Summary: "Criticality was considered impossible in any contingency encountered in practice under either of the following conditions which include no safety factor: (a) In any isolated cylinder not more than 5 in. in disruptor, if the total amount of U235 present does not exceed 7.5 Eg. (b) In an isolated vessel of any shape and size, if the total amount of U235 present does not exceed 880 g. An "isolated" vessel is one which does not "see" more than 0.1 [...] other vessels containing fissionable material."

This report contains the results of tests which demonstrated the feasibility of using graphite labyrinth type seals, i.e., a bushing machined with alternate grooves and lands on the inside diameter to create a sufficient pressure drop to provide a satisfactory seal.

The experimental evaluation of low (10⁻⁸ in/in/hr) creep rates are costly and time consuming. Thus, in answer to a request from the design group, the creep data on Zircaloy-2 obtained at Battelle Memorial Institute is extrapolated into the low creep rate range. Because the methods of extrapolation have not been evaluated at very low creep rates on Zircaloy, two different methods are used to analyze the creep data. The methods of extrapolation are given so that future analyses can be carried out by the design group or by other sections interested in predicting creep rates which have not been experimentally determined.

Laboratory studies involving fluid flow through porous media require use of fluids having low dissolved gas content. Water is the major fluid used in various and box model and soil permeability studies carried out by the Geochemical and Geophysical Research group. Tap water supplied to the 222-U Bldg. contains a large amount of dissolved air. Under the reduced pressure encountered during model studies, the air is released from solution and gradually clogs the pores of the sand or other porous material. This, of course. leads to anomalous results and cannot be tolerated in precious studies. A system was required to effectively remove the air and make available a continuous supply of desired water for the model studies.

This report defines in detail the source of the dose rate of U233 and describes a method by which they may be predicted.

The Reactor Design and Development Unit has just completed a design concept for an intermediate capacity dual purpose reactor plant utilizing carbon steel for the primary loop portion outside the reactor. This design concept is reported in HW-33157 AD (2). The economic and engineering gains are of sufficient magnitude to justify an accelerated and extensive test program to completely evaluate the remaining unknowns in utilizing carbon steel as a stainless steel substitute. It is the purpose of this document to up-date and elaborate the information contained in the two previous documents (1). . It is the further purpose to define the program required to implement the design concept developed by the Reactor Design and Development Unit (2) utilizing carbon steel as the primary loop structural material.

Attached hereto are copies 1 through 4 of a classified secret report titled "Purex - A Hanford Separations Plant." We are also sending under separate cover a classified confidential report No. HW-36496 titled "Photographs of Purex - A Hanford Separations Plant," which is a counterpart of the above report. These documents are submitted for publication and should be incorporated as a single article.

Introduction: "A corrosion test program, to determine the suitability of LaBour B-55 and Worthite for use in the construction of circulating pumps for th UO3 process has been completed and the data are appended."

Large savings in waste storage space may be realized by lowering the pH at which TBP waste is stored. Additional savings in neutralizing chemicals and operating time would also increase the monetary gain from such a process change. However, before such a change could be made, the corrosive effect of TBP waste at a lower pH on the mild steel waste storage tanks had to be determined.

The build up of contaminated film on the internal surfaces of high temperature in-reactor recirculating water loops has created serious radiation exposure problems to operational and maintenance personnel. A considerable amount of work has been applied to develop an effective decontamination process for the decontamination of these loops and their components.

At the request of F. W. Albaugh of the Engineering Department, the corrosive effect of 1% uranium nitrate hexahydrate solution on aluminum at 100 C has been measured. The corrosion of aluminum in uranium nitrate solution has been shown in laboratory tests to be too severe to permit the use of aluminum for containing hot uranium nitrate solutions. A minimum corrosion penetration rate of 2 mils per day was observed with M-329 aluminum in 1% uranium nitrate hexahydrate in pH 2 aqueous solution at 100 C.

Introduction: "A laboratory investigation of the relative corrosion resistance of several austenitic stainless steels to the RAW stream of the Tributyl Phosphate Waste Metal Recovery Process was made during the first quarter of 1950. The results of this investigation are reported herein; all original data are recorded in laboratory notebook HW-3282-T."

The corrosion resistance of four types of austenitic stainless steels to Purex process first and second acid concentrator bottoms was determined. Although the compositions of the two solutions were very similar, tests in simulated solutions of both compositions were conducted to strengthen the basis for the conclusions which were to be made.

