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Nuclear

Research Area

How we support the Nuclear industry

The use of nuclear power presents numerous challenges, with safety and radioactive waste management being key considerations. An area of nuclear research of particular importance in the UK is the field of nuclear decommissioning and radioactive waste management. As a nation, we have accumulated radioactive waste from a variety of sources, including nuclear power stations and the use of radioactive materials in medicine, industry, and research, which needs to be disposed of in a safe and secure manner.

Diamond provides specialist analytical techniques for the atomic to microscale characterisation of materials relevant to all stages of the nuclear fuel cycle. In addition, we provide a dedicated Active Materials facility onsite to enable sample handling, preparation, reloading, and reprocessing of active materials for novel experiments. It aids in understanding radiation effects, material performance, and radionuclide corrosion, thereby guiding radioactive waste management decisions. 

 

Fuels and Decommissioning

  • Develop and characterise new materials and coatings;
  • Molecular scale analysis of speciation by spectroscopic and diffraction techniques;
  • Follow chemical reactions in extraction of transuranic elements.

Interaction with the Environment

  • Probe radionuclide interactions with ground water and environmental systems;
  • Investigate geomicrobiology in the presence of radionuclides using spectroscopic techniques;
  • Monitor and identify the evolution of mineral phases by X-ray diffraction or spectroscopy;
  • Investigate the behvaiour of contaminants in the environment within soil of mineral samples.

Waste Management

  • Detect and identify specific elements present in contaminated land;
  • Image damage, cracks and voids in containers to understand failure mechanisms;
  • Molecular characterisation of waste to identify species present and their chemical environments;
  • Understand chemical processes relevant to geological disposal facility design and maintenance.

Storage Materials

  • Assess performance of materials such as stainless steel, concrete and zirconium based cladding used for long term radwaste storage;
  • Detect corrosion processes in storage materials;
  • Obtain experimental data to inform predictive modelling approaches.
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Bristol - ILW Containment

Researchers from the University of Bristol and Diamond Light Source developed a non-invasive method to study uranium corrosion in ILW canisters. Using tomography and diffraction on beamline I12, the team identified corrosion products and assessed long-term containment safety.

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