The interim design and development status is reported. The scope of the work was limited to conceptual design studies supported by critical experiments plus heat transfer and hydraulic tests. Design criteria, facility and site, reactor, core geometry and composition, fuel elements, reflector, core and reflector support structure, reactor vessel, control and instruments, primary coolant systems, secondary coolant system, auxiliary systems, experimental facilities, building layout and construction, plant ventilation, heating and air conditioning, critical experiments, reactor physics, heat transfer studies, and shieldings are discussed. (M.C.G.)

Brazing alloys such as 48 Ti-48 Zr-4 Be (wt%) and 49 Ti-49 Cu-2 Be (wt%) have been found to readily flow on oxide and graphite ceramics. Two demonstrati on fuel element assemblies were fabricated to illustrate the usefulness of these procedures for nuclear applications. One of these assemblies contained graphite tubes and end caps which were brazed to a molybdenum hanger. The second demonstration fuel element was composed of a compartmented aluminum oxide plate to which aluminum oxide cover plates were brazed. (R.J.S.)

A function to evaluate the cost of electricity produced by a nuclear power reactor was developed. The basic equation, revenue = capital charges + profit + operating expenses, was expanded in terms of various cost parameters to enable analysis of multiregion nuclear reactors with uranium and/or plutonium for fuel. A corresponding IBM 704 computer program, which will compute either the price of electricity or the value of plutonium, is presented in detail. (auth)

Solutions of the Boltzmann equation for monoenergetic neutron transport in spherical geometry are derived which are respectively singular and regular at the center of the sphere. A few specific partial singular solutions are presented. The regular solutions in spherical geometry are constructed by superposition of solutions in plane geometry which belong to the same k. Finally, the solutions are compared with their representations by a series of spherical harmonics. (D. L.C.)

Over-all mass transfer coefficients were determined independently of the interfacial area by considering the operation of the pulse column to be a stage- wise process. The calculated coefficients describe only the operation of the pulse column for the free rise of organic droplets through a stage, since in the downstroke the aqueous phase passes through the organic phase in the form of rivulets preferentially wetting the plates. The driving force for transfer was based on the aqueous phase concentrations. The mass transfer coefficient was found to increase when the interfacial tension was reduced. Two factors appear to affect the mass transfer coefficient as the pulse frequency is changed and are: a) recycle or backmixing which tends to decrease the coefficient through a reduction of acetic acid in both phases and thereby increases the interfacial tension, and b) turbulence which enhances the coefficient by reducing the continuous film resistance. The first is important at or near the lower flooding limit, but the latter is the controlling factor at higher frequencies. (D.L.C.)

Laboratory-scale tests on methods for recovering uranium and thorium from graphite-base reactor fuel elements are reported. The 90% HNO/sub 3/ process, which involves simultaneous disintegration and leaching in 21 M HNO/sub 3/, is applicable to all fuel elenments which do not contain coated fuel particles. Leaching of irradiated (0.001% burnup) fuels containing 3 and 12% uranlum recovered approximates 99.3 and 99.9%, respectively, of the uranium in two 4-hr leaches with boiling acid. The graphite residue retained > 50% of the long-lived fission products. Three successive leaches of fuel containing uranium and thorium recovered approximates 99% of both elements. Uranium recoveries by combustion in oxygen followed by dissolution of the ash hn nitric acid or fluorlde-catalyzed nitric acid are quantitative only when the fuel is not coated, does not contain Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/-coated fuel particles, and is free from impurities such as iron. During combustion up to 95% of the Ru-106 was volatilized from irradiated specimens. Recoveries, by leaching with 70% HNO/sub 3/, from fuel specimens containing Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/-coated fuel particles were greater than 99% when the specimens were ground finer than 200 mesh to ensure crushing of the fuel particles. (auth)

Preliminary design concepts are presented for a wire scanner for experimentally evaluating spatial variations of neutron flux in the SM-l reactor core. Results of a literature search and determination of optimum criteria for flux mapping the core in minimum time dictated requirements for design concepts and specifications. The utility of both manually instrumented and automatically instrumented wire scanners was analyzed with respect to rapidity of measurement, selectivity of detector location, cost, value of data, plant downtime, and additional factors. (auth)

