Graphite fuel studies, Part 2: fine grinding of artificial graphite
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Date
1959-03
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Publisher
Australian Atomic Energy Commission
Abstract
Homogeneous dispersions of fissile and fertile material in graphite are being currently considered as fuel for high-temperature, gas-cooled nuclear reactors. A possible method of fuel preparation involves compaction of finely ground artificial graphite with U and Th metal powders. Size reduction of artificial graphite is therefore of interest in the preparation of graphite-fuel compacts. Reactor graphite has been successively size reduced in a jaw crusher, pin disc mill and ball mill to give material 50% finer than 9 microns, and with a B.E.T. nitrogen adsorption surface area ranging up to 18.4 m2/g. This variables in ball milling have been studied, and in particular it was found that Ni-hard balls gave a faster grinding rate, but a higher contamination than was obtained with steel balls. Leaching with boiling HCI was effective in removing contamination introduced by these grinding media. The Rosin-Rammler function, R = 100e - (x/x)n applied to the size distributions of the ground graphite. In the size range 70-1000 microns the distribution constant "n" equaled 1, which is consistent with publishing data for other materials. However, above and below this size range, the distribution constant approximated 2. This high value of n for the sub-sieve range has not been previously reported, but is not peculiar to artificial graphite as other materials were found to have a similar value of n.
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Keywords
Graphite, Grinding, Dispersions, Gas cooled reactors, Fuels
Citation
May, J. R., Warner, R. K. (1959). Graphite fuel studies, Part 2: fine grinding of artificial graphite. (AAEC/E41). Lucas Heights, NSW: Australian Atomic Energy Commission.