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: Interpretation of Article 6711, Vernon's Civil Statutes.

An investigation was made to determine the stress field in the salt dome and the stress concentrations on the surface of the small (12-ft diameter) sphere. For the most part, the apparatus and techniques used in the investigation are new and have not been described in other reports. Therefore the theory, concepts, apparatus, and some of the lists made to determine the reproducibility of the apparatus are described briefly. (W.L.H.)

The work carried out over a 2 1/2-yr period on the scavenging of radioactive particles which might be released by the reactor system of a nuclear- powered ship is summarized. Two types of dispersions were considered: aerosols and hydrosols. Radioactive aerosols were scavenged by heterogeneous coagulation with solid and liquid aerosols produced within the radioactive aerosol cloud. Liquid or highly hygroscopic particles, which can be classified as solid particles with liquld films on their surfaces, were found to be the most effective scavengers. A system of fine water spray and hydrolysis products of silicon tetrafluoride was found to be suitable for field application. Scavenging of radioactive cations, anions, and colloids of corrosion and fission products was studied in substitute ocean water, natural ocean water, and natural harbor water. A scavenging system composed of KMnO/sub 4/ and ferrous salts successfully removed most of the radioisotopes. Fe(OH)/sub 3/--MnO/sub 2/ hydrate adsorbed and absorbed radioactive species, thus transferring them from a liquid to a solid phase. Addition of Floc 111 to the system improved sedimentation. The KMnO/sub 4/-FeSO/sub 4/-Floc 111 system was found to bs suitable for field application. (auth)

Test quantities of thoria (aporoximately 3800 lb of thorium oxide and 3200 lb of mixed thorium-uranium oxide) were prepared during FY-1960 for members of the Reactor Experimental Engineering Division (REED). For preparation of thorium oxide, the calcination temperature was varied from 650 to 1800 deg C. The surface area of the fired oxide ranged from 0.5 to 25 m/sup 2//g and the mean particle size ranged from 1 to 8 microns. For preparation of mixed thorium-- uranium oxide, the calcination temperature was varied from 1050 to 1225 deg C. The mixed oxide contained either 0.5, 3.0, or 8.0 wt.% of uranium as requested with a mean particle size of 1.5 microns. The over-all losses of thorium and uranium were 19.4 and 18.3%, re spectively. Four 1400 lb batches of thorium nitrate were dissolved to prepare solutions containing 300 to 350 g/liter of thorium for solvent extraction studies in the Chemical Technolcgy Division and 2100 lb of dry, recovered waste thorium oxide was supplied to the ORNL Fuel Cycle Program. (auth)

The effects of ternary additions of up to 3 wt.% Sn or Zr to an Al-35 wt.% U extrusion alloy were evaluated on the basis of casting characteristics, UAl/sub 3/ retention, extrusion behavior, mechanical properties, and corrosion resistance. Both additions increased the fluidity of the alloy, and both promoted retention of UAl/sub 3/. The best fluidity was obtained by a 2 wt.% Sn addition, while Zr was the more effective stabilizer of UAl/sub 3/. The retention of UAl/sub 3/ decreased the extrusion pressure needed for fabrication and caused a corresponding decrease in tensile and creep-rupture properties. Reductions in strength were most noticeable at elevated temperatures. The 1000- hr stress-rupture strength of the binary alloy at 200 deg C (8300 psi) was approximately 25 and 11% higher, respectively, than the alloys containing 3 wt.% tin (6200 psi and 3 wt.% zirconium (7400 psi). The additions either slightly improved or had no effect upon the resistance of the Al-35 wt.% alloy in 150 deg C demineralized water. (auth)

This document details activities of the Fuels Preparation Department during the month of June 1960. (FI)

The thermocouple train is modified by the substitution of one eighteen-inch enriched and four twenty-four inch natural uranium tubular elements for the two thirty-six inch enriched tubular elements used on the original thermocouple train. The operating limits for the loading have been changed because of the change in charge power. This supplement also authorizes the addition of fuel elements upstream of the thermocouple train if the thermocouple element and heater elements do not provide enough heat to operate the loop at the desired temperature.

Facilities are to be designed for installation at Hanford for the reprocessing of irradiated, low enrichment fuels from non-production reactors, see Reference 1 and 2. The initial design of the processing facilities is to be based on processing the fuels discharged from the Dresden, Yankee, Piqua, Pathfinder and Shippingport (blanket elements only) reactors. Properties of the fuels and cladding make it impossible to completely process them in existing equipment, although the separation and decontamination can be performed in existing facilities once the fueks have been placed in solution form.