Several Foreign Matter Exclusion (FME) team members from Exelon Corporation visited Desco Manufacturing in November and were given a presentation of our family of nuclear-industry products by Tom Sistrunk, National Director Nuclear Solutions.

The idea for an on-site visit was originally discussed at the July FME-IWG meeting (Foreign Matter Exclusion-Industry Working Group) in Syracuse, NY, following Mr. Sistrunk’s presentation which showcased our “FME and Nuclear Friendly” products and strategies. DESCO is currently exploring new products that utilize different types of abrasives to eliminate wire brush from nuclear maintenance.

DESCO has a history of joint development projects with our key customers and Exelon was invited specifically to include their ideas and specifications into our newest nuclear-industry tools.

The Exelon team explained that when wire fragments enter critical systems and reach the reactor core, the results can cause component or fuel failure. Either failure can bring down the reactor entirely or prevent it from operating at 100% capacity. Industry-wide, fuel failures caused by wire fragments have been responsible for tens of millions of dollars in lost revenue due to repairs and down time.

During the meeting, Exelon discussed the need for a product that can work with “hot-welds” which can generate heat of over 700 degrees. Rather than waiting for the weld to cool down before treating, Exelon would like to investigate the possibility of treating these welds on the spot, without delay.

The DESCO engineering staff participated in the discussions and are committed to include Exelon’s needs into our future product development plans.