ELLIOTT AYERS
PhD Student - Monash University
Project Title: Exploring the Role of Oxygen Saturation in Zirconium and its Alloys on Corrosion and Hydrogen Pickup
Elliott Ayers completed his BEng (Hons) in Materials Engineering and BSci in Earth Sciences at Monash University before commencing his PhD in 2024. Elliott’s project is based at Monash, and includes collaboration with Jacobs utilising their research facilities, with sample material from Westinghouse and links to Australia’s Defence Science and Technology Group.
Zirconium is utilised for fuel cladding in Light Water Reactors (LWRs) due to a combination of its low neutron absorption, high corrosion resistance, and sufficient mechanical properties. During LWR operation, the fuel cladding is subjected to a highly corrosive environment for years. In this time, Zirconium undergoes a cycle of rapid to slow corrosion every 6 – 12 months. As corrosion and oxide growth slows, a region of Zirconium with an abnormally high oxygen content is formed ahead of the oxide.
The role of this region during corrosion is poorly understood and its formation is observed to coincide with increased hydrogen pickup which leads to mechanical failure of the Zirconium cladding. Elliott’s project aims to control the formation of an oxygen rich layer in commercial Zirconium alloys and determine the influence of the layer on both corrosion rate and resultant oxide structure.