An Overview of Materials and Analytical Science at AWE

Home , Analytical chemistry

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40th Tritium Focus Group Meeting, October 2018

Dr Dario C. Castiglione Team Leader, Tritium Technology [email protected]

Doc Control Number OFFICIALOFFICIAL OFFICIAL Materials & Analytical Science – Sub-function

Science, Engineering & Production Site ‘Functions’ Technology

Warhead Materials & Nuclear Threat Physics ‘Sub-functions’ Engineering Analytical Science Reduction

Conventional Materials Explosive Materials & Science Initiation Science Metals & Tritium Systems ‘Groups’

Radiation Protection & Analytical Chemistry Radiochemistry Radiological Instrumentation & Dosimetry Calibration

Doc Control Number OFFICIALOFFICIAL OFFICIAL Materials & Analytical Science Head of MAS – Sian Butler

Conventional Materials Science Analytical Chemistry Group Leader – Jon Joy Group Leader – Dave Mitchell

Explosive Materials & Initiation Science Radiochemistry Group Leader – Steve Trussell Group Leader – Olivia Marsden

Metals & Tritium Radiation Protection & Dosimetry Group Leader – Marina Dawes Group Leader – Chris Jones

Systems Radiological Instrumentation & Calibration Group Leader – Scott McCulloch Group Leader – Iain Smith

Doc Control Number OFFICIALOFFICIAL OFFICIAL Materials & Analytical Science – Sub-function

. Energetic Materials . Metals and Tritium . Conventional Materials . ~480 staff . Systems & Computational Modelling . 8 groups . Radiation Protection & Dosimetry . ~40 lab / workshop / office areas . Radiochemistry . Analytical Chemistry . Radiological Instrumentation

OFFICIAL OFFICIAL Materials and Analytical Science

MAS provides AWE with technical expertise in the fields of Materials and Nuclear Analytical Science

Conventional Materials Science MAS MISSION

Explosive Materials & We will deliver the material, analytical and radiological Initiation Science science capabilities that underpin the UK’s nuclear

Metals & Tritium deterrent and national security mission.

Systems

Analytical Chemistry

Radiochemistry

Radiation Protection & Dosimetry

Radiological Instrumentation & Calibration

OFFICIAL OFFICIAL Materials and Analytical Science

MAS provides AWE with technical expertise in the fields of Materials and Nuclear Analytical Science

Conventional Materials Science MAS MISSION

Explosive Materials & We will deliver the material, analytical and radiological Initiation Science science capabilities that underpin the UK’s nuclear

Metals & Tritium deterrent and national security mission.

Systems MAS VISION To create a culture where our people, operating in a Analytical Chemistry modern working environment, are empowered to provide

Radiochemistry innovative solutions, high quality science and reliable, efficient services, to support AWE’s core mission. Radiation Protection & Dosimetry

Radiological Instrumentation & Calibration

OFFICIAL OFFICIAL Conventional Materials Science

CMS provides expertise to underwrite the through life management of non-energetic materials and components. We actively manage risks relating to material supply, component production and through life performance by understanding and developing materials and processes

Support Production Develop Materials Understand Materials Assess Life

• Understand all chemical • Understand requirements • Identify the best techniques • Understand the and material affects of (functional) to characterise materials environments to which materials are exposed processing • Fully understand how • Characterisation of feedstock materials • Ensuring surety of supply structure influences • Understand degradation for feedstock materials materials properties • Ensure materials mechanisms • Identify alternative information and • Understand affect on bulk • Understand production materials reducing specification relate to properties of structural processes and variability product risk requirements changes

OFFICIAL OFFICIAL Explosive Materials & Initiation Science

ExMIS provides expertise to underwrite the through life management of energetic / explosive materials, devices & trains. This includes design & development, characterisation & life assessment of materials / devices / trains as well as process safety assessment New Material Development HE Hazards & Safety Explosive Trains & Devices

Life & Mechanical Explosive Device Explosive Characterisation Assessment Assessment & Compatibility

OFFICIAL OFFICIAL Metals and Tritium

Metals and Tritium provide operational and scientific expertise & support by underwriting manufacturing process improvements, providing materials for re-processing, manufacture test pieces for multiple trials, underpin the service life of key components and provide continuing in-service support to our current system.

