Atom probe tomography and microscale mechanical testing of neutron irradiated Sizewell B reactor pressure vessel steel

Find Similar History 33 Claim Ownership Request Data Change Add Favourite

Title
Atom probe tomography and microscale mechanical testing of neutron irradiated Sizewell B reactor pressure vessel steel

CoPED ID
82161fb3-9946-4efb-818d-c92360fd892e

Status
Active

Funder

Value
No funds listed.

Start Date
Sept. 30, 2020

End Date
Sept. 29, 2024

Description

More Like This


This project offers the unique opportunity for a student to study real surveillance material that has been neutron irradiated in the UK's only civil pressurised water reactor. Material has been irradiated in the Sizewell B pressurised water reactor for about 20 years in two conditions (as-fabricated and pre-strained). The project will use the new hot cells and active focus ion beam facilities at the Materials Research Facility (MRF) in Culham and the newly commissioned active materials atom probe facility at Oxford University. The student will learn how to become an atom probe user under the guidance of Prof Michael Moody and Dr Paul Bagot at Oxford's Materials Department. The aim of the project is to study how the neutron irradiation damage has evolved at the nano-scale and compare how microstructural changes, made by pre-straining the material, before irradiation, has changed the radiation response of the steel. This will be used to determine the dose-damage characteristics of the different microstructures, when used in conjunction with micromechanical testing. The student will also learn to use transmission electron microscopy to further characterise the microstructures and solute clusters and their interactions with defects such as dislocations. The micromechanical work will be done using the in-cell nano-indentation facility at MRF and may involve some micromechanical tensile tests with collaborators at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO). This project will be part of a much wider network of UK and international collaborators working on the irradiation embrittlement of reactor steels to extend reactor lifetimes, which in turn saves tonnes of CO2 being emitted into the atmosphere and helps the UK towards net zero carbon by 2050.

Imperial College London LEAD_ORG
EDF Energy Plc STUDENT_PP_ORG

Mark Wenman SUPER_PER
Ryan Stroud STUDENT_PER

Subjects by relevance
  1. Neutrons
  2. Reactors
  3. Microstructures
  4. Focused ion beams
  5. Radiation
  6. Nuclear reactors
  7. Micromechanics
  8. Students
  9. Electron microscopy
  10. Study material
  11. Steel

Extracted key phrases
  1. Active material atom probe facility
  2. Atom probe tomography
  3. Sizewell B reactor pressure vessel steel
  4. Atom probe user
  5. Sizewell B pressurised water reactor
  6. Civil pressurised water reactor
  7. Reactor steel
  8. Neutron irradiation damage
  9. Microscale mechanical testing
  10. Active focus ion beam facility
  11. Reactor lifetime
  12. Real surveillance material
  13. Micromechanical testing
  14. Project
  15. Micromechanical work

Related Pages

UKRI project entry

UK Project Locations