Parts for a nuclear reactor will be printed on a 3D printer: how it is possible

Tungsten — hard but brittle material and difficult to incorporate into manufacturing processes. With the help of 3D printing, it can be made much easier.

The University of Iowa, in cooperation with the US Department of Energy (DOE), has started work on the DREAM TEAM project, which will use 3D printing technology to manufacture heat-resistant tungsten shields for nuclear reactors. About it writes media interestingengineering.com.

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The DREAM TEAM project is part of the US Department of Energy's Competitive Research Stimulation Program (EPSCoR), designed to create US capabilities in the energy sector. As part of the project, researchers will work with tungsten, a material used to line the inner walls of nuclear reactors because it has a high melting point and can withstand high temperatures, is resistant to erosion by neutron radiation and does not retain high levels of radioactive tritium.

The problem with using tungsten is that it is hard but brittle and difficult to incorporate into manufacturing processes. However, a group of scientists will use directional energy deposition technology using laser powder to 3D print tungsten. The laser will be used in controlled oxygen conditions and metal tungsten will be printed layer by layer on the walls of a nuclear reactor.

The $1 million grant for the project will enable the team to purchase equipment to analyze and characterize the mechanical properties of the 3D-printed samples. printers Researchers will build theories based on their experimental results using machine learning and artificial intelligence.