COMBUSTION KINETICS

MODEL FOR HTGR

SPHERICAL GRAPHITE FUEL
ELEMENT
BY HU XIEN , WANG XUEJUN

PRESENTION BY JOHN PHILIP ALOYSIUS A. MAAT

 Combustion Kinetics Model formulas
• Oxygen mass transfer rate from the bulk gas flow to the
graphite surface:

(1)

where:
h- mass transfer coefficient (cm/s)
R- mass transfer rate
𝐶𝑜2 , 𝐶𝑜𝑠2 - oxygen concentrations in the bulk and
surface(mol/L)
• Reaction rate at the graphite surface:

(2)

where:
𝑅2 - reaction rate at the graphite surface
k – apparent rate constant (cm/s)
𝐶𝑜𝑠2 - oxygen concentrations in the surface(mol/L)
• At steady state the specific combustion rate of graphite spherical
element :

(3)

where:
𝜀 - specific combustion rate ( g/cm𝑠 .s )
𝜌𝑠 - graphite density ( g/cm3 )
k – apparent rate constant (cm/s)
h- mass transfer coefficient (cm/s)
𝑑𝑟𝑡
𝑑𝑡
-graphite spherical element radius at time t ( s)
𝐶𝑜2 , 𝐶𝑜𝑠2 - oxygen concentrations in the bulk and
surface(mol/L)
• the mass transfer coefficient, h, is usually calculated by the
modified Ranz-Marshall correlation:

(4)

where:
D-is the oxygen diffusivity(cm2 /s)
𝜇
Sc- 𝜌𝐷 ; 𝜇- gas viscosity (kg/(m .s))
Reo- 2𝑟𝑜𝜇𝑢𝜌 ; 𝑟𝑜 - initial radius of the graphite
spherical element ( cm)
u- gas flowrate (cm/s)
 Experimental
• combustion was studied in a quartz tube 75 mm in diameter
and 1 m in length, heated in a 6 kW tube-type furnace.

• Three types of graphite elements were used:

o An artificial graphite element 43 mm in diameter, without
coated core, with 60% graphitization and a density of 1. 75
g/𝑐𝑚3 .
o An unirradiated graphite element 60 mm in diameter with
Th02-U02 core 500 𝜇m in diameter.
o 1. 6 g/𝑐𝑚3 électrode graphite élément.
 Results and Discussion

• Combustion of graphite element with Tho2 -Uo2 core:

• CO2 concentration is shown in Fig. 1 as a function of time
Evaluation of apparent reaction rate constant

Where:
𝑡
‫׬‬0 𝑡 𝑑𝑡
1-θ=[ 𝑡 ]1/3
‫׬‬0 𝑡 𝑑𝑡

𝑡=′ 𝜌𝑠 𝑟𝑜
12.01 𝑥 10−3 𝑘𝐶02

𝑡 ∗ =t / 𝑡 ′
• The effect of air flowrate on the specific combustion rate at
800C was determined using the type C electrode graphite
element.
 Effect of temperature
• T h e effect of temperature on specific combustion rate was
determined with the type A element at an air flow rate of
10L/mi n ( 20 C)

• The combustion time was 4-5h .

• The mass transfer coefficient, h, was obtained using the Ranz-
Marshall correlation, Eq. (4).

• The apparent reaction rate constant at each temperature was

then calculated by subtracting the contribution of the mass
transfer term.
 Effect of oxygen concentration
• specific combustion rates can be calculated for each oxygen
concentration using the apparent reaction rate constant, k=
3. 082 cm/s, and the other parameters in Eqn. (3) and (4)
 Modification of the Ranz-Marshall correlation
• particle mass transfer coefficient is then dependent on its
size and increases with decreasing radius.
• As the radius decreases, the combustion rate increases, the
shrinkage rate accelerates.
 Conclusions
• Experimental results show that combustion of an
unirradiated graphite element is limited by both the
reaction rate and the mass transfer rate.

• Dimensionless combustion time for a given conversion

could be decomposed in the sum of two dimensionless
terms, i.e. , the reaction resistance and the mass transfer
resistance

• Ranz-Marshall correlation modified by the term

(𝑟 𝑡 / 𝑟 𝑜 )1/2 could be used to calculate the mass transfer
coefficient
 REFERENCES
• Haas Paul A. HTGR fuel reprocessing: a whole-block
burner with recycle of cooled gas for temperature
control. USAEC Report ORNL-T M-4519, Oak Ridge
National Laboratory, 1974

• Glassman I. Combustion. New York: Academic

Press, 1977
• Scott C. Analysis of the combustion of graphite-uranium fuel
in a fixed bed or moving bed- I & EC Process Design and
Development, 1966, 5(3): 223-233

• Szekely J, Evans J W, Sohn H Y. Gas-solid reactions. New

York: Academic Press, 1976. 60~132

• Pirk H, Tillessen U. Kontinuierliches

verbrennungsverfahren als head end zur aufarbeitung
von brennelementen für hochtemperaturreaktoren.
Kerntechnik, 1972, 14(4): 158-161