Welding the future of nuclear energy
Welds that previously took one week were completed in ten minutes.
Welds that previously took one week were completed in ten minutes.
A US nuclear energy company called on expertise and capabilities at the AMRC to help it move a step closer to commercialising its modular reactor technology, incorporating an advanced electron beam welding technology developed by Cambridge Vacuum Engineering that cut fabrication time from one week to ten minutes.
A 14-foot-high reactor vessel is the central component in Kairos Power’s non-nuclear reactor mock up. It utilised the AMRC’s capability to manage machining, welding and inspection in a single location to allow the fabrication of a complete vessel rather than individual parts, proactively addressing potential future issues.
The reactor vessel was fabricated using cutting-edge electron beam welding technology, which produces high-quality welds at least an order of magnitude faster than conventional arc welding. Welds that previously took one week during the fabrication of the previous test unit were completed in approximately ten minutes.
The project has allowed Kairos Power to evaluate the use of electron beam welding to enable faster, more cost-effective production of reactor vessels with precise tolerances for its future commercial fleet.
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