Under the guidance of the Nuclear Science Committee (NSC), the Working Party on Materials Science Issues in Nuclear Fuels and Structural Materials (WPFM) addresses materials science aspects of nuclear fuel, cladding and structural materials, including supporting development and selection of innovative and advanced materials solutions.
The WPFM works on the development/evaluation of experimental methods and data assessment and preservation, together with the advancement of multi-scale modelling and simulation, with a focus on their mutual support to progress validated predictive methodologies for assessment and/or design purposes.
The WPFM aims to:
The WPFM oversees two expert groups, the Expert Group on Fuel Materials (EGFM) and the Expert Group on Structural Materials (EGSM) and promote cross-cutting activities whenever possible.
| Members | All NEA member countries |
| Full participant | European Commission (under the NEA Statute) |
| Observer (international organisation) |
International Atomic Energy Agency (by agreement) |
NEA WPFM Secretariat: Alice DUFRESNE
The participants' working area is now hosted on MyNEA SharePoint
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The WPFM exchanges information with the NEA's Second Framework for Irradiation Experiments (FIDES-II) and supports its activities (especially on modelling and simulation of fuel and material behaviour under irradiation) as relevant and in compliance with the data dissemination policy. The efforts will involve providing advice on the prioritisation of the data needs for the parameterisation and validation of nuclear materials modelling and simulation tools, and expertise on the analysis and interpretation of the experimental data related to the post irradiation examination studies.
The WPFM liaises closely with other NEA working groups, especially those operating under the guidance of the NSC, in order to ensure the complementarity of the respective work programmes, to provide advice and support, where required, and undertake common activities, where appropriate. Particularly close working relationships are maintained with the Working Party on Scientific Issues of Advanced Fuel Cycles (WPFC), the WPFC Expert Group on Innovative Fuel Elements (EGIFE), the Expert Group on Reactor Fuel Performance (EGRFP) and its Database for International Fuel Performance Experiments (DATIF) project.
It also maintains close working relationships with NEA Joint Undertakings, such as the Thermodynamics of Advanced Fuels International Database (TAF-ID), the Thermodynamic Characterisation of Fuel Debris and Fission Products Based on Scenario Analysis of Severe Accident Progression (TCOFF) and the Accident Tolerant Fuel cladding bundle testing at QUENCH facility in KIT, Germany (QUENCH-ATF).
The WPFM also liaises with the activities operating under the guidance of Committee on the Safety of Nuclear Installations (CSNI), including the Working Group on Integrity and Ageing of Components and Structures (WGIAGE) and the Studsvik Material Integrity Life Extension (SMILE) joint project. The WPFM will liaise with the Radioactive Waste Management Committee (RWMC) through the development of its new activities in the domain of the application of materials as a factor of optimisation of radioactive waste management programmes.
The WPFM will collaborate with industry representatives, as relevant, and international organisations such as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the European Commission (EC) and the Generation IV International Forum (GIF).
Second Framework for Irradiation Experiments (FIDES‑II)
