Report that generally describes sodium cooled fast reactors, the features and facilities of such a reactor proposed by Atomic Power Development Associates, and then its safety and siting considerations.

APPR-1 is described and the various hazards are reviewed.

Abstract: "Refinement of grain size of the base uranium-chromium eutectic alloy (uranium-5 w/o chromium) by ternary additions is discussed. Thirteen additions to the base alloy were investigated, and three additions were found to exhibit worthwhile grain-refinement tendencies. The three alloys, uranium-5 w/o chromium-0.2 w.o molybdenum, uranium-5 w/o chromium-0.2 w/o germanium, and uranium-5 w/o chromium-0.2 w/o niobium, were heat treated to produce final grain-size structures of between 0.015 and 0.033 mm."

The following report focuses on an investigation made to determine if vacuum melting was an absolutely necessary step in the metallurgical process of melting and casting uranium.

This report follows experiments on K[infinity], measuring the element for several red sizes, enrichments, and water-to-uranium volume ratios-(1, 2), by making use of the relation k[infinity] = 0M-[2]B-[2] (M-2 = migration area, B = buckling). The purpose of this report is to compare the experimental data for k[infinity] with values calculated from the four-factor formula k[infinity] = [eta][epsilon]pf.

A report regarding studies on the chemical behavior of uranium minerals and compounds.

Three groups of balloon flights carrying unshielded boron trifluoride counters were made from geomagnetic latitudes 10.1°N, 55.1°N, and 88.6°N. From the data obtained, curves of slow-neutron intensity versus atmospheric depth for depths less than 700 millibars are plotted. The mean absorption lengths for neutrons in the equilibrium portion of the atmosphere were found to be [formula]. The depths of the neutron intensity maxima were found to be [formula]. From these results and those of other investigators, the variation of the mean absorption coefficient and the depth of the neutron intensity maximum are plotted as functions of the geomagnetic latitude. A family of curves of neutron intensity versus atmospheric depth is drawn for geomagnetic latitudes at 10-degree intervals between 0° and 90°N, and from this the low-energy neutron capture per square centimeter per second by the N14(n,p) reaction in the atmosphere is calculated and plotted as a function of geomagnetic latitude. It is found that the observed neutron intensity varies by about 420% from 0° to 90°N. A value of 5.8×10(18) sec-1 is obtained for the total number of low-energy neutrons captured in the atmosphere.

A MO calculation of the electronic states of CH4, CH3, CH2, CH, and their respective ions provided the basis for the application of correlation rules to an analysis of the existing appearance potential data for methane. An interpretation of the methane mass spectrum has been proposed which is based on the high value of the heat of sublimation of carbon. It is shown that the excited electronic states of the molecule- and radical-ions are prominent in the decomposition reactions.

A digital computer program for calculating least-squares solutions and making analyses of variance of sets of overdetermined linear equations is described. The entire code is reproduced with sufficient description of the program to enable anyone familiar with the Electrodata Datatron Computer to use it for similar problems.

The definition of the Lebesgue integral is used to develop a numerical integration method in which the integral is evaluated directly from a contour plot of the function. It is useful in working from weather maps, potential surfaces, etc., but was particularly designed to assist in reducing blast diffraction space-time diagrams to simple, meaningful quantities.

A theoretical analysis of the thickness vibrations in long thin rods of barium titanate is presented. The theoretical results are checked experimentally and their meaning discussed.