enabling Sixty Years creep-fatigue life of the NExt generation nuclear Reactors 'SYNERgy'

到目前为止，材料科学和工程一直是核能成功的基础。它们也是成功部署和运行新一代核反应堆系统的关键。以前对在550摄氏度及以上温度下运行的下一代核反应堆(第四代)进行了某种程度的研究，并在许多情况下运行了试验性或原型核系统。例如，英国是世界领先的国家，运营Dounreay实验性钠冷快核反应堆(SFR)约19年，并运营原型快堆约20年。然而，即使对于那些总共拥有400年反应堆国际运营经验的SFR来说，它们的商业部署仍然受阻。下一代第四代SFR或其他高温核反应堆的设计、许可和建造面临的一个巨大挑战是要求设计寿命达到60年或更长时间。高温核反应堆的关键劣化机制是钢部件的蠕变疲劳。当结构材料在高温下使用时，热老化和非弹性变形会导致其微观结构的变化。结构材料的蠕变和蠕变疲劳性能受到组织退化的限制。根本的需要是开发对控制长期蠕变性能和蠕变-疲劳相互作用的关键微结构特征的演变的更好的理解和预测模型。该研究金将使用涵盖不同长度和时间尺度的综合实验和建模方法来了解和预测长期微观结构退化以及蠕变-疲劳变形和损伤过程。然后，我将利用新的科学信息，在预测包括微观结构退化过程在内的长期蠕变-疲劳寿命方面取得重大技术突破。因此，我将实现一个激进的步骤，超越目前的现象学或功能形式的本构模型，当推断到长期运行条件时，这些模型取得的成功非常有限。这项研究将使我和英国处于核裂变研究的前沿。这项研究将通过开发一种以材料科学为基础和基于工程的设计方法，使下一代高温核系统的蠕变-疲劳寿命达到60年，并将其实施到未来版本的高温核反应堆设计规范中。因此，第四代反应堆技术将在商业上变得可行，第四代SFR将在全球范围内建造，为当今的核废料回收提供一个极好的解决方案。这项研究旨在影响负责下一代核设计规范的国际组织，通过这项研究在国际核研发中及早站稳脚跟，将给我们的英国带来保护知识产权和回报长期经济收益的最佳机会。

The science and engineering of materials have been fundamental to the success of nuclear power to date. They are also the key to the successful deployment and operation of a new generation of nuclear reactor systems. The next-generation nuclear reactors (Gen IV) operating at temperatures of 550C and above have been previously studied to some extent and in many cases experimental or prototype nuclear systems have been operated. For example, the UK was the world-leading nation to operate the Dounreay experimental sodium-cooled fast nuclear reactor (SFR) for ~19 years and a prototype fast reactor for ~20 years. However, even for those SFRs with in total of 400 reactor-years international operating experience, their commercial deployment is still held up. A formidable challenge for the design, licensing and construction of next-generation Gen IV SFRs or the other high-temperature nuclear reactors is the requirement to have a design life of 60 years or more.The key degradation mechanisms for the high-temperature nuclear reactors is the creep-fatigue of steel components. When structural materials are used at high temperature, thermal ageing and inelastic deformation lead to changes in their microstructures. The creep and creep-fatigue performance of structural materials are limited by the degradation of microstructures. The underlying need is to develop improved understanding and predictive models of the evolution of the key microstructural features which control long-term creep performance and creep-fatigue interaction. This Fellowship will use an integrated experimental and modelling approach covering different length and time scales to understand and predict the long-term microstructural degradation and creep-fatigue deformation and damage process. I will then use the new scientific information to make significant technological breakthroughs in predicting long-term creep-fatigue life that include microstructural degradation process. I will thereby realise a radical step beyond the current phenomenological or a functional form of constitutive models which received very limited success when extrapolated to long-term operational conditions. This research will put me and the UK at the forefront of nuclear fission research.This Fellowship will enable the 60 years creep-fatigue life of the next-generation high-temperature nuclear systems by developing a materials science underpinned and engineering based design methodology and implement it into future versions of high-temperature nuclear reactor design codes. In consequence, Gen IV reactor technologies will become commercially viable and Gen IV SFRs will be built globally to provide an excellent solution for recycling today's nuclear waste. This fellowship aims to influence the international organisations responsible for the next-generation nuclear design codes and gaining an early foothold in the international nuclear R&D via this research will give the best chance to secure Intellectual Property and return long term economic gains to our UK.