Nuclear Graphite
Members of Staff
- Professor Barry Marsden (School of Engineering)
- Dr Paul Mummery
- Dr James Marrow
Nuclear graphite is employed as a neutron moderator or reflector in high temperature reactors. Irradiation causes dimensional change (shrinkage and swelling), creep, variation in thermal expansion properties and thermal conductivity, and changes in strength and elastic modulus. In CO2 gas-cooled reactors, there is also an additional effect of radiolytic oxidation on these properties. The rate and magnitude of these property changes with neutron fluence and temperature are sensitive to the microstructure of the nuclear graphite.
The safe design and operation of graphite moderated reactors is dependent on mechanistic understanding of the processes of irradiation damage, materials test reactor (MTR) data and monitoring data obtained during the reactor operation. New build of high temperature reactors will require nuclear graphites, with improved resistance to irradiation damage and oxidation.
Nuclear graphite research in the School of Materials is located within the Materials Performance Centre and within the University of Manchester Nuclear Graphite Research Group.
PhD Students
- Mr Joshim Ali - The Performance of Advanced Ceramic Composites for Nuclear Applications
- Mr Christophe Berre - Modelling the Effects of Porosity on the Mechanical and Physical Properties of Nuclear Graphite
Postdoctoral Research Associates
- Dr Mark Joyce - Microstructure strains in graphite
- Dr Andrew Hodgkins - Crack coalescence and unstable fracture in nuclear graphite
- Dr Keyun Wen - Irradiation Damage in Graphite Crystal Structures
- Dr Graham Hall - Microstructure/Property relationships in nuclear graphite