Report describing the research and development activities related to nuclear chemistry and radiochemistry and basic chemistry conducted by the Argonne National Laboratory Chemistry Division, Section C-1.

Report issued by the Argonne National Laboratory discussing the heat generation of irradiated uranium. Methods of heat production in uranium are presented. This report includes tables, and illustrations.

Report describing the research and development activities related to nuclear chemistry and radiochemistry and basic chemistry conducted by the Argonne National Laboratory Chemistry Division, Section C-1.

The report is the third in a series of interim reports on the climatological studies which are being conducted at the Argonne National Laboratory. First report appeared as document ANL-4538 and covered the period July, 1949 through June, 1950; the second report, ANL-4793, covered the period July, 1950 through June, 1951. These annual reports are offered for purposes of information only; broad conclusions regarding the climate of this site must await the accumulation of a statistically significant amount of data.

An analytical method has been developed for zirconium and fluoride ions in the system resulting from the dissolution of fuel elements in hydrofluoric acid. The method is based on determination of the density and electrical conductivity of the dissolved metal solution.

This report describes the progress on the experimental breeder reactor. It focuses on the approach to critical experiments, calibration of controls and flues and flux distributions.

This technical report describes experimental nuclear physics, mass spectroscopy, crystallography, experimental reactor physics, theoretical physics (general), reactor theory and electronic digital computers.

From Abstract: "Investigations were made of alternate methods of bonding fuel shapes and the use of alternate core alloys in flat plates. Alternations and additions were made to development facilities needed to fabricate roll-clad plates for the EBWR core. Pilot production of EWBR-type plates proved that the plate cladding process could be adapted to production facilities."

Report issued by the Argonne National Laboratory discussing a summary report of work completed between April and October, 1958. Summaries of the studies conducted and work completed are presented. This report includes tables, and illustrations.

From introduction: "The report is preliminary. At the time of writing, the status of the BORAX V project is that design of the reactor buildings and plant, done in collaboration with the architect-engineer with the architect-engineer has been completed and construction has just started; however, the mechanical design of the fuel and cores is still tentative."

Report describing "an AC-operated portable scintillation spectrometer consisting of a preamplifier, a linear pulse amplifier, a single-channel pulse-height analyzer, a linear count-rate meter, a scaler, and a high-voltage power supply. The operation and performance of the circuits are discussed" (p. 3).

Report containing zero power (<1 kw) Dry Critical Experiments that were "to be conducted in the EBR-II Reactor prior to filling the Primary System with sodium coolant" (p. 7.) The two primary objectives of these experiments were to determine how well the system performed without sodium coolant and to "determine and/or verify certain operational data to permit modification or improvement of the system (neutron shield, instrumentation, etc.) prior to the introduction of sodium into the system" (p. 7.)

Report discussing state of the art design and operation of heat transfer and hydraulics equipment and technology in boiling water reactor power plants.

From Introduction: "With the acquisition by the Laboratory of a Control Data 3600 computer in the fall of 1963, a joint reprogramming project was undertaken by the Laboratory's Applied Mathematics Division and the Control Data Corporation to develop one - and two-dimensional diffusion-theory and Sn transport-theory programs for the CDC-3600. The XLIBIT code described in this report was developed as a part of this project. XLIBIT is a CDC-3600 program designed to: 1) Prepare a cross-section library tape. 2) Modify an existing cross-section library tape. 3) Duplicate an existing cross-section library tape. 4) Print all or a portion of the cross-section data on the library tape. Punch cross-section decks for all or a portion of the data on the library tape. The decks produced are identical to those used in pertaining the tape."

An analytical investigation of certain problems in the area of subassembly-to-subassembly failure propagation in LMFBR's is described. Existing analyses of the response of the adjacent subassembly duct to mechanical loads are reviewed and summarized, and major uncertainties are identified. Additional analyses of the response of the adjacent subassembly to certain thermal loads are presented in two parts. In the first part, the effect of an external heat flux on duct melting and thermal stresses is considered. The external heat fluxes required to produce duct melting or excessive thermal stresses are compared with the heat fluxes that might be expected from the molten fuel deposited on the duct wall. In the second part, a thermal-hydraulic study is performed to investigate the effect of the external heat flux on the coolant temperature distribution in the adjacent subassembly. Both normal subassembly geometry and distorted subassembly geometry are considered. A detailed model of the coolant region formed by the heated duct wall and the displaced fuel pins is also analyzed to determine whether there are severe temperature gradients.

Results of two failure experiments using LMFBR-type fuel during simulated unprotected transient overpower accidents are reported and analyzed. In both experiments, a single fresh fuel pin in a Mark0IIA loop was subjected to a temperature-limited, step-reactivity irradiation in the TREAT reactor. Total energy was 490 MJ in Test H2 and in Test E4.

