EPRI recently received a USD 5.1M award from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to continue a collaborative research effort that is developing and demonstrating modular-in-chamber electron beam welding for future advanced nuclear reactor plants.
The project has a total value of approximately USD 6.5M, of which DOE will provide approximately USD 5.1M.
Modular in-chamber electron beam welding (MIC-EBW) can be used to join large-diameter, thick-section components such as reactor vessels, steam generators, and pressurizers.
The MIC-EBW capability is being developed in two phases. The first phase focused on EBW equipment design and production and the second phase will demonstrate MIC EBW welding at full scale.
All EBW development/demonstration in the current project is being performed in a large EB vacuum welding chamber in the United Kingdom. For the United States to fully implement EBW of large-scale components, an even larger vacuum chamber (~35 ft long) would be required.
This has led EPRI to propose the modular in-chamber EBW approach (MIC-EBW), which could be readily implemented by the U.S. industry at a considerably lower cost (~1/3rd).
