Scientists at the Department of Energy’s (DoE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory have successfully fired up 3D-printed stainless-steel capsules inside one of the world’s most powerful nuclear reactors, proving they can take the heat.
The team tested two experimental capsules at the lab’s High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR), a facility that provides one of the world’s highest neutron flux environments. These capsules are made from 316H stainless steel. They are designed to hold sample materials during irradiation experiments.
Acting as both pressure and containment barrier, the capsules help researchers determine how different materials respond to intense nuclear conditions, which is a critical part of qualifying components for reactor use.
Oak Ridge’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility utilized a laser powder-bed fusion system to 3D print the stainless-steel parts. This specific type of steel is employed for its high-temperature strength, corrosion and radiation resistance, and proven nuclear-grade performance.
After they were printed, the capsules were assembled and qualified by ORNL’s Irradiation Engineering group before undergoing a month-long irradiation period at HFIR.
The capsules were removed fully intact. This marks a significant step in demonstrating that additively manufactured components can meet the stringent safety standards required in nuclear environments. The successful test paves the way for future nuclear components to be designed and produced using additive manufacturing.
Ryan Dehoff is the director of the MDF at ORNL. He said, “As we demonstrate the reliability of these printed components, we’re looking at a future where additive manufacturing might become standard practice in producing other critical reactor .”
HFIR provides one of the world’s highest neutron flux environments. This allows researchers to test and qualify fuels and materials under conditions such as those found in a nuclear reactor.
Fabricating and qualifying experimental capsules to irradiate fuel and material samples is an expensive and time-consuming process, demanding custom materials and designs.
By leveraging additive manufacturing, the team of researchers intends to streamline what has traditionally been a costly and time-consuming process.
Richard Howard is a group leader in the Nuclear Energy and Fuel Cycle Division at ORNL. He said, “The nuclear materials and fuels research communities are being asked to qualify advanced reactor technologies to survive very harsh conditions. Additive manufacturing will expand my group’s toolset to develop innovative experiments to support this critical need.”
Custom experimental capsules usually require specialized materials and lengthy fabrication timelines. 3D printing provides the potential to cut both time and cost, paving the way for faster innovation in nuclear materials and fuels research.
This research work was sponsored by the Department of Energy’s Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office (AMMTO) program. AMMTO supports a globally dominant U.S. manufacturing and industrial base for a resilient energy system and secure supply chain.
HFIR operates as a DoE Office of Science user facility. Completed in 1965 and operating at eighty-five megawatts, HFIR’s steady-state neutron beam is the strongest reactor-based neutron source in the U.S. The hot and cold neutrons produced by HFIR are used to study physics, chemistry, materials science, engineering, and biology. The intense neutron flux, constant power density, and constant-length fuel cycles are used by more than five hundred researchers every year for neutron scattering research into the fundamental properties of condensed matter.
