A multi-purpose program for processing exponential data has been prepared for the 709 computer. The main purposes of the program is to compute the material buckling from raw data (given counts, time, and counter information) or from previously calculated Athermal's. It is also possible to compute only CeCh (end and harmonic corrections) for a given B11 or series if B11's no counting data being entered. In every case, pile measurements must be submitted as input for corrections.

The purpose of the test was to determine the internal temperature of the valve position detector for the 1A reactor inlet hydraulic valve with the plant at normal pressure and temperature and at power. The normal operating temperatures for the valve position detector on the 1A reactor inlet hydraulic valve range from a minimum of 287 F to a maximum of 294.7 F.

None

Laboratory studies involving fluid flow through porous media require use of fluids having low dissolved gas content. Water is the major fluid used in various and box model and soil permeability studies carried out by the Geochemical and Geophysical Research group. Tap water supplied to the 222-U Bldg. contains a large amount of dissolved air. Under the reduced pressure encountered during model studies, the air is released from solution and gradually clogs the pores of the sand or other porous material. This, of course. leads to anomalous results and cannot be tolerated in precious studies. A system was required to effectively remove the air and make available a continuous supply of desired water for the model studies.

"Centrifugal-casting techniques were investigated as a method of producing hollow cylindrical extrusion billets of aluminum-35 w/o uranium. Among the variables evaluated were melt temperature, mold and pouring-spout configurations, mold speed, and method of pouring. With the equipment employed it was found that the best castings were produced stilizing a pouring temperature of 2400 F, a heavy-walled steel cylinder rotating between 700 to 900 rpm for the mold and bottom-pouring technique employing a retractable pouring spout. Sound, nonporous billets 26 in. long and 5 in. in diameter were produced with a yield after machining of over 75 per cent of the original charge. The major losses occurred in the pouring spout-and-cup assembly. This loss is relatively unaffected by the casting length; and, therefore, coatings of greater length than 26 in. should results in even greater recoveries.

Centrifugal-casting techniques were investigated as a method of producing hollow cylindrical extrusion billets of aluminum-35 wt.% uranium. Among the variables evaluated were melt temperature, mold and pouring-spout configurations, mold speed, and method of pouring. With the equipment employed it was found that the best castings were produced utilizing a pouring temperature of 2400 ction prod- , a heavy-walled steel cylinder rotating between 700 and 900 rpm for the mold and a bottom-pouring technique employing a retractable pouring spout. Sound, nonporous billets 26 in. long and 5 in. in diameter were produced with a yield after machining of over 75% of the original charge. The major losses occurred in the pouring spout-and-cup asserably. This loss is relatively unaffected by the casting length; and, therefore, castings of greater length than 26 in. should result in even greater recoveries. (auth)

Surface active materials in aluminum nitrate-nitric acid fuel reprocessing solutions were characterized. Polymerized silica, zirconium- modified silica and soluble dibutyl phosphate species were found to contribute to stable emulsion formation. These surfactants were reduced in effectiveness by added acid. (auth)

This report for January 1959, from the Chemical Processing Department at HAPO, discusses the following: Production operation; Purex and Redox operation; Finished products operation; maintenance: Financial operations; facilities engineering; research; and employee relations.

This report for February 1959, from the Chemical Processing Department at HAPO, discusses the following: Production operation; Purex and Redox operation; Finished products operation; maintenance: Financial operations; facilities engineering; research; and employee relations.

Pu output from separations plant was less than scheduled, but year-to- date production exceeded commitment by 4%. The Palm recovery run in Purex was the most successful to date. UO{sub 3} production and shipments met schedule. Purex had two pump failures. When Purex 1WW was centrifuged and treated to recover Ce, most of it remained in the centrifugate; only 14% was recovered. The prototype Pu ozonator in Redox performed well. Test runs on an acid precycle flowsheet and a proposed internal recycle scheme for Palm recovery were initiated in Redox. Recuplex had a change in solvent extraction feed preparation, and an installation of a safe-geometry bottom section on the stripping column. Storage of Purex 1WW wastes was discussed in a meeting. Conversion of Rexuplex to a manufacturing facility was completed. Cost estimates were developed for several alternative Palmolive processing schemes. Process flow diagrams were completed for Sulfex decladding of Yankee elements and Zirflex decladding of Dresden elements.

Production of Pu, UO{sub 3}, and Pu metal exceeded forecasts. The 2nd attempt at Purex to recover Zr-Nb resulted in about 1/3 recovery, contaminated with about 1% of the Ce. Palm losses to Purex U product were eliminated, and the Pu content was reduced 5 to 10{times}. Routing the dissolver rinses into 3WB concentrator resulted into improved rinsing efficiency. Unclarified feed was processed through Purex HA column. In a test for using B in Redox, the B was routed completely to the waste; it was not detectable in product streams beyond the first cycle. Almost 1000 g Palm was purified and converted to oxide. Ferrous ion catalyzed the reduction of Palm VI by hydrazine or semicarbazide. Coordination of E-metal and NPR reprocessing at Redox in multipurpose dissolver was studied. An interim fission product recovery program at Purex will be directed toward low-efficiency collection of Pm {sup 147}. Locations for critical incident alarms were selected. (DLC)

The build up of contaminated film on the internal surfaces of high temperature in-reactor recirculating water loops has created serious radiation exposure problems to operational and maintenance personnel. A considerable amount of work has been applied to develop an effective decontamination process for the decontamination of these loops and their components.

