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chemical Research and Development Operation was contacted by R. Nilson of Irradiation Processing Department in order to obtain an analysis from a chemical viewpoint of the worst credible accident to a full E-N reactor loading. This analysis would be used to present to the ACRS directly or would be abstracted to prepare a supplementary report. The primary purpose of this report is to present an analysis of the chemical behavior of an E-N loading in the event of the sudden loss of coolant to the entire reactor, with, however, normal operation of the control devices such that the reactor is initially driven sub-critical. We are here concerned wit the effect of a rising temperature upon the E-N load, the rise in temperature being primarily caused by the release of fission product energy.

This report for June 1958, 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.

The July, 1958 monthly report for the Chemical Processing Department of the Hanford Atomic Products Operation includes information regarding research and engineering efforts with respect to the Purex and Redox process technology. Also discussed is the production operation, finished product operation, power and general maintenance, financial operation, engineering and research operations, and employee operation. (MB)

The reliability of the K-Reactor water plants has been reviewed by Research and Engineering personnel; this study augments a brief analysis of the KW generator failures incident given in my letter of October 6, 1958. Our attention has been directed largely to ascertaining the requirements of the system, the consequences of possible component failures, giving general assessment of the primary features upon which reliability depends and identifying potential improvements which would increase reliability or moderate the consequences of a major failure. Our attention is restricted to failures which might occur as a result of equipment failure, operator error or certain natural causes such as earthquakes; we have not weighed special considerations brought on by enemy action such as sabotage, for example, in this evaluation. R. S. Bell is providing an analysis of the operating and maintenance aspects of K water plant reliability to complement this engineering study. It is concluded that the basic elements of the system lend themselves to reliable operation. The lines of defense appear adequate in depth, that is, a primary system operated with BPA power, an emergency ``backup`` system consisting of two essentially independent steam driven generators driving selected pumps, and a ``last ditch`` system providing …

The September, 1958 monthly report for the Chemical Processing Department of the Hanford Atomic Products Operation includes information regarding research and engineering efforts with respect to the Purex and Redox process technology. Also discussed is the production operation, finished product operation, power and general maintenance, financial operation, engineering and research operations, and employee operation. (MB)

The "ORACLE", Oak Ridge Automatic Computer and Logical Engine, was installed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory :in 1953 and.has been in operation since that time. This manual describes the machine's design, the number systems it uses, and its basic operations.

This report represents a critical review of existing reactor cooling systems and discusses suggested supplementary-cooling system which might be employed in emergencies resulting from such natural hazards as earthquake, equipment failure, or personnel error. In addition the subject of building filtration is discussed. Maintenance of an uninterrupted flow of cooling water is of major concern to the safety of any HAPO reactor. For some time supplementary cooling systems which would be capable of removing heat output in the event of failure in the existing emergency backup systems have been under scrutiny. Loss of coolant may cause damaging power excursion (should this occur during operation) or will inevitably result in fuel melting and a subsequent release of fission products to the atmosphere, even if the reactor is shut down prior to the loss of coolant.

This report, for August 1958 from the Chemical Processing Department at HAPO, discusses the following: Production operation; Purex and Redox operation; Finished products operation; maintenance; Financial operation; facilities engineering; research; and employee relations.

A compilation of available data on the spectra of thorium is presented, including energy levels and classified lines with Zeeman effects and isotope shifts, as well as certain data on unclassified lines. The present status of knowledge of these spectra is discussed. (auth)

A study was made to determine the magnitude of the velocities existing in the various slurry pumps currently in use and to determine possible methods of reducing the velocities in order to obtain longer life. The maximum velocities of the lOOA, 200A, and 300A pumps are between 39 and 53.6 fps with the exception of the lOOA absolute discharge velocity which is 80.6 fps. For large slurry pumps, it is recommended that lower speeds be used in order to reduce the impeller relative velocities. (auth)

This bibliography of the unclassified literature on radioactive waste treatment and disposal has been compiled from references published in the Nuclear Science Abstracts Volume 11, No. 11 (June 15, 1957), through Volume 12, No. 12 (June 30, 1958). The bibliography brings up to date a previous bibliography published as CF 57-8-138. (auth)

The deflection and stresses of a medel of the Yankee lower core support structure, conslstlng of two clrcular perforated plates joined together by a clrcular reinforclng rib and 76 cylindrical spacers, were obtained experimentally. The relationships between the tests on the model and reference design were determined by an application of dimensional analysis. Experimental investigations are described in which various design parameters were determined and the structural rigidity of the assembly was obtained. A rational methed of semitheoretical analysis of the problem is suggested based on Reissner's small deflectlon theory which takes into account the effect of transverse shear and normal stress deformation. (auth)

