Summary: Data on equlaxed UO2 grain growth from "out of pile" experiments have been gathered from all known sources and analyzed to determine the relationship between the grain size developed and annealing temperature and between grain size and the time at temperature. On the basis of the analysis, an equation relating gain size to time and temperate has been selected that appears to best describe the data considered as a whole. The coefficients in this grain growth equation have been evaluated to indicate the variance between different investigations and/or different UO2 sinters. The general applicability and limitations of "out of pile" grain growth data for the determination of temperatures in the microstructures of irradiated UO2 are discussed. Specific recommendations are made for the conditions under which grain size can be reliably employed as a temperature indicator. The objective in undertaking this analysis on UO2 grain growth was to obtain a working relationship between UO2 grain size and annealing time and/or temperature, and also a measure of the potential variation in the relationship. The intended use of the results was the determination of temperatures based on the grain sized observed in the post-irradiation metallographic examination of AEC-Euratom High Performance UO2 Program …

Asymptotic low energy neutron spectra have been measured for two multiplying systems. The reentrant hold spectrum (scalar flux) and the surface leakage spectrum were obtained for both assemblies using the pulsed-source chopper technique at the RPI linear accelerator.

This report talks about the molecules which constitute today's living organisms

From American Nuclear Society Meeting, New York, Nov. 1963. The need for control of the flow distribution and/or steam quality in boiling reactors is discussed. A quality control device is being developed which consists of an entrance venturi and an exit venturi for measuring the flow rates into and out of the channel, means for comparing the two flow rate signals, and a value for regulating the flow rate. This device can be used either as a constant quality device or as a controlled-quality device. Results are given of air-water studies of two-phase flow in a vertical venturi.

In fast reactor safety studies, it is imperative to know the effects of temperature excursions on the fuel elements. Previous controlled out-of-pile experiments on the behavior of uranium fuel elements under meltdown or near-meltdown conditions have been performed using direct electrical resistance heating or furnace heating. As a step toward obtaining more complete information on reactivity effects accompanying fuel meltdown, the behavior of irradiated EBR II and Fermi A samples under transient nuclear heating in TREAT has been studied. The experiment results obtained indicate that effects of prior irradiation can produce significant effects upon reactivity changes produced by meltdown of metallic fast reactor fuel pins.

This paper presents data concerning the breeding ratio and doubling time possible with LIMB technology.

One-region buckling measurements that were made on a series of D/sub 2/O- moderated lattices of heavy uranium metal tubes in the Process Development Pile at Savannah River Laboratory are presented. The purposes of these measurements are to provide normalization points for lattice bucklings and to extend the study of natural uranium- D/sub 2/O systems. The dependence of buckiing on the moderatorto-fuel ratio is studied for two types of lattices. (R.E.U.)

Report issued by the APDA over studies conducted on Doppler coefficient fast reactors. Calculations, methods, and results of the studies are presented. This report includes tables, and illustrations.

The phase-diagram literature was surveyed to the end of 1960. Information about the binary systems of monovalent with multivalent chlorides was observed. Compounds of double chlorides occurring in these systems are listed in tabular form together with the available structural information. (auth)

Extrusions of aluminum alloy powder products were obtained from several sources and evaluated for corrosion resistance to high-temperature (260-- 350 deg C) water. Several types of tubing impact-extruded by ALCOA were tested. The stronger tabing (M655) failed very rapidly. The weaker tubing suffered extensive localized surface attack and penetration of the corrosion attack along the extrusion direction after prolonged ( approximates 3 months) exposure to 290 deg C water. A precorrosion heat treatment was effective in reducing both types of attack on the weaker tubing. Armour Research Foundation supplied several types of tubing extraded through a bridge die. All tubes failed on prolonged ( approximates 8 months) corrosion in 290 deg C water at the longitudinal bond lines. These lines were formed by the rejoining of the metal streams passing over the mandrel supports in the die during extrusion. Directly extruded tubing supplied by the Torrance Brass Company also failed on extended exposure to 290 deg C water. Many experimental rod extrusions (from Armour Research Foundation and Trefimetaux) exhibited corrosion resistance to static 290 deg C water equivalent to that of wrought alloys. The Trefimetaux specimens were also tested in rapidly flowing water at 315 deg C. Under these conditions …

A critical experiment was performed with 12 BORAX-V superheater subassemblies in a central voidable region plus 1228 to 1525 UO/sub 2/ fuel pins (3 wt% enriched) in a peripheral region. Removing water (28% of superheater volume) at room temperature decreased reactivity by 2.2%. The midplane (two- dimensional) peak-to-average power distribution in the voided superheater was approximately 1.24, mostly attributable to flux depressions within insulated fuel boxes. Cadmium ratios are also reported. The experiment was initiated to supplement computational information which might have affected plans for loading the superheater zone into the BORAX-V reactor. No changes were indicated by the experiment. (auth)

Monthly newsletter of the High Plains Underground Water Conservation District No. 1, discussing the field of underground water. Topics include profiles of water conservation research, annual pre-plant soil moisture survey data, annual Winter Water Level measurement data, and information about the latest water conservation tips.

