Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre
The Nuclear AMRC is a joint initiative between the University of Sheffield, the University of Manchester, and a consortium of industry partners. It will be based in a new purpose-built facility at the Advanced Manufacturing Park in South Yorkshire.
The Nuclear AMRC will:
- Drive up the capabilities and competitiveness of the UK civil nuclear manufacturing industry.
- Work with consortium members to develop world-leading manufacturing processes and technologies.
- Be the focal point for the civil nuclear manufacturing industry in the UK.
- Help UK manufacturing companies compete for nuclear contracts worldwide.
The Nuclear AMRC will help its member companies to:
- Enhance the quality, reliability and efficiency of their products and processes.
- Reduce production costs and complexity.
- Develop innovative products from proof-of-concept stage, through validation and prototyping, to pre-commercial production.
- Meet and exceed quality standards and achieve nuclear-specific accreditation.
- Build industry networks and develop a strong nuclear culture.
The main Nuclear AMRC facility on the Advanced Manufacturing Park will focus on the machining, fabrication and assembly of components for new nuclear power stations. Research areas will include:
- Large-scale laser cutting and welding using robotics and adaptive control.
- Machine tool optimisation.
- Developing large-scale demonstrators, to take innovative technologies and processes to pre-production level.
- Virtual manufacturing and assembly.
Work at the Nuclear AMRC will focus on metals engineering, and will not involve nuclear critical aspects such as fuels or other radioactive materials.
Research at The University of Manchester's Dalton Nuclear Institute will focus on:
- Materials processing, cutting, joining and surface technology.
- Component performance in nuclear environments.
- Materials characterisation.
- Early-stage product and process development.
Research and development topics at the Nuclear AMRC will be determined by the board of industrial partners. This will ensure that work is focused on industrial commercial requirements, and can provide lasting value to members.
The Nuclear AMRC builds on the model developed by the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre with Boeing. The centre will develop a consortium of industrial members from across the nuclear manufacturing supply chain.
The Nuclear AMRC's founding industrial partners include leading nuclear reactor vendors Areva and Westinghouse; power systems provider Rolls-Royce; and steel engineering group Sheffield Forgemasters International. The centre is also supported by EDF Energy, the UK's largest power supplier; the Nuclear Industry Association, the trade body for the civil nuclear sector; and the National Metals Technology Centre (NAMTEC).
The civil nuclear supply chain presents particular opportunities for the metals industries. A typical 1GW nuclear power station contains tens of thousands of tonnes of steel in a variety of forms. Examples include:
- Reactor pressure vessels, turbine rotors, and other components which use major forgings and castings.
- Construction steels for the containment structure.
- Precision-engineered components such as high-pressure seals, pumps and valves.
