Four capsules containing Al-1.65 w/o Pu and Al-12 w/o Si-1.65 w/o Pu were charged into the MTR. These capsules will be irradiated to a burnup of 80-100% of the plutonium atoms to determine the stability of the material at high exposures. An additional sixteen capsules containing 5 to 20 w/o Pu in Al and Al-Si have been prepared. Eight are awaiting reactor space and should be charged soon. The remaining eight are being recanned to increase the end gap between the core and the can. Also four capsules containing high density UO2-PuO2 pellets canned in Zircaloy are awaiting assignment of reactor space.

The so-called Fluoride Volatility Processes refer to several proposed non-aqueous methods of processing irradiated fuel elements. In each of these methods, the uranium is fluorinated to UF6 and then decontaminated by distillation. One of those methods, involving the direct fluorination of the uranium by bromine trifluoride (BTF), has been under investigation at BNL since 1950. In 1952, it was demonstrated at BNL that uranium, as UF6, could be satisfactorily decontaminated by distillation in small-scale pilot plant equipment; end in 1953, BNL undertook the job of determining the technical feasibility of a continuous dissolver on a pilot-plant scale. The reason for the project was that the economic superiority of the process seemed to depend upon its amenability to continuous operation.

The Zircaloy-a clad, swaged UOa, 19-rod cluster fuel element for the PRTR was designed to use Zircaloy-a wire spirally wrapped around the fuel rods as spacing members. Such use of unbonded, Zircaloy-a spacers introduced the possibility of fretting corrosion. This paper reports preliminary irradiation tests conducted to determine whether or not such corrosions occurs in this fuel element design.

The basic process for fabricating a swaged fuel rod is simple, easy to control and inexpensive. A zircaloy tube is filled with uranium dioxide powder, the ends temporarily plugged and the loaded tube is swaged to compact the UO2 powder to the required density. The swaged rod is then cut to length and counterbored and then end cape are welded into each end. After several tests and inspections, nineteen rods which meet the quality standards are assembled into a single fuel element ready for irradiation.

Technical report. From Abstract : "Paramagnetic susceptibilities of samarium structure alloys in the systems La-Gd, Nd-Y, Nd-Tm, and Ce-Y were measured from 4.2 - 300°K to determine what effect the formation of this structure has on the magnetic properties of the alloys. Susceptibility maxima were observed in the Nd-Y and Nd-Tm alloys, at 34.5 and 28.5°K, respectively. Slope changes were observed in the curve of 1/x versus T for the La-Gd alloy at 155 and 130°K, and the susceptibility of this alloy remained temperature-independent from 130-7°K. A rather poorly defined region of constant susceptibility was also observed or the Ce-Y alloy, from 26-37°K. Above these transition temperatures, the alloys obeyed the Curie-Weiss law, the susceptibilities of the La-Gd and Ce-Y samples indicating the possibility of electron transfer occurring in these cases."

Technical report. From Abstract : "The stoichiometric formula of the lower chloride in the BiCl3-Bi system has been established as Bi12Cl14 (BiCl1.167) through a dingle crystal, X-ray determination of its structure. ... Previous studies of the Bi-Cl3-Bi system are re-examined in the light of the structural results."

Technical report. Form Abstract : "Perchlorate is extracted from aqueous solution by n-butyronitrile as ferrous 1,10-phenanthroline perchlorate. The amount of perchlorate is calculated from spectrophotometric measurement of the absorbance of the extract. Moderate to large amounts of chloride, sulfate, or nitrate cause little or no interference. Chlorate is slightly extracted but the interference can be corrected."

Technical report. From Abstract : "A system has been developed to program a digital computer in much the same manner as an analog computer is programmed. Properties of a general purpose analog computer and a digital differential analyzer are combined to yield a program which employs, as input, standard data cards prepared from a diagram analogous to an analog computer diagram. The capacity of the system is much greater than that of most analog computers, making it applicable to large simulation problems. No scaling is required. The system is compatible with the Fortran symbolic language and may be used as part of a larger digital computer program. It may be applied to the more general types of boundary value problems arising in process simulation in addition to the initial value problems ordinarily solved on analog computers. It is particularly well adapted to non-linear problems and to control problems involving large transport delays. The program operates in basic machine language and, when used by itself, requires no compilation time."

This summary of the research progress meeting on June 10, 1948 discusses the following topics: (1) 184-inch cyclotron (J. Vale); (2) Slow neutrons in the shielding of the 184-inch cyclotron (W. Benson); and (3) Fission of thorium with alpha particles (A. Newton).

Thermal spikes occurring during the life of a slug in a pile cause a momentary destruction of the original configuration of atoms in the metal. This process occurs at such a rate that in a thermal neutron flux of 10(13) neutrons per square centimeter per second each atom in the metal will be subject to temperatures above the melting point of uranium every 40 minutes.

