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The intent of this study is to establish more completely the justifications for constructing a decontamination plant as outlined in Budget Item B 5720, ``Containmented Equipment Renovation Shop,`` FY 1957, Plant and Equipment Projects. In particular, the economic incentives have been explored. The question or idea has been investigated of assigning a dollar value to engineering information which might be obtained from examining contaminated equipment which has failed from unknown causes. Heretofore it has not been possible to examine such equipment because suitable decontamination facilities have not been available. An effort has been made to uncover all possible uses for the proposed facility in order that the estimated capital and operating costs might be evaluated in terms of all the functions which the proposed plant might perform.

Design and technical specifications are outlined for equipment designed for the continuous calcination of UNH to UO/sub 2/. (C.W.H.)

Continuous monitoring of the pile outlet water temperature may offer definite advantages from both the operating efficiency and pile safety points of view. The temperature data could be continuously displayed which would provide Operators with the kind of information required to operate efficiently while remaining within specified tube outlet water temperature limits, and permit tube outlet water temperatures to be continuously in the scram circuit, thus contributing to safety of operations. The most positive protection against flow instability due to localized power surges would be given by a safety system which continuously monitors the effluent from each of the process tubes for temperatures above safe maximums. Such a system would need 2004 controllers and would be relatively expensive and time consuming to install using existing methods of proved instrumentations. However, if the temperature generation of adjacent tubes is closely related, there is a possibility of using a system of fewer controllers in which each ``controller tube`` supervises a number of adjacent tubes. This report outlines a study undertaken to show whether or not such a system might prove feasible. It contains a comparison of two suggested systems, one using one controller monitoring the outlet water temperature for each twenty-five process …

Design data, specifications, and drawings are preserted for control rod absorber plates for the Army Package Power Reactor critical experiment. (L.T.W.)

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Using diffusion theory type formulas for the calculation of thermal utilization, and resonance escape probabilities, and in particular those formulas of Rumsey and Volkoff, an effort has been made to correlate experimentally measured bucklings (Exponential Pile Program at Hanford) with those calculated from theory.

At the request of WAPD, a study has been made of the effect of minor compositional variables on the corrosion behavior or uranium-molybdenum alloys in 650°F degassed water. Ternary additions of the following elements were made of both cast and wrought uranium-10.5 w/o and 12.0 w/o molybdenum alloys.

A detailed report is presented of the corrosion test work on the behavior of materials of construction in the H/sub 2/S-H/sub 2/O system. (auth)

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Calculations are presented for the estimated minimum critical mass of Pu that would be allowed in Hood No. 5 and the filter boat cleaning and testing hood of the Plutonium Finishing Plant. Hood No. 5 contains the overflow tank and two vacuum traps. Limits are given for several pile exposure rates. These limits do not allow the approach of personnel into Hood No. 5 when these vessels are full.

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The Dry Chemistry Process of the RM Line provides the means for converting plutonium oxalate to plutonium tetrafluoride. This process consists of drying the oxalate cake and then converting to the tetrafluoride by passing HF gas at elevated temperature through the filtered cake. Improvement to or replacement of the present Task II system is being investigated because of the high maintenance costs and unreliability of the present system. This study is one of several being conducted under the Chemical Processing and Reduction Design and Development Program for improving Task II operation. This report describes a Task II system using round filter boats and vertical hydrofluorination furnaces.