An IBM 7090 FORTRAN program was written for the preliminary design and cost estimation of unfired pressure vessels with or without a jacket. Both vessel and jacket designs conform to the 1959 ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Section VIII, Unfired Pressure Vessels. Vessels and jackets from 5 in. pipe through 84 in. o.d. and 1/4 in. through 1 1/2 in. in metal thickness may be designed by this program as written. Total vessel cost is the sum of metal and fabrication costs, each on a weight basis. (auth)

Up-to-date descriptive material and dimensional sketches of the ORNL Graphite Reactor and its experimental facilities are presented. (P.C.H.)

Two methods were used for predicting the maximum permissible burnup in type 3 (SM-2) fuel plates: use of analytical models and use of existing irradiation data on UO/sub 2/ stainless steel dispersion fuel plates. Results with two analytical models indicated that burnups above 100% U/35 are permissible. Comparison of the expected burnup with available irradiation data indicates that successful performance of type 3 replacement cores in SM-1, SM-1A, and PM-2A can be expected. (auth)

Highly convenient rules are given for the general term in the time-independent perturbation-theory expansion for the self-energy operator of quantum statistical mechanics. The rules are derived by starting from the usual formalism involving time-dependent Green's functions. The well-known formulas for thermodynamic quantities in terms of the self-energy operator are included for completeness.

None

In the AlSi process, the I&E fuel element is assembled in a two-piece aluminum container consisting of an outer cylindrical shell and an inner tube containing an integrally impacted cap wafer which forms the top end and cap during canning. Both autoclave failures and reactor failures have been attributed to porosity in the AlSi and non-wetting of the aluminum wafer with AlSi. Porosity and non-wetting in the area of the cap closure provides a pathway for water to penetrate through to the uranium from small defects in the weld which are not detected by visual weld inspection or radiography. These quality deficiencies are caused from two apparent fuel problems, (1) the disparity in mass between the spire and cap wafer which results in uneven pre-heating rates for spire and cap wafer and freezing of gas bubbles under the cap wafer, and (2) the heavyoxide and lubricant contamination on the underside and side of the wafer which causes non-wetting and outgassing. In December, 1958, an additional cleaning step was introduced in the 313 Manufacturing process to improve cap wetting. This change involved degreasing followed by a caustic etch to remove imbedded lubricants in the cap wafer. It was effective in reducing …

The objective of this test is to operate one of the 1706-KE single pass tubes using sodium silicate rather than sodium dichromate as the corrosion inhibitor and to monitor the radioisotope concentration in the effluent. Single pass tube tests carried out under Production Test IP-484-A have demonstrated that when sodium silicate is added to process water the concentrations of significant radioisotopes in the effluent are reduced by a factor of two. At the concentrations investigated., the use of sodium silicate as an additional additive to all Hanford process water would cost in the neighborhood of two million dollars per year. If, however, sodium silicate, an excellent corrosion inhibitor for certain applications, would also serve to replace sodium dichromate, it would provide the added benefits of eliminating Cr{sup 51} and hexavalent chromium from the effluent. While still not economically attractive, the use of sodium silicate would be less unpalatable.

The work described in this report was authorized under Development Test IP-419-E. The primary objective of this study was to establish the stress, hydraulic and vibration conditions which exist in KE Reactor rear face piping components under maximum presently authorized operating conditions and evaluate these conditions from the standpoint of continuity of reactor operation. Test data were recorded at various levels of operation up to and including the maximum authorized bulk outlet temperature. The data recorded during this test were used to establish model conditions for Project OGI-883. With model conditions established, additional tests will be conducted to explore the possibility of operating the reactor in regions above the present limiting bulk outlet temperatures. The test, as outlined in the development tests document, has been conducted and the pressure, temperature, vibration, and stress data has been tabularly and graphically compiled. Indicated hydraulic conditions have been substantiated theoretically with reasonable accuracy. A drawing indicating the instrumentation locations is provided in Appendix IV of this report.

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The problem of tube collapse by external pressure has been investigated experimentally. A graphical solution developed to simplify inelastic collapse design problems was shown to agree with the test results. The von Karman reduced modulus was used in the graphical solution to correct for the stress redistribution caused by yielding. The effects of the geometric imperfections of ovality and wall thickness variations on collapse pressure were shown to be related to the stress-strain behavior of the material. The concept of a critical time'' was discussed in regard to creep-buckling phenomenon. (auth)

A portable shield was utilized in performing nine semidirect dry maintenance jobs on the HRT. The shield proved to be completely reliable, affording a considerable savings in maintenance costs and reactor downtime. (auth)

The possibility of improved detection discrimination between selected materials; the high absorption of several 1ight materials such as hydrogen, lithium, and boron; and the relatively low absorption of many heavy materials are some characteristics which make neutron radiographic inspection attractive as a complementary technique to xradiography. A study of neutron radiography is reported in which the emphasis has been placed upon determining many of the characteristics of various techniques for detecting neutron images. Characteristics of photographic detectors for thermal neutron images are outlined. (R.J.S.)

