Suraj Persaud PhD, P.Eng

Associate Professor

Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Faculty
Phone: 613-533-6000 ext. 74015
Fax: 613-533-6489
Nicole Hall, Room: 328D


Expertise: Mechanics of Materials, Nuclear Materials, Corrosion
Suraj Persaud
Research Teaching Publications Open Positions

Areas of Research 

As a UNENE Research Chair, the general focus of my research group is corrosion and high temperature oxidation of metals, with specific interest in metals and alloys used for components in nuclear power plants.  This includes corrosion research on materials relevant to the entire life cycle of nuclear plants, from advanced reactor design, to operation of current plants, to waste disposal. Research in my group involves evaluating corrosion susceptiblity of materials using high temperature fracture/corrosion tests and electrochemical measurements in conditions relevant to industrial applications (e.g. nuclear).  Knowing that corrosion of metals and alloys is generally thought to occur through nano-scale mechanisms, we apply cutting-edge microscopy techniques to perform post-exposure examination of corrosion and degradation from the micro-to-atomic scale.  The ultimate goal is to translate our developed mechanistic understanding of materials degradation into mitigation strategies and/or novel materials. 
See the video below for a summary of research interests and a few neat examples!   
(embedded Vimeo video link to https://vimeo.com/256980551) 

Laboratories 

My group works closely with other nuclear materials professors and laboratories.  In particular, we maximize the use of the Reactor Materials Testing Laboratory (RMTL) supported by an Industrial Research Chair (IRC) (Prof. Daymond):  State-of-the-art proton accelerator, nano-indentation, and microscopy facilities are available!   

The high temperature oxidation and corrosion laboratory currently has or is developing the following facilities:  

  • High temperature and pressure static autoclaves and flow loops (aqueous) 
  • Small modular reactor (SMR) corrosion facilities - molten salt and/or liquid Pb corrosion 
  • High temperature oxidation atmospheric pressure reactor. 
  • Necessary wet laboratory equipment (e.g. glassware, electrochemical cells, metallography, etc.). 

Courses 

  • MECH270: Materials Science and Engineering (with Prof. M. Daymond) 
  • MECH483: Nuclear Materials (undergraduate, with Profs. Daymond and Yao) 
  • MECH812: Corrosion  
  • MECH883: Nuclear Materials (graduate, with Profs. Beland, Daymond, and Yao) 

Recent Publications 

  • B. Langelier, S.Y. Persaud, A. Korinek, T. Casagrande, R.C. Newman, and G.A. Botton, “Effects of Boundary Migration and Pinning Particles on Intergranular Oxidation Revealed by 2D and 3D Analytical Electron Microscopy”, Acta Mater. 131 (2017) 280-295. 
  • S.Y. Persaud and R.C. Newman, “A Review of Oxidation Phenomena in Ni Alloys Exposed to Hydrogenated Steam below 500 °C”, Corrosion 72 (2016) 881-896. 
  • B. Langelier, S.Y. Persaud, R.C. Newman, and G.A. Botton, “An Atom Probe Tomography Study of Internal Oxidation Processes in Alloy 600”, Acta Mater. 109 (2016) 55-68. 
  • S.Y. Persaud, R.C. Newman, J. Smith, A. Korinek, and G.A. Botton, “High Resolution Analysis of Oxidation in Ni-Fe-Cr Alloys after Exposure to 315 °C Deaerated Water with added Hydrogen”, Corr. Sci. 106 (2016) 236-248. 
  • S.Y. Persaud, R.C. Newman, S. Ramamurthy, A. Korinek, and G.A. Botton, “The Influence of the High Fe and Cr Contents of Alloy 800 on its Inter- and Intragranular Oxidation Tendency in 480 ºC Hydrogenated Steam”, Corr. Sci. 106 (2016) 117-126. 
  • S.Y. Persaud, S. Ramamurthy, and R.C. Newman, “The Effect of Weld Chemistry on the Oxidation of Alloy 82 Dissimilar Metal Welds”, Corr. Sci. 91 (2015) 58-67. 
  • S.Y. Persaud, A.G. Carcea, and R.C. Newman, “An electrochemical study assisting the interpretation of acid sulfate stress corrosion cracking of NiCrFe alloys”, Corr. Sci. 90 (2015) 383-391. 
  • S.Y. Persaud, S. Ramamurthy, and R.C. Newman, “Internal oxidation of alloy 690 in hydrogenated steam”, Corr. Sci. 90 (2015) 606-613. 
  • S.Y. Persaud, A. Korinek, J. Huang, G.A. Botton, and R.C. Newman, “Internal oxidation of Alloy 600 exposed to hydrogenated steam and the beneficial effects of thermal treatment”, Corr. Sci. 86 (2014) 108–122. 
  • S.Y. Persaud, A.G. Carcea, J. Huang, A. Korinek, G.A. Botton, and R.C. Newman, “Analytical Electron Microscopy of a Crack Tip Extracted from a Stressed Alloy 800 Sample Exposed to an Acid Sulfate Environment”, Micron 61 (2014) 62-69. 

Research Projects: 

Master and Doctoral positions arise most years. Students with interest in developing multi-disciplinary skills applicable to corrosion of materials, and seeking to analyze materials at the nano-scale are encouraged to apply. Extensive interaction with industry - UNENE partners and NWMO - is paramount to all projects.  Some potential project areas for students to consider include: 

  • Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of nickel alloys in aqueous environments. 
  • Irradiation-assisted SCC of stainless steels. 
  • Degradation of materials relevant to nuclear waste canister materials. 
  • Corrosion in aggressive environments relevant to SMRs. 
  • High temperature oxidation of model alloys. 
  • Development of oxidation-resistant materials (e.g. Fe-Cr-Al) for high temperature applications. 
  • High temperature hydrogen attack/creep cracking of carbon steel. 
  • Gaseous oxidation of nickel alloys at intermediate temperatures. 

I seek interested students in science and engineering (materials, mechanical, chemical, physics are preferred). All projects will involve collaborating with and/or presenting to interested industrial parties. 



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