Introduction: Static, total immersion corrosion tests were carried out at room temperatures with Carboloy grades 44-A, 78, 907, X-3119-A and X-3119-B in Redox process solutions (ANL, June 1, 1949 Flowsheet) 1AX, 1AF, and 1AS.

Introduction: A limited test progress on Alloghany-Ludlum type 347 stainless steel plate which failed the Huey test (ASTN A-262-44T) has been completed.

Abstract: "The critical mass both of an untamped and water-tamped sphere with parabolic radial variation of the intrinsic buckling is calculated by a perturbation method. The result is applied to finding the minimum critical mass of plutonium in water suspension with infinite water temper; the calculations show that the minimum critical mass at constant concentration may be reduced by an amount of the order of 7.6% when the concentration of plutonium is permitted to vary throughout the suspension."

The following report examines methods to determine uranium nitrate hexahydrate on pretreated hexone in the range of 0 to 40 g./l. by infrared absorption measurements.

At the request of 234-5 Development, studies of a system for controlling plutonium powder transfer were undertaken by Process Equipment Development. This report presents details of equipment designed to fulfill requirements and proposes equipment for installation on additional Hot Button Line prototypes.

Pressurized water nuclear reactors may be designed based upon either of two concepts: (1) pressure vessel, wherein the entire core is placed in a large, high strength fuel channels within a low pressure container. The Plutonium Recycle Test Reactor is a pressure tube type reactor. Selection of this basic type of pressurized water reactor depended to an appreciable extent upon the availability of suitable pressure tubing.

Basic Studies. It has been reported previously that mixed crystals of PuO2 and UO2 have a higher sintering rate than UO2 alone. However, results to the contrary were obtained on addition to 1/4, 1/2, 1, 2, 5, and 10 w/o PuO2 to PWR grade UO2. Pellets of the above concentrations were heated for one hour in hydrogen at 100 C intervals from 1000 to 1600C.

The purpose of this work was to produce a reliable, inexpensive instrument for the detection of hard beta contamination on the clothing of personnel. Also, the monitoring was required to be accomplished without interrupting the normal activities of the employees.

Limitations on the maximum temperature of the pile moderator have been imposed to prevent or control the gasification reaction of the graphite stack with the pile gas atmosphere. An uncontrolled reaction would cause a loss of structural strength, density, and thermal conductivity and would thus result in an unnecessary shortening of the effective operating life of the HAPO piles. Numerous studies have been made to define the rates of reaction of the pile stack with various components of the pile gas and the influence on these rates of various pile operating conditions. Based on these studies, maximum graphite temperature has been so restricted that after 10 years of pile operation the graphic stack has sustained less than 1% oxidation (based on recent experimental data). As pile power levels increased, the maximum graphite temperature has also increased and will increase still more as present and future power level programs are completed. In order to evaluate the effect on the graphite stack of the present programs, and to some extent determine the feasibility of future programs, a more realistic approach to the question of structural integrity and oxidation versus pile life is necessary. It is the purpose of this report to summarize …

An electrical conductivity technique was developed to determine the dilution-displacement rate of an electrolyte in a well from which data the velocity of the water through the well can be calculated. The electrical current flow between two of the electrodes in a well drops proportionately with the dilution and the displacement of the electrolyte by fresh water entering the well. The drop of electrical current flow over a period of time was applied to a derived equation to obtain a value for ground water velocity. The technique gives results comparable to other methods and some problems of the standard methods of measuring ground water velocity are eliminated. However, a correction factor for porosity of the aquifier must be used in the derived equation. Porosity values are not adequately known in most cases, therefore the ground water velocity figures are generally relative rather than absolute.

The majority of two-phase flow problems involving equations of state are solved by use of point-wise utilization steam table values. In this manner, problems involving the use of the various flow equations of continuity, momentum and energy are generally forced into iterative solutions. Considerable effort towards the development of an analytical expression for the state equation seems indicated so as to simplify the analysis of two-phase problems, particularly the transient cases. The question of instability of state and mixture condition is particularly apparent in the analysis of systems undergoing phase transformation as demonstrated by the significant difference between simple theory and experimental critical flow determinations. The assumption of homogeneous, equilibrium mixtures is indicated as a first attack upon the problem.