This monthly report details research and engineering operation activities of the Irradiation Processing Department for the month of September 1965.

This report addresses a brief review of he international symposium held in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

A two dimensional photoelastic study of two designs of clamps for the Phoebus 2 main closure is detailed. Predicted prototype stress data is given in the form of a stress parameter which includes the axial load and a representative clamp radius.

Alum is used as the coagulating agent in the water treatment process at Hanford. The bicarbonates present in Columbia River water react with the alum to form a loosely knit aluminum hydroxide molecule. Finely divided particulate matter and large organic molecules present in raw water are adsorbed by the floe particles. Partial is accomplished by settling in the basins; however, gravity filter beds remove the greater part of the suspension load. A polyacrylamide is added to the filter inlet stream to form a binding net around the floe particle. The floe particle is now more resistant to shearing and a greater amount of small particles are retained in the filter bed. The objective of this test was to re-capture parent isotopes of phosphorous and arsenic that had passed through the filters by secondary alum coagulation. The size and density of the floe particle would be increased by employing bentonite for the nucleus. The larger particles should now pass through the reactor with minimum residence time for activation. A polyacrylamide would again be used to net or toughen the floe particle.

During the week of March 1, 1965, KW Reactor shut down with indications of a tube leak. Leak testing during the shutdown indicated a front Van Stone flange leak on tube 3065 and a suspect internal leak on tube 3075. During the tube removal process, there was indication of Zircaloy embrittlement on both tubes. Subsequent metallographic examination of samples taken from these tubes indicated the presence of case hydriding on the internal tube surface extending from approximately the end of the active fuel corn to the rear Van Stone flange. Vacuum analysis of selected samples revealed the total hydrogen concentration, including the hydrogen present in the hydrided layer, ranged from approximately 50 ppm at the end of the active charge location to approximately 1300 ppm at the rear Van Stone flange, Since examination of these first two Zircaloy tubes removed from KW Reactor, two additional tubes have been removed from KW Reactor, two tubes have been removed from KE Reactor, and one C-size Zircaloy tube has been removed from C Reactor. The presence of hydriding has been observed on the seven Zircaloy-2 tubes removed to date. It is the purpose of this document to review in some detail the data …

Reactor fuels, reactor engineering, radiological engineering, process technology, and operational physics progress is reported for irradiation and testing at the Hanford production reactors.

This report covers progress in the following areas: process and reactor development; process technology; operational physics; and testing. Process and reactor developments covers reactor fuels, reactor engineering and radiological engineering. Process technology includes process standards, process change authorizations, and process standard relaxation. Operational physics includes updates on the B, C, D, F, H, KE, and KW reactors along with summaries of studies on reactivity and control and production related studies. Testing includes plant assistance; IPD and testing and irradiation services; other departments and contractors.

Abstracts are provided for presentations in these areas: studies in immunology; studies in molecular biology; experimental and clinical studies of cell differentiation; studies on the blood; general metabolic studies; problems in scanning; clinical and experimental studies on the effects of radiation; and studies with high energy radiations.

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The specific impulse achieved in a pulsed rocket engine augmented with a fissioning nuclear bomb could be greater than that of any continuous flow engine. To a certain extent, this increase in specific impulse would be obtained at the expense of motor weight and average thrust. This paper considers the first of these limitations, motor weight, and estimates the highest effective specific impulse to be expected from a nuclear-pulsed rocket motor with respect to the weight of the motor.