It's a feather in the cap of Bruce Power.
The electricity company has won a coveted international industry award for new radiation shielding it created to enhance safety at its facility.
The Top Innovative Practice (TIP) Award was presented to Bruce Power's radiation protection and site services team at the Nuclear Energy Institute’s Nuclear Energy Assembly in Philadelphia last week. It was in recognition of Bruce Power's three-dimensional printed tungsten shielding, which allows for radiation protection in hard-to-reach areas such as valves, camera equipment, or pipe bends.
“We are extremely proud to be the recipient of a Top Innovative Practice Award for this radiation shielding project at Bruce Power,” Bruce Power President and CEO Eric Chassard said in a statement. “The safety of our people, stations, and equipment are Bruce Power’s top priority, and this new approach to in-station radiation shielding allows our teams to introduce enhanced precision and a level of flexibility in application that has never before been seen in the field of nuclear facility radiation shielding."
Bruce Power began development of the new shielding in March 2023. It can be developed, modelled, printed, and fitted to the target hot spot within 48 hours, reducing time and cost compared to traditional manufactured methods.
“Bruce Power’s 3D Tungsten Shielding program is easily replicable across the nuclear industry and is a great example of our teams using innovative thinking to enhance safety,” said Chris Mudrick, the company's chief nuclear officer and executive vice-president. “Our team took this program from concept to prototype in just 30 days, and within 90 days the solution was field-tested and green lit for application across the station. I congratulate the team on all the hard work in bringing this vision to reality.”
TIP Awards are one of the nuclear industry’s highest recognitions of excellence.
