MINERVA Application Centre (MYRRHA programme phase 1)

We’re designing facilities that will help researchers in Belgium gain a new understanding of the use of radioisotopes for medical purposes and to explore the potential of nuclear fusion.

Opportunity

The Belgian Nuclear Research Centre’s Multi-purpose hYbrid Research Reactor for High-tech Applications (MYRRHA) programme aims to build a research and development facility that will demonstrate the world’s first prototype of a nuclear reactor driven by a particle accelerator.

We’re designing two key facilities for the programme: the Proton Target Facility – which will produce innovative radioisotopes for medicine and fundamental physics research – and the Full Power Facility, which will conduct experiments to test materials for fusion using proton beam energy. Our work includes space planning, civil/structural and architectural engineering, nuclear HVAC, process systems and building services.

Solution

During the conceptual design phase, we identified a way of combining the Proton Target and Full Power Facilities into a single building, now named the MINERVA Application Centre. Our design for the facility fulfils stringent nuclear safety requirements, including high-integrity ventilation and radiological shielding to withstand extreme external loads such as seismic events.

We applied a digital-first approach on this project, using the design collaboration software BIM360, to manage complex workflows, coordinate and integrate the design of the buildings, systems and components, and to identify opportunities for optimisation. The design considers sustainability throughout, minimising the use of carbon-intensive construction materials; for example, where feasible, soil is being used as a radiological shielding material as an alternative to concrete.

Outcome

The MYRRHA programme facilities are now under construction, with the MINERVA Application Centre construction expected to commence in 2024. The facility will house an isotope separation online system, contributing to energy and medical research that will advance power from nuclear fusion and develop new therapeutic radioisotopes that can fight cancer cells in a more targeted way.

The facility will also pioneer new techniques for managing nuclear materials and handling waste, which will benefit the nuclear power industry and wider society.

The construction and operation of the MINERVA Application Centre will be the first step in the delivery of the wider MYRRHA programme, including the research reactor (MYRRHA programme phase three).