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-26-0140
Thesis topic details
Category
Engineering science
Thesis topics
Micromechanical Modeling of the Behavior of Polycristals with Imperfect Interfaces: Application to Irradiated UO2 Fuel
Contract
Thèse
Job description
This thesis aims to analyze the thermomechanical properties of UO2 fuel used in pressurized water reactors (PWRs), accounting for the effects of microscopic defects. It focuses particularly on intergranular decohesion phenomena observed at various stages of fuel evolution, notably prior to crack initiation and propagation. The objective of this thesis is to clarify the impact of decohesion on both the local and effective properties of UO2 during irradiation. To this end, intergranular decohesion is modeled at the local scale by means of imperfect interface models, which ensure traction continuity while allowing for a displacement jump at grain boundaries. This modeling approach enables the development of homogenization models incorporating innovative theoretical and numerical advances, capable of capturing the behavior of the fuel at very high temperatures, under off-normal and accidental conditions. This work will be conducted at CEA Cadarache,in the Institute for Research on Nuclear Systems for Low-Carbon Energy Production (IRESNE), in close collaboration with national and international research teams. The tools developed will contribute to improving our understanding of the fuel's properties and to enhancing the accuracy and reliability of existing models, particularly those implemented in the PLEIADES simulation platform developed by the CEA in collaboration with French nuclear industry partners.
University / doctoral school
Sciences pour l’Ingénieur : Mécanique, Physique, Micro et Nanoélectronique (SIMPMN)
Aix-Marseille Université
Thesis topic location
Site
Cadarache
Requester
Position start date
01/10/2026
Person to be contacted by the applicant
GALLICAN Valentin
valentin.gallican@cea.fr
CEA
DES/DEC/SESC/LMCP
CEA Cadarache DES/DEC/SESC/LMCP
Bât. 151
13108 Saint-Paul-lez-Durance CEDEX FRANCE
Tutor / Responsible thesis director
MASSON Renaud
renaud.masson@cea.fr
CEA
DES/DEC/SESC/LMCP
CEA Cadarache DES/DEC/SESC/LMCP
Bât. 151
13108 Saint-Paul-lez-Durance CEDEX FRANCE
+33442256556
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