Post by SCK CEN

🔥 Imagine standing next to a furnace capable of holding 4 tonnes of molten steel. As the first melt takes shape, an ambitious 2.5-year effort of design, engineering and teamwork reaches a major milestone for the SMELD project. 💪 With the successful commissioning of the industrial induction furnace, we have taken an important step towards validating innovative recycling solutions for the nuclear sector. ⚛️ With a molten steel capacity of approximately 4 tonnes, the new installation enables industrially representative testing under realistic operating conditions. 🚀 The SMELD project was launched with the ambition of advancing metal melting technologies that can separate radioactive elements from metals generated during nuclear decommissioning. 🎯 By demonstrating pathways for the safe recovery and reuse of valuable metals, the project contributes to reducing radioactive waste volumes and supporting a more circular nuclear sector. ♻️ The furnace will provide a unique platform for optimizing recycling of difficult-to-handle radioactive metals and for further studying radioisotope behaviour during melting. 🤝 A sincere thank you to the European Union for funding this project through the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) and project partner CRM Group. 🙏 Special recognition goes to our own colleagues and the experts at ABP Induction, LLC, who consistently went above and beyond throughout this challenging project.

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