GALAXIE experimental plateform

GALAXIE brings together experimental facilities of various capacities to carry out the experimental research needed to control the risk of fire in nuclear facilities.

fire ventilation and air contamination system (DIVA)

This facility is dedicated to carrying out tests on fires that can affect laboratories and plants as well as pressurised water reactors.

It comprises three 120 m3 rooms, a 150 m3 corridor, a 170 m3 room on the upper floor and several ventilation networks. It is equipped with extensive instrumentation (up to 800 measurement channels). Its reinforced concrete civil engineering and equipment are designed to withstand a range of gas pressures from -100 hPa to 520 hPa. Leaks between rooms can be adjusted, as can ventilation configurations, so that fires can be studied in configurations involving several confined-ventilated rooms.

Single-room experimental facility for studying fires in a confined, mechanically ventilated environment (PLUTON)

This facility consists of a 400 m3 reinforced concrete compartment and a high-capacity industrial ventilation network (40,000 m3/h maximum). Its range of resistance to gas pressure (from -50 to 250 hPa) and its instrumentation (256 measurement channels) mean that experiments can be carried out in a single room with various ventilation configurations.

Experimental facility for studying fireplaces in an open environment (SATURNE)

This installation is designed to study the combustion of fires in a free atmosphere (e.g. an electrical cabinet fire). It consists of a hood and a system for measuring and filtering the gases produced by the fire. Its instrumentation enables the instantaneous power of the fire to be determined. The capacity of the hood and the associated ventilation network (maximum flow rate of around 40,000 m³/h) means that fires with a maximum power of around 3 MW can be studied.