Westinghouse Installs 3D-Printed Fuel Component Inside Commercial Nuclear Reactor

Westinghouse Electric Company reports that a 3D-printed thimble plugging device was successfully installed in Exelon's Byron Unit 1 nuclear plant during its spring refueling outage. It is reportedly a first-of-a-kind installation for the nuclear industry.

“Westinghouse continues to lead the way with development of the most advanced technologies to help the world meet growing electricity demand with safe, clean and reliable energy,” says Ken Canavan, Westinghouse's chief technology officer. “Our additive manufacturing program offers customers enhanced component designs that help increase performance and reduce costs, as well as provide access to components that may not be available using traditional manufacturing methods.”

“Additive manufacturing is an exciting new solution for the nuclear industry,” says Ken Petersen, Exelon Generation's vice president of nuclear fuels. “The simplified approach helps meet the industry's need for a wide variety of low-volume, highly critical plant components. We are proud to have Westinghouse as a partner on this industry milestone and to help further demonstrate the viability of this technology.”

Westinghouse Electric Company is a nuclear energy company and is a supplier of nuclear plant products and technologies to utilities worldwide.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.