Design of the material performance test apparatus for high temperature gas-cooled reactor

Most materials can be easily corroded or ineffective in carbonaceous atmospheres at high temperatures in the reactor core of the high temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR). To solve the problem, a material performance test apparatus was built to provide reliable materials and technical support for relevant experiments of the HTGR. The apparatus uses a center high-purity graphite heater and surrounding thermal insulating layers made of carbon fiber felt to form a strong carbon reducing atmosphere inside the apparatus. Specially designed tungsten rhenium thermocouples which can endure high temperatures in carbonaceous atmospheres are used to control the temperature field. A typical experimental process was analyzed in the paper, which lasted 76 hours including seven stages. Experimental results showed the test apparatus could completely simulate the carbon reduction atmosphere and high temperature environment the same as that confronted in the real reactor and the performance of screened materials had been successfully tested and verified. Test temperature in the apparatus could be elevated up to 1600℃, which covered the whole temperature range of the normal operation and accident condition of HTGR and could fully meet the test requirements of materials used in the reactor. (authors)