Method and apparatus for making dense bodies of refractory materials

Claim 1

HIGH PRESSURE AND TEMPERATURE APPARATUS FOR FORMING VERY DENSE BODIES FROM PARTICLES HAVING RELATIVELY HIGH ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY BY SIMULTANEOUS APPLICATION OF HEAT AND PRESSURE, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING A HOLLOW THIN-WALLED TOROIDAL JACKET ADAPTED FOR FLUID COMMUNICATION WITH A SOURCE OF COOLANT, SAID JACKET HAVING AN OUTER SIDE WALL AND AN INNER SIDE WALL SPACED INWARDLY THEREFROM, SAID INNER WALL BEING SHORTER IN LENGTH THAN SAID OUTER SIDE WALL, AND BEING FORMED WITH A SLOT EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID OUTER SIDE WALL AND SAID INNER WALL, SAID JACKET ALSO INCLUDING UPPER AND LOWER SURFACES INTERCONNECTING SAID SIDE WALLS AND CONVERGING INWARDLY TOWARDS AN AXIAL OPENING DEFINED BY SAID INNER SIDE WALL, A PAIR OF HIGH PRESSURE PLUNGERS ADAPTED TO SLIDABLY FIT RESPECTIVELY WITHIN SAID AXIAL OPENING, ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE ELEMENTS DISPOSED ON THE FACING ENDS OF SAID PLUNGERS, PRESSURE MEANS CONNECTED TO THE OUTER ENDS OF SAID PLUNGERS AND ADAPTED TO MOVE EACH OF SAID PLUNGERS AXIALLY OF SAID SLEEVE FOR THE EXERTION OF ELEVATED PRESSURE UPON A MASS OF PARTICLES DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID PLUNGERS WITHIN SAID OPENING, AND ELECTRICAL MEANS DISPOSED AROUND SAID JACKET AND INCLUDING AN ELECTRICAL CONDUCTOR CONNECTED TO AN ALTERNATING CURRENT SOURCE WHICH CONDUCTOR IS SPIRALLY COILED AROUND SAID TOROIDAL JACKET AND INSULATED THEREFORM, SAID COOLANT SOURCE CAUSING SUFFICIENT COOLANT TO PASS THROUGH THE JACKET TO MAINTAIN A CONDITION SUCH AS TO QUICKLY DISSIPATE THE HEAT FROM SAID BODY AND ALLOW SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUS REPETITION OF THE FORMING PROCEDURE.

Claim 3

A METHOD FOR FORMING A CONTAINER FOR NUCLEAR FUEL MATERIAL WHICH METHOD COMPRISES MIXING A BINDER WITH GRAPHITE PARTICLES, DISPOSING THE MIXTURE IN A HOLLOW THINWALLED ENCLOSURE, INITIALLY COMPRESSING THE MIXTURE AND PASSING AN ELECTRICAL CURRENT THROUGH THE MIXTURE SUFFICIENT TO ASSURE LIQUEFACTION OF THE BINDER, THEN COMPRESSING THE MIXTURE WITH A PRESSURE OF AT LEAST ABOUT 4,000 P.S.I. AND SIMULTANEOUSLY THEREWITH PASSING A HIGH AMPERAGE CURRENT DIRECTLY THROUGH THE MIXTURE SUFFICIENT TO PRODUCE A TEMPERATURE OF AT LEAST ABOUT 1800*C. THEREWITHIN, DISCONTINUING SAID HEATING AND SAID COMPRESSING AFTER THE MIXTURE IS FORMED INTO A UNIFORMLY STRONG DENSE GRAPHITE BODY HAVING A VERY LOW PERMEABILITY TO GASEOUS FISSION PRODUCTS, CONTINUOUSLY CIRCULATING SUFFICIENT COOLANT WITHIN THE WALLS OF SAID ENCLOSURE THROUGHOUT THE FORMING TO RAPIDLY COOL SAID BODY AND SAID ENCLOSURE SO THAT SAID BODY CAN BE REMOVED FROM SAID ENCLOSURE SHORTLY AFTER SAID HEATING IS DISCONTINUED AND SO THAT SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUS REPETITION OF SAID FORMING METHOD CAN BE PERFORMED IN A SINGLE ENCLOSURE.

Claim 4

A METHOD FOR FORMING A CONTAINER FOR NUCLEAR FUEL MATERIAL WHICH METHOD COMPRISES MIXING A BINDER WITH GRAPHITE PARTICLES, DISPOSING THE MIXTURE IN A HOLLOW THINWALLED ENCLOSURE, INITIALLY COMPRESSING THE MIXTURE AND PASSING AN ELECTRICAL CURRENT THROUGH THE MIXTURE SUFFICIENT TO ASSURE LIQUEFACTION OF THE BINDER, THEN COMPRESSING THE MIXTURE WITH A PRESSURE OF AT LEAST ABOUT 4,000 P.S.I. AND SIMULTANEOUSLY THEREWITH PASSING A HIGH AMPERAGE CURRENT DIRECTLY THROUGH THE MIXTURE SUFFICIENT TO PRODUCE A TEMPERATURE OF AT LEAST ABOUT 1800*C. THEREWITHIN, DISCONTINUING SAID HEATING AND SAID COMPRESSING AFTER THE MIXTURE IS FORMED INTO A UNIFORMLY STRONG DENSE GRAPHITE BODY HAVING A VERY LOW PERMEABILITY TO GASEOUS FISSION PRODUCTS, CONTINUOUSLY CIRCULATING SUFFICIENT COOLANT WITHIN THE WALLS OF SAID ENCLOSURE THROUGHOUT THE FORMING TO RAPIDLY COOL SAID BODY AND SAID ENCLOSURE SO THAT SAID BODY CAN BE REMOVED FROM SAID ENCLOSURE SHORTLY AFTER SAID HEATING IS DISCONTINUED AND SO THAT SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUS REPETITION OF SAID FORMING METHOD CAN BE PERFORMED IN A SINGLE ENCLOSURE.