Abstract: This report describes an advanced sodium-cooled, graphite-moderated nuclear power plant which utilizes high-pressure, high-temperature steam to generate electricity at a high thermal efficiency.

Abstract: This report is a description of a 200 channel digital recording system used to record high temperature strain gage outputs and associated temperatures.

Abstract: It has been proposed that a fuel element containing porous uranium be used for moderately high temperature applications. In an effort to determine the structural integrity of this type of fuel body, thermal cycling tests have been conducted on porous uranium.

Introduction: This is the fourth report in a series of reports dealing in particular with a reactor safety device of a double diaphragm type.

Abstract: A device to detect the presence of hydrogen in sodium has been developed. Such a device, installed in a sodium heated steam generator, would signal the presence of water in the sodium resulting from a leak in the sodium-water barrier.

Foreword: This report covering the technical feasibility and economic potential of the VMR completes the requirements of Phases II and III of the program outlined in American-Standard Proposal No. P-470A.

From preface: This report satisfies the quarterly progress report requirements for PL-1 and PL-2 plant design work for the period ending September 30, 1960 At present time a SL-1 Core 2 is under construction. This is a replacement core for SL-1 (ALPR) and will be identical to a PL-2 core; a PL condenser is under test at the SL-1 facility; final construction plans for PL components and modules which are not site sensitive will be completed in March 1961.

"We compute the equilibrium configuration of a collision-free plasma contained in an axially symmetric magnetic field. The plasma is characterized by a non-scalar pressure tensor which is obtained from a microscopic distribution function in a form suggested b the guiding center approximation. The solution is calculated in the limit where the ratio of the width to the length of the plasma region and the ratio of the gas to the magnetic pressure are both small. Boundary values at the midplane as well as the shape of the plasma appear as arbitrary parameters in the solution. We give the solution to a corresponding scalar pressure problem for comparison."

Work on the preparation of graphite spheres containing thorium oxide for use as breeder elements in the Pebble Bed Reactor-Steam Power Plant is described. Graphite spheres of varying density were infiltrated with thorium nitrate solutions, followed by denitration to thorium oxide.

The objective of the study which is being carried out under contract AT(30-1)-2477 is the exploration of all aspects of research in water resources and supply to determine the potential for using radioisotope technology in this research. Problem areas in the application of tracers in this research are being investigated through the evaluation of past experimentation with radioisotopic techniques and through discussions with those who are active in this work. A series of suggestions relating to these techniques will de drawn up to indicate which techniques should be developed further in order that more extensive applications may be found for them.

This study was undertaken for the USAEC under Contract AT(04-3)-189, Project Agreement No. 6, to investigate desirable features of a sodium cooled, graphite moderated uranium fueled power reactor using the modular concept, and, based on this investigation, evaluate the economic potential of this reactor type.

Results of processing 47 metric tons of Brookhaven spent reactor fuel are summarized.

Review of previous work is presented in addition to the results of recent studies concerning loss of primary coolant when the system is cold and pressurized and the problem of supplying adequate cooling following the injection of light water.

This report describes the development of an ultrasonic instrument for resin level measurements in an ion exchange column.

Specifications including detail dimension, materials, fabrication steps, acceptance criteria, and final assembly steps for the swaged uranium dioxide, 19-rod cluster Plutonium Recycle Test Reactor fuel element.

Chain reacting conditions for plutonium nitrate in water solution have been examined experimentally for a variety of sizes of spheres and cylinders.

Report documenting the progress of the Army Gas-Cooled Reactor Systems Program to develop a mobile nuclear power plant for military field operation.

"This is the first quarterly report on Task II of the subject Utilization of Radioactive Isotopes in Coal Process Research. There were two separate projects on Tank I; I. methods Development for Tritium Labeling of Coal Product Hydro-carbons, and II. Applications of Radio-Tracer Techniques to the Study of Fluidized Particle Mechanics. The following extended work on Task II concerns only Methods Development of Radio-Tracing With Tritium."

"With careful attention to details, tritium assays of satisfactory accuracy have been achieved on low activity standard samples by dry combustion and liquid scintillations counting of the product water.This method is faster, more accurate and dependable than the zinc fusion-ion chamber method fro low level tritium assays. At 380 degrees C, tritium loses from hydrocarbon tracers by isotopic exchange is significant and must be corrected for in tracer measurements at this elevated temperature."

Absolute (p,n) cross sections have been measured for Ti47, V51, Cr52, Co59, and Cu63 at energies between 4 and 6.5 Mov. These data plus earlier measurements of the cross section for inelastic proton scattering have been used to estimate total proton absorption cross sections for V51 and Co59. An optical model calculation using parameters giving a good fit to elastic scattering measurements predicts an absorption cross section in good agreement with the measurements for Co59. For V51, some sets of parameters gave good agreement with the measured absorption cross section, but the fit to the elastic scattering data was only fair.

Abstract: An element by element reactivity check for SM-1 Core II fuel elements and control rod absorber sections was performed and the burnable nuclear poison loading in the SM-1 Core II stationary fuel elements was established. An approach to criticality of the SM-1 Core II was performed by the inverse multiplication method and the critical rod bank position obtained as a function of fuel loading up to the full SM-1 Core II loading. Maximum and minimum core reactivity measurements were obtained by selective loading of stationary fuel elements and the total "excess K" for the core established. Power distribution measurements in the region of the core-reflector interface and the fuel-absorber interface in the control rod assemblies were performed. The effectiveness of europium flux suppressors in the top of control rod fuel elements and the power peaking in stationary elements adjacent to water gaps in control rod assemblies were measured. Survey measurements established the worth of spiking cold clean SM-1 cores with SM-2 elements, and of water holes in the SM-1 core which might be utilized as flux traps for materials irradiation.

"A finite difference approximation to a non-linear set of parabolic differential equations arising in shallow water theory is given. These difference equations were used to determine the shape and rate of propagation of a hum of fluid down a channel of constant depth. The hump of fluid was found to spread instead of steepen, as is the case in the usual shallow water theory."

"The loss of particles through a cusp of a particular containment geometry utilizing cusped magnetic field lies is considered. A velocity space loss criterion analogous to the loss cone in the mirror machine is derived. The effect of a uniform longitudinal magnetic field perpendicular to the containing field is considered and a loss criterion is derived. The effect of the longitudinal field is to decrease cusp losses.

"The problems of sequencing jobs through machines are discussed in a linear graph framework. The construction of feasible schedules from given technological orderings is related to the construction of transitive graphs from given component graphs. Methods of constructing transitive graphs are given and bounds on the number of different transitive graphs constructed from given components are determined. A recursive convex function defined on the transitive graphs-the job operation completion time and schedule time-is studied. Bounds on the number of different values that the schedule time can attain is obtained. Examples of multiprogramming, flow shop and machine shop scheduling are studied."