Video: 3D-printed components deployed in operating nuclear reactor
S. Himmelstein | August 19, 2021A recent planned outage at U.S. Tennessee Valley Authority's (TVA's) Browns Ferry nuclear power plant in Alabama replaced different reactor components for continued safe and reliable power system operation. Included in this equipment update are four 3D-printed fuel assembly brackets, produced at U.S. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), which will remain in the reactor for six years with regular inspections during that period.
The 3D-printed reactor components were produced by an ORNL collaboration involving TVA and Framatome. As part of the ORNL Transformational Challenge Reactor Demonstration Program, irradiation tests in the 400° C to 900° C range of a 3D-printed silicon carbide ceramic formulated to function as the reactor fuel matrix have already been completed.
The new brackets, or channel fasteners, secure the fuel channel to the fuel assembly and are traditionally fabricated from castings and require precision machining. The 3D-printing process deposits material in layers as directed by a computer-designed model and was demonstrated to form precise shapes without the need for later carving or machining.