Introduction: "This is the seventh letter report on ARF Project C 127, entitled "Preliminary Studies of Scavenging Systems Related to Radioactive Fallout." This report covers the period from April 1 to May 31, 1959."

From introduction: This is Progress report BMI-282, the first of a series covering the operation of the pressure-leaching towers for the extraction of uranium by an ammonium carbonate leach...This report discusses the data obtained from tests run to show the effects of such variables as the amount of air and carbon dioxide passed through the pulp, temperature, pressure, and concentration of ammonium carbonate and ammonium bicarbonate in the leach solution on the extraction of uranium.

Introduction: Among the many corrosion problems encountered in the production of uranium tetrafluoride and uranium metal from ores and concentrates, some of the most serious occur where hydrofluoric acid must be handled.

Abstract: "The heat-treatment behavior of zirconium alloys containing 7 to 70 w/o uranium is described. The effect of oxygen contamination on the structure and hardness of these alloys is outlined. It is shown that in the initial stages pf transformation of beta zirconium-uranium solid solution into the low-temperature phases a potent hardening reaction occurs in alloys containing 20 to 70 w/o uranium. In this reaction the hardness may rise from 200 DPH characteristic of retained beta to values in excess of 400 DPH. Practical heat treatments have been developed which produce relatively soft alloys. The microstructures and hardnesses produces by these treatments are shown."

Abstract: "Sound, fabricable ingots of thorium were produced by triple are melting of electrolytic thorium. Consumable electrodes were fabricated by tack welding of cold-pressed and vacuum-sintered bars of the granular thorium electrodeposited from a molten-salt bath. The hydrogen content of the electrodeposited material was reduced from 80 to 4 ppm by vacuum sintering at 1250 C at pressures below 1 x 10-(-3) mm of mercury. Both sodium and chlorine content were reduced during melting; sodium from 250 to 25 ppm and chlorine from 1000 to 30 ppm. Oxygen and HCl acid-insoluble contents increased during sintering and melting. Oxygen content increased from 0.35 to 0.50 w/o and HCl acid-insoluble content from 0.8 to 4.0 w/o. A starlike includion revealed by metallographic examination of the as-cast thorium was identified as ThO2."

Technical report outlining the theoretical study of the sub-critical BNL (Brookhaven National Laboratory) reactor, and a comparison of reactor performance with the purpose of presenting the experimental results of the experimental methods. Presents experimental results and and a detailed discussion of the experimental methods along with theoretical analysis and evaluation of the results.

Report evaluating different methods of preparing nitric acid solution and different methods of separating plutonium from this nitric acid solution of slag and crucible. Methods are explained and experimental data is given.

Abstract. Refractory metals and their alloys are good container materials for alkali metal coolants. Thermodynamics of interaction with contaminants have been correlated with experimental test and show the need for high purity materials. Structural metal solubility data to 1600F can be used to correlate and predict engineering systems.

Report discussing a study of various types of mercuric salts in order to determine which salt prevents the evolution of iodine which results from sparging.

This technical report represents a brief survey of work by this project on the effects of ultraviolet radiation (UV) on certain of the photochemical and metabolic properties of rhubarb chard and sugar beet (Beta vulgaris). These plants were selected for this work because for some years they have been used as sources of chloroplasts for Hill reaction studies in this laboratory. Some of this work has appeared as a brief paper.

Abstract: The velocity of sound at the time of 100-ton shot at Trinity was measured to be 1116.1 ft/sec. Values of blast pressure computed from the excess velocity are given, but are not considered as reliable.

The "absolute" containment of ions in the DCX magnetic mirror field resulting from the cylindrical symmetry of the field is discussed. The regions of confinement in space and momentum are plotted for 300 Kev deuterons.

