Manufacturing Biz #2 - Magazine - Page 3
Sheffield Forgemasters makes
global leap in nuclear welding
technology
C
ompletion of the first full-sized Small
Modular Reactor (SMR) nuclear
vessel demonstrator assembly at
Sheffield Forgemasters has signalled a
global leap in welding technology.
The company has pioneered the
industrialisation of Local Electron-Beam
Welding (LEBW), and complete weldassembly of the vessel marks a pivotal
moment in welding development, taking
less than 24 hours to complete four, thick,
nuclear-grade welds, typically requiring a
year of work to complete.
With a diameter of three meters and a wall
thickness of 200mm, the construction of
the vessel showcases the reliability and
capabilities of (LEBW), setting a dramatic
new standard for weld-joining thick-walled
components, previously unrivalled in a
demonstrator model.
Professor Jesus Talamantes-Silva,
Research, Design and Technology Director
at Sheffield Forgemasters, said: “We are
delighted to have reached a significant
milestone in assembling a nuclear vessel
demonstrator, using electron beam
welding for the first time at this scale, with
100 per cent success and no defects.”
Our RD&T team deployed specially
developed parameters, meticulously finetuned during the welding development
stage, including innovative sloping-in and
sloping-out techniques to start and finish
the weld, ensuring a clean and complete
weld join.
Sheffield Forgemasters is the only
company in the UK with the capability
to manufacture the large forgings
required for SMRs, and it now has years of
developmental lead on global competitors
in welding thick-walled assemblies.
Dr Michael Blackmore, Senior
Development Engineer and Project lead
said: “The implication of this technology
within the nuclear industry is monumental,
potentially taking high-cost welding
processes out of the equation.
“Not only does this reduce the need for
weld-inspections, because the weldjoin replicates the parent material, but
it could also dramatically speed up the
roll-out of SMR reactors across the UK and
beyond, that’s how disruptive the LEBW
breakthrough is.”
The demonstration of LEBW technology's
potential opens new horizons for more
efficient, low cost and less time-heavy
nuclear assemblies and also has farreaching implications for other projects
which require thick-walled welded
assemblies.
Dr Jacob Pope, Development Engineer
and LEBW machine tool installation lead
added: “We thank the Government’s
Department for Energy Security and Net
Zero for enabling the project through
its Nuclear Innovation Program. We also
thank our esteemed partner, Cambridge
Vacuum Engineering, for their invaluable
support throughout this endeavour. Their
remote and on-site assistance played an
instrumental role in the success of this
milestone, highlighting the collaborative
spirit that drives us forward.”
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