Events at The University of Manchester
  • University home
  • Events
  • Home
  • Exhibitions
  • Conferences
  • Lectures and seminars
  • Performances
  • Events for prospective students
  • Sustainability events
  • Family events
  • All Events

Northwest and North Wales Heat of the IoM3 Young Persons' Lecture Competition

Dates:6 March 2018
Times:18:00 - 20:00
What is it:Lecture
Organiser:Department of Materials
See travel and contact information
Add to your calendar

Other events

  • In category "Lecture"
  • By Department of Materials

This is the North West heat of the competition with a cash prize for the winner. The winner will go onto the National final to represent the North West.

1. Josh Turner (local heat winner, Cumbria) Exploring Inorganic Main Group Polymers The use of polymers permeates our modern lives in such a way that any attempt to consider a world without them is unthinkable. Curiously though, the vast majority of the polymers in use today have backbones derived from only a handful of elements. What about synthesising polymers out of other elements of the periodic table, perhaps other elements from the main group? Over the last 30 years, a number of polymers have been reported where the backbone has been derived from other main group elements. How far have we come and what are the key challenges faced? From polyaminoboranes to polysilanes, this lecture will give an overview of the area, with specific attention placed on the story of polyphosphinoboranes,and polyphosphazenes. These two examples compare stories of technologies at different stages of development.

2. Qian Chen (local heat winner, Manchester) Laser process for rapid manufacture of mesoscopic perovskite solar cells The utilization of photovoltaic (PV) technology has been considered as a promising solution to tackle the major challenge of the finite supply of fossil fuels and global environmental issues. Recently, perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have become one of the hottest topics in the field of PV research due to their rapid increases of power conversion efficiency (PCE) beyond 22% and relatively low fabrication cost. Up to date, PSCs based on the mesoscopic layers have achieved highest efficiency and excellent stability among various structures. However, conventional fabrication of mesoscopic structure requires high-temperature heating processes that are considerably time-consuming, and limited the fabrication of integrated or multi-functional devices on the same substrate.

In this talk, we present a newly developed fibre laser process, in The University of Manchester, to fabricate both mesoporous and compact TiO2 films on ITO-glass for PSCs, without damaging the substrate or surrounding materials. This process was carried out in ambient atmosphere with a significant reduction of processing time (from 2 h to 1 min) compared to the furnace treatment. The use of the fibre laser with wall-plug efficiency over 40% offers an economically-feasible, industrial viable solution to the challenge of rapid fabrication of large scale, mass production of mesoscopic PSCs and integration of multifunctional devices.

3. Patricia Liddicott (Sellafield Ltd) Extending life of an evaporator vessel through testing, inspection, modelling and analysis Assessment of ageing nuclear plant and subsequent plant lifetime extension poses a significant challenge to plant managers. This is particularly the case for vessels supporting reprocessing operations where the challenge of operating and working conditions, i.e. high radiation, is combined with lack of access for conventional inspection and repair techniques. This case study focuses on the remnant life assessment of Evaporator C, a strategically important vessel required to support Sellafield Limited’s hazard reduction strategy. The paper provides a brief history of plant operations and the assurance required to ensure safe continued operations.

Laboratory scale corrosion testing using simulants was used to predict the corrosion performance of the stainless steel for construction of the vessel and its internal heating/cooling components. On deploying bespoke ultrasonic testing equipment into the heating/cooling coils, discrepancies were identified between predicted and observed corrosion rates. A significant program of modelling and simulation work was initiated to determine the conditions within the evaporator: this included thermal models to assess heat transfer and confirm the nature of boiling within the vessel; structural analyses to assess the effects of areas of observed thinning and determine minimum wall thicknesses; and statistical analyses to identify how to deal with numerous variables. Further corrosion studies to assess the effects of various oxidative species were undertaken, including the use of large-scale test rigs to simulate the hydrostatic head and other conditions within the vessel.

This work has led to improved life expectancy for Evaporator C through better understanding of the corrosivity of highly active liquors, heat transfer characteristics and structural integrity of the vessel resulting in changed operational procedures and enhancing confidence that operations can continue safely.

Travel and Contact Information

Find event

C15
MSS Tower
Manchester

Contact event

Fabio Scenini

fabio.scenini@manchester.ac.uk

Contact us

  • +44 (0) 161 306 6000

Find us

The University of Manchester
Oxford Rd
Manchester
M13 9PL
UK

Connect with the University

  • Facebook page for The University of Manchester
  • X (formerly Twitter) page for The University of Manchester
  • YouTube page for The University of Manchester
  • Instagram page for The University of Manchester
  • TikTok page for The University of Manchester
  • LinkedIn page for The University of Manchester

  • Privacy /
  • Copyright notice /
  • Accessibility /
  • Freedom of information /
  • Charitable status /
  • Royal Charter Number: RC000797
  • Close menu
  • Home
    • Featured events
    • Today's events
    • The Whitworth events
    • Manchester Museum events
    • Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre events
    • Martin Harris Centre events
    • The John Rylands Library events
    • Exhibitions
    • Conferences
    • Lectures and seminars
    • Performances
    • Events for prospective students
    • Sustainability events
    • Family events
    • All events