Uresha Madhuwanthi

Uresha Madhuwanthi

Email: lh7546@hallam.shu.ac.uk
Research Centre: MERI
Research Group: National Technology Centre HIPIMS
PhD Thesis Title: Erosion-corrosion performance of candidate spallation target cladding materials
Director of Studies: Dr. Yashodhan Purandare
Supervisors: Prof Arutiun Ehiasarian, Dr. Arghya Dey

SUMMARY

Uresha Madhuwanthi is a PhD student in MERI, SHU. She has completed her MPhil in Solar Energy Materials in 2022 after completing the BSc in Physics from the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka.

She has gained experience and skills in electrochemistry and material characterizations including AFM, SEM, XRD, PEC cell measurement, and Mott-Schottky analysis.

RESEARCH

Current design of neutron producing Tantalum cladded Tungsten spallation targets are facing premature failures due to tribocorrosion (aqueous erosion-corrosion) phenomenon caused by the circulating cooling water. These failures amount to financial losses of around £400K and our collaborating partners at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (ISIS Neutron and Muon Source) are keen to find a suitable material to replace tantalum to solve this problem.

This project will analyse suitability of a range of unexplored metals and novel alloys for this application. Studies will comprise of fundamental and detailed investigation of these materials using an impinging jet erosion-corrosion apparatus and a range of advanced analytical techniques. Emphasis on effect of pH of corrosive medium on behaviour of the surface under abrasive particle bombardment will form the core of the study. Mechanistic feedback from the slurry erosion, corrosion and combined erosion-corrosion results will be central to the design inputs in developing future spallation targets.