Characterization of Ceramic Assemblies for Radioactive Waste Storage : Mechanical and Physico-C[...]

Université Technologie de Tarbes; Occitanie; Sur place; EUR 20 000 - 40 000; Plein temps

Résumé du poste

A technical university in France is offering an internship for a Master's-level student or engineer focusing on Materials Science. The role involves literature review, experimental studies on surface treatments and adhesion, and development of relevant testing methods. This is a great opportunity to gain practical experience with various characterization techniques and contribute to advanced research in materials.

Qualifications

• Master’s-level student or engineer with a focus on Materials Science.
• Experience with surface treatments and adhesion tests is preferred.
• Hands-on experience with characterization techniques is beneficial.

Responsabilités

• Conduct literature review on surface treatments and adhesion.
• Perform experimental studies on optimized adhesion parameters.
• Develop and adapt adhesion tests for evaluating interfaces.

Connaissances

Materials Science

Surface treatments

Adhesion testing

Physico-chemical characterization

Formation

Master's-level in Materials Science

Outils

DSC

AFM

SEM

Description du poste

Description

Andra, the French national agency for radioactive waste management, is responsible for finding long-term disposal solutions for various categories of radioactive waste. For the most hazardous high-level, long-lived waste, the current approach involves vitrification and storage. The long-term solution, both in France and worldwide, is deep geological disposal at a depth of meters, as planned in the Cigéo project (QR code shown in attached file). Vitrified waste is placed in a stainless-steel container, which should then be inserted into a carbon steel disposal container designed to protect the waste for years. However, under disposal conditions, low-carbon steel corrodes and releases hydrogen gas, complicating long-term management. Andra is therefore exploring alternative solutions, including the feasibility of manufacturing storage containers from ceramics. A 1:6 mock-up container, manufactured by Galtenco company is shown on attached file. Achieving a reliable, -year watertight sealing between the ceramic container body and lid requires: optimized surface design and structuring, an appropriate sealing material, and a heating system to melt this material. Understanding the physico-chemical adhesion mechanisms and evaluating mechanical performance are critical to optimizing the assembly.

Internship Tasks

• Literature review: Surface treatments, sealing materials, and adhesion tests applicable to dense oxide ceramics.
• Experimental studies: Evaluate parameters for optimized adhesion, including surface topology and surface reactivity, physico-chemical characterization of sealing materials, and mechanical testing using a compression shear test adapted for ceramics.
• Development of adhesion tests: Create or adapt tests to monitor interfacial cracking at the substrate / sealing material interface, as a relevant tool to study the effects of processing and water exposure. This will be coupled with modeling studies at ISAE SUPAERO.

Profile

Master’s-level student or engineer with a generalist background in Materials Science. The internship offers the opportunity to develop expertise in adhesion and surface treatments, and to gain hands-on experience with a wide range of characterization techniques, both in physico-chemistry (DSC, AFM, SEM, etc.) and mechanics.

Starting date

02-02