Mixed oxide (U,Pu)O2 nuclear fuels, also known as MOX, are fuels that have been used extensively in nuclear power reactors globally in which they form a dominant component of spent nuclear fuel disposal inventories. Compared to standard UO2 fuel variants, MOX fuels are chemically more intricate, undergoing significant heterogenization of the fuel structure with fuel fission (burnup). Such processes create pertinent challenges for MOX spent fuel disposal, particularly regarding the fuel matrix structural stability. As part of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) funded project Transient, a PhD student affiliated to Forschungszentrum Juelich (FZJ), Institute of Nuclear Waste Management will be deployed on a 17-month internship at the Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK CEN), Institute for Nuclear Energy Technology. The student will investigate the structural and microstructural stability of irradiated MOX materials and model systems, and contribute to the bilateral research program SF-ALE (Spent Fuel Autoclave Leaching Experiments) between SCK CEN and FZJ.
Objectives:
- Synthesis and characterization of ceramic uranium oxide-based nuclear fuel materials and model systems comparable to commercial grades
- Application of microstructural and chemical analysis techniques from the macro- to nano-scale to assess corrosion mechanisms in fresh and irradiated light water reactor (LWR) and MOX fuels.
- Examining solid state chemical and physical processes relevant in geological disposal scenarios which may affect stability (radionuclide release or retention) in MOX spent nuclear fuel materials and model systems.
- Analyses and processing of diffraction and microstructural measurement data.
- Dissemination of results at scientific conferences and through peer reviewed publications.
Le niveau de diplôme minimum du candidat
- Master of sciences
Les connaissances préexistantes nécessaires
- Chemistry
- Physics
Material Science