THE INFLUENCE OF COATED PARTICLES ON THE PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF GRAPHITE- MATRIX FUEL COMPACTS

Technical Report · Tue Jul 23 04:00:00 EDT 1963

OSTI ID:4126900

Goeddel, W V; Pontelandolfo, J M

The effects of coated particle concentrations up to 40 vol% on the physical properties of both hot-pressed and extruded matrix graphite were determined. The strength of extruded graphite-matrix fuel bodies was found to be essentially unaffected by the addition of as much as 40 vol% coated particles, in sharp contrast to hot-pressed bodies which showed a pronounced decline in strength at fuel loadings greater than 30 vol%. However, the hotpressed compacts were considerably stronger than the extruded bodies at low fuel concentrations. The addition of coated particles caused a substantial decrease in the initial high thermal conductivities of both hot-pressed and extruded fuel compacts, particularly in the lower range of fuel temperatures. Thermal conductivities (measured at 1200 deg C) were above 15 Btu/hr deg F ft for fuel loadings of up to 40 vol% in hot-pressed compacts and 20 vol% in extruded compacts. It is concluded that coated particle concentrations of up to 30 vol% can be accommodated in graphite-matrix fuel compacts fabricated by hot-pressing or extrusion with no serious dimunition in physical properties. (auth)

• Research Organization: General Atomic Div., General Dynamics Corp., San Diego, Calif.
• DOE Contract Number: AT(04-3)-167
• NSA Number: NSA-18-008794
• OSTI ID: 4126900
• Report Number(s): GAMD-4441
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

COATING
COMPACTING
EXTRUSION
FUEL ELEMENTS
GRAPHITE
HIGH TEMPERATURE
HOT WORKING
METALS, CERAMICS, AND OTHER MATERIALS
QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS
REACTOR FUELING
TENSILE PROPERTIES
THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY