Abstract: From December 1953 to May 1954 an extensive airborne reconnaissance program was conducted in northwestern Arizona (Arizona Strip) and southwestern Utah. Five surface anomalies were detected, one of which has possible commercial value. All anomalies are within the boundaries of National Park Service jurisdiction, consequently, this report is not for public distribution until clearance is obtained from the National Park Service. A preliminary airborne reconnaissance program was also conducted in the Richfield area. No anomalies were discovered.

"Continued progress has been made with the high temperature decontamination processes for irradiated uranium fuel. The fused salt treatment of molten uranium has been extended to UCl3. Plutonium and rare earths were extracted into the UCl3 phase. Direct plutonium distillation from molten irradiated uranium has been scaled up to the hundred gram scale. Solid scavenging experiments using uranium oxide, uranium carbide, and uranium nitride in contact with molten uranium have indicated fission product removal. A scaled-up investigation of the separation and recover of uranium from an SIR type ceramic fuel using the volatile fluoride process has indicated the feasibility of this separation method. The effect of irradiation on the decomposition of BrF3 has been further studies in experiments using the NAA statitron.'

"Scale-up work on high temperature fuel recovery processes has progressed to the point where the (high temperature) vacuum furnace for several operations to the hot cells has been completed and tested under operating conditions. Small scale experiments on high temperature methods for processing molten irradiated uranium fuel have been made with spent X-10 fuel slug pieces. The results of direct Pu evaporation, treatment with fused fluorides and oxide scavenging were every similar to those found with tracer experiments."

"Work has continued on high temperature methods for processing irradiated uranium fuel. Additional results have been obtained with fused halide treatment, solid scavengers and direct Pu distillation. With fussed fluorides about 95 per cent of the Pu was removed from a uranium sample, while treatment of uranium with HC1 gas removed almost all the Pu and many fission products. treatment of molten uranium with uranium oxide removed a substantial fraction of the fission products without removing Pu. Uranium carbide treatment results were similar to the oxide but not as effective. A small scale distillation of Pu from uranium showed that Raoult's law is obeyed."

The design and construction of a 1,000,000 fps rotating mirror frame camera is described. Twenty five consecutive pictures 20 mm in diameter can be obtained on a strip of 35 mm film. A resolution of at least 20 lines/mm is obtained on a moderately fast film like Linagraph Shellburst. Accurate synchronization of the event to be photographed is required. The camera has been most useful in the investigation of explosive and related phenomena.

The liquid metal level instrument will operate at tank temperatures up to 1000 F. Overall system accuracy depends on operating conditions, as described in the report. Test accuracies from 2 to 8% have been obtained from full to empty tank. The primary detector unit successfully passed navy HI shock test.