An econometric model of air pollution for an intraurban location (the Chicago area) is constructed and estimated. The model treats employment and population as simultaneously determined. Exogenous variables are selected to represent transportation infrastructure investments resulting primarily from federal and state decisions. The exogenous variables account for the relative services provided by highways, commuter railroads, rail rapid transit, waterways, and airports. The employment location equations appear to be considerably more successful than those in previous studies. These equations indicate that waterway availability constrains the locational options of most major industrial air polluters; that highway accessibility is a more influential factor in industrial than services location choices; that rail rapid transit accessibility is more important to services than industrial locations; and that major airports attract light industrial development. The success of the employment location equations reflects the importance of disaggregating intraurban modes of transport and of adding to urban location models the local effects of interurban modes of transport such as water and air.

The calorimetric instrumentation developed at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) for making nondestructive measurements of the plutonium content of fuel rods is discussed. Measurements with these instruments are relatively fast (i.e., 15 to 20 minutes) when compared to the several hours usually required with more conventional calorimeters and for this reason are called ''fast-response.'' Most of the discussion concerns the One-Meter and the Four-Meter Fuel-Rod Calorimeters and the Analytical Small-Sample Calorimeter. However, to provide some background and continuity where needed, a small amount of discussion is devoted to the three earlier calorimeters which have been described previously in the literature. A brief review is presented of the literature on plutonium holdup measurements. The use of gamma-ray techniques for holdup measurements is discussed and results are given for the determination of sample thickness using the ratio of intensities of high- and low-energy gamma rays. The measurements cover the plutonium metal thickness range from 0.001 to 0.120 inches. The design of a gamma-ray collimator with 37 parallel holes is also discussed. Neutron-counting experiments using BF3 proportional counters embedded in two polyethylene slabs are described. This detector configuration is characterized for its sensitivity to sample and background plutonium, counting both coincidence (fission) and total …

Post-irradiation examinations were performed on element G-3, from the GCFR F-1 series of mixed-oxide elements, after 2.6 at. % burnup in EBR-II. The 20% cold-worked Type 316 stainless steel clad G-3 element was irradiated as an encapsulated element using a stainless steel thermal barrier to achieve peak cladding temperatures of 690 degrees C at a peak power of 14.4 kW/ft. The maximum diametral increase of the element was 0.2% ..delta..D/D₀. The volatile fission products were found just above the top of the fuel column and in a gap between the bottom and next higher fuel pellet. Annular pellets were used in the element, and at 2.6 at.% burnup, the central hole was closed by fuel material at both the top and the bottom of the fuel column. Fission-product attack of the cladding was minimal; a uniform matrix attack of only 0.3 mil was found along most of the length of the fuel column.

The objective of this study was to assess the health and environmental impacts of fluidized-bed combustion of coal (FBC), specifically as applied to base-load generation of electrical energy by utilities. The public health impacts of Fluidized-Bed Combustion (FBC) plants are expected to be quite similar to those for Low Sulfur Coal (LSC) and Flue Gas Desulfurization (FGD) plants because all appear to be able to meet Federal emission standards; however, there are emissions not covered by standards. Hydrocarbon emissions are higher and trace element emissions are lower for FBC than for conventional technologies. For FBC, based on an analytical model and a single emission data point, the polycyclic organic material decreases the anticipated lifespan of the highly exposed public very slightly. Added health protection due to lower trace element emissions is not known. Although there is a large quantity of solid wastes from the generating plant, the environmental impact of the FBC technology due to solid residue appears lower than for FGD, where sludge management requires larger land areas and presents problems due to the environmentally noxious calcium sulfite in the waste. Fixing the sludge may become a requirement that increases the cost of wet-limestone FGD but makes that system …

The objective of the proposed Argonne Tandem-Linac Accelerator System (ATLAS) is to provide precision beams of heavy ions for nuclear physics research in the region of projectile energies comparable to nuclear binding energies (5-25 MeV/A). By using the demonstrated potential of superconducting radiofrequency technology, beams of exceptional quality and flexibility can be obtained. The system is designed to provide beams with tandem-like energy resolution and ease of energy variation, the energy range is comparable to that of approximately 50 MV tandem and, in addition, the beam will be bunched into very short (approximately 50 psec) pulses, permitting fast-timing measurements that can open up major new experimental approaches.

Report on yearly investigations of components of the EBR-II reactor plant and on out-of-reactor experiments in which materials or techniques are tested before they are used in the EBR-II reactor system.

This report is written for experimenters and practicing engineers who must, because of budget and/or time limitations, push their present system's performance to the limit. It can also aid in the design of new systems.

This report covers the radiographic and densitometric techniques used as part of a quality verification program for CP-5 reactor fuel by the Nondestructive Assay Section of the Special Materials Division. Other nondestructive tests used were ultrasonic and gamma-ray spectrometry. The main objectives were to perform a one-hundred percent radiographic inspection of the fuel tubes and to derive a quantitative relationship between fuel thickness and film density with the use of fabricated fuel step wedges. By the use of tangential x-ray techniques, measurements were made of fuel peaks or ''hot spots'' that protruded above the main fuel line. Other general problems in radiographic inspection and solutions for the upgrading of the total radiographic inspection program are also discussed.