A theoretical and experimental investigation of a radioactive fluidized bed chemical reactor is described. The fluidized particles are composed of radio-strontium silicate. The chemical system is the conversion of toluene to benzotrichloride. Experimental work defines the variables affecting bed porosity versus throughput at high bed expansions where significant radiation deposition could be achieved. Homogeneous fluidization is achieved by developing a classification technique to obtain a batch of radioactive microspheres with a narrow size and density distribution. Experimental data obtained with a semi-batch reactor using beta rays from a Van de Graaff generator lead to the conclusion that the reaction proceeds according to 
-order kinetics. The axial-dispersed plug flow model for three consecutive reactions and -order kinetics results in four simultaneous nonlinear second-order ordinary differential equations. These equations with the appropriate boundary conditions are solved numerically using a finite difference technique. An economically optimum reactor design utilizing recycle is presented for the last part of the plant.
