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.

The B Pile operated 25 MW below rated power level without interruption during the week. The D Pile was shut down on January 29. During the shutdown 103 tubes were discharged. The shut down lasted for 15 hours. During operation after the shut down power was reduced to meet graphite temperature restrictions. The F Pile was run steadily throughout the week at 25 MW below rated level. Iron content in the process water averaged 0.015, 0.011 and 0.010 ppm at B, D, and F Areas, respectively. Examination of the slugs discharged from four corrosion tubes at F has been completed. A summary of conditions found in the vertical and horizontal aluminium thimbles at D and F during a recent inspection are given. Results are given on the graphite expansion problem.

Four routine shutdowns were experienced during the month. A measurable amount of the excess reactivity held in the control rods at the first of the month has been lost in the decrease in the average accumulated exposure of all the metal in the pile. The vertical safety rod guides have been measured for vertical alignment by the Maintenance Dept. A definite pattern has been found in the misalignment of the guides. The horizontal rod thimbles were borrowed on January 2, 1947 to see if any leaks were present. No leaks were observed but No. 2 Rod and No. 8 Rod had heavy gouge marks along the longitudinal axes. Several thimbles contained white corrosion. During the month two new bismuth tubes were established, 2871-D and 2877-D. This now gives the desired pattern of ten bismuth tubes.

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.

Extrusion was run on one day, February 2, and a total of 271 billets (178 Type G, 12 type BT, and 81 red band) were processed. Two failures occurred among the red band billets; UM 6610 had begun to melt in the furnace and TX 3323 disintegrated on being extruded through the die. Samples of these billets are being checked chemically and metallurgically in an attempt to ascertain the cause for the hot-short characteristics of these billets. A sample cut from a rod which possessed zero strength (fell apart under no stress other than its own weight) at extrusion temperature was found to contain a large amount of microconstituent not ordinarily found in appreciable quantity on uranium sections. The distribution and appearance of the excess phase suggested at least partial liquation at the working temperature and it could, therefore, be responsible for the hot-short tendency.

Progress is reported on the topics of extrusion and canning. The information on canning is broken down into: Production test 313-74-M, studies of aluminium cans, selection of surface rejection standards, thorium, and the effect of high and low tin in bronze on tin carry-over to canning bath.

This report review the work being conducted in the 300 area of the Hanford production facility for the month of January.

Results of type II UF/sub 6/ centrifuge operation are presented. Data from this type operation in a single unit are useful in predicting the operation of a number of centrifuges in cascade. (J.R.D.)

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The total power output of a unit may be represented by the power output of the most productive tube or tubes multiplied by a quantity designated as the ``number of effective tubes.`` The number of effective tubes observed at 105-D under two different arrangements of poisoned columns has been compared with values of this quantity calculated from theory. It was found that in each case the observed number of effective tubes was about 5% less than the ideal number obtainable by an optimum arrangement of the poison. In the case in which two poisoned columns in the pile took up 110 ih it was found that the loss consisted of 2% due to the necessary presence of a control rod in the pile and 3% due to the fact that the actual arrangement of the poison was not the optimum one. In the case in which a single, off center, poison column took up 60 ih, it was found that very little of the loss was due to the presence of the control rod and almost all of it was due to the eccentric position of the P-column. As a further result of this study, it was found that, apart …

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The bomb reaction slag produced at the ElectroMetallurgical X metal plant is at present divided into rich C-1 slag and lean C-2 slag by merely screening through a 4 mesh wire screen, the "on 4 mesh" material becomes the C-1 slag and the "thru 4 mesh" material becomes the C-2 slag. In the experiments covered by this report it was found that the concentration of the lean C-2 slag could be facilitated by the use of a 20 mesh screen for the slang separation in place of the 4 mesh screen, as the 20 mesh screen removed troublesome, small, hard lumps which passed the 4 mesh screen. Furthermore, it was found that the additional small lumps removed by the 20 mesh screen were just as rich in X metal as the larger lumps which make up the bulk of C-1 slag.

A scheme of glucose degradation has been validated by the use of intermediates of known isotopic composition. In this scheme: glucose {yields} lactic acid {yields} CO{sub 2} (C-3,4) + acetic acid {yields} CO{sub 2} (C-2,5) + acetone {yields} iodoform (C-1,6) + acetate (C-1,6; 2,5), it was found that (a) in the oxidation of lactic acid, approximately 4.7% of the acetic acid was oxidized to CO{sub 2}; and (b) under the conditions prescribed, BaCO{sub 3} from the degradation of Ba acetate contained approximately 1.5% of the activity of the methyl group.

The report addresses the density of solid hex near the Triple and the expansivity of the liquid from the triple point.

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As work on the Columbia Basin irrigation project on the Columbia River is in the initial stages, the question of the effect of this project of the mineral content of the Columbia River has been raised. As an increase in dissolved mineral matter would seem to be likely, it was felt that quantitative estimate of the magnitude of this increase would be important, specifically with reference to the retaining of the demineralization plant at 100-D Area. Accordingly, a study has been made of the probable effect of the irrigation project on the chemical characteristics of the Columbia River.

The procedure for estimation of heats of formation of compounds is illustrated by discussion of compounds of several of the elements of the actinide series. The procedure is particularly suited for lanthanide and actinide elements because of the similarity of the ionic radii and types of bonding.

This report details events of importance reported by the Hanford Operations Office for the week ending February 16, 1949.

This report details events of importance reported by the Hanford Operations Office for the week ending February 23, 1949.

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The fourteenth meeting of the Graphite Expansion Committee was held on February 7, 1947. Laboratory studies indicate that either the graphite thermocouples are reading low or that annealing effects at elevated temperatures within the pile are much greater than those encountered In the laboratory. Current difficulties with operation of some of the horizontal and vertical control rods seem to be attributable to graphite expansion, though no complete understanding of the phenomena has been obtained and one is unable to predict the time required for similar difficulties to develop in other rods. Changes in clearance between process tubes and pile graphite in the D Pile have been erratic in nature but have averaged much less than had been anticipated. The negligible decrease in clearance for central tubes indicates that the expanding cross-wise graphite layers are slipping with respect to the graphite layers which contain process tubes.

This technical progress letter contains reports from six Technical Department divisions at the Hanford Engineer Works for February 9, through February 15, 1947. The six reporting divisions are: 100 Areas, 300 Area, 200 Areas, Chemical Development, Laboratories, and Statistical Studies.