From Processing to Simulated In-Reactor Performance of Zr Cladding.

从锆熔壳的加工到模拟反应堆内性能。

• 批准号: EP/M018369/1
• 负责人: Michael Preuss
• 金额: $ 62.6万
• 依托单位: University of Manchester
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2016 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=EP%2FM018369%2F1
• 关键词: Processing; Simulated; Reactor; Performance; Zr

Nuclear energy will play a critical role in the future of secure, affordable and low-carbon power generation. The UK is committed to a greenhouse emissions target of 80% of pre-1990 levels by 2050 and as part of this, between now and then, it is likely that the percentage of power generation via nuclear will have to increase by somewhere between two- and three-times.The vast majority of nuclear power is generated by light water nuclear reactors. These use cladding made from various types of zirconium alloy to contain ('clad') nuclear fuel, creating a barrier between highly active fuel/fission products and the coolant. Zirconium is considered an ideal material for this purpose, as it has excellent corrosion resistance properties and a small neutron cross section, meaning that it has a low rate of neutron absorption. These properties make zirconium alloys fundamentally more suitable than many other materials in reactor conditions.There is still much more to be learnt about the behaviour and durability of zirconium alloys, in order to enhance their performance and the efficiency of nuclear power generation. If we gain further understanding about how these materials behave in a nuclear reactor, we can more accurately predict the 'life' of the clad and even develop new, more sophisticated alloys - advancements which can minimise new nuclear waste production and further enhance fuel and reactor safety.Zirconium alloy research is therefore at the heart of nuclear power generation and safety. Within this context, this project aims to develop increased understanding in the field of zirconium processing and its relationship to in-reactor performance. The UK-India Civil Nuclear Collaboration is an on-going initiative to promote cooperative research in the area of nuclear energy, and this Phase III project builds upon a highly successful project undertaken in Phase I. The previous collaboration, between the University of Manchester and the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in India, made significant developments in the understanding of zirconium alloys, through both experimental and modelling work. This work has already had direct relevance to, and application by, the nuclear industry.This project aims to directly follow-on from this work, adopting a 'cradle-to-grave' approach intended to gain further understanding about the in-reactor performance of zirconium, including how the initial 'processing' of the material might impact on its properties. The proposed work will again be carried-out with partners at BARC, as well as at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR).Once new hypotheses about zirconium are developed, including potential new alloy compositions, these must be thoroughly tested in reactor conditions before real-world application. This is a costly and time-consuming process, with few test reactors available to researchers and the costs/experimental difficulties associated with working on radioactive material. Partly in response to this, nearly £30m has been invested into the development of the University of Manchester's Dalton Cumbrian Facility (DCF), designed to allow research on irradiated and activated materials.DCF will enable the other key aspect of this project: the development of novel experimental set-ups (pioneered at the University of Michigan) at both DCF and IGCAR. These experiments will allow the investigation of material degradation during irradiation, mimicking the conditions experienced in reactors without producing radioactive samples, and so drive forward accurate, practical understanding of zirconium performance, enhancing efficient, safe nuclear power generation.This project brings together outstanding capabilities and expertise from the UK (Manchester and Sheffield) and India (BARC and IGCAR), enabling a unique research programme that will have impact for the nuclear industry and research, as well as helping to develop new experimental techniques for the field.

核能将在未来安全、负担得起的低碳发电中发挥关键作用 英国致力于实现到 2050 年温室气体排放量达到 1990 年前水平 80% 的目标，并作为其中的一部分。 ，核能发电的比例可能会增加两倍到三倍。绝大多数核电是由轻水核反应堆产生的，这些核反应堆使用由各种类型的锆制成的包壳。合金包含（“包覆”）核燃料，在高活性燃料/裂变产物和冷却剂之间形成屏障。锆被认为是用于此目的的理想材料，因为它具有优异的耐腐蚀性能和较小的中子截面，这意味着。这些特性使得锆合金比许多其他材料更适合反应堆条件。关于锆合金的行为和耐久性，还有很多东西需要了解。如果我们进一步了解这些材料在核反应堆中的表现，我们就可以更准确地预测包壳的“寿命”，甚至开发出新的、更复杂的合金——这些进步可以因此，锆合金研究是核能发电和安全的核心，该项目旨在加深对锆加工领域及其与核能的关系的了解。 -反应堆英国-印度民用核合作是一项旨在促进核能领域合作研究的持续举措，该第三阶段项目建立在第一阶段进行的非常成功的项目的基础上。曼彻斯特大学和印度巴巴原子研究中心 (BARC) 通过实验和建模工作，在对锆合金的理解方面取得了重大进展。这项工作已经与核工业直接相关并得到应用。项目旨在直接跟进从这项工作中，采用“从摇篮到坟墓”的方法，旨在了解锆的反应堆内性能，包括材料的初始“加工”如何进一步影响其性能。与 BARC 以及英迪拉甘地原子研究中心 (IGCAR) 的合作伙伴一起进行。一旦开发出有关锆的新假设，包括潜在的新合金成分，这些假设必须在现实世界之前在反应堆条件下进行彻底测试这是一个昂贵且耗时的过程，可供研究人员使用的测试反应堆很少，而且与放射性材料的研究相关的成本/实验困难，部分为了应对这一点，大学的发展投资了近 3000 万英镑。曼彻斯特道尔顿坎布里亚设施 (DCF) 的设计，旨在对辐照和活化材料进行研究。DCF 将实现该项目的另一个关键方面：开发新颖的实验装置（由密歇根大学首创） DCF 和 IGCAR 实验将能够在不产生放射性样品的情况下模拟反应堆中经历的条件来研究辐照过程中的材料降解，从而推动对锆性能的准确、实用的了解，从而提高高效、安全的核发电能力。汇集了英国（曼彻斯特和谢菲尔德）和印度（BARC 和 IGCAR）的杰出能力和专业知识，实现了一项独特的研究计划，将对核工业和研究产生影响，并帮助开发新的实验技术场地。

项目成果

The effect of cold work on the transformation kinetics and texture of a zirconium alloy during fast thermal cycling

• DOI: 10.1016/j.msea.2019.01.047
• 发表时间: 2019-02-11
• 期刊: MATERIALS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING A-STRUCTURAL MATERIALS PROPERTIES MICROSTRUCTURE AND PROCESSING
• 影响因子: 6.4
• 作者: Chi-Toan Nguyen;Romero, Javier;da Fonseca, Joao Quinta
• 通讯作者: da Fonseca, Joao Quinta