- Collaboration with Element Materials Technology, Tecnatom and TUV Rheinland in Equipment Qualification Services Alliance
- Customers will benefit from vast global experience, specialist testing facilities and strategic expertise
- Alliance to target EQ needs on nuclear new build and modification projects
Amec Foster Wheeler has formed an alliance with Element Materials Technology, Tecnatom and TUV Rheinland to offer Equipment Qualification (EQ) and Materials Qualification (MQ) services for nuclear sites in the UK and Europe.
Together the four companies, which individually already support many power plants and other nuclear licensed sites around the world, have formed the EQ Services Alliance (EQSA) so that customers can benefit from their vast collective global experience, specialist testing facilities and qualification expertise.
Our collective capability and expertise means that EQSA can meet all of our customers’ EQ and MQ needs on new build or modification projects.
EQSA is dedicated to ensuring that the new build supply chain and existing operators can correctly qualify safety critical components right first time in order to meet UK regulatory expectations while helping to avoid delays and unforeseen costs as the project develops.
We are supporting customers on materials selection and preparation of qualification plans as well as analysis and testing – all designed to establish, preserve and upgrade required equipment qualifications.
Examples of services offered by EQSA include design support, materials selection, desktop/physical analysis, operating experience, ageing and thermodynamic accident conditions/design basis event testing (such as loss-of-coolant accident), seismic testing, CE marking test and certification, accelerated ageing tests on materials and equipment and testing for mechanical and corrosion resistance.
Qualification of equipment is essential for safety in nuclear power plants and involves detailed checks to ensure that components have the capability to perform designated functions on demand for the design life of the plant, including under accident or seismic conditions.
Picture: An Amec Foster Wheeler scientist testing elastomer ‘O’ ring seals, used in nuclear power plants, as part of an accelerated ageing assessment