The diffusion coefficient was calculated for the diffusion of Xe through Nb and found to be 0.064 exp (-18,600/RT).

Report of data for the distributions of elements 90 through 96 between molten salt solutions of their chlorides and molten aluminum (or alloy) at 725 Celsius.

This document details activities of the Fuels Preparation Department during the month of July 1959. (FI)

subscale fiat-plate fuel subassemblies measuring up to 2 by 2 by 20 in., incorporating 16 Zircaloy-2-clad uranium -zirconium fuel plates and 15 coolant channels, were successfully fabricated by the gas-pressurebonding process. Autoclave design, specimen-container configuration, and the design and preparation of specimen components were among the problems studied. Uneven heating of the bonding specimen, caused in part by convective heat transfer, was minimized by developing a special four-element muffie-type resistance heater for the autoclave and by filling void space between the specimen and heater with copper plates and sand. With this arrangement there was only a 10 to 15 deg F variation over a 36-in. zone at 1500 deg F. A type 304 stainless specimen container design, resembling in cross section a swastika, allowed distortion-free bonding of specimens without supplementary jigging. The practicality of building up an entire assembly from simple, rectanrular pieces was demonstrated. This technique makcs it easier to maintain the close dimensional tolerances required for fabrication of flat-plate assemblies and elimirates the expensive machining required to produce one-piece picture frames. Flat Ti-Namel stock inserted between the Zircaloy-2clad fuel plates during assembly of the components was removed after bonding was completed by acid etching to form the coolant …

A comparison of possible types of research reactors for the production of transplutonium elements and other isotopes indicates that a flux-trap reactor consisting of a beryllium-reflecteds light-water-cooled annular fuel region surrounding a light-water island provides the required thermal neutron fluxes at minimum cost. The preliminary desigu of such a reactor was carried out on the basis of a parametric study of the effect of dimensions of the island and fuel regions heat removal rates, and fuel loading on the achievable thermal neutmn fluxes in the island and reflector. The results indicate that a 12- to 14-cm- diam. island provides the maximum flux for a given power density. This is in good agreement with the US8R critical experiments. Heat removal calculations indicate that average power densities up to 3.9 Mw/liter are achievable with H/ sub 2/O-cooled, platetype fuel elements if the system is pressurized to 650 psi to prevent surface boiling. On this basis, 100 Mw of heat can be removed from a 14-cm-ID x 36-cm-OD x 30.5-cm-long fuel regions resulting in a thermal neutron flux of 3 x 10/sup 15/ in the island after insertion of 100 g of Cm/sup 244/ or equivalent. The resulting production of Cf/sup 252/ amounts …

Different methods of decontaminating plutonium contaminated skin were studied by contamination localized areas of pig skin and then testing the different decontamination methods. Results indicate that the most effective of the decontamination methods tested involved the application of a plastic adherent material to the skin and its later removal by peeling.

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An empirical approach for the evaluation of shielding materials for macrochemical manipulations of spontaneously fissioning heavy elements (curium and californium) has revealed interesting comparisons. High-density metal halide solutions were compared with lead glass and with rare earth glass for use as shielding windows. Laminated shields of lead-paraffin and uranium-paraffin were compared with water and with paraffin for shielding walls.

This document details activities of the irradiation processing department during the month of January 1959. A general summary is included at the start of the report, after which the report is divided into the following sections: Research and Engineering Operations; Production and Reactor Operations; Facilities Engineering operation; Employee Relations Operation; and Financial Operation.

This document details activities of the irradiation processing department during the month of October, 1959. A general summary is included at the start of the report, after which the report is divided into the following sections: Research and Engineering Operations; Production and Reactor operations; Facilities Engineering operation; Employee Relations Operation; and Financial operation.

This document details activities of the irradiation processing department during the month of February 1959. A general summary is included at the start of the report, after which the report is divided into the following sections: Research and Engineering Operations; Production and Reactor Operations; Facilities Engineering Operation; Employee Relations Operation; and Financial Operation.

Selection of new graphites for nuclear reactor moderator applications can be accomplished either by: (1) an evaluation of the behavior of untested materials processed by proven methods of manufacture when tested under conditions typical of the proposed application, or, (2) a development program exploring new materials, processes and environments which results in graphites meeting or exceeding design requirements. The latter approach is not easily adapted to construction schedules and therefore can at this date contribute little to the 105-N program. The program for selecting 105-N reactor graphite is governed basically by two factors: dimensional stability of graphite under the proposed operating conditions is the major design requirement to be met and the types of petroleum coke and processes used in manufacturing artificial graphites directly influence their behavior under irradiation. Since the evaluation and procurement of graphite for the 100-K reactors, carbon companies have established a number of new coke sources. Some major changes in processing graphite have also been developed; however, these have not reached full production scale and cannot be considered sources for 105-N graphite. Consequently, candidate graphites for the 105-N reactor are those representing the new coke sources plus Texas Lockport coke, the only previously evaluated coke now …