Mechanistic understanding of hydrided region overload cracking

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Ontario's 18 CANada Deuterium Uranium (CANDU) reactors generate >60% of its electricity, with negligible CO2 production. It is an industry supporting 76,000 Canadian jobs with revenues in the tens of billions of dollars. Since the majority of financial and CO2 cost associated with nuclear power plants (NPPs) is during initial build, maximizing NPP lifetimes by enabling accurate maintenance, repair and refurbishment predictions provides great economic benefit, while keeping CO2 production low. The Pressure Tube (PT) is a key component of the CANDU design, acting as the pressure boundary for the heavy water coolant. The total Hydrogen (H) content of the PT increases with time in reactor, due to a slow uniform corrosion reaction. If sufficient H is present it can precipitate forming a hydride. The proposed work will develop a mechanistic understanding of a potential cracking mechanism associated with these hydrides, helping to ensure safe running of existing reactors for as long as possible, providing economic and environmental benefits. It will train several students and postdocs in key topics, in an area where industry continues to exhibit significant demand for highly trained personnel.