Grant: Strategic Projects - Group

Canada's CANDU-Super Critical Water (SCW) reactor was selected by the Generation IV international forum as the next-generation nuclear power reactor. One of the primary objectives of this reactor will be to sustainably produce electricity at a reduced cost. In addition, the CANDU-SCW reactors will support future new technologies, such as hydrogen production for fuel cells, by offering fundamental technological advancements and sustainable energy production by: 1) nuclear waste that lasts decades instead of millennia; 2) 100 - 300x more energy yield from nuclear fuel; and, 3) the ability to process existing nuclear waste in the production of electricity. The new reactor design will use SCW as a coolant. This medium, however, has never been used in nuclear power plants, because it creates an extremely corrosive environment for reactor components, potentially leading to their failure. Therefore, to sustain the extreme operating conditions and harvest the technological, economical and environmental benefits of the SCW design, a major innovation in corrosion resistant high-temperature materials is required. The objectives of the proposed NSERC-Strategic Project are to develop and characterize novel corrosion resistant yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ)-based ceramic materials for use in the CANDU-SCW reactors. To enable a breakthrough in this research, unique tools and instruments must be employed. Therefore, a partnership between the University of British Columbia, Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd., NRC-Canadian Neutron Beam Centre, NRCan - CANMET and international academic laboratories has been established. As a result, corrosion in SCW and high temperature compressive creep behavior of the materials will be directly measured. These key properties will be enhanced by microalloying the YSZ ceramic with carbon nanotubes or stabilizing oxides. The results of the Strategic Project are of critical relevance to support commercialization of the CANDU - SCW technology by AECL and to retain Canada at the leading-edge of sustainable nuclear energy research.