Guest post by WSU Senior Project Team
The end date of our senior project at AREVA is rapidly approaching. We finally completed the final design for the NAF Pellet Transfer Cart, and received approval from AREVA managers and engineers to begin the final phase of the project. This included developing final drawings, purchasing materials, and fabrication. This was a big milestone for our team.
With less than a month of school left before graduation, the pressure of completing this project is beginning to build. The deadline for this project is in addition to a final month filled with exams, final projects, and job hunting. We also have been asked to present our project at a conference at the WSU campus in Pullman, and a Mechanical Engineering conference at the WSU Tri-Cities campus.
One of the main challenges for the team this past month was finishing the final design details. With our design, we first had to verify some of the components would function as we intended before proceeding. Another hurdle has been drafting detailed drawings for the fabricators and determining the correct tolerances and clearances. Drafting is something that the team did not have much experience with prior to this project.
The drawings have taken longer than expected because of their importance on this project. We want to ensure we give the fabricator clear, concise drawings so we receive the equipment as we intended. Completing drawings for this project has provided a great opportunity to learn an additional skill that we will likely use in our careers.
Once the final detailed drawings are completed and approved, they will be passed on to our fabricators for detailed cost estimates.
As a senior project for their engineering class, a team of WSU students is designing and developing a cart for use in AREVA’s nuclear fuel manufacturing facilities in Richland, Wash. This is the fifth third blog post in a series tracking their progress.
