This document details activities of the Fuels Preparation Department during the month of November 1959. (FI)

The Expansion Study Task Force has evaluated several cases of Hanford reactor operation at power levels considerably higher than is presently obtained in the six older reactors. These higher power levels result in more rigorous operating conditions of temperature, heat flux, neutron flux, hydraulics, reactor control, etc. The purpose of this document, the various components of which were prepared by Process and Reactor Development Sub-Section personnel, is to assess the technical feasibility of operation under the proposed conditions, and to delineate those specific areas of development effort which may be necessary to provide adequate support for an expansion program.

A performance evaluation was made of a prototype liquid cooled freeze trap with sodium at 350 and 1000 deg F. The sodium freeze-off function was adequate for all test conditions encountered. The freeze-off occurred satisfactorily with the larger clearance provided by a test modification to provide 0.030 eccentricity to the rotating shaft. Turning the freeze-trap handle was successful in opening the unit for gas venting when 350 deg F sodium was used. For a seal formed with 1000 deg F sodium, 16 turns of the trap handle gave no measurable gas venting at pressures up to 30 psi. Melting out the seal opened the vent satisfactorily. All the major problems encountered during the test were mechanical and associated with the rotating feature of the unit. (M.C.G.)

An investigation was conducted into the possibility of alloy additions to Zircaloy-2 to diminish hydrogen absorption during aqueous corrosion. The nickel in Zircaloy-2 is believed to be the major constituent responsible for the relatively high hydrogen absorption. Additions of up to 0.5 wt.% antimony, arsenic, bismuth, or tellurium were selected on the basis of their known ability to poison the catalytic effects of nickel in hydrogenation reactions of other systems. Results of tests conducted for a total of 224 days in 600 and 680 deg F water and 750 deg F steam revealed no decrease in hydrogen absorption in modified Zircaloy-2 containing the aforementioned alloy additions. Hydrogen absorption increased when these alloying elements were present in the range of 0.1 to 0.2 wt.%. Corrosion resistance also decreased with alloy additions in these ranges. A 2-atm. partial pressure of hydrogen in the steam or above the water did not affect hydrogen absorption in the alloys appreciably. The hydrogen partial pressure did not affect time to transition in corrosion rates, but did appear to produce higher weight gains than degassed water. (auth)