PhD Studentship: Understanding the irradiation behaviour of Alloy A, a novel zirconium alloy developed for demanding fuel duties and higher burnups

This 4 year PhD project is fully funded and home students, and EU students with settled status, are eligible to apply. The successful candidate will received an annual tax free stipend set at the UKRI rate (£19,237 for 2024/25) and tuition fees will be paid. We expect the stipend to increase each year.

This 4 year PhD project is fully funded and home students, and EU students with settled status, are eligible to apply. The successful candidate will received an annual tax free stipend set at the UKRI rate (£19,237 for 2024/25) and tuition fees will be paid. We expect the stipend to increase each year.

Irradiation of zirconium-based alloys within light water reactors induces microstructural changes that can adversely impact cladding performance, primarily through irradiation hardening and dimensional instabilities. To reduce the severity of these issues, alloying elements are added to the zirconium. This project primarily focuses on assessing the irradiation performance of a novel alloy (Alloy A) developed by Westinghouse Sweden as a potential candidate for next-generation fuel rod cladding (AXIOM). This class of zirconium alloys aims to offer enhanced corrosion resistance and hydrogen performance while maintaining superior dimensional stability during irradiation. Alloy A has a chemical composition of Zr-0.3Nb-0.5Sn-0.35Fe-0.25Cr, which significantly differs from traditional zirconium-based cladding materials such as ZIRLO (Zr-1Sn-1Nb-0.1Fe) and Zircaloy-4 (Zr-1.3Sn-0.2Fe-0.1Cr). Preliminary studies on the irradiation-induced growth behaviour of Alloy A have shown promising results, whereby it has outperformed conventional alloys. However, a mechanistic understanding of the factors behind this performance remains limited and is essential for fully realising the potential benefits of Alloy A.
The primary research questions that will be addressed are:
1) How do the additional alloying elements added to Alloy A influence its microstructure and hence irradiation behaviour.
2) What is the chemical composition of the secondary phase particles formed in Alloy A and how does their stability change with irradiation?
3) What are the key microstructure and chemical differences between neutron irradiated Alloy A and more conventional Zr alloys that result in the observed differences in irradiation-induced growth behaviour.
Some key characterisation techniques that will be used are SEM, Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Atom probe tomography (APT) and X-ray diffraction (XRD).

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.

To apply please contact the supervisors; Dr Mia Maric - mia.maric@manchester.ac.uk and Dr Frankel - phillip.frankel@manchester.ac.uk. Please include details of your current level of study, academic background and any relevant experience and include a paragraph about your motivation to study this PhD project.

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