BUTTING MPE has been certified by AIB Vinçotte International under ISO 9001 since 1994. The authorization includes the design, manufacture and assembly of mechanical equipment for all branches of industry, including nuclear energy. This led a market-leading company to give BUTTING MPE the order for the design and production of several tools.
They are destined for the EPR reactor in Flamanville, a pressurized water reactor, and are used to remove a basket with material samples from the highly radioactive zone of the reactor. These samples are later used to analyse properties such as material ageing and radiation levels.
For the Chinese power station at Taishan, BUTTING MPE is currently supplying around 15,000 small pipes with the dimensions of 14 × 1mm, 12 × 1.2mm and 12 × 1.8mm, using material grade TP 304L. These pipes are used for the primary circuit of a heat exchanger.
Considerable qualifications were required in advance in order to comply with the regulations of the RCCM code. This lays down special requirements for mechanical components for the nuclear industry of which BUTTING MPE is familiar. The Belgium-based company in the BUTTING Group has been familiar with this code for years; so the qualification procedures could be successfully complied with, including the provision of extensive documentation.
