This report studies tritium oxides and tritium in water vapor, a product of P-10.

A first approximation of the gas required to cool control rods for Pile Area G is presented in the following report. Since the results are based on a number of assumptions and approximations, they should be considered only as a first approximation and subject to revision. A gadolinium-stainless steel control rod can probably be readily cooled by gas. A boron-stainless steel control rod would be difficult to cool with gas and would probably require about 1,000 lbs./hr. of helium per rod. Carbon dioxide has a slight advantage over helium as a cooling agent for control rods. This advantage is so small that the problems of gas cooling control rods should not influence the decision whether to use helium or carbon dioxide in the pile.

Though the product of P-10 is T{sub 2}, the chief hazard is the tritium oxides, and tritium in water vapor might exchange with the hdyrogen in the water. If a catalyst is present, essentially all of the tritium would be exchanged. Because we do not know what catalyzers may exist at P-10 or in the lungs of a person breathing tritium, a ready answer cannot be given to the question of the importance of the exchange reactions. The HT + H{sub 2}O {r_reversible} HTO + H{sub 2} is also considered. The same conclusion holds, most of the tritium will be exchanged; however the equilibrium constant is needed. 1 fig.

The design of the present time of light mass spectrograph is similar to that of the isotron devised some time ago for isotope separation. The spectrograph will employ the time of flight principle only for the isotopic analysis of small samples.