POROUS PARTICLE FABRICATION PROCESS

• US 3,619,428 A
• Filed: 04/05/1968
• Issued: 11/09/1971
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/1968
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Constant V. David
• Original Assignee: Constant V. David
• Inventors: David, Constant V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Padgett, Benjamin R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hellman, S. R.
• Application Number:
  US04/719,069
• Time in Patent Office: 1,313 Days
• Field of Search: 264/15,43,44,.5 176/91SP
• US Class Current: 264/14
• CPC Class Codes: G21C 21/02 Manufacture of fuel elements or breeder elements contained in non-active casings
• CPC Class Codes: G21C 3/64 Ceramic dispersion fuel, e.g. cermet
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 30/30 Nuclear fission reactors

Abstract

The method of fabricating spheroid-shaped particles of porous carbon with metal or metallic compound powder dispersed therein, which particles have controlled size, shape and porosity, by dispersing powdered metal or metallic compound material that may comprise fissionable material in precured resin particles, heating the particles in a suspended condition in a fluid medium to spherically shape and cure the particles and then pyrolyzing the cured particles to produce the spheroid-shaped porous char matrix binding the metal or metallic compound powder together.

Claims

2. The process for the fabrication of spheroid porous graphite particles having powdered material of metal or metallic compounds dispersed therein as claimed in claim 1 including the steps of, settling the cured spheroid particles in the heated fluid, and extracting the cured spheroid particles from the fluid.

3. The process for the fabrication of spheroid porous graphite particles having powdered material of metal or metallic compounds dispersed therein and having a given size as claimed in claim 2 including the step of, sorting the cured spheroid particles as to size.

4. The process for the fabrication of spheroid porous graphite particles having powdered material of metal or metallic compounds dispersed therein as claimed in claim 1 in which, the dispersing step including shaping the grits to a spheroid by surface tension forces, and dispersing the spheroid particles sufficiently in the fluid as to substantially prevent agglomeration of the particles until the resin in the particles is cured.

5. The process for the fabrication of spheroid porous graphite particles having powdered material of metal or metallic compounds dispersed therein as claimed in claim 4 in which, the dispersing and curing steps including dispersing the grits in a heated liquid bed, moving the spheroid particles through the liquid bed by gravity, curing the resin in the spheroid particles during the movement through the liquid bed, and removing the liquid from the cured spheroid particles.

6. The process for the fabrication of spheroid porous graphite particles having powdered material of metal or metallic compounds dispersed therein as claimed in claim 4 in which, the dispersing and curing steps including dispersing the grits in a heated gaseous bed, moving the spheroid particles through the gaseous bed by gravity, and moving the gas in the gaseous bed upwardly with sufficient force to reduce the speed of movement of the spheroid particles whereby the resin in the particles is cured during the movement.

7. The process for the fabrication of spheroid porous graphite particles having powdered material of metal or metallic compounds dispersed therein as claimed in claim 1 including the steps of, cooling the precured mixed material and resin, coarse screening the particle grits and returning large size grits to the crushing step, and fine screening the particle grits and returning small size particles to the mixing step.

8. The process for the fabrication of spheroid porous graphite particles having powdered material of metal or metallic compounds dispersed therein and having a given size as claimed in claim 1 including the step of, mixing carbon in the form of small particles with the powdered material and the resin.

9. The process for the fabrication of spheroid porous graphite particles having powdered material of metal or metallic compounds dispersed therein and having a given size as claimed in claim 8 in which, the mixed powdered material, resin and carbon having a volumetric Ratio of 5 to 50 percent powdered material, 0 to 40 percent carbon and 10 to 95 percent resin.

10. The process for the fabrication of spheroid porous graphite particles having powdered material of metal or metallic compounds dispersed therein and having a given size as claimed in claim 1 in which, the resin comprising a resin that pyrolyzes from the cured solid state.

11. The process of fabrication of given size porous graphite particles having powdered material of metal or metallic compounds dispersed therein comprising the steps of, mixing a powdered material of metal or metallic compound with a resin, curing the resin with the mixed material dispersed therein to a solid form, crushing the solid mixed material to particle grits having a given range of sizes, and charring the resin in the cured grit to a porous graphite binder.

12. The process for the fabrication of given sized porous graphite particles having powdered material of metal or metallic compounds therein as claimed in claim 11 in which, the resin comprising a resin that pyrolyzes from the cured solid state, and mixing carbon in the form of small particles with the powdered material and the resin.

13. The process for the fabrication of given sized porous graphite particles having powdered material of metal or metallic compounds therein as claimed in claim 11 including the steps of, cooling the cured mixed material and resin, coarse screening the particle grits and returning large size grits to the crushing step, and fine screening the particle grits and returning small size grits to the mixing step.