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

迄今为止，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。在550 ℃及以上温度下运行的下一代核反应堆（第四代）以前已经在一定程度上进行了研究，在许多情况下，实验或原型核系统已经运行。例如，英国是世界领先的国家，运行了Dounreay实验性钠冷快堆（SFR）约19年，原型快堆约20年。然而，即使对于那些具有总共400堆年国际运行经验的SFR，其商业部署仍然被搁置。对于下一代第四代SFR或其他高温核反应堆的设计、许可和建造来说，一个巨大的挑战是要求具有60年或更长的设计寿命。高温核反应堆的关键退化机制是钢构件的蠕变疲劳。当结构材料在高温下使用时，热老化和非弹性变形导致其微观结构发生变化。结构材料的蠕变和蠕变-疲劳性能受其微观组织退化的限制。根本的需要是开发控制长期蠕变性能和蠕变-疲劳相互作用的关键微观结构特征的演变的改进的理解和预测模型。该奖学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，以了解和预测长期微观结构退化和蠕变疲劳变形和损伤过程。然后，我将利用新的科学信息，在预测长期蠕变疲劳寿命，包括微观组织退化过程中取得重大的技术突破。因此，我将实现一个激进的步骤，超越目前的现象或功能形式的本构模型，收到非常有限的成功时，外推到长期的操作条件。这项研究将使我和英国处于核裂变研究的最前沿。该奖学金将通过开发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，并将其应用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可行，第四代SFR将在全球范围内建造，为回收当今的核废料提供一个极好的解决方案。该奖学金旨在影响负责下一代核设计规范的国际组织，并通过这项研究在国际核研发中获得早期立足点，这将为英国提供最佳机会，以确保知识产权并为英国带来长期经济收益。

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.