Reference number : GC-2017-Q4-00004, amendment number : , agreement type : G, recipient legal name : Abdolvand, Hamidreza (The University of Western Ontario), recipient country : CA, recipient province : nan, recipient city : Ontario, recipient postal code : nan, program name english : Engage Grants for universities, program name french : Subventions d'engagement partenarial pour les universités, program purpose english : Zirconium alloy pressure tubes comprise the in-core portion of the primary pressure boundary of CANadian_x000D_
Uranium Deuterium (CANDU) reactors. These tubes are susceptible to degradation associated with the_x000D_
absorption of hydrogen from coolant. The absorption of even small amounts of hydrogen can cause_x000D_
susceptibility to fracture or reduction in fracture toughness due to the precipitation of brittle hydride phases. As_x000D_
pressure tubes age, engineers are required to continually develop more advanced evaluation procedures. These_x000D_
procedures are based upon improved understanding of the nature of these degradation mechanisms and are_x000D_
validated against experimental data._x000D_
Microscopically, pressure tube material consists of crystals where atoms are stacked with specific orientations._x000D_
Each crystal is also known as grain. It has been shown that pressure tubes with different manufacturing_x000D_
histories have different susceptibilities to hydride embrittlement. Although the macroscopic loads acting on the_x000D_
pressure tubes are well understood, there is a lack of data on the grain-level stresses, particularly close to_x000D_
hydrides. As hydrides and fracture are active on this level, it is likely that understanding this length scale could_x000D_
help explain variability in hydride embrittlement._x000D_
This project focuses on numerical modelling of grain-level stresses in pressure tubes. The modelling will be_x000D_
done by a Crystal plasticity finite element code that can simulate the effects of material microstructures. The_x000D_
existence of possible relationship between microstructure and hydride embrittlement will be explored. Also, the_x000D_
feasibility of a modern diffraction technique for measuring such stresses will be explored. This project will be_x000D_
conducted in collaboration with Kinectrics Inc. The outputs will support industrial understanding of the nature_x000D_
of hydride phases, and can be used by industrial partners to develop more advanced engineering codes., program purpose french : Zirconium alloy pressure tubes comprise the in-core portion of the primary pressure boundary of CANadian_x000D_
Uranium Deuterium (CANDU) reactors. These tubes are susceptible to degradation associated with the_x000D_
absorption of hydrogen from coolant. The absorption of even small amounts of hydrogen can cause_x000D_
susceptibility to fracture or reduction in fracture toughness due to the precipitation of brittle hydride phases. As_x000D_
pressure tubes age, engineers are required to continually develop more advanced evaluation procedures. These_x000D_
procedures are based upon improved understanding of the nature of these degradation mechanisms and are_x000D_
validated against experimental data._x000D_
Microscopically, pressure tube material consists of crystals where atoms are stacked with specific orientations._x000D_
Each crystal is also known as grain. It has been shown that pressure tubes with different manufacturing_x000D_
histories have different susceptibilities to hydride embrittlement. Although the macroscopic loads acting on the_x000D_
pressure tubes are well understood, there is a lack of data on the grain-level stresses, particularly close to_x000D_
hydrides. As hydrides and fracture are active on this level, it is likely that understanding this length scale could_x000D_
help explain variability in hydride embrittlement._x000D_
This project focuses on numerical modelling of grain-level stresses in pressure tubes. The modelling will be_x000D_
done by a Crystal plasticity finite element code that can simulate the effects of material microstructures. The_x000D_
existence of possible relationship between microstructure and hydride embrittlement will be explored. Also, the_x000D_
feasibility of a modern diffraction technique for measuring such stresses will be explored. This project will be_x000D_
conducted in collaboration with Kinectrics Inc. The outputs will support industrial understanding of the nature_x000D_
of hydride phases, and can be used by industrial partners to develop more advanced engineering codes., agreement title english : Study of Grain-Level Stresses in CANDU Pressure Tubes, agreement title french : Study of Grain-Level Stresses in CANDU Pressure Tubes, agreement number : EGP, agreement value : 25000.0, agreement start date : 2018-02-07, agreement end date : nan, description english : nan, description french : nan, expected results english : nan, expected results french : nan, additional information english : Grant or Award spanning more than one fiscal year (2017-2018 to 2018-2019)., additional information french : Subvention ou bourse octroyée s'appliquant à plus d'un exercice financier (2017-2018 à 2018-2019)., owner organization : nserc-crsng, owner organization title : Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada | Conseil de recherches en sciences naturelles et en génie du Canada