Beryllium (Be) and beryllium oxide (BeO) have long been noted as nuclear reactor materials due to their excellent nuclear properties. The practical use of beryllium and beryllium oxide as nuclear reactor materials is however of comparatively recent date.
The nuclear reactor applications of beryllium and beryllium oxide can be classified into the following three divisions:
(1) Beryllium as a fuel cladding material of high temperature gas cooled reactors.
(2) Beryllium or beryllium oxide as a reflector material of testing reactors.
(3) Beryllium oxide as a moderator material of high temperature gas cooled reactors or as a fuel matrix material.
This pepar deals with the properties, fabrication method, promise for the future, etc. of beryllium and beryllium oxide for these applications.