The following report analyzes interactions of K+ and K- mesons and measures their lifetimes using a nuclear emulsion technique.

The following document analyzes one hundred and seventy-seven bevatron tau mesons for Q value of the tau decay, tau spin and parity, and possible polarization effects.

Thesis describing the the computation of eigenstates for a particle moving in a spheroidal potential well under the influence of a strong spin-orbit interaction.

Report discussing a study that investigates the use of small amounts of tracer elements placed in the fuel alloy of subassemblies in order to locate fuel-element failure. Details of experimental methods and materials are included as well as data that leads to the suggestion of further investigation.

From objectives: "The objectives of this investigation were to evaluate the hydraulic forces in the pulse column, and determine their effects on pulse column design."

The following remarks are intended primarily to assist in the orientation of the PRP reactor control development program in a direction consistent with the basic objectives of the program as a whole, and to discuss certain aspects of particular control systems which have a bearing on the capabilities of the reactor with respect to these objectives.

Several studies of power recovery from Hanford pile effluents have been made, from which the conclusion can be drawn that, while recovery of power is feasible, it is costly because of the large volume of vapor which must be handled per kilowatt-hour of energy provided. This note is to call attention to the possibility of developing cheaper machinery than the conventional low-pressure turbine stages considered in previous studies through use of a water expansion cycle.

The desirability of employing leakproof process pumps for handling the corrosive and radioactive process solutions in the H.A.P.O. separations plants has led to the establishment of a program for the development and testing of packless pumps with particular emphasis on evaluation of commercially available units. One such pump, its operating characteristics and behavior, are described in this report.

The letter E. R. Irish/W. H. Swift to R.E. Burns and H. H. Hopkins, dated August 15, 1956, subject Plutonium Concentration Problems, requested information on corrosion of stainless steel, titanium, and tantalum in plutonium nitrate-nitric acid solution, with and without sulfate ion. Experimental conditions and results of tests designed to yield the requested information are given below.

The objective of this investigation was to determine the feasibility of centrifugal casting to produce fuel element plates suitable for use in a power reactor. Preliminary investigations involving the centrifugal casting of metal plates suitable for use in a power reactor proved to be successful. Lead plates cast at medium speeds contained very few voids and exhibited a surface which conformed very closely to that of the mold.

By use of small magnetic probes inserted into the discharge, the magnetic field distributions in the interior of a high-power pinched discharge have been measured as a function of time. From these data the current distributions can be deduced. By applying a static pressure calculation, in the cases when the radical pinch accelerations are small, the plasma pressure nkT in the pinch has been determined, with superimposed axial magnetic fields, and for stable and unstable configurations.

A report about the use of clad specimens to successfully measure the thermal conductivity of irradiated uranium.

From abstract: "Natural uranium plates that were irradiated to 600 and 1500 MWD/T were cut under water by a guillotine-type shear. Irradiation reduced the force required for shearing to 50 per cent of that required for unirradiated uranium. Measurements were made of radioactivity released to treated and untreated water in which the cut sections were stored."

Radiobiological studies were made to determine effects of radioactive effluents from the Hanford reactors upon the aquatic biota of the Columbia River and to evaluate related hazards. Data from studies completed between September, 1945, and December, 1955 are presented and interpreted. All forms of life were many times more radioactive than the water they inhabited. Some radioisotopes were much more readily accumulated than others in living organisms. Differences in the concentration of certain radioisotopes by various species of organisms and kinds of body tissue are described; and geographical, seasonal and annual fluctuations in the concentration of radioisotopes in organisms are discussed.

Progress report of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Metallurgy Division providing updates on various projects, experiments, and other work. This report includes a summary of scholarly output and summaries of general corrosion, dynamic corrosion, mechanical properties, nondestructive testing, welding and brazing, fabrication, physical chemistry of corrosion, HRP metallurgy, the package power reactor program, APPR absorber, metallurgical materials and processing, metallography, ceramics, fundamental physico-metallurgical research.

The Thorex Pilot Plant at Oak Ridge National Laboratory was operated during 1955, processing reactor-irradiated thorium slugs to recover U233 and thorium and 12 MTR fuel elements to recover U235 and Np237. The radiation exposure received by operating personnel during this period averaged 60 mrcp/man-week. Most radiation exposure was received in areas that were intended to be only slightly or nonradioactive. However, because insufficient decontamination of process solutions was achieved and equipment surfaces became contaminated from equipment failures, these areas became primary sources of personnel exposure. The installation of additional shielding where needed and the prompt removal of surface contamination successfully reduced the radiation levels and exposures in these areas. Remote control of processing equipment and sampling of very radioactive solutions from process equipment was successfully accomplished, and assisted in the reduction of exposure to operating personnel.

The fabrication of heat exchangers and radiators to be used in conjunction with high-temperature nuclear reactors may present exceedingly complex problems. Rigid heat transfer requirements may necessitate the use of compact assemblies of thin-walled small-diameter tubes as integral parts of the heat transfer units. Intricate designs may also be required in which cooling fins must be securely joined to the tubes at closely spaced intervals. In addition to the difficulties in fabrication imposed by the designs themselves, the high operating temperatures involved require the careful selection of materials and joining techniques. The choice of fabrication procedure for a given component must not only be based upon the stresses and temperatures to be encountered, but also upon special factors peculiar to nuclear service. Since many reactor applications employ highly corrosive environments, compatibility of the structural ma terials with the corrosive media is of paramount importance. The low nuclear cross-section require ment for brazing alloys to be used inside the re actor also places stringent limitations on the possible choices of in-pile applications. The use of boron in alloys for certain service may not be considered feasible, for example, because of its high nuclear absorption cross section. Although welding is used extensively …

Ultrasonic testing has been investigated as a possible non-destructive method for checking the bond integrity of certain type fuel elements. Equipment has been developed to inspect experimental fuel elements for various research programs. Circuits have been devised to discriminate the size of defects and to map the areas which are unbonded.

There is a continuing high interest in the development of organic coolant technology for application to future Hanford reactors. In addition to the HAPO organic program, two other programs are being sponsored by the Atomic Energy Commission. These include the Naval Reactor program, aimed at a reactor for ship propulsion, and the Civilian Power Reactor program. Because of the similarity of the technical efforts in the three programs, an attempt is being made to establish effective liaison among the programs. To this end, a visit was made to several sites actively engaged in organic development work. These sites and their primary functions are detailed in this report.

Cluster fuel elements meet many of the requirements of high temperature recirculating water reactors and have several advantages over solid fuel elements. Operation at higher specific power levels for a given temperature limit are attainable because of the larger heat transfer surface. Failure of a single rod in cluster does not restrict coolant flow as severely as failure of a solid fuel element, hence the number and severity of stuck charges can be reduced.