This report is a study of the feasibility of using a fused salt fuel reactor in a central station electric generating plant.

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The carbonate and organic leaching processes for the recovery of U from its ores are outlined. The Excer prccess (ion-exchange conversion and electrolytic reduction) and the Fluorox process (starch-- HF reaction) for the production of UF/sub 4/ from ore concentrate and depleted reactor fuels are described. The fluidized-bed process for UF/sub 4/ production from UO/sub 2/(NO/ sub 3/)/sub 2/ is also described. Methods for improving the reactivity of UO/sub 3/ and mechanical and thermal processes for increasing the density of UF/sub 4/ were investigated. Applications of fluoride volatility prccesses to feed materials are discussed. (C.W.H.)

AI-MEMOS are working papers and may be expanded, modified, or withdrawn at any time, and are intended for internal use only. Further dissemination is not permitted and distribution to abstracting agencies is not authorized.

The Al-rich corner of the ternary alloy system Al-- Th-U has been investigated by thermal and microscopic The creep properties of annealed Zircaloy- 2, Zircaloy3, and 15% cold-worked Zircaloy-2 at elevated temperatures were determined. The metallurgical bond formed between electropolished U and Zr cladding by hydrostatic pressing is being evaluated. Oxidation data are given for Nb and Nb alloys in dry air at various temperatures. A study of the phase relationships which occur between the please delete the above abstract===================== analyses to determine an area of low-melting alloys that could be used as a liquid metal fuel in U/sup 233/ breeder reactors. A phase diagram of this Al-rich corner of the system has been proposed. The data indicate that the binary eutectic valleys from the Al-- U and Al--Th systems meet at a point in the neighborhood of the composition of 76 wt.% Al, 18 wt.% Th, and 6 wt.% U to give a ternary eutectic which solidifies at 630 deg C. Although microstructures indicate two different primary phases as required, a third binary valley leading to this ternary eutectic has not been established. Results of the investigation show that there is a rather wide range of compositions of U …

Using primarily a 75-cm radius of curvature 60 deg symmetrical electromagnetic analyzer, a study of the complexity of the following alpha spectra was made: Es/sup 253/, Cf/sup 246/, Cm/sup 244/, Am/sup 243/, Pu/sup 236,242/, Pa/sup 231/ , Th/sup 227,230/, Ac/sup 225/, At/sup 209/ and Po/sup 206/. An investigation of the gamma rays associated with the following isotopes was also madei /sup 236/, and Pa/sup 231/. Decay schemes have been suggested for most of the isotopes included in this study. Those for the even-even isotopes were found to conform well with the previously existing systematics for that group of nuclides. Many of the decay features of the odd-mass isotopes seemed to conform well with presently expanding theories. (auth)

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This report talks about Argonne 7.7- Meter Bent Crystal Ganna- Ray Spectrometer

BS>Graphs were prepared as basic inelastic neutron data requested for neutron age calculations to be made using the compositions NaF-ZrF/sub 4/, BeF/ sub 2/, LiF-BeF/sub 2/, and ZrH. Nuclear temperature as a function of incident neutron energy was obtained for F, Be, and Zr. (W.D.M.)

BS>The separation of rare earth mixtures by ion exchange using ammonium ethylenedisminetetracetate and annmonium N-hydroxyethylethylenediaminetriacetate as eluting agents is discussed in detail. Simple countercurrent separation theory is used to predict the minimum nuinber of displacements of an adsorbed band that are necessary in order to separate the components of binary mixtures. It is shown how the theory can be applied to even more complex systems, and experimental data are presented for some of the more difficultly separablc groups of rare-earth species. Experimental results agree very well with the theoretical predictions. (auth) A detailed description is presented of a process developed by Ames Laboratory for the separation of thorium, rare earths, and uranium from monazite sands. Oxalic acid is used to precipitate rare earths; and thorium from a sulfate and phosphate solution of these elements. The possibility of recovering uranium from the oxalate filtrate by anion exchange was investigated. (W.L.H.)

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In two series of experiments 277 experimental animals, including 66 dogs, 52 rabbits, 52 guinea pigs, 63 rats, and 44 mice, were exposed under selected conditions in six different general types of instrumented above- and belowground shelters to blast produced by nuclear explosions. The distance of the several structures from Ground Zero ranged from 1050 to 5500 ft. The most severe alterations in the pressure environment occurring inside the structures followed the detonation of a nuclear device with a yield approximately 50% greater than nominal. The highest overpressure to which animals were exposed was 85.8 psi, the rise time of which was 4 msec. The overpressure endured for about 570 msec. Overpressures ranged from this maximum downward in 15 other exposure situations to a minimum of 1.3 psi enduring for nearly 1346 msec but rising to a maximum in about 420 msec. The latter pressure occurred inside a reinforced concrete bathroom shelter, which was the only surviving part of a house otherwise totally destroyed, at 4700 ft where the outside incident pressure was about 5 psi. Following the nuclear explosions, all animals were recovered, examined, sacrificed, and subjected to gross and microscopic pathological study. All lesions were tabulated and described. …

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Attached to this report is a letter from Raymond R. Schiff, containing pertinent information, dated Jan. 28, 1957. 2p. (WAPD-S5W-NA-1451. The input for the program includes radial and axiai power distributions and rules for combining them into three-dimensional power distributions, radially and axially variable local peaking factors, engineering hot channel factors, and geometrical data. The output consists of the average inlet and outlet temperatures for each pass, the maximum relative heat flux, outlet temperature, surface temperature, and normal channel temperature rise in each pass together with the location of each of these maxima and the heat flux distribution in each channel where one of the maxima occurs. The program allows very rapid evaluation of these quantities and permits calculation without the simplifying approximations usually involved in hand methods. The program was successfully applied to S5W problems and requires from 3 to 5 minutes of machine time for solution of a full-scale case. (M.H.R.)

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When nuclear reactions occur in atoms in molecules chemical changes follow as a result of the recoil of the product atoms. The nature of these chemical changes was studied intensively for a number of systems but in most cases the magnitude of the recoil energy was about the same. In the present studies use was made of a much greater recoil energy than that normally used. The reaction Br( gamma ,n)Br* gives a recoil bromine atom with an energy of the order of 10/sup 5/ ev, compared to 10/sup 2/ ev for the product of the Br(n, gamma )Br* reaction which is ususlly used. The chemical nature of the products resulting when the propyl bromides were irradiated with neutrons and 70-Mev gamma rays was studied by established techniques. It is possible to differentiate between the reactions which occur while the recoiling bromine atom still is highly energetic, or hot,'' and those which occur after it has been slowed down to thermal energies. The products of the hot reactions show little dependence on the intial recoil energy. In the case of the thermal reactions, the higher energy recoil produces a greater number of products which are different from the original molecules. …

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