SMELD advances: lab furnaces tested and approved
At SCK CEN, innovation never stops. One of our most exciting developments is happening right now within the SMELD project, where we are rapidly advancing our scientific knowledge in the radioactive applications of metallurgy.
Indeed, the lab-scale furnaces for non-radioactive and radioactive metal melting research have been delivered. The non-radioactive furnace has been tried and tested, its counterpart for radioactive tests at BR3 has been cleared for use. The coming months will be busy for the team, as the trial runs with radioactive samples will take some time.
Let’s have a look at what the SMELD-team has already accomplished.
SMELD in a nutshell
SMELD stands for State-of-the-art MEtal MElting Limiting waste during D&D. The project being carried out by the nuclear research centre SCK CEN and the Liège-based research institution CRM Group aims to provide an advanced nuclear melting furnace for research purposes. Under the Belgian Recovery and Resilience Plan, Belgian government made a sum of 13.5 million euros available for this infrastructure. By developing this furnace, the project partners are contributing towards the development of the circular economy, while at the same time creating an export product for Belgian industrial players.
This state-of-the-art furnace will eventually enable us to recycle the steel from our nuclear power plants, which has a limited level of radioactivity, while giving new inputs to Belgium's leading expertise in innovative nuclear technologies. This major investment will bring sustainable economic development and local jobs in the key decommissioning sector.
Recent Milestones
This autumn marked a major step forward in the SMELD project:
- Delivery of Furnaces at BR3: Two lab-scale furnaces are now installed.
- Non-radioactive Furnace Success: Initial functionality tests with non-active metals were completed successfully. We melted metal at temperatures up to 1600°C, proving the system works as designed. Moreover, the R&D is has already started. The SMELD team has started with the experimental campaign to investigate several process routes.
- Active Furnace on the Horizon: The furnace was cleared for use by BelV and our internal service, hot tests are planned for early next year.
Our furnace for non-radioactive samples was tested with 9 trial runs at various temperatures, and with various materials, gasses and techniques. Three of these trial runs are specific to the R&D on the process routes that are under investigation. Initially, the team was guided by the metallurgy experts at CRM group. This collaboration has grown into a true partnership, in which the SCK CEN team has taken over the helm of the project, establishing themselves more and more as true metallurgy experts. CRM group continues to provide guidance to the SCK CEN team, thanks to their vast experience. Together, they are a dream team to advance SMELD.
These achievements are the result of intense collaboration and expertise. As Valdir De Souza, one of our R&D-expert, explains:
“We’re not just building furnaces—we’re building knowledge. Every test brings us closer to a safe, scalable solution for metal decontamination.”
Waarom is dit belangrijk?
Activated metals are everywhere in nuclear facilities—from reactor internals to structural components. Traditional disposal methods are costly and resource-intensive. By developing melting techniques, we can:
- Reduce waste volumes
- Recover valuable materials
- Improve sustainability in nuclear operations
This is not just research for research’s sake, it’s a practical solution with real-world impact.
Looking Ahead
The next months will be crucial. Our team is preparing for:
- Hot furnace commissioning
- First melting tests with irradiated samples
- Long-term studies on safety and cobalt-dust formation
As Baptiste Forget, one of our metallurgy experts, puts it:
“It’s a heavy project, but an exciting one. We’re learning fast and pushing boundaries every day.”
Want to Know More?
Stay tuned for updates as SMELD moves from lab-scale to pilot-scale operations. While it’s too early for a call to action, we’re laying the groundwork for future partnerships with industry players who face the challenge of activated and contaminated metal management.
