DavyMarkham sets its sights on nuclear fusion bid
SHEFFIELD-based manufacturer DavyMarkham has joined a consortium, which is bidding for the construction of the main vacuum vessel of nuclear fusion reactor International Tokamak Experiemental Reactor (ITER).
Together with precision fabricator Metalcraft with support from engineering consultancy AMEC and The Welding Institute, the consortium hopes to win the bid to help build the €5bn reactor.
One of the world’s largest international co-operative research and development projects, ITER will demonstrate the integrated physics and engineering needed for a fusion power station and is expected to produce 500 MW of power.
It will be at least twice the linear dimensions and 16 times the mass of the Joint European Torus (JET) reactor vessel in Oxfordshire, currently the world’s largest fusion reactor.
Kevin Parkin, managing director of DavyMarkham, said: “ITER represents an exciting business opportunity for ourselves and the rest of UK engineering.
“The vacuum vessel is a significant engineering challenge that no single company is capable of supplying.”
He added that DavyMarkham and Cambridgeshire-based Metalcraft had previously worked together on projects at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory.
As well as fabricating complex parts of magnetic resonance imaging machines for the world’s leading OEM’s, Metalcraft has significant experience of manufacturing vacuum and ultra-high vacuum vessels for major scientific projects, including the CERN Large Hadron Collider.
The key technical challenges associated with the ITER project concern the need to meet the demanding accuracies involved in assembling the vessels and minimising metal shrinkage, necessitating the use of electron beam welding.
Peter Kenny, managing director of Metalcraft, said he was confident of the consortium’s ability to overcome any materials-related issues.
“Our colleagues at The Welding Institute have significant experience of electron beam welding techniques which will be invaluable for ensuring the consortium addresses many of ITER’s technical concerns”.
Dan Mistry, UKAEA’s fusion and industry manager who is responsible for encouraging UK companies to supply the ITER project, said: “ITER is a challenging undertaking that presents many business opportunities for UK companies.
“I would like to encourage companies, especially those with heavy/medium engineering capabilities that have relevant skills and experience, to get involved with the ITER consortium.”
