The oxidation of carbonaceous deposit in nuclear reactors

The various considerations underlying the CEGB's interest in the optimisation of reactor coolants have been discussed. Together with graphite corrosion and carbon deposition, deposit oxidation is also affected by coolant composition and must be considered in the optimisation. This paper describes recent data obtained in the BNL Gamma Irradiation Facility on the effect of CO, CH4 and H2O on the oxidation of deposit derived from CH4 and compares it with data obtained elsewhere. An attempt is also made to correlate the BNL data with generally accepted theories of the C-CO2 reaction. (author)