The scope of this report defies a concise abstract. In lieu of an abstract, the following topical outline will both indicate the subjects covered and show how these subjects are organized. Part I, Engineering Aspects: Blister Formation, Temperature Effects, Cooling Effects, Drive Connections, Housing Effects, Housing Materials, Radiation Effects. Part II, The Behavior of Boron Carbide-Aluminum Poisons: Swelling, Swelling Rates, Restraint, Material Behavior.

Five monitor columns, containing some pre-irradiation weighed inner and outer fuel elements, were discharged under authorization of PT-NR-4, Sup A at tube average exposures in the range from 1554 to 1631 MWD/T. Uranium swelling values have been calculated from post-irradiation weight measurements and these swelling values have been compared with those swelling values obtained in the KER loop tests. There is acceptable agreement between KER and NPR results for swelling of inner uranium; there is acceptable agreement for outer fuel elements at higher exposures but ends-of-the-column elements (i.e. low-exposure values) are not in agreement. The current swelling values have been extrapolated to determine the tube-average exposure that will result in outer clad strains of one percent. At this conservative value of clad strain, one can predict entirely adequate performance of outer fuel elements to tube average exposures of 2200 MWD/T and inner fuel elements to 2700 MWD/T tube average exposure. Elements that will soon be discharged at tube average exposures ranging from 1900 to 2100 MWD/T, can be evaluated for swelling during the next outage and a much better prediction can be made on the relation of exposure vs swelling and hence exposure vs fuel element integrity. The continuing objective …

This annual report details activities of the Fuel Element Development Committee. A summary of Hanford Atomic Products Operation activities is provided along with programs and performance of K, small reactor, and N-Reactor fuels.

In the past, in-reactor testing of materials was restricted to gross sorting. It has consequently been the practice to report the exposure of a sample by relating the exposure to the heat energy released by the nearby uranium fuel, usually reported in the familiar MWD/AT (megawatt day per adjacent ton) unit. The measurement is not complicated by the kind of material, geometry factors of the samples, or loading conditions of the reactor. However, these very facts limit the usefulness of the measurement. Current materials programs require refinement beyond the gross sorting phase, and many tests are now aimed at studying the effects of trace amounts of elements upon the structural properties of materials. This type of test requires a more quantitative determination of exposure than the MWD/AT estimate can provide. Therefore, a better definition of the neutron flux in the Hanford Irradiation Facilities is required in order to facilitate analyses of irradiation experiments and to accurately predict irradiation conditions for proposed experiments. The objective of this program is to define the neutron flux at various positions of a representative number of the irradiation facilities. To date, data has been collected, reduced, and partially analyzed for two side-to-side test facilities. This …

This specification covers the processing of a pilot lot of 2.4 w/o uranium oxide fuel in the N-Reactor Fuels facilities for the period from August 16, 1965, through March 1, 1966. A maximum of 180 fuel pieces will be processed. The fuel will be processed or stored in 306, 333, and 3,715 Buildings. Processing steps will include end closure welding, support and locking clip welding, final etching, autoclaving, final inspection, and assembly. Shipment to 100-N Area and from 325 Building are also covered.

Reactor fuels, reactor engineering, radiological engineering, process technology, and operational physics progress is reported for irradiation and testing at the Hanford production reactors.

The purpose of this memorandum is to firm up requests for uranium oxide fuel elements. This first priority is to have two fuel columns fabricated for irradiation testing.

This monthly report details research and engineering operation activities of the Irradiation Processing Department for the month of September 1965.

The purpose of this study was to examine the general area of criticality prediction errors at the smaller (``pre-K``) reactors. Such errors evolve from a number of uncertainties which are difficult if not impossible to eliminate with present measuring and accounting techniques; the magnitude of these uncertainties in aggregate was indicated in an earlier study about 1.5 milli-k, which, at the time of the study, represented an ``inherent`` prediction error that constituted a practical limit on accuracy. Present day computer usage has improved considerably upon this. Predictions at the various Hanford reactors are made on the basis of a fundamental pile variable known as cold clean reactivity. This variable may be qualitatively defined as the ultimate reactivity of the room temperature reactor with all poisons and poisonous short-term fission products removed. The quantity CCR may be determined during operation by properly evaluating the temperature-reactivity coefficients C{sub m} and C{sub g}, or it may alternatively be determined at startup, when these effects are zero and the equation reduces to CE = R + {rho}{tau} + L + P4. The latter equation serves as the basis for the uniform calculational approach used herein.

