Westinghouse
Thimble plugging device 3D printed by Westinghouse.
Thimble plugging device 3D printed by Westinghouse.
Westinghouse Electric Company has successfully installed an additively manufactured fuel component inside a commercial nuclear reactor.
The 3D printed component is a thimble plugging device, which is used in nuclear reactors to help lower fuel assemblies into nuclear reactor cores, and has been installed in Exelon’s Byron Unit 1 nuclear plant during its spring refuelling outage. Westinghouse believes it is the first installation of its kind in the nuclear industry.
It comes after around three years of development work, with Westinghouse first publicly discussing its ambition to produce a thimble plugging device in stainless steel 316L using metal powder bed fusion technology back in 2017. The company deemed the component to be a low risk application of 3D printing technology, citing minimal consequences should the part not perform as expected, but three years on has reported the successful installation at Exelon Generation, the operator of America’s largest fleet of nuclear plants.
Both Westinghouse and Exelon believe the thimble plugging device highlights many of the benefits of additive manufacturing technology, including design flexibility and the capacity to produce low-volume components.
“Westinghouse continues to lead the way with development of the most advanced technologies to help the world meet growing electricity demand with safe, clean and reliable energy,” commented Ken Canavan, Westinghouse’s Chief Technology Officer. “Our additive manufacturing programme offers customers enhanced component designs that help increase performance and reduce costs, as well as provide access to components that may not be available using traditional manufacturing methods.”
“Additive manufacturing is an exciting new solution for the nuclear industry,” added Ken Petersen, Exelon Generation’s Vice President of Nuclear Fuels. “The simplified approach helps meet the industry’s need for a wide variety of low-volume, highly critical plant components. We are proud to have Westinghouse as a partner in this industry milestone and to help further demonstrate the viability of this technology.”
