Method for fracturing silicon-carbide coatings on nuclear-fuel particles

Patent · Thu Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 1981

OSTI ID:864166

Turner, Lloyd J ^[1]; Willey, Melvin G ^[2]; Tiegs, Sue M ^[3]

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1. Oak Ridge, TN
2. Knoxville, TN
3. Lenoir City, TN

This invention is a device for fracturing particles. It is designed especially for use in "hot cells" designed for the handling of radioactive materials. In a typical application, the device is used to fracture a hard silicon-carbide coating present on carbon-matrix microspheres containing nuclear-fuel material, such as uranium or thorium compounds. To promote remote control and facilitate maintenance, the particle breaker is pneumatically operated and contains no moving parts. It includes means for serially entraining the entrained particles on an anvil housed in a leak-tight chamber. The flow rate of the gas is at a value effecting fracture of the particles; preferably, it is at a value fracturing them into product particulates of fluidizable size. The chamber is provided with an outlet passage whose cross-sectional area decreases in the direction away from the chamber. The outlet is connected tangentially to a vertically oriented vortex-flow separator for recovering the product particulates entrained in the gas outflow from the chamber. The invention can be used on a batch or continuous basis to fracture the silicon-carbide coatings on virtually all of the particles fed thereto.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-26
• Assignee: United States of America as represented by United States (Washington, DC)
• Patent Number(s): US 4323198
• OSTI ID: 864166
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

/241/976/
active material
active materials
anvil
application
basis
batch
breaker
carbon-matrix
cells
chamber
coating
coatings
compounds
connected
containing
containing nuclear
contains
continuous
continuous basis
control
cross-sectional
decreases
designed
designed especially
device
direction
effecting
entrained
entrained particles
entraining
especially
facilitate
fed
flow
flow rate
fluidizable
fracture
fracturing
fuel material
fuel particle
fuel particles
gas
handling
hard
hot
hot cell
hot cells
housed
leak-tight
maintenance
material
materials
means
method
microspheres
microspheres containing
moving
nuclear-fuel
operated
oriented
outflow
outlet
outlet passage
particle
particles
particulates
particulates entrained
passage
pneumatically
pneumatically operated
preferably
product
promote
provided
radioactive
radioactive material
radioactive materials
rate
recovering
remote
remote control
separator
serially
silicon-carbide
size
tangentially
thereto
thorium
tight chamber
typical
typical application
uranium
value
vertically
vertically oriented
virtually
vortex-flow