A cation exchange column in americium recovery service exploded on August 30, 1976 at the Hanford plutonium-finishing plant operated by Atlantic Richfield Hanford Company for the Energy Research and Development Administration at Richland, Washington. The column burst, shattering the glovebox windows. Detectable but small amounts of americium were released from the building in which the explosion occurred. Decontamination efforts and physical repairs to equipment and facilities are estimated to cost less than $500,000. The probable cause of the explosion of the cation exchange column is an exothermic reaction between 7 molar nitric acid and radiation-produced degradation products from the resin (Dowex 50W-X8). The postulated chemical reaction caused pressure to build within the column until the strength of the six-inch diameter, schedule-ten, stainless-steel pipe was exceeded and the column exploded. Radiation from the more than 100 grams of americium on the cation resin for over five months caused the resin degradation. This report covers only the explosion of the cation exchange column and closely related major events and actions. 30 refs., 6 figs.

Nuclear graphites H-451, lot 440 (Great Lakes Carbon Corporation (GLCC)), and SO818 (Airco Speer Division, Air Reduction Corporation (AS)) are described, and physical, mechanical, and chemical property data are presented for the graphites in the unirradiated state. A summary of the mean values of the property data and of data on TS-1240 and H-451, lot 426, is tabulated. A direct comparison of H-451, lot 426, chosen for Fort St. Vrain (FSV) fuel reload production, TS-1240, and SO818 may be made from the table. (auth)

A study was conducted to determine which of the packagings currently listed in CFR 49 Section 173.395 a.1-5, meet the Specification 7A requirements (CFR 49 Section 173.350). According to DOT HM-111 the present listing of various authorized DOT specifications in Section 173.394 and Section 173.395 (Type A containers) of ICC Tariff No. 27 would be deleted with complete reliance being placed on the use of DOT 7A, Type A general packaging specification. Each user of a Specification 7A package would be required to document and maintain on file for one year a written record of his determination of compliance with the DOT Specification 7A performance requirements. All the specification packagings listed in CFR 49 Section 173.395a.1-5 were tested and shown to meet the Specification 7A criteria; however, in many cases qualifications were placed on their use. Forty-nine specification packagings were tested and shown to meet the DOT Specification 7A performance requirements and since there were several styles of some specific packagings, this amounts to greater than 80 packagings. The extensive testing generally indicated a high degree of containment integrity in the packagings tested and the documentation discussed is a valuable tool for shippers of Type A quantities of radioactive materials. …

Activities and progress of the LSSA Project during April, May, and June 1976 are described. This involved the awarding of additional contracts, an evaluation and clarification of plans and working relationships with contractors, the receipt of initial technical results, and an expansion of activity in the evaluation and improvement of the solar cell modules that are included in the Project's first procurement (46 kilowatts). For the most part, the new manufacturing technology is being developed under contract by industries and universities. It includes the consideration of new silicon-refinement processes, silicon sheet-growth techniques, encapsulants, and automated-assembly production. During this report period analytical and experimental accomplishments resulted from day-to-day activities that are the early efforts of a long range plan. Thirty-one contracts have been awarded and two more are being negotiated. Five companies have delivered 20 kilowatts out of a total purchase of 46 kilowatts of ''off-the-shelf'' modules that will be used in ERDA's test and demonstration activities. The same five companies have just been awarded contracts for the purchase of 130 kilowatts of semistandardized modules at an average selling price of $15.50 per watt. (WDM)

This reasonably self-contained report on Catastrophe Theory begins with the mathematical history of Catastrophe Theory and discusses the relation between Catastrophe Theory and the ''Catastrophe Theorem'' presented in the report. Catastrophe Theory consists of a ''local'' classification theorem for unfoldings of germ singularities, which satisfy certain conditions. The ''classification'' is a list of seven (nonsimilar) irreducible unfoldings (and their respective germs), such that the given unfolding must be reduced with index zero to exactly one of these (or to the ''constant'' unfolding of the same unfolding dimension). The Catastrophe Theorem is stated (together with background definitions and commentary) and a summary of the proof of this theorem is given. 6 tables. (RWR)

Separate abstracts were prepared for each of the 6 included papers on mirror hybrids. (MOW)

Capsules P13R and P13S were the seventh and eighth in a series of irradiation tests conducted under the ERDA-sponsored HTGR Fuels and Core Development Program. Reference type LHTGR fuel fabricated with a broad spectrum of property and process variables was irradiated to extreme temperature and fluence conditions. Postirradiation examination revealed that the bonded fuel rods exhibited good stability after irradiation to fast neutron fluences of 12.4 x 10/sup 21/ n/cm/sup 2/ (E greater than 0.18 MeV), which is 55 percent beyond the LHTGR peak design fast neutron fluence of 8.0 x 10/sup 21/ n/cm/sup 2/. Thermal cycling to high temperatures did not adversely affect fuel rod integrity. Particle batches with coating designs representative of the design requirements envisioned for the LHTGR exhibited excellent irradiation performance. Ten batches of fissile and fertile particles were irradiated without coating failure to fast neutron exposures which exceeded the LHTGR peak design exposure by 35 to 52 percent. Capsules P13R and P13S were considered to be very successful qualification tests of LHTGR fuel components. These results provided a substantial data base for the LHTGR Fuel Product Specification and Performance Models used in HTGR core design studies, and demonstrated the excellent irradiation performance of reference LHTGR …

Two numerical models for the calculation of air concentration and ground deposition of airborne effluent releases are compared. The Particle-in-Cell (PIC) model and the Straight-Line Airflow Gaussian model were used for the simulation. Two sites were selected for comparison: the Hudson River Valley, New York, and the area around the Savannah River Plant, South Carolina. Input for the models was synthesized from meteorological data gathered in previous studies by various investigators. It was found that the PIC model more closely simulated the three-dimensional effects of the meteorology and topography. Overall, the Gaussian model calculated higher concentrations under stable conditions with better agreement between the two methods during neutral to unstable conditions. In addition, because of its consideration of exposure from the returning plume after flow reversal, the PIC model calculated air concentrations over larger areas than did the Gaussian model.

Separate abstracts were prepared for each of the included sections. (MOW)

Research progress on the LX-07 physics design for the two-stage shape charge is reported. (TFD)