Thanks to a collaboration agreement between the CEA and AREVA-NC (now Orano), the CESAR simulation tool (simplified depletion code applied to fuel reprocessing) was developed by the CEA Reactor Physics & Fuel Cycle Section (SPRC) for the nuclear industry. It is designed to rapidly calculate changes in irradiated fuels and structures, as well as parameters of the fuel cycle, such as activity levels, decay heat, radiotoxicity, and the sources and spectra of neutron and gamma rays.
This is the reference tool at La Hague fuel reprocessing plant and is used for all phases the process. Its graphical user interface makes it easy to use across the board, whether within the CEA or by its partners (EDF, IRSN) for the assessment of safety cases, criticality analysis, transport calculations, waste characterisation, preliminary design of radiological shielding, assessment of discharges, and verification of nuclear material inventories.
The CESAR computer tool is also used by the IAEA Department of Safeguards to calculate the compositions of spent fuel from different nuclear reactors within the scope of its mission statement.