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The differences in the sizes and shapes of crystals formed during four common types of thermal gradient mass transfer experiment are discussed These difference are illustrated with photograped for each case considered. A mechanism is advanced to accoutn for the of mass transfer experiment. Based on an idealized icting the stabe under various experimental conditions. Numberical n graphical form. (auth)

Critical experiments are described, and the hazards attendant to these experiments are evaluated for a gascooled water-moderated reactor design. Shutdown control of the critical assembly is achieved by cadmium control blades and by dumping the water into a storage tank. The maximum normal rats of reactivity addition is limited to an estimated 0.04 per cent per sec for all remotely controlled operations. The system is interlocked to insure that safe operational procedures are followed, Hazard calculations are made to determine the dosage from direct radiation, fall-out, and inhalation from a radioactive cloud resulting from an accident. The exclusion area is shown to be adequate for even the maximum hypothetical accident. (auth)

Evidence is presented that the hot-zone attack of nickel-base alloys in contact with fused fluorides occurs by a grain-boundary diffusion process. Predictions based on tbe grain-boundary diffustion model are shown to copmpare favorably with existting data. Certain anomalies are pointed out with regard to the corrosion of Inconel by Fuel No. 20 (NaF-UF/sub 4/-ZrF/sub 4/) and tests which would lead to a better understanding of fused-salt corrosion are outlined. (auth)

The program of neutron activation analysis service at Oak Ridge National Laboratory is described. The techniques used, the limits of measurement, and the general applications of the method are discussed. (T.R.H.)

An analysis was made of the problems of control and measuremeat of specimen temperature and heat generation in a NaK-filled capsule containing a fuel specimen. A specific problem is used in this report to demonstrate the large uncertainties normally encountered even in capsules containing thermocouples. This analysis indicates that an improvement by a factor of more than three (i.e., from an uncertainty of plus or minus 7O F to plus or minus 2O F in the example used) may be obtained by use of a differential- thermocouple heatflow meter and by use of a precision thermocoupleplacement clip. Since the irradiation damage suffered by fuel specimens is sensitive to small changes in temperature and burnup, improvements in precision in irradiation testing are of great importance in fuel studies. If the indicated improvement of precision by a factor of three is actually obtained when capsules of this design are irradiated, the experimenter will be able to draw much more reliable conclusions from a given testing program. (auth)

From the standpoint of erosion, a long dump line may be preferable to a throttling dump valve to achieve the pressure drop from the HRE-3 slurry blanket to the dump tank. Extended length HRE-3 dump lines in which the maximum average velocity is 20 fps, the smallest allowable line size is 1/2 in., and the time for dumping is 10 minutes are investigated. Twenty-six parallel 1/2-in. Sch. 80 pipes, each 725 ft long, or four parallel 1 1/2-in. Sch. 80 pipes each 2,000 ft long are required. To avoid localized velocities considerably higher than 20 fps as a result ef flashing, these pipes can be submerged in a 25,000 gal pool of water initially at 135 deg F and with 40 deg F allowable temperature rise. It can be concluded that if the velocity, line size, and dumping time are limited to the values listed above, use of restrictor piping to achieve the pressure drop is not very practical. If higher velocities and flashing are allowed, a cursory study indicates that for an average velocity in the range from 100 to 200 fps, one 1 1/4-in. (or smaller) line of less than 250-ft length could be used. Flashing would occur, …

The tabulation of pipe lengths, with calculated surface areas and volumes, was assembled from physical measurements of the process piping, included also is a list of instrument lines, with their measured lengths and estimated volumes. (auth)

The electical analog study of the diaphragm feed pump system resulted in changes to the system which have improved the over-all operation and reliability of the pumps. Specifically, the study showed that if the release of the high- pressure oil from the pulsator through the valve on the Scott and Williams pump could be made to take place over a longer period of time, pressure oscillations could be substantially reduced. Also, pressure surges could be reduced by placing an accumulator in the pump discharge line near the check valve. Both of these have been incorporated into sulted in a quieter and smoother operation of the pumping system. (auth)

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The design features and the performance of UO/sub 2/SO/sub 4/ blanket processing Loop P-1 are evaluated from an engineering viewpoint. This unique experiment development loop was operated with pump heating to study the behavior of plutonium in 1.4 M UO/sub 2/SO/sub 4/at 250 deg C and was designed for mixed O/ sub 2/-H/sub 2/ gas pressurization The canned loop and the feed and sampling systems in glove boxes completely contained the plutonium throughout the experimental program. (auth)