SBIR-STTR Award

The United States depends on its fleet of nuclear facilities for the clean and reliable generation of electricity- With the increased and growing need of electricity, additional nuclear facilities can provide the solution Generation IV Reactors, such as Advanced Small Modular Reactors (SMR’s) are an upgraded means to nuclear thermal energy production- These SMR’s can provide up to 300 megawatts of electrical in a point specific location design, and provide a more versatile way to harness nuclear energy- Improvements to the bimetallic corrosion resistant layer can play a significant role in decreasing manufacturing time and cost to these systems making them more competitive in the energy sector markets- VRC Metal Systems, in collaboration with our academic research partner, Northeastern University, and our commercial partner, NuScale Power, propose to apply cold spray technology to complement or replace welding applications for corrosion resistance- The Cold Spray process, micro-sized metal particles accelerate supersonically toward a substrate where collision results in mechanical interlocking and metallurgical bonding- Metal particles never reach melting temperatures but are fused through adiabatic shearing processes- Substrate heating is minimized, dimensional stability is maintained, and unwanted thermal effects are avoided, making cold spray an ideal for application after reactor assembly- This novel approach will focus on the fabrication and metallurgical stability of integrating a corrosion resistant layer onto Gen IV reactors- If VRC can develop process parameters for an accepted bimetallic corrosion protection coating within the nuclear community, it will open the commercial potential into a much larger field of corrosion protection- VRC will plan to target DoD needs for their first customer base, before expanding into the commercial sector- VRC’s 5-year plan will be to integrate corrosion protection layers into components with extreme environmental conditions such as reactors, damn hydrofoils, hydraulic systems, spillways, gates, and wind turbine bases-

The problem being addressed is the expected shortfall in electrical power generation due to decreased supply and increased demand. Many coal-fired power plants are reaching the end of their life and are unlikely to be replaced by new coal fired plants due to emissions. Electrical power demand is expected to increase steadily through year 2050 due to population growth and increased electric vehicle popularity. Natural gas power plants can cover some of this shortfall, but long-term natural gas prices are unknown. The US Department of Energy and other parties are looking to small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) for a solution. They are designed to be inherently safer and less expensive to build and operate than older nuclear power. They can also do “double duty” by providing process heat for desalination of seawater, manufacture of hydrogen gas, biofuel production, and many others. Cold spray, a solid-state materials deposition technology, will be used to apply robust corrosion-protective coatings on SMR components. This will let many components be made of carbon steel, a less expensive and easier to use material than stainless steels and other high-performance alloys. Cold Spray can apply many different metals onto carbon steel, such as pure nickel, pure titanium, or Inconel 625, to provide excellent corrosion protection that tolerates high temperatures. In Phase I, these materials were successfully deposited onto A516 carbon steel. In Phase II the corrosion behaviors of those coatings have been tested, high-temperature “non-stick” nozzles have been developed to allow deposition of these materials at high process gas temperatures and long durations without clogging or wearing out. A modular and flexible system to apply these coatings on an industrial scale has also been developed and built that can operate multiple powder feeders in parallel or in sequence as desired. This allows lengthy sprays by seamlessly switching from an almost empty feeder to a full one, and refilling the almost empty one. Feeding simultaneously can facilitate very high deposition rates. In Phase IIB the developments in Phase II will be thoroughly tested and vetted for commercial deployment in industrial settings. The system and nozzles will be operated at lengthy intervals to identify and correct any issues that prevent successful industrial deployment. The nonstick nozzles will also be redesigned for faster and more economical materials deposition. A thoroughly vetted cold spray system for industrial scales will help make and maintain SMRs economically, which will provide reasonably-priced carbon-free electrical power. The system will be suitable for many other industries as well, including traditional nuclear power, wind power, biofuels, and many others. Five commercial actors have submitted letters of support for these developments, and will provide initial sales upon completion.