Experiments wee performed to evaluate the feasibility of detecting swelled slug elements in Hanford reactors by measuring the force necessary to push the slug column in its tube. These experiments are described. The results indicate the method presents no unsolvable problems.

Prior to operating a chain reacting, graphite moderated, water cooled uranium pile at Hanford, the corrosive action of water on uranium was studied. It was necessary to enclose the uranium cylinders in Al jackets. Preliminary data were available which indicated Al jacket corrosion might be influenced by the water temperature. Therefore, in order to specify safe operating conditions, it was desirable to know the temperature at any position on the Al jacket of a slug in the tube. Because of the experimental difficulties encountered in the measurement of the correct surface temperature, the problem has been attacked primarily from a mathematical standpoint. Mathematical formulae have been developed for most of the proposed Hanford designs. The purpose of this report was to evaluate and summarize the theoretical and experimental information for calculation of Al jackets surface temperatures for the design now installed at Hanford. Also, the summarized results were to be put into a form suitable for use in routine calculations. As a result of this survey, the Al surface temperature for the Hanford tube and slug design may be calculated with 15 degrees C by employing routine methods and certain simple factors and equations contained in this report. The factors …

Abstract. A method for calculating jacket temperatures in a region of varying heat transfer coefficients is given Some applications are made for temperatures above a supporting rib.

Abstract. Steady-state temperatures were measured in an electrically heated brass cylinder which was water cooled in a four-ribbed Al tube. Thermal transfer coefficients h were calculated from the measured temperatures. Curves of h values are presented for the regions of high and low ribs. the h curve is found to show a much sharper break in the region of high rib than in a low rib region. There is some evidence that h decreases linearly with annular thickness in the range considered. The low rib is found to exert a much greater effect than the high rib in decreasing the h value at points distant from the rib.

Abstract. A particle ionization chamber of sensitivity sufficient to detect a source of one neutron per second has been used to measure the neutron yield from a thick target of sulfur upon bombardment with polonium alpha particles. The high-geometry boron trifluoride chamber used had an efficiency of 1.9 percent for fission neutrons. The neutron yield from a thick target of sulfur was measured by this instrument and found to be .0035 +- .0013 neutrons per million incident polonium alpha particles.

ABSTRACT. When solutions of high specific alpha activity are to be assayed for product, it is often difficult to obtain reproducible results by diluting the solution sufficiently to remove a small volume from which a sample can be prepared and counted at 52% geometry. In order to assay such a solution, most reproducible results have been obtained with minimum effort in sample preparation by making use of low geometry chambers. Two types of low geometry chambers are described: 1) The air-screen type which reduces the geometry simply by placing screens of various transparencies above the sample; and 2) The vacuum low geometry chamber which accomplishes geometry reduction by increasing the distance between sample and collecting electrode thus decreasing the solid angle subtended by the sample and aperture through which the particles pass into the ionization chamber. This type chamber was developed concurrently by this group and the instrument group of Chemistry Section C-I at the Metallurgical Laboratory. Because the geometry of the air-screen type chamber is quite critical to sample spreading and be- cause 12 mm sample plates are required, it has found very little use. On the other hand, the vacuum chamber, because it is noncritical to sample spreading …

A model for the capture spectrum of uranium is introduced in which levels occur at 7, 30, 30+D, 30+2D, ..., ev. Gamma ray and neutron widths are derived from the experimental data for values of D between 10 and 25 ev. The constants of the 7 volt level prove to be independent of D. Extrapolation, using the one level formula, gives a capture cross section at (1/40) ev of 4.9 x 10(24) cm2; this number is, however, quite sensitive to the value taken for the resonance activation. Both neutron and gamma ray widths for the higher levels are approximately proportional to D.

