NDE & INSPECTION, DIAGNOSTICS & ROBOTICS | WELDING
Real-time weld defect identification
A technique that allows defects in fusion welds to be detected in real time will save time and cost in the nuclear sector and beyond. By Tony Burnett
Tony Burnett
Head of Innovation and Technology, Cavendish Nuclear Ltd.
THE AWESIM (AUTOMATED WELDING EQUIPMENT System Inspection and Monitoring) project was borne out of curiosity and a classic “what if” question: what if we could detect defects in fusion welds in real time? Challenging traditional approaches is never easy, so asking the question was a courageous step, as welding and non- destructive testing of a completed welded component have traditionally been separate and sequential activities. Detecting defects as they are formed offers substantial
cost, quality and schedule benefits to industry. In fusion welding it would reduce the length of the feedback loop, from a weld being formed to knowing that it is sound, from hours or days to minutes (depending on weld complexity and component size). The challenges for the nuclear industry in manufacturing
high integrity complex components using fusion welding techniques are significant. Recent examples where problems with fusion welds have led to substantial costs and delays include the Flamanville EPR, where a range of weld inspection and certification issues have severely delayed the start of power generation and increased costs. A system capable of real-time detection of defects in fusion welds could be a valuable tool for reducing the costs of manufacturing high value components in the nuclear new build programme. This recognition set the research path and goals.
Collaboration and AWESIM Work on the project began in 2015/16, when the University of Sheffield’s Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (Nuclear AMRC) began investigating advanced welding and forming technology and the University of Strathclyde’s Advanced Nuclear Research Centre (ANRC) started investigating whether phased array ultrasound inspection could be undertaken effectively at the same time as the weld is formed. These complementary research themes developed in parallel and a range of UK government funding provided to academic institutions was used to increase the technical readiness of the technology. The parallel development efforts resulting in
collaboration between the two research centres for the first time during the ‘SIngle Manufacturing Platform Environment’ (Simple) project. Simple was funded by the UK government Department for Business, Enterprise and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) as part of the Energy Innovation Programme, Advanced Manufacturing and Materials Call, Phase 1 call in 2016. This phase was successfully completed in 2018 and yielded promising avenues of development. In late 2019, the research centres sought out sponsors
of the technology from among the industrial members of the research centres. Cavendish Nuclear Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Babcock International Group, took the lead and formed a consortium that included Doosan Babcock Ltd, Nuclear AMRC and ANRC. Subcontract suppliers PEAK NDT Ltd, a specialist non destructive testing supplier (categorised in the UK as a ‘small or medium sized enterprise, SME) and Frazer Nash Ltd completed the consortium. The consortium bid for funding from BEIS as part of
the £505m Energy Innovation Programme through the Advanced Manufacturing and Materials Phase 2b call. BEIS provided £1,348,000 of funding to Cavendish Nuclear and a further £726,000 of industrial support was provided by the industrial partners in the consortium to complete the project.
The plan was to demonstrate a single fully integrated industrial-sized system capable of detecting weld defects in real-time a year after project kick-off. The team choose the Nuclear AMRC facility in Rotherham
for the demonstration. A single use case was selected as the basis of the demonstration — a circumferential weld in a low carbon alloy steel pipe 406mm O/D, with walls 16mm thick, and a ‘V’ groove weld preparation.
Above: AWESIM project test rig at Nuclear AMRC, University of Sheffi eld 28 | April 2022 |
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Owning and delivering AWESIM Work started on the AWESIM project in April 2020, two weeks after the start of the first lockdown caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Adaptation was essential. The technical kick-off
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