A snapshot of nuclear research at Diamond

With the UK’s deadline to become net zero by 2050 and a continual growth in energy consumption, it’s not surprising that our government is looking to nuclear energy, as an energy-dense technology and low emission source, to meet the UK’s energy needs.

A considerable investment of £385m will go toward building the next generation of nuclear technology which is hoped will plug the gap left as almost half of the current capacity will be retired by 2025.

Implementation of these plans efficiently requires a thorough understanding of the nuclear materials and their behaviours. This knowledge will not only inform the decommissioning of existing sites (with the safe removal of materials) but will also aid the development of long-term storage and the building of materials for nuclear sites of the future.

Diamond's range of advanced research instruments can help provide valuable insight into these materials and how they behave in (often) challenging environments. This knowledge will not only help enhance their performance but will also inform plans to ensure their safety in the long term.

Nuclear research at Diamond spans all stages of nuclear power - from developing materials for new facilities to decommissioning and radioactive waste management. Below is a summary of how Diamond supports nuclear research and how our advanced research instruments are being applied by scientists across the industry to improve their understanding of these complex materials and to validate their approaches for future usage and storage.

• In situ synchrotron X-ray Diffraction (XRD). To measure the strain and texture of affected materials under static and fatigue loading.  It helps to provide a better understanding of deformation and crack propagation.
• Spectrocopy (XAS) To study the chemical speciation of metals and radionuclides, and to monitor speciation changes that result from changes in their chemical environment.
• X-ray tomography An imaging technique used to monitor the crack formation of potential nuclear waste storage materials in corrosive environments.
• Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS) Helps to monitor self-assembly and growth of nanoparticles in waste streams and understand their microstructure.
• The long-duration experiments (LDE) facility at Diamond - to study slowly changing processes that gradually progress within months to years. It can help to capture important information on the development of phases that cannot be obtained using ex situ methods. 
• Experimental studies provide validation and real-world data inputs to multi-scale modelling efforts which are critical in understanding the mechanical performance of materials relevant to nuclear energy.