Green and Safe Nuclear Solutions Means More Welding

The U.S. currently has 92 nuclear reactors in operation. With a net capacity of about 95 gigawatts of energy, they have generated 18 to 20 percent of our domestic energy for several decades. It’s not enough, and that’s poised to change.

AWS recently chatted with Fred Beranek, Director of Engineering for Fluor Nuclear Power, to discuss power generation in the U.S.

“We have a big push for the reduction of carbon emissions by shifting away from fossil fuels, but it’s not possible to generate enough wind and solar power to replace fossil fuels,” says Beranek.

“Those sources are also cyclical and unsteady. As a result, more people perceive nuclear power as a safe, reliable, and non-greenhouse gas-emitting energy source.”

Most of the operating reactors in the U.S. were built more than 50 years ago. In the last decade, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has granted 20-year operating license extensions to 74 reactors, with some reactors being licensed for operating up to 80 years.

“The NRC is requiring upgrades to these reactors in order to get life extensions. As a result, utilities will spend billions refurbishing their units,” says Beranek.

From a welding perspective, that means a lot of work replacing aging cooling water piping and other systems in these facilities. Of the 92 facilities in operation, 61 are?pressurized water reactors?, and 31?boiling water reactors. This is an older but still viable technology, and that will create a strong demand for welding jobs. Long term, the nature of the work will change.

The Future Is Modular

“When it comes to new plant construction, the Small Modular Reactor, or SMR nuclear technology is the future,” says Beranek. “One reason they’re called modular is not just because they are small reactors — say 10 to 75 megawatts vs 1,000 MW for a traditional nuclear facility — it is because the intent is to manufacture as much of the reactor as possible in a factory, ship them to a site and connect the modules. If a location needs 300 MW of power, it will consist of four 75-MW modules.”

The U.S. Office of Nuclear Energy website touts that, “Advanced SMRs offer?many advantages,?such as relatively small physical footprints, reduced capital investment, ability to be sited in locations not possible for larger nuclear plants, and provisions for incremental power additions. SMRs also offer distinct safeguards, security and nonproliferation advantages.”

“Because SMRs are primarily constructed in a factory environment, they also increase the attractiveness of a welding career for people who don’t want to work in field conditions,” adds Beranek. “Looking even farther out into the future, I predict welding careers will also involve welding fusion power plants.”

To learn more about this topic, consider attending the AWS Welding Summit? , August 16 to 18 in Houston. There, Beranek will give a presentation titled, “The Future of the Nuclear Energy Welding Market.” See the full agenda for details.