The use of oversized piping in an air lift for transferring solutions at rates less than 5 liters per hour was proven feasible with certain limitations. Reliable operation was also obtained with air lifts containing a lateral run inserted between the point of air injection and the final discharge point. Discharge of the air lifts, especially at low liquid flows, was very erratic under the conditions studied. (auth)

A comprehensive review of the available data for the specific heat at constant pressure of water and water vapor is given for pressures from 14.22 to 4300 psia and temperatures from 680 to 800 deg F. ln addition a description is given of the various experimental techniques employed by different investigators to carry out measurements of this property. Deviations of up to 20% are shown to be in existence between the measured values of specific heat of different investigators. The estimated apparent over-all error in the specific heat measurements was found always to be within 5%. In view of the actual deviation it would appear that the various estimates that were made on the apparent over- all error are somewhat optimistic. An attempt was made to show that excessive random and systematic errors may arise in the critical region when values obtained from mean specific heat measurements are considered as being identical to the instantaneous values oi specific heat. There are no specific heat formulations C/sub p/ = C/sub p/ (P, T), in existence for the part of the critical region where the specific heat first increases with tennperature, attains a maxi mum finite value, and then subsequentiy decreases with …

Thirty complete papers and 17 abstracts of papers presented at theFourth Conference on Analytical Chemistry in Nuclear Reactor Technology are given. The abstracts were included for papers to be published elsewhere. Separate abstracts were prepared for the 28 papers. Two were previously abstracted for NSA. (M.C.G.)

Additional data were obtained on the separation of linear polymers from cyclic polymers by precipitation with barium chloride. An unexpected peak was observed in the anion-exchange chromatography of a sodium poly-phosphate of n-bar average degree of polymerization) = 6, and the compound represented by this peak was isolated. An end-group titration of this compound by microtechnique proved unequivocally that it is a cyclic phosphate. Although the identification (number of phosphorus atoms per molecule) is not completed, evidence from its position in the elution graph by ion-exchange chromatography' and from paper chromatography indicate that it is probable pentametaphosphate, Na/sub 5/P/sub 5/O/sub 15/, or the boat form of tetrametaphosphate, Na/sub 4/P/sub 4/O/sub 12/. (P.C.H.)

None

Research facilities, general construction progress, research activities, and administration are discussed and a financial statement is given. Fairly detailed accounts are given of research programs in the fields of physics, accelerator development, instrumentation, applied mathematics, chemistry, nuclear engineering, biology, and medicine. (M.C.G.)

Separate abstracts were prepared on 11 sections of this report. A list is included of staff publications during the period. (C.H.)

9 : : 7 : 7 9 : 5 5 ? 5 9 G -- 8 ; 8 ; = -activity levels of the melt-refining process for EBR-II core fuel was completed. An experiment was also completed on the evolution of fission- product krypton and xenon from an irradiated fuel pim as it was heat to a temperature above the melting point. In tests of alternate materials for use in a meltrefining furnace, a fibrous potassium titanate grain retainer was found to be a very effective heat insulator, but to have less strength than nigid Fibenfrax retainers. The skull remaining in the zirconia crucible after a meltrefining operation must be processed to recover, as partially purified metal, the fissionable material for return to the fuel cycle. Several essentially quantitative reductions of uranium dioxide and skull oxides were achieved in times of less than 8 hr at 800 deg C in dilute magnesium-zinc solutions and in magnesium containing a small percentage (0.5 to 2) of sodium as a wetting agent. Data and equations for solubilities of other elements in liquid cadmium are included. The partition coefficients of a numbsr of representative fissile and fission product elements between the two immiscible liquids, …

The use and operation of the Van de Graaff generator are summarized for the period from January 1 to June 30, 1960. Molecular beam study final results are given for Mn/sup 56/, and progress on the new atomic-beam machine is reported to date. A preliminary investigation was made of the neutron total cross section of cobalt. Results are presented. The decomposition of trichlorobromomethane by the isomeric transition of 4.4-hr Br/sup 80m/ and to 1000 deg F. /sup -/, decay of 35.9-hr Br/sup 82/ was studied. The fragmnentation patterns initiated by the two nuclear transitions differ markedly, the one caused by the isomeric transition was dominated by spectra of multiply-charged atomic species, whereas the pattern due to Br/sup 82/ was entirely made up of singlycharged products. An investigition of nondiagonal matrix elements arising in a shell-model treatment of a deformed nucleus showed that their neglect in determining the degree of deformation does not lead to serious error. A previous statement, in a study of collective effects and the shell model, about K = 0 bands in odd-odd nuclei is corrected. The effect of residual interactions is calculated, and the result is applied to Ho/sup 166/. (For preceding period see ANL-6190.) (W.D.M.)

This report is about the Absorption Spectra of spinach chloroplast fragments and the stability of the pigments.

Members of the Biology Division presented 168 lectures during the period February to August 1961, compared with 116 for each of the two preceding reporting periods. Of these, 96 were before professional societies at home and abroad, and 28 were presented as part of the Traveling Lecture Program.

