[Seminar] The Nuclear Materials Optimization Problem: Materials Design and Selection for the Next-Generation of Nuclear Reactors - Department of Nuclear Engineering [Seminar] The Nuclear Materials Optimization Problem: Materials Design and Selection for the Next-Generation of Nuclear Reactors - Department of Nuclear Engineering

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[Seminar] The Nuclear Materials Optimization Problem: Materials Design and Selection for the Next-Generation of Nuclear Reactors

April 20, 2023 @ 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm

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Dr. Samuel A. Briggs
Assistant Professor
Nuclear Science and Engineering
Oregon State University

Abstract

Materials constraints play a role in dictating the operating envelope, performance limits, and safety bases of virtually all technologies, and nuclear power is no exception. The extreme conditions present in nuclear reactor cores make them one of the most demanding environments in terms of structural materials performance requirements. Next-generation nuclear reactors, such as sodium- or molten salt-cooled reactor concepts, can benefit from and may even necessitate new and innovative materials design to construct reliable systems that can produce power for extended service lifetimes. Despite this, many advanced nuclear start-up companies are still targeting conventional materials, such as 316 stainless steel, for near-term deployment of their reactor technologies. This lecture will discuss the trade-offs involved in nuclear materials design and selection through a handful of case studies. It will initially focus on previous efforts to design a promising new class of materials to improve the performance and accident-tolerance of existing LWR technologies. This will be followed by a discussion of ongoing efforts to understand the preeminent materials challenges facing the licensing and deployment of Generation IV reactor technologies, highlighting past and ongoing work at Oregon State University in support of understanding materials performance in advanced nuclear applications and environments.

Biography

Samuel Briggs is an Assistant Professor in the School of Nuclear Science and Engineering at Oregon State University. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Nuclear Engineering from Oregon State University, and a Master’s and Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering & Engineering Physics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has expertise in microstructural characterization and microscopy of radiation damage in material and in corrosion and failure of structural materials in extreme energy environments. His research interests revolve around addressing materials challenges for next-generation nuclear reactor designs, including degradation and environmentally assisted cracking in liquid metal and molten salt coolants and high-temperature, high-radiation environments. In his previous appointment, he served as a postdoctoral researcher under Dr. Khalid Hattar in the Ion Beam Laboratory (IBL) at Sandia National Laboratories where he used particle accelerators to emulate neutron damage in reactor environments in-situ using the In-situ Ion Irradiation TEM (I3TEM) facility.

 

Thursday, April 20. 2023
4:00 pm seminar

Hybrid Option  (Speaker is in person)

zoom (link upon request)
or
Room 1202 Burlington Labs

 

Details

Date:
April 20, 2023
Time:
4:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Event Categories:
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