Periodic Reporting for period 2 - NUCOBAM (NUclear COmponents Based on Additive Manufacturing)
Berichtszeitraum: 2022-04-01 bis 2023-09-30
The objective of “NUclear COmponent Based on Additive Manufacturing” is to develop and qualify this new manufacturing for competitive implementation, efficient, optimized and more robust design of components to enable safe and continuous operation of the NPP and to consider life extension. The cost and availability of electricity are important issues for our society in the years ahead.
The nuclear qualification of safety-related equipment requires significant investments that are possible in a 4-years project with 13 European partners. The ambitious irradiation program has started on 8 capsules (containing samples) which will be irradiated with neutrons (reactor in Belgium) at different doses with a long-term program (for 18 months). The project is ambitious in terms of the properties of the materials studied (nearly 12) and the post-treatment explored (4 heat treatments), including the variability of the process (4 manufacturers). More than 780 specimens have been manufactured and post-treated and will be tested as part of the project. Changes in material properties will be studied after representative ageing. The specimens will be exposed to heat for 10,000 hours (13 months at a higher temperature than in reality), which is equivalent to a very long plant life.
The development of such a manufacturing process could improve the reliability of the material, reduce the sequence of manufacturing steps, develop new, more efficient tools, improve material performance and develop a new component design.
Obsolescence management remains a technical challenge for European asset owners, because Original Equipment Manufacturers, who were historically subjected to nuclear quality assurance requirements may not be willing to maintain their costly nuclear qualification. Most of those manufacturers have disappeared or have left the nuclear sector.
The project will help to develop in-depth qualifications new manufacturers or components and equipment. Metal additive manufacturing has the unique potential to produce near-to-shape components in a one-step manufacturing process, followed by post-processing steps. This unique approach will simplify the fabrication value chain and make it more reactive and effective for the delivery of unique part.
The project will contribute to create new Additive Manufacturing industry and support employment in Europe.