Overview
I am interested in the study of materials for nuclear power. My key areas of research interest are in the use of modelling at microscales (including finite element and peridynamics), micromechanisms of fracture, corrosion and hydrogen embrittlement mechanisms and atomic scale modelling of nuclear fuel cladding material.
I am currently using the finite element method to investigate pellet-clad interactions in nuclear fuels.I also have projects in understanding hydrogen embrittlement of metals for nuclear applications, including micromechanistic studies of stress corrosion cracking of stainless steels, and delayed hydride cracking and corrosion of zirconium alloys.
Finally, I am leading a new consortium under an EPSRC grant (EP/P005101/1)studying neutron irradiation damage in nuclear reactor pressure vessel steels with the universities of Manchester, Oxford and New South Wales along with the National Nuclear Laboratory, Rolls-Royce and ANSTO as collaborators. The irradiation and hot cell work will be carried at using the OPAL reactor facility at ANSTO.
Finite element model showing Luders band formation in a compressively loaded CT specimen
Collaborators
Dr Mark Wenman of Materials, Dr Daniel Balint of Mechanical Engineering, Imperial College London, Suprvisions of TSM-CDT PhD project on delayed hydride cracking in zirconium, 2010
Professor Joerg Neugebauer; Dr Roman Nazarov, Max Planck Institute for steel research, Calculation of elastic dipole tensor for hydrogen in zirconium using density functional theory. Part of the TSM-CDT PhD project of Jassel Majevadia., 2010
MoD, Nuclear Department at HMS Sultan, Atomic scale modelling of hydrogen embrittlement of zirconium alloy fuel claddings,Stress corrosion of stainless steels
Westinghouse, Rolls-Royce, EDF, NNL, AMEC, Studsvik, Manchester University, Oxford University, Penn State, Chalmers University, MUZIC-2 (mechanistic understanding in Zirconium Corrosion) :Hydrogen pick-up mechanisms of zirconium alloys
Paul van Ufflen, Institute for transuranium elements, Nuclear fuel performance
Research Staff
Research Student Supervision
Bell,B, Atomic scale modelling of hydrogen pick-up in zirconium alloys
Haynes,T, Finite element modelling of pellet-cladding interactions in nuclear fuel
Patel,M, Modelling of delayed hydride cracking
Scatigno,GG, Characteristation and modelling of Cl-induced SCC in cold worked 304L stainless steel
Tsvetoslav,P, Thermal conductivity of nuclear fuel by laser flash