This paper gives a cost breakdown of all the water facilities in the 100-F area for the month of January, 1948. Also given is the cost of chlorine for addition to the process water system along with where it is added and in what amounts. Lastly, the average figure for the hardness for the Columbia River water at Hanford.

There were seven charges of metal inspected during the month for corrosion and blistering studies. There were no unusual cases of blistering noted and the corrosion rates were normal for this time of year. Borescopic examination of the graphite packing around the ``B`` Hole in the F Pile revealed that the graphite is no more severely cracked than in the D Pile when it was inspected about a year ago. Examination of the graphite at the downstream and of Tube 1385-D did not indicate that any damage had been done by the leak in that tube. Forty one tubes have been charged in the F Pile on Production Test 105-90-P, ``Exposure of TX Metal Slugs.`` The routine job of taking vertical bowing measurements was turned over to the Instrument Department after working with them once in each Area. Installation of Van Stone test units was completed and a brief run was started. Van Stone flanges at both ends of 64 process tubes in both the B and F Piles were measured with a micrometer to determine the minimum amount of metal remaining.

This monthly report details 100 Area technical activities of the Physics Group for the month of August 1949.

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This is a brief review of the status of the Redox Solvent Extraction Process. Two alternative flowsbeets are included. Planned and current operations are indicated.

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In the design of the pile, it was considered advisable never to impose so great a heat load on any tube that the available header pressure would be insufficient to sweep the tube free of vapor if boiling should accidentally be initiated in the tube. Figures are given for the maximum temperature rises permissible, as function of header pressure and orifice diameter.

Some time ago we started work in an attempt to observe alpha-particle decay in isotopes of atomic number less than 83. In the first experiments, thin targets of gold leaf were bombarded with 190-Mev deuterons in the 184-inch cyclotron. Two alpha-decay periods were observed in these targets; one of 0.7 minutes half-life and another of 4.3 minutes half-life. The alpha-particle energies were 5.7 and 5.2 Mev, respectively. Chemical separations proved that the 4.3-minute period is due to a gold isotope and suggested that the 0.7-minute period is due to a mercury isotope. The mass numbers of these new isotopes have not been determined. However, the results of excitation-functions in the production of the gold isotope by bombarding gold and platinum with protons suggest that its mass number lies in the range 185-188. The work on this isotope indicates that the alpha to electron capture branching ratio is of the order of magnitude of 10{sup -4}, and that positron activity accompanies the 4.3-minute alpha-period.

The average Q meter is an instrument which averages the Q over over short periods of time, thus taking into account non-productive moments due to sparking and other factors, giving a truer measure of production than the present instantaneous meters. Embodied in this report are its methods of operation, reasons for its use, and descriptions of various physical types of the average Q meter.

A new G slit support utilizing the standard G carbon now in use in all Beta production buildings was tested over approximately four months in the Pilot Plant with very successful results. A considerable saving has been made both in servicing time and in costs. The equipment has proved to be the best of any tried from the standpoint of run terminations due to alignment difficulties.

This report addresses the biological effects of radiation on man.

Transmitted herewith are three charts showing the temperatures attained at various points of the slugs in a typical tube of a flat ended pile. These charts are based on the latest information available to us on September 15, 1944. They are valid for any power load when the water rate is 21.0 gpm, whatever may be the inlet temperature of the cooling water. A simple method is provided for correcting the curves for deviations in water rate from 21 gpm. There is appended a detailed explanation of their derivation and of the evaluation of the constants involved in their construction. The current discovery that the pile will be self-poisoned by transient fission products means that the true temperature curves will be somewhat flatter than those here presented.

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The purpose of this memorandum is to point out major difficulties of this control system which have not previously been brought to light.