A conceptual design and economic evaluation of 300 and 40 MW/.sub e/ steam-cooled fast breeder reactor power plants were performed. A reactor core composed of U-Pu oxide rod-type fuel elements clad with Inconel-X and surrounded by a blanket of depleted UO/sub 2/ fuel was studied in some detail. Reactor breeding ratios of from 1.27 to 1.5 and overall system doubling times of from 20 to 30 years are achievable. For the near term (1967) 300 MW/sub e/ plant, an energy cost of 7.6 mills/kwh is estimated, based on AEC ground rules for privately financed plants and utilities. This cost may go down to 5.7 mills/kwh by 1975. For the 40 MW/sub e/ plant corresponding energy costs are 19.5 and 13.7 mills/kwh, r -spectively. The R&D program required for this reactor concept is estimated at million with an additional million for improvements leading to the 1975 reactor. Investigation of the operational and safety aspects of the reactor indicated that satisfactory procedures can be used for startup, shutdown, and emergency cooling of the reactor. An increase in reactivity upon flooding can be prevented by incorprating small amounts of high resonance absorption material in the core. Preliminary calculations indicate a substantial increase in …

The development of procedures for the vacuum induction casting of U--Mo alloys into both thin (0.010 to 0.100-in. thick) plates and long (36 in.) plates is described. Melting and casting cycles were developed, and casting techniques established, which resulted in sound, integral plates. These plates were evaluated by radiographic and metallographic examination, and by chemical analysis. The results indicated the feasibility of the process for the fabrication of fuel plates for nuclear reactors. The process promises a potential reduction in fabrication costs, by eliminating waste. (auth)

The scintillation response of CsI(Tl) crystals, having various thallium contents, was measured for excitation of the crystals by monoenergetic gamma rays, protons, and alpha particles. The investi gation was made to provide a test of some of the features of a theoretical model of the scintillation process in thallium-activated alkali iodides proposed by Murray and Meyer. In order to insure that the results obtained in this program would provide a critical test of the scintillation model, special attention was paid to technical effects which could influence the interpretation of the experimental data. For example, the effect of the pulseanalysis time on the relative scintillation response of CsI(Tl) to various charged parti cles was investigated. In addition, the emission spectra of the CsI(Tl) crystals were measured for excitation by x rays, protons, and alpha particles. The results of the investigation showed that the scintillation efficiency of CsI(Tl) is a continuous function of dE/dx, as assumed in the scintillation model, within the accuracy of the experiments when the effect of delta ravs are considered. This led to the conclusion that the light output of CsI(Tl) crystals is, in general, a nonlinear function of the energy of the particle. The shape of the …

The thermodynamic properties of the alkali halides are reviewed, presenting data supplementary to that of Brewer and Brackett, Chem. Rev. 61: 425-432(1961). (T.R.H.)

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The mutual inductance or apparent susceptibility due to the presence of the sample in a coaxial inductance coil was observed for Gd, Tb, and Sm in fields of a few gauss over the respective temperature ranges of 78 to 310 deg K, 78 to 235 deg K, and 4.2 to 150 deg K. A paramagnetic Curie point of 284.2 deg K was found for Gd. For Tb, a transition was found which occurred to within 1 deg of the predicted temperature of 220 deg K, and a second peak occurred at 229.4 deg K which is within 2 deg of the heat capacity peak. The 220 deg K peak exhibited hysteresis and time dependence. Extrapolation of Tb data to DELTA M = 0 yielded a Curie point of 235.6 deg K. No hysteresis was observed in the 14.8 deg K peak for Sm. (D.L.C.)

A detailed study of the fundamental relations in the zirconium -- hydrogen system was made in order to clarify the many points of dispute and to evolve a complete picture describing all phases of this system. An engineering evaluation was made of means for utillzing the various high cross-section metal hydrides in shielding or control applications. These materials would combine the processes of thermalization and absorption. Consequently, they are of considerable interest for use in shielding or controlling epithermal reactors. (auth)

Forty-nine hydrocarbon products were evaluated in the laboratory in a search for a highly stable diluent for the organic extractant used in a radiochemical separations plant. The formation of zirconium ligands during chemical and radiolytic degradation increased with boiling point for isoparaffinic producte but was approximately constant for n-parafiins. Of those materials that met the local flash point specification, the n-parafiins were superior. (auth)

The percentage of helium which will bypass the core if the reflector system shown is used is predicted. It is estimated that nominally about 0.1 to 0.2% of the total flow will bypass the core, which is not considered excessive. The most difficult parameter to determine was Z, the gap between the sealing surfaces. The method used to predict Z is presented. The effect of bowing due to a temperature gradient across the seals is discussed. (auth)

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The present knowledge of the shielding constants of concrete is summarized. The densities, elemental compositions, and mixes, where available, are given for a wide range of concretes. From these data, various constants useful for shielding calculations were computed. These constants include the removal cross sections, total cross sections, average thermal neutron absorption cross sections, thermal neutron diffusion coefficients, reciprocal thermal neutron diffusion lengths, total gamma-ray linear attenuation coefficients, gamma-ray energy absorption linear attenuation coefficients, the effective atomic numbers for the determination of buildup factors, and the capture gamma-ray spectra. Experimental results are included where available. (auth)

