Investigating porosity changes and stress mechanics of corroding nuclear wastes under confined expansion

This PhD project is part of the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in SATURN (Skills And Training Underpinning a Renaissance in Nuclear). The project investigates the nature of waste evolution under storage conditions to predict volume changes and resulting forces generated on confinement packaging at nuclear facilities. Specifically, it examines how Magnox alloy undergoes physical and chemical changes under interim storage, including corrosion reactions forming brucite and reactions with CO2 to form hydromagnesite and other magnesium hydroxycarbonate phases. This is an interdisciplinary project combining chemistry, civil engineering, soil mechanics, and geotechnics, working alongside leading teams at the University of Leeds and Sellafield Ltd. The research addresses critical challenges in decommissioning the UK's nuclear legacy facilities, particularly waste retrievals and storage at Sellafield. The project aims to understand behavior under confined conditions over storage timescales of many decades, which is currently poorly understood. The CDT is led from the University of Manchester and includes leading nuclear research universities in the North of England and Scotland. It aims to deliver the next generation of nuclear researchers to help the UK achieve its Net Zero targets. The program includes technical training in the nuclear fuel cycle and specialist research skills training in a collegial cohort environment.