Role at ANSTO
Phil Sutton is a chemist working in the Wasteform Engineering Team, a section within ANSTO Synroc. The team specialises in the research and development of candidate materials or ‘wasteforms’ to support the safe and efficient disposition of nuclear wastes with a focus on problematic nuclear waste streams. The team studies glass, glass-ceramic and ceramic materials, to immobilise radioactive wastes using ANSTO’s Synroc Technology.
Phil provides experimental and technical support to other members of the team, using his skills in analytical chemistry to characterise the chemical and physical properties of materials under investigation. He also undertakes durability testing to quantify the rate at which different materials corrode or release specific constituent elements under varying environmental conditions. This work involves the use of a range of instrumental techniques, including X-Ray Diffractometry (XRD), Inductively Coupled Plasma-Atomic Emission Spectrometry (ICP-AES) and Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS), as well as managing and implementing a suite of standard durability test methods such as ASTM C1285, ASTM C1220, ASTM C1109 and ASTM C1662. Phil also acts as area supervisor for the Trace Element Chemistry Laboratory, which provides support to a number of research and operational groups across ANSTO.
Expertise
- Analytical chemistry
- Trace element analysis
- Nuclear wasteforms
- Materials durability
- Inductively Coupled Plasma – Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS)
- Inductively Coupled Plasma-Atomic Emission Spectrometry (ICP-AES)