Patent Number: 048428124
Section: claims

1. A method for decreasing the rate of deposition of colloidal corrosion products from a nuclear reactor coolant onto an internal reactor surface in contact with the coolant and having surface characteristics that attract such products said method comprising: providing a batch of particles that are suspensible in said coolant and which have active surfaces that possess surface characteristics that attract said corrosion products; and  suspending said particles in said coolant whereby said corrosion products deposit on the surfaces of the particles.  providing a batch of particles that are suspensible in said coolant and which have surface characteristics that attract said corrosion products;  suspending said particles in said coolant whereby said corrosion products deposit on the surfaces of said particles; and  removing said particles and the corrosion products deposited thereon from said coolant. 2. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said reactor surface and said active particle surfaces comprise zirconium dioxide. 3. A method as set forth in claim 2 wherein said particles are of zirconium oxide. 4. A method as set forth in claim 3 wherein said forming step comprises oxidizing a zirconium metal sponge. 5. A method as set forth in claim 3 wherein said forming step comprises oxidizing a zirconium salt. 6. A method as set forth in claim 3 wherein said forming step comprises oxidizing a zirconium hydride. 7. A method as set forth in claim 2 wherein said forming step comprises vacuum sputtering zirconium oxide onto a particulate substrate. 8. A method as set forth in claim 7 wherein said particulate substrate comprises a material having magnetic susceptibility. 9. A method as set forth in claim 8 wherein said material comprises magnetite. 10. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the total surface area of said active surfaces is larger than the area of said reactor surface. 11. A method as set forth in claim 10 wherein the surface area of the active surfaces is at least 20 times larger than the area of said reactor surface. 12. A method for removing colloidal corrosion products from a nuclear reactor coolant comprising: 13. A method as set forth in claim 12 wherein said particles have magnetic susceptibility and said removing step comprises magnetically attracting said particles. 14. A method as set forth in claim 12 wherein said particles have acquired magnetic susceptibility as a result of agglomeration of said corrosion products thereon and said removing step comprises magnetically attracting said composite particles and corrosion products. 15. A method as set forth in claim 12 wheren said removing step comprises filtering said coolant. 16. A method as set forth in claim 13 wherein said removing step comprises filtering said coolant. 17. A method as set forth in claim 14 wherein said removing step comprises filtering said coolant.