Chapter 13 - Fission Reactor Applications of Carbon

Abstract

Carbon is an acceptable moderator that has been used extensively in the form of graphite. It offers an acceptable compromise between nuclear properties, cost, and utility as a structural material for the reactor core. Gas and water-cooled graphite moderated reactors have been constructed for experimental, production, or power generation purposes in numerous countries. In support of the development of graphite moderated reactors, an enormous amount of research has been conducted on the effects of neutron irradiation and radiolytic oxidation on the structure and properties of graphites. The essential mechanisms of these phenomena have been translated into engineering codes and design practices for the safe design, construction and operation of gas-cooled reactors. Gas-cooled, graphite moderated reactors have several significant advantages over other reactor designs by virtue of their inherent passive safety characteristics. Increasingly, national and world leaders are concerned about fossil-fueled power plant gas emissions (greenhouse gases) and the consequences of the ensuing global warming. Hence, there is reason to believe that the role of nuclear power may become more prominent in the future. Inherently safe reactors (such as high-temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGRs)) could play a vital role in the process of regaining public acceptance of nuclear power.