Teddy Kent and Daniel Andujar, METL Experimental Facility Operators, pack a dynamic shaft seal with graphite prior to installation.
In early November of 2018, the Mechanisms Engineering Test Loop Facility (METL) successfully demonstrated one of the facility’s first experiments to a group of VIPs.
That would have been impossible a mere three weeks earlier. The engineers had decided to go with a secondary design, but that required six new custom components be fabricated before METL could be up and running.
So Teddy Kent (NSE), nuclear engineer at METL, quickly called Custom Manufacturing Solutions‑Central Shops (CMS‑CS) along with a few of his outside suppliers. Only CMS‑CS could meet his short timeline.
The components were part of a dynamic seal that would keep the air away from the reactive sodium. “The sodium has to be kept really pure to ensure the results of our testing and the lifetime of the facility,” explained Kent. “It’s a very important piece.”
The lantern ring, one of six custom parts fabricated on site by CMS-CS, allows the seal to be pressurized with argon.
What’s more, before these critical new parts were completed, Kent had to make design changes to accommodate a larger, unforeseen problem.
“That’s the things about using Shops. I can run over there and say, ‘Hey, we just ran into this.’ It’s a huge plus,” according to Kent. “I just talked to Stan (Czaja, instrument maker), we changed the dimensions and went from there.”
It’s jobs like this that make Kent glad he has a strong working relationship with CMS‑CS. “Go over and visit. They are really friendly, have all sorts of capabilities to show off and they don’t mind you picking their brains on a particular issue. There’s a lot of experience there.”
Whatever your timeline, you can schedule a job with CMS‑CS through Vector or by calling Bob Swale, department manager, at ext. 2-6526 or Doug Carvelli, operations supervisor, at ext. 2-5974.