Abstract A method of making fissionable-fuel or fertile elements for the core of a nuclear reactor, especially a reactor of the gas-cooled type, wherein the fuel or fertile material is introduced into graphite shells in the form of coated particles and a pyrolytically decomposable carbon-containing or silane gas is passed upwardly through the shell while the mass therein is heated by displacing an induction-furnace core downwardly around the graphite shell thereby bonding the coated particles together with pyrolytic carbon, silicon carbide or zirconium carbide formed in situ to yield a coherent mass with a porosity of, say, 10 to 25%. The gas is preferably a mixture of one or more inert gases (nitrogen, argon or helium) with one or more hydrocarbons or carbon-containing gases, e.g. methane, acetylene, benzene, or silanes).
A METHOD OF MAKING A FISSIONABLE FUEL OR FERTILE ELEMENT CONTAINING PYROLYTIC-CARBON OR CERAMIC COATED PARTICLES OF FISSIONABLE FUEL OR FERTILE MATERIAL HAVING A PARTICLE SIZE OF 400 TO 1,000 MICRONS COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: A. CONFINING A MASS OF SAID PARTICLES IN A PERFORATED GRAPHITE SHELL, B. HEATING SAID PARTICLE MASS WITH AN AXIALLY DISPLACEABLE INDICATION-FURNACE COIL TO THE PYROLYSIS TEMPERATURE OF A PYROLYTICALLY DECOMPOSABLE GAS STREAM COMPRISING AT LEAST ONE CARRIER GAS SELECTED FROM NITROGEN, ARGON, HELIUM, OR HYDROGEN AND AT LEAST ONE COMPOUND SELECTED FROM METHANE, ACETYLENE, BENZENE, OR TRICHLOROMETHYLSILANE,
Claim 2
Independent Claim
93 words
A METHOD OF MAKING A FISSIONABLE FUEL OR FERTILE ELEMENT CONTAINING PYROLYTIC-CARBON OR CERAMIC COATED PARTICLES OF FISSIONABLE FUEL OR FERTILE MATERIAL HAVING A PARTICLE SIZE OF 400 TO 1,000 MICRONS COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: A. CONFINING A MASS OF SAID PARTICLES IN A PERFORATED GRAPHITE SHELL, B. HEATING SAID PARTICLE MASS WITH AN AXIALLY DISPLACEABLE INDICATION-FURNACE COIL TO THE PYROLYSIS TEMPERATURE OF A PYROLYTICALLY DECOMPOSABLE GAS STREAM COMPRISING AT LEAST ONE CARRIER GAS SELECTED FROM NITROGEN, ARGON, HELIUM, OR HYDROGEN AND AT LEAST ONE COMPOUND SELECTED FROM METHANE, ACETYLENE, BENZENE, OR TRICHLOROMETHYLSILANE,
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
18 words
The method defined in claim 1 wherein said particles are heated at a temperature between 1,200*C and 2,100*C.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
19 words
The method defined in claim 1 wherein said substance is the same material as the coating of the particles.