One concern that has been expressed is the long term effect of operating machinery and piping systems designed for air breathing machines in a pure, hot nitrogen environment.

There is a phenomenon called nitriding that affects certain alloys. (See, for example, http://www.springerlink.com/content/j6w73vp3×237m49j/)

This aging effect does not happen as rapidly in a hot air because of the stable oxide layer that protects the alloys from further interaction.

There will be some testing and experience required to determine the right gaseous mix or if this consideration is even required once we have selected the turbines and compressors for our system.

You mentioned possibly using a mixture of nitrogen and a bit of oxygen as the coolant. Would the oxygen have anything to do with dealing with the C14 generation? I’m just grasping at straws here… I’m an electrical engineer, so the chemistry and nuclear engineering bits sometimes leave me wondering.

I enjoyed hearing about your ideas. You have obviously given this a lot of thought.

Also, NNadir deserves some major kudos. I think that he asked some really good questions.