Radiation-induced effects on alternative fuels Pt. 1

Solvent refined coal produced from Indiana V feed coal was x-ray irradiated at different doses. The gases evolved from the irradiated sample consist mainly of methane, whose concentration is shown to depend on the irradiation dose. The condensed matter left after gas extraction was fractionated by column liquid chromatography into five non-polar fractions one of intermediate polarity; and two polar fractions. The relative distribution of these radiolytic products depends upon the dose delivered with the concentration of hydrocarbons increasing remarkably with the dose. (author) 15 refs.; 2 figs.; 3 tabs