The following report focuses on an investigation made to determine if vacuum melting was an absolutely necessary step in the metallurgical process of melting and casting uranium.

"This symposium is concerned with the basic aspects of radiation effects. When we turn to the genetic effects of radiation in mammals, there are so few aspects on which there is any information that the problem of sorting out the fundamental findings has hardly arisen. In this paper it will, therefore, be possible to survey most of what is known and pass on to a consideration of what is needed next. Since one of the purposes of this symposium is an interchange of views between investigators in different fields, an attempt will be made to avoid technical details. Among the practical needs in mammalian radiation genetics is a pressing one for more data on which to base estimates of the genetic hazards of radiation in man. The present paper will be concerned largely with this problem. Our own work is directed primarily in this direction, our objective being to uncover some of the basic facts in at least one mammal-the mouse. Before discussing the experimental work, however, it seems desirable to consider some of the general features of the genetic hazard of radiation."

From abstract: "A full-scale, always-safe, metal dissolver for Experimental Breeder Reactor fuel was designed, built, and installed for test operation. It was found that the dissolver operated satisfactorily, and feasible operating procedures were established for the dissolution of bare, or jacketed, EBR slugs. Minor modifications of the dissolver design have been required to accomodate [sic] a modified EBR slug, but it is believed that this will not significantly affect its operating characteristics."

Report discussing a plasma containment configuration which appears to have no escape cone. From abstract: "Arguments are given to show how the containment process works, including experimental evidence deduced from published reports on "electromagnetic levitation."

Technical report containing short reports on (1) Mass spectrometer studies; (2) Purification of heavy water; and (3) Equilibration studies.

Technical report. Numerous application of various column adsorption techniques to inorganic analytical chemistry have appear in the literature. The comparatively recent introduction of ion exchange resins has resulted in the development of efficient, simple, and rapid column adsorption methods. the principal service of column adsorption methods to analytical chemistry is that of providing a relatively simple means of separating an element in a sufficiently pure state so that a direct precipitation, ignition, and weighting, for example, will suffice to complete the quantitative analysis. Systems involving uranyl nitrate will naturally be emphasized in this report but information will be included concerning the separation of the individual members of a series from one another, such as in the alkaline earths and the rare earths.

"Results of tests indicate that the nucerite-bearium seal system is compatible. This combination was operated as long as 9 hours without serious damage. In other work, the test rig was modified to eliminate pressure fluctuations and extraneous dirt, and Type IIA seal parts were designed."

Report presenting the properties and method of preparation of zirconium nitride, a compound that was being considered for use in high temperatures due to its high melting point and hardness.

Abstract: The erroneously high values for uranium content of salvage solutions as determined by the ether extraction-ascorbic acid procedure have been demonstrated to be due to the presence of colored organic materials in these solutions. Evaporation of such solutions to fumes of HC104 before extraction has been shown to be completely successful in preventing such interference while pretreatment with activated carbon is sufficiently successful for application in Control laboratories. Complete procedures for application of either protreatment and results of such application to composite salvage solutions received over a six-month period are included.

The following report provides data that was discovered from a preliminary literature survey that was made to define the utility of the newer refractory ceramics or ceramic-based materials.

The following report analyzes several reported incidents of uranium-rich zirconium-uranium explosions. This report offers notes designed to describe conditions sufficient to cause an explosion with an 80% wt. uranium alloy.

Abstract: "Photographic plates have been used to measure the energy of neutrons from the fission of 25. The spectrum as inferred from the ranges of 850 protons recoiling in the forward direction shows a very wide maximum at ~1.5 Mev with an exponentially decreasing high energy tail which extends beyond 7 Mev. The minimum energy neutrons recorded were ~700 kv. If the spectrum is extrapolated to zero, one finds that this average neutron energy is about 1.85 Mev. The stopping power of the plates was calibrated by the use of monochromatic neutrons from the Li-7(pn) Be-7 reaction and the d-d reaction."

Abstract: "A summary of the contents of numerous reports on the liquid phase proportion of uranium chloride."

Abstract: The number of photons of given energy radiated in Bremsstrahlung collision of electrons with nuclei is calculated relativistically. Expansions are obtained for energies small to mc-squared. The photon spectrum is averaged over a Maxwell distribution for the electrons. Numerical results are included.

Summary: The Regnault Method as applied to tritium purity determinations is described. The operating difficulties, such as temperature and humidity changes, static charges, excessive vibrations, contamination with air and helium, etc., and the methods currently in use for minimizing such difficulties, are discussed. A discussion of ion-chamber calibrations, and the correlation of ion-chamber results with Regnault Method results, are included. A precision of ±1% has been obtained, but the accuracy is not yet known.

The following report describes the welding procedures for welding austenitic stainless steel to carbon steel through a shielded metal-arc process, including the safety precautions and post-production process.

Uranium was plastically deformed 90% at room temperature by unidirectional rolling to a foil 0.002-inches thick. Specimens were recrystallized in the alpha region and several pole figures obtained from 0 to 40 degrees. From these, the preferred orientation was found to be in a spread of idealized (11) [010] about [010].

The energy distributions of neutrons in the 3-10 Mev energy range resulting from the bombardment of thin U targets are being investigated by the measurement of proton recoils in photographic plates.

In the past it was felt that the easiest way to treat a three group equation for a MTA lattice was to solve it without certain terms. This iterative procedure converged rapidly for a medium with depleted uranium fuel, and in fact, a second iteration was not needed.

The purpose of this paper is to describe a few of the suggested advanced concepts for fast breeder reactors and to compare these with the standard approach as to their potential advantage. I have attempted to estimate the economic effect of full technical success with each of the proposed concepts. The proposed concepts include: (1) single sodium system, (2) steam-cooled core concept, (3) direct cycle reactor using potassium as reactor coolant and working fluid, (4) molten plutonium-fuel alloy circulated and cooled by a jet of sodium, (5) settled-bed core, (6) molten salt concept, and (7) paste-fuel system.

The purpose of this note is to recalculate the semi-empirical curve of neutron yield vs. deuteron energy originally obtained by H. York in order to predict, using it and the best available data, what yields may be expected for deuterons on uranium in the extrapolated energy region.

The state of polonium in aqueous solutions was investigated by means of ion exchange equilibrium studies. The distribution of the polonium between the solid and liquid phases was determined for solutions of various compositions using both a cation and an anion exchanges. These studies show that in the absence of a complexing agent polonium is hydrolyzed to such a degree that it forms monovalent cations and anions whose charge was not investigated in this study.

Seven runs were made with the system Penn. Ref. Co. "Supersol" (dispersed) water (continuous) to investigate the effects of pulse frequency, amplitude plate spacing, volume flow ratio, and throughput on backmixing, using the technique of continuous injection of a tracer solution into the packed section. Backmixing was found to be surprisingly insensitive to all the above variables over the range studied with the exception of pulse amplitude and continuous phase flow rate, showing greatest dependence on the later. Backmixing increased with decreasing continuous phase flow rate and increased with pulse amplitude.

A pile gas leak detection system consisting of a purchased mass spectrographic type of helium detector, a long sampling line for use in remote or relatively inaccessable locations, a pump to pull a continuous sample of gas from the tip of the probe to the detector, and a rotameter to measure the gas flow rate in the sampling line has been developed, calibrated, operationally tested. The system is practical for use in locating all pile gas leaks larger than about 0.1 cubic foot per hour.