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Since Redox start-up, several samples of Redox PR solution have been evaporated in the laboratory as one step in a study of the Redox -- 234 coupling process. Because feed for Task I in 234-5 will be produced by evaporative concentration of Redox and purex product solutions, and because laboratory work has shown the desirability of filtering Redox solutions after such evaporation prior to use in Task I. This report summarizes the observations which have been made in the course of this work, as a guide in the design of filters for the Redox and/or Purex PR cages.

Recovered uranium from the Redox and TBP Plants is concentrated to 100 percent UNH by boiling off water and nitric acid in 224-U Building, and the UNH solution is then calcined or denitrated to UO{sub 3} powder in 18 batch-operated calcination pots, also in 224-U Building. Plans are proceeding now to add to the above denitration capacity by installing two additional batch calcination pots of larger diameter than the present 18 pots (6 ft. rather than 2.5 ft.). At the time of design scoping of the existing batch calcination facilities several years ago it was recognized that potential savings in direct labor and maintenance costs, and other operational advantages, would undoubtedly result from the development of a continuous calcination process. However, no continuous UNH calcination process existed at that time, and the 18 batch pots were installed modeled after similar-sized pots in use by the Mallinckrodt Chemical Company at St. Louis. A program to develop a suitable continuous UNH calcination process and equipment is now in progress with the objective augmenting or replacing the existing batch process in 224-U Building. This document sets forth the savings calculated for complete replacement of the batch pots with a new continuous process.

The elastic differential scattering cross section of 190 MeV deuterons by protons has been measured from 15 degrees to 170 degrees in the center of mass system. The cross sections were obtained by subtracting the carbon counts from those received with a polyethylene target. Part I presents a description of the experiments. Results are shown in Table IV and Fig. 3. Part II compares these results with those expected from theory by making use of a method developed by Chew. A summary of this comparison is given in Table VII.

There are two different types of investigation of interest in high energy nuclear phenomena. One can observe gross effects such as the production of large numbers of heavy particles of different types, or one can study the elementary particles themselves which result from these collisions, for example, the kappa mesons, to determine modes of decay and the energy spectra of the resulting particles. This discussion will deal with the gross aspects of high energy interactions and will review the work of Fermi: High Energy Nuclear Interactions, Progress in Theoretical Physics, 5, No. 4, July-August, 1950.

This report describes work within the applied research section of the physics group at Hanford during June 1953, both experimental and theoretical. It includes work on carbon 12 thermal neutron cross sections, tritium conversion efficiency, critical mass studies, fission cross sections of Pu-239 and U-235, studies of exponential piles and slug buckling, theoretical studies of lattice experiments to study neutron fluxes, and studies of radiation damage effects on thermal conductivity of graphite.

The evidence is decisive that major nuclear shells are completed at 82 protons and 126 neutrons (both represented by the nuclide Pb{sup 208}) and these, along with major shells at 82 neutrons and certain lower nucleon numbers (N or Z = 20, 28, 50), are well explained by the strong spin orbit coupling model of Mayer and Haxel, Jensen, and Suess. This model suggests the filling of quantum states at certain intermediate points, and there is an accumulating amount of evidence that such 'sub shells' are also discernible, for example, at Z = 58 and Z = 64. The evidence from alpha radioactivity, both (1) the effect of the nuclear radius shrinkage on the relationship between energy and half-life and (2) the discontinuities in the plots of energy vs. mass number at constant Z, gives a striking indication of the closing of major shells at Z = 82 and N = 126. Application of these sensitive criteria as tests for the much smaller 'subshell' effects in the regions Z > 82 and N > 126 leads to some evidence for such a subshell at Z = 96 (curium).