Nuclear 

Do you have the technical support and engineering expertise to ensure your reactor linings maintain compliance with nuclear industry regulations?

Saint-Gobain provides a range of products for the nuclear industry including dense and insulating bricks, setters and foams. Made from high-purity aluminas, zirconias, and dense and acid-resistant silicon carbide (Hexoloy® SiC), materials from Saint-Gobain ensure high purity, chemical inertness, resistance to HF, thermal shock or erosion resistance.

Nuclear fuel pellets (uranium oxide) are sintered at high temperatures in a reducing atmosphere. The sintering furnaces need to be lined with high-purity alumina refractories. Alundum® AH199B or Alfrax® 101 high-density alumina bricks are used for the hot face wall and Alundum® AN599 bubble alumina-based insulating fire bricks made from are used for the backup lining. Saint-Gobain engineers can deliver a complete refractory design for your furnace.

Saint-Gobain also supplies foams for uranium hexafluoride enrichment cells. Norfoam® ceramic foam is a high-purity, low-density insulator that withstands high temperatures (up to 1800°C) and offers high mechanical strength at a lower weight than conventional insulating brick. Norfoam® ceramic foams provides excellent thermal shock resistance for additional energy savings. Its high abrasion resistance compared to refractory fibers ensures longer equipment lifetimes.

Zirconium oxide materials offer extreme temperature and thermal shock resistance for your core protection system. No one works harder to co-develop product and design solutions for your nuclear application than Saint-Gobain.

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