Available knowledge of precision limits in S.S. accountability measurements and/or calculations by reactor and chemical processing groups is surveyed and summarizes. Experience in comparisons of reactor (production and research) calculations versus chemical plant accountability measurements is also reported. A general tentative conclusion is that available precisions (+/- 0.54 to +/- 0.78% ) in chemical plant measurements is also reported. A general tentative conclusion is that available precisions (+/- 1.0 to +/- 11.0%) possible by calculations (nuclear and/or engineering) of power reactor systems; however, with operation and empirical experience (e.g. less than +/-1.0%

Volstility Pilot Plant Mark III Fluorinator will be a double-chamber type vessel, each chamber 2-1/2ft. by 16in. o.d. separated by a 5 in. pipe 15 in. long. ASME flanged and dished heads will be used for the chamber tops and conical sections with a 60º apex angle for the chamber bottoms. A new furnace designed to maintain the complete lower chamber (molten salt + freeboard) above melt temperature will eliminate past experiences of salt solidification on the wall, heads, and in or on the internal process lines. External pipe runs will be sutoresistance heated to allow melting and drain back of salt plugs. The upper chamber serves as a gas de-entrainment and solids precipitation device to retain most of the entrained salt and condensable fluorides in the 100-400°C temperature range.

The Fermi age of thermal neutrons in a lattice containing both water and graphite in some sort of weighted average of the age in water and in graphite independently, with correction for volumes of non-moderating elements or voids. The correct weighting function has been in question during design calculations for the NPR. This paper presents a very simple and direct approach to the problem, resulting in a weighting equation which seems to be theoretically sound. Unfortunately, simple theories cannot be guaranteed to give good results in complicated systems; nevertheless, it appears that the weighting dunction derived here is to be preferred over methods involving empirical relationships which are of doubtful validity in the NPR geometry.

The discharge of cooling water from the Hanford reactors introduce radioactive contaminants to the Columbia River. These materials may subsequently bring about exposure to human populations either through the direct use of the water for sanitary purposes or transfers of the radioisotopes into the food chains. It is therefore desirable to keep to a minimum the amounts of radioisotopes released to the river.

This report is an outgrowth of the MURA Users' Conference of June 1959. At that conference the group on beam separators discussed the problem of whether particle separation could be achieved at the machine energies under consideration. A preliminary version of the scheme outlined here was given at the conference. Later, after flaws were discovered, it was modified. The attempt is not to show that this is the way it should be done, but to show with reasonable certainty that there is at least one way it can be done.

Preface: The intermediate heat exchanger is designed for operation in a nuclear power plant using liquid sodium as the primary and secondary coolant. Since the primary fluid coming from the reactor is radioactive, the purpose of the IHX is to transfer heat to a nonradioactive fluid which then goes to a steam generator. Because of this activity the until will be enclosed in a concrete pit and will not be accessible during periods of operation. Immediately after shut down it will be necessary to allow time for radioactive decay before the unit will be accessible to personnel. Because of inaccessibility and possible long periods allowed for decay time, it is imperative that the unit give trouble free operation. During periods of shut down, the internals should have easy access for inspection and repair if necessary so that down time is held to a minimum. The general arrangement of the heat exchanger described in this report presents a conventional design utilizing known materials and existing methods of fabrication. In further consideration of all concepts, designs and analyses developed during this period of the program, it is felt that this preliminary design will provide an intermediate sodium heat exchanger of lower cost …

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Several decisions regarding basic project philosophy must be made in order to proceed with scope design and the preparation of equipment procurement specifcations. The purpose of this document is to present as much pertinent data as possible to allow the project representatives to become familiar with the problems involved. A meeting of Representatives is planned for the near future after receipt of project authorization to discuss the scope of this project and its relationship to CG-775. Emergency flow requirements of the K reactors for planned future power levels is approximately 32,000 gpm within 68 sec. A detailed study of the existing high-pressure cross-tie line reveals that a duplicate cross-tie line and five low lift pump operation would be required to provide this flow. The existing emergency generation capacity is not adequate to supply five low lift pumps and all other necessary emergency electrical loads. A possible solution to adequate emergency flows is to connect the proposed steam turbine pump directly to the risers and to consider the turbine pump as the last ditch system. If it is determined that this does not meet the criteria of separate systems, then an alternate solution must be found.

