During 2020, GDES Revanti completed four MSR metallisation projects, awarded by EDF at its nuclear power plants in Nogent, Civaux, Bugey and Belleville.

The interventions were carried out over the course of the year by the GDES Revanti Surface Treatment Unit team led by Iván Maqueda, from March to November, when the projects were completed. Each took an average of one month to complete.

The metallisation process carried out by GDES inside the MSRs provides them with a protective layer to slow down the natural process of erosion and corrosion that takes place inside this equipment. The aim is precisely to keep this degradation process in check and to extend their service life, thus avoiding much more expensive repairs or even the prospect of replacing them as a result of this problem.

The project begins with the marking out and containment of the area to be treated, followed by surface preparation and application of the protective coating (metallisation).

The work has been carried out in a year marked by the COVID-19 health crisis. These work periods coincided with the two lockdowns in France. For this reason, all health and safety protocols were followed and the movement of workers was limited to the strictly necessary.

These metallisation projects continue two years after EDF first decided to carry out an operation of this type in the French nuclear industry and entrusted the task to GDES Revanti. At that time, GDES took on the challenge of providing the company with a technical solution, which required a preliminary phase of studies and tests and the development of a model and approval of the system to be used.