We are pleased to welcome Norton Straw Consultants as the latest member of our Innovation Network.
A specialist consultancy working in complex engineering and technology, the company is managed by a team with proven experience operating successful international consulting companies. Norton Straw is run in an open and sustainable manner, built on values of mutual trust, integrity and enjoyment.
They work closely with clients to help them enhance the design and operation of their products, systems and facilities as well as supporting the development of their technical capabilities.
A recent successful project at Norton Straw looked at very high efficiency design of a heat exchanger for the STEP fusion reactor, optimised to take advantage of additive manufacturing techniques. The final design successfully balanced requirements for thermal performance, fatigue and creep, avoiding the use of exotic coolants and was down-selected for physical testing. Additional work has also developed a risk-based analysis methodologies for defect tolerance, recognising the challenge that additively manufactured components face in safety-critical industries such as nuclear.
Dr Simon Lewis, Operations Manager of Norton Straw, said:
"We are delighted to formalise our involvement with the South West Nuclear Hub Innovation Network. We have many years of operational and R&D experience in nuclear projects, the Innovation Network is the ideal forum to combine our experience with the latest research and innovation to help reach the zero-carbon economy of the future.”
Data Week 2021 Collaboration
The South West Nuclear Hub and Norton Straw have already come together to collaborate, with the consultancy taking an important role in two events as part of the University of Bristol’s Data Week Online 2021 which took place 14th-18th June.
Representatives from Norton Straw were key figures in two events looking to bring together nuclear industry and data science experts, highlighting key areas driving data automation in nuclear structural integrity and how the nuclear industry could benefit from better using data science methods to drive innovation.
Norton Straw also presented a session entitled ‘Engineering with Digital Twins’, which explored the fundamentals of digital twins in an environment where equipment integrity, operation, and safety are traditionally supported by engineering simulations.
Thank you to Danny Thomas from Norton Straw for contributing to #BristolDataWeek with your talk on Engineering with Digital Twins!
— Jean Golding Institute (@JGIBristol) June 16, 2021
Recordings and resources from these sessions will be available soon. Keep an eye on the South West Nuclear Hub website and social media channels for more.
South West Nuclear Hub Innovation Network Membership
Innovation Network membership is aimed at companies seeking to enter the nuclear technology development pipeline, e.g. offering knowledge transfer. Principally spin-outs, start-ups, SMEs and sector-jumpers.
There is no cost to join the Innovation Network, but proactive engagement is expected upon signing the agreement. Members in this tier can progress into the Applied Research membership category when collaborative projects and deeper engagement are initiated. Here, members can choose an incremental, (capped) project-based fee or an upfront flat rate.
Find out more on our Membership page or view the Innovation Network Brochure