Replacement of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) at the DOE Gaseous Diffusion Plants: An assessment of global impacts
- Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)
The US Department of Energy (DOE) operates two uranium enrichment plants. Together, the two plants maintain an inventory of approximately 14 million pounds of a chlorofluorocarbon (CFC), dichlorote-trafluoroethane (CFC-114) as a coolant. Annual operational CFC-114 losses total over 500,000 pounds. In February, 1992, President Bush announced that the US would terminate manufacture and importation of Class 1 ozone depleting substances (including CFC-114) by the end of 1995. To comply with this requirement DOE has considered introducing a replacement coolant by the end of 1995. Two perfluorocarbons (PFCs) - namely, octofluoro-cyclobutane and decafluorobutane - are presently the only known coolants that could meet safety requirements. They would not contribute to stratospheric ozone depletion but contribute to global warming. The paper describes an analysis of the potential global impacts of the proposed replacement of CFC-114 with a PFC. A problem with analyses of global warming and ozone depletion impacts is that even large sources of compounds that contribute to these effects contribute only very small fractions of the total effect. The authors take the position that significant effects to global warming and ozone depletion have already occurred, and that any additional contribution to these effects are contributions to cumulatively significant adverse effects on the environment. The paper describes four alternatives and the extent to which each would contribute to global warming and ozone depletion.
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-84OR21400
- OSTI ID:
- 75818
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-940650--
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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