The components for the present aluminum clad, Al-Si bonded, internally and externally cooled (I & E), uranium fuel elements are composed of impact extruded cans and spire caps as shown in Figure 1. This type of component requires two impact extrusions; however, in December, 1957, J. E. Ruffin proposed another design of component in which there was only one impact extrusion. For this component, Figure 2, the spire was impact extruded as a part of the can.

A series of two-group calculations has been made on the Oracle for the purpose of obtaining critical-mass and flux distribution data for various ORR core configurations. The 3G3R code of Bate, Einstein, and Kinney was used, together with the RSP code developed by Nelson. This made it possible to obtain results for the three-dimensional case. The results, which are presented graphically, are intended to serve as a guide for the design of experiments until such time as actual measurements are available. The calculations were performed for the "clean cold" case, and it should be realized that the presence in the core of experiments and of fission products built up during operation will materially alter the flux patterns found. It is believed that the critical-mass data are accurate to within 10%. Within the fuel region it is believed that the thermal-flux patterns are the also accurate to this degree. Comparison of the results with MTR critical experiments, however, indicates that the thermal flux in the reflector in the vicinity of the fuel-reflector interface may have been underestimated by a factor of as much as 1.3. It should also be recalled that in a two-group calculation the "fast flux" is often a …

Five uninsulated semipermanent freeze coils, series connected, can be frozen when submerged in 70 F water with a Freon-11 flow rate of 1.85 gpm at an inlet temperature of -40 F. The refrigeration unit of the HRT-CP is capable of delivering >3 gpm to a similar semipermanent freeze coil system located in Cell C. Therefore the number of F-11 risers required in Cell C of the HRT-CP can be minimized by series connecting this many semipermanent freeze coils where required.

The following report is a quarterly report done by the Physics Division of the University of California's Radiation Laboratory, covering the period of November and December of 1953, and January of 1954. This report discusses general physics research and the development and operation of the accelerator.

The purpose of this study has been to evaluate the chemical resistance of various bearing materials to solutions of nitric acid and uranyl nitrate hexahydrate with views toward selecting the best material to be used as bearings in Purex submerged rotating equipment.

The object of this project is to conduct studies on the coating of metals and alloys by the gas plating process. Coatings to be studied consist of chromium on copper; alloys of nickel chromium on copper; molybdenum on stainless steel and Inconel; chromium on stainless steel and Inconel; and tungsten and molybdenum and their carbides on stainless steel and Inconel.

From abstract: "A full-scale, always-safe, metal dissolver for Experimental Breeder Reactor fuel was designed, built, and installed for test operation. It was found that the dissolver operated satisfactorily, and feasible operating procedures were established for the dissolution of bare, or jacketed, EBR slugs. Minor modifications of the dissolver design have been required to accomodate [sic] a modified EBR slug, but it is believed that this will not significantly affect its operating characteristics."