The following report describes the high pressure and temperature homogeneous reactor experiment which has been started at Los Alamos, as well as the hazards and safety aspects for the experiments.

The automatic polarograph is ideally suited for the analysis of waste streams for uranium in the Metal Recovery Process, and with modification, it is applicable to other processes, pilot plants, and even to laboratory set ups. The instrument is simple, dependable, and relatively trouble free in operation. It provides an immediate record of the uranium in the waste and, through better control of the process, lower processing costs.

Introduction: "During the last quarter, members of the Chemical Development Group have been concerned with six major projects. (1) thermal and radiation properties of organic materials as moderators and coolants, (2) thermal and radiation stability of mirconium hydride, (e) reactor accessibility (transport of radioactive materials in cooling systems, ................. There have been, in addition, a number of smaller service projects, mostly of an analytical nature.:

Unanticipated radioactive contamination of the 200 Areas environs was discovered in the latter part of 1947, about 2.5 years after the startup of the Bismuth Phosphate Separation Plants. It was subsequently established that this contamination was due to radioactive particles emanating from the Separation Plants' stacks, and the need for exhaust ventilation air filtration equipment was recognized. Sand filters were installed in the fall of 1948 in the ventilation systems of the B and T Bismuth Phosphate Plants. These filter units essentially eliminated this contamination problem and have performed satisfactorily to the present time.

Gamma plutonium is found to be orthorhombic with eight atoms in a unit cell of dimension (1t 235 degree C) [formula]. The calculated density is [formula]. The space group is Fddd and the positions of the eight atoms are: [formula]. Each plutonium atom is bonded to ten others at an aver distance of [formula], four being at [formula], two at [formula] and found at [formula]. The mean linear coefficients of thermal expansion are found to be [formula].

The direct reading height gauge is a new and fast operating instrument designed primarily for checking hole patterns, but it can also be used for a number of other purposes as well. This report gives a brief review of what the gauge is, what it will do, and how it is operated. Speed and the elimination of most of the sources of error are its chief attributes.

The fuel element to be used in the Savannah River reactors is a natural uranium slug 1.00 in. in diameter and 8 in. long, encased in a 2S aluminum can 1.080 in. O.D. having a wall thickness of 0.035 in. The slug is bonded to the can with an aluminum silicon alloy, using the Hanford Al-Si process.

The very strong flux gradient in the MTR reflector might be thought to be some cause of worry. However, this gradient will be minimized by the presence of the large block of aluminum, which, because of its small effect on neutrons, will tend to flatten the neutron flux in its vicinity. Advantage should be taken of the shape of the test facility by placing the water hole corner closest to the MTR core. This placement should take best advantage of the flattening potentialities of the slowing-down flux from the test slugs, by placing the nearest (beryllium) moderator on the low flux side of the assembly.

Deposits of corrosion products form on heat transfer surfaces and in radiation flux zones at temperatures around 500F in stainless steel systems operating with circulating water. The report considers the possible harmful effects of such deposits on heat transfer and fluid flow, as well as factors involved in the origin of these corrosion products and in the mechanisms of deposition. The prevention of deposition by chemical, mechanical, and electrostatic methods is discussed.

This report studies the reactions between gaseous uranium hexafluoride and several gaseous reagents for possible analytical application that has been underway while using a buggy designed for gaseous titration studies. This study primarily focuses on methods to analyze gases containing uranium hexafluoride and physically absorbed uranium hexafluoride.

This report describes the first estimation of the beta half-life of Pu241 and was made by determining the beta activity associated with plutonium formed by (d,xn) reactions on U258.

Various non-linear calculations for heat conduction in an istropic, homogeneous medium are presented.

Many procedures for the chemical isolation of the microscopic angular inclusions in rolled uranium have been investigated. Four were selected as most satisfactory for this work and will be described in detail. The procedures are: (1) the copper displacement of the uranium, (2) the electrolytic displacement of the uranium, (3) the chemical dissolution of the uranium in an anhydrous solution of hydrogen chloride in methanol, and (4) the chemical dissolution of the uranium in an aqueous solution of hydrogen chloride and hydrogen peroxide.

Abstract: "The information contained in this report consists of personnel exposures to radioactive dust resulting from a thorium rolling operation."

From abstract: "The Standard Pile was first brought to criticality on July 25, 1953. The first two months of operation permitted calibration of the reactor and preparation of it for use as a neutron source in exponential experiments."

A theoretical study of the kinetics of a model of the Los Alamos Power Reactor Experiment (LAPRE) was made through integration of the dynamic equations with the IBM 701 computer. The stability is investigated under various conditions of power demand, rod-induced reactivity changes, and other conditions especially applicable to LAPRE. The results are given in graphical form, along with conclusions as to appropriate conditions of operation.

Surrounding the core of the Experimental Breeder Reactor (EBR) is located the Internal Blanket (see Figure 2 of Reference 1). This blanket is compromised of natural uranium rods jacketed in stainless steel. The active portion of each rod is made up of five natural uranium slugs 0.873" diameter x 4.050" long. The slugs, stacked one of top of another, are held together and protected by a drawn-on stainless steel tube with welded and closures. These internal blanket rods are located inside the external blanket the manufacture of which has been described previously.

This quarterly report discusses ongoing research and experiments at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the Metallurgy Division. This report discusses water cooled reactors, liquid metal cooled reactors, reactor development metallurgy, basic metallurgy, applied metallurgy, and aqueous corrosion.

From abstract: "A monitor for detection of surface-adsorbed tritium beta particles has been developed. The detecting element is a windowless Geiger tube with the counting gas flowing through it. The normal limit of detection of a single-tube probe is 800 d/m of tritium, while a three-tube probe is probably limited to about 2000 d/m. Both probes have a counting efficiency of about 10% for tritium."

Abstract: "A completely Lagrangian scheme for differencing hydrodynamical equations in two dimensions is described. The method conserves mass exactly. The advantages of Lagrangian over Eulerian schemes are briefly mentioned. An appendix gives the generalization to three dimensions."

Thirty gram patches of plutonium dioxide can be readily chlorinated by reaction with phosgene or carbon tetrachloride at temperatures of 350 and 450 C respectively. Plutonium trichloride prepared by either method can be reduced to the metal in a hermetically sealed bomb by reaction with calcium. On a twenty gram scale yields of approximately 97 per cent are obtained when a calcium-iodine booster is employed. It has been demonstrated that a method for reduction of plutonium trichloride to the metal without the use of a booster can be development.

Various properties of BeH/sub 2/ are predicted, based on the properties of neighboring hydrides. Included are predictions of the stability of the Be-H bond, the stability of an ionic lattice for BeH/sub 2/, polymeric structure, and density.

Supplement to Progress Report on Flotation of Uranium Bearing Materials From Lake Athabaska Ore, Sample 43-1 that includes information on uranium lost in solution during flotation in an acid circuit.

Foils of plutonium 239 and uranium 235 have been mounted back to back in a dual ionization fission chamber in the diffracted beam of the Hanford neutron crystal spectrometer. A quantity proportional to the ration of fission cross sections of Pu239 to U235 has been measured as a function of neutron energy from 0.020 to 1.0 electron volts. The results of this investigation are presented graphically in the text.