THE APPLICATION OF PETROLEUM PRODUCTS AS MODERATOR-COOLANTS IN MARINE PROPULSION REACTORS

Technical Report · Sat Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1959

OSTI ID:4230462

Baxter, Jr, E F; Black, J F

Use of petroleum fractions as moderator coolants in place of the terphenyl mixture currently employed in organic moderated reactors should provide substantial savings in coolant replacement cost. A re-examination of the early data on the stability of organic materials indicates that petroleum fractions composed principally of condensed ring aromatic compounds should approach the terphenyls in radiation and thermal stability. The purification system currently employed in the OMRE utilizes batch distillation at reduced pressure to remove the products of radiolytic and thermal degradation from the terphenyl type coolant to prevent fuel element fouling and to minimize coolant pumping requirements. All material boiling above para-terphenyl is discarded as high boiling residue. Both the purification system and the stored residue will decrease the cargo capacity of an OMR tanker, and consequently improvements in purification techniques are desirable. An improved purification techmique may also result in lowered coolant replacement cost through reduction in the amount of material discarded as residue. (auth)

• Research Organization: Esso Research and Engineering Co. Products Research Div., Linden, N.J.
• NSA Number: NSA-13-019676
• OSTI ID: 4230462
• Report Number(s): ESSO-MA-3
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

AROMATICS-- ECONOMICS-- HYDROCARBONS-- OMRE-- ORGANIC COOLANT-- ORGANIC MODERATOR-- PETROLEUM-- PROPULSION-- RADIATION EFFECTS-- REACTORS-- SHIPS-- STABILITY-- TEMPERATURE
DISTILLATION-- ECONOMICS-- HYDROCARBONS-- IMPURITIES-- LOSSES-- OMRE-- ORGANIC COOLANT-- ORGANIC MODERATOR-- PETROLEUM-- PHENYL RADICALS-- POLYPHENYLS-- PROPULSION-- REACTORS-- RECOVERY-- RESIDUES-- SHIPS-- STORAGE-- TERPHENYLS
REACTORS