Activities concerned with the 100 area at the Hanford plant for the period of January, 1947, are described. A chronology of pile events, tube corrosion, and scrams are included.

During this period the B Pile operated at its assigned power level of 25 MW below rated level, except for 10 hours on January 5. The operating level of the D Pile remained at 25 MW below rating. The rate gain in excess reactivity during equilibrium operation has been about 1.8 inhours/day. On January 1, the power level of the F Pile was dropped to 25 MW below rating from its previous rated level. Rod A was in a favorable position to make a determination of the reactivity coefficients at the time. The data does indicate an upper limit of {minus}0.21 ih/MW for the metal coefficient. An overall coefficient of 0.20 ih/MW was obtained. The unit was shut down on January 3 for discharge of 129 tubes of metal. A summary of the present reactivity states of the B, D, and F Piles are given. Iron content of process water for the three piles is also given.

This report gives the weekly progress for the B, D, and F piles. The report also gives a brief discussion of the following activities: process water control and pressure drop studies; purging of D, B, and F piles; slug corrosion studies; tube corrosion studies; thimble corrosion studies; and graphite expansion studies.

This report summarizes physics experiments carried out in different parts of the 100 area at Hanford during December, 1946. This included work on the D pile, F pile, and experiments aimed at studying the irradiation properties of graphite and metal samples exposed to different radiation environments. Pile tests included reactivity tests, calibrations of control rods, and power coefficient tests.

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This document presents the monthly reports of the 200 area technical group for July--December, 1947. (KS)

This report from the reactor fuel manufacturing facilities at Hanford highlights extrusion, canning, and welding operations. Processing of thorium and bismuth is discussed. Radiography of fuels revealed voids that conformed underweight reject measurements.

This is a report on Analytical Services of the Pile Area Laboratories at Hanford. Pertinent facts are listed regarding the analytical services currently provided by the Analytical Section in the pile areas. The work of the Analytical Section in the pile areas may be classified into five categories as follows: Analysis of pile process water, analysis of power plant (boiler) waters, analysis of drinking water, analysis of columbia (non-process) and Yakima River water, and preparation of reagents and standard solutions.

Research progress was reported in the following areas: (1) plutonium ingestion studies - rates of excretion, fecal and urinary, were determined for subjects who had drunk a solution containing plutonium; and (2) plutonium therapy studies - rats injected with plutonium were administered zirconium citrate and the rate of excretion of the plutonium measured. (ACR)

This semiannual report includes references in future items in the Brookhaven National Labratory program as well as an account of progress in the post six months.

Experiments were carried out to determine how fast the concentration of suspended material decreases in fumes produced by the hydrolysis of UF/sub 6/ vapor in damp air. The rate of aggregation is a function chiefly of the number of particles per unit gas volume, but depends also on the chemical composition, size and shape of the particles, the temperature and pressure, and the degree of agitation. The rate of settling depends on the weight and shape of the particles and the viscosity of the gas. (W.L.H.)

The usual method of producing uranium slugs for the reaction pile is to cast the metal into billets which are extruded into rod about 1.45 inches in diameter. Slugs are then machined from this to the final size of 1.359 inches in diameter by 8 inches long. Extrusion is done in the gamma range at a temperature of about 1000 C, where the metal is soft enough to be extruded at relatively low pressures. This operation is difficult and expensive and the product is not entirely satisfactory. The billets must be protected from oxidation during heating and extruding and the extruded rod must likewise be protected during cooling. Loss of metal due to oxidation is appreciable and a relatively large amount of scrap is produced. The production of dies suitable for use at the high temperatures involved is troublesome. The extruded rod must be straightened before machining and frequently contains stringers of oxide and voids or other internal defects.

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This study was undertaken to determine the maximum temperatures that may be expected in slugs under various operating power levels. Information of this nature is required to properly evaluate the effects on the slug of pile operation at power levels higher than those currently in use.

The major problems in this determination are the extraction of X from the sample and the isolation of the extracted X. The application of various analytical methods to these two problems indicates that the current method of analysis yields values which may be as much as 15% high. The current method of analysis is subject to positive and negative errors. The magnitude of these errors varies with techniques and with sample composition. The recommend method, although longer, is believed to be free of these errors, but a radical change, say 100 fold, in the composition of the sample would certainly require further investigation.

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When uranium is purified by the ether extraction method, black oxide is dissolved in nitric acid and ether is added; an ether layer containing uranium and an aqueous layer containing uranium and impurities are obtained. The distribution of some impurities between the two phases and the effect of such impurities on the extraction process were studied. the processing required in the preparation of pure uranyl nitrate might be decreased if, instead of uranosic oxide, sodium diuranate was used as a source of uranium. If it is assumed that uranosic oxide contains the same amounts of impurities as sodium diuranate, with the exception of soda, the extraction of soda by the wash of an ether solution of nitrate prepared from diuranate would be the criterion of suitability of sodium diuranate. The distribution and effect of sodium in the extraction process was therefore investigated, and the results are described in this report. For various of the impurities, the distribution in the process and the effect on uranium holdup in the insoluble cake was investigated. Particular attention was given to the behavior of boron, vanadium, chromium, and molybdenum.

Dibenzanthracene, labeled in the 9 and 10 positions with carbon fourteen has been administered to mice intravenously and by stomach tube as an aqueous colloid, and intraperitoneally, subcutaneously, and by stomach tube in tricaprylin solution. The distribution of radioactivity in the mice at various time intervals after administration of the carcinogen has been determined. The radioactivity is rapidly eliminated, largely through the feces, and ordinarily very little is absorbed. The distribution and rate of elimination depends upon the mode of administration. There is an appreciable quantity of radioactivity in tumors produced several months after a single subcutaneous injection of dibenzanthracene. There appear to be no detectable effects from the radiation of the labeled carcinogen.

Considerable study has been given to the problem of a cathode-follower coupling circuit for matching a B-wall tube to a properly terminated coaxial cable. A matched circuit makes it possible to obtain faster counting rates independent of practical cable lengths. A breadboard circuit has been built and first results indicate that a two millivolt signal at the input of the cathode-follower will operate the Model 162 Instrument Development Laboratory Scaling Unit when adjusted for maximum gain. This is comparable to the voltage available when the B-wall tube is coupled to its amplifier through a coaxial cable. Shielded room measurements have been completed in the ``R`` Building. One log-amplifier (EL-257) was delivered to group 32, one scaler-multiplier (EL-252) to group 34, one four-input GM mixer (EL-247 to Group 24, and the plating control regulation checker (EL-258) plus the portable pulse generator (EL-261) to Group 12. The scaler-multiplier (EL-253)is 20 per cent complete and the motor-driven slide wire and the four-input gamma mixer (EL-262) are 95 per cent complete. The manufacturing specifications for plating controls and the instruction book for the portable pulse generator (EL-2561) have been submitted for duplication and should be completed by January 31, 1949. The two (2) 6 …

Redox operations and waste metal recovery are reported. Construction in the 100-H, 100-DR, P-10 area pile areas and in the 234-5, 241-BY waste storage, and redox areas, process areas and Richland village are described. Visitor information is given. And construction progress at Schenectady is reported.