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Title: Laboratory for Characterization of Irradiated Graphite

Abstract

The newly completed Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Carbon Characterization Laboratory (CCL) is located in Labs C19 and C20 of the Idaho National Laboratory Research Center (IRC). The CCL was established under the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP) Project to support graphite and ceramic composite research and development activities. The research is in support of the Advanced Graphite Creep (AGC) experiment — a major material irradiation experiment within the NGNP Graphite program. The CCL is designed to characterize and test low activated irradiated materials such as high purity graphite, carbon-carbon composites, and silicon-carbide composite materials. The laboratory is fully capable of characterizing material properties for both irradiated and nonirradiated materials.

Authors:
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Idaho National Laboratory (INL)
Sponsoring Org.:
DOE - NE
OSTI Identifier:
980792
Report Number(s):
INL/EXT-10-18039
TRN: US201012%%1215
DOE Contract Number:
DE-AC07-05ID14517
Resource Type:
Technical Report
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS; CARBON; CERAMICS; COMPOSITE MATERIALS; GRAPHITE; IMPURITIES; IRRADIATION; MATERIALS; SUPPORTS; Carbon Characterization Laboratory; material irradiation experiment; NGNP

Citation Formats

Karen A. Moore. Laboratory for Characterization of Irradiated Graphite. United States: N. p., 2010. Web. doi:10.2172/980792.
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Karen A. Moore. Laboratory for Characterization of Irradiated Graphite. United States. doi:10.2172/980792.
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Karen A. Moore. Mon . "Laboratory for Characterization of Irradiated Graphite". United States. doi:10.2172/980792. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/980792.
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@article{osti_980792,
title = {Laboratory for Characterization of Irradiated Graphite},
author = {Karen A. Moore},
abstractNote = {The newly completed Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Carbon Characterization Laboratory (CCL) is located in Labs C19 and C20 of the Idaho National Laboratory Research Center (IRC). The CCL was established under the Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP) Project to support graphite and ceramic composite research and development activities. The research is in support of the Advanced Graphite Creep (AGC) experiment — a major material irradiation experiment within the NGNP Graphite program. The CCL is designed to characterize and test low activated irradiated materials such as high purity graphite, carbon-carbon composites, and silicon-carbide composite materials. The laboratory is fully capable of characterizing material properties for both irradiated and nonirradiated materials.},
doi = {10.2172/980792},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 2010},
month = {Mon Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 2010}
}
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DOI:  10.2172/980792
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  • The Carbon Characterization Laboratory (CCL) is located in Labs C19 and C20 of the Idaho National Laboratory Research Center. The CCL was established under the Next Generation Nuclear Plant Project to support graphite and ceramic composite research and development activities. The research conducted in this laboratory will support the Advanced Graphite Creep experiments—a major series of material irradiation experiments within the Next Generation Nuclear Plant Graphite program. The CCL is designed to characterize and test low activated irradiated materials such as high purity graphite, carbon-carbon composites, silicon-carbide composite, and ceramic materials. The laboratory is fully capable of characterizing material propertiesmore » for both irradiated and nonirradiated materials. Major infrastructural modifications were undertaken to support this new radiological facility at Idaho National Laboratory. Facility modifications are complete, equipment has been installed, radiological controls and operating procedures have been established and work management documents have been created to place the CCL in readiness to receive irradiated graphite samples.« less

  • This document describes the design at a conceptual level for the Irradiated Materials Characterization Laboratory (IMCL) to be located at the Materials and Fuels Complex (MFC) at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). The IMCL is an 11,000-ft2, Hazard Category-2 nuclear facility that is designed for use as a state of the-art nuclear facility for the purpose of hands-on and remote handling, characterization, and examination of irradiated and nonirradiated nuclear material samples. The IMCL will accommodate a series of future, modular, and reconfigurable instrument enclosures or caves. To provide a bounding design basis envelope for the facility-provided space and infrastructure, anmore » instrument enclosure or cave configuration was developed and is described in some detail. However, the future instrument enclosures may be modular, integral with the instrument, or reconfigurable to enable various characterization environments to be configured as changes in demand occur. They are not provided as part of the facility.« less

  • This document contains details regarding the planned implementation of the Irradiated Materials Characterization Laboratory at the INL.

  • ;
    An apparatus was developed for measuring the thermal conductivity coefficient K of irradiated or nonirradiated graphite. The measurement of K at around room temperature with an accuracy of about 5% is possible. The study specimen is placed in a vacuum between a hot and a cold source which create a temperature gradient DELTA be- / DELTA x in the steady state. The amount of heat transferred, Q, is deduced from the electrical power dissipated at the hot source, after allowing for heat losses. The thermal conductivity coefficient is defined as: K = Q/S. DELTA x/ DELTA be- , S beingmore » the cross section of the sample. Systematic studies have made it possible to determine the mean values of the thermal conductivity. (auth)« less

  • ;
    Although the qualitative mechanism of irradiation damage and dimensional change of graphite crystallites is quite well understood, the existing quantitative theories do not predict the irradiation shrinkage behaviour of a range of graphites with very good accuracy. It is suggested that this is because the effects of crystallite height, crystallite diameter crystallite shape and crystallite mechanical properties such as the shear modulus are not considered with respect to the magnitude of crystallite/crystallite dimensional interactions. A model which takes into account these effects is developed and the associated physical property parameter correlated against the initial irradiation volume shrinkage rates of fourteenmore » different graphites. It is considered more logical that the volume change of a graphite should be first understood and the anisotropy taken into account at a later stage. (auth)« less