The radiolysis of several polyaromatic compounds which might be used as coolant material in a reactor was investigated using both gamma and reactor radiation. The compounds selected were naphthalene, anthracene, naphthacene, pyrene, phenanthrene, 1, 2 benzanthracene, chrysene, triphenylene, 9, 10 dihydrophenanthrene, phenazine, 7, 8, benzoquinoline and m-phenanthroline, in addition to the uncondensed ring compounds, biphenyl, ortho, meta and para terphenyl and bibenzyl. Gas yields, percentage decomposition, percentage "high boiler" and number average molecular weights were determined. A correlation was found between radiation stability and electron affinity and singlet triplet excitation energies. The most stable compounds were the condensed ring compounds, naphthalene, pyrene, chrysene, phenanthrene and triphenylene.

A pool of material in steady-state turnover is a collection of identical molecules from which deletions are made at a constant rate, along with simultaneous addition of new identical molecules at the same rate, the total pool size remaining unchanged. It is of interest to consider what may be expected in the way of such pools among the various chemical species which can be isolated from biological systems. It is clear what the model requires, i.e. any molecule belonging to the pool must have as much chance as any other pool molecule to make its exit. This situation is approximated by molecules in solution in a well mixed volume of fluid, hence the choice of the word "pool." The mixing brings pool molecules into proximity with the exit mechanism in a random way.

The increasing complexity of the data of nuclear physics has led to widespread interest in the possibility of utilizing a digital computer for on-line data collection. Through the combined efforts of the Instrumentation Division and the Neutron Physics group at Brookhaven such a system has been placed into operation. Several features of this system are believed to be unique and of interest to research groups centered about a major facility like a reactor or an accelerator.

The descriptive parameters of a waveguide with smooth or periodic structure are most easily measured in a waveguide section of suitable length which is transformed into a resonant cavity by placing short circuits at both ends. Measurements of dispersion diagram, phase velocity, group velocity, voltage attenuation coefficient, shunt impedance, field configuration, etc. all involve some form of perturbation technique. The introduction of a perturbing object in a resonant cavity changes the stored electric energy We and magnetic energy Wm by Δwe and ΔWm' resulting in a frequency shift Δf of the resonant frequency f, which is given by the perturbation formula of J. Muller.

The Brookhaven Bubble Chamber Group is developing a Hough-Powell fast analysis system (HPD)1 for bubble chamber photographs. High precision measurements are made with a computer controlled flying spot digitizer. We are currently testing the track selection programs for the system. We have just completed a study of a method for automatic bubble density measurements.

We undertook the present diffraction study of the bifluoride ion in sodium acid fluoride and the present refinement of the earlier data on potassium acid fluoride with the hope of obtaining more accurate information not only on the position of the hydrogen atom, but also on the vibrations of the ion. We felt that it would be through the combination of information on the motions of the system from diffraction and spectroscopic studies that the question of the symmetry of the ion could be settled. In this paper we summarize briefly the results of our diffraction study and show that these data, in combination with the spectroscopic data, provide new, and we feel convincing, evidence that the F-H-F ion is linear and symmetric.

Early effects obtained with monoenergetic fast neutrons in mice have been described elsewhere. Emphasis in this report will be placed on the late effects of lens opacification (cataractogenesis), particularly during the period soon after irradiation with low or fractionated doses of neutrons at two energy levels, or X-rays. Considerations will also be given to the influence of age at time of irradiation upon the induction of lens opacities. Both studies are continuing, with periodic slit-lamp microscope examinations, but findings to date warrant this initial report at this conference.

Investigations on the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of densely ionizing radiations (with high LET, rate of linear energy transfer) are of importance in both fundamental and applied radiobiology. In the latter, they serve as a basis in setting permissible exposure levels for types of radiation about which little long range experience is available. Some of the best RBE studies have been done on chromosomal aberrations. The difficulty is determining RBE on the basis of chromosomal exchanges or 2-break aberrations is that the dose-response curves differ for radiations of different LET and dose rate. The dose-squared term tends to predominate with radiations of low LET (such as γ rays and most X rays) and high doses or dose rates; the linear term dominates with high LET tracks in general and at low doses or dose rates. The shape of the curves is thought to reflect the existence of two classes of mechanisms by which chromosome exchanges are produced; exchanges caused by the passage of a single ionizing particle account for the linear component of the dose-response curve, exchanges due to the interaction of effects of two independent ionizing particles are responsible for the dose-squared component. This model has been amply confirmed …

If one injects into an animal H3-thymidine, 50% of it is incorporated into deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), within approximately 30 to 45 minutes, while the rest is catabolized. A storage of H3-thymidine for later incorporation into DNA does not occur, on the basis of available evidence. Once incorporated, the label remains bound to DNA until cell death and no unequivocal evidence has as yet been presented to indicate metabolic renewal or intracellular turnover of the DNA molecule. The loss of labeled DNA from the bone marrow is therefore directly influenced by the rate of proliferation of the various cell types with release of mature cells into the peripheral blood.

