This report gives the weekly status for the B, D, and F piles. Also given is the reactivity status at the end of the week for each pile. Process water control and pressure drop studies are discussed. Finally a brief discussion is given of the graphite expansion problem.

Activities for the month of February are as follows: (1) calculations of reactivity and temperature limits; (2) calculations of operating levels of D pile if reduced in size; (3) symposium on power coefficients; (4) test of new vertical (safety) rods; (4) metal quality studies; (5) status of process tube ionization chamber failures; (6) reactivity balance of each of operating piles; (7) graphite testing; (8) water activity calculations; (9) pile shielding; (10) radioactivity of titanium; and (11) critical mass experiments.

Activities covered in this report for the month of January are as follows: (1) power coefficient test of the F Pile; (2) control rod calibration; (3) investigations into reactivity gains possible by zoning the pile for metal charging; (4) polonium production under emergency conditions: (5) analysis of process tube ion chamber failures; (6) measurements of the thermal neutron flux in various pockets of the E Test Hole of the F Pile; (7) reactivity balance of each of the operating piles at beginning and end of this report period; (8) graphite studies; (9) pile shielding; (10) radiation measurements on a simulated D-R rod guide and rod; and (11) calculation of radioactive isotopes expected in cooling water.

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This document presents the details of the design of the analytical control laboratory for the 234-5 project at the Hanford site.

Experimental results on the adsorption of U from solutions by activated C indicate that low pH values reduce the adsorption and that a marked change occurs in the adsorption of U(VI) at pH2. Under a given set of conditions the adsorption of U follows a typical Freundlich isotherm. The particle size of the charcoal affects the rate of adsorption but not the amount of U adsorbed at equilibrium. The temperature coefficient of adsorption is negligible, and the adsorption of U from uranyl solutions is a reversible process. (BJH)

This report addresses the biological effects of radiation on man.

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The available information on the ionic and radiochemical composition of current and aged bismuth phosphate process wastes is tabulated here for the convenience of those concerned with metal recovery. In addition to its application in the design of research and development experiments, the compilation may serve to suggest specific needs for additional analytical data. For convenience in chemical calculation, molar compositions have been calculated for the ionic constituents based on the g/1 values usually reported. The dates of radiochemical analyses required for decay calculations should be available from the Analytical Sections at ORNL and HW.

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A design is proposed for a removable drainage grill and trap for floor drains in radioactive risk areas. One simple element provides free liquid run off, an air and fume barrier, and ready access for cleaning or replacement in event of contamination. Application may be made to existing and future untrapped drains.

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A comparison of the decay constants of Be{sup 7} in beryllium oxide and in beryllium fluoride has given {lambda}{sub BeO}-{lambda}{sub BeF{sub 2}} = (+1.375 {+-} 0.053)10{sup -3}{lambda}{sub BeO} thus showing a definite effect of the chemical binding on the radioactive decay constant.

Soon after the discovery of fission, Meitner, Bretscher and Cook found differences in the decay of various chemical fractions separated from uranium irradiated with slow neutrons and thorium irradiated with fast neutrons respectively and suggested that a difference existed in the distribution of fission products in the two cases. In 1940, Turner suggested that the distribution in various modes of fission should be investigated. The fact that elements such as tin, cadmium, palladium, and silver were found in fast neutron and deuteron fission of uranium and thorium before they were found in slow neutron fission of uranium suggested that the middle region of the distribution was raised as the energy of the incident particle was increased. Since the compound nucleus formed in the fission of thorium with alpha particles is U{sup 236}, the same compound nucleus formed in the fission of U{sup 235} with neutrons, it is of interest to study the fission of thorium with alphas and compare the resulting distribution of fission products with that found with uranium with slow and thorium with fast neutrons. Any difference between the various results where the same compound nucleus is formed must be due to differences in energy content and possible …

The fission distribution of fission of thorium with alpha particle of average energy 37.5 Mev has been measured by the chemical method. The distribution found shows that the characteristic dip in the fission yield mass spectrum has been raised to within a factor of two of the peaks compared to a factor of 600 in slow neutron fission of U{sup 235}. The raise in the deip has caused a corresponding lowering in fission yield of these elements at the peaks. The cross section for fission of thorium with 37.5 Mev alphas was found to be about 0.6 barn, and the threshold for fission was found to be 23 to 24 Mev.

At the end of the war it became apparent that the teamwork of government and scientific institutions, which had been so effective in wartime work, must somehow be perpetuated in order to insure the continued progress of nuclear science in peace time. The enormous expense of the tools needed to pursue the next steps in this research -- nuclear reactors and high energy accelerators -- and the shortage of scientifically trained personnel pointed towards the establishment of a cooperative laboratory. Such a laboratory, using government funds, could carry out a comprehensive research program that would benefit the many interested research groups throughout the country. As a result of the wartime programs under the Manhattan District, centers of research in nuclear science were already active at the Radiation Laboratory in Berkeley, California, at Los Alamos in New Mexico, at the Clinton Laboratories in Oak Ridge, Tennessee and at the Argonne Laboratory in Chicago. No analogous nuclear research laboratories, however, had developed in the Northeast, and since so much of the nation's scientific talent and industrial activities are concentrated in the northeastern states, it was proposed that a new laboratory be established near New York City. As a result of this plan, …

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The lubricant (Calel A-60) used to reduce pushing forces when discharging slugs from pile tubes forms a cloudy emulsion with water. During the initial period of operation at 100 B and D areas, spillage of lubricant during discharge produced so much cloudiness in the basin water that it interfered with sorting operations. An investigation was started to see if a lubricant could be found that would effectively lubricate tubes during discharge and which would form optically clear systems when mixed with water. This report presents the data on a number of lubricants which were suggested for test.

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The meetings divided into two parts, with reviews of work being done in radiobiology at the University of California by various members of their staff as part one, and, as part two, a meeting conducted by Dr. Shields Warren for Laboratory Directors and their representatives. For the most part papers which were reviewed were summarized material which has appeared in the literature and gave progress to date. Since the purpose of the meeting itself was more for the informal directors meetings, results of the latter are here abstracted.

The heaviest of the known elements is curium, which was recently discovered by Seaborg and his associates. This new element can be produced by the alpha particle transmutation of plutonium by the following reaction: {sub 94}Pu{sup 239} + {sub 2}He{sup 4} {yields} {sub 96}Cm{sup 242} + {sub 0}N{sup 1} This isotope of curium is radioactive and decays by the emission of an alpha particle to form plutonium 238 which, in turn, is also radioactive. Curium 242 has a half-life of 150 days, and its radioactive daughter, plutonium 238, has a half-life of 50 years. This isotope of plutonium decays by the emission of an alpha particle to form uranium 234 which has a half-life of 233,000 years. Shortly after the organization of the Atomic Energy Project, it became apparent that formidable problems would be presented as the result of the release of nuclear energy. One of the most urgent of these was the hazard presented by the production of large quantities of the radio-elements created by the fission of uranium and the coincidental formation of neptunium and plutonium. In an attempt to evaluate the potential danger presented by these radio-elements from the chain reacting pile, a large series of metabolic …

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