A novel method to 3D print components for nuclear reactors, developed by the Department of Energyβs Oak Ridge National Laboratory, has been licensed today by Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation, or USNC.
The technology uses a sophisticated additive manufacturing technique to print refractory materials, which are highly resistant to extreme heat and degradation, into components with complex shapes needed for advanced nuclear reactor designs.
USNC will incorporate this method to boost their mission to develop and deploy nuclear-based, energy-generating equipment that is safe, commercially competitive and simple to use.
The long-time Seattle-based collaborator also plans to expand its operations into East Tennessee to take advantage of proximity to ORNLβs expertise while scaling up production of specialty components for nuclear and industrial applications.
βThis technology is ideal for manufacturing structure and core components for USNCβs advanced reactor designs,β Kurt Terrani, USNC executive vice president, said.
Terrani came to USNC from ORNL where he was technical director of the labβs Transformational Challenge Reactor program, leveraging expertise at the labβs Manufacturing Demonstration Facility with leadership in nuclear technology to pilot the concept of 3D printing components for energy applications.
βItβs rewarding to see the transition from basic concept to a more mature technology that is actively being developed and deployed by our industry partners,β said Jeremy Busby, director of ORNLβs Nuclear Energy and Fuel Cycle division. βThis is exactly the sort of impact that ORNL strives to make for our energy portfolio.β
USNCβs existing advanced nuclear systems, Terrani said, are designed to deliver the highest levels of safety and reliability. While the company is currently meeting that goal, βwe donβt stop there.β
βWe also utilize materials in our reactor cores that can withstand very harsh environments and high temperatures and donβt result in any degradation,β he said. βWe engineer multiple redundant barriers against any potential release of radiation through fundamental application of nuclear engineering and materials science.β
USNCβs refractory material of choice for nuclear reactor core components is silicon carbide, a high-temperature-resistant ceramic that has been tested and proven to be radiation tolerant. Yet, traditional machining of silicon carbide into parts for a reactor are so time-intensive and expensive that itβs nearly impossible.
The ORNL-developed alternative combines binder jet printing as the additive manufacturing technique and a ceramic production process called chemical vapor infiltration, which will allow USNC to make components more efficiently with desired complex shapes, such as fluid channels in a heat exchanger.
βThis is the holy grail of additive, that you can do things faster, that are in geometries that were previously very difficult or impossible with conventional manufacturing methods,β Terrani said.
USNCβs new Pilot Fuel Manufacturing, or PFM, facility will be located at the East Tennessee Technology Park in Oak Ridge, which is home of the former K-25 plant and mere minutes from ORNLβs main campus. The energy company plans to continue its collaboration with ORNL.
βWe look forward to continuing our strong relationship with ORNL,β said Francesco Venneri, chief executive officer of USNC. βProximity to the lab and its world-class scientists and facilities allow us easy access to expertise in reactor core technologies and additive manufacturing, as well as the latest in radiation, fuels and materials research, all of which benefit USNCβs commitment to bring safe, reliable and secure nuclear energy to world markets.β USNC and ORNL also signed a Memorandum of Understanding in September on advanced nuclear fuel and reactor development activities.
Along with Terrani, other inventors of this technology include ORNLβs Brian Jolly and Michael Trammel. Enabled through ORNLβs entrepreneurial leave program, Jolly and Trammell joined USNC as group leaders for Chemical Vapor Processing and Additive Manufacturing, respectively, to participate in full commercialization of their intellectual property.