Oxidation of Beryllium in Carbon Dioxide and in Carbon Monoxide

Abstract

THE metal beryllium has been suggested as a possible canning material in the advanced gas-cooled thermal reactor, so that its oxidative behaviour at elevated temperatures in carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and mixtures of these two gases is of some technological importance. Published work on the oxidation of beryllium in carbon dioxide is limited to the investigation of Munro and Williams¹, which covered the temperature range 500–700° C.; here the course of the oxidation was followed by intermittent weighing, the sample being cooled to room temperature for each measurement. The purpose of this communication is to report briefly some of the results of a recent study of both the chemistry and the kinetics of the reaction between French Flake beryllium and carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and their mixtures (usually at a pressure of 10 cm.) and at temperatures in the range 500–750° C. The samples were chemically polished before use.