Missions

The post-doctoral fellow will be part of the CHANCE team, of the CHIMENE group of the Energy & Environment department of IJCLab. He/she will carry out his/her work under the supervision of Sylvie Delpech. The research work will focus on the study of molten salt environments based on chlorides and on the behavior of fission products in these salts. He/she will work as part of the ISAC project, a France 2030 collaborative project.

Activités

The post-doctoral fellow will study the chemistry of several fission products of interest (actinides (U, Th), rare earths, platinoids, iodine, selenium, sulfur, etc.) in molten chloride environments selected in the framework of the ISAC project. These studies will be carried out by combining thermodynamic calculations and experimental analyses, mainly carried out by electrochemistry. Analysis tools such as X-ray diffraction, gas micro-chromatography, ATG-DSC, ICP are available in the laboratory to help understanding of the chemical reactivity of the elements chosen in the molten salt. Knowledge of the chemistry of fission products in molten salt environments will make it possible to develop a spent fuel treatment scheme, certain stages of which will be tested in the laboratory.
The research work will be carried out within the collaborative framework of the ISAC project with the CEA and other CNRS laboratories as partners. Regular meetings are planned in which scientific discussions and exchanges take place. The progress of the project is examined during these meetings and reorientations may take place depending on the results obtained.
The research work will be published and presented at national and international conferences.

Compétences

The candidate must hold a PhD. The position requires solid knowledge in analytical and inorganic chemistry, with solid training as an experimental chemist. Previous experience handling radioactive elements such as uranium or thorium would be a plus, as would skills in electrochemistry.
The candidate must also have good oral and written communication skills to present the results during working meetings and in international congresses as well as to write reports and articles in scientific journals.
We are looking for a young researcher who will be able to get involved in their project, have a certain autonomy and strong motivation to develop skills in the field of molten salt chemistry in application to nuclear energy. In addition, the candidate must be able to work in a team using the different techniques made available to successfully complete their project. He/she will need to adapt to different work environments and manage this collaborative project, the ISAC project bringing together different academic and industrial partners.

Contexte de travail

The Irène Joliot-Curie 2 Infinis Physics Laboratory is a physics laboratory under the supervision of the CNRS, the University of Paris-Saclay and the University of Paris, created in 2020 from the merger of the five UMRs located on the university campus. d'Orsay. The laboratory's research themes are nuclear physics, high energy physics, astroparticles and cosmology, theoretical physics, accelerators and particle detectors as well as technical research and development and associated applications for energy, health and the environment. The installation of a laboratory for the study of molten salts in Orsay in 2005 and associated experimental devices made it possible to develop various projects, such as the concept of a fast-spectrum molten salt reactor, based on Th/U and U/Pu nuclear cycles, in molten fluoride or chloride salts, the pyrochemical treatment of solid fuel, the corrosion of steels in molten salt environments, the chemistry of heat transfer salts based on molten nitrates for sodium fast reactors or solar power plants concentration, the direct production of UF6(g) and its interaction with structural materials, the nitriding of low-carbon steels in molten carbonate environments or the dissolution of powdery metal waste in molten hydroxides.
The ISAC project is carried out in the Energy and Environment division of IJCLab. The host team has laboratories in a controlled area for experimental studies on nuclear materials, such as uranium and thorium, on the kilogram scale.

Le poste se situe dans un secteur relevant de la protection du potentiel scientifique et technique (PPST), et nécessite donc, conformément à la réglementation, que votre arrivée soit autorisée par l'autorité compétente du MESR.

Contraintes et risques

This work will involve significant quantities of uranium and possibly thorium in the form of salts or in the metallic state. The candidate must exercise great rigor when handling these radioactive elements. The installations are under the supervision of the protection and risks department. The candidate must respect the recommendations of this service for working in a supervised area.

Informations complémentaires

Applications must include a detailed CV without breaking dates and a personalized cover letter.