A portable beta and gamma radiation meter of exceedingly small dimensions and weight has been developed. User acceptance has been more enthusiastic than any previous instrument of its type. The circuit, using one Victoreen V-32 tube, is the simplest electronic circuit possible for radiation work and gives high sensitivity. Stability exceeds anything of comparable sensitivity which has come to our attention. The short term stability is due to a circuit which prevents emission before the cathode reaches operating temperature. Long term stability has been improved by evacuating the tube enclosure and switch. The complete, one unit instrument, weighs four pounds two ounces, and is carried with a pistol grip. Exclusive of chamber and handle, its dimensions are 3'' wide, 6 1/2'' long, and 5'' high. The case is formed of aluminum and is designed to give excellent visibility of the meter. Three ranges of approximately 50, 500 and 5000 mr/hr have been incorporated in the instruments. The instrument has been named ''Cutie Pie'' due to its diminutive size.

By test duplicating actual operating conditions the average load was found to have a power factor of 95 percent and to be about 75 percent rated load. Since the Sola transformers must be operating into a load having a power factor of 90 percent and about 85 percent rated to attain proper output voltage, power factor corrective networks consisting of inductance and resistance in series were paralleled with the load. When these networks were added, the desired output voltage was attained. Several units have been successfully correction be used on the remaining units.

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Group 10 - The following items were shipped to Scioto Laboratory: 6 Thyratron Heater Controls (TR-1-A), 2 Switch Boxes (for P & E), 1 Log Amplifier (AM-1); 1 Pulse Generator (PG-1-B). The following are completed, tested, and awaiting transportation: 3 Two-Input B-wall Mixers (MX-2-A), 1 Pulse Generator (PG-1-B),1 Regulation Checker (RC-1) (for plating control power supplies), 1 Preamplifier (AM-2) (for Berkeley decimal scaler). The following are under construction: 6 Pulse Generators (PG-1-B) (for Health Division) (EO-508) 90%, 10 Switch Boxes (8 for P & E, Scioto, 2 for P& E, "T" Building) 85%, 6 Junction Boxes (for P&E, "T" Building, EO-486) 90%, 2 Four-Input G. M. Mixers. One on EO-17, one from Unit III. The mixers have been finished and tested for some time. The scalers (Nuclear Instrument Model 161-G) have just been received and are being modified for use with the mixers. A prototype preamplifier for the Berkeley decimal scaler was constructed and tested. Group 11 - A special pulse generator having output pulses fixed in time, and adjacent pulses variable in time with respect to the fixed pulse is under development. An initial mock-up of such a generator showed promise in that the variable pulses could be shifted …

The Argonne National Laboratory model of the Vibrating Reed Electrometer was installed in the laboratory of Group 3 to detect the point at which electrodeposition of a radioactive element begins. As now set up, the Vibrating Reed Electrometer has a direct reading sensitivity of 10{sup {minus}12} amperes and this can be increased to 10{sup {minus}17} amperes by using it as a rate of charge instrument. During the past month the ionization chamber was designed and constructed and the complete system was set up for operation. One four-input gamma mixer was completed. Inputs for the GM tubes are on the back of the chassis with mixer output on the front panel, convenient to the Instrument Development Laboratory Model 162 GM input. The performance, on test, was equal to that of the prototype (EL-208). Two thyratron heater controls, EL-238 and EL-241 were completed and are being tested by the Assay Group. Three Scaler-Multipliers, scale of 16,384, are under construction. Two Instrument Development Laboratory methane-flow scalers were modified as outlined in the Electronics Progress Report, MLM-153, dated July 1--31, 1948. A portable power supply tester is being developed which will embody a simplified switching arrangement. Some trouble has been encountered in getting a …

This letter from Compton to Fermi describes developments bearing on the establishment of ``site X`` (which, as of the letter date, is definitely determined as at the Tennessee Valley) for the construction of a pile and associated pilot plant buildings, describes the situation as of the letter date, and offers counsel as to how to proceed.

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No administrative or operations significant events are reported. Construction in the pile areas, separations areas, and the technical center is reported. The Southern Railroad connection, Richland paving and related work, and housing work is described. Personnel and visitor data is presented.