nuclear-news

Graphite in nuclear reactors damaged by radiation

UK Engineers Examine Damages in Nuclear Reactors Due to Radiation Exposure, Azo Nano Technology, 18 Feb 2011, Researchers from the University of Leeds have teamed up with colleagues from the Universities of Manchester, Nottingham, Salford, Sussex and Huddersfield to examine how daily radiation exposure gradually damages the graphite blocks that sustain nuclear chain reactions…….
Graphite is a key component of most working nuclear reactors in the UK and for the most exciting designs of new high temperature reactors. The graphite blocks act as a brake for high-speed neutrons, slowing them down to speeds that are most effective for nuclear fission.

Not surprisingly, the daily neutron bombardment takes its toll on these graphite ‘moderators’. The clusters of linked carbon atoms – or crystallites – that make up the graphite change their shape and the blocks become more porous……

February 19, 2011 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | technology