#372 Sustainability Champion – Engineering Matters Awards
Summary
This Engineering Matters episode announces the 2026 Sustainability Champion Award winner: the University of Sheffield’s AMRC and Cambridge Vacuum Engineering. They partnered with Kairos Power to use electron beam welding, cutting reactor vessel build time from 500 to 5 hours. Hosts Tim Sheehan and Alex Conacher interview Charles Carpenter on how this innovation reduces energy use, waste, and emissions, accelerating the deployment of small modular reactors for clean power.
Topics discussed
Introduction: The challenge of SMR vessel welding
Small Modular Reactors and the Sustainability Champion Award
Meet Charles Carpenter: Head of Nuclear Manufacturing Research
Partnership between AMRC and Cambridge Vacuum Engineering
Fabricating the Kairos Power test vessel in Tennessee
Rising energy demand from AI and data centers
Electron beam welding: Reducing time, cost, and emissions
Engineering challenges: Fixturing and scaling up production
Kairos Power's Hermes reactor and grid deployment
Real-world impact and global SMR orders
Future focus: Supply chain and piping infrastructure
Conclusion and other 2026 Sustainability Award winners
Listen ad-free on Castria