Thermophysical analysis instruments

Descriptions

The Sir Henry Royce Institute (SHRI) has been established to develop and exploit the UK's world-leading excellence in advanced materials research. As part of nine material themes, the SHRI Hub Building, situated on the University of Manchester's main campus will develop research into both nuclear fuels and waste materials of the future. As part of this theme, SHRI will include the capability to study transuranic elements, including plutonium. This will include a suite of glove boxes intended for the manufacture and characterisation of plutonium bearing fuel forms and waste materials, as well as suitable radiological detection and protection measures to handle this material safely. This will build on existing uranic capability, which covers the analysis of a range of uranium bearing compounds. We are therefore looking for a suite of Thermophysics systems (Laser flash analyser, Simultaneous Thermal Analysis, Dilatometer) for our new Fuel Fabrication and Analysis Facility. Current target materials are uranium and thorium based oxides, silicides, nitrides, carbides and borides as well as metallic alloys. In the mid-term the work will expand to utilise Pu based fuel materials. As a result the suite is located and will be operated within a set of Pu capable gloveboxes. Due to the nature of the integration required, the supplier of the TP systems must liaise and work closely with the glove box manufacturer. In addition, the instrument will be shared with national and international research groups using nuclear grade graphite materials and irradiated alloys. As such, ease of use, especially of the computerised interface is of great importance.