(SATURN CDT) Condition-Based Risk Assessment of Ageing Nuclear Infrastructure under Material Degradation

About the Project

Ageing nuclear infrastructure must maintain high levels of safety, reliability and structural integrity while many assets continue to operate beyond their original design life. Across the nuclear sector, critical assets such as pipework, pressure boundary systems, heat exchangers, containment structures, storage systems, waste-management facilities and supporting infrastructure are exposed to material degradation mechanisms including corrosion, fatigue, cracking, thermal ageing, irradiation embrittlement and stress corrosion cracking. Corrosion is a particular concern because many ageing assets are difficult to access for direct inspection due to radiation, contamination, confined spaces, high temperatures or other operational hazards.

This PhD project will develop a condition-based risk assessment framework for ageing nuclear infrastructure subject to material degradation, with a particular focus on corrosion propagation and degradation-driven failure risk. The project will investigate how inspection, condition-monitoring and operational data can be used to enable more realistic prediction of corrosion propagation, update risk measures over time, and support safer and more cost-effective maintenance decisions. It will combine materials degradation modelling, uncertainty analysis and risk-based decision-making to support predictive maintenance, inspection planning and life-extension decisions.

The project aligns with the science and mathematics of materials by focusing on how material degradation evolves in nuclear-relevant environments and how this affects safety, reliability and structural integrity. The expected outcome is a practical decision-support framework for risk-informed predictive maintenance of ageing nuclear infrastructure, supporting more evidence-based asset management and contributing to the long-term resilience of nuclear energy systems.

About SATURN

This PhD is based with the SATURN Centre for Doctoral Training. SATURN is made up form a consortium of NW Universities that include Manchester, Bangor, Leeds, Liverpool, Lancaster, Sheffield and Strathclyde. The ethos of the programme is to recruit students from across STEM and give them the necessary skills and training to become a subject matter expert in the nuclear sector in either industry or academia. You will be recruited with a cohort of other researchers all looking at nuclear- focused research but from across the breadth of the sector. Your training will include an introduction to nuclear course, as well as opportunities to do a deep dive in the areas that really interest you. You will also have the opportunity to broaden your experience and skills by visiting internationally relevant facilities, having an industry secondment, undertaking leadership training, and involving yourself in outreach and public engagement activities. If this sounds like the sort of opportunity that you are looking for, we would love to hear from you.

Nuclear Boot Camp (Months 1 - 3)

The Bootcamp is based in Manchester. For any of our students based at partner institutions, SATURN can offer you accommodation in Manchester and cover the cost.

Eligibility

Applicants should have, or expect to achieve, at least a 2.1 honours degree or a master’s (or international equivalent) in a relevant science or engineering related discipline.