Document issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Will Wilson, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Constitutionality of certain provisions of House Bill 31.

On the basis of screening tests and favorable mechanical propenties, AISI Type 318 stainless steel was selected as a fuel-element cladding material to operate in c coolant comprised essentially of gaseous nitrogen modified by the addition of oxygen and water vapor. Tests at atmospheric pressure confirmed calculations which indicated that small additions of oxygen to nitrogen would inhibit nitriding by the process of preferential oxidation. The tests at atmospheric pressure determined that the rate of oxidation of Type 318 stainless was generally at a minimum when 0.5 volume per cent oxygen was added to the nitrogen gas. Oxidation of this steel was more severe when additions of 0.1 and 5.0 volume per cent oxygen were made to the nitrogen The rate of oxidation was primarily temperature dependent, but was also influenced by time. Oxidation during exposure periods of less than 1000 hr appeared to proceed at a parabolic rate. On longer exposures, however, there wcre indications of more rapid attack. A maximum depth of attack of 2.9 mils was observed on Type 318 stainless which had been exposed at 1650 F for 3658 hr. Stress-corrosion studies indicated that unstressed and stressed specimens were attacked at about the same rate. Stresses …

Comments made hy FMPC personnel on Eurochemic technical documents are given, (T.R.H.)

The nuclear safety portion of this report is inclined to ignore the factors by which safety limits can be increased. It makes no mention of the control that can be exercised by limiting the assay of the U-235 being processed in the plant. From some of the previous reports, it is apparent that this plant is not anticipating processing U-235 of assay greater than approximately 20%. At this value, many of the numbers that are presented in the tables could be increased markedly. Rough examination indicates that these values all refer to top product U-235. The general discussion is, however, excellent. The references apparently used are those unclassified references with which we are all familiar and think highly of. We would recommend the inclusion of TID-7016.