Understanding the influence of final annealing on the behaviour of Zr-Nb-Sn-Fe alloys during irradiation

The Zr group is a large welcoming team of researchers that focus on tackling industrially significant issues with regards to nuclear power. We are based in the Henry Royce Institute for Advanced Materials at the University of Manchester and collaborate with academic and industrial partners both in the UK and globally. Your PhD project is supported by Westinghouse Sweden, a global leader in the development and production of materials for nuclear reactors and will focus on trying to better understand irradiation behaviour of Zirconium alloys. Both the Zr group and Westinghouse are part of MIDAS, a consortium of UK based researchers focused on developing a mechanistic understanding of irradiation damage in nuclear fuel assemblies. During your PhD you will work within MIDAS to help ensure that the future of the UK’s nuclear industry is underpinned by safety, efficiency and sustainability. The project will include industrial supervision as well as travel to attend conferences and meetings both within the UK and globally.

About your Project 

Zirconium alloys are used to make the fuel rods in nuclear reactors. The main function of the rods is to store and protect the fuel from the high temperature and irradiation levels as well as the corrosive environment within the nuclear reactor. When exposed to prolonged irradiation, zirconium undergoes changes to its microstructure and mechanical properties where a range of defects are usually induced in the microstructure. The two mechanisms that typically impact in-service Zr alloys are irradiation hardening as well as irradiation-induced growth (IIG). During these processes, we as scientists want to avoid and minimise their severity in an efficient and cost-effective way. Research has shown that heat treated microstructures with a low density of defects undergo slower and less severe IIG when compared to deformed microstructures. The exact mechanisms underpinning this behaviour are not well understood and this is where your project comes in. During your PhD you will answer two key questions: 

1) What are the governing microstructural and textural features of deformed and recrystallised zirconium-based claddings that dictate variations in the irradiation-induced growth behaviour? 

2) How do the defects that are introduced during materials processing and irradiation interact? 

As part of this project, you will be based in state-of-the-art nuclear laboratories within the Henry Royce Institute utilising advanced materials characterisation techniques such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) to study the radiation damage defects down to the nanoscale. The project has the rare opportunity to work on real world neutron irradiated samples provided by Westinghouse, as well as use the University of Manchester’s Dalton Cumbria Facility to perform ion beam irradiations as a model for neutron radiation damage to elucidate key damage processes. 

More information on these facilities can be found;

- Henry Royce Institute Nuclear Facilities ( https://www.royce.ac.uk/technology-platforms/fuels-and-irradiated-materials)

- Dalton Cumbria Facility University of Manchester (https://www.dalton.manchester.ac.uk/research/facilities/cumbria-facilities/)

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.

During the course of your PhD there are few expectation as well as many rewards.

You will be expected to:

- Work with and support the MIDAS and Zr group research group (https://www.zr-midas.org)

- Have a sound work ethic allowing you to manage your project with an independence.

- Provide regular updates and technical outcomes to Westinghouse

- Attend and present at both local and international conferences.

- Partake in graduate teaching, supervision or training of Masters students

Some examples of the rewards:

- Working as part of a large and experienced team means that you will always have someone to help.

- Flexible and hybrid working is supported and encouraged.

- Receipt of a competitive, tax-free stipend.

- Numerous opportunities for local and international collaboration and travel.

- Opportunities to develop a range of non-technical skills (presentation, organisation, leadership) through training, mentoring and a broad range of both university and externally run competitions and workshops.

- The Zr group has a 100 % employability rate, with all graduates taking on technical and managerial roles at universities, industrial companies, national laboratories and experimental facilities both locally and internationally.

Before you apply

We strongly recommend that you contact the supervisor(s) for this project before you apply.

How to apply

Apply online through our website: https://uom.link/pgr-apply-fap

When applying, you’ll need to specify the full name of this project, the name of your supervisor, if you already having funding or if you wish to be considered for available funding through the university, details of your previous study, and names and contact details of two referees.

Your application will not be processed without all of the required documents submitted at the time of application, and we cannot accept responsibility for late or missed deadlines. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

If you have any questions about making an application, please contact our admissions team by emailing FSE.doctoralacademy.admissions@manchester.ac.uk.

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.