The direct reading height gauge is a new and fast operating instrument designed primarily for checking hole patterns, but it can also be used for a number of other purposes as well. This report gives a brief review of what the gauge is, what it will do, and how it is operated. Speed and the elimination of most of the sources of error are its chief attributes.

This note is concerned with the numerical integration of the integrals of the form anti l*SUB infinity/*SUP infinity/ f(x) *phi/(x) dx is "smooth."

A series of measurements was performed to investigate the gamma ray spectra, in the region from about 100 kev to about 3 Mev, resulting from the capture of thermal neutrons in a number of elements. The purpose of the experiment was to supplement the high energy capture gamma ray data in order to remove some of the ambiguities from the proposed energy level schemes and to obtain information for the Shielding Group of Brookhaven National Laboratory on elements normally found in reactors.

Engineering notes on limiting bore diameter, angular divergence in a linear accelerator.

Progress on projects on experimental physics, theoretical physics, MTA Target-Physics Program, accelerator construction and operation, chemistry, biology and medicine, plant and equipment.

Corrosion-stability tests have been made in static autoclaves at 500 and 600F on solutions of compounds having high neutron cross sections to evaluate their usefulness for shutdown purposes. The only compound tested which appeared to be completely stable in 600F water was boric acid. Limited corrosion data did not show it to cause excessive corrosion of zirconium or stainless steel.

The development of methods which were successful in producing zirconium Hanford type process tubing by roll forming and inert are welding (He) flat strip to which appropriate rails had ben previously attached by resistance welding is described in this report. Grade 2 drip arc melted crystal bar material was used.

Report describing the research and development activities related to nuclear chemistry and radiochemistry and basic chemistry conducted by the Argonne National Laboratory Chemistry Division, Section C-1.

Various properties of BeH/sub 2/ are predicted, based on the properties of neighboring hydrides. Included are predictions of the stability of the Be-H bond, the stability of an ionic lattice for BeH/sub 2/, polymeric structure, and density.

The annealing or heat treatment of uranium in any medium other than a good vacuum or purified helium atmosphere, will lower the room temperature properties of ultimate strength, hardness and elongation. In general, the elongation of vacuum annealed uranium exceeds considerably the elongation of air or salt annealed uranium. Any annealing medium which permits contact of the uranium metal with atmospheric gases tends to produce low elongation and ductility and a lowering of the ultimate strength. The above is true for uranium in any solid form, whether it is rolled sheet, cast bars or plates, rolled rod, or extruded shapes. Annealing in the molten salt bath (65% potassium carbonate and 35% lithium carbonate), which is used by Los Alamos and other laboratories concerned with the fabrication of uranium, produces the lowest elongation or ductility and ultimate strength when compared to similar properties of metal annealed in the other media examined. Mass spectrometer analyses of the dissolved gases present in high ductility and low ductility uranium indicate that dissolved hydrogen is probably the chief cause of low physical properties.

A new method for the determination of O/sub 2/ in metals is described. The sample is dropped into molten Pt in a graphite crucible. The oxide in the sample reacts with C to form CO, which is swept out by a stream of argon at atmospheric pressure. The CO is oxidized to CO/sub 2/, which is condensed in a capillary trap and measured with a capillary manometer. The apparatus is sensitive to 0.3 mu g of O/sub 2/, and routine 50-mg Pu samples give a standard deviation of 7 ppm or 0.35 mu g. Pu samples with added O/sub 2/ gave a standard deviation of 1.5 mu g or 2% of the total oxygen, with no significant bias. The apparatus is simple and rugged permitting replacement of parts without glassblowing. The speed is superior to vacuum fusion methods, most samples requiring only twelve minutes for analysis.

Several improvements have been made in the gamma scintillation counter (GSC). The Model V gamma scintillation counter uses a canned thallium activated sodium iodide crystal as a detector. Although the electronic components remain unchanged, a modification of the sample support has been made to improve reproducibility of geometry. To assure comparable results between various counters, they must be operated at the same energy threshold and counting yield. Methods have been developed to assure operation at a preferred energy threshold of 0.1 Mev and an arbitrarily fixed counting yield of 3.36% for Cs-Ba-137. Partial pulse height discrimination against U 237 is also accomplished.

In connection with the study of aqueous-tributyIphosphate (TBP) systems, the study of the interactions of various diluents with the TBP has been extended. The diluents used were mineral oil, Amsco 125-90W, dodecane, n-hexane, cyclohexane, benzene, n-octyl bromide, carbon tetrachloride, chloroform and pentachloroethane. The solubility of TBP in water from solutions of these diluents and the solubility of water in the organic phase was determined. For the paraffin hydrocarbons as diluents the solubility of TBP in water was found to increase with increasing molal volume of the diluent. No evidence for the formation of TBP-water complex of simple mole ration was found.

A continuous gamma-monitoring instrument capable of measuring the activity of the product of the Uranium Recovery plant has been developed and applied under process conditions. It has a detection limit of 15% and a normal range of up 1000% of the activity of natural uranium. Activity measurements made with this instrument have shown good correlation with laboratory determinations and are contributing to improved control of the solvent extraction process.

