The PULSAR partnership: CEA

The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission - 原子力? 代替エネルギー庁 is a major research organization committed to the French State, its economy and citizens. Thanks to its strong roots in fundamental research, it is able to provide tangible solutions to meet their needs in domains of low-carbon energy (nuclear and renewable), digital technology, technology for health sciences, defense and national security. ?Because of its international expertise, the CEA is fully integrated into the European research area and continues to be a growing presence in the international arena. The CEA made the Top 100 Global Innovators list that recognizes organizations having demonstrated above-the-bar innovation performance for the past 10 years? (Clarivate ranking). It is also the French organization that registers the most patent applications in Europe according to the European Patent Office (EPO) 2022.

In the PULSAR project, CEA leads the work package devoted to the design of the heat source architecture & energy conversion system. This entails designing the heat source made by the radioactive material, its cladding and thermal-protecting aeroshells, and modelling its thermos-mechanical properties. It also collaborates with the université de Franche-Comté to model and optimize the operating points of Stirling motors design to convert the heat into electricity. Eventually, the tradeoffs between the components of the heat source and conversion systems will determine the optimal operating conditions of the RTG.