Westinghouse Electric Company
Westinghouse Electric Company has used additive manufacturing to produce bottom nozzles that are said to improve debris capture and fuel endurance within its Pressurised Water Reactor (PWR) fuel assemblies.
The company believes this application of additive manufacturing is a world-first and 'demonstrates its leadership in the nuclear industry to achieve cutting-edge solutions using AM techniques.'
Leveraging additive manufacturing, Westinghouse says the components have demonstrated a 30% improvement in debris resistance, thanks to significant improvements in debris filtering that are enabled by additive's enhanced design freedom. The 3D printed parts are said to have reduced the diameter of debris that can enter into the reactor, reducing the likelihood of debris-wearing action on the fuel rod cladding (debris fretting). Debris fretting is considered to be the primary source of leaks in PWR fuel assemblies.
The nozzles were integrated into four Lead Test Assemblies delivered to Alabama Power’s Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Plant operated by Southern Nuclear in the first quarter of 2024.
“Over the past decade, Southern Nuclear has led the industry in the development and implementation of new technologies that improve fuel resiliency,” said Southern Nuclear President Pete Sena. “The existing nuclear power fleet is the backbone of our country’s clean energy supply, and we are innovating nuclear fuel today to be more robust in order to deliver safer, more affordable and more reliable carbon-free clean nuclear power for decades to come.”
“Our additive manufacturing technology is allowing us to achieve breakthrough performance with an immediate positive impact for our customers,” added Tarik Choho, Westinghouse President of Nuclear Fuel. “This significant technology innovation for PWR reactors mitigates the risk of leakage in the fuel rods due to the accumulation of debris, strengthening the safety and efficiency of our customers’ operations.”
Westinghouse has been working with additive manufacturing for around a decade, conducting the first-ever material irradiation study of additively manufactured nuclear components in 2015 before installing what it believes to be the first-ever safety-related AM component - a Thimble Plugging Device - into an operating commercial reactor in 2020. In 2024, Westinghouse produced the 1,000th Additive Manufacturing Component for VVER-440 Fuel.
