This memorandum provides an estimate of the life of manufacturing piles.

In August 1946 it was discovered that two effluent lines near the Columbia River at Hanford were damaged. The upstream effluent line has broken off 37 fact from the shoreline and the downstream effluent line had been bent and partly broken seventeen feet from shoreline and has swung downstream to a point about 50 feet from shorelines. This study was made to determine how fast and in what fashion the temperature of the effluent water is dissipated in the Columbia River under the present conditions and to compare this to a previous survey made when the effluent lines were believed to be in their original position.

Extrusion was run on one day, February 2, and a total of 271 billets (178 Type G, 12 type BT, and 81 red band) were processed. Two failures occurred among the red band billets; UM 6610 had begun to melt in the furnace and TX 3323 disintegrated on being extruded through the die. Samples of these billets are being checked chemically and metallurgically in an attempt to ascertain the cause for the hot-short characteristics of these billets. A sample cut from a rod which possessed zero strength (fell apart under no stress other than its own weight) at extrusion temperature was found to contain a large amount of microconstituent not ordinarily found in appreciable quantity on uranium sections. The distribution and appearance of the excess phase suggested at least partial liquation at the working temperature and it could, therefore, be responsible for the hot-short tendency.

The favorible attention being given graphite as a fuel rod material calls attention to the need for preventing diffusion of fission products from the fuel rods. The methods of prevention include painting the surface of the rod with an impermeable organic synthetic composition, enclosing the rods in metal cans, electroplating the rods with a suitable metal, or covering the surface with some type of inorganic ceranmic glaze. Each of these methods is evaluated as to feasibility. (M.H.R.)

Problems in extrapolation of the rate of tumor formation by strontium 89 from animal to man are addressed. Focus of this paper is on variability of latency period between different animals.