This monthly report details reactor and materials technology activities during the month of June 1965.

This report covers the activities with regard to on-site customer irradiations as of May 14, 1965. The report covers the status of material undergoing irradiation, awaiting disposition, material shipped during the month, and current status of all reactor test holes.

The objective of Production Test IP-725 was to investigate the reaction rate between graphite and carbon dioxide in F Reactor at a temperature 50 C higher than that currently permitted by Process Standards. After approval of the test, the temperature limit was increased from 650 to 700 C. After approximately three weeks of operation with the-higher temperature limit, the reactor was shut down and the graphite oxidation monitor samples which had been inserted for this test were discharged and measured. It is believed that sufficient data have row been obtained from the first phase of the test to warrant investigation at an even higher temperatures. It is therefore the objective of the supplement described in this report to raise the graphite temperature limit at F Reactor by an additional 50 C to a limit of 750 C.

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This document provides the reactor daily reports for January 1, 1965 through December 31, 1965. (FI)

This monthly report details the Research and Engineering Section Irradiation Processing Department`s activities for the month of October 1965.

This monthly report details research and engineering operations of the Irradiation Processing Department during the month of July 1965.

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This report provides the status of production test control tube loadings in reactor process tubes containing significant amounts of SS materials.

This is the fifth in a series of reports presenting the status and deterioration rates of the B. D, DR, F, and H biological shields. The last previous reports covering the period 1959 through March 31, 1961, indicated no significant decreasing trends in the attenuating effectiveness of the biological (iron-masonite) shields. At that time the combination of increasing average helium percentages and adding fringe poison in the smaller reactors resulted in corresponding reductions in shield temperatures below previous levels. Since then, there has been both an increase in reactor power levels and a greater emphasis on reduction of helium usage. Consequently, to limit biological shield temperatures and reduce the shield leakage, additional fringe poison has been employed for shield protection. This report covers the period from late 1960 through January 1, 1964.

The two small reactors (B and D) currently utilize a flat aluminum horizontal control rod consisting of three cooling tubes surrounded by boron carbide-aluminum neutron absorber rings and an outer casing of aluminum. Two adverse and complementary characteristics of these rods have served to limit the functional reliability of the rods under current and anticipated reactor operating conditions. The construction of the rod presents a relatively high resistance to transfer of heat from the sheath to the cooling water and the neutron to transfer of heat from the sheath to the cooling water and the neutron absorber rings show evidence of significant dimensional increase with high accumulated exposure to neutrons. With poor heat transfer and current reactor operating levels, the rod sheath temperature may exceed that for which aluminum is suited and the material loses its strength by annealing. Swelling of the neutron absorber rings further aggravates the overheating by increasing the cooling tube to ring gap. The net result is a tendency for hot spots to occur in the rod sheath and in the more advanced cases, these develop into e step plug. blisters which cause the rod to bind in the channel and/or the step plug. A new …

This report describes the results of work done during the period from March 2 through March 8, 1965 at Hanford. Discussed topics include: pressure testing of Zr-2 tubing at high temperature, Zr-Al corrosion, and poison -- target combinations.

This report covers the activities with regard to on-site customer irradiations as of February 13, 1965. The report covers the status of material undergoing irradiation, awaiting disposition, material shipped during the month, and current status of all reactor test holes.

To determine the present flow properties of the KE downcomer and the effect of small flow increases upon the downcomer pressure characteristics.

This report covers the activities with regard to on-site customer irradiations as of September 10, 1965. The report covers the status of material undergoing irradiation, awaiting disposition, material shipped during the month, and current status of all reactor test holes.