A study of the pore-size distributions of some virgin Oldbury test-well graphites

The pore-size distributions of some virgin Oldbury test-well graphite specimens have been determined using both image analysis and mercury porosimetry. Image analysis has revealed that the pore-size distribution (PSD) is not a function of distance from the channel wall (fuel and interstitial). Differences found between the PSDs of individual specimens have led to predicted weight losses which exhibit a variability similar to that found in installed-specimen data. The results, therefore, confirm that the channel wall densification is unlikely to be pore related, but rather to be due to short-range inhibition in the gas phase. (author)