Managing the Full Life Cycle of a Reactor With a Graphite Core

Anthony J Wickham (ed.)
2025

ISBN 978-0-9935485-6-7 | 304 PAGES | £75 (FESI MEMBERS 10% OFF)

SHIPPING £15 p&p (UK), £55 p&p (WORLDWIDE)

This book contains selected papers from the 7th EDF Energy Nuclear Graphite Conference held in Manchester, UK, May 7–9, 2024.

Foreword—Jim Reed
Preface—Anthony J Wickham

Part 1—Inspection and monitoring

Getting the most from limited inspections
Peter Robinson, Rebecca Newson, and Chris Lynch

Mechanical testing techniques for high temperature characterisation of irradiated nuclear graphite grades
Chloe McElvaney, Matthew SL Jordan, John Dinsdale-Potter, Alex Cackett, Tim Shaw, Michael Crelling, and Athanasia Tzelepi

Part 2—Radiolytic graphite oxidation

The modelling of weight loss in Gilsocarbon graphite: an overview
G Peter Matthews, Anthony J Wickham, and Anthony Harker

A simplified conceptual model for the acceleration in the rate of radiolytic oxidation of graphite as a function of weight loss
Reece Lincoln, Jamie Broad, Amanda Young, John Taylor, and Mark Bradford

Data-led models: what can physics do for us?
Simon Rookyard, Peter Robinson, and Rebecca Newson

What can the understanding of other granular, porous materials potentially tell us about AGR graphite?
Alexander Bond

Part 3—Component cracking

Local and whole core response to seal-ring/groove wall plant modifications in AGRIGID and MoFEM: development plan and early results
Cameron Minors and Patrick Loughnane

Modelling the evolution of damage in AGR fuel bricks
Rebecca Newson, Peter Robinson, and Claire Watson

Evolution of AGR statistical property models and associated stress-analysis calculations
Alexander Bond, Louise Bruffell, Peter Robinson, and Simon Rookyard

Graphite material property model calibration and cracking forecasts for advanced gas-cooled reactors
Daniel Kent, Richard Gray, and Rory Miller

Recent developments in UCBNA/XCBNA models for predicting crack initiation and propagation in the UK AGR graphite reactor
Huaguo Teng, Chris J Jones, Jonathan S Wright, and Neil McLachlan

HYB/TOR seal ring groove wall cracking rig-work
Neil McLachlan, Ross McMurtry, and Paul Hutchinson

Part 4—Modelling component integrity

Recent developments in models for predicting seal ring groove wall fragment mobility in the UK AGR graphite reactor
Jonathan S Wright

MoFEM crack propogation modelling of keyway root cracks in Hartlepool and Heysham 1
Patrick Loughnane

Radial keyway, integral key and loose key load capacities revisited
Mark Kirkham, Jim Skelton, Craig Palmer, and Neil Mclachlan

Finite element modelling of crack propagation in AGR nuclear graphite bricks
Xun Zhang, Graham Hall, and Abbie N Jones

Impact of modelling interactions in crack analysis of an advanced gas-cooled reactor
Ahmadreza Farrokhnia, Graham Hall, and Abbie N Jones

Life extension of the Heysham B and Torness nuclear power stations
Stuart Bounds, Tim Edwards, Robin Dickenson, and Ken King

Part 5—Irradiated graphite management

Innovation in the management of irradiated nuclear graphite wastes
Anthony J Wickham, and David Bradbury

An innovative grabbing system for graphite handling and retrieval
Riccardo Chebac, Fabio Vanoni, Alessandro Antonio Porta, Fabrizio Campi, and Marco Enrico Ricotti

Part 6—Knowledge transfer to new designs

Operational experience from AGR graphite cores useful to the design of HTR graphite cores
Neil McLachlan

Applicability of AGR graphite models and assessment methods for HTGR applications
Saurav Sarkar, Ruth Jennings, Mike Davies, and Samuel Primavesi

Graphite matrix pilot plant and characterisation laboratory at the National Nuclear Laboratory
Rachel Smith, Samantha Wilkinson, and Athanasia Tzelepi