This document presents a nomograph from which the relationship between reactor operating parameters, tube power, and outlet temperature can be correlated with rupture rate. The index indicates the severity of the reactor climate during irradiation and does not include the metal quality parameters defined in the rupture rate equation. The general form of the Operational Severity Index Equation is OSI=P{sup 3.3}/1000{times}t{sub 0}{sup 8.7}/100, where OSI, is the unitless Operational Severity Index, P is the tube power in kW, and t{sub 0} is the tube outlet temperature, in degrees C.

Considerable production gains might be attained if each reactor discharged its entire flattened region during one scheduled outage instead of utilizing several outages for this purpose. Several of the older reactors are now discharging a high percentage of their flattened zones in a single outage and could be put into this type of operation with relatively little difficulty. Production gains may be possible through better flattening efficiency, a more favorable rupture rate effect, fewer non-equilibrium losses, higher conversion ratio, and more efficient usage of outage work. Since this document is written Primarily from the Operational Physics standpoint, some gains and pitfalls which must be evaluated by other affected groups will only be mentioned here as possibilities. The purpose of this document is simply to point out the potential gains in flattening efficiency from this method. Potential gains from improved fuel performance have been described in another document.

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Objective of this test is to authorize irradiation of alloyed, low hydrogen dingot uranium fuel elements on a pilot scale, and to monitor their performance. Initially, 25 tons per month of alloyed, low hydrogen dingot material will be charged for two months. Measured charges will be loaded with the initial 25 tons to monitor the stability of this material. Following a two-month delay in the monitor charging, and if the dingot meets all specifications, routine charging of quantities up to 60 tons/ month may proceed for six months and, assuming continued favorable performance, up to 150 tons/month may be accepted to complete large scale evaluation of dingot uranium, and on a continuing basis thereafter.

The demand plot has a 5-set, modified pump decay curve; it shows that 20,000 gpm emergency flow would be required within 80 seconds of complete pump power failure. Bases for the demand curve are constant bulk inlet temperature of 2 C, constant bulk outlet temperature of 95 C, K-3 I&E fuel elements, and initial reactor flow of 188,000 gpm.

This report is a Collection of Excerpts and a Bibliography relative to the Proposition "That Congress should be given the Power to Reverse Decisions of the Supreme Court".

Introduction: "It is the purpose of this note to describe the construction and operation of the plasma injectors used in the magnetic high compression experiments in progress at the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory at Livermore. As the investigations of these injections is still in progress, remarks concerning their operation or the characteristics of the injected plasma are of a tentative nature."

Results are reported for preliminary experiments to determine the stability of solid solutions of UO/sub 2/ and ThO/sub 2/ in air at temperatures of 2500 deg F and above. The results are compared with those obtained by workers at Argonne during development work on the Borax IV experimental breeder reactor. It is concluded that further evaluation of the system at temperatures above 2500 deg F is required. (auth)

The physical and mechanical properties of GCRE-type fuel elements were determined from room temperature to 1650 deg F. The fuel elements were prepared by cladding Type 318 stainless steel sheet to a core containing 15 to 35 wt.% UO/ sub 2/ in either prealloyed Type 318 stainless steel or elemental iron-18 wt.% chromium-14 wt. % nickel-2.5 wt. % molybdenum. The tensile strength in the direction perpendicular to the rolling plane decreased from 24,600 psi at room temperature to 9,200 psi at 1650 deg F for the reference fuel plate, whose core contained 25 wt.% UO/sub 2/ in the elemental alloy. The tensile strength in the longitudinal direction for this fuel element ranged from 54,800 psi at room temperature to 14,200 psi at 1650 deg F, with elongation in 2 in. ranging from 8 to 13 per cent. The extrapolated stress for 1000hr rupture life at 1650 deg F was 1800 psi, and a 1.4T bend was withstood without cracking. The mean linear thermal coefficient of expansion was 11.0 x 10/sup -6/ per deg F for the range 68 to 1700 deg F. (auth)

