Materials Chemistry for the Nuclear Fuel Cycle

This is a 3 ECTS course composed of 28 total lecture hours, 56 self-study and a final examination.

This course is designed for Chemical Engineering, Applied Physics, Materials Science en Engineering, and Sustainable Energy Technology students that are interested in developing a working knowledge of nuclear materials chemistry and the nuclear fuel cycle.

The course will cover various aspects of solution and solid state chemistry as well as materials science that play a key role at each step of the nuclear fuel cycle, from the metallurgy of uranium to the disposal of spent reactor fuel or high level waste. While the physics and engineering of controlled fission are central to the generation of electricity by nuclear reactors, chemistry in general and especially materials chemistry dominate all other aspects of the nuclear fuel cycle. This course will give students a comprehensive knowledge of the traditional fuel cycle (the uranium once-through cycle) in Light Water Reactors (LWRs). It will also cover some of the proposed nuclear fuel cycles that may well carry nuclear power through the coming decades. As an outcome of the course, the students will be able to compare and contrast existing and innovative fuel cycles, and discuss the pros and cons of each.

In addition, the course will cover some of the unique properties of the actinide 5f-elements. The first three of the actinide series - Th, Pa and U - occur naturally, while the elements following uranium in the Periodic Table (transuranium elements) are man-made. The actinides are essential to nuclear power generation, but also find applications in many other areas of industry, medicine and research. The course will address 5f-electronic configurations, oxidation states, redox potentials, inorganic and structural chemistry, as well thermodynamic properties of actinide compounds. The actinides behaviour in the environment and in the geosphere will be discussed, together with analytical tools for their identification. The biological and environmental hazards associated with these elements pose certain risks which must be controlled and minimized. Due to their significant role and because the final destination of transuranic elements originating from the nuclear fuel cycle is still an open issue, the actinides chemistry and physics continue to be one of the major areas of nuclear research.

The materials science part of the course will cover the main features of materials microstructures and behaviour in conditions that are relevant for nuclear reactors. The various types of defects at the atomic or micrometre scale will be explained as well as their consequences in terms of energy. This forms the basis of understanding the changes that materials undergo when subjected to elevated temperature and high-energy radiation. Changes in the microstructure and the defect configurations lead to changes in properties and behaviour and can thus jeopardise the material performance, forming a threat to safety.