From September 21 to 24, 2026, the International Nuclear Materials Conference NuMat 2026 was held in Halifax, Canada.
NuMat is one of the premier international conferences and a leading scientific platform for specialists engaged in the research, development, and characterization of materials for nuclear and thermonuclear energy technologies. Held biennially, the conference covers a wide scope of topical areas, including thermodynamics and thermophysical properties of nuclear fuels and materials; structural and functional materials; modeling of nuclear fuels and structural materials; material behavior during severe accidents; radiation damage processes; post-irradiation examination of fuels and materials and methods of their characterization; as well as materials and technologies for the nuclear fuel cycle.
The Institute of Atomic Energy branch of the National Nuclear Center of the Republic of Kazakhstan (IAE NNC RK) was represented at the conference by Kuanysh K. Samarkhanov, Senior Researcher at the In-Pile Testing Laboratory.
During the conference, K.K. Samarkhanov delivered a presentation titled “Thermal recovery of radiation-induced hardening in EP-450 and EI-847 steels from BN-350 reactor spent fuel assembly components during isothermal annealing at 470 °C”. The study investigated the post-irradiation thermal recovery of the mechanical properties of EP-450 ferritic-martensitic steel and EI-847 austenitic steel retrieved from spent fuel assembly components of the BN-350 reactor after isothermal annealing at 470 °C for up to 100 hours. It was established that both steels demonstrate a gradual decrease in radiation-induced hardening, with the extent of recovery governed not only by the accumulated damage dose, but also by irradiation temperature, the material’s position within the core, and its initial microstructural state.
The studies presented at the conference were carried out under target-oriented program funding for the topic: “Conducting research to substantiate the selection of efficient and optimal methods and technologies for BN-350 reactor facility spent nuclear fuel management” (IRN BR24993104).
In addition, an oral presentation titled “Determination of specific heat capacity and enthalpy of candidate IG-110 and IG-430 graphite for IGR research reactor conversion” was delivered. This work focused on the experimental determination of the thermophysical properties, specifically the specific heat capacity and enthalpy of IG-110 and IG-430 grade graphites.
Overall, the presented findings attracted significant interest from conference attendees and received positive feedback from international experts. The high organizational standard of the event was widely acknowledged, along with the organizer’s professional approach to participant engagement and the rich, comprehensive scientific program. Particular interest was drawn to plenary and technical sessions focused on cutting-edge research in the radiation resistance of structural materials, nuclear fuel behavior, and advanced experimental characterization and modeling techniques for next-generation nuclear energy systems.