Westinghouse Electric equipped the nuclear reactor with a 3D-printing part

2020: Equipment of the nuclear reactor 3D-printing part

On May 6, 2020 the Westinghouse Electric company reported that it applied 3D - a printed component of the nuclear reactor — a stub of the heat-generating assembly loaded into the reactor of the first block of the NPP "Byron" in the State of Illinois.

Westinghouse continues development of the technologies helping to meet the growing global demand on elektrichestvobezopasny net and reliable energy. Ken Kanavan, the chief engineer of Westinghouse Electric company said

Additive manufacturing is a solution for the nuclear industry. The simplified approach helps to meet demand of the industry for the wide range of small-scale, but crucial components of the equipment used at stations. Ken Petersen, the head of fuel department and the vice president of the Exelon Generation company operating the NPP "Byron" commented

According to the company, the idea of use of additive technologies in nuclear power engineering soars in air several years, creeping away on the world and dropping out in a deposit in different corners of the planet. East Asia became the first known center of infection. The Chinese nuclear physicists showed a 3D-printing grid of the heat-generating assembly for CAP1400 project reactors at the beginning of 2016, and at the end of the same year announced creation of the 3D-printing body of the reactor of low power of ACP100, but the Chinese national nuclear corporation (CNNC) did not announce results of operation of such components yet.

Rosatom, in return, expressed the intention to seize completely a technology chain of additive manufacturing by 2018 and even to deliver 3D-printing parts on radiation in research reactors. The goskorporatsiiya really developed the industrial additive systems and makes, generally for own capacities, and about 3D - printed components of a nuclear equipment there is no information yet.

The Siemens company became producer of the operated 3D-printing part for the NPP, but it is not about a component of the generating systems, and about the impeller of a fire turbopump. Decided to resort to additive manufacturing because the producer of original components left the market long ago.

As for Westinghouse, in 2017 the company officially expressed the intention to use additive technologies under repair and service of reactors, especially outdated and also prototyping of parts for the equipment of the next generations. The enterprise got a financial support of the U.S. Department of Energy in the amount of nearly nine million dollars on the three-year program of approbation of additive manufacturing using 3D technologies - printings metal powders and a research of effects of neutron irradiation of the zirconium alloys intended for additive manufacturing of components of light-water reactors^[1].

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