EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Nuclear Energy: Building UK Civil Nuclear Skills for Global Markets.

蓬勃发展的核工业对英国的能源安全和清理50多年核电遗留问题至关重要。这项研究是在ICO（帝国剑桥开放大学，读作ECO!）CDT将使现有反应堆的使用时间更长，使新反应堆的建造和运行更安全，支持英国受污染核设施的清理和退役，并使英国处于未来民用和船用反应堆国际项目的前沿。它还将为英国核工业、学术界、监管机构和政府提供一批具有全球视野和国际视野的高技能和训练有素的核博士。ICO CDT将显著提高我们目前对土木、结构、机械和化学工程以及地球科学和材料科学的理解的关键领域。具体而言，在冶金方面，我们将在反应堆和存储应用、锆合金包层、焊接、蠕变/疲劳和表面处理方面进行世界领先的研究，以提高完整性。其他材料主题包括开发改进和更耐用的陶瓷，玻璃，玻璃复合材料和水泥废料；反应堆寿命延长和结构完整性；以及金属废物容器在储存和处置过程中的腐蚀。在工程方面，我们将提供对许多领域建模的逐步变化理解，包括：反应堆物理（放射性核素输运，反应堆系统中的中子输运，模拟反应堆中的辐射-流-固相互作用和严重事故情景瞬态动力学的有限元方法）；反应堆热工水力学（反应堆临界热流密度评估，核安全用浮力驱动的自然循环冷却剂流动，核反应堆严重事故模拟动力学和传热特性）；材料和结构完整性（残余应力预测、燃料性能、Zr包层合金、传感器材料和废物中的组合晶体塑性和离散位错失效建模）。在地球科学和工程方面，我们将扩展严重事故的建模，使切尔诺贝利和福岛等事故引起的事件能够得到预测；并检查近场（废物和储存库中的材料）和远场（储存库周围岩石的地质学）问题，包括与英国地质储存库相关的放射性核素吸收和运输（特别是地质力学和岩石断裂）。此外，我们将在下一代裂变反应堆的开发方面取得关键进展，例如检查熔盐的流动行为，新型燃料材料，用于燃料和包层的超高温非氧化物和MAX相陶瓷，钍燃料和材料问题，包括处理小型模块化反应堆的废物。我们将研究下一代裂变和聚变反应堆研究中的共生领域。ICO CDT的一个关键方面将是向学生提供全球视野和与媒体打交道的培训，这是核等敏感话题的一个关键问题，在这些话题中，明智和基于科学的辩论至关重要。

A thriving nuclear industry is crucial to the UKs energy security and to clean up the legacy of over 50 years of nuclear power. The research performed in the ICO (Imperial Cambridge Open universities, pronounced ECO!) CDT will enable current reactors to be used longer, enable new reactors to be built and operated more safely, support the clean up and decommissioning of the UKs contaminated nuclear sites and place the UK at the forefront of international programmes for future reactors for civil and marine power. It will also provide a highly skilled and trained cohort of nuclear PhDs with a global vision and international outlook entirely appropriate for the UK nuclear industry, academia, regulators and government. Key areas where ICO CDT will significantly improve our current understanding include in civil, structural, mechanical and chemical engineering as well as earth science and materials science. Specifically, in metallurgy we will perform world-leading research into steels in reactor and storage applications, Zr alloy cladding, welding, creep/fatigue and surface treatments for enhanced integrity. Other materials topics to be covered include developing improved and more durable ceramic, glass, glass composite and cement wasteforms; reactor life extension and structural integrity; and corrosion of metallic waste containers during storage and disposal. In engineering we will provide step change understanding of modelling of a number of areas including in: Reactor Physics (radionuclide transport, neutron transport in reactor systems, simulating radiation-fluid-solid interactions in reactors and finite element methods for transient kinetics of severe accident scenarios); Reactor Thermal Hydraulics (assessment of critical heat flux for reactors, buoyancy-driven natural circulation coolant flows for nuclear safety, simulated dynamics and heat transfer characteristics of severe accidents in nuclear reactors); and Materials and Structural Integrity (residual stress prediction, fuel performance, combined crystal plasticity and discrete dislocation modelling of failure in Zr cladding alloys, sensor materials and wasteforms). In earth science and engineering we will extend modelling of severe accidents to enable events arising from accidents such as those at Chernobyl and Fukushima to be predicted; and examine near field (waste and in repository materials) and far field (geology of rocks surrounding the repository) issues including radionuclide sorption and transport of relevance to the UKs geological repository (especially in geomechanics and rock fracture). In addition, we will make key advances in development of next generation fission reactors such as examining flow behaviour of molten salts, new fuel materials, ultra high temperature non-oxide and MAX phase ceramics for fuels and cladding, thoria fuels and materials issues including disposal of wastes from Small Modular Reactors. We will examine areas of symbiosis in research for next generation fission and fusion reactors. A key aspect of the ICO CDT will be the global outlook given to the students and the training in dealing with the media, a key issue in a sensitive topic such as nuclear where a sensible and science-based debate is crucial.