Australian research could help maintenance of nuclear submarines

Monash University experts have made progress related to the lifespan of nuclear fuel cladding, ahead of an announcement by the Australian government on its nuclear submarine acquisition.

The researchers, led by Professor of materials science and engineering Michael Preuss, “critical corrosion mechanism of nuclear fuel cladding material that is affected by how the material is processed,” according to a statement from the university on Thursday.

Nuclear submarines use an ultra-thin material, zirconium alloy, as a barrier between nuclear fuel and the water surrounding it. 

The paper in Nature Communications answers the difficulty in accurately predicting cladding lifespan of this cladding, which the university said could save time and potentially millions of dollars.

“Nuclear submarines are expected to run for 25 years without refuelling, which contributes to them being highly undetectable,” said Preuss.

“In order to achieve this it is important to ensure that the life of the material encapsulating the nuclear fuel can be predicted.”

The government is expected to announce the “optimal pathway” for acquiring nuclear submarines in March under the AUKUS pact with the United States and the United Kingdom.

It will be the first time the nation has operated nuclear submarines, which can stay submerged for months at a time.

Preuss – whose latest paper was mostly funded by the UK’s Engineering and Physical Research Council, with support from Rolls-Royce and Westinghouse  – said that Australian researchers had done very little related to nuclear engineering and the nation faced an “unprecedented challenge in developing a skill base in nuclear within 15 years.”

Picture: credit US Navy/Wikimedia Commons

Further reading

HOW DO NUCLEAR-POWERED SUBMARINES WORK? A NUCLEAR SCIENTIST EXPLAINS

AUSTRALIAN NUCLEAR SUBMARINES NO THREAT TO PROLIFERATION

AUKUS SUBMARINES: TIME, COST & JOBS

FORGING A WAY INTO THE NUCLEAR POWER INDUSTRY