The project focuses on two components: the debris filter because its very complicated shape is usually difficult to manufacture using the usual casting and machining, and the valve because subjected to a typical charge of the nuclear power plant where temperature and high pressure level induce corrosion and aging of materials. The project will evaluate new quality control methods to ensure stability, repeatability and reproducibility of processes, resulting in high quality components.
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.
The main deliverable – “Nucobam Methodology of AM qualification” reflects all the work performed during the 48 months of the project. All other Work Packages contributed to the demonstration that the new L-PBF 316L material meets all the nuclear properties requirements (better or equal to those existing in codification for a conventional 316L), and that both demonstrators “debris filter” and “body valve” passed in service requirements respectively -irradiation and geometrical conformability- and -thermomechanical loadings ageing and corrosion-, provided that the manufacturing of the new L-PBF 316L follows the procedure of qualification that has been established here in the Methodology and used for the production of all specimens and components of the project.
The “ultimate Deliverables are the two standard texts”, from the main Deliverable “Nucobam Methodology of AM qualification” :
• a proposal intended for RCC-M code (AFCEN) and
• a proposal intended for ASME-III code.
It should be noted here that submitting these proposals to the corresponding nuclear code’s committees is not included in the NUCOABM work plan. However, this work was initiated for the RCC-M by members of AFCEN,who were also experts in the "codification" task of this project and other French project.
The public deliverables will be found in the platform:
https://nucobam.eu(se abrirá en una nueva ventana) immedialtly after the final validation of the EC. The free access deliverables of the project are:
- Two Standard texts on Methodology of AM qualification
- A Scientific article on irradiation effet on mechanical properties
- The communication plan
- End User Group lessons learnt
