One of the scientific enterprises of the Russian nuclear concern — NIKIET - within the framework of the program entitled " Development of promising low-power energy sources" and, with the participation of representatives of the St. Petersburg Institute of Laser and Welding Technologies, for the first time created a mock-up of capacitive equipment for a pressure and volume compensation complex of a thermal carrier for a low-power nuclear reactor using additive technologies. Or, if more understandable, using 3D printing.
According to the press service of Rosatom, the test model of the reactor plant with a height of 54 centimeters and a diameter of 33 cm was printed in just 80 hours from stainless steel, which is much faster than the conventional modeling methods used before. The specification of the layout with a bottom thickness of 4 cm and one-and-a-half centimeter walls will be a test and verification of the potential of existing additive printing methods, with the help of which large or thick-walled models are created. Among other things, the research work of the two organizations will help to substantiate the possibility of using 3D printing technologies in the nuclear field, in particular, for the production of hinged reactor vessel equipment and equipment, as well as volumetric capacitive products for low-power nuclear power plants.
Printing modules and components for nuclear power plants will open up additional opportunities in the production of complexly designed products and parts made of different materials and substances. Firstly, it will save time on the production of equipment quite noticeably, since with additive methods of creating products there is no need for their machining and welding of individual elements with each other — a 3D printer prints a finished product, secondly, by combining printing and digitalization, it is possible to reduce the stages of control and quality control of finished products and equipment, seriously refine the methods of designing and creating nuclear power plants, achieve efficiency, save finances and human resources.