In April 2023, I joined the nuclear division of REEL Group in Saint-Cyr-au-Mont-d’Or for a ten-week immersion. Founded in 1946, REEL is a global leader in complex handling systems (2,500 employees, €450M turnover in 2022). My mission: contribute to designing the first IoT 4.0 monitoring system for French nuclear power plants.
The Trash Rack Cleaner Challenge: 23-Ton Giants
At the core of nuclear reactor cooling circuits, trash rack cleaners play a vital role filtering debris from the Rhône river. They are colossal machines:
- Weight: 23 tons for Cleaner A (DGA) and 23.6 tons for Cleaner B (DGB).
- Environmental Sensitivity: A critical safety mechanism monitors wind speeds. Above 112.7 km/h, machines lock into civil engineering anchors to prevent accidents.
Strategic Stakes for REEL and EDF
The objective of this “IoT 4.0” project was to demonstrate to EDF the value of a connected monitoring solution to optimize maintenance. For REEL, this pilot project’s success conditioned extending this technology (REEL VISION®) across the entire nuclear fleet.
Operational Modes
One of my initial tasks was mastering the 5 operational modes driven by PLCs:
- Stop: Complete equipment isolation.
- Manual: Control panel operation for individual movements.
- Maintenance: Restricted access for technical servicing.
- Automatic: Cleaning cycles triggered by head loss (>0.1 mCE).
- Forced Run: Continuous cleaning during heavy river pollution.
“Connecting nuclear infrastructure means guaranteeing complete data sovereignty while respecting extreme physical constraints.”