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-25-0002
Thesis topic details
Category
Engineering science
Thesis topics
Modelling and simulation of concrete melting and fracture in corium-concrete interaction
Contract
Thèse
Job description
In certain accidental situations, it is important to assess the consequences of severe thermal loading on the mechanical behaviour of concrete structures, particularly with regard to potential cracking. This is particularly the case in the study of corium-concrete interaction. As part of the assessment of the consequences of a hypothetical severe accident, a core meltdown may be considered. The molten mixture, known as corium, then spreads into the reactor and comes into contact with the concrete. Various phenomena can occur, leading to partial ablation of the material. Given the stakes involved in terms of environmental protection, it is essential to have modelling tools that can represent the mechanisms involved. The aim of this thesis is to develop a comprehensive simulation methodology to represent the mechanical consequences of corium-concrete interaction, including local-scale modelling to represent the ablation of the cementitious material. Particular attention will be paid to the concrete cracking model (development of a model adapted to severe thermal loading, concrete ablation criteria) and to the thermal-mechanical-flow chaining of tools for representing the penetration of corium into cracks. This work will be carried out in collaboration between CEA SACLAY (which has the first tools for simulating thermomechanical behaviour) and CEA Cadarache (which has numerical and experimental expertise in corium-concrete interaction).
University / doctoral school
Sciences Mécaniques et Energétiques, Matériaux et Géosciences (SMEMaG)
Paris-Saclay
Thesis topic location
Site
Saclay
Requester
Position start date
01/10/2025
Person to be contacted by the applicant
JASON Ludovic
ludovic.jason@cea.fr
CEA
DES/DM2S/SEMT
DES/ISAS/DM2S/SEMT
Bat 607 Pièce 124A
91191 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex
0169089021
Tutor / Responsible thesis director
JASON Ludovic
ludovic.jason@cea.fr
CEA
DES/DM2S/SEMT
DES/ISAS/DM2S/SEMT
Bat 607 Pièce 124A
91191 Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex
0169089021
En savoir plus
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ludovic-jason-a43bab25a/?originalSubdomain=fr