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Energy and Environment Directorate

Ziqing Zhai

Ziqing Zhai

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
PO Box 999
Richland, WA 99352
(509) 372-6172

Biography

Dr. Zhai joined Pacific Northwest National Laboratory as a Postdoc Research Associate in January 2015. Her primary research interests are directed toward understanding the fundamentals of degradation mechanisms of nuclear structural materials and estimating their reliability in engineering applications. She has a strong background in stress corrosion cracking in high-temperature water with hands-on laboratory and microscopy experience evidenced by presentations at well-known international meetings and peer-reviewed publications.

Research Interests

  • Environment-assisted cracking of metallic alloys in light water reactor coolant environments
  • Proactive materials degradation of light water reactor components
  • Corrosion and stress corrosion of candidate metallic alloys in advanced nuclear reactors

Education and Credentials

  • BS in Mechanical Engineering from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China, 2008
  • MS in Reliability Engineering from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China and Ecole des Mines de Nantes, France, 2011
  • PhD in Quantum Science and Energy Engineering, Tohoku University, Japan, 2014

PNNL Publications

2022

  • Kruska K., Z. Zhai, B.J. Riley, M.J. Olszta, and D.K. Schreiber. 2022. "Effect of Applied Stress on the Selective Oxidation of Alloy 600 Exposed to PWR Primary Water and Rhines Pack Environments." In Proceedings of the 20th International Conference on Environmental Degradation of Materials in Nuclear Power Systems - Water Reactors, July 17-21, 2022, Snowmass, CO, ED22-17328-SG. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania:Association for Materials Protection and Performance. PNNL-SA-174340.

2020

  • Zhai Z., M.B. Toloczko, and S.M. Bruemmer. 2020. "Role of Material Condition in Precursor Corrosion Damage and Stress Corrosion Crack Initiation Behavior of Alloy 600 in PWR Primary Water." In CORROSION 2020, June 14-18, 2020, Online, NACE-2020-14536. Houston, Texas:NACE International. PNNL-SA-149432.

2019

  • Kruska K., Z. Zhai, D.K. Schreiber, and S.M. Bruemmer. 2019. "Characterization of Stress Corrosion Cracking Initiation Precursors in Cold-Worked Alloy 690 Using Advanced High-Resolution Microscopy." Corrosion 75, no. 7:727-736. PNNL-SA-138250. doi:10.5006/3051
  • Olszta M.J., Z. Zhai, M.B. Toloczko, and S.M. Bruemmer. 2019. "Examination of Cavity Formation in Cold-Worked Alloy 690." In 19th International Conference on Environmental Degradation of Materials in Nuclear Power Systems - Water Reactors, (EnvDeg 2019), August 18-22, 2019, Boston, MA, 274-285. La Grange Park, Illinois:American Nuclear Society. PNNL-SA-145060.
  • Zhai Z., M.B. Toloczko, and S.M. Bruemmer. 2019. "Effect of Material Condition on Stress Corrosion Crack Initiation of Cold-Worked Alloy 600 in Simulated PWR Primary Water." In 19th International Conference on Environmental Degradation of Materials in Nuclear Power Systems - Water Reactors, (EnvDeg 2019), Sugust 18-22, 2019, Boston, MA, 539-550. La Grange Park, Illinois:American Nuclear Society. PNNL-SA-143462.
  • Zhai Z., M.J. Olszta, M.B. Toloczko, and S.M. Bruemmer. 2019. "Crack Initiation Behavior of Cold-Worked Alloy 690 in Simulated PWR Primary Water - Role of Starting Microstructure, Applied Stress and Cold Work on Precursor Damage Evolution." In 19th International Conference on Environmental Degradation of Materials in Nuclear Power Systems - Water Reactors, (EnvDeg 2019), August 18-22, 2019, Boston, MA, 373-385. La Grange Park, Illinois:American Nuclear Society. PNNL-SA-145209.

2018

  • Toloczko M.B., Z. Zhai, and S.M. Bruemmer. 2018. "SCC Initiation Behavior of Alloy 182 in PWR Primary Water." In Proceedings of the 18th International Conference on Environmental Degradation of Materials in Nuclear Power Systems - Water Reactors (EDM 2017), edited by JH Jackson, D Paraventi and M Wrigth, 1, 137-160. Cham:Springer. PNNL-SA-128211. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-67244-1_9
  • Zhai Z., M.B. Toloczko, and S.M. Bruemmer. 2018. "Microstructural Effects on SCC Initiation PWR Primary Water Cold-Worked Alloy 600." In Proceedings of the 18th International Conference on Environmental Degradation of Materials in Nuclear Power Systems - Water Reactors (EDM 2017), edited by JH Jackson, D Paraventi, M Wright, 1, 217-229. Cham:Springer. PNNL-SA-126736. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-67244-1_14
  • Zhai Z., M.B. Toloczko, D.K. Schreiber, and S.M. Bruemmer. 2018. "Intergranular Stress Corrosion Crack Initiation and Temperature Dependence of Alloy 600 in Pressurized Water Reactor Primary Water." In Proceedings of CORROSION 2018 Conference & Expo, April 15-19, 2018, Phoenix, AZ, Paper No. NACE-2018-11522. Houston, Texas:NACE International. PNNL-SA-129755.

2017

  • Kruska K., Z. Zhai, and S.M. Bruemmer. 2017. "Characterization of SCC Initiation Precursors in Cold-Worked Alloy 690." In CORROSION 2017, March 26-30, New Orleans, Louisiana, Paper No. NACE-2017-9717. Houston, Tx, Texas:NACE International. PNNL-SA-121496.
  • Zhai Z., K. Kruska, M.B. Toloczko, and S.M. Bruemmer. 2017. "Precursor evolution and SCC initiation of cold-worked alloy 690 in simulated PWR primary water." In CORROSION 2017, March 29-30, 2017, New Orleans, Louisiana, Paper No. NACE-2017-9475. Houston, Tx, Texas:NACE International. PNNL-SA-121146.
  • Zhai Z., M.B. Toloczko, K. Kruska, and S.M. Bruemmer. 2017. "Precursor Evolution and Stress Corrosion Cracking Initiation of Cold-Worked Alloy 690 in Simulated Pressurized Water Reactor Primary Water." Corrosion 73, no. 10:1224-1236. PNNL-SA-125212. doi:10.5006/2470
  • Zhai Z., M.B. Toloczko, K. Kruska, D.K. Schreiber, and S.M. Bruemmer. 2017. "Grain boundary damage evolution and SCC initiation of cold-worked alloy 690 in simulated PWR primary water." In Proceedings of the 18th International Conference on Environmental Degradation of Materials in Nuclear Power Systems - Water Reactors (EDM 2017), edited by JH Jackson, D Paraventi and M Wright, 457-483. Cham:Springer. PNNL-SA-129136. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-67244-1_29
  • Zhai Z., M.B. Toloczko, M.J. Olszta, and S.M. Bruemmer. 2017. "Stress Corrosion Crack Initiation of Alloy 600 in PWR Primary Water." Corrosion Science 123. PNNL-SA-123949. doi:10.1016/j.corsci.2017.04.013

Energy and Environment

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