Project Info

Additive Manufacturing of High-Pressure Components for Nuclear Power Plants

The failure of high-pressure (also called pressure boundary) components can cause long nuclear power plant shut downs because replacement parts are often not quickly available. The use of additive manufacturing can provide for fast production of custom replacement parts for nuclear or other power generation plants that can reduce plant down time, thus reducing the cost of power generation. The goal of this project is to develop and validate wire-arc additive manufacturing (similar to gas metal arc welding) for the production of pressure boundary components in nuclear power plants. The interested student will work with a graduate student on developing process parameters, performing state-of-the-art process simulations, characterizing the material microstructure, assessing defects, and evaluating the mechanical properties.

Related work on the use of additive manufacturing for nuclear power applications can be found here: https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2019/10/f67/ne-amm-newletter-oct-2019.pdf

Information related to materials challenges for pressure boundary components in nuclear power applications can be found here:
https://doi.org/10.1016/S1369-7021(10)70220-0
https://doi.org/10.1016/0308-0161(87)90095-0

Student Preparation

Qualifications

The student should be interested in welding or additive manufacturing. Experience with at least one of the following areas would be helpful: gas metal arc welding (GMAW), metallographic preparation, mechanical testing, finite element modeling or other computational simulations.

Student is required to attend the basic lab safety training offered by Environmental Health and Safety at Mines.

Time Commitment

4-5 hours/week

Skills/Techniques Gained

Depending on interest, the student can gain experience in a broad range of very useful skills for graduate school or industry. The student can work with a graduate student on wire-arc AM process development, metallographic preparation, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), state-of-the-art multi-physics welding simulations, X-ray computed tomography (XCT), and mechanical testing. The student will be given flexibility to work on areas of interest.

Mentoring Plan

The student will regularly meet with a graduate student in the project. Additionally, the student will participate in weekly meetings with graduate students and professors. Realistic goals will be set at the beginning of the project, and they will be continuously updated as needed. The frequent interaction with professors and graduate students will ensure all resources are being provided to ensure the student gets the most out of the project.