Welding of thick section components such as pressure vessels used in the nuclear industry is traditionally performed using arc welding techniques, requiring multiple weld passes, with interstage non-destructive examination (NDE) and preheating of the component to reduce the risk of hydrogen cracking. Electron beam (EB) welding offers the opportunity to weld thick section components in a single pass and negates the need for interstage NDE, resulting in saving significant time and cost in the fabrication of nuclear vessels. Furthermore, elimination of the preheat step may be possible since the EB process is carried out in a vacuum environment. However, due to the physical size and geometry of nuclear vessels, traditional vacuum chambers would be prohibitively expensive when considering the low volume of output in the nuclear industry. Rolls-Royce and TWI are working on a local vacuum, or 'out of chamber', EB welding system, which eliminates the need of such a vacuum chamber and brings the vacuum to the component, thus making EB welding of nuclear vessels more practical and financially viable.
The market forecast for Small Reactor applications varies dependent upon the intelligence source used. It is nevertheless clear that the forecasted market volume presents a significantly different challenge to anything the nuclear industry has previously encountered. The industry response to this challenge could be evolutionary or revolutionary. Evolution could be considered the traditional, more relaxed approach as manufacturing capacity and validation techniques develop in-line with market growth & demand. However this approach would not deliver the level of manufacturing efficiencies required to support the Small Reactor programs. Industry must therefore take a revolutionary approach and look towards process optimization, with a focus on design for manufacture (DFM) and design for assembly (DFA). With manufacturing & assembly facilities tailored to meet this challenge, there is an opportunity to introduce new manufacturing philosophies such as ‘flowline’ manufacture — a hybrid between production line and batch processing techniques. Flowline manufacture is a product-oriented manufacturing technique which benefits from aspects of production line approach, e.g. standardized tasks, standardized tooling, and standardized processes. This approach offers an opportunity to validate & verify product parameters during the assembly stage, eliminate non-value added activities, and deliver a Small Reactor product to the required volume demand in a controlled, traceable, safe and reliable manner.
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