AMALIA, assessment of nuclear power plants core internals (EMMA)

The Laboratory for materials ageing in light water reactor (LWR) environments (AMALIA) is located at the Joint Research Centre in Petten, The Netherlands. AMALIA allows for corrosion and environmentally-assisted cracking (EAC) testing of metallic materials and alloys in typical water environments of currently operating water-cooled reactors (boiling water reactor [BWR], pressurised water reactor [PWR]) and advanced water-cooled reactors (supercritical water). 

AMALIA encompasses 5 recirculating water loops with 6 autoclave systems, all featuring full water chemistry control (including sensors such as conductivity, pH, dissolved oxygen and hydrogen sensors). The autoclaves are equipped with various mechanical testing facilities allowing for a wide range of different mechanical tests.

The six autoclave testing systems feature:

• Autoclave 1 (max. temp. 360°C, max. pressure 200 bar) includes pneumatic bellows-based loading device to conduct mechanical tests in environment such as: Stress Corrosion Cracking (SCC) Crack Growth Rate (CGR), Corrosion Fatigue (CF), Three Point Bend (3PB) or 0.5RC(T) Fracture Toughness Tests
• Autoclave 2 (max. temp. 360°C, max. pressure 200 bar) is primarily used for conducting electrochemistry based in-situ measurements of corrosion rate in particular for cladding materials: Zr-alloys or Accident Tolerant Fuel (ATF). Alternatively, the same loading devices as in 1) can be installed.
• Autoclave 3 (max. temp. 650°C, max. pressure 350 bar) is primarily used for conducting electrochemistry based in-situ measurements of corrosion rate in particular for cladding materials: Zr-alloys or Accident Tolerant Fuel (ATF). Moreover. Corrosion and mechanical tests up to 650°C 25 MPa SCW can be performed. Alternatively, the similar loading devices as in 1) can be installed.
• Autoclave 4 (max. temp. 650°C, max. pressure 350 bar) includes electromechanical loading device to conduct mechanical tests in water environment such as: Stress Corrosion Cracking (SCC) Crack Growth Rate (CGR), Corrosion Fatigue (CF), Three Point Bend (3PB) or 0.5RC(T) Fracture Toughness Tests. Corrosion and mechanical tests up to 650°C 25 MPa SCW can be performed. Alternatively Contact Electrical Resistance device for in-situ corrosion measurement up to 650°C 25 MPa SCW can be installed.
• Autoclave 5 (max. temp. 650°C, max. pressure 350 bar) includes pneumatic bellows-based loading device to conduct mechanical tests in water environment such as: Stress Corrosion Cracking (SCC) Crack Growth Rate (CGR), Corrosion Fatigue (CF), Three Point Bend (3PB) or 0.5RC(T) Fracture Toughness Tests. Corrosion and mechanical tests up to 650°C 25 MPa SCW can be performed.
• Autoclave 6 (max. temp. 360°C, max. pressure 200 bar) includes three pneumatic loading devices to conduct mechanical tests in water environment such as: Stress Corrosion Cracking (SCC) Crack Growth Rate (CGR), Corrosion Fatigue (CF), Three Point Bend (3PB) or 0.5RC(T) Fracture Toughness Tests.

Additional equipment is available at the EMMA laboratories: 3D profilometry, optical microscopy, TEM, SEM (EDS), Vicker's micro hardness, sample preparation equipment (cutting, polishing), data management tools. 

It is also possible to make an Open Access Proposal using more than one EMMA laboratory.

Make a proposal

Priority topics of AMALIA

1. Safety and reliability of nuclear components for current and future nuclear systems
2. Support to the development and adaptation of European Codes and Standards
3. Development of advanced test methods for material characterization
4. Characterisation of mechanical properties of candidate and new corrosion-resistant high-temperature materials, incl. surface modifications and welded joints
5. Prediction of design life of new materials, remaining life of service-exposed materials including welded joints subjected to operational conditions by mechanical tests, modelling and microstructural analysis.
6. Characterization of tensile and creep properties using standard and sub-size specimen and small punch tests
7. Characterization of ageing effects for key material properties.

