Hi everyone, I am Wei Chen. I am currently pursuing my master’s degree in nuclear engineering at the Seoul University (SNU). Before coming to Korea, I graduated at the University of Malaya (UM) with a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering. Engaging in the nuclear energy has always been my dream and this shcolarship has helped me to fulfill it.

Both Singapore and all the other ASEAN countries are still highly relying on the fossil fuels as the sources of energy generation which will continue to pose challenges to these nations admist the ambitious global climate goal that should be achieved in just a few decades later. Not even mention the rolled up plans of data centres to support the AI development which will eventually bring abrupt increase in the demand of energy. In order to stay competent in the future, Singapore and ASEAN need much more reliable clean energy sources where nuclear energy can suit this purpose well.

My current research work focusses on the mehanical degradation of cladding tube that is used to encapsulate the uranium fuel from the coolant in the nuclear reactor. During the operation, the hydrogen comes from the coolant can be precipitated in the cladding which leads to the embrittlememt of cladding. This can then be fatal at the later stage of transportation and spent fuel storage which will cause the leakage of radioactive susbtances into the environment. My work is to predict the mechanical properties of the hydrided cladding material via simulation work that is based on the experimental data. The results are aimed to provide insights for future improvement and designs of cladding materials, especially under the spent fuel storage environment.

Besides the research, I enjoy café hopping and searching nice food around here a well as listening to the K-pop songs.