A Review of the Latest Developments in the Field of Additive Manufacturing Techniques for Nuclear Reactors

Abstract

This review paper provides insights the into current developments in additive manufacturing (AM) techniques. The comprehensive presentations about AM methods, material properties (i.e., irradiation damage, as-built defects, residual stresses and fatigue fracture), experiments, numerical simulations and standards are discussed as well as their advantages and shortages for the application in the field of nuclear reactor. Meanwhile, some recommendations that need to be focused on are presented to advance the development and application of AM techniques in nuclear reactors. The knowledge included in this paper can serve as a baseline to tailor the limitations, utilize the superiorities and promote the wide feasibilities of the AM techniques for wide application in the field of nuclear reactors.

Promoting the Regulatory Acceptance of Combined Ion and Neutron Irradiation for Material Degradation in Nuclear Reactors

“…Post-irradiation mechanical tests indicated that the mechanical behavior was strongly dependent on the specimen orientation. Interestingly, significantly fewer radiation-induced voids formed in the AM stainless steels [371]. This could be due to pre-existing pores or the dislocation cell structure, each of which result from AM fabrication and act as sinks for point defects.…”

Advanced manufacturing and digital twin technology for nuclear energy*

“…Advanced manufacturing techniques such as additive manufacturing, automation, and robotics can be used to produce complex nuclear components with reduced material waste, shorter lead times, and lower costs (Betzler et al, 2019;Balbaud et al, 2021;Li et al, 2022). For instance, additive manufacturing can be used to produce complex nuclear components with a high degree of accuracy and precision, thus reducing the risk of errors and defects that can compromise the safety of the nuclear energy systems (Lu et al, 2020;Van Rooyen and Morrell, 2020;Sun et al, 2021).…”