(SATURN CDT) Mechanistic influence of chloride on Magnox metal corrosion in encapsulated nuclear waste products

About the Project

Saturn_Nuclear_CDT

UoM_Nuclear

Nuclear power provides 20% of UK energy demand, and is central to UK Energy Security and Net Zero policies, however, it also generates significant amounts of radioactive waste. Legacy, current, and planned UK nuclear facilities will generate 450,000 m3 of radioactive waste by the end of the century - enough to fill Wembley Stadium. Most of this radioactive waste needs conditioning by encapsulating it in cement to prevent release to the environment.

New information suggests that chloride availability within cement-immobilised nuclear waste packages is the controlling factor of corrosion rate, duration and behaviour of Magnox metal within the cement matrix. This in turn impacts on the near and long-term gas generation and corrosion expansion performance. Chloride can be present in raw materials where even low amounts may make a significant difference to packaging, waste loading and long-term stability.

This work will investigate the role of chloride within the cemented matrix containing Magnox metal to assess the corrosion mechanism, longevity as chloride is accounted for and the distribution/mobility of chloride within the matrix/corrosion products.

This project uses a novel in-situ characterisation approach with surface-specific, spectroscopic and microstructural techniques, to investigate mass transport of chloride and other key constituents of the cemented matrix containing Magnox metal, improving understanding of key parameters for robust specification. The project links grout and waste chemical and physical characteristics with the chemistry nano/microstructure, mass transport processes, corrosion behavior, and chemical resistance of the cemented matrix. Measurement of acute and chronic corrosion rates, and the relationship chloride speciation and mass transport, are a key focus. Technical and experimental work will be performed at both UKNNL and The University of Sheffield laboratories.

This will allow us to develop next-generation low-carbon cement wasteforms for safe disposal of radioactive waste that will help to protect the wellbeing of society and the environment, and enable clean nuclear energy production.

Based in the School of Chemical, Materials, and Biological Engineering, the successful candidate will be joining a team of multidisciplinary researchers at The University of Sheffield to develop research and innovation for decarbonisation. The successful applicant will join the Sustainable Materials at Sheffield research team. Industrial supervision by the UK National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL) and Sellafield Ltd, and be part of a comprehensive doctoral training programme in this area at The University of Sheffield, led by the primary supervisor Prof Brant Walkley, in collaboration with Sellafield Ltd. and UK National Nuclear Laboratory, and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, that comprises >20 current PhDs in encapsulant/wasteform development across the Faculty of Engineering. They will benefit from being a member of a friendly and collegial group with world-leading expertise and facilities.

About the research team:

The Sustainable Materials at Sheffield (SMASH) group is a world-leading research team based in a highly-rated and very successful School, building from over 100 years of history in cements research at Sheffield

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, 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 at Manchester for any of our students based at a partner institutions SATURN can offer you accommodation in Manchester and cover the cost

Eligibility

Applicants should have a minimum of an upper second class honours degree in chemical engineering, chemistry, bioscience or a related technical subject. If English is not your first language then you must have an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) average of 6.5 or above with at least 6.0 in each component, or equivalent. Please see this link for further information: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/postgraduate/phd/apply/english-language.

Before you apply

We strongly recommend that you contact the supervisor(s) for this project before you apply. For informal enquiries, please contact Brant Walkley at b.walkley@sheffield.ac.uk

How to apply

Please complete the Enquiry Form to express your interest. We strongly recommend you contact the project supervisor after completing the form to speak to them about your suitability for the project.

If your qualifications meet our standard entry requirements, the CDT Admissions Team will send your enquiry form and CV to the named project supervisor.

Our application process can also be found on our website: here If you have any questions, please contact SATURN@manchester.ac.uk

Equality, diversity and inclusion

Equality, diversity and inclusion is fundamental to the success of The University of Manchester, and is at the heart of all of our activities. We know that diversity strengthens our research community, leading to enhanced research creativity, productivity and quality, and societal and economic impact.

We actively encourage applicants from diverse career paths and backgrounds and from all sections of the community, regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation and transgender status.

We also support applications from those returning from a career break or other roles. We consider offering flexible study arrangements (including part-time: 50%, 60% or 80%, depending on the project/funder).