In brief, these facilities consist of a 250 KvP X-ray generator; two areas of a research reactor, one a well thermalized unit of moderate capacity and a larger area with a mixed thermal and fast neutron distribution, all of which are used for brief, acute exposure. A 10 acre field, currently with almost 4000 curies of cobalt 60, serves to irradiate entire plants for either short or long periods of time. Recently, the flux density of the thermal column was increased by a factor of 5 over the original density. This was accomplished by lowering the thermal column 12 inches deeper into the reactor shield. Fast neutrons at this higher flux density are also available to the cooperator. An additional facility available to the program is the array of kilocurie gamma sources in the Nuclear Engineering Department of Brookhaven National Laboratory.

It has been previously reported that within twenty days following bombardment of mice 10 MeV protons (as well as with 20 MeV deuterons and 40 MeV alpha particles) that atypical epithelial hyperplasia developed without underlying recognizable vascular or collagen alterations as predisposing factors. The source of these monoenergetic accelerator-produced heavy ionizing particles was the 60-inch cyclotron of the Brookhaven National Laboratory. The technique employed utilized a variable-thickness filter in the beam in order to deliver multiple Bragg peaks in depth in the path of the charged particles in the tissue being irradiated. In this way a cylinder of skin was bombarded with essentially uniform ionization limited to a depth of 1-2 mm. In some instances the epidermal lesions resulting from an exposure of 2000 to 5000 rad resembled the type of lesion considered in the skin of man to be carcinoma in situ. The eventual fate of such lesions then constituted a question of importance in the possible relationship atypical hyperplasia in the pathogenesis of carcinoma in situ and of invasive carcinoma in skin. It is with this problem that the currently reported study is concerned.

It has been well established that even small doses of radiation will shorten life expectancy of animals, and that in general the causes of death are the same for the irradiated as for the normal animals. When x or γ rays are compared with neutrons in their ability to shorten the life span, some interesting differences appear. All available data from different laboratories on the shortening of the life span by x or γ on the one hand and neutrons on the other, have been compared. In spite of the obvious difficulties in comparing such data, if one expresses dose in terms of the LD 50/30 dose required for acute survival, one can pool the data from other laboratories and plot them on a single graph without excessive error. Results of such a compilation for single acute exposures are shown for x or γ rays in Figure 1 and for neutrons in Figure 2.

Many workers have recently attempted to evaluate the P-wave strength function from a measurement of average capture cross sections or average total cross sections in the kiloelectron volt region. The primary interest of these measurements has been to determine the strength of the spin-orbit potential in the optical model. In view of the interest in determining the size of the spin-orbit coupling and in view of the considerable disagreement group has undertaken to measure the average total neutron cross sections from 10 to 100 keV in the region of the P-wave giant resonance. The following elements were studied: Nb, Mo, Rh, Ag, Cd, and In. The wok was carried out at the BNL-AECL fast chopper facility at Chalk River, using an 88-meter flight path and a nominal resolution of 15 nsec/meter.

The Brookhaven proton synchrotron (Cosmotron) is capable of accelerating protons to energies as high as 3.0 BeV. The biologic effects of particle bombardment at these energies have not been investigated but are of considerable radiobiologic interest. In addition, particle beams have long been discussed with regard to their potential usefulness in medical therapy, and actual clinical applications have been made, although at lower particle energies. Recent rapid advances in space technology have raised serious questions regarding the dosimetry of cosmic and solar radiations, the spectra of which contain energies in excess of those which have been investigated experimentally. For all of these reasons, we have recently begun a study of the effects of protons at 2.0-2.2 BeV, using the external beam of the Cosmotron.

The recently developed "n" on "p" type silicon solar cell has been evaluated for application as a high-level gamma radiation dose rate meter. The solar cell ionization current was found to be a linear function of dose rate in a range 10 2 to 10 7 rads per hour. A degradation rate of approximately one per cent per megarad was measured after stabilization with twenty megarads of cobalt-60 gamma radiation. The system has proven to be stable over long periods of time. Temperature dependence corrections have been found to be .0 per cent per degree centigrade between 0 and 60 degree centigrade.

The transient aerothermodynamic processes in a gas-cooled reactor are described in a simplified manner to illustrate some of the fundamental physical phenomena involved, to provide some approximate but useful methods of analysis, and to aid in the understanding and use of more complex computer solutions. The transient heat balance equation for an element of a single reactor channel is derived in terms of aerothermodynamic time constants, and typical analytic solutions for transients are presented. This equation is used in generating the time-dependent equation for the channel exhaust gas temperature. The single-channel analysis is extended to multiple channels. A method for determining the approximate transient temperature envelopes for various reactor components is presented. The effects of aerodynamic and thermal coupling between different reactor channels are illustrated. Some of the simplifying assumptions are investigated with respect to the conditions under which they are valid.

The numerical solution of the double P/sub 3/ equations in slab geometry, by a forward-elimination back-substitution process, is described and is illustrated by application to a slab self shielding problem and by comparison with the results obtained by analytical solution of the equations.