The approaches to the solution of the problem of removing or nullifying the effect of the hydrolysis of uranyl ion on acid titrations were: 1) use of a complexing agent and titration technique suitable for micro samples; 2) addition of a reagent that reacts with uranium to release 1 or 2 equivalents of acid per mole of uranium present (this permits correcting the titration value for the acid contributed by the uranium, or conversely permits an alkimetric titration of uranium); 3) separation of the uranium and acid with subsequent titration of the acid; and 4) direct titration of the sample with base. All these approaches yielded at least one method suitable for titrating acid in micro samples of uranium nitrate solutions.

Foils of plutonium 239 and uranium 235 have been mounted back to back in a dual ionization fission chamber in the diffracted beam of the Hanford neutron crystal spectrometer. A quantity proportional to the ration of fission cross sections of Pu239 to U235 has been measured as a function of neutron energy from 0.020 to 1.0 electron volts. The results of this investigation are presented graphically in the text.

From introduction: "The work described in this report was carried out as part of the feasibility study (ORNL-117) of a supercritical water reactor (SCWR) for use in nuclear propulsion of aircraft. The object of this work was to study the dynamic behavior of a particular design of supercritical water reactor. Numerical results are presented in Appendix I."

None

Laboratory experience on the precipitation of Pu(IV) oxalate is summarized. Filterable Pu(IV) oxalate with a cake density of 0.6 to 0.7 g Pu/cm/sup 3/ cake was precipitated from Redox PR solutions containing 10 to 200 g/l Pu and 2 to 6 M HNO/sub 3/. Filtration ease increased with strike temperature from 35 to 60/sup 0/C. Optimum conditions for pre-reduction of Pu(VI) to (IV), precipitation, digestion, filtration and washing were determined for 60 g/l Pu. Separation factors of 80, 40, 20, and 12 for Al, Cr, Fe, and U and decontamination factors of 1.2, 12, and 3 for Am, Ru, and Zr--Nb were obtained.

Five telescope actuator systems designated as ``R``, ``P``, ``L``, ``K`` and ``C`` were fabricated at New York Ship. All five were similar in specifications except for minor detail. For overall assembly refer to du Pont arrangement drawings W-153422, W-153423, and W-153424. These drawings illustrate ``R`` unit; however, they are representative of all units. They show a complete listing of material required and an overall view of the telescoping assembly. Since jigs and special tooling were set up to conform to a definite deck plate fabrication sequence, the inspection procedures and methods described in this book will follow logically the fabrication steps.

The hot pressing die successfully bonded a composite of Ni plate U and Al. A die for step processing is being fabricated. Cu and Mg additions to the AlSi bath lower the dipping temperature but increase intermetallic formation with ductility loss. Optimum dipping rate for continuous AlSi coatings has been established. Extrusion of Al over a cylindrical core was successful. 7.5% Zr-U is not sensitive to oxygen content under crevice corrosion in boiling demineralized water. A method was developed for monitoring the progressive deterioration of bond layer in boiling water by resistivity data; results confirm that the Cu bond is not as corrosion resistant as Ni or AlSi. Two nondestructive methods were developed for thickness of electroplated Ni on U.

Between June and August, 1952, a series of leaking process tubes were discovered in F and D Piles. All of the tubes, six from F and two from D, were removed and found to be leaking from a pitting attack that progressed from inside the tube walls. During this same period a serious slug pitting attack, not previously observed, was found on many slugs discharged at F Pile. Two hypotheses were presented that were considered that most likely explanations of the observed corrosion effects. The first mechanism-presented involved the process of cavitation. Briefly this hypothesis proposed that an obstruction to the water flow in the slug-tube annulus, such as a cocked slug or partially plugged annulus, caused the formation of a low pressure area capable of sustaining water vapor formation. The water vapor thus formed moved into the undisturbed, or higher pressure, regions of the annulus with the subsequent collapse of the vapor bubbles. This mechanism weakened or destroyed the protective oxide coat on the slugs and tubes, producing a localized corrosion phenomenon. The second hypothesis proposed to explain the observed effects was the erosion-corrosion hypothesis. This hypothesis presented the mechanism of protective aluminum oxide coat removal by the abrasive …

The objective of this study is to provide a simple method for calculating exposures for the various laboratory procedures which involve penetrating radiations. With this method it will be possible to evaluate and record on a day to day basis the total exposure received during laboratory work. It will also provide reliable information for exposure investigations.

Our hypothetical Trustee recognizes that the economic and social pressures directed at finding new sources of abundant low-cost energy are about to become compelling. As a prudent Trustee, he would say the time for action has come. He would urge that the nation's talents, public and private, be released for the development of nuclear furnaces (reactors) capable of furnishing heat for the generation of electricity, for district central heating and for industrial process heating. He would urge that we continue to explore nuclear reactions other than the fission of uranium and thorium. There is hope of domesticating the fusion reaction that makes the hydrogen bomb go. Economical fusion of the hydrogen contained in a cubic mile of sea water would be a source of capital energy equal to all conceivable needs for many hundreds of years. He would be concerned about the vast quantities of metals, some of them already in short supply, that would be required by very large nuclear power programs. He would suggest that we search for these metals by methods yet to be developed, and in novel places, including the sea. Finally, as our ultimate anchor to windward, he would urge the exploration of all ways …