PROCESS HEAT FROM NUCLEAR REACTORS
The comparative economics of the use of nuclear energy versus conventional fuels were considered for supplying process heat to be applied in reforming methane to hydrogens coal gasification, low-temperature carbonization of coals ferrous and nonferrous metallurgy, petroleum refining. production of acetylene, and the direct fixation of nitrogen. Price schedules are deduced at which the nuclear power must be produced in order to be competitive with conventional fuels. and various aspects relating to its use are discussed. An appraisal of the present status of high-temperature reactors, which might be used for process heatings is presenteds along with an outline of a feasibility study which is being carried on by the joint effort of AEC and Bureau of Mines for an indirect process cycle reactor. Unsolved problems are considered. (J.R.D.)
Abstract A multistep direct reaction model with pickup is extended to described the formation of tritons and 3 He-particles in nucleon- and pion-induced precompound reactions. In the latter ones, those tritons not accounted for by pickup can be explained as primary ones from absorption by α-clusters, for which a 10% probability is deduced.