Design and construction rules for mechanical components of high-temperature, experimental and fusion nuclear installations: The RCC-MRX code last edition

Abstract

The very last edition of the RCC-MRx Code (Design and Construction Rules for Mechanical Components in high-temperature structures, experimental reactors and fusion reactors) was published end of 2018 by AFCEN, the French Association for the rules governing the Design, Construction and Operating Supervision of the Equipment Items for Nuclear instalations. The RCC-MRx Code is a consistent set of technical rules to be applied on the design of research reactors (derived from the last edition ever of RCC-MX in 2008, code especially developed for the Jules Horowitz Reactor (JHR)), on high temperature structures (derived from the last edition ever of RCC-MR in 2007, code devoted to high temperature reactors, the ITER Vacuum Vessel and to the French Fast Breeder Reactors) and on Fusion reactors. The scope of the RCC-MRx Code is restricted to mechanical components of high temperature structures, Sodium Fast Reactors (SFR), Research Reactors and Fusion Reactors (ITER/DEMO), but the code can also be used for mechanical components of other types of nuclear installations, as the European Spallation Source Target (ESS) for example. This paper is presenting the content and organization of the last edition of the code, the RCC-MRx 2018, and the recently incorporated feedback from users, such as ITER project, JHR (Jules Horowitz Reactor) in France, ASTRID (Advanced Sodium Technological Reactor for Industrial Demonstration) project in France, PFBR project (Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor) developed by IGCAR in India, and MYRRHA (Multi-purpose hYbrid Research Reactor for High-tech Applications) project in Belgium.