Computational Kinetics: Application to Nuclear Materials

International audienceAllotropic transformations involving interface diffusion and precipitation are driving many properties controlling the lifespan of nuclear power plant parts. Predictive models at the scale of the microstructure (as part of a more general multi-scale approach) are useful to better understand and optimize the microstructure of nuclear materials. After a brief description of thermo-kinetics basic concepts (diffusion driven interface motion and classical nucleation and growth theories), recent applications of phase transformation kinetics to nuclear materials are presented: from allotropic transformations in steels and Zr alloys to the precipitation of oxides, copper, cementite in steels and βNb in Zr