Performance and Reliability of Metallic Materials for Nuclear Fission Power Generation

Lead Research Organisation: University of Bristol
Department Name: Mechanical Engineering

Abstract

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Publications

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Description We have developed non destructive techniques for for measurement of damage with recourse to using permanently installed sensors.

Novel methods have been developed for determining damage in the microstructure of steel.
Exploitation Route The techniques developed in the project remain in their infancy and more work is required to translate the methods to wider applications.
To date the follow-on from this project has been an Innovate UK project - ENVISINC - led by EDF Energy which led to a substantial study into understanding the effect of carburisation on creep fatigue performance on plant components in AGR environments.
Sectors Aerospace, Defence and Marine

 
Description The work was also undertaken in parallel to additional research sponsored through EDF and RCNDE. The outcomes of this research project are being used to enhance the research activities within the parallel programmes
First Year Of Impact 2013
Sector Aerospace, Defence and Marine,Energy
Impact Types Economic

 
Description EDF Energy High Temperature Centre partnership 
Organisation EDF Energy
Department EDF Energy Nuclear Generation
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Private 
PI Contribution Cutting edge materials analysis research into the evolution of 316 stainless steel components over extended periods exposed to AGR reactor core environments. The research has led to (i) better understanding of evolution of secondary phases in the steel and how they can contribute to damage accumulation caused by creep cavitation during service life and (ii) an initial observation of carburisation caused by exposure of plant components to high temperature CO2 in the reactor core. A side project of the PhD also examined the behaviour of uranium and uranium alloys during ultra-fast cooling.
Collaborator Contribution EDF provided reactor core samples for analysis - an amazing and unique set of materials take from key points of failure (cracking) in a number of AGR boiler units. Extraction of such samples runs to the 100's of thousands to millions of pounds in costs.
Impact The grant enabled the IAC (my group) to participate more fully in the EDF Energy High Temperature Centre activity and to gain funding during and beyond the end of the project, including fully funding a follow-on PhD and most recently funding the PhD student from PROMINENT (Dr Xander Warren) to work on an industry fellowship at the IAC to further advance his research on the high temperature behaviour of 316H plant components in the EDF Advanced Gas Reactors.
Start Year 2012