Tue, 26 November, 2024
We have decades of experience working with the nuclear power and fusion industries, delivering projects across the whole spectrum of operations, from research and design to new builds through to life extension, waste management and decommissioning.
We have completed over 800 separate nuclear projects over the past 35 years, supporting over 70 Member companies in the global nuclear industry.
These projects cover a range of different operations across all Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs), including:
- New Builds: We have assisted with new build power stations, particularly in regard to welding and joining processes and the use and development of correct codes and standards for new reactor designs. This experience covers all of the main reactor designs including, for example, boiling water reactors, pressurised water reactors (PWR), advanced gas cooled reactors (AGR), CANDU and light water reactors
- Life Extension: Many nations are seeking to extend the lives of their existing nuclear power stations. Our experience with structural integrity assessments and refurbishment, has seen us support the maintenance and extended safe operation of reactors around the world
- Nuclear Waste Management: Safe and efficient packaging, storage and disposal of nuclear waste is vital to the nuclear industry. TWI has supported projects for the safe storage of high level waste from nuclear reactors, which can remain active for thousands of years. Our work with waste storage solutions has been instrumental in the selection of welding processes and the development of applicable procedures with regard to waste storage canisters for deep geological disposal
- Decommissioning: We have also been involved in a range of nuclear decommissioning projects, including novel techniques for cutting and disposing of reactor components after service. Bringing together our expertise in laser processes, nuclear materials storage solutions and asset integrity management, we have years of experience in the management of ageing assets across the entire power generation sector
TWI Services
Our services to the nuclear industry encompasses everything from asset management and technology development to welding engineering, while our knowledge of materials and expertise in inspection means we can provide materials and non-destructive testing services as well as structural integrity modelling.
We also deliver asset management and business support including asset management surveys, plant assessments, risk analysis and supply chain development.
As an independent and impartial organisation, TWI is also able deliver expert witness and peer review services to support submissions to regulatory bodies, as well as failure investigation support and safety case reviews.
Because we are independent in nature, our work is driven solely by customer requirements and needs, so we can provide best-fit advice, while our direct contact with system and equipment manufacturers (many of whom are TWI Members) enables us to maintain capability and knowledge of the current state-of-the-art.
Expertise
All of this is supported by 70 years of research and engineering experience, underpinned by our industry-leading experts who have decades of experience in delivering projects for industry.
Our expertise includes within services such as:
- Welding Consultancy Services: Our welding consultants can assist with a range of disciplines, including welding design, materials processing and metallurgy, fabrication, installation, automation and integration, distortion and quality control, repair, and codes and standards interpretation
- Asset Management: Our world-leading capabilities cover structural integrity management, including fitness-for-service, NDT and other inspection and testing services, condition and structural health monitoring, and decommissioning. Our multidisciplinary team of consultants, engineers and technicians can deliver integrity management strategiesto help you avoid engineering failure, ensure regulatory compliance and optimise operating expenditure
- Fitness-for-Service: Our experts evaluate the structural integrity of assets and components as part of a plant lifetime management process to ensure continued availability, reliability, efficiency and safety. Our expertise is regularly used to develop non-standard testing and assessment methodologies, allowing us to solve problems where non-standard geometry, unusual loading, or exotic materials mean that standard approaches are unsuitable
- Destructive and Non-Destructive Testing (NDT), Materials and Inspection Services: TWI provides testing services to ensure equipment, plant assets and products remain operational, reliable and safe. This includes site inspection services and the inspection of metallic and non-metallic parts and structures, covering all available NDT technologies to identify the optimum solution for any practical industrial application. Our testing services for metals, composites, polymers, resins and elastomers can determine properties, performance, strength, durability and resistance to factors such as corrosion and fatigue. Our high quality material inspection services help ensure that your materials are compliant to standards, safe, and fit for purpose. Our materials services also include coatings analysis and solutions
- Failure Investigation: TWI has the capability and the experience to respond quickly and carry out a conclusive and confidential investigation into failures. Our teams of skilled engineers can be tailored precisely to the nature of the material, application and service conditions, to identify the cause recommend appropriate steps to minimise the risk of a reoccurrence
- Supply Chain: Because we work with a broad range of organisations from across industry, many of whom are TWI Industrial Members; TWI can facilitate global networking between our Member companies to provide information on technology and industry trends, and create opportunities to demonstrate product capability. We also support supply chain companies in de-risking and implementing new manufacturing processes; which extends through to training support.
TWI Training Services for the Nuclear and Fusion Industries
The world is going through a nuclear resurgence; from small modular reactors to multi-gigawatt installations, there is a rush to get clean reliable energy. However, there are challenges with expanding the nuclear power footprint due to a global shortage of nuclear qualified welders in the industry.
Nuclear welders need to understand a range of welding processes, from manual to automatic, alongside a thorough understanding of 3D drawings. Safety is a constant concern, with the mandatory wearing of protective equipment and the ability to work in complex conditions and postures. In addition, the profession requires a high level of technical expertise, rigor and continuous training. Welders can specialise by type of installation, assembly, sector of activity, process, metal, welding position, and type of part. Every weld in a nuclear power plant is essential and must be able to withstand extreme conditions including high pressures and radioactivity. The implications of a defective weld can be extremely serious. With nations around the world seeking to expand their nuclear power capabilities there is a need to train thousands of welders to build, maintain and expand nuclear capabilities. TWI Ltd can support through training highly skilled welders for the nuclear and fusion industries.
Benefits of Working with TWI
The benefits of working with TWI include:
- Advanced Fabrication: Development of techniques to improve the efficiency and reliability of welding processes
- Repair: Proven record of delivering 'right first time' repair procedures for various facility types
- Specialist Non-Destructive Engineering (NDE): Development and validation of inspection procedures to support licence applications
- Structural Integrity and Plant Lifetime Extension: Assessment of ageing plant and lifetime prediction
- Welding Software: Customised software to manage welding during plant construction and refurbishments
- Training and Certification: Welding and inspection courses to meet the demand for qualified personnel during construction phases
- Struggling to understand, adopt and comply with codes and standards imposed upon them, either by their customers or government legislation.
- Wishing to maintain or grow their staff’s competence through relevant, tailored and effective training
- They are facing liability exposure and require world class expertise to support litigation processes.
To find out more and discuss how we can help with your projects, please email contactus@twi.co.uk.