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This report itemizes the irradiations performed by Testing and Irradiation Services for Battelle-Northwest. It lists the material being irradiated, awaiting disposition and material shipped during the report period. Specific data given is TISR No., Request number, Material, Piece number, operating time, CMK Absorbed, charge date, location, exposure to date, discharge date and time, and shipping date.

The rate of fission product inventory release to the environment as a result of exposure of uranium fuel to high temperatures should be known to more realistically assess the consequences of a credible accident. To obtain an acceptable experimental evaluation of releases it is necessary to have similar conditions to those which would exist in the reactor. Fission product release rate experiments exploring temperatures below the uranium melting point were performed for Douglas United Nuclear by D. L. Reid of Battelle-Northwest. Data and some conclusions from the initial tests are presented in this report. The intent of distributing this information is to make known results and to record data transmitted in correspondence from Battelle-Northwest to DUN.

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This report addresses a criticality manual of the Westinghouse Electric Corporation's Astronuclear Core Operations.

This report presents the detail of the activates of Douglas United Nuclear at the Hanford site during the month of February 1968.

In this fifth semiannual issue, the reactor and power data are shown for the six-month period July through December, 1967, together with data for the three preceding six-month periods. Data for D Reactor, which was deactivated on June 26, 1967, is omitted. For comparison purpose, the two years of experience will continue to be shown by dropping and adding a six-month period with each semiannual issue. The most significant statistics for the two six-month periods during CY-1967, shown by individual reactors on the attached pages, are summarized on pages 3 and 4 for the B-C Reactors and the K reactors (KE-KW). Achievements during the period July through December, 1967 are presented. The C and KE Reactors operated the entire month. of August, 1967 for a 100 percent time operated efficiency. The C Reactor experienced no fuel element failures during the period of December 8, 1966 through October 27, 1967. The KW Reactor experienced an uninterrupted operation at 4400 megawatts in November, 1967 which resulted in a K reactor production record for a 30-day month.

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This report presents the details of the status of special reactor process tube loadings for the month of March 1968.

This report itemizes the irradiations performed by Testing and Irradiation Services for Battelle-Northwest. It lists the material being irradiated, awaiting disposition and material shipped during the report period. Data are given table form. An explanation of the various columns in the report is given.

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The role of metal-water reactions in the evaluation of reactor loss-of-coolant accidents is discussed. It is shown that the amount of metal-water reaction expected to accompany a BWR loss-of-coolant accident is insignificant even if only one of the two core cooling systems provided functions. Test results conducted on Zircaloy and inductively heated Zircaloy rods supporting these calculations are summarized.

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Measurements of radioactivity in 277 children were completed at the fourth Pasco Elementary School on February 16. Whole-body counting of children at the fifth elementary school began on February 21, following lectures to 12 classrooms in grades one through six. Analysis of pheasants, quail and chukar shot locally revealed that only birds collected in the vicinity of the Columbia River contained detectable P{sup 32} and Zn{sup 65}. In decreasing order of concentrations the three species ranked chukar > pheasant > quail. Heads of the birds consistently contained more of these two radionuclides than the edible flesh by factors varying up to 20. A ca5% sample of local hunters was drawn from Washington State Game Department records in February. A questionnaire designed to gather data on hunting and consumption of game birds by local residents will be mailed to these 657 people in March. The results will aid in defining the importance of game-bird consumption to local environmental radiation doses. Diet distributions of Richland and Benton City elementary school pupils were computed this month. Consumptions of various foods were determined for various age groups of boys and of girls.

A portable monitor has been developed which accurately measures tritium concentrations between 1 x 10/sup -4/ and 1 x 10/sup -1/ ..mu..Ci/cc of air. The instrument consists of five basic sections: air pump, deionizer, ionization chamber, logarithmic electrometer amplifier, and high voltage power supply. An internal rechargeable 12-volt battery powers the entire monitor. A connector is provided so that an external 12-volt battery can be used if the monitor is needed for extended periods of time. Total weight of the unit is 22 pounds and the overall dimensions are 10.5 x 6.8 x 13.2 inches. The instrument has been calibrated by comparison with a Kanne monitoring system and evaluated under varying levels of tritium activity. Readings were reproducible within +-10% of reading. 7 refs., 5 figs.

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