An accidental release of gaseous fission products from an ORR fused salt capsule, containing 26 mg. of U/sup 235/, was postulated and the resuiting hazard estimated by calculating the maximum external and internal dose an individual could receive from exposure to the gaseous fission products and their decay products. Assuming all the contained gaseous fission produets are released, the resulting external and internal dosc, to organs other than the thyroid, arc insignificant. The dose to the thyroid by radioiodine is considered to be significant. By retaining at least 90% of the iodine isotopes in the experiment system through use of an iodine trap, a large reduction in both the external whole body and internal thyroid doses may be achieved. Therefore, assuming an iodine trap is utilized, it appears that the consequences of am accidental gaseous fission product release from an ORR fused salt capsule experiment would not be serious. (auth)

The design philosophy, control actions, and functional operation of the instrumentation and control associated with the ORNL-20 in-pile experiment operated in the MTR in 1955-6 are briefly described. (auth)

The substitution of Al-clad for Zr-clad fuel necessitates reducing the operating temperature. The amount of saving that must be made in fabrication and chemical reprocessing to overcome the cost of operating at reduced thermal efficiency is estimated for a boiling water reactor. (auth)

Temperature variations in a slug create problems in stresses, corrosion, and design. As an acid in solving these problems for present and higher power levels, the temperature distribution and anticipated maximum temperatures have been calculated and are presented here. They are based upon theoretical investigations of heat flow in a four inch standard slug. The results of these investigations are presented in this document.

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>A summary of the cooling load data for the SRE sodium coolant pump freeze seals is presented. (J.R.D.)

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This paper presents the requirements of a nuclear amplifier of short resolving time, designed to accept pulses of widely varying amplitudes. Data are given which show that a proportional ionization chamber loaded with a 1,000-ohm resistor develops pulses of 0.5 microsecond duration and several volts amplitude. Results indicate that seven basic requirements are imposed on the amplifier when counting soft beta and gamma radiation in the presence of alpha particles, without absorbers. It should, (1) have a fast recovery time, (2) have a relatively good low frequency response, (3) accept pulses of widely varying heights without developing spurious pulsed, (4) have a limiting output stage, (5) preserve the inherently short rise time of the chamber, (6) minimize pulse integration, and (7) have sufficient gain to detect the weak pulses well below the chamber voltage at which continuous discharge takes place. The results obtained with an amplifier which meets these requirements is described. A formula is derived which indicates that redesign of the proportional ionization chamber might eliminate the need for an amplifier. This may be possible if the radioactive particles are collimated parallel to the collecting electrode.

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Current Panellit protection procedures, termed instability limits, come from calculations based on steady state experiments. However, the actual conditions in a process tube following a plugging occurrence sufficient to cause unstable flow are transient rather than steady state, and cannot be determined with great precision except by transient state experimentation. As a result, a program was initiated by the thermal Hydraulics Operation of HLO to perform a series of transient heat transfer experiments which would define the process tube response to (1) rapid plugging in the process tube assembly, (2) slow plugging in the process tube assembly, and (3) power excursions above normal of varying amounts. Transient heat transfer experimentation on a large scale is not common and many difficulties have been encountered. After preliminary runs were made and reported, a further series of runs were planned and run which would include K as well as BDF type data and would define more closely the upper limit of the panellit protection. During the test runs, data from these transient experiments are recorded on high speed recording instruments, each of which has a calibration which is subject to change regardless of the efforts expended by the experimenters. This means that checking …

This report talks about APPR Meeting Held at Oak Ridge National Laboratory on April 3, 4, and 5.

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The disassembly of the `Adams` primary was scheduled for April 28, 29, and 30, 1959. The method of disassembly is provided as a procedure to be accomplished in order and the time and initials of the person accomplishing each step recorded.

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Several factors such as alloy composition, hydrogen content of the alloy, surface hydrides, and hydrogen content of the water have been investigated for their effect upon the amount of hydrogen picked up by zirconium alloys during corrosion in 680 deg F water. Metallic additions of nickel increase hydrogen pickup, antimony, chromium, and iron appear to decrease the hydrogen pickup, while the addition of tin has little or no effect. The hydrogen content of the metal (50 to 400 ppm) or of the water (0 in 2 atm of hydrogen pressure) does not appreciably change the amount of hydrogen picked up by the alloys studied. It is proposed that certain intermetallic compounds provide cathodic areas which aid in the concentration of hydrogen at the compound. The amount of corrosion-produced hydrogen entering the metal is controlled by the reaction of hydrogen with the particular compound. The hydriding of Zircaloy-2 by gaseous hydrogen is stopped when small quantities of water vapor are added to the hydrogen. (auth)

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In the conceutration and purification of Pu by cation exchange, the feed solution must be in the plus three valence state, but the nitrate solution from a solvent extraction process contains a high% of Pu/sup 4+/ and a small amount of Pu/sup 6+/. It was desired to find a reducing agent satisfactory for the reduction of Pu/sup 4+/ and Pu/sup 6+/ in Purex product streams and to make these streams suitable as cation exchange feed. The bisulfates met the requirements for speed and completeness of reduction in the feed material. (J.E.D.)

Niobium is determined as the peroxy complex in concentrated sulfuric acid by photometric measurement at 360 m mu . Uranium interference is cancelled by using a solution of the sample for reference in the photometric measurement. The method covers the determination of niobium in uranium --niobium alloys made from pure melting stock. Molybdenum interferes and must be removed if present. Zirconium does not interfere. The calibration curve covers a concentration range from 0.2 to 5.0 mg. (auth)

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