The new KW reactor was placed in operation on January 4, 1955, and had been running at relatively low power levels for only 17 hours when it was shut down because of a process tube water leak which appeared to be associated with a slug rupture. After several days of unrewarding effort to remove the slugs and tube by customary methods, it developed that considerable melting of the tube and slugs had taken place. It was then evident that removal of the stuck mass and repairs to the damaged tube channel would require unusual measures that were certain to extend the reactor outage for several weeks. This report documents the work and findings of the Committee which investigated the KW reactor incident. Its content represents unanimous agreement among the three Committee members.

Purpose of this report is to determine optimum tank size from evaluating the quantities of principal construction materials with prevailing unit costs for various tank sizes. The materials were concrete in-place, reinforcing steel in-place, wood framework, 3/8 in. C steel plate liner in-place, earthwork excavation and backfill (engineering, overhead, piping, condenser, vapor manifold costs not included). Costs of optimum tank are distributed as follows: dome 25%, walls 28%, foundation 6%, floor 2%, steel liner 20%, earthwork 19%. For a given tank capacity, there is a definite optimum tank size; as the capacity increases, the diameter increases, and the height increases but at a lesser rate. Each diameter has an optimum height, which is that height at which unit cost of storage space is minimum for a given tank diameter. Optimum unit cost is $0.136/gallons for diameters 75--130 ft; for diameters<75 ft, the optimum unit increases. Tank forms 241-S, 241-SX, and 241-A were used in this study; storage cost of the analyzed tank was $0.121 compared to $0.136/gallon for 241-SX and 241-A, and $0.152/gallon for 241-S. Assumed unit costs for concrete and steel plate tank liner were 10% less than those of 241-SX and 241-A, causing the lower unit costs. Tanks …

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A discussion is presented of the elements, or at least most of the elements, that are usually thought of as required and characteristic of living materials. A continuous evolutionary process is conceived, beginning with a bare earth and leading to the random formation of more or less complex molecules from simple ones, and gradually, by the processes of random variation, autocatalysis, and selection, to more complex systems and the ordered array of desoxynucleic acid molecules which are the units that carry the continuity and order of present-day living systems.

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