The University of Tennessee is part of the Nuclear Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Precast (NuCAMP), an initiative announced Tuesday by Kairos Power that is focused on advancing new manufacturing and construction methods and developing vocational training for skilled workers in East Tennessee to support the deployment of advanced nuclear reactors.
Under a signed memorandum of understanding, Kairos Power will lead the initiative in collaboration with UT, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI), Barnard Construction, Roane State Community College, Chattanooga State Community College, and Oak Ridge schools.
The organizations have agreed to an initial 12-month exploration phase to determine how they can best work together to develop programs to qualify advanced manufacturing and construction methods for nuclear applications and create career pathways for engineers and skilled tradespeople to put those methods into practice.
“I am excited for the Tickle College of Engineering to be a part of such a comprehensive partnership at many levels of education, research and development,” said TCE Dean Matthew Mench, the Wayne T. Davis Chair of the college. “I can’t wait to see what this partnership can accomplish during a time where transformational advances in reactor engineering and construction are greatly needed.”
A New Approach to Nuclear Construction
NuCAMP takes a holistic approach to bringing promising manufacturing and construction methods to the U.S. nuclear industry, incorporating the perspectives of research and development partners, workforce partners, and the companies actively building advanced reactor projects.
Kairos Power, ORNL’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility, the Tickle College of Engineering, IACMI, Samsung C&T Corporation, and Cambridge Vacuum Engineering will provide research, engineering, and manufacturing expertise to advance the technologies and address code gaps that currently limit their use in nuclear construction.
Research priorities include but are not limited to:
- Precast concrete construction for safety-related nuclear structures
- Large-format additive manufacturing to create customized forms for producing precast concrete components
- Wire-arc additive manufacturing to produce vessel sections, nozzles, pump parts, and other large components
- Electron beam welding to join large metal components with limited distortion
Through NuCAMP, teams will explore opportunities to work together to develop technical information to support code, regulatory, and licensing engagement for the innovative new technologies, which are not fully qualified under industry codes governing safety-related nuclear structures and components.
Educational and Training Opportunities
NuCAMP also plans to explore how its member organizations can partner to develop new education and training programs for engineers and skilled tradespeople as new manufacturing and construction methods mature.
As part of the process, UT will evaluate two proposed master’s degree programs: one focused on manufacturing engineering for factory-based nuclear production and another on precast concrete construction.
Kairos Power’s Reactor Demonstration Campus in Oak Ridge will host NuCAMP and provide facilities for manufacturing development, workforce training, and collaboration with nearby research and education partners. The campus includes space planned for precast production, equipment assembly, welding, and additive manufacturing.
“Delivering affordable advanced reactors at scale will require more than a strong design. We need innovative manufacturing processes, the code basis to qualify them, and people with the right skills to apply them in building new nuclear facilities,” said Ed Blandford, the chief technology officer and co-founder of Kairos Power. “By combining industry perspectives with the R&D power of our national labs and the strengths of our academic partners through NuCAMP, we can create new capabilities that will benefit the entire Tennessee nuclear community and the broader industry at large.”
Contact
Rhiannon Potkey ([email protected])