Complex Equipment Design for a Chemical Project

The Challenge

In the Nuclear Power industry, there has been anecdotal evidence suggesting that smaller reactors are more effective at containing hazards. This evidence kicked-start a movement towards Small Modular Reactor (SMR) designs, which can be easier to build and transport. However, research was needed to verify their safety.

The Electric Power Research Institute and the Department of Energy requested proposals to design a small test reactor and an experiment to prove the theory. Dr. Sola Talabi with Pittsburgh Technical LLC and Carnegie Mellon University and his team were chosen to demonstrate the effectiveness of the SMR. Now, Dr. Talabi was searching for an equipment engineering partner with the knowledge and skill to build exactly what he needed.

The Journey

Dr. Talabi started his search with a good list of reputable equipment companies. After reaching out to multiple suppliers on the list, Dr. Talabi was immediately impressed by Gary Martin, the sales representative from Paul Mueller Company.

Creating an SMR vessel for this experiment was not an easy task. This piece of equipment had many specifications that were necessary to test the vessel's safety successfully. Dr. Talabi needed a model that could simulate an accidental nuclear reaction. In this simulation, radionuclides - the hazardous particles in nuclear reactions - would start to escape. The test would determine if the SMR could self-contain these particles better than larger vessels. These scenarios needed to be analyzed through parametric testing, meaning metrics such as heat and pressure had to be highly flexible. On top of these specifications, Dr. Talabi and his team needed a way to observe all of these tests taking place inside the reactor.

The Solution

The Paul Mueller Company Chemical team provided a specialized chemical reactor that met all of Dr. Talabi's needs. The equipment design for this research project included heat transfer that allowed it to reach up to 500 ºF (260 °C) and 200 PSI (13.8 bar) and inserts that would allow the tank to change volume. Multiple viewports with lasers were built in so the researchers could observe the simulated radionuclide particles inside the tank. The manufacturing team knew to use a specific type of glass on the ports to hold high temperatures and pressures without breaking or fogging.

The Results

After about a year of tests and research with the Paul Mueller Company-built test reactor, Dr. Sola Talabi provided proof that the Small Modular Reactors can self-contain radionuclide hazards better than larger ones. This evidence will be very beneficial as the nuclear energy industry grows. This increase in safety and mobility could result in Small Modular Reactors being utilized in higher-population areas that currently don't have access to power. The end goal is to make nuclear energy more accessible and deployable for special purposes, including remote locations, emergency power, and distributed generation in emerging nations.