Development of Additive Manufacturing at Westinghouse

摘要

Westinghouse has been developing the useof additive manufacturing (AM) for nuclear componentsfor over five years. In particular, Westinghouse has beenutilizing the potential of the Direct Metal Laser Sintering(DMLS) manufacturing method, a process in whichcomponents are created layer by layer through the use ofa metal powder bed and laser system. The appeal of theAM process lies in the potential to create unique complexdesigns such as advanced tooling and fuel componentsthat are otherwise not possible and/or economicallyfeasible through the use of conventional subtractiveprocesses.Efforts to demonstrate the viability of additivemanufactured components for nuclear applicationsinclude, manufacturing tooling, a thimble plug device fuelcomponent for commercial use, as well as significanttesting and evaluation of the mechanical properties ofseveral alloys produced using AM, including the effects ofirradiation. Nuclear fuel component manufacturing atWestinghouse has benefited from AM tooling throughimprovements in process yields and personnelergonomics. The thimble plugging device fuel componentproject was developed to introduce a low risk componentinto a commercial reactor in order to gain additionalexperience with the AM process in a radiationenvironment. It was also intended to build onWestinghouse’s experience with irradiated AM materialsplaced in the Massachusetts Institute of Technologies testreactor and subsequently analyzed in Westinghouse hotcells. These projects have led to more recent efforts toimprove the debris filtering performance of fuelcomponents.This paper will discuss the progression, development,and qualification of AM for tooling applications,irradiated material testing, and component manufacturingat Westinghouse. It will also discuss the NRC’s recentdraft “Action Plan for Advanced ManufacturingTechnologies”.