Abstract: "A small low impedance flux monitoring device has been built which utilizes the heating (and consequent chance in resistance) of a boron coated platinum wire. Feasibility tests in the Argonne-GP-3 reactor indicate that it may develop into a wide range instrument, particularly useful at high flux levels. Design and constructional details of the bolometer and its associated circuits are given. The circuitry is somewhat unique since it is in effect an all electronic self-balancing bridge. Future lines of research are suggested to solve some of the remaining problems."

The following report describes the methods of chemical conversion of uranium fluoride to uranium trioxide.

This report presents a summary of certain physical properties that have been determined experimentally on the fluoride mixture that have been formulated at ORNL (Rers. 1, 2). These properties include the density, enthalpy, heat capacity, heat of fusion, thermal conductivity, viscosity, Prandtl number, electrical conductivity and surface tension. In addition to the experimental data, values have been predicted for the heat capacity and density of the other mixtures from the correlations of these properties. Estimates of the viscosity have also been made for a number of the mixtures on which no experimental data were available.

Technical report. From Abstract : "Reaction of NbBr5 and niobium metal in a sealed tube under a temperature gradient from 410° to 350° gave NbBr4 in good yields. However, an increase in the higher temperature from 410° to 450° was sufficient to eliminate NbBr4 as a product and cause deposition of a lower bromide."

Technical report. From Abstract : "The necessary conditions for preparation of TaBr4 and TaI4 by reduction of the pentahalides with tantalum or aluminum metal in a sealed tube under a controlled temperature gradient have been demonstrated."

Human iron metabolism has been extensively studied in the past twenty-five years with the radioisotopes iron⁵⁵ and iron⁵⁹. Before the availability of the whole body counter, however, iron absorption studies were performed by the indirect methods of fecal assay of unabsorbed radioiron, and estimation of red cell incorporation of absorbed tracer. The few long-term excretion studies performed required numerous assumptions, since human iron excretion was less well understood. Whole body counting provides a simple and accurate method of measuring the total body retention of administrative tracer iron⁵⁹, thus making absorption and subsequent excretion determinations possible with a single radioiron study. The energetic gamma emissions of iron⁵⁹ permit ready external detection with small quantities of isotope, Normal radioiron distribution is uniform throughout the circulating red cell mass and thus minimize geometry influences on the counting efficiency, 0nly the 45.1 day half-life of iron⁵⁹ limits long term iron turnover studies. Measurements of iron⁵⁹ absorption and long-term body turnover have been under way at Brookhaven National Laboratory for over two years. The present paper outlines some of the results of these studies, and discusses some implications of the method.

A method for determining zirconium in plutonium-zirconium alloys was required as part of an investigation of alloys containing fissionable material, with possible use in nuclear reactors. Alloys of these two elements were brought into solution with a bisulfate fusion and the zirconium was separated by precipitation with p-bromomandelic acid. Determinations were completed by weighing the zirconium oxide obtained after ignition of the precipitate at 925 degree C. The precision of this recommended procedure was estimated in terms of the standard deviation for quadruplicate determinations, made with weight aliquots from dissolved alloy samples. The range for the standard deviation was 0.5 to 1.7 parts per thousand for samples from which aliquots each containing 9 to 15 mg of zirconium were selected. The complete recovery of zirconium from solutions of pure zirconyl chloride and plutonium trichloride was shown by the 95 percent confidence limits of 99.9 +- 0.3 percent for the average of four determinations, observed with samples containing 5 to12 mg of zirconium in the presence of 10 to 20 mg of plutonium. It was found the Mo, La, PU(III), and K2Cr2O7 do not interfere with zirconium determinations made according to the recommended procedures, but Pu(IV) does interfere slightly. It was …

Summary of the research progress meeting of June 12, 1952

The work described in this technical report was undertaken as part of a larger program dealing with a systematic investigation of changes in the physical prosperities of artificial graphite due to neutron bombardment. Very pronounced among those changes is the increase in the elastic modulus. Since there is a general relationship between the elastic modulus of a given substance and its specific heat, it was expected that corresponding changes will occur in the specific heat. In conclusion, the experiments determined that it appears that the low temperature specific heat measurements of strongly bombarded samples will be helpful for the understanding of the nature and the mechanism of the changes produced by neutron bombardment and annealing.