Four naturally occurring materials, namely, vermiculite, variscite, Tennessee rock phosphate, and Florida pebble phosphate, were studied to determine the feasibility of their use in columns for the sorption of strontium from high pH, intermediate-level wastes produced at ORNL. Excepting vermiculite, all materials were found to be effective in strontium removal.

An estimate was made of the beam hole currents to be expected from both the radial and tangential beam holes in the present HFIR design. The angular fluxes required for these calculation were determined by an 18-group, S8 transport calculation (SNG reactor code). Both type beam holes produced thermal neutron currents of 7.5 x 10^10 neutrons/cm^2 sec. at a power level of 100 Mw. The nonthermal component of the beam current was 7.0 x 10^10 and 4.5 x 10^10 neutrons/cm^2 -sec for the radial and tangential holes, respectively.