Thinking differently about radiation damage: New methods of measurement using nuclear magnetic resonance.

SPEAKER: Ian Farnan Professor of Earth and Nuclear Materials in the Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge DATE/TIME: FRI, 04/23/2021 – 11:00AM TO 12:00PM LOCATION: zoom Spring 2021 Colloquium Series Abstract: The effects of radiation damage are a constant source of concern in nuclear engineering.  The need the need to achieve greater tolerance over the effects of radiation damage is fundamental to the roadmap for the implementation of next generation fission and fusion systems, but how well do we understand the scale of the initial damage event and its recovery?  Results will be presented from ‘nuclearised’ nuclear magnetic resonance experiments that show that the number fraction of (permanently) displaced atoms may be determined directly by experimental measurement, in contrast to volume changes and inferred defect concentrations. This challenges some of the existing assumptions about the initial scale of disruption caused by damage events and reveals the importance of local chemistry in the recovery process. About the Speaker:

Ian Farnan is Professor of Earth and Nuclear Materials in the Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge. His research is focused on the structure, durability and fabrication of nuclear materials and naturally occurring radioactive minerals and the underpinning science for the disposal of radioactive waste.  He is the Consortium Lead for the CaFFE (Carbides for Future Fission Environments) UK EPSRC to examine new materials for accident tolerant fuels and led the UK NDA-EPSRC research programme on the suitability of UK AGR fuel for geological disposal.  Dr Farnan is involved with the use of international facilities for radiochemical research and the development of analytical techniques at the facilities to support his research and the nuclear research community.  He was coordinator of the Euratom FP7 programme EURACT-NMR and served on the Scientific Advisory Committee of the Environmental and Molecular Sciences Directorate of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (2007-15).   He is Chair of Cambridge Nuclear Energy Centre and advises the UK Nuclear Decommissioning Authority on the disposal of high activity materials. Farnan has held a Visiting Professorship at Stanford University and visiting scientist positions at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation and at the European Commission Institute for Transuranium Elements (JRC).