The equation for the H.T.G.C. reactor fuel costs developed previously in AAEC/TM141 has been modified and applied to "heterogenous" fuel systems. Fuel costs are reduced by 20-25 per cent in these systems relative to the "homogeneous" systems; these advantages arise from the longer life which may ben assumed for the unfueled beryllia and cheaper fabrication costs. The effects of reduced beryllia costs on fuel cycle costs are also examined.

Fuel specimens having uranium—thorium beryllides as the fissile bearing phase were irradiated at 400 to 700 ºC to burn—ups between 7 and 11a/0 uranium in a predominantly thermal flux, two specimens of massive (U;Th)Be13 exhibited good dimensional stability and low fission gas release. Dispersion specimens containing 20, 35, and 50v/o (U,Th)Be13 swelled by 3 to 18 per cent, and released up to 33 per cent, of the gaseous fission products. The results indicate that the mixed beryllide is an inherently good fuel material and lead to the conclusion that the poor irradiation stability of hot—pressed specimens may not be typical of (U,Th)Be13— Be dispersions prepared by other techniques.

The potential of the thorium fuel cycle for achieving low nuclear fuel costs is complicated by the presence of 232U associated with 233U formed in the reactor. The decay of the 232U daughters produces penetrating radiation making the consideration of shielding and fast process times mandatory. The construction and operation of a lightly shielded, semi remote factify, known as the Kilorrod Facility, in which fuel rods containing (Th-3 wt % 233U)O2 are fabricated, is the first step in determining the technical feasibility and economy of the thorium fuel cycle. This facility, which is presently operating at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, was designed to fabricate fuel rods that will be user in zero-power, criticality experiments at the Brookhaven National Laboratory. The fuel rods are produced by vibratory compaction of sogel produced oxide in Zircaloy-2 tubes to near 90% of the theoretical density of the powder. The facility was designed to produce 10 rods/day; however, the attainment of the production rate was secondary to the collection of engineering data on the process itself.

To improve gamma discrimination and eliminate d-c cable leakage interference currents, mean square voltage fluctuation measurements have been made on neutron sensitive ion chambers.

Abstract: Progress is reported in several areas of development of fueled graphite containing coated particles for nonurged gas-cooled reactor systems. The sol-gel process has been modified for making spherical particles of both thorium-uranium carbide and thorium-uranium oxide suitable for coating. Equipment has been assembled and methods have been developed for deposition of pyrolytic-carbon coating under well-controlled conditions. Damage to coated particles during fabrication into a graphite matrix depends on the molding pressure and the volumetric content of coated particles. Vendor-supplied coated particles and fueled graphite spheres have been evaluated extensively in both in- and out-of-reactor tests. Duplex- and triplex-coasted particles have excellent fission-gas retention at 2050 degree F to burnups of 15 at. % burnup. Fueled graphite spheres containing coated particles have good irradiation performance, but the fission-gas release rates are somewhat higher than for unsupported coated particles. Fueled graphite spheres react with water vapor about as rapidly as do Speer Mod-2 and ATJ grades of graphite. The diffusion rates in pyrolytic carbon are the same for uranium, thorium, and protactinium. The diffusion rates in the direction parallel to the deposition plane are much higher than those in the perpendicular direction.

Technical report discussing a series a experiments on the reactivity worth of gaps has been performed in the KAPL Solid Homogeneous Assembly (SHA). One objective of the program is to provide data against which calculated models can be checked. An immediate goal is to develop a method by which large void regions can be adequately treated within the framework of diffusion theory. This would enable the nuclear engineer to perform standard design calculations on systems containing such voids. Another objective of the program is to provide data which will allow the shutdown margin of split bed assemblies to be more adequately estimated. for this latter purpose not only the reactivity work of gaps is required by also the rate of change of reactivity with distance as a function of gap size.

Abstract: New experimental data and literature data are utilized to determine the upper temperature of usefulness of zirconium alloys. Three basic engineering assumptions are used; (1) service life requirements are on the order of four years; (2) tubular fuel cladding for rod-type fuel is considered with a maximum wall thickness of 1.27 cm; and (3) heat fluxes are above 157 watts/cm. The inter-relation of three basic factors, corrosion rate, corrosion embrittlement by hydrogen and oxygen, and strength are considered. An upper limit for an acceptable corrosion rate for long-term service of 1 mg/dm/day is set primarily by the effect of heat-transfer on corrosion. For the best alloys anticipated, this requirement (even without considering transient conditions) limits cladding surface temperatures to less than 540 degree C. Oxygen embrittlement of the alloy substrate by oxide film dissolution is not expected to be a limiting factor. Corrosion hydrogen embrittlement was studied in detail and found to limit acceptable service to cladding surface temperatures of less than 525 degree C for established experimental alloys. Hydrogen embrittlement may not be a limiting factor if alloys corrosion resistant enough to be acceptable above 600 degree C could be developed. Zirconium alloys designed for high strength to …