Canada Carbon to Explore Testing of Thermally Upgraded Graphite for X-energy’s Xe-100 Reactor Series

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Sept. 14, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Canada Carbon Inc. (TSXV:CCB), a company that is positioning itself as a leader in providing nuclear purity graphite, announces that it has recently held discussions with X Energy, LLC (X-energy) of Greenbelt, Maryland to supply Canada Carbon’s thermally upgraded graphite for testing as a component of nuclear fuel compacts (“pebbles”) to be used in their high-temperature gas-cooled nuclear reactor development program. On July 5^th, 2016, X-energy signed a five-year $53 million dollar Advanced Reactor Concept Cooperative Agreement with the US Department of Energy (“DOE”). The DOE partnership provides funding for reactor design, fuel development, and initial licensing activities for X-energy’s Xe-100 reactor series.

Each Xe-100 reactor will be fueled by approximately 170,000 pebbles. Each pebble is composed of a central sphere of uranium pellets embedded in a graphite matrix, which is then coated with a durable hard shell. The graphite matrix is comprised of ultra-high purity materials, specifically a blend of 64% natural graphite, 16% synthetic graphite, and 20% graphitizable resin binder. Canada Carbon is preparing approximately 12 kg of its thermally upgraded Miller graphite, which X-energy could then make into pebbles for testing.

Canada Carbon Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Mr. R. Bruce Duncan commented, “Being part of major development trials for pebble bed nuclear reactor fuel sponsored by the US Department of Energy would be a fundamental step forward in qualifying the thermally upgraded Miller graphite for additional high-value applications. As part of the pre-qualification process for the X-energy reactor series, Canada Carbon demonstrated continuity of supply to X-Energy. We have in excess of five tonnes of Miller graphite concentrate remaining from the pilot plant trials conducted by SGS Lakefield. We have also determined that a second bulk sample could be extracted from the Miller Project and processed, if the existing graphite concentrate supply is insufficient to meet future sample requests prior to putting the Miller Project into commercial production.”

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