The determination of various parameters such as thermal utilization, resonance escape probability, control rod calibrations and etc. is often accomplished by the measurement of the pile period due to some given perturbation. With the present thoughts being directed towards plutonium fueled reactors, it was felt worthwhile to discuss a few of the basic differences in pile neutron behavior due to the smaller fraction of delayed neutrons per fission of Pu239 and the larger fraction of delayed neutrons per fast fission of U238 than occurs from fission of U235 alone.

Report issued by the Argonne National Laboratory covering the quarterly report from the Reactor Engineering Division. A summary of reactor programs, designs, development, and experiments are presented. This report includes tables, illustrations, and photographs.

This report describes the construction of a reactor and the research conducted in the reactor such as solid fuel and liquid fuel research, boiling reactor experiments, CP-6 bond testing program, and water quality control experiments for CP-6 program.

Work on the preparation of graphite spheres containing thorium oxide for use as breeder elements in the Pebble Bed Reactor-Steam Power Plant is described. Graphite spheres of varying density were infiltrated with thorium nitrate solutions, followed by denitration to thorium oxide.

Plutonium Fuels Development Basic studies. Experiments to determine the effect of plutonium dioxide additions on the sinterability of UO2 have continued. PuO2 has been added to ball milled PWR grade UO2 as a physical mixture, and in the form of the mixed crystal oxide.

Introduction - The work of the Chemical Development Group has included studies on the thermal and radiation stability of organic materials suitable for reactor coolants, the thermal and radiation stability of zirconium hydride, reactor safety devices involving chemical systems, and general analytical development.

The favorable combination of physical properties such as heat capacity, viscosity, electrical resistivity, thermal conductivity and high temperature liquid range make alkali metals, in principle, among the best heat transfer fluids available for use in nuclear reactor and other esoteric powerplant systems. Unfortunately, many of these properties are not known with sufficient certainty in the high temperature region to permit optimization of design criteria for developing maximum efficiency coolant systems. For this reason, Pratt & Whitney Aircraft-CANEL, have been concerned for some time in extending the physical properties data of alkali liquid metals in the high temperature region. A supplemental program is being initiated to study some of the properties of alkali metals in the gas phase. This information is required for designing systems where the alkali vapor is the working fluid. In addition, programs are under way to study the solubility of noble gases in alkali liquid metals and wetting characteristics of these liquid metals with structural materials.

In some recent experiments the ion density in a plasma was measured as a function of radial distance from a d-c arc source of ions for the magnetic field intensities from 2500 to 14000 oersted. The diffusion coefficient appeared to very inversely as the square of the magnetic field strength, D~1/H2. The absolute value of D was shown to be approximately that which would be predicted by the collision diffusion theory when account is taken of the shorting effect of the end walls. The purpose of this report is to continue the examination of ion diffusion in a plasma and field experimentally the relation between the diffusion coefficient and the neutral gas pressure for a constant magnetic field.

Absolute (p,n) cross sections have been measured for Ti47, V51, Cr52, Co59, and Cu63 at energies between 4 and 6.5 Mov. These data plus earlier measurements of the cross section for inelastic proton scattering have been used to estimate total proton absorption cross sections for V51 and Co59. An optical model calculation using parameters giving a good fit to elastic scattering measurements predicts an absorption cross section in good agreement with the measurements for Co59. For V51, some sets of parameters gave good agreement with the measured absorption cross section, but the fit to the elastic scattering data was only fair.

An ion exchange testing program was completed on Gunnar acid leach liquors and pulps. A standard column system and a resin-in-pulp system, both using anion exchange resins, were investigated. The Gunnar leach liquors are readily amenable to the recovery of uranium by ion exchange.

One of the primary reasons for operating the high pressure KER loops is to obtain information concerning water quality control characteristics for recirculating water cooled reactors. The KER-1 loop is predominantly carbon steel and approximates the water quality conditions specified for the New Production Reactor (NPR).

In answer to the question, "How well do we know the composition of the fuel material for the PRTR start-up tests?", the analytical data on the PRTR fuel elements and other fuel elements which were fabricated by similar processes was gathered and analyzed. The results of this analysis are presented.