Jacobs joins Nuclear AMRC to drive supply chain innovation
01/09/2021
Jacobs has joined the Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (Nuclear AMRC), based at the University of Sheffield in the UK, to drive innovation in advanced nuclear technologies.As a tier-one member of the Nuclear AMRC, part of the UK’s High Value Manufacturing Catapult, Jacobs will collaborate on manufacturing and material engineering projects for new build, decommissioning, equipment qualification and cyber.
“We aim to add value to the Nuclear AMRC’s work with UK manufacturers, helping them to win work in the nuclear supply chain and meet nuclear industry requirements through innovation and business improvement. This work will also strengthen Jacobs’ UK supply chain and supports the UK’s long-term nuclear vision,” said Greg Willetts, Jacobs’ Vice President for Technology and Cyber Solutions. “Among many synergies, the Nuclear AMRC’s knowledge of the latest manufacturing technologies will increase Jacobs’ capability to develop novel manufacturing systems and product solutions for our clients, while the breadth of our involvement in the nuclear market will benefit the Nuclear AMRC.”Andrew Storer, Nuclear AMRC Chief Executive Officer, said: “New nuclear power plants will play a crucial part in reaching the UK’s net zero carbon emissions target and we will work with Jacobs to help ensure that new reactor designs can be produced efficiently and cost-effectively by the UK supply chain. Future designs of small and advanced modular reactors, including fusion reactors, will require a range of novel materials and manufacturing techniques. Our new relationship with Jacobs will help us build code cases for these new techniques to demonstrate to the regulators that they are safe to use.”
Jacobs and the Nuclear AMRC are members of the the UK Small Modular Reactor (UKSMR) consortium led by Rolls-Royce, and both also work with other developers of new reactor types. Jacobs is also leading research into materials, manufacturing and component testing systems for new reactors, funded by the UK government and the European Union.
Before they can be used in nuclear manufacturing, new materials and techniques must go through a qualification process to guard against any risk of failure during decades of service in extremely challenging environments. To support the equipment qualification process, Jacobs will use its advanced materials testing facilities, including the UK High Temperature Facility in Warrington, to analyse the behaviour of material samples from the Nuclear AMRC under conditions similar to those experienced within reactor systems.
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