Data from a survey of the literature and other available information on zirconium--uranium alloys have been reviewed for the purpose of obtaining a coherent picture of current knowledge about the properties and behavior of zirconium--uranium alloys. The results of the survey were used to revise and extend the presentation of material gathered earlier in a similar study and reported in BMI1030 in August 1955. The constitution of zirconium-uranium alloys is discussed, and a constitutional diagram for the system is presented. The effects of oxygen and nitrogen, which are present in these alloys as contaminants, on alloy constitution ars shownin the form of ternary diagrams and in terms of their quantitative effects on the phases present. The transformation kinetics and the nature of the transformation of the high-temperature body- centered-cubic gamma phase to the phases stable at room temperature are described. Two regions are discussed: in the 20 to 70 wi. % uranium composition range, gamma, which is retained on quenching, transforms isothermally to the intermediate epsilon-phase structure by a diffusion-controlled nucleation-and- growth process; in alloys containing less than 20 wt.% uranium, gamma transforms martensitically to a strained alpha-zirconium structure on quenching, with the diffusion-controlled transformation of gamma to either epsilon …

The diffusion of fission products out of the fuel elements leads to increased shielding requirements, a greater hazard due to their possible release to the surroundings, and more difficult maintenance problems. Continuous processing of the contaminated coolant may alleviate the hazard and maintenance problems; however, extensive in-pile loop experiments are needed for a quantitative evaluation of methods. By proper design of major components such as heat exchangers and blowers, direct maintenance of contaminated equipment may be possible, with or without premaintenance decontamination Such an aporoach is to be preferred to that of providing remote maintenance facilities which, in the case of the reactors considered added from 0.7 to 1.8 mills/kwhr to the cost of power. (auth)

The preliminary design of a 3095-Mw(thermal), helium-cooled, graphite- moderated reactor employing sign conditions, 1500 deg F reactor outlet gas would be circulated to eight steam generators to produce 1050 deg F, 1450-psi steam which would be converted to electrical power in eight 157-Mw(electrical) turbine- generators. The over-all efficiency of this nuclear power station is 36.5%. The significant activities released from the unclad graphite-UO/sub 2/ fuel appear to be less than 0.2% of those produced and would be equivalent to 0.002 curie/ cm/ sup 3/ in the primary helium circuit. The maintenance problems associated with this contamination level are discussed. A cost analysis indicates that the capital cost of this nuclear station per electrical kilowatt would be around 0, and that the production cost of electrical power would be 7.8 mills/kwhr. (auth)

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The elements of waste treatment and disposal are assessed which are expected to become important in the development of the nuclear power industry of the future. Growth of the nuclear power economy is considered along with composition and quantities of anticipated waste. In addition, the economic implications of waste disposal are considered. It is concluded that research should be concentrated on decontaminating off-gases and on conversion of wastes to a more suitable form than liquid for storage. (J.R.D.)

A 3-inch-diameter flame tower for the conversion of uranosic oxide to uranium hexafluoride with elemental fluorine was tested for possible use in the fluorination step of the present uranium recovery process. The oxide was fed from a hopper to the tower by a screw feeder. The fluorine and the oxide entered at the top and flowed concurrently down through the tower. The unreacted or partially reacted oxide was collected in an ash receiver at the bottom. Fine solid particles were removed from the gas stream by an electrostatic precipitator and a tune-type filter. The uranium hexafluoride was collected in cold traps. Twenty-five experimental runs were conducted with average oxide feed rates from 3.73 to 19.38 lb/hr. The average fluorine flow rates were from 7.5% below to 44% above the stoichiometric amount of fluorine required. The best operating conditions were at a feed rate of 15 lb of oxide per hour with a minimum fluorine excess of 75% 110.6 lb of fluorine per hr). The material collected in the tower ash receiver represented between 6.0 and 10.0 percent of the total amount of uranium fed during the run. The ash, combined with an equal weight of oxide, can be fed back …

The defueling of the S2G Reactor which was conducted at the Electric Boat Division, General Dynamics Corporation Groton Connecticut during January 1959, is reported from the viewpoint of the participating personnel from Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory. The sequence of events is outlined, difficulties encountered during the operation are described, and conclusions of possible interest to other naval nuclear reactors are given (auth)