Technical report describing that the use of controlled amounts of carbonate, acting both as complexing agent buffer led to a fairly satisfactory procedure for the determination of Th in Th-U alloys, using cupferron. The alloy, dissolved in NHO2, in the presence of HF, is treated with H2SO4 and the mixture is evaporated in SO2 fumes. The solution is diluted and (NH4)2CO2 is added. Th is precipitated from this solution with cupferron. The precipitate is weighed as ThO2 after ignition. An accuracy of 6% was obtained. A method was developed specifically for the determination of Th in U-Th alloys containing 1 to 10% Th. An ion exchange resin in column is used to separate Th from U, with NH2OH-HCl as complexing agent. The Th is then precipitated, ignited, and weighed in the conventional manner.

Abstract. The physico-chemical methods of determining nitric acid and thorium nitrate in solutions containing these two materials were investigated. Conductimetric titration with sodium hydroxide can be used to determine nitric acid accurately. the titration of thorium nitrate requires a separate standardization of the base however, since a basic salt is precipitated rather the normal hydroxide. The titration of thorium is reproductible however, so and empirical standardization can be used. The measurement of the specific gravity and refractivity of the solutions provides a method of determining the concentrations in terms of these two variable. Equations for the concentrations in terms of specific gravity and refractively are given, both in pure solutions and in those saturated with methyl isobutyl ketone.

Abstract. The separation of uranyl nitrate from aqueous solutions of 0.635 M thorium nitrate, 3 M nitric acid and 3 M calcium nitrate by extraction with organic solvents has been investigated. Solvents which gave good separations were 2-tthyl hexyl acetate, ethyl benzoate, n-butyl either and beta-beta- dichloroethyl ether. In general, higher esters, ethers and alcohols are better for separating uranium from thorium that the lower homologues. Several solvents were tested at lower nitric acid concentrations. Dibutyl cellosolve gave a very good separation when the solution was 0.1 M nitric acid. Of the solvent mixtures studied that of equal parts of n-butyl ether and dibutyl cellosolve gave a good separation.

Abstract. Wigner effects on aluminum, beryllium, and tuballoy have been studied by the electrical resistance method. Samples were exposed during an interval which would have produced an increase of approximately 22% in resistance of AGOT-K graphite. The resistance of tuballoy increased approximately 1%. It is shown that the increase can be accounted for by the amount of fission product impurity formed during the exposure. Neither aluminum nor beryllium showed any change. In the case of Be, the Wigner effect may be obscured, to some extent, by the approximately .2 - .3 atom % of impurity present in the samples. Based on the increase occurring in ADOT-K graphite, a change of approximately .2 - .5 x10-6 ohm-om might be expected in the case of Be. The accuracy of the method was sufficiently great to detect a change of this magnitude. Other experiments with Be will be undertaken when purer samples are available. Meanwhile, some samples of the present type ae being subjected to further irradiation.

Technical report with short reports on (1) Effect of radiation on organic compounds; (2) Effect of radiation on separation processes; (3) Effect of radiation on water and aqueous systems; and (4) Effect of neutrons on graphite.

Abstract. The effect of various inhibitors on the production of CrIII in W waters containing chromatic has been studies at a variety of pH's in the CP-3 pile. The addition of 2 ppm NaClO3 appears to have little effect a a pH of 5.3, but 2 ppm NaClO3 cr 0.15 ppm of Cl2 (in the form of NaOCl) somewhat decreases the amount of chromatic reduced at a pH of 7.1. The inhibition is not great enough, however, to reduce the amount of CrIII formed to the maximum concentration permissible at W (0.02 ppm). The addition of 3 ppm (NH4)2S2O3 as an inhibiter will permit W water to be used a a Ph of 7.0, but not at a pH of 6.5 as far as chromate reduction is concerned. The concentration of CrIII would be 0.01 ppm and 0.05 ppm, respectively, after one passage through the pile. Previous conclusion as to the effects of temperature, pH, intensity and the addition of ammonium persulfate, which had been reached from experiments with simulation W water, have been checked by studies with solutions made from water chipped directly from Hanford. All of the effects noted were found to be similar to those already reported, …

Technical report with short articles on (1) Uranium-oxygen system compositions UO2 to U3O3; (2) Thorium hydride; (3) Production of cerium; and (4) Production of thorium.

