MATERIAL  & WELDING  CONSULTANT TEAM Research, Development, Design, and Manufacture Primary  Components  for  Nuclear  Power  Plants

The recently outlined National Energy Plan of the US-Administration strives to open a new era for nuclear power.

It is a difficult but challenging new beginning, taking into account that it has been nearly 30 years since the last nuclear plant was ordered in the United States, time in which large parts of know-how and experience may have been lost. 

This website is intended to contribute to the successful revival of the US nuclear industry at the technical and safety level required by the new 21st century power system.

Background: We specialized in manufacturing modern German nuclear primary components - Reactor Pressure Vessels (RPVs) and Steam Generators (SGs) for KWU-systems - at the Nuclear Apparatus Division, M.A.N. Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nürnberg AG, GHH Sterkrade, Oberhausen (MAN GHH) - the main German manufacturer of RPVs and SGs for the aforementioned type of plants.

Dr.-Ing. Karl R. Million was Head of the Welding Research & Development Department  and was responsible for the technical level of welding - the dominating technology of thick walled primary nuclear components.

Dipl.-Ing. Ratan Datta was Head of the  Material Engineering & Development Department and was responsible for the technical level of material selection and heat treatment.

Dipl.-Ing. Horst Zimmermann was Head of the Welding Fabrication Department and was responsible for the entire welding manufacturing activity of the MAN GHH Nuclear Apparatus Division.

Improvements in materials, heat treatments, welding technologies and testing methods for the production of all components delivered during the last 10 active years of the firm have been made in close collaboration with the departments of Design and Fixture Construction, Welding Fabrication, Non-Destructive and Destructive Testing, and on the basis of an annual development budget of about one million US$.

Anyone who was involved in the development of the German nuclear industry of that time knows how costly and time- consuming are efforts to improve the manufacturing of primary nuclear components and how many sat-backs could be avoided from today's point of view.

Main themes of the Know-how offered for Consulting Services: 

• Selection and optimization of base materials and filler metals

• Weld point analysis from the manufacturing and testing point of view

• Advanced narrow gap welding technology for thick walled components

• MMAW of austenitic 18/8 Cr-Ni cladding

• Mechanization of austenitic 18/8 Cr-Ni internal weld cladding of small diameter nozzles

• Manufacturing of component parts by shape welding

Special attention is dedicated to the last subject - Shape Welding - representing a new approach to quality and profitability in the reactor steel production. According to the German Safety Standard, KTA 3201.1, Part 1, Chapter 29, Product forms and components from ferritic steels fabricated by shape-welding, the following two steel types: 

                                                              8 MnMoNi 5 5, and 

                                                            10 MnMoNi 5 5 

are already accepted for the production of nuclear primary components. The materials are isotropic. The mechanical properties are, therefore, independent of wall thickness or direction.

Shape-welding technique opens up a new perspective for designing heavy nuclear components mainly with a view to realizing the idea of seamless components of any size.

The experience gained from welding of nuclear components of very large dimensions and wall thicknesses is a solid basis for future development of shape welding in the nuclear industry of the 21^st century.