The initial experimental program to study the transient heating of uranium carbide fuel in TREAT is outlined. Preliminary analyses are presented for the behavior of an HNPF prototype UC fuel slug during power bursts in the TREAT reactor. The analysis and evaluation conducted, center around the proposed utilization of the existing GE capsule, and indicate that this equipment will be suitable for the initial uranium carbide experiments with minor modification. A survey is presented and found not to be significantly different from the GE-UO/ sub 2/ experiments. A planning schedule for the program is shown, and in addition, recommendations for additional studies which should be conducted are presented. (auth)

Highly convenient rules are given for the general term in the time- independent perturbation-theory expansion for the self-energy operator of quantum statistical mechanics. The rules are derived by starting from the usual formalism involving time-independent Green's functions. The well-known formulas for thermodynamic quantities in terms of the self-energy operator are included for completeness. (auth)

A digital-to-analog converter is described which is a part of a system that converts punched-tape digital data to analog data in a series of points drawn by an x-y plotter. The converter is designed to plot accurately tapes that contain information other than coded numerical coordinates. Operation of the converter is also described along with format requirements and power supplies. (J.R.D.)

The Pebble-Bed Reactor Experiment (PBRE) was designed to advance the pebble-bed concept by providing a test of characteristic features and make contriliutions to the general development of all-ceramic gas-cooled reactors. The following objectives were established for the reactor experiment: to investigate key features of the pebble-bed concept, including on-stream fuel handling, movement of fuel through bed, and performance of core; to obtain operation and maintenance experience with a system contaminated with fission- product activity; and to investigate the behavior of graphite fuel elements. A fourth objective, study of the behavior of core materials at conditions occurring with exit gas temperatures in the range 2000 to 2500 deg F, was tentatively included. The preliminary design oE a 5-Mw(t) reactor for achieving these objectives was prepared. The core of the PBRE is a 2 1/2-ft-diam, 4-ft-tall cylinder containing approximately 12,000 spherical graphite fuel elements 1 1/2 in. in diameter. Fuel spheres are added to and removed from the core by gravity flow, and these operations are performed while the reactor is at power by using pairs of valves for passage of elements into and out of the high-pressure system. Exposed fuel can be recycled to the top of the core. Helium coolant …

Graphite expands linearly with irradiation at temperatures below 250 deg C and develops stored energy of the lattice because of interstitial and vacancy defects. Radiation changes such as stored energy and dimensional expansions can be removed by thermal annealing in which the graphite is removed from the radiation field and heated to a temperature above the irradiation temperature. The thermal annealing of irradiated graphites shows that the greater the irradiation dose, the greater is the recovery obtained at a given temperature. In periodically irradiated graphites, the 200 deg C stored energy no longer increases as it does in continuously irradiated graphites. Thermal annealing not only removes radiation damage but redistributes and creates it. (H.G.G.)

Experimental data were collected on over 70 light water moderated, fully enriched uranium, stainless steel, critical cores. An equation for the critical mass of cores with a buckling of 0.007 cm/sup -2/ that is lineally dependent on stainless steel volume fraction and grams of B/sup 10/ was compared with available critical experiments and found to yield reasonable results. A correlation method, relating buckling to ( xi SIGMA /sub s// SIGMA /sub a/) was found to fit the available experiments. (auth)

Measurements made at ORNL to study the feasibility of boiling detection in a water-cooled nuclear reactor are described. The methods selected for the detection of boiling include measurement of the acoustical noise produced by the generation of bubbles and measurement of changes in the reactor-power spectral density produced by bubbles. Preliminary results indicating that both methods could detect boiling are shown. (auth)

A study into the use of sulfamic acld as a nitritedestroying reagent in the controlled-potentlal coulometrlc tltratlon method for uranlum(VI) was made. When nltrites are thus destroyed, the tltration ls much less subject to error from HNO/sub 3/. The results of titratlons of known amounts of uranlum(VI) in the presence of varlous amounts of HNO/sub 3/, Th(NO/sub 3/)/sub 4/, Al(NO/sub 3/ )/sub 4/, and LiNO/sub 3/ are given. (auth)

The separation of isotopic mixtures containing three components in a gaseous diffusion cascade operating over an infinite reservoir is discussed. The flow distribution yielding the smallest total flow per unit product was found and compared with the flow distributions in some other theoretical cascades. Curves are presented to show the number of stages required, the total flow and the concentration gradients for both light and middle isotope separation. (auth)

The development of the system and techniques to permit determination of strains at right angle to the axis of loading in the specimen was continued. An additional optical system was developed to accept the lateral image of the gage points and project a vertical image of the same proportion to the apertures of the strain analyzer. Using a dummy specimen of steel in the load train, the automatic pressure control system for the gas-bearing universals was operated. A fluctuation of gas pressure occurred within the bearings. Multiple progressive fracture planes were observed throughout the gage length of fractured graphite and tungsten. (M.C.G.)