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An experimental study of the cracking of hydrocarbons initiated by nuclear radiation emphasizes effect of such process variables as temperature, feed composition, and phase. The effects of radiation intensity have been studied by comparing cobalt-60 radiation with the mixed radiation from the Brookhaven atomic reactor.Depending upon conditions, each variable can have important effects in radiation chemistry.A-Lthough the radiation chemistry of hydrocarbons has been studied in some detail at relatively low temperatures (6, 8, 19, 24), corresponding studies have not been reported at high temperatures. This lack of data contrasts with the situation in photochemistry, where hydrocarbons have been studied over a wide temperature range (18). Data on high temperature effects of radiation-i.e., near or at incipient cracking conditions-are of general theoretical and great practical interest because they give insight into the possible utility of nuclear radiation for commercial processes. ExperimentalRadiation Sources. Most of the experiments reported were done in the cobalt-60 radiation laboratory at the Esso Research Center, Linden, N. J.(2). The radiation from the 3200-curie source is pure gamma radiation from cobalt-60 (1.17 and 1.33 m.e.v. per disintegration); and a small beta contribution (0.31 m.e.v. per disintegration), with a 5.26-year decay half life ( 16).The graphite-moderated reactor at Brookhaven National Laboratory was used as the source of high intensity, mixed pile radiation (4). One of the available experimental holes (W-45) was used for the experiments.Radiation Intensities and Dosimetry. The cobalt-60 source consists of a hollow cylinder of cobalt, 13.5 inches long and 3 inches in outside diameter (l8/4 inches in inside diameter), encased in an aluminum shell. The source strength as of June 28, 1955, was 3130 curies.The radiation intensities at various distances from the axis of the source were obtained by calculation using the standard "point source" and standard "pipe source" calculation ( 22), and by actual measurement. The dose ratedistance relationship was determined experimentally, iron(II-III) dosimetry as

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