Method and contact material for chemical conversion in presence of nuclear fission fragments

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR UTILIZING ENERGY OF NUCLEAR FISSION IN THE CONDUCT OF CHEMICAL CONVERSION OF FLUID REACTANTS TO PRODUCTS OF DIFFERENT COMPOSITION, WHICH METHOD COMPRISES: BRINGING FLUID REACTANT FEED MATERIAL INTO CONTACT WITH A MASS OF CONTACT MATERIAL MADE UP OF DISCRETE, SOLID PARTICLES HAVING NOMINAL DIAMETERS WITHIN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 150 MICRONS TO ABOUT ONE INCH; EACH PARTICLE COMPRISING A CORE PORTION HAVING A NOMINAL DIAMETER IN EXCESS OF ABOUT 50 MICRONS, BEING COMPOSED OF SOLID, INORGANIC MATERIAL HAVING A CAPTURE CROSS-SECTION FOR THERMAL NEUTRONS LESS THAN ABOUT 10 BARNS AND BEING SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF FISSIONABLE MATERIAL, AN INTERMEDIATE PORTION COMPOSED OF SOLID, INORGANIC MATERIAL CONTAINING FISSIONABLE MATERIAL SURROUNDING SAID CORE PORTION AND A SHELL PORTION COMPOSED OF POROUS, SOLID INORGANIC MATERIAL SURROUNDING SAID INTERMEDIATE PORTION, SAID SHELL PORTION BEING SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF FISIONABLE MATERIAL AND BEING OF SUFFICIENT THICKNESS TO PREVENT SUBSTANTIALLY INITIAL ESCAPE OF NORMALLY SOLID FISSION FRAGMENTS TO THE EXTERIOR SURFACE THEREOF; THE CONCENTRATION OF FISSIONALBLE MATERIAL IN SAID PARTICLES BEING SUFFICIENT TO RENDER SAID MASS IN SAID ZONE, UNDER THE CONVERSION CONDITIONS THEREIN, CAPABLE OF EFFECTING A NEUTRON-MULTIPLYING FISSION REACTION WHEN A SUITABLY CONTROLLED A NEUTRON FLUX IS MAINTAINED THEREIN; A MAINTAINING A NEUTRON FLUX WITHIN SAID MASS AND SUITABLY CONTROLLING SAID FLUX AND MODERATING THE NEUTRONS TO PROMOTE NEUTRONMULTIPLYING FISSION OF SAID FISSIONABLE MATERIAL AT A RATE SUFFICIENT TO SUPPLY THE ENERGY REQUIRED FOR EFFECTING THE CHEMICAL CONVERSION OF SAID FLUID REACTANTS TO DESIRED PRODUCTS AND SEPARATING FLUID PRODUCTS OF SAID CONVERSION FROM SAID CONTACT MATERIAL.

Claim 2

A METHOD FOR UTILIZING ENERGY OF NUCLEAR FISSION IN THE CONDUCT OF CHEMICAL CONVERSION OF FLUID REACTANTS TO PRODUCTS OF DIFFERENT COMPOSITION, WHICH METHOD COMPRISES: BRINGING FLUID REACTANT FEED MATERIAL INTO CONTACT WITH A MASS OF CONTACT MATERIAL MADE UP OF DISCRETE, SOLID PARTICLES HAVING NOMINAL DIAMETERS WITHIN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 150 MICRONS TO ABOUT ONE INCH; EACH PARTICLE COMPRISING A CORE PORTION HAVING A NOMINAL DIAMETER IN EXCESS OF ABOUT 50 MICRONS, BEING COMPOSED OF SOLID, INORGANIC MATERIAL HAVING A CAPTURE CROSS-SECTION FOR THERMAL NEUTRONS LESS THAN ABOUT 10 BARNS AND BEING SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF FISSIONABLE MATERIAL, AN INTERMEDIATE PORTION COMPOSED OF SOLID, INORGANIC MATERIAL CONTAINING FISSIONABLE MATERIAL SURROUNDING SAID CORE PORTION AND A SHELL PORTION COMPOSED OF POROUS, SOLID INORGANIC MATERIAL SURROUNDING SAID INTERMEDIATE PORTION, SAID SHELL PORTION BEING SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF FISIONABLE MATERIAL AND BEING OF SUFFICIENT THICKNESS TO PREVENT SUBSTANTIALLY INITIAL ESCAPE OF NORMALLY SOLID FISSION FRAGMENTS TO THE EXTERIOR SURFACE THEREOF; THE CONCENTRATION OF FISSIONALBLE MATERIAL IN SAID PARTICLES BEING SUFFICIENT TO RENDER SAID MASS IN SAID ZONE, UNDER THE CONVERSION CONDITIONS THEREIN, CAPABLE OF EFFECTING A NEUTRON-MULTIPLYING FISSION REACTION WHEN A SUITABLY CONTROLLED A NEUTRON FLUX IS MAINTAINED THEREIN; A MAINTAINING A NEUTRON FLUX WITHIN SAID MASS AND SUITABLY CONTROLLING SAID FLUX AND MODERATING THE NEUTRONS TO PROMOTE NEUTRONMULTIPLYING FISSION OF SAID FISSIONABLE MATERIAL AT A RATE SUFFICIENT TO SUPPLY THE ENERGY REQUIRED FOR EFFECTING THE CHEMICAL CONVERSION OF SAID FLUID REACTANTS TO DESIRED PRODUCTS AND SEPARATING FLUID PRODUCTS OF SAID CONVERSION FROM SAID CONTACT MATERIAL.