The loop was charged October 30, 1959 with seven 12-inch Natural Uranium Zircaloy-2 clad 7-rod clusters. The test was primarily for the new hot-headed method of end closure used on these elements. The loop was pressure tested at 4000 psi after it was charged. Initially the loop was held at low-temperature to study the buildup of oxygen (presumably from radiolytic decomposition of water). After startup the neutron activity held at slightly above normal but the strainer gamma activity was exceptionally low. Frequent additions of LiOH bombs were necessary to maintain the pH at 10.0 (previously it was 4--5 pH but was raised to pH 10 for this test.) After the temperature was raised to operating conditions the pH held nicely at 10. On November 16, 1959, the heat exchanger exit temperature thermocouple blew out resulting in depressurization of the loop and a reactor scram. Repairs were made during the outage and the loop was returned to normal operation. Eleven scrams occurred during the test period caused by 105-KE or 1706-KER.

The objective of this report is to summarize all in-reactor operating data associated with PT-288-A. This document will serve as a ready reference to the irradiation history of the fuel elements, and will record any anomalies encountered in the performance of this test.

Abstract: The purpose of this report is to describe the problems inherent to general dielectric strength measurements, and to act as a guide in establishing a method for pulse dielectric strength measurements.

A discussion of the hazards and philosophy of plutonium handling is presented. Glove box construction and materials are also discussed along with handling techniques and work being done with plutonium in various parts of this country. (J.R.D.)

9 > ? ( ing schedule included MTR, ETR, and other aluminum-type fuels that were processed through the TBP headend at 75 to 100% of flowsheet rates and through the Hexone second and third cycle extraction system at up to l5O% of flowsheet values, achieving an over-all recovery of 99.60%. In carrying out basic studies on aqueous zirconium processing, results obtained during the potentiometric titration of zirconium-fluoride-nitric acid solutions with sodium hydroxide were explained by a mechanism in which the untitrated zirconium fluoride species is converted to a fluozirconate and further hydrolysis proceeds via a fluozirconate route. A modified Zirflex flowsheet for processing 2.5% U-Zr alloy fuels is proposed as a result of bench scale dissolution studies on unirradiated PWR plates that showed that dissolver solutions could be stabilized by adding aluminum nitrate and nitric acid. that higher ammonium fluoride concentrations increased the dissolution rate, that higher hydrogen peroxide concentrations lowered the dissolution rate and decreased solution stability, and that ammonia removal by boiling with or without air sparging had little effect on the reaction. Density curves for Zirflex solutions are reported. First tests of the pilot plant for continuous dissolution of zirconium-type elements have indicated that the dissolution rate …

A series of isothermal heat treatments was performed on the highly ordered Al- Fe alloy, 13.6 Alfenol. Resistivity vs. time curves are presented for temperatures of 0 to 700 deg C. (For preceding period see TM-5730.) (C.J.G.)

Abstract. The Equivalence Theorem of P. Lax is extended to difference schemes for initial-value problems for linear inhomogeneous PDE with linear inhomogeneous boundary values and for boundary-value problems.