The reactor core, moderator and reflectors of a thermal spectrum advanced molten salt reactor will constitute multi-tons of graphite. Porous reactor-grade graphite, if unprotected, can be permeated by molten salt depending on the infiltrating pressure differential and entrance diameters of accessible graphite pores. Salt and gas permeation of graphite can affect microstructural properties and radiation behavior but also facilitate diffusion, deposition and retention of fission products and tritium. Because of the significant void volume of nuclear graphite, fission products and tritium retention due to salt permeation necessitates seal coatings or pore impregnation to reduce open porosity. Alternatively, very fine-grained graphite grades with low Xe permeability are being developed. In this work, we survey the current technologies for mitigating salt and gas transport into graphite.
Lee, Yoonjo, et al. "Protection of graphite from salt and gas permeation in molten salt reactors." Journal of Nuclear Materials, vol. 534, no. C, Apr. 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2020.152119
Lee, Yoonjo, Arregui Mena, Jose', Contescu, Cristian I., Burchell, Timothy, Kato, Yutai, & K. Loyalka, Sudarshan (2020). Protection of graphite from salt and gas permeation in molten salt reactors. Journal of Nuclear Materials, 534(C). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2020.152119
Lee, Yoonjo, Arregui Mena, Jose', Contescu, Cristian I., et al., "Protection of graphite from salt and gas permeation in molten salt reactors," Journal of Nuclear Materials 534, no. C (2020), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2020.152119
@article{osti_1616802,
author = {Lee, Yoonjo and Arregui Mena, Jose' and Contescu, Cristian I. and Burchell, Timothy and Kato, Yutai and K. Loyalka, Sudarshan},
title = {Protection of graphite from salt and gas permeation in molten salt reactors},
annote = {The reactor core, moderator and reflectors of a thermal spectrum advanced molten salt reactor will constitute multi-tons of graphite. Porous reactor-grade graphite, if unprotected, can be permeated by molten salt depending on the infiltrating pressure differential and entrance diameters of accessible graphite pores. Salt and gas permeation of graphite can affect microstructural properties and radiation behavior but also facilitate diffusion, deposition and retention of fission products and tritium. Because of the significant void volume of nuclear graphite, fission products and tritium retention due to salt permeation necessitates seal coatings or pore impregnation to reduce open porosity. Alternatively, very fine-grained graphite grades with low Xe permeability are being developed. In this work, we survey the current technologies for mitigating salt and gas transport into graphite.},
doi = {10.1016/j.jnucmat.2020.152119},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1616802},
journal = {Journal of Nuclear Materials},
issn = {ISSN 0022-3115},
number = {C},
volume = {534},
place = {United States},
publisher = {Elsevier},
year = {2020},
month = {04}}
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 733https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2013.05.094