3 ms·
What’s amazing to me is that the kind of graphite used in nuclear reactors doesn’t burn until it’s white hot, somewhere around 1650°C.
by klodolph 6y ago
What’s amazing to me is that the kind of graphite used in nuclear reactors doesn’t burn until it’s white hot, somewhere around 1650°C.
- corty 6y agoThat is not a property of the graphite, its a property of the atmosphere (CO₂, He) or lack thereof (H₂O, molten salts) around the graphite. The Chernobyl core started burning as soon as external atmosphere hit the graphite after an explosion.
- klodolph 6y agoActually, it is a property of graphite. You may be surprised. http://nucleargreen.blogspot.com/2011/03/does-nuclear-grade-graphite-burn.html http://nucleargreen.blogspot.com/2011/03/does-nuclear-grade-...
- sbierwagen 6y agoGraphite doesn't burn well, but it does erode away in a stream of hot oxygen or CO2. https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19660019918.pdf https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/196600... The CO2-based Advanced Gas-cooled Reactor runs at 650C to keep core lifespan reasonable. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Gas-cooled_Reactor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Gas-cooled_Reactor