The current interest in a tube-in-tube type Zircaloy-2 clad UO2 fuel element for use in the power reactors provided the incentive for a study of the dissolution of cladding from an annular space. The objectives of the study were to compare the estimated rate of dissolution in the annuli with rates on fully exposed metal. Because of an interest from the design standpoint, heat balance data from the study are reported.

Very little information and data are available on the various physical properties of Zircaloy tubing, especially the high temperature- high pressure failure aspects. As greater use is being made of the low cross-sectional properties of this material in the design and development of reactor components, it was considered desirable to determine the type of failure that would be experienced under conditions of a localized over-heating. This hot-spot could be caused by "cocked" or warped fuel elements coming in direct contact with the process tube, thereby preventing adequate cooling media at the particular location.

The purpose of this report is to show the impedance of an approximate equivalent circuit on a complex plan for various constant frequencies and different metals. The equivalent circuit represents a testing coil driven with an AC voltage and a network to represent the impedance of the metal.

Photographic observations of the behavior of uranium dioxide at high temperatures are of great value in designing and evaluating fuel elements. This paper reports the growth of uranium dioxide crystals by vapor deposition during out-of-reactor and in-reactor experiments.

A new package type facility for corrosion decontamination studies has been designed and fabricated. This report gives a description, drawings, and comments on its operation. It has been in operation since December, 1958.

Following is a description of what may be an invention in the art of compacting uranium dioxide (UO2) and other ceramic or cermet nuclear fuel materials for ultimate use as reactor fuel elements. Vibration of ceramic fuel materials at the resonant frequency of the metal encasing material, using high rates of acceleration, produces uniformly compacted high-density fuel elements.

The chemical processing industry relies heavily on the use of rotary pumps to move massive quantities of liquids. The rotating elements of these pumps, generally of the deep-well turbine type, are submerged in the solution being pumped. This singular factor sometimes imposes a severe limitation on the choice bearings because the liquids are frequently corrosive and have poor lubricity. At the Hanford Atomic Products Operation a further complication arises from the effects of radioactivity in the solutions being transferred. Radiation and temperature can and will cause physical damage to many substances, including certain potential bearing materials such as plastics. These factors, coupled with the economics of remote operation and maintenance, have lead to the need for a test program to screen and evaluate potential bearing and journal materials.