Tecnatom Supplies a New Nuclear Fuel Inspection Equipment

The Spanish nuclear fuel manufacturer ENUSA now has a new UT3P ultrasonic system for the automatic inspection of welds at its Juzbado facility, supplied by Tecnatom.

With this equipment, Juzbado now has two completely updated lines for the automatic welding of nuclear fuel rod plugs.

The purpose of the UT3P equipment is the use of non-destructive testing (NDT) techniques for the automatic detection and evaluation of flaws in the area of interest of the fuel rod (weld and nearby potentially heat-affected zone).

To accomplish this the system incorporates the SONIA electronics developed by Tecnatom for high-frequency ultrasonic applications.

Analogously, the equipment uses software and hardware designed in-house by our company.

Several of these inspection systems are currently operating continuously at fuel manufacturing facilities in both Europe and Asia.

The ENUSA project manager has stated: “Tecnatom has met our expectations in this project, and we would underline especially their capacity to adapt to our timeframe and needs and to rapidly and efficiently respond to the different issues that have arisen during its performance”.

The delivery of this system further reinforces the relationship that exists between the two Spanish companies, both ENS Corporate Members, which bring together their fuel manufacturing and technology development capabilities to offer a comprehensive portfolio of nuclear fuel (both fresh and irradiated) inspection and characterisation systems, as well as a wide range of fuel-related services.

 

Tecnatom