wenyu zhang
PhD Student - University of Oxford
Project Title: Atomic scale damage induced in zirconium alloys by neutron irradiation.
Wenyu Zhang is a second year PhD student working on key challenges 1 and 3, with focus on the degradation of cladding Zr alloys in fission reactors. Atom Probe Tomography (APT) and Transmission Kikuchi Diffraction (TKD) are mainly used to study the nanoscale features of ZIRLO® and X2® alloys that have served for 1-4 circles in Plant Vogtle.
Wenyu’s APT experiments prioritise oxide/metal interface, clusters and dislocation loops formed by the segregation of alloying elements. Data from these two aspects can provide mechanistic understanding of oxidation mechanism and irradiation damage evolution, which can be used to predict service life and design more tolerant Zr alloys. Wenyu has access to active facilities at Materials Research Facility, Culham to work on active samples and is collaborating with MIDAS researchers regarding APT study on related materials.