The SCK•CEN Academy for Nuclear Science and Technology organizes a new edition of the Heavy metal summer school from June 17 until June 21, 2019 at the SCK•CEN Lakehouse in Mol, Belgium.

Objective

Heavy liquid metal (HLM) coolants offer new perspectives for the development of innovative nuclear systems for materials research, nuclear waste transmutation and energy production. The Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK•CEN) is at the forefront of HLM nuclear technology worldwide with the development of the MYRRHA accelerator driven system.

During this summer school, participants gain insight into the state-of-the-art research focused on the development of MYRRHA and other HLM-based nuclear systems. The summer school will cover several aspects of HLM technology that are essential for the engineering design and safety of nuclear systems. Participants are invited to send in an abstract for a poster presentation on their research project.

As a research centre specializing in heavy liquid metal technology, it seems more than a coincidence that SCK•CEN is neighbor to one of the most successful Heavy Metal festivals in the world: the Graspop Metal Meeting (GMM). The three best poster presentations will be awarded and every (paying) participant will receive an entrance ticket for Friday June 21, 2019 to enjoy metal and liquids at this unique festival.

Target Public

This summer school is aimed at PhD students, post-docs and professionals with a particular interest in the domain of HLM technologies.

Programme and topic treated

• To set the frame, the history of HLM-based nuclear systems and the design of the most developed HLM facilities will be introduced.
• In a module on chemistry you will be introduced to the various sources of impurities in HLM and to methods for their purification, to oxygen monitoring and control systems, and to the chemistry of radioactive impurities.
• In the module on materials you will learn to select materials for structural and functional components of reactors and get acquainted with irradiation damage processes and with liquid metal induced corrosion and its mitigation strategies.
• The thermal hydraulics module will start from the fundamentals of heat transfer in liquid metals to provide insight in the thermal hydraulic phenomena occurring in the fuel assembly and primary system. Experimental and numerical tools for the system safety analysis will also be covered.

In the instrumentation module you will get an overview of measurement techniques that can be used in liquid metals and focus in more detail on ultrasonic measurements.

Visit the SCK•CEN Academy website for a detailed programme.

Registration

Online registration is mandatory for all participants via the SCK•CEN Academy website.
The registration deadline is May 29, 2019.

The registration fee for the training course without accommodation is 870 EUR for PhD students and 910 EUR for professionals (VAT included, more information), and includes:

• participation to the summer school
• lunches and coffee breaks
• a welcome reception on Monday evening June 17, 2019
• a “behind the scenes” technical tour of the Graspop festival
• an entrance ticket for Graspop for Friday June 21, 2019 for every paying participant
• a hard-copy of the slides used during the lessons.

ENEN+ Mobility grants

The HMSS has obtained funding from the ENEN PLUS project in the form of 15 mobility grants covering (partially) travel costs, accommodation costs and registration fee for the HMSS (max. 2000 EUR per selected applicant). Applications can be submitted until May 18, 2019. More information on the selection and registration procedures can be found on the event website.

Venue and accomodation

Venue: SCK•CEN Lakehouse, Boeretang 201, 2400 Mol, Belgium.

Participants are requested to make their own travel arrangements. Pre-booking is made at the SCK•CEN Lakehouse for the period Sunday June 16 until Saturday June 22, 2019. Prices are available on the website of the Heavy Metal Summer School. Please contact the SCK•CEN Academy team (academy@sckcen.be) to confirm your room reservation.

More information

For the scientific programme:
Dr. Paul Schuurmans
Nuclear Systems Research Expert Group
Advanced Nuclear Systems Institute
+ 32 14 33 34 45
paul.schuurmans@sckcen.be

For the registration:
Kris Pennemans
Administrative and Logistics Support
SCK•CEN Academy
+ 32 14 33 88 53
academy@sckcen.be