Research Area: Monitoring PI: Prof. Tom Scott, Prof Bernard Stark, University of Bristol Partners: Sensor Driven Ltd, University of Cambridge, University of Sheffield, National Centre for Nuclear Robotics Contact details: t.b.scott@bristol.ac.uk, bernard.stark@bristol.ac.uk The Challenge Volcanoes are inherently unpredictable, therefore it is notoriously difficult to record their behaviour into reliable analytical models – instead, real-time data of […]
Research Area: Structural Engineering PI: Professor Colin Taylor, Dr Adam Crewe Partners: EDF Energy, Atkins Contact details: colin.taylor@bristol.ac.uk The Challenge Sponsored by EDF-Energy Ltd, the ongoing PLEX (Plant Life Extension) project was initiated in 2008. To date EDF have invested around £6.5M in the project and work is expected to continue over the next few […]
Research Area: Structural Integrity PI: Mr Nader Zentuti Funders: EDF Energy Contact details: nader.zentuti@bristol.ac.uk The Challenge For assessing a component operating at high temperatures for creep-fatigue damage which can lead to crack initiation, the stress state during nominal operating conditions is required. These stresses are usually obtained from complex thermal and mechanical FE. However, using […]
Research Area: Waste and Fuel Management PI: Dr Peter Martin and Mr Dean Connor Partners: Sellafield Ltd. Contact details: Peter.Martin@bristol.ac.uk and Dean.Connor@bristol.ac.uk The Challenge Radiological contamination exists at numerous sites worldwide; whether the result of large-scale radiological release events (such as the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident in March 2011), following nuclear weapons testing, […]
Research Area: Nuclear Materials and Modelling PI: Miss Megan Taylor Funders: EDF Contact details: mt16628@bristol.ac.uk The Challenge All fourteen of the UK’s advanced gas cooled reactors (AGR’s) are due to be shutdown within the next 12 years and with no immediate plans to replace the lost energy, life extension of the existing reactors is the […]
Research Area: Structural Engineering PI: Mr Satyajit Dey Funders: EDF, Atkins Contact details: sd15325@bristol.ac.uk The Challenge Many engineering steel components used in power generation plants are operated at creep regime temperatures. This means that the steels are susceptible to creep and stress relaxation. It is important to estimate the amount of creep strain accumulation during […]
Research Area: Structural Engineering PI: Dr Mahmoud Mostafavi Partners: 18 Partners across Europe including VTT Finland, EDF Group, Framatome, and CEA Funders: EU Contact details: M.Mostafavi@bristol.ac.uk Project Website: http://nugenia.org/portfolio_item/atlas/ The Challenge There are 15 nuclear reactors in the UK and many more around Europe. Many of these reactors have been or will be working past […]
Research Area: Structural Engineering PI: Prof. David Knowles Partners: EDF Energy Funders: EDF Energy, EU Contact details: c.simpson@bristol.ac.uk; abdullah.mamun@bristol.ac.uk; z.zhang@bristol.ac.uk The Challenge Materials in nuclear power plants operate in extreme conditions (high temperatures and stresses) over lifespans that extend for many decades. The current generation of advanced gas cooled reactor plants have been in service […]
Research Area: Waste and Fuel Management PI: Prof. Thomas Scott, University of Bristol Partners: Sellafield Ltd. Contact details: Kate Wyness, kw14747@bristol.ac.uk The Challenge Currently there are two legacy storage pond facilities based in Sellafield, Cumbria, the largest decommissioning and processing plant in the UK. These facilities were originally built to handle waste from the 1950’s plutonium […]
Research Area: Waste and Fuel Management PI: Dr Sophie Rennie Contact details: Sophie.Rennie@bristol.ac.uk The Challenge A key problem facing the nuclear industry is the safe and efficient long-term storage of nuclear fuel. The long-lived radiation fields that result from highly radioactive fission products require spent nuclear fuel to be stored over timescales of tens of […]