Abstract: Magnetic susceptibilities per gram atomic weight of elements 92 to 95 in most of their oxidation states were measured at 20°C on 0.1 ml of solution which was 0.005 to 0.09M in heavy element. The values obtained (all paramagnetic) in units × 106 were: U(IV), 3690; Np(VI), 2060; Np(V), 4120; Np(IV), 4000; Pu(IV), 1610; Pu(III), 370; Am(III), 720. The results could be interpreted only on the basis of electronic configurations 5fn, even though susceptibilities were generally lower than the theoretical values and lower than experimental values for corresponding lanthanide 4fn cations. The lower values should be expected as a result of the Stark effect produced by electric fields of anions and of water dipoles. Failure of the Russell‐Saunders approximation to the coupling between electrons may account for some of the error in the theoretical calculations. That the susceptibilities of Pu(III) and Am(III) are manyfold lower than those of Sm(III) and Eu(III), respectively, is attributed to wider multiplet splitting in the actinide atoms.

Summary: The activity coefficient of Pu(Cl04)4 was measured in perchloric acid solutions. The procedure used was to measure the extraction of the neutral plutonium(IV)-TTA chelate into benzene-TTA solutions at different perchloric acid concentrations. Equations are presented which show the relation of the extraction coefficients, obtained in the above manner, to the activity coefficient of plutonium(IV) per-chlorate. The activity coefficient of Pu(Cl0~)4 is similar to that of a strong acid, e.g., perchloric acid, in that its value increases rapidly when the perchloric acid concentration becomes greater than 2M. The distribution coefficient of TTA between benzene and aqueous perchloric acid solutions was found first to decrease slightly and then to increase two fold as the perchloric acid was varied from 0.01 to 6M. The activity coefficient of the uranous-TTA chelate in benzene was calculated from the results of solubility measurements. The values of the activity coefficient of UK4 are,within experimental error, identical with the values of the activity coefficient of TTA itself.

This technical report consists of day by day experimental data reported in Engineer's Log book, Electro-Chemistry Department, supporting Report No. EC-11 dated November 15, 1944, by W. L. Grube, Research Laboratories Division, General Motors Corporation.

Technical report regarding he purpose of the investigation was to evaluate the Chicago mass spectrograph as an analytical instrument for solids.

From abstract: "Using the method of induced radioactivity, the capture cross section of Pb[^]208 for C neutrons is found to be .00045 ± .00015 x 10[^]-24 cm[^]2. This is definitely lower than the value of .001 x 10[^]-24 reported by Maurer and Ramm."

From abstract: "Frequently it has been desirable to prepare pure anhydrous metal fluorides. Several general methods have proved satisfactory depending on the type of fluoride to be prepared."

From introductory paragraph: "This is the first quarterly report of the Biology Division of the Argonne National Laboratory. During the three-month period covered by this report, a large share of the time of many investigators has been spent in collating work done under the Biology Section of the Metallurgical laboratory for publication in the Plutonium Project Record. The large amount of work done under wartime pressure has made this, as in other divisions and projects, an important part of the transition to the post-war period."

Technical report which includes a description of scaling action in a Higinbotham circuit, of operation of the output circuit, of operation of the regulated high voltage supply. Acceptance and performance specifications are given. also included are cuts showing the bottom and top view of a scaler of this type. The scaling circuit diagram and major parts list is attached. To facilitate testing, the circuit of a satisfactory pulse generator is included together with a cathode - follower.

From abstract: "This paper discusses a method for the determination of uranium on platinum discs which does not involve direct weighing of the deposited film. A statistical analysis of the results obtained indicates that the procedure is more consistent than that based on a gravimetric method and offers a relatively quick and convenient means for obtaining uranium assay results where an accuracy of approximately 99% is desired."

Technical report outlining the differences in conductivity of AGOT graphite and AGHT graphite.