Westinghouse Electric Company recently reached a significant milestone by manufacturing its 1,000th fuel flow plate using Additive Manufacturing (AM). It represents an industry achievement as the first ever safety-related AM components to enter serial production.
The AM flow plates are installed in VVER-440 fuel assemblies, enabling a redesign of the assemblies’ bottom part which results in a more robust performance.
“This achievement showcases the development of additive manufacturing from prototyping to full-scale production, generating tangible value for our customers,” said Lou Martínez Sancho, Westinghouse Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President, R&D and Innovation. “This marks another Westinghouse pioneering achievement in AM Technology holding the commitment to strengthen safety, efficiency, sustainability and energy security.”
This milestone is a continuation of Westinghouse’s leadership in deploying AM in the nuclear industry to achieve cost and lead-time reductions and enable cutting-edge solutions for energy generation. In 2015, the company conducted the first ever material irradiation study of AM nuclear components. In 2020, Westinghouse installed the first ever safety-related AM component, a Thimble Plugging Device, into an operating commercial reactor.
Westinghouse Electric Company is shaping the future of carbon-free energy by providing safe, innovative nuclear and other clean power technologies and services globally. Westinghouse supplied the world’s first commercial pressurized water reactor in 1957 and the company’s technology is the basis for nearly one-half of the world’s operating nuclear plants. Over 135 years of innovation make Westinghouse the preferred partner for advanced technologies covering the complete nuclear energy life cycle.
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