Operation, rehabilitation, and expansion of Hanford Works was undertaken by GE from Sept. 1946 to the end of 1950. As a result of engineering progress, graphite reactors continue to be the country`s primary source of plutonium in production quantities; at the end of 1950, the plutonium production rate from the Hanford reactors was 299% of the 1946 rate with a 67% increase in reactor facilities. Improvements to existing plant facilities and processes resulted in savings of $53.3 M; in addition, it would have been necessary, in order to produce the amount of Pu delivered through 1950, to have constructed facilities costing $225.4 M if the following improvements had not been made: an irradiation-stable uranium slug; annealing of graphite; increased operating power level of the reactors; and improved separation methods. Tritium production, health/safety, and community management are mentioned.

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The colorimetric method of Murray and Ashley for the determination of nickel has been adapted to the determination of the element in uranium materials. A prior separation of uranium as the tetraoxide

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The Vernatherm unit is a temperature sensitive capsule which translates temperature change to mechanical movement of a brass plunger. A change in phase of a hydrocarbon contained in a cylinder caused by temperature change, causes movement of the brass plunger. The units are available for various temperature ranges. The adaptation considered was to monitor the outlet water temperature from individual process tubes in the ``G`` pile. The purpose of the test was to determine the magnitude of error, if any, that is induced in a standard Vernatherm unit of known calibration when subjected to gamma irradiation. The accuracy of the units prior to irradiation was within 1.25 F. An examination of the calibration curves shows that a hysteresis effect in the hydrocarbon of the unit causes the curve of descending temperature to be displaced from the ascending temperature curve. The effects of irradiation were to decrease the accuracy to within 3.75 F. After a total exposure of 17,416 {times} 10{sup 4}R at 1.1 MEV. Since the exposure of 11,441 {times} 10{sup 4}R is equivalent to approximately 2,000 months exposure in the pile at 250 MW they can conclude that the effect of radiation is not detrimental since the increase in …

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Authorization has been received in the form of Modification No. 5 to Directive HW-158, dated March 23, 1951 to provide the necessary equipment and piping in the currently planned UO{sub 3} plant to permit the segregation of UO{sub 3} arising from the processing of stored metal waste (TBP) from that arising from ``current`` pile operation (Redox). In anticipation of this, the S Division, Manufacturing Divisions, requested that a study be made of the feasibility and cost of providing facilities for such segregation. This report is the result of that study. It concludes that by providing additional liquid storage and handling equipment, the desired segregation can be accomplished at a cost estimated to be approximately $128,000. $106,500 would be for Construction and $21,500 for Engineering. The schedule for this work will be reflected in the forthcoming modification to the C-361 Project Proposal. The general method of operation is alternately to store and process solution from TBP and Redox. The solution from TEP will be of a composition equivalent to the formula UNH and will require five days each week to process in the decomposition pots. The solution from Redox is received as 60% UNH and is batch concentrated in the storage …

The start-up of the DR Pile at a time when every effort was being made to increase the power levels of the older piles, suggested the possibility of studying, during the early damage period, some of the conditions which were limiting the operating levels of the old piles. Of the operational limitations restricting the power level of the old piles, the maximum graphite temperature is the most severe and actually determines the operating level of the B, D, and F Piles and, to some extent, the H Pile. Though it was known that irradiation damage of the central part of the old piles had been arrested by the increased temperatures which resulted from the replacement of helium by carbon dioxide as the pile atmosphere, the extent of damage to be expected at the new DR Pile, where graphite temperatures were to be maintained as high as possible from the start, was not known, except for the H Pile startup where conditions were somewhat different. This report is intended to be a summary of the lattice conductance variations at the DR Pile during the first five months of operation. From the recorded conductances an attempt has been made to estimate the …

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