[2I10-10] Nuclear Plant Component

2:45 PM - 3:00 PM JST(5:45 AM - 6:00 AM UTC)

[2I10] Lightweight design of BWR control rod velocity limiters by additive manufacturing

*yasuaki hadame¹, Masashi Aizawa¹, Mitsuharu Nakamura², Kenjiro Katayama², Tomonori Abe², Yoshinori Yoshinori², Keiji Matsunaga² (1. TOSHIBA, 2. TOSHIBA ESS)

Keywords:

AM,additive manufacturing,Type316L,topology optimization,BWR control rod

We present lightweight design of BWR control rod velocity limiters by additive manufacturing and topology optimization. By transitioning from the conventional solid structure of cast products to a hollow structure utilizing AM, we were able to reduce mass. This reduction allows for the consideration of increasing the amount of neutron-absorbing material or changing the type of neutron-absorbing material, thereby expecting to improve the product lifespan of the control rods. We selected Type316L, which is suitable for AM fabrication, and optimized the internal structure by considering the loads under no-buffer scram conditions and during seismic scram conditions. Furthermore, taking into account manufacturability and post-processing, we designed a lightweight shape that reduces mass by 50%.