An engineering flowsheet has been prepared for the conversion of an aqueous slurry of cesium-zinc-ferrocyanide into a dry cesium chloride product by the calcination process. Flowsheet No. 1 defines a six-step batch-type calcination operation for processing the slurry into a dry powder for offsite shipment in bulk containers. Some of the advantages to this process are as follows: Product losses are expected to be small, estimated to be less than 0.03 percent; the equipment required to process a given number of curies per batch appears to be relatively small, compact, and simple; the process does not impose severe requirements for materials of construction; and requirements for process control and instrumentation are expected to be simple. There are two disadvantages to this process. First, the cesium-zinc-ferrocyanide precipitate is not considered economically filterable, hence, the separation of solids from liquids is encumbered. Second, the process, as outlined, if potentially hazardous because of the possible nitrate carry-over with the influent slurry. This nitrate may cause a rapid reaction in the calcination step. It is concluded that this flowsheet offers a satisfactory scheme for isolating radiocesium if the process is modified to preclude the possibility of nitrates or other unwanted oxidants from reaching the …

This document details activities of the Irradiation Processing Department for the month of February 1957. (FI)

This document details activities of the irradiation processing department during the month of July, 1957. A general summary is included at the start of the report, after which the report is divided into the following sections: Research and Engineering Operations; Production and Reactor Operations: Facilities Engineering Operation; Employee Relations Operation; and Financial Operation.

Hot Semiworks Run PX-18 was made to compare HA Column decontamination using HAF prepared by either updraft, or downdraft dissolving. Also determined were the effects on IA Column performance of (1) using Versene washed solvent, and (2) of addition Versene to the IAF and IAS. The Purex plant low-acid flowsheet was used during PX-18. No change in HA Column decontamination was noted which could be directly attributed to the change from updraft to downdraft dissolved feed. However, HA Column decontamination factors were increased by a large factor using either types of feed when the scrub section was operated ``loaded.`` For the most part the periods of ``loaded`` scrub section and high decontamination factors were accompanied by unstable operation and excessive waste losses. The use of Versene as an additive to the IAF, (0.0013 M) and IOS (0.001 M) produced an increase in IA Column decontamination. The IAF to IAP decontamination factor increased 60 to 70% to 350 as indicated by the in-line analyses, while a single lab analysis indicated a factor of five improvement. It was not possible to determine whether the increased decontamination resulted from the use of Versene in the organic wash solution or from its introduction in …

This document details activities of the irradiation processing department during the month of November 1957. A general summary is included at the start of the report, after which the report is divided int the following sections: Research and Engineering Operations; Production and Reactor Operations; Facilities Engineering Operation; Employee Relations Operation; and Financial Operation.

This document details activities of the Irradiation Processing Department during the month of August, 1957. A general summary is included at the start of the report, after which the report is divided into the following sections: Research and engineering; operations; production and reactor operations; facilities engineering operation; employee relations operation; and financial operation.

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Tests of the HRT fuel and blanket recombiners at several gas concentrations and steam rates disclosed satisfactory efficiency at approximately design conditions. At lower gas concentrations and steam fiow rates a small recombiner downstream from the condenser is necessary to maintain 100% recombination. It is recommended that the platinized catalyst in the fuel and blanket HRT recombiners not be replaced, and that a small recombiner be installed in the 1-in. off-gas line from each recombiner condenser. (auth)

Research directed toward an evaluation of a reflector control scheme for a small boiling heterogeneous reactor is reported. The control method uses the ambient reactor steam pressure to adjust the height of a radial water reflector. Critical-assembly experiments were conducted to measure the reflector worth and the effect of nonhomogeneous voids. The critical-assembly core approximated a right circular cylinder 24 in. high and 21 in. in diameter. The core was made up of polyethylene strips to simulate water channels, aluminum strips, and uranium foil. The reflector consisted of polyethylene blocks and two different densities were used to simulate two different water temperatures. The coldwater, hot non- power-producing, and boiling powerproducing reactor conditions were mocked-up. These conditions were