The basic relations of the crosscorrelation method are presented; and variations of the method for dealing with practical cases for which the idealized relations are inaccurate due to finite experiment length, finite bandwidth of the input signal, and uncorrelated noise in the system response signal are discussed and demonstrated. (D.C.W.)

Report concerning the demineralization of water via the transport depletion process, which is a variation of electrodialysis that uses just one ion-exchange membrane. The first portion of the report covers a year of studying the transport depletion method, while the second part includes details regarding the experiments, equipment, and complications in greater detail.

Abstract. The determination of the infinite multiplication factor, k∞ , from measurement son a small test sample was investigated by both theoretical and experimental techniques. Theoretical relations were developed to calculate the error in the measurement due to a mismatch between the flux ratios in the critical assembly and those of the test sample. Experiments were carried out at the Hanford Laboratory of the General Electric Company with the PCTR, to obtain values of the multiplication factor for comparison with the theoretical results. Calculations with two-group theory gave results that agreed with the experimental results when the test sample, with natural uranium fuel, was surrounded by a buffer region of the same material. When this buffer region was loaded with highly enriched fuel, the errors in the measured values were not predicted by the two-group theory. Three-group theory relations were derived which gave calculated values in agreement with the experimental values and indicated that a mismatch of the epithermal neutron group leads to the measured differences in the value of k∞ for the two buffer types.

Preliminary phases of this investigation that have been completed include basic studies to determine optimum detector engineering characteristics and static tests of a number of designs. A pilot system for dynamic testing of the detectors in simulated process control applications is presently in operation.

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.

Progress is report in several areas of development of fuel graphite containing coated particles for nonpurged gas-cooled reactor systems.

From American Nuclear Society Meeting, New York, Nov. 1963. The use of the asymptotic solution to the one-velocity transport equation is considered. The angular distribution for fast neutron elastic scattering by heavy elements is discussed. An exponential angular distribution on is assumed to simplify the decay length calculation. The diffusion length of 1 to 15 Mev neutrons in iron is calculated, as well as the vector flux angular dependence. The asymptotic solution for an arbitrary angular distribution of a plane delta -function source is also found. An isotropic source is investigated, and some applications of the model are examined.

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Abstract: To assess diffusion's importance, the temperature distribution in a cylindrical reactor is derived for a coolant with uniform properties and velocity, taking into account both radial and axial diffusion, for a cosine-J0 power distribution. The fractional temperature rise of the coolant is found to be [chemical formula] where E(z) = [sin(z) + sin(Z)]/2 sin(Z), z= π x/2′, x is the axial distance from the core center, -H and ′ are the core half-height and extrapolated half-height, -H≤x≤H; Fn = 1/J0(Pn)·[(Pn/2.405P)2-10, J1(Pn) = 0, P= R/R′ = core radius/extrapolated radius, ρ = r/R, r = radial distance from axis, 0≤r≤R; an = = βnH/Z, 2 Aβn + 1 =[1 + 4αβ(Pn/R)2]½, A = axial diffusivity /u, B = radial diffusivity /u, u = coolant axial velocity, and [chemical formula]. The expression is evaluated for a variety of values for all the parameters, and the results are discussed analytically and presented in tables and graphs. The effect is dependent upon the relative size of the diffusion eddies in comparison with the dimensions of the reactor. The eddy diffusivity is proportional to the size of the particles in the bed and is about ten times larger axially than radially. A small core …

Abstract. A review has been made of the effects of fluoride ions on the corrosion behavior of zirconium alloys in high-temperature water. Corrosion was found to occur as the result of contamination of the water or the zirconium surface. A major source of fluorides is undue delay in rinsing the HF-HNO3 pickling solution during surface preparation. The oxide on corrosion-resistant material has been found to contain up to 7600 ppm fluoride from this source. The threshold concentration of fluoride in the oxide film which produces poor corrosion resistance ranges from 8500 to 17,000 ppm. Accelerated corrosion from fluorides in water at 300 to 360 C occurs at about 100 ppm, although increased corrosion has been reported at 10 ppm fluoride in water at 300 C. Fluorocarbon plastics degrade and contribute fluorides to the high-temperature water or to the alloy surface when in direct contact with zirconium. Chlorides (1 to 10,000 ppm) and iodides (1270 ppm) do not adversely affect the corrosion behavior of zirconium alloys in water at 360 C. The mechanism of corrosion is not well understood but apparently is related to the formation of insoluble zirconium oxyfluorides during pickling and during exposure to fluoride-contaminated water.

An essential part of establishing the acceptability of warm extruded Zircaloy-4 for the CVTR pressure tube application was the determination of irradiation effects on mechanical properties of the alloy. Representative specimens were irradiated in low temperature process water in the WTR for simulated two, three and five year exposure. The effects of this irradiation were then evaluated in terms of changes in tensile, impact and creep properties. The experiment results concluded that the irradiation-induced changes in mechanical proprieties will not introduce any operational hazard to the CVTR pressure tube under anticipated operating conditions.

From preface: The work described in this document is directed toward determining the optimum method of employing explosives to form a ditch, channel, or canal of certain desired dimensions.