Concentrations of fission products in the fuel and in the coolant stream of a generalized reactor power plant employing unclad fuel material were calculated using actual fission-product chains and wide ranges of assumed values of escape rate from the fuel and removal rate from the coolant stream. The calculations were made on an IBM 704 digital computer. Some typical results are displayed in the form of graphs to illustrate the effects of the variables. As data on escape rates from fuel and removal rates from coolant become available, the tables and graphs developed by this study can be used to estimate the fissionproduct concentration in the coolant stream, which would in turn furnish a basis for determining the degree of coolant purification required to maintain the circulating activity below a given level. (auth)

None

An experimental program was carried out to evaluate the validity of using the cesium-137 content of coating waste as an indirect measure of the uranium and/or plutonium content. A small number of large volume samples and a large number of normal (small volume) samples of Redox and Purex coating waste were used for the investigations. The distribution of cesium, uranium, and plutonium throughout the two-phase system was determined. a comparison of uranium by direct assay and uranium by cesium-137 was obtained for both Redox and Purex samples. A plant test was carried out to determine the extent of cesium migration and the extent to which product materials are transferred from the dissolver to underground storage in coating waste. Sampling for cesium-137 was found to be markedly more consistent than for product materials. In general, the cesium-137 content was found to be a more sensitive measure of the relative product content of coating waste than the uranium content as measured by direct assay. To date al the evidence indicates that the cesium-137 content of coating waste is a valid measure of the product content. However, more ``back-up`` data and a ``routine use`` evaluation are needed before the method can be considered …

Progress made in the development of the Cs/sup 137/ fueled thermoelectric generator for marine power applications is reported. Information is given on thermoelectric generator design, shielding, power conversion system, hazards evaluation, fuel element forming and cladding, fabrication, and heat transfer. Cs/sup 137/ energy calculations are presented along with shielding calculations. The development and fabrication of cesium polyglass for fuel application are included. (N.W.R.)

Developments in chemical engineering are described. Pyrometallurgical development, fuel-processing facilities for EBR-II, pyrometallurgical research, laboratory and engineering-scale investigations of fluoride volatility processes, conversion of UF/sup 6/ to UO/sup 2/, calcination studies in small-diamenter columns, metal oxidation and ignition kinetics, metal-water reactions, determination of nuclear constants, thermally regenerative emf cell, thermoelectricity research, reactor decontamination, waste processing, and the high-level gamma-irradiation facility are discussed. (M.C.G.)

7 9 7 D 8 8 9 9 7 7 ; 8 < fuel-reprocessing plant using pyrometallurgical procedures is being designed and constructed as part of the Experimental Breeder Reactor No. 2 project. Cable samples sealed with Temporell No. 741 were irradiated to 3.0 x lO/sup 9/ rad. Tests of the absorber-type fume trap were successful. Preparations were continued for high- activitylevel demonstrations of the melt-refining process for EBR-2 core fuel. An attractive and efficient procedure for removing uranium skull material from a melt-refining crucible is to convent it to free-flowing oxide powder by oxidation with a dilute oxygen- argon mixture at 700 to 800 deg C. Two complete runs were made for both demonstrating and pin-pointing difficulties in the drag-out or skullreclamation process. Investigation of the reduction of uranium oxides by liquid magnesium alloys was continued. Two runs were made to demonstrate recovery of plutonium from a magnesium solution by distillation of the magnesium. Operation of a mild steel corrosion loop for circulating a U-Mg- Cd alloy at 550 deg C was terminated after 4800 hr of trouble-free operation. The solubility of titanium in liquid cadmium was found to vary between 0.047 at.% at 449 deg C to 0.15 …

8 7 < 6 ; : : = 8 g developed for recovering fissionable and fertile materials from shortcooled reactor fuels. The second laboratory demonstration of the melt-refining process with highly irradiated EBR- IItype fuel pins was completed. A 392-g charge of U-5% fissium fuel pins irradiated to an estimated burnup of 0.4 total at.% and cooled 28 days was melt refined for three hours at 1400 deg C. Data were not obtained on the behavior of fission products. The effect of N concentration on the nitridation rates of unirradiated U-fissium alloys in Ar-N atmospheres was determined. Experiments on the storage of fuel pins at 350 deg C in Ar atmospheres showed that the presence of 5% N lowered product yields only slightly during subsequent melt-refining operations. Supplementary pouring techniques, such as the use of probes and mashers designed to break crusts over the melts, are moderately effective, but are a less desirable solution to the problem of maintaining high yields than the elimination of contaminants in the Ar atmosphere. A liquid metal process is under development for recovery of the fissionable material contained in melt refining crucible skulls produced in the EBR-II fuel cycle. Information obtained in separate studies …

This report, 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.

Progress in the fields of nuclear chemistry, isolation and chemical properties of synthetic elements, chemical separation of isotopes, radiation chemistry, organic chemistry, chemistry of aquecus systems, electrochemistry of corrosion, nonaqueous systems at high temperature, and chemical physics for the year ending June 20, 1961, is reported. Separate abstracts were prepared for each topic. (M.C.G.)

"This report describes the conceptual design of 300 Mwe fast breeder reactor power plant that utilizes a paste-fuel system consisting of small, spherical particles settled in sodium" (p. 7). It includes a discussion of the paste-fuel system, the design of the core and blanket structure with analysis, a description of the fuel-handling system, processes for fabricating and processing the fuel, and schematics.

Uncontrolled releases of large amounts of iodine occurred during the early stages of RaLa operation at the ldaho Chemical Processing Plant. A ten- fold reduction in the iodine content of the off-gas was achieved by process modifications, primarily the addition of mercury salts to the acidic process solutions. An additional ten-fold reduction was obtained by installing an activated charcoal adsorption unit in series with the original iodine removal scrubber. The iodine content of particulate entrainment limited the over-all iodine removal efficiency of the revised RaLa off-gas iodine removal system. (auth)

A neutron absorption cell was built to monttor continuously the boric actd concentration of reactor water flowing through a purtfication loop. The instrument was calibrated over the range from 0 to 2.65 g/l with a maxtmum absolute error of 0.05 g/-l. (auth)

Information is presented in tabular form on the contributions of the individual resonances to the resonance integrals in U and Th. The cases considered are for isolated cylindrical rods and involve U/sup 238/, U/sup 238/O/ sub 2/, Th/ sup 232/, and Th/sup 232/O/sub 2/ (M.C.G.)