The project manager was Lew Kowarski, who had just returned from Canada, where he had supervised the construction of the Canadian ZEEP heavy-water reactor.
The choice of moderator and fuel was dictated by the undeveloped state of the French nuclear industry at the time, which could not manufacture the corrosion-proof equipment needed for a more advanced unit.
[3] The reactor was a pool-type design, with five tons of heavy water moderator surrounded by a two-meter-thick concrete wall.
A cooling system was added after the reactor had operated for a time, allowing it to run at a heat release rate of 200 kilowatts.
[4] The name Zoé was an acronym, from Zéro de puissance (zero power, that is, very little capacity to produce electricity, which made it easier and faster to build); Oxyde d'uranium (uranium oxide), Eau lourde (heavy water).