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 collaboration. 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.
COMMUNICATION
The CEA’s Communication Division is responsible
for keeping the public informed about the organisation’s research options and results, and the favourable impact of these on economic wealth creation
and employment. Another of the CEA’s missions is to
propagate the scientific and technical culture underpinning its research and jobs.
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
19
THE CEA
AT THE HEART
OF GREAT NEW
CHALLENGES
> WWW.CEA.FR
SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT
THE 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.
T
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 government 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 exemplary 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.
Myrte 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’s research programmes favouring the
development of low carbon energy sources (nuclear
and renewable), to supersede fossil fuels, are officially 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 development 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
20
active in the bodies involved in the response to climate change, and is already mobilised for the upcoming 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 platinum), material recycling, and the circular economy,
etc. The CEA seeks to strengthen its reference position in the development of renewable energy sources
at European and international levels, through many
joint endeavours with other academic partners.
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
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 development, 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 implements a responsible purchasing policy. For example,
in 2015, more than 13% of its contracts contained an
environmental protection clause, exceeding the initial 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 information, 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.
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 frequency 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 development approach. Firm action is being taken to continuously 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 consumption of fluids and energy, and the release of gaseous
effluent, by continuing efforts for the thermal insulation 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 CENTRES
Mobility Village at Grenoble.
© P. Jayet/CEA
Cadarache: 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 programme for the thermal renovation of tertiary buildings, 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 production of ice-water) has improved their energy efficiency, 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
21
External thermal renovation at Cesta.
© CEA/MS
solvent-free paint made from seaweed harvested on
the north coast of Brittany.
Gramat: In 2015 the Centre finalised its programme for returning the Gouffre des Besaces site
to its original state, after dismantling and removal
of water pumping plant, piping and associated electrical equipment.
Grenoble: On 17 September 2015 the CEA organised 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 collectors 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).
1
10
CEA’S
CENTRES
IN FRANCE
3
2
16
7
15
1 HEADQUARTER
CIVIL RESEARCH CENTRES
2 SACLAY (Headquarter) (91)
14
8
9
3 FONTENAY-AUX-ROSES (92)
4 GRENOBLE (38)
5 MARCOULE (30)
13
10
4
CENTRES FOR MILITARY
APPLICATIONS
11
5
12
6 CADARACHE (13)
7 DAM-Île de France (91)
6
8 LE RIPAULT (37)
9 VALDUC (21)
10 CESTA (33)
11 GRAMAT (46)
REGIONAL
TECHNOLOGY-TRANSFER
PLATFORMS
12 TOULOUSE (31)
13 BORDEAUX (33)
14 NANTES (44)
15 METZ (57)
16 LILLE (59)
French atomic energy and
alternative energy Commission
91 191 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