Pause
Read
CEA vacancy search engine

Generation of Cesium silicate micro-particles from Fukushima


Thesis topic details

General information

Organisation

The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) is a key player in research, development and innovation in four main areas :
• defence and security,
• nuclear energy (fission and fusion),
• technological research for industry,
• fundamental research in the physical sciences and life sciences.

Drawing on its widely acknowledged expertise, and thanks to its 16000 technicians, engineers, researchers and staff, the CEA actively participates in collaborative projects with a large number of academic and industrial partners.

The CEA is established in ten centers spread throughout France
  

Reference

SL-DES-25-0168  

Thesis topic details

Category

Engineering science

Thesis topics

Generation of Cesium silicate micro-particles from Fukushima

Contract

Thèse

Job description

Microscopic in size, but large in environmental impact, cesium microparticles hold one of the keys to understanding the Fukushima nuclear accident. Following the Fukushima Daiichi accident, these cesium-rich silicate glass microparticles (CSMP) were discovered in the environment, carrying a significant portion of the radioactivity. Very poorly soluble in water, they differ from those observed at Chernobyl. A previous thesis demonstrated that these CSMPs could be the result of the interaction between corium and concrete during a severe accident, via small-scale experiments. The study made it possible to reproduce similar particles, made of amorphous silica with crystalline nano-inclusions. However, the results need to be refined, particularly with regard to the presence of zinc and calcium. The proposed thesis aims to explore the physicochemical mechanisms leading to the synthesis of these CSMPs. Laboratory experiments will recreate the corium-concrete interaction conditions, representative of Fukushima, in order to optimize the compositions and improve the modeling of the releases of these particles in current severe accident assessment tools.

University / doctoral school

Physique et Sciences de la Matière (ED352)
Aix-Marseille Université

Thesis topic location

Site

Cadarache

Requester

Position start date

01/10/2025

Person to be contacted by the applicant

DELACROIX Jules jules.delacroix@cea.fr
CEA
DES/IRESNE/DTN/SMTA/LEAG
Bât. 219D
CEA Cadarache
13108 St Paul lez Durance

04 42 25 35 64

Tutor / Responsible thesis director

AUDUBERT Fabienne fabienne.audubert@cea.fr
CEA
DES/DEC//LAMIR
CEA/Cadarache
Bâtiment 315
04.42.25.76.47

En savoir plus