Bruce Power wins prestigious industry award for new innovation in radiation shielding

Source: www.gulfoilandgas.com 9/16/2024, Location: North America

Bruce Power has been awarded a Top Innovative Practice (TIP) Award for a novel approach to in-station radiation safety that leverages 3D printing techniques, using a tungsten-infused filament.

Bruce Power’s innovative three-dimensional (3D) Printed Tungsten Shielding process was recognized at the Nuclear Energy Institute’s (NEI) Nuclear Energy Assembly in Philadelphia on Sept. 10. Members of Bruce Power’s Radiation Protection and Site Services teams were present to accept this international award.

“We are extremely proud to be the recipient of a Top Innovative Practice Award for this radiation shielding project at Bruce Power,” said Eric Chassard, Bruce Power’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “The safety of our people, stations, and equipment are Bruce Power’s top priority, and this new approach to in-station radiation shielding allows our teams to introduce enhanced precision and a level of flexibility in application that has never before been seen in the field of nuclear facility radiation shielding. This approach can be used as an example industry wide, using existing technologies in innovative ways.”

The program began in March 2023, when advancements in 3D printing technologies led to the viability of tungsten-induced filament for printing. Using this material marked a paradigm shift for in-station shielding approaches, allowing teams to use custom-printed shielding for hard-to-reach areas, such as valves, camera equipment, or pipe bends, providing an additional protective barrier for the station.

Custom shielding can be developed, modelled, printed and fitted to the target hot spot within 48 hours, reducing time and cost compared to traditional manufactured methods for custom shielding while increasing efficiency and precision. Once a model for a custom part has been produced, additional efficiencies can be gained by using the same template for the same components throughout Bruce Power’s eight units, and the compact nature of the 3D printers means the process for producing bespoke shielding solutions can take place on a machine with the same footprint as an average office photocopier.

“Bruce Power’s 3D Tungsten Shielding program is easily replicable across the nuclear industry and is a great example of our teams using innovative thinking to enhance safety,” said Chris Mudrick, Bruce Power’s Chief Nuclear Officer and Executive Vice-President. “Our team took this program from concept to prototype in just 30 days, and within 90 days the solution was field-tested and green lit for application across the station. I congratulate the team on all the hard work in bringing this vision to reality.”

The NEI annual Nuclear Energy Assembly brings together leaders from all levels of the nuclear technology industry. TIP Awards are one of the nuclear industry’s highest recognitions of excellence.


Austria >>  12/6/2024 - Over 30 ‘newcomer’ countries are considering introducing nuclear power to mitigate climate change while strengthening energy security and bolstering e...
Philippines >>  12/6/2024 - As the Philippines embarks on the development of the country’s nuclear power programme, it is making progress in developing the necessary nuclear infr...

France >>  12/5/2024 - Otrera, a spin-off of the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) and a laureate of the France 2030 program, has successfully c...
Uzbekistan >>  12/5/2024 - The IAEA Director General has been in Uzbekistan this week as part of ongoing support to the country’s plans to harness nuclear science for its develo...

United Kingdom >>  12/4/2024 - Centrica plc (the "Company") is pleased to announce the extension of the lives of its four operational Advanced Gas-cooled Reactor ("AGR") nuclear pow...
United States >>  12/4/2024 - NANO Nuclear Energy Inc. (NASDAQ: NNE) (“NANO Nuclear” or “the Company”), a leading vertically integrated advanced nuclear technology company developi...




Gulf Oil and Gas
Copyright © 2023 ICT All rights reserved. - Terms of Service - Privacy Policy.