The ACES project is coming to a close, and with it, a unique opportunity to share its results, impact, and legacy. The Final Project Workshop, held from 22 to 24 April 2025 at ENGIE Laborelec in Linkebeek, Belgium, will bring together experts, stakeholders, and project partners for three days of presentations, discussions, and lab tours.
Over the course of the project, ACES has advanced our understanding of how concrete structures in nuclear power plants age under a range of operational and accidental conditions. Now, the consortium is ready to showcase its final findings—covering everything from corrosion assessment and internal swelling reactions to the performance of irradiated concrete.
The workshop agenda features:
- Comprehensive reviews of all five work packages (WPs), led by project partners from institutions such as VTT, SCK CEN, CEA, ZAG, ENGIE Laborelec, CVR, CTU, and more.
- Invited expert talks from international authorities including the University of Tokyo, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, and representatives from the Temelín Nuclear Power Plant.
- A tour of ENGIE Laborelec labs, offering insight into real-world applications and experimental setups.
- A collaborative discussion on the way forward, setting the stage for future research and policy recommendations.
Key sessions include:
- State-of-the-art assessment of concrete ageing in NPPs
- Crevice corrosion mechanisms and NDT solutions
- Internal swelling reactions and their predictive modelling
- Thermo-hydro-mechanical behaviour of irradiated concrete
- Impacts of long-term operation (LTO) and accident scenarios
Download the full agenda:
ACES Final Project Workshop Agenda (PDF)
As we approach the end of this journey, the workshop serves as both a culmination and a springboard: celebrating the achievements of ACES while building a foundation for continued collaboration and research.
