The Effect of Catalysts Addition to Silicone Rubber as Pressure Transmitting Medium in the Pebble Fuel Production Process

Abstract

Pebble Fuel is a spherical fuel for high temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGR). This fuel must have a homogeneous density distribution. Hyperelastic material is used as a pressure transmitting medium (PTM) material in making Pebble fuel using the cold quasi-isostatic pressing method. PTM material properties and characteristics were predicted using the finite element analysis method. The problem is the type of material used and its suitable composition to make a pressure-transmitting medium that has the properties and characteristics of the material as predicted. This research discusses the manufacture of tensile specimens for pressure-emitting media using RTV-586 silicone rubber. The composition comprises three different variants with two major ingredients, namely RTV-586 silicone rubber and catalyst. The test results are then analyzed using the finite element method to determine the material composition that is appropriate or close to the predicted properties and characteristics of the PTM material. This initial study used the Mooney-Rivlin hyperelastic model. The Mooney-Rivlin model shows good similarity to the test result data. In future studies, it will make comparisons with other hyperelastic models to get a suitable PTM material constant.