Removal of particles from air is discussed in terms of three classes of filtering media--air-sampling, respirator, and air-cleaning. Plots of efficiency versus filtering velocity are presented. The pressure drop characteristics of the filters are discussed in terms of initial pressure drops of the clean filters, variations in pressure drop of the individual filters, and comparison of loading rates.

In 1949 Barad presented two solutions to the general diffusion equation. Basic in both solutions is the assumption that in very stable atmospheres a point source may be replaced by a vertical area of uniform concentration at a short distance downwind. This vertical area is considered to exist at the distance at which the plume finally "levels-off" and assumes a flat ribbon-like appearance. In addition if the distance over which diffusion takes place is limited to one or two miles and if only the stable atmosphere with its narrow range of eddy sizes is considered, the average diffusion co-efficient (K) has a signficance which it does not have in the case of neutral equilibrium.

Plankton collected from the Columbia River by the net method and by the centrifuge method were compared. The centrifuged plankton (nannoplankton) exceeded the net plankton in weight, in abundance of organisms and in radioactivity. Similar seasonal trends were present in both types of plankton.

This technical report details a process in order to determine the densities of several uranium compounds.

From introduction: "This article gives an account of the determination of the complete crystal structures of the normal orthophosphates of barium and strontium."

Abstract: The primary coolant of the SM-1 (APPR-1) was analyzed for short-lived and fission product activities. Manganese-56 was found to be the predominant non-fission product nuclide contributing to the short lived activity. Fission products were found in the coolant. It is concluded these fission products originate from a defects in the cladding and from surface contamination of the fuel elements.

Abstract: The results of activity buildup studies in the SM-1 (APPR-1) performed from February 1958 to January 1959 are reported. Data are presented on the extent, nature, and mechanism of the buildup of long-lived gamma emitting nuclides in the reactor primary system. Mathematical equations to describe the activity buildup are derived. Radiation levels after reactor shutdown are presented, as well as the predicted radiation levels at the end of core life.

The automatic polarograph is ideally suited for the analysis of waste streams for uranium in the Metal Recovery Process, and with modification, it is applicable to other processes, pilot plants, and even to laboratory set ups. The instrument is simple, dependable, and relatively trouble free in operation. It provides an immediate record of the uranium in the waste and, through better control of the process, lower processing costs.

Various non-linear calculations for heat conduction in an istropic, homogeneous medium are presented.

Abstract. By means of the pulse radiolysis technique a short-lived transient species has been observed in irradiated de-aerated ethanol and methanol, exhibiting an optical absorption throughout the visible and near infra-red. This transient is suggested to be the solvated electron on the basis of the nature of the spectrum, the reactivity with hydrogen ion and with various organic electron acceptors, and the formation of mononegative ions of some of these acceptors. The absolute rate constants have been determined for the reactions of the solvated electron with hydrogen ion, oxygen and benzyl chloride in ethanol and methanol. The diphenylide ion was found to be short-lived in ethanol. The absolute rate constant for the first-order decay of the diphenylide ion has been determined.

Our knowledge of the properties of mesons and their interactions with nuclei has come from two sources. Studies of cosmic ray phenomena provided the earliest information. The discovery that mesons may be produced artificially by bombardment of nuclei with radiations from high energy accelerators has, on the other hand, made it feasible to undertake a wide variety of investigations under more controlled conditions than is possible in cosmic ray experiments. In such experiments mesons have been produced by high-energy protons, alpha-particles and neutrons.

The alternating-gradient proton synchrotrons at CERN and Brookhaven are very similar in size, design and in their experimental use. For this reason, collaboration between the groups at CERN and Brookhaven has been close throughout the history of these two machines. For the most part this has taken the form of exchanges of visits of individual machine designers and of high-energy physicists. By 1962, however, it appeared that the reciprocal flow of information was not adequate and a more formal meeting was arranged. This meeting took place at Brookhaven during the week of September 10, 1962. CERN sent a representative group of machine physicists and high-energy physicists. The meeting was attended also by observers from several American high-energy installations. The discussion covered a wide range of topics, from operating characteristics of the machines themselves to future trends in design of experimental equipment. Plans for beam ejection were presented, techniques were described for better use of secondary beams from internal targets, progress was summarized on dc and rf particle separators. and future trends in neutrino experimentation were predicted.

Nuclear excavation is the name given to the concept of using large scale nuclear explosion craters for useful projects, such as harbors, canals, and roadway cuts. It is one of the principal applications of the Plowshare Program for industrial, or peaceful, uses of nuclear explosives. Plowshare is sponsored by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission and is under the technical direction of the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory at Livermore, California. The purpose of this paper is to describe cratering concepts and the present state of nuclear excavation technology. The general nature of the safety hazards associated with nuclear excavation are also discussed.

Under the stimulus of electronic materials development - particularly thin-film studies - and the need for space environmental simulation chambers, a very rapid increase in the availability of industrial-sized vacuum components and systems operable in the ultrahigh vacuum range has taken place in the last three years. It is the purpose of this paper to explore the design considerations of ultrahigh vacuum systems for metallurgical applications.