Understanding the influence of vanadium on the behaviour of Zr 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 fuel and structural 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 as well as collaborate with our extensive industry partners such as UKAEA and NNL.

About your Project:

Zirconium alloys are used to make the fuel rods in nuclear reactors. The main function of the Zr alloy as fuel rod cladding is to contain radioactive elements from release as well as protect the nuclear fuel from the corrosive environment within the nuclear reactor. When exposed to prolonged irradiation, zirconium undergoes changes to its mechanical properties, suffering both irradiation hardening as well as irradiation-induced growth (IIG). Extensive research has been conducted to understand these mechanisms and develop methods to minimize their prevalence. One promising avenue has been to alter the chemistry of the zirconium by adding very small amounts of alloying elements such as niobium and vanadium to enhance the alloy’s resistance to IIG and corrosion. Currently, we don’t have a very good mechanistic understanding of how exactly these elements enhance the IIG behaviour of Zr. It is clear however that vanadium does not have as much of a beneficial effect on the IIG behaviour as niobium but the reasons for this are not understood – this is where your project comes in:

1) How does V alter the microstructure and hence the irradiation response of Zr alloys?

2) What are the key differences in the microstructure between neutron irradiated vanadium- and niobium-based Zr alloys that result in the differences in their irradiation-induced growth behaviour?

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), Atom probe tomography (APT) 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.

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.

Funding

This is funded by EPSRC scholarship; your home tuition fees will be paid and you will receive an annual stipend of at least £18,622. The funding is available to UK nationals or non-UK nationals with indefinite Leave to Remain only

Before you apply

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

During your PhD you will be expected to: 

– Work with the MIDAS and Zr group research group

– 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

There will be many rewards: 

– Flexible and hybrid working is supported and encouraged. 

– Receipt of a competitive, tax-free stipend.

– Numerous opportunities for local and international travel. 

– Opportunities to develop a range of non-technical skills

– The Zr group has a 100 % employability rate

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.

After you have applied you will be asked to upload the following supporting documents:

• Final Transcript and certificates of all awarded university level qualifications
• Interim Transcript of any university level qualifications in progress
• CV
• Contact details for two referees (please make sure that the contact email you provide is an official university/work email address as we may need to verify the reference)
• English Language certificate (if applicable)

If you have any questions about making an application, please contact our admissions team by emailing [email protected].

EDI

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).