Postdoctoral Research Associate in Thermal Treatment of Radioactive Wastes

Fixed term (24 months)

Full time – 37 hours per week

Closing date 02/02/25 at 23:30

The role

Thermal treatment has been identified as a potential option for immobilisation of Low Active Effluent Management Group (LAEMG) wastes at the Sellafield site in Cumbria, UK. Most urgent of these LAEMG wastes to be retrieved and treated are (i) MATF (Medium Active Tank Farm) wastes and (ii) Salt evaporator wastes. Treatment of these wastes has been identified by Sellafield Ltd. as a pressing need.

The aim of this 2-year project will be to provide research in support of technology selection and future thermal treatment of these and other Sellafield wastes. Thermal treatment principally includes vitrification to produce glassy wasteforms; ceramification to form ceramics; or a combination to form glass-ceramic or glass-composite wasteforms. However, it can also include formation of metallic wasteforms in some circumstances.

As postdoctoral Research Associate, you will work closely with colleagues at Sheffield Hallam University and Sellafield Ltd, together with our partners in the Sellafield Thermal Treatment Centre of Excellence at the Universities of Sheffield and Bristol, along with the National Nuclear Laboratory, the wider UK nuclear community and multiple international partners, to:

(i) Understand and Define Waste Envelopes

This work will focus on gathering maximum information on the inventory, nature, hazard, activity and form/s of the wastes, including waste chemical, physical and radiological form/s for each waste type.

It will also augment this information with information on other relevant wastes globally.

(ii) Define Compositional Envelopes for Waste Thermal Treatment

This stage will examine, formulate and design potentially suitable thermal treatment wasteform chemistries for the wastes. It will be aimed at vitrification (glasses, glass-ceramics, glass-composites) but will also consider ceramics and other wasteform chemistries, as required

(iii) Mapping of Process Technologies for Waste Thermal Treatment

This phase will deliver a detailed understanding of potentially available thermal treatment technologies and map these onto compositional envelopes developed in (ii) above.

(iv) Project Management, Partner Engagement and Dissemination Activities

This work will incorporate all aspects of project management, engagement both internally and externally to the project team (including supply chain and stakeholders), and dissemination activities associated with the project.

You will have outstanding communication and teamworking skills, experience of glasses, ceramics and radioactive waste immobilisation and characterisation, and will be able to demonstrable practical ability to solve real-world industrial problems and challenges. The position will involve UK and international travel.

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