Definition and conditions of access

Access to the research infrastructure is granted based on Access Units (AU). For AMALIA, the AU corresponds to a one week of continuous operation (5 work days, the experiment can run over the weekend and for long-term experiments without intervention allowing for a 24/7 experimental approach). 

It is recommended that the open access project would be proposed for duration of at least 15 AUs. This number is based on time for execution of typical Stress Corrosion Cracking (SCC) initiation tests in high-temperature and pressure water with controlled oxygen or hydrogen content. 15 AUs is sufficient time period to complete three SCC initiation tests including the post-test analysis. It is assumed for the case of only one test per autoclave. However, one of Amalia autoclave is equipped with three loading devices. Thus, three SCC initiation tests can be conducted simultaneously. Moreover, in terms of interest for long term corrosion tests up to 10000 h the required AUs could extended to 40 AUs. 

All users will be requested to complete and deliver safety and security-related documents to get access to the JRC Petten site. Approval of access is subject to the rules of the European Commission, the Joint Research Centre and the Dutch authorities. Submission of documents should, therefore, be started in time to allow completion of the approval procedure well before the start of the experiment.

• Estimated total number of Access Units allocated to the call: 75 AU
• Average number of Access Units per Project: 15 AU
• Estimated maximum duration of the User Access Project: 12 months
• Estimated costs excluding consumables and expenses:
  • Research infrastructure operated by JRC staff: 0 €/AU
  • Research infrastructure operated by users: Not possible

Allocation of intellectual property rights

The JRC and the entitled party (person or organisation that has been granted access) become co-owners in equal shares of all raw data, treated data and documentation data developed with respect to the access.

Eligibility criteria

• The Lead User Institution and User Institutions (see definitions in the Framework) must be established in an EU Member State, or country associated to the Euratom research programme (at the time of publishing this call, the countries associated to the Euratom research programme  are Ukraine and Switzerland).
• The scope of the work for nuclear RIs must be in line with the activities defined in Annex I of Council Regulation (Euratom) 2021/765.
• The Lead User Institution must be from a university, research or public institution, or from a Small-Medium-Enterprise (SME).
• User Institutions belonging to international organisations are eligible provided that the JRC has concluded a Collaboration instrument that ensures reciprocity for Access of Users from the JRC and User Institutions to their respective Research Infrastructures. The JRC Director General may exceptionally authorise the participation of User Institutions belonging to international organisations in the absence of a Collaboration instrument.
• User Institutions established in an EU Member State or in a country associated to the Euratom programme must not be directly or indirectly controlled by non-associated third countries, or by legal entities of non-associated third countries. The JRC Director General may exceptionally authorise the participation of User Institutions controlled directly or indirectly by non-associated third countries, or by legal entities of non-associated third countries.
• Individual Users must be nationals of an EU Member State or a country associated to the Euratom programme. The JRC Director General may exceptionally authorise the participation of Users that are not nationals of EU Member States, or of a country associated to the Euratom programmes, for overriding justified reasons.
• Ethical considerations in accordance with EU Law, in particular Art. 18 and Art. 19 of Regulation (EU) 2021/695, and applicable laws and regulations in the EU Member States.
• The proposal submission form has to be complete and compliant with the instructions.

Selection criteria

Proposals will be evaluated in accordance to the following selection criteria:

• Scientific implementation (50 points)
• Collaboration, training and access of new User Institution (20 points)
• Strategic relevance (30 points)

How to apply

The proposal must be prepared using the Relevance-driven Proposal Submission Form.

During preparation of the proposal, applicants are encouraged to:

• Read the "Framework of Access to Joint Research Centre physical Research Infrastructures" and all related documents in the Framework for Access page.
• Contact the research infrastructure at JRC-OPEN-EMMAec [dot] europa [dot] eu (JRC-OPEN-EMMA[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu) to specify the level of experience of the User(s) to perform related tests and to assess feasibility aspects related to the capacity of the research infrastructure concerning:
  • Material
  • Test parameters,
  • Specimen geometry.

Proposal should be submitted to JRC-RI-OPEN-ACCESSec [dot] europa [dot] eu (JRC-RI-OPEN-ACCESS[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu) by the closing date of the call.

The User Selection Committee will only evaluate proposals that are complete and comply with the instructions in the proposal submission form.