Materials research aims for safety and integrity of new nuclear reactors and waste facilities

The University believes the three-year project will also help in addressing the UK’s shortage of nuclear scientists and engineers.

The University is home to the MIAMI (Microscope and Ion Accelerator for Materials Investigations) electron microscope facility. One of only two such facilities in Europe, MIAMI uses ion beams to simulate the effects of radiation damage on materials.

MIAMI was co-developed by Prof Stephen Donnelly, the Dean of the School of Computing and Engineering who is leading a Huddersfield University team in the project to investigate the damage caused by irradiation of materials used in the construction of reactors and for the long-term disposal of radioactive waste.

Particles such as neutrons can weaken and alter the physical dimensions of materials and a build-up of helium can result in them becoming brittle and likely to fracture. Prof Donnelly and Senior Research Fellow Dr Jonathan Hinks – also a member of the team that developed MIAMI – will lead a group that will investigate these issues with the help of funding worth £889,839 from EPSRC.