Manufacturing Test Piece Stockpile Support Future Technologies Improvements Manufacture

• Underwrite • Manufacture test • Underwrite materials • Invest in techniques which will improvements and pieces for trials, from performance and redefine our ability to underwrite efficiencies to full size casting to provide life prediction future processes and components manufacturing micro-targets • Develop new techniques for • Understand SNM • Hydrodynamic trials material properties acquisition • Provide materials behaviour for in- component manufacture and services service performance • Neutron imaging: complete through • Re-process strategic • Micro-targets for plasma and life prediction life imaging of in-service materials physics assemblies

OFFICIAL OFFICIAL Systems

The Systems Group provides the capabilities required to deliver system-level materials assessments that underpin the UK’s nuclear deterrent

Compatibility Assessments Predictive Modelling

• System-level materials compatibility • Development and validation of system-level assessments to support: predictive ageing and lifetime models • Service Life Assessment (SLA) of the • Improved understanding of materials and stockpile system chemistry • Iterations of system model reduce • qualification & approvals for modifications uncertainties associated with predictions, • new systems enabling risk to be effectively managed • Materials compatibility assessments to • System models need to take into account support production, assembly and different build configurations, materials disassembly processes selections

OFFICIAL OFFICIAL Analytical Chemistry

The role of the Analytical Chemistry group is to undertake the analysis and characterisation of bulk-to-trace levels of conventional, explosive and fissile materials.

Actinide Certification Chemical Analysis Isotopic Evaluation Material Characterisation

• Analysis of U & Pu • Organic material • Isotopic certification of • Non-nuclear material materials (gram assessment, including nuclear materials, at the analysis and certification quantities) for trace, explosives trace to ultra-trace levels covering paints, resins, minor & major elemental adhesives and polymers • Elemental analysis • Delivers the UK Nuclear quantification and including heavy metals Safeguards analysis • Continuous analysis of isotopic characterisation for legacy material capability waste aqueous discharges disposal ensuring site status • Supports Production, • Key Nuclear Forensic Nuclear Threat remains green • Capsule gas analysis capability underpinning Reduction applications providing manufacturing material provenance • Supports Production and and waste processing / and In-Service Support determination AWE’s regulatory recycling activities obligations

OFFICIAL OFFICIAL Radiochemistry

The Radiochemistry Group (RCG) provides the Radiochemical Analysis expertise to deliver Regulatory, Warhead, and Nuclear Threat Reduction requirements and enable AWE Site Operations.

Regulatory & Site Operations Customers Nuclear Security and Treaties

• Deliver AWE’s Environmental • Operation of laboratories to support Regulator requirements: the Comprehensive Test-Ban and NTR Non-Proliferation Treaties Through management of the Environmental Monitoring and • Providing a full radiochemical and Collections, Bulk Waste Commercial WUT data analysis capability to underpin Characterisation and Dosimetry the warhead programme and to Services Radiochemistry develop a Nuclear Forensics Group capability • Enable site operations: By providing radiological and SITE HSE • Develop DNA separation techniques asbestos expertise, surveying and to support conventional forensics analysis. Also through EA management of AWE’s On Call Response for Dosimetry and Environmental.

OFFICIAL OFFICIAL Radiation Protection & Dosimetry

The Radiation Protection & Dosimetry Group ensure radiological safety and regulatory compliance at AWE by providing: • Corporate policy and • On-call arrangements 24/7 • An approved Dosimetry Service (ADS) guidance on radiation for RPA advice to an that includes: protection, and manage incident, on and off-site. training and procedures for . Internal Dose Assessment Capability • The AWE Radioactive Health Physics. Item Registry (ARIR) to . External Dose Assessment Capability record and track all • Advice to the Police, MDP, . Criticality Accident Dose Assessment radioactive items on site. Fire & Rescue services and Capability other Government • Technical and legal advice departments throughout the . Record Keeping Service on all aspects of Radiation UK. protection through our HSE . Support to relevant FOI requests recognised RPA Body.

OFFICIAL OFFICIAL Radiological Instrumentation & Calibration

The RI&C Group provide radiological instruments and systems to ensure work carried out by AWE involving radiation is legally compliant

Service & Calibration In Service Support & Design

• 12,000 assets, • In-service support to existing systems & instruments • 9,000 annual calibrations, • testing and evaluation of new • 1,500 instrument repairs, instrumentation • for internal and external customers • design of instrumentation where nothing including MOD & commercial customers suitable is available commercially, • UKAS accredited calibration capability for • TA for all Radiological Protection gamma & neutron fields Instrumentation at AWE

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