A study of the extraction characteristics of the three systems lanthanum nitrate--nitric acid--water--tributyl phosphate, praseodymium nitrate--nitric acid--water--tributyl phosphate, and lanthanum nitrate--praseodymium nitrate nitric acid -water--tributyl phosphate was conducted. The separation factors between praseodymium and lanthanum for the system lanthanum nitrate--praseodymium nitrate-nitric acid--water--tributyl phosphate were shown to be a function of the total nitrate concentration of an equilibrium phase and practically independent of solute composition. A method of predicting the concentrations of lanthanum nitrate, praseodymium nitrate, and nitric acid in an equilibrium phase of the system lanthanum nitrate--praseodymium nitrate--nitric acid--water--tributyl phosphate was presented. A comparison of the extraction characteristics of the system rare-earth nitrate--nitric acid--water--tributyl phosphate for the nitrates of lanthanum, praseodymium, neodymium, and samarium was made. (auth)

A process scheme for the recovery of uranium from fuel elements has been developed. The scheme combines continuous fluid-bed drying and fluoride volatility techniques after initial dissolution of the fuel element in the appropriate aqueous system, hence the designation ADF, Aqueous Dry Fluorination Process. The application of this process to the recovery of uranium from highly enriched, low uranium-zirconium alloy plate-type fuels is described. ln the process, the feed solution is sprayed horizontally through a two-fluid nozzle and is atomized directly in the heated fluidized bed. The spray droplets are dried on the fluidized particles and form a dense coating. Excessive particle growth was limited by the use of air attrition-jets inserted directly in the bed. Aqueous hydrofluoric acid solutions containing l.2 to 3.6 M zirconiuni, 0.007 to 0.03 M uranium, and free acid concentrations from 1 to about l0 M were successfully processed in a 6-in.-diameter Inconel fluid-bed spray dryer. Rates equivalent to about 3.l kg/hr of zirconium were achieved, 160 ml/min with the most concentrated feed solution. Experiments were successfully carried out from 240 to 450 deg C. A new design for a two-fluid nozzle was developed. Extensive work was done to identify the various zirconium fluoride compounds …

An arc furnace is described which employs a nonconsumable tungsten electrode and a water-cooled copper hearth. It is used successfully for melting refractory metals and alloys. The furnace is equipped with a vacuum system, an inert gas supply, and an 800-ampere directcurrent power supply. (auth)

Changes in neutron multiplication caused by voids in the island of the HFlR were calculated and measured experimentally. The results indicated that with only water initially in the island the maximum change in neutron multiplication ( DELTA k/sub max) associated with island voids is 0.032 with a corresponding void fraction of 70%. With a simulated 300 g Pu target in the island DELTA k/sub max/ was 0.0l6, and the corresponding void fraction was 42%. In view of these large changes in neutron multiplication, calculations were made to determine what additional materials could be used in the island to reduce DELTA k/sub max/ and what the associated decrease in peak thermal flux wouId be. The results indicated that of the materials considered the use of beryllium in the water island resulted in the smallest decrease in flux for a specified DELTA k/sub max/. To reduce DELTA k/sub max/ to 0.01 required 26% by volume of beryllium in the island; the corresponding reduction in thermal flux, as compared to an all-water island, was about 10%. In order to reduce DELTA k/sub max/ to 0.0l with a 300 g Pu target in the island, the aIuminum-to-water ratio of the target had to be …

The 15,000 MW nuclear economy assumed for the long range study of pot calcination costs reported earlier was used as a basis for calculating optimum fill volumes. An algebraic expression was developed for cost as a functmon of the normalized radius of the central void space in a partially filled vessel. Minima of this expression were found for acmdmc and neutralized wastes in 6, 12, and 24in.-diameter vessels. Optimum fill volumes decreased as vessel diameter increased, varying for acidic wastes from 99.8% for 6-in.-diameter vessels to 92.5% for 24-in.diameter vessels. Decreases in costs by using optimum fill volumes instead of the 90% fill volume assumed for all cases in the long range study were small, the largest being an 8% decrease for neutralized wastes in 6- in.-diameter vessels. (auth)

Channel-to-channel flow distribution within Type 3 (SM-2, stationary and control rod fuel elements modified for use in the SM-1, SM1-1A, and PM-2A core support structures and control rod tubes was measured in single element flow testing. Plots of channel-to-channel flow distribution and element pressure drop at various element flow rates are given. Flow distribution for the top-orificed SM-1A and PM-2A stationary elements was within the plus or minus 12% deviation from element average utilized in previous thermal analyses of these cores. Testing of the bottom-orificed SM-1 stationary element and the SM-1, SM-1A, and PM-2A control rod assemblies showed flow distribution exceeded plus or minus 12% devation from average. Simple modifications to the SM-1 stationary element indicated the possibility of improvng fiow distribution in that element. (auth)