ADVERTORIAL | NUCLEAR AMRC
Helping manufacturers win work in nuclear
The Nuclear AMRC works with companies along the supply chain to help them improve performance and develop new capabilities.
THE NUCLEAR ADVANCED MANUFACTURING Research Centre works with companies to improve their manufacturing capabilities and business performance for nuclear and other low-carbon sectors. As part of the UK’s High Value Manufacturing Catapult, the Nuclear AMRC’s services are open to companies of all sizes to collaboratively tackle the manufacturing challenges of the energy transition. As well as playing a key role in the UK nuclear industry,
the centre works with international partners to develop world-leading manufacturing technologies and share best practice between national supply chains. Manufacturing research focuses on innovative techniques and optimised processes for large-scale high-precision manufacturing – improving productivity and capability for the current market, and developing innovative processes for future applications such as small modular reactors and fusion power. Companies can use the centre’s engineering expertise
and resources to develop and test new processes on production-scale machines, at minimum risk and without losing capacity in their own factories. As well as technical research and support, the Nuclear
AMRC provides a range of business development services to help manufacturers enter the nuclear supply chain and compete worldwide. The centre’s team work closely with nuclear industry
leaders including new build groups, reactor developers and decommissioning site owners, and advise the UK government on supply chain challenges for nuclear and other low-carbon growth sectors. At this year’s World Nuclear Exhibition, the Nuclear
Right: Nuclear AMRC
Midlands opened this year to explore new technology areas.
AMRC will be part of the UK Pavilion alongside a variety of manufacturers and industry partners.
Manufacturing innovation The Nuclear AMRC’s researchers and engineers are dedicated to helping companies enhance their capabilities, by developing new and optimised processes in an expanding range of technology areas. The centre’s core facility in South Yorkshire, part of the University of Sheffield’s world-leading advanced manufacturing innovation cluster, has focused on the cutting edge of large-scale machining, joining and inspection for over a decade. Many of its manufacturing cells feature unique capabilities, or are the largest or most powerful of their kind available for industrial research anywhere in the world. For the past five years, the centre’s welding specialists have worked closely with US research group EPRI to develop new manufacturing and fabrication methods for reactor pressure vessels. The core project, funded by the US Department of Energy, aims to reduce the total time needed to produce an SMR pressure vessel from several years to less than 12 months. Working with EPRI, Nuclear AMRC engineers have
successfully developed electron beam welding techniques for vessel sections made from metal powder using hot isostatic pressing, and demonstrated new ways to prevent defects during electron beam welding of circular vessel sections.
This year, the team collaborated with engineers from South Africa’s Nelson Mandela University to prove a new weld repair technique to meet the quality requirements for
38 | WNE Special Edition |
www.neimagazine.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76
