Oxidation performance of graphite material in reactors

Abstract

Graphite is used as a structural material and moderator for high temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGR). When a reactor is in operation, graphite oxidation influences the safety and operation of the reactor because of the impurities in the coolant and/or the accident conditions, such as water ingress and air ingress. In this paper, the graphite oxidation process is introduced, factors influencing graphite oxidation are analyzed and discussed, and some new directions for further study are pointed out.

Keywords

graphite / oxidation / high temperature gas-cooled reactor