The EPR reactor vessel problem

There is a problem with water flow in the new reactor type. (China, France and Hinkley)

It may need to run at a lower output; meaning it would be less efficient than the reactors built fifty years ago.

 The EPR reactor vessel is not designed like the previous vessels, and the water does not follow the flow movements observed on conventional reactors. EDF engineers therefore had a piece of metal (deflector) installed in each tank bottom to redirect the water correctly. But that would be insufficient. What solutions? The most logical solution would therefore be to change this deflector “with the key to a work of development as complex as ruinous, notes the weekly. And no one is sure, given the limited space available in an EPR tank, that this repair is technically possible”. The other solution envisaged would therefore be to “reinforce the fuel assemblies, reinforce the protective grids so that the blades resist the flows”, mentioned Julien Collet. EDF will present its plan to us in February, so we can see if their proposals can solve the problem. Another possibility mentioned at the end of the article: “To limit the pressures of the water, it would be a question of running the EPR at only60% of its power, Flamanville would then go from a capacity of 1,650megawatts less than 1,000 and would end up, for a record bill of 13 billion euros, less efficient than the reactors built 50 years ago.” La Presse de la Manche 20th Jan 2022  https://actu.fr/normandie/flamanville_50184/nucleaire-la-cuve-de-l-epr-de-flamanville-est-elle-mal-concue_48067014.html