Miller Graphite Significantly Purer Than Commercial Synthetic Graphite Marketed for Use in Small Modular Nuclear Reactors
May 06 2019 - 8:00AM
Miller Graphite Significantly Purer Than Commercial Synthetic
Graphite Marketed for Use in Small Modular Nuclear Reactors
Canada Carbon (the “Company”)
(CCB:TSX-V) (BRUZF:OTC) (U7N1:FF) is pleased to
announce that the Company has obtained market leading and
statistically significant test results which indicate that, when
compared with a synthetic nuclear grade graphite reference
material, the Miller thermally purified natural graphite had far
fewer detectable elemental contaminants overall, and significantly
lesser amounts of those that were detectable.
Executive Chairman and CEO R. Bruce Duncan
commented, “The new analytical results reported here are based on
the direct comparison of the Miller graphite to a Certified
Reference Material ("CRM") by 10 independent international labs and
provide further evidence of the purity advantage of the Miller
natural graphite over the commercially available synthetic graphite
SGL NGB-18 which is being considered for use in small modular
reactor development programs around the world. We anticipate that
the Miller graphite will be classified as the standard by which all
natural and synthetic nuclear grade graphites will be
assessed.”
Technical Notes
A breakdown of the results can be found in Table
1, below.
Canada Carbon’s thermally upgraded Miller
graphite was made available for method development work conducted
by Subcommittee D02.F0 on Manufactured Carbon and Graphite Products
of ASTM International, as first reported September 30th, 2015. The
analytical devices employed for this new analytical method used
Electro Thermal Vaporization & Inductively Coupled Plasma
Optical Emission Spectrometry (“ETV-ICP OES”), which has now been
shown to have the capability to decrease the elemental impurity
detection threshold to parts per billion by weight in nuclear
graphite samples. The new ASTM standard test method based on these
results is expected to be published before the end of 2019.
The ASTM procedure to develop this new standard
method for ultra-trace impurity determination in nuclear graphite
grades involved supplying ten international laboratories equipped
with ETV-ICP OES with a nuclear-grade CRM for instrument
calibration, and identical samples of unknown nuclear purity
graphite for later comparison of the measured impurity content
detected by each lab. Statistical analysis indicating significant
congruity of the collected analytical results for the unknown
sample would serve to validate the method used. The CRM used was a
commercial material identified as BAM-S009 (SGL NBG-18 synthetic
nuclear grade graphite powder) and the ‘unknown’ was thermally
purified natural graphite from the Company's Miller deposit. Each
laboratory was to determine the concentrations of 21 elemental
contaminants within each sample. 20 elemental contaminants were
detected in the CRM by all 10 laboratories, whereas only 7 were
detected in the Miller graphite. Of the 7 elements detected in the
Miller graphite only 4 of the elements were detected by all 10
laboratories. (Please refer to the notes accompanying Table 1 for
details.)
Statistical analysis of the compiled data showed
that the CRM contained significantly higher amounts of the 7
elements than were found in the Miller thermally purified natural
graphite. The CRM contaminant load for the seven elements ranged
from 3.3 to 84.4 times higher than for the Miller graphite.
Executive Chairman and CEO R. Bruce Duncan
further stated, “In the past (May 13th, 2015 press release), Canada
Carbon reported on the comparative purity of its graphite by
comparing its elemental contaminants with information available
from an assessment made by Oak Ridge National Laboratory of other
candidate nuclear graphites in 2011. Canada Carbon’s thermally
treated Miller graphite contained only a small fraction of the
selected elemental contaminants (0.99 ppm) when compared to the
best natural graphite (Asbury RD 13371, at 36.55 ppm) and
substantially lower contaminant levels than the best synthetic
graphite samples SGL KRB-2000 (4.53 ppm) and the experimental
GrafTech GTI-D (8.1 ppm). Today’s results confirm the purity
advantage enjoyed by Canada Carbon’s Miller graphite.”
With these results in hand, the Company also
wishes to disclose that it is in negotiations to have its Miller
ultra-high purity natural graphite made available as a Certified
Reference Material for laboratory use in instrument calibration for
GDMS and ETV-ICP OES. Further developments in this regard will be
reported when details are finalized.
Synthetic graphite for use in a nuclear reactor
is typically supplied as a molded and machinable block known as a
billet. It is formed during a lengthy high-temperature treatment of
green billets made from a blend of petroleum coke particles and
graphitizable binding resin. The Company is in the planning stage
for developing a similar machinable graphite billet based on its
ultra-high purity Miller graphite and graphitizable binding resin.
If successful, this new material will significantly expand the
applications for the Miller nuclear purity graphite within a
reactor setting.
TABLE 1: ELEMENTAL CONTAMINANT
CONCENTRATIONS FOR CCB MILLER NATURAL GRAPHITE AND COMMERCIALLY
AVAILABLE SGL NBG-18 SYNTHETIC NUCLEAR GRAPHITE
ELEMENTAL CONTAMINANT |
CCB MILLER |
SGL NBG-18 |
CONTAMINANT RATIO CCB:SGL2 |
|
MEAN CONC. (PPB)1 |
MEAN CONC. (PPB)1 |
|
Al: ALUMINUM |
5804 |
1940 |
1:3.3 |
B: BORON |
ND3 |
1320 |
|
Ba: BARIUM |
ND |
1090 |
|
Ca: CALCIUM |
160 |
13500 |
1:84.4 |
Co: COBALT |
204 |
150 |
1:7.5 |
Cr: CHROMIUM |
ND |
1520 |
|
Cu: COPPER |
ND |
350 |
|
Fe: IRON |
53605 |
36200 |
1:6.8 |
K: POTASSIUMI |
60 |
3120 |
1:52 |
Li: LITHIUM |
ND |
200 |
|
Mg: MAGNESIUM |
30 |
270 |
1:9 |
Mn: MANGANESE |
ND |
1230 |
|
Na: SODIUM |
260 |
3010 |
1:11.6 |
Ni: NICKEL |
ND |
5080 |
|
S: SULPHUR |
ND |
ND |
|
Sr: STRONTIUM |
ND |
320 |
|
Ti: TITANIUM |
ND |
27100 |
|
V: VANADIUM |
ND |
920 |
|
W: TUNGSTEN |
ND |
270 |
|
Y: YTTRIUM |
ND |
100 |
|
Zr: ZIRCONIUM |
ND |
1140 |
|
Notes:
- All concentrations are parts per billion by weight, the
arithmetic mean of values reported by 10 laboratories (except as
per notes 4 and 5). Calculated means have been rounded.
- Simple ratio of average mean concentrations of the specified
elements for the two samples.
- ND = Not Detected.
- Detected by 3 labs.
- Detected by 4 labs.
CANADA CARBON INC. “R. Bruce Duncan”CEO and
Director
Contact InformationE-mail
inquiries: info@canadacarbon.comP: (604) 685-6375F: (604)
909-1163
“Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation
Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the
TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or
accuracy of this release.”
FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS:
This news release contains forward-looking statements, which relate
to future events or future performance and reflect management’s
current expectations and assumptions. Such forward-looking
statements reflect management’s current beliefs and are based on
assumptions made by and information currently available to the
Company. Investors are cautioned that these forward looking
statements are neither promises nor guarantees, and are subject to
risks and uncertainties that may cause future results to differ
materially from those expected. These forward-looking statements
are made as of the date hereof and, except as required under
applicable securities legislation, the Company does not assume any
obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or
circumstances. All of the forward-looking statements made in this
press release are qualified by these cautionary statements and by
those made in our filings with SEDAR in Canada (available at
www.sedar.com).
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