Process for producing and recovering organic nuclear reactor coolant-moderators

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR PRODUCING A POLYPHENYL MODERATORCOOLANT FROM A MIXTURE INCLUDING HIGHER POLYPHENYLS, THE STEPS COMLPRISING CONTACTING AN ADMIXTURE OF SAID HIGHER POLYPHENYL MIXTURE AND HYDROGEN SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH A CATALYST INCLUDING AN ALUMINA ACID CRACKING CATALYST TOGETHER WITH A LESS PROPORTION OF CUO AS A MILD HYDROGENATION CATALYST IN THE RATIO RANGE OF 25:2:1 TO 25:4:0, RESEPCTIVELY, AT A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 800 TO 1000*F. AND A PRESSURE IN THE RANGE OF 500 TO 1,000 P.S.I.G. TO CAUSE HYDROGENOLYSIS OF SAID HIGHER POLYPHENYLS TO PRODUCE LOWER MOLECULAR WEIGHT POLYPHENYLS AND ALKYLATED DERIVATIVES THEREOF IN THE REACTION MIXTURE, AND FRACTIONATING SAID LOWER MOLECULAR WEIGHT POLYPHENYLS FROM SAID REACTION MIXTURE.