This report presents an analysis of rupture experience at C Reactor over the past two years. The purpose of the study was to provide a basis for revising, if necessary, the current metal performance level multipliers for C-II-N and C-II-E material.

C Reactor horizontal control rods were originally designed to have 32 feet of poison, made of 64 six inch ``cans`` each consisting of two concentric cylinders sealed at each end and the annular space between them filled with boron carbide powder. It was discovered before startup that under irradiation the neutron, alpha reaction in the boron could cause a pressure buildup and rupture of the sealed section. As an expediency cylinders wrapped with 72 miles thick cadmium metal were substituted for the boron ``cans`` and the pressure buildup problem was eliminated. However, since for a unit volume, natural cadmium contains fewer high cross-section nuclei than natural boron, the lifetime of one of these cadmium rods in Hanford flux levels is limited. Five of the original 15 cadmium rods were replaced in 1957 with boron rods of improved design. The primary purpose of this document is to present the results of a study to evaluate the extent of burnout in the remaining ten cadmium rods and their present rate of burnout so that replacement can be scheduled before these rods start losing significant reactivity poisoning effectiveness.

Solidification of intermediate-activity wastes is a major goal of the CPD Waste Management Program. Plans are to reduce the wastes, by evaporation, to salt cakes in existing tanks, thereby insuring safe, long-term storage of contained fission products regardless.of tank integrity. Initiation of these plans at an early date is necessary to offset the expected increase in tank failures and to provide space for future wastes. Major decisions of the program relate to selection of the evaporative method to be employed. The requirements of in-tank solidification were therefore reviewed to determine if the choice of evaporative systems can be made at this time. The relative potential of Bentube evaporation and submerged combustion for meeting these requirements were analyzed on the basis of available information, including actual performance of the Bentube facility at the Savannah River Plant (SRP).

This report discusses three natural uranium, X-8001 aluminum clad, I&E Hanford production fuel elements, which were irradiated in 3363-D as part of PT-IP-262-A, were selected for detailed examination in the Radiometallurgy Laboratory. The three pieces were from the same tube and each had lost about 15 grams of cladding during irradiation. Examination was requested to determine the extent of the corrosion and whether the attack was uniform or localized. Also, measurement of the uranium fuel was requested to reveal any change that occurred during irradiation. Corrosion was general rather than localized and occurred over approximately three-fourths of the surface. In each element. about one-fourth of the surface on one side was virtually unattacked and vas probably the area that lay between the ribs of the process tube during irradiation. In one element localized attack occurred beside two of the bumpers. External aluminum cladding thicknesses ranged from 0.020 to 0.043 inch. About 0.005 inch of the spire surface vas removed by corrosion. Both internal and external dimensions of the uranium increased. The average external diameter was 0.010 inch larger and the average internal diameter vas 0.011 inch larger than the average preirradiation diameter measurements. The growth vas not uniform as ellipticity …

A previous study described proposed facilities at B-Plant which integrate future fission product and waste calcination activities. However, in the reactivation of B-Plant in accordance with this study, heavy expenditures, above budgeted funds, would be required at an early date for Phase 1 process changes coupled with general rehabilitation work and facilities for updating of radiological control. Since waste calcination activities in B-Plant are not scheduled until Fiscal Year 1966, the expense of B-Plant rehabilitation items would be borne solely by the Fission Product Program. This report provides the Title I design of Phase 1 fission product facilities at B-Plant which can be provided vith minimum capital expenditures. The facility described in this report accomplishes the overall processing objectives of the facility, namely the recovery and storage of crude strontium-90 and rare-earth concentrates, although certain B-Plant improvements are deferred to later phases of the Fission Product and Waste Calcination Programs.

Work has been progressing on the development of an extrusion process for I&E tubing. The ultimate object of this development project is to compare the extrusion process from a cost standpoint with, the presently used rolling-drilling process. Various experiments have been performed to determine the optimum billet I.D., the proper follower block technique, the proper tooling parameters for the process, and the proper metallurgical structure of the material for optimum results. This extrusion combines many of the past results as a further determination and refinement of the extrusion process to be used in the final semi-production optimization extrusion. The object of this extrusion was to evaluate the resulted of previous extrusion experiments to determine final process conditions prior to an optimization extrusion.

This study is part of an evaluation of the P&W NJ- 18A powerplant. The work presented here specifically estimates the pressure drop between the compressor discharge and the turbine inlet. Analysis was asked for two operating conditions. One was for sea level sprint at a Mach no. of 0.9, while the other was for a Mach no. of 0.9 at 35000 ft.