ROUND-UP
In brief
Funding found for Rolls-Royce
small modular nuclear reactors
Following a successful equity raise, the Rolls-
Royce Small Modular Reactor (SMR) business
has today been established, to bring forward and
deliver at scale the next generation of low cost,
low carbon nuclear power technology.
Rolls-Royce Group, BNF Resources UK
Limited and Exelon Generation Limited will
invest £195m across a period of around three
years. The funding will enable the business to
secure grant funding of £210 million from UK
Research and Innovation funding.
As a result, a number of parallel delivery
activities have begun, including entry to the
statutory UK Generic Design Assessment
(GDA) approval process and identifying sites
for the factories which will manufacture the
modules that enable on-site assembly of the
power plants. Discussions will also continue with
the UK government on identifying the delivery
models that will enable long-term investment
in this technology. Rolls-Royce SMR is engaging
with export customers too. Much of the
venture’s investment is expected to be focused
in the North of the UK, where there is signi cant
existing nuclear expertise.
Business and energy secretary Kwasi
Kwarteng said: “This is a once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity for the UK to deploy more low
carbon energy than ever before and ensure
greater energy independence. Small Modular
Reactors o er exciting opportunities to cut
costs and build more quickly, ensuring we can
bring clean electricity to people’s homes.”
A Rolls-Royce SMR power station will have
the capacity to generate 470MW of low carbon
energy, equivalent to more than 150 onshore
wind turbines. It is as big as two football pitches.
Stratasys wins US Navy contract
In August, the US Navy issued Stratasys a $20
million contract to purchase up to 25 Stratasys
F900 3D printers over the next ve years, with
delivery of the rst eight expected before
the end of 2021. In addition to the printers,
the contract includes initial support and
sustainment, materials, and development of
initial training for the supplied systems.
“The bene ts of additive manufacturing for
military organisations like the US Navy include
cost-e ectively extending the life of strategic
and tactical assets like aircraft while ensuring
sustainment activities can happen quickly and
from virtually anywhere,” said Mark Menninger,
director of US Government business segment
for Stratasys.
The US Department of Defense (DoD) issued
a report in January 2021 outlining its additive
manufacturing strategy. The report emphasised
the important role additive manufacturing
can play in a shift to a digital manufacturing
ecosystem. In particular, it can help modernise
the national defense systems, increase materiel
readiness, and enhance war- ghting innovation
and capability. Among other objectives, the DoD
set a goal of integrating additive manufacturing
into both the department and the broader
defence industrial base, while advancing and
promoting the agile use of 3D printing.
The printers will be located on bases in the
United States and Japan with the potential to
produce end-use parts, tooling and training aids.
ECS has won a place on the
latest mechanical, electrical,
instrumentation, control and
automation (MEICA) works and
services framework with Anglian
Water. ECS will support the water
company with comprehensive
electromechanical services for
infrastructure projects.
An informal survey conducted
by LECS UK, the independent
lift and escalator consultant
engineers, reveals the most
common issues that presented
in lifts being brought back into
service following the re-opening of
all areas of society post lock-down.
The top-line research among lift
maintenance providers of offi ce
blocks, retail outlets and the
hospitality sector since ‘freedom
day’ (on 19 July), revealed that the
vast majority of these dormant lifts
were re-commissioned without
signifi cant issues. However,
some issues were present. The
most common being premature
component wear or failure,
followed by numerous lifts
requiring an up-to-date LOLER
certifi cation before going back
into service. There are/were no
extensions to LOLER deadlines due
to the pandemic. In addition, most
hydraulic lifts required a routine
visit by the maintenance provider
to get the lift back into service.
Gateshead training and
automation solutions company
Scantime has expanded into
new markets, taken on new staff
and built a new training facility
to cope with demand for its
specialised work. Unlike many
other businesses in their sector,
it adapted its operations and
continued to carry out training
face-to-face at clients’ workplaces
but also by creating new online
training courses from a new
state-of-the-art training room.
Scantime has extended the current
Level 1 and Level 2 training, PLC
Industrial Maintenance and Fault
Finding Professional, for industrial
maintenance engineers, with a
new higher-specifi cation Level 3
qualifi cation.
10 www.operationsengineer.org.uk Winter 2021
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