Demonstration of PM-HIP Production Methods for Small Modular Reactors

Conventional forging methods have been used to produce large reactor pressure vessel (RPV) components for the past ~75 years. Over the next 3 decades, the nuclear power industry is projected to undergo unprecedented growth to meet increasing powder demands resulting from load center growth, electric vehicle growth, and from overall increases in manufacturing. This growth, coupled with a notable ramp up in naval and aerospace applications/needs, will place significant strain on the existing supply chain for heavy component (RPVs, steam generators, pressurizers, etc.) production. As such, EPRI, the US Department of Energy, and the Advanced Manufacturing Research Center (UK), under DOE Project DE-NE0008629, have embarked on a major project to demonstrate advanced manufacturing methods, including the use of PM-HIP, for large, RPV components including reactor heads, nozzles, pressurizer components. This presentation will describe some of the relevant research in this project to produce RPV components using A508 low alloy steel materials.