The chemical processing industry relies heavily on the use of rotary pumps to move massive quantities of liquids. The rotating elements of these pumps, generally of the deep-well turbine type, are submerged in the solution being pumped. This singular factor sometimes imposes a severe limitation on the choice bearings because the liquids are frequently corrosive and have poor lubricity. At the Hanford Atomic Products Operation a further complication arises from the effects of radioactivity in the solutions being transferred. Radiation and temperature can and will cause physical damage to many substances, including certain potential bearing materials such as plastics. These factors, coupled with the economics of remote operation and maintenance, have lead to the need for a test program to screen and evaluate potential bearing and journal materials.

The Atomic Energy Commission has recently developed an enlarged program for the study of graphite moderated, gas cooled power reactor systems. It has been recognized, however, that understanding of radiation damage and radiation induced chemical reactions of graphite at the proposed high moderator temperatures is inadequate and that improved understanding is essential if the design of such reactors is to be optimized. Accordingly, the Atomic Energy Commission requested Hanford to organize a modest research and development program directed toward the study of these graphite problems.

On July 31, 1959, an autoclave ruptured while being used for thermal cycling studies of Plutonium Recycle Test Reactor (PRTR) plutonium-aluminum fuel elements. Since stand-in materials were being used in this test, no contamination was involved. This accident could lead to inference of greater hazards associated with PRTR fuel designs than had previously been postulated. An ad hoc technical investigation committee was appointed by the Manager Reactor and Fuels Research and Development, to study the autoclave failure. The committee was charged with developing a sound technical explanation of the accident and/or recommending experimental programs to test hypotheses of the physical and chemical processes leading to the rupture of the autoclave.

A report which deals with the Redox IA Column studies made in small-scale columns packed with 3/16-in. Fenske helices and using NH4NO3 salting agent.

The following report calculates pile reactivity changes that result from different pile loadings where it is desirable to have available values of (flux)2 d(volume) for various flat zone radii. This information was found for a cylindrical pile having circular flat zones and an effective radius of 598 cm., by integrating over a cross sectional volume of one cm. thickness.

Introduction: "Room temperature and elevated temperature, static immersion and vapor suspicion, corrosion tests were conducted with Duriron, Hastelloy C, and tantalum in hydriotic acid and 234-5 project process supernatant solution (synthetic environments. The data relevant to these tests are contained herein."

This report discusses preliminary results acquired from investigations made on the ultrasonic properties of uranium, such as sonic vibrations in the megacycle frequency range.

At present, emphasis is being given the application of nondestructive testing to the inspection of nuclear fuel in conjunction with complete product specifications. The objective is to quantitatively specify fuel quality parameters, and to measure the entire fuel production against these specifications nondestructively. Under this concept the acceptability of a given fuel element becomes a well-defined factor readily determined by appropriate nondestructive tests.

Summary: "Data obtained from testing and observing samples of 63S Al irradiated for approximately three months are presented. Tensile data show a slight, general increase in strength during pile exposure with a slight decrease in elongation. It is uncertain whether tkis increase in strength is a result of irradiation, exposure to slightly elevated temperatures, or a combination of the two effects. Metallographic examination revealed no apparent damage to the microstructure. As a result of these tests. it was determined that there is no damage in the 63S Al samples caused by irradiation."

Facilities shall be provided in the 221-U Building for removing fuel elements from the casks as placed in the railroad tunnel from the transfer facility and moving the elements to modified existing 10' X 16' X 14' storage tanks in ten existing cells where they will be stored, until scheduled for processing.

The following report provides complete data and test procedure from hot water corrosion tests of type 502 stainless steel.

This report is a summary of work done for system development on the NPR ball safety backup for the horizontal rods. This phase of the system development is limited to discussion of the horizontal rod counting circuitry utilizing a direct current bridge network.