The National Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA) and the company IMPSA develop a modular nuclear power plant that is among the most modern in the world. They seek to give more efficiency and security to a generation system for export.
The Carem reactor is built in Mendoza. It will be located in the city of Lima, in Buenos Aires. Juan Carlos Cacciavillani, one of the leaders of the project, explained that “This plant will generate 25 MW and is a pilot. The intention is then to advance to a larger scale until we reach a model that is the one that can be commercialized. It’s a race that exists around the world and Mendoza is very well prepared “.
The CNEA started the project and added companies to develop different stages. Impsa is in charge of the most delicate part. Carem is a “modular” nuclear reactor; that could supply energy to remote areas, industrial plants, or cities that have no other form of generation. The key is the safety it promises since, in the generation process, it does not require external elements that add risks. The production of steam (which finally generates electrical energy) and the circulation of water is done by natural convection, without the need for pumps or other elements. One of the most innovative concepts proposed by the Carem reactor is integration: the primary circuit, the control mechanisms and part of the secondary circuit (the steam generators) are contained in a single pressure vessel (RPR). Within the RPR, a phenomenon called “natural convection” causes the circulation of water from the primary circuit without the need to use pumps or other devices. The different temperatures that occur inside the pressure vessel and the location of its sources at different heights generate a natural circulation of water.
