The Qinshan Nuclear Generating Station - Canadian Technology in China - photo courtesy of AECL
The Nuclear Materials group at Queen’s is carrying out world leading research in the area of structural materials for nuclear power applications. The group has domestic collaborations with McGill University, the University of Western Ontario, the University of Toronto and McMaster University, Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd., Kinectrics Inc., Nu-Tech Precision Metals Inc. Bruce Power and Ontario Power Generation Inc. and international collaborations in the USA, the UK, Argentina, Hong Kong and Australia. The group published 28 refereed journal papers in 2006 and 2007 with seven in-press or accepted for publication and two more submitted. The Nuclear Materials group is supported by an extensive research portfolio including a dozen active grants from NSERC, ORF, CFI and OCE totaling a $4.7M investment at Queen's, with the project totals, including spending at partner institutions, of ~$11M (figures do not include overheads). See more details of the research being carried out by individual group members here. The group recently led a successful CFI/ORF project of $17.5M to develop an ion accelerator facility to simulate the radiation damage that occurs in materials inside a reactor; more details of the planned facility can be found here.
Present members of the GroupRick Holt, Senior Chair, Prof. Mark Daymond, Associate Chair,
Prof. Syd Aldridge, Senior Research
Associate Andrew Barrow, PDF Laura Barrow, PDF Hamid Abdolvand, Graduate student Mohammad Sattari, Graduate student Yasir Idrees, Graduate student Kazi Ahmmed, Graduate student Fei Long, Graduate student Qiang Fang, Graduate student He Zhang, Graduate student Travis Skippon, Graduate
student Eric Tulk, Graduate student Sarah Wan,Graduate Student Dale Campbell, Graduate student Marta Majkut, Graduate student
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Opportunities in the Group |
Previous members of the GroupSong Cai (PhD & RA), now at Fort Wayne Metals, Indiana. David Durance (MSc), now at Bruce Power Inc. Barbara Szpunar (Senior Research Associate), now at the University of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Jenevieve Fredette (MSc), now at Atomic Energy Canada Ltd., Chalk River Labs. Yue (Leon) Li (MSc), went on to Masters of Engineering Management, Dartmouth College Alison Mark (PDF), PDF at Manchester University, Dept. of Materials, UK. Damon Pickard (MSc), now with Frontenac County Health Services Stephanie Stafford (MSc), now at Kinectrics Inc. Feng Xu (PhD & PDF), now at Atomic Energy Canada Ltd., Sheridan Park. Pingshoun Zhao (PDF), now with Caterpillar Richard Zhang (PDF), now at Gerdau Ameristeel Corey Hamelin (PDF), now at ANSTO, Australia Justin Huneault (Undergraduate), Now at Mcgill University Wenjing Li, now at Atomic Energy Canada Ltd., Chalk River Labs. Sharon Goldthorpe (MSc), now at Humber College, Toronto Colin Judge (MSc), now at Chalk River Labs. Matthew Kerr (Ph.D.), now with U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Ravi Kumar (MSc), now atBlack Cat Blades, Edmonton Charles Mareau (PDF), now at the University of Angers, France Rebecca Toda (MASc), now at SNC-Lavalin Nuclear Paula Mosbrucker (MASc), now at Los Alamos National Labs, USA Greg Allen (MASc), now at AMEC-Nuclear Safety Solutions Abdul Khan, (PDF), now at the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg
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Previous visitors to the GroupBjorn Clausen, Los Alamos National Lab., USA (2008) David Rugg, Rolls Royce plc., UK (2006) Carlos Tomé, Los Alamos National Lab., USA (2005) Olivier Zanellato, The Open University, UK (2005) Marie-Laure Lescoat, ENSC-Rennes, France (2008) |
Background
The NSERC/UNENE/Nu-Tech Industrial Research Chair in Nuclear Materials was established in 2002 at the initiative of the Canadian Nuclear Industry. It is the first in a series of seven chairs established as part of the University Centre of Excellence in Nuclear Engineering (UNENE) sponsored by Ontario Power, Bruce Power, the CANDU Owners Group COG and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission. The main thrusts are to supplement the R&D capabilities of AECL, and Kinectrics Inc. (formerly Ontario Hydro Research) and to train new highly qualified staff to work in engineering or research and development, both to manage and extend the life of existing plants, and to develop new reactors. The Chair program also offers the opportunity for part or all of a student's research to be carried out at the industrial nuclear R&D laboratories, co-supervised by the staff of those laboratories, either during a paid work term, or as a full time employee.
The Canadian nuclear industry currently employs more than 30,000 workers and is quickly expanding to meet domestic and international demands of current and future refurbishment projects totaling ~B$10. Canada is expected to have sustained future reliance on clean, environmentally sound and reliable nuclear power as base load electricity generation. It is also expected that Canada will supply reactors to what is now a rapidly expanding international market. This necessitates the development of advanced nuclear reactor concepts (the Advanced CANDU Reactor (ACR) and the Super Critical Water Generation 4 Reactor (SCWR) that will be designed in Canada with major manufacturing input from Canada’s nuclear industry. These reactors operate at higher temperatures and will require the use of new materials that are presently not employed in nuclear reactors.
Useful information about nuclear technology in Canada can be found at http://www.nuclearfaq.ca
Industrial Sponsers of the Chair CANDU Owners Group |
Other Nuclear Industry Links |