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India is pursuing a robust indigenous program towards the establishment of Fast breeder reactors and associated fuel-cycle facilities, a crucial second step in the three stage nuclear power program – enunciated by Dr. Homi Bhabha. In addition to the setting up of advanced nuclear reactors, India is a partner in the ITER fusion programme, and is envisaging setting up of the advanced ultra- supercritical coal-fired plants. Materials and sensors, which can withstand high temperatures and intense radiation fields, are at the heart of all these advanced energy systems.
An understanding of the behaviour of materials under demanding conditions of mechanical loading, elevated temperatures and intense radiation fields, with a predictive capability, is a complex problem. Small changes in composition and microstructure can have profound influence on the evolution of materials under non-equilibrium conditions. This calls for extensive studies - both through controlled experiments and computer simulations. A variety of characterization methodologies, all the way from atomic structure and defects, to mesoscopic structures such as grain boundaries are required to have an in-depth understanding of evolution of macroscopic properties. Multi-scale modeling is a paradigm that is extensively used today to understand the materials behaviour.
In this talk, I shall try to give a flavor of our ongoing materials research for energy systems, from basic research to development of processes and products, through select examples of our studies on advanced steels and ultra sensitive sensors.
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