WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC SPAIN
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Pic legend 1: ITER FWP UT inspection cell
Pic legend 2: Qualification of UT inspection procedures for precompression rings (ITER)
Pic legend 3: Top-down view of Europe’s ITER Vacuum Vessel sector 5 on the assembly tool, Mangiarotti, Italy, March 2022
General information
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Company nameWESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC SPAIN
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AdressAvda. Montes de Oca, 1, 28703-San Sebastián de los Reyes, Madrid
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Turnover160.30 million EUR in year 2023
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Employees950 in year 2023
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SMENO
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Contact Info:
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Phone+34916598600
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Emailwessalesdept@westinghouse.com
Activity and Skills
Tecnatom was set up in 1957 as a Spanish engineering company specialized in guaranteeing the operation and maintenance of nuclear power plants to the highest levels of safety. The company supplies services and products with a high technological content, frequently designed and developed in-house, tailored to the needs and requirements of different clients and markets, in the following areas: Inspection Services, Training, Long-term Operation, Operation Support, Simulation Services, Control Rooms, Fuel Inspection, Component Engineering, Testing Service, Emergency Management, Decommissioning and Plant operation.
Tecnatom has been involved in the European Fusion programme (specially in ITER) providing support in the field of Non Destructive Testing, Remote Handling, Robotics activities, Nuclear Safety and Simulation of processes.
Since December 2023, Tecnatom is a company of Westinghouse Group, as a subsidiary of Westinghouse Electric Spain, joining their capabilities to increase market opportunities. Data of turnover and number of employees include both companies.
Contracts for Big Science facilities
[ITER ORGANIZATION - ISQ
]
ITER-BCM. Development of ultrasonic inspection procedure for Blanket Cooling Manifold (BCM)
(2023 - 2024)
The joints between the monoblocks and pipes that form the BC circuits include several materials (stainless steel, alumina, copper) bonded by Hot Radial Pressing (HRP). Ultrasonic inspection (UT) is required in Production. Tecnatom is developing the UT inspection procedures to assess these critical joints.
[ITER ORGANIZATION]
ITER I&C Cable Supply and Qualification support
(2021 - 2025)
Tecnatom is performing the qualification of cables for the manufacturer BTC Ibérica, to be used in ITER facilities.
The qualification of category N cables (i.e., they do not require irradiation test) was successfully completed, so now ITER has a catalogue of qualified cables that can be used for these applications.
The qualification of category R cables (cables that require an irradiation of 2 MGy) is currently in process and six families of cables are being submitted to the qualification process. At this moment, some cables have successfully completed the accident test (fire test) after the thermal and irradiation ageing. Once this qualification process is completed, ITER will have a catalogue with almost 200 hundred different cables with different configurations and sizes.
Tecnatom has more than 40 years of experience in the Equipment Qualification for Spanish and international nuclear power plants manufacturers.
[ITER ORGANIZATION]
ITER simulation platform
(2021 - 2024)
The simulator developed with this platform will not only be intended for operator training but will also accompany the design and construction of the facility, providing engineering support to the design, installation and serving as a tool for the review of operating procedures. The simulator platform allows the integration of models under FMI co-simulation standard as well as the integration of CODAC, the central control system of ITER.
[ITER ORGANIZATION - FBL
]
ITER-FWP. Development of a robotic inspection cell and the ultrasonic inspection procedures for the inspection of HIP joints in FWP
(2021 - 2026)
Tecnatom has supplied a robotic inspection cell with three immersion tanks, for the automated ultrasonic inspection of the First Wall Panels (FWP) after HIP (Hot Isostatic Pressing) processes. The company has performed the inspection of the pre-series and has started the inspection of Production panels. The versatility of the inspection cell allows customizing the UT inspection for all the joints of each FWP model, adapting the techniques to panel size and characteristics.
[ITER ORGANIZATION - ENSA
]
ITER-VV. Development of ultrasonic inspection procedures and mechanical scanners for the inspection of welds during vacuum vessel (VV) assembly
(2021 - 2024)
The company has qualified as per RCC-MR code the phased-array ultrasonic (PAUT) inspection procedures of the welds involved in the assembly of the sectors (60 mm thick welds) and ports (40mm thick welds) and has supplied several manual-guided scanners for positioning recording during the inspection. The assembly strategy and the conditions of sectors and ports to join (weld shrinkage, misaligment, etc.), as well as the tight quality requirements on defect detection and characterization, demanded during their manufacturing, reveal important technical challenges to solve.
[ITER ORGANIZATION]
ITER lip seal. Structural design criteria for the lip welded seals refinement and validation
(2020 - 2021)
The aim of this project was to provide technical support for the structural design criteria refinement and validation for the Lip Welded Seals (LWS) located in the ITER Vacuum Vessel Ports, by means of specific testing and analysis. The main work of Tecnatom was the coordination and supervision of all the activities, preparation of the testing plan and performance of the supporting integrity analyses for the safety margin assessment. Ultrasonic and eddy current inspection were also performed by Tecnatom.
[ITER ORGANIZATION]
ITER-VV. Analysis of Phased Array Ultrasonic Testing Data of Welded Joints for Vacuum Vessel Sector (IO/CT/19/4300002015)
(2019 - 2025)
In this contract, Tecnatom, acting as third-party, has performed the review of PAUT inspection reports, produced by Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) , during the manufacture of the four VV sectors performed in Korea.
[F4E - SIMIC S.p.A.
]
ITER-TFCC. Development of ultrasonic inspection procedures and manual guided scanners for the inspection of Toroidal Field Coil cases closure welds, F4E-OPE-414: Supply of the ITER TF COIL Cold test and Coil Insertion
(2014 - 2016)
The company has qualified phased-array ultrasonic (PAUT) inspection procedures of the closure welds for the TF coils completed in Europe, as well as several manual-guided scanners for positioning recording during the inspection. Tecnatom has provided training to future inspectors and has accompanied to the customer in the first inspection (FOAK).
[ITER ORGANIZATION]
Workshop on Safety Culture Campaign – External communication on safety related topics
(2013 - 2014)
Workshop on external communication of safety related topics and analysis of implications of presentation of safety related issues in publications and conferences
[ITER ORGANIZATION]
Safety Culture Survey of the ITER Organization, IO/CT/4300000993
(2013 - 2013)
- Selection of Survey for Organizational Culture and a Survey for Safety Culture.
- Preparation for the survey utilization and report generation.
- Support immediate acknowledgement and appreciation.
- Diagnostic of Organizational Culture and Insights about Safety Culture based on reports with results of surveys.
- Proposal for further work on Organizational Culture Improvement and Safety Culture Diagnostic .
- Support of communication of results.
[CIEMAT - DEMO
]
DEMO. Development of ultrasonic and visual testing inspection procedures for DEMO, WPRM-AWP2015-RM-5-1-3-T001
(2012)
The project “Service Joining Technology” aims to study and develop the cut, welding and inspection tools of a remote system for the installation and replacement of the pipes of the internal components of the DEMO reactor upper and lower ports.
Tecnatom developed the inspection technologies, adapted to the component geometry, detection requirements and environmental conditions, including:
- Visual inspection, based on cameras, optical fibbers and laser profilometry, and the performance of representative tests to determine their reach.
- Volumetric inspection, performing a feasibility study of phased-array UT techniques and EMAT (Electromagnetic Acoustic Transducers) by means of simulations and laboratory tests, including the conceptual design of the remote inspection tool.
[ITER ORGANIZATION - IBERINCO
]
ITER VV. Feasibility study of automatic inspection of ITER Vacuum Vessel (VV) welds (TW6-TVV-HPRIB)
(2012 - 2014)
The complexity of this double walled component and the requirement of non-destructive testing (NDT) inspection of 100% of the VV welds in Production, requires the definition of surface and volumetric NDT methods. In those areas where radiographic testing is not feasible (mainly in the closure welds of the outer shell), ultrasonic inspection is required, recording positioning data for a complete traceability of UT data and potential defects. One of the options proposed by Tecnatom was the installation of some rails on the VV to guide a device along the weld centre line holding UT transducers and encoders, to perform automated inspection.
[F4E - EADS Casa Espacio
]
ITER-Precompression rings. Development of ultrasonic inspection procedures for the inspection of precompression rings, ITER-F4E-OPE-345)
(2011 - 2013)
Tecnatom has developed, under this contract, phased-array ultrasonic (PAUT) techniques (pulse-echo and through-transmission mode) for the inspection of the pre-compression rings. Fabricated in glass fibber and epoxy resin, their thickness, up to 300mm, was one of the main challenges. A mechanical system was also qualified to perform the inspection.
[F4E - Ansaldo Nucleare-Mangiarotti-Walter Tosto
]
ITER-VV. Development of ultrasonic inspection procedures and manual guided scanners for the inspection of ITER Vacuum Vessel welds, F4E-2010-OPE-068: Supply of seven vacuum vessel sectors
(2010 - 2025)
The company has qualified as per RCC-MR code the phased-array ultrasonic (PAUT) inspection procedures of the VV welds for the sectors manufactured in Europe, as well as several manual-guided scanners for positioning recording during the inspection. Tecnatom has provided training to future inspectors, has accompanied to the customer in the first inspection (FOAK) and is performing PAUT inspection and evaluation at customer workshops.
[ITER ORGANIZATION - CIEMAT
]
ITER . Development of NDE Inspections of Divertor Joints
(2006 - 2007)
Different designs of monoblock structures, present in the divertor cassette, have been tested, proposing innovative ultrasonic inspection techniques from inside and outside. These joints bond materials such as stainless steel, copper and tungsten by HRP methods.
[CIEMAT]
ITER. - Feasibility study of automatic maintenance of NBI’s components
(2006 - 2007)
Assessment of the feasibility to perform the maintenance of the components of the neutral beam injector
Relevant R&D projects
[CDTI
] -FUSION-TECHNOLOGIES. Advanced manufacturing technology for science industry. Application in the field of fusion / IDI-20151084.
(FUSION-TECHNOLOGIES
)
(2015 - 2018)
The project comes about as a result of the needs detected in the new joining processes under development in ITER reactor and the high quality requirements demanded during their manufacturing . Research on non-destructive testing (NDT) inspection technologies is focused in two critical components: FWP’s (First Wall Panels) and RFVW’s (Radio Frequency Vacuum Windows).
Tecnatom’s role in the project is the development, fine-tuning, industrialisation and application of innovative NDT techniques and products for the inspection of the FWP joints produced by the hot isostatic pressing (HIP) process, and of essential items whose joints are made using the welding process known as brazing.