Nuclear reactor of Kinshasa

The nuclear reactor of Kinshasa is a Nuclear reactor of the Université of Kinshasa (site of the Mont Amba, commune of Lemba) in Democratic republic of Congo. It was the first nuclear reactor installed in Africa.

History

In 1958, the “general Government” of Belgian Congo bought in General Dynamics Corporation (the USA) an engine of search for type Triga Mark I of a power from 10 to 50 KW. It with the agreement of the Belgian minister of the Congo and the Ruanda-Urundi

This engine was intended for the “advisory Commission of nuclear sciences”, chaired by Monseigneur Luc Gillon, vice-chancellor of the Université of Lovanium to Léopoldville of 1954 with 1967.

It was built on the site of the Trico Center of the university, and consisted of a whole of laboratories of the Faculty of Science, Medical college, as of the university hospital which was attached there. It enters in service the June 16th 1959 for research, the teaching and the production of isotopes with medical uses and agricultural.

In 1970, the Trico Center becomes “the Regional center of nuclear studies” (CREN). The CREN quickly decides to obtain a more powerful engine of research, Trico II. This one, of a power of 1 MW is inaugurated in 1977.

Control

In the beginning, the Belgian authorities were in load of the follow-up of the project. After the independence of Congo, a General convention of technical collaboration and scientist was concluded, the August 23rd 1968, between the government of and the government Kingdom of Belgium of the Democratic republic of Congo. This one envisaged the possibility of concluding from the particular agreements of technical collaboration. A master agreement was signed the November 9th 1973, and regularly renewed at the time of the Republic of the Zaire. It gave in particular access to the installations for Belgian scientific institutions.

The legal framework installed allowed the CEN/SCK Mol to contribute an important share to work which preceded the setting in activity by the engine Trico II, and to the maintenance of the engine. The “institute of the radioelements” of Fleurus brought as for him its support to the CREN in the field of the production of Radioélément S to medical uses.

This agreement was however not renewed starting from 1987.

The authority in load of the management of the nuclear reactor Trico II is currently the “General police station for the atomic energy of the Democratic republic of Congo. ” Fine of the Years 1990, this one was not however any more in activity because no budgetary equipment was allocated to him. Various equipment and various technical difficulties mortgaged its management.

The engine Trico II is however subjected to the control system of the guarantees of the International agency for Atomic energy (IAEA) and is the annual inspection object.

The IAEA initiated, in 1988, a bearing technical cooperative project on the supply of equipment and fuel elements of replacement. This project is not finished yet.

Indeed, of the equipment and the fuel elements (uranium enriched at 20%) had been ordered near the American firm General Dynamics Corporation (supplier of the engine) which, because of the embargo issued by the United States against the mode of president Mobutu, was prevented from carrying out the deliveries requested by the agency.

In spite of the regime change in Congo, the American policy towards the country was not softened yet and it agency is currently forced to try to acquire reactor systems of the same model, which are about to be closed, as it is the case in particular in Germany. With regard to fuel, the problem remains whole.

Even in the absence of these repairs and of the replacement of the failing fuel elements, the engine Trico II remains in a position to function with a low power and for one short duration only. A handing-over in activity of this type takes place, during the inspections of guarantees of the IAEA, in order to show that the fuel elements are always in the middle of the engine.

The site of the nuclear reactor is in addition in the Zone of the hills of Kinshasa, which undergoes an important erosion related on the rains and the increasing urbanization of the zone, which does not go without presenting security issue.

In spite of these various difficulties, experts in nuclear safety of the IAEA always visit the site and underline the good state in which the engine was maintained thanks to devotion of the local technicians and in spite of an complete absence of budgetary means.

See too

Internal bonds

External bonds

  • parliamentary Question with the Belgian Senate in 1998 concerning the nuclear reactor of Kinshasa

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