Design and Economic Study of a Gas-phase Chemonuclear Ozone Process

An evaluation of the economics of producing ozone from oxygen in a system utilizing fission fragment energy is presented with a study of the design of such a system. The study covers a range of G values for ozone formation from 3 to 15 and chemonuclear reactor ozone concentrations from 10 parts/10⁶ to 10% at an operating temperature of −20°C. A graphite-moderated nuclear reactor design, which utilizes a 2.5-µm thick U-Pd alloy foil as fuel elements, is employed. Ozone is separated by silica-gel adsorption; decontamination procedures are described. Investment and operating costs for the chemonuclear and conventional methods of ozone production are compared for an ozone production rate of 100 ton/d. It is concluded that the chemonuclear route becomes competitive with conventional ozonizers at a steady-state concentration of 0.1% ozone for a G value of 9 and at a concentration as low as 150 parts/10⁶ for a G value of 15. The study indicates the need for research on fission fragment and radiation chemistry in the ozone-oxygen system at temperatures from 20°C to −78°C for determining the feasibility of these yields.