Reported are: physics (B Pile, D Pile, F Pile, general physics); and water, corrosion, and engineering (process water control and pressure drop studies, purging studies, corrosion, graphite expansion, downcomer -- B Area).

Reported are: physics (B pile, D pile, F pile, general physics); and water, corrosion and engineering (process water control and pressure drop studies, purging studies, removal of process tube B-3671).

U.M. Staebier reports from the pile areas. Foil tests were conducted at the B pile. A power coefficient test was performed at the D pile; special request materials and reactivity balance are also reported. The new No. 2 horizontal rod of the F pile has been slightly resized. Graphite temperature readings, thermal conductivity calculations, special request materials, and reactivity balance are also reported. General physics are considered. Production tests 105-85-P and 106-1-P are reported. Egg testing at the 305 test pile is discussed. (GHH)

This trip was to provide an answer to these questions: Are Hanford meteorological instrumentation, methods, and records adequate? Do they conform to generally recognized practice? Are they effectively utilized? What is the percentage frequency of wind classified according to conditions normal, least favorable and most favorable for dilution? What is the habitability of the Wahluke Slope north and northeast of the Columbia River, considering stack gases, various stack heights, any pertinent meteorological features? What is the habitability if the only contaminating sources are the piles? In preparation for and in the event of a major catastrophe with attendant relief and evacuation operations, which additional observation should be taken: What weather data should be assembled from the general vicinity of Hanford: What sampling program should take place immediately after the event. To these may be added a question raised by Dr. Parker in connection with the high level of contamination at the ground in the vicinity of the separations. areas.

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The constant temperature bath is in operation. A ballistic type instability was detected in the calorimeter circuits and corrected by grounding the bath. Calorimeters 37, 39, 40, and 43 have been installed are now being run. Calorimeter 40 was found to be unstable, and is to be disassembled and examined for the trouble. Calorimeter 46 was finished and placed in operation. Construction details are discussed. Six Logac samples were run in Calorimeter 38. Tests of this calorimeter are in Table 1. Comparison of Calorimeter 38 in a water bath and in an ice bath is shown in Table 2. Good results were obtained for such a drastic change in environment. Calorimeter 38 was turned over to Calorimetric Assay marking the end of the tests of this particular microcalorimeter. Calorimeter 44 was completed and installed in the ice bath. Table 4 shows the results of tests. The zero bridge potential is small and is very stable compared to Calorimeter 38. The comparison of the values with those from Calorimetric Assay is summarized in Table 3. The characteristics of Calorimeter 44 are shown in Table 5. Construction details are given for the platinum-manganin bridge-type thermometer. An instrument was needed that could be …

The effects of temperature, time and other variables on the rate and extent of reaction between UF/sub 6/ and various types, grades and particle sizes of commercial activated carbon have been studied experimentally. It is shown that both hydrolysis and reduction of the UF/sub 6/ occur, the latter more slowly than the former. Reduction leads to the formation of a mixture of fluorocarbons ranging from CF/sub 4/ to a wax-like maternial volatile only above 250 deg C. There is also evidence for the adsorption of UF/sub 6/ on an undetermined substrate. (auth)

This report addresses the control servo power requirements.

The test of March 7, 1947 was planned as a check on power coefficient values; however, an analysis of reactivity data gave evidence of a considerable flattening of ``A`` rod in the region between 0--75 inches out. A second test of longer duration was therefore made on April 1, 1947 in order to obtain a check calibration of this portion of the control rod. The results of this test verified the flattening of this portion of ``A`` rod. The redetermined power coefficients based on new rod calibrations are given.

Equipment was developed for the continuous burning and leaching of ground carbon in order to recover uranium for the proposed Closed Cycle Beta Process. The burning apparatus consisted of a vertical tube with a grate to support the carbon. An uppdraft of air was used to support combustion. The burning rate of the apparatus was 500 grams of carbon per hour; combustion averaged over 98% complete. The leacher consisted of a heated nitric acid bath divided in four compartments through which ground carbon was pushed by rotating paddles. The acid flowed, by gravity, countercurrent to the carbon.

This report addresses the dissolution of uranium tetrafluoride.

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A study was made of the distribution of Ag, Au, Bt, and Pd in the residues from an extraction process in which purified UO/sub 2/(NO/sub 3/)/sub 2/ is prepared from a pitchblende ore. The residues studied were the gangue Pb cake, the BaSO/sub 4/ cake, the filtrate boildown cake, the raffinate cake, and the purified UO/sub 2/(NO/sub 3/)/sub 2/. Samples representing three different batches of ore were used. The following conclusions were reached: (1) neither Ag nor Pd are present in the ore in significant quantities; (2) approximately 30 ppm of Au (based on U content) is present, of which 90% was found in the residue (gangue Pb cake) from the initial co-precipitation step; this residue contains gangue, PbSO/sub 4/, RaSO/sub 4/, and other insoluble sulfates; (3) the ore contains 15 ppm of Pt, which is distributed in an extremely varying manner in the residues leaving the process. (W. L.H.)

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The Fermi-Thomas model has been used to derive the equation of state of matter at high pressures and at various temperatures. Calculations have been carried out both without and with the exchange terms. Discussion of similarity transformations lead to the virial theorem and to correlation of solutions for different Z-values.

This report details events of importance reported by the Hanford Operations Office for the week ending March 30, 1949.

The reaction C{sup 12} (p,pn)C{sup 11} which has been studied by McMillan, Chubb and Miller for energies up to 100 Mev is an example of a reaction whose high energy behavior cannot be explained by a compound nucleus process. The purpose of the study was to investigate this reaction at the high resolution possible with the Berkeley linear accelerator near the excitation threshold. The excitation curve was obtained by stacking specially molded polystyrene (composition C{sub n}H{sub n}) foils of high uniformity and bombarding them in the proton beam. The resultant activity was then counted on a Geiger counter in standard geometry. The resultant curve is shown in Figure 1. An immediately evident feature is the sharp threshold of the reaction. The second derivative curve, illustrated in Figure 2, of the excitation shows an RMS width of 270 kV, the theoretical straggling width due to the foils of 170 kv, and the remaining width in accordance with the energy spread of approximately {+-} 100 kv half width of the linear accelerator. The data therefore are compatible with a sharp threshold for this reaction. This curve, incidentally, furnishes independent evidence as to the energy homogeneity of the linear accelerator beam.

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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.

The production of U{sup 232} by the sum of {alpha},4n and {alpha},p 3n reactions on thorium has been studied. The cross section at an average energy of 37.5 Mev was 0.013 barns and the threshold for the reaction was about 30 Mev.