PhD student, 2018 intake

University: University of Manchester

Sponsoring company: EDF

Background: Undergraduate Electronic and Electrical Engineering at the University of Manchester, graduating in June 2018.

Electromagnetic non-destructive testing of the graphite core of advanced gas cooled reactors

The graphite moderators used in the UK’s advanced gas cooled nuclear reactors (AGRs) become degraded over time due to radiolytic oxidation and neutron bombardment, reducing the density of the graphite bricks. This can eventually lead to crack formation. This project extends EDF’s research in using Eddy current spectroscopy in crack detection through profiling the moderator conductivity, which is correlated with the brick density.

The aim of this research is to investigate novel electromagnetic techniques based on eddy currents for profiling electrical conductivity, especially when the probe only has access from one side of the test piece.  The techniques will exploit advanced signal processing and electromagnetic inversion algorithms and will use the AGR application as a case study.  It is expected that the methodology could be more broadly applied to other eddy inspection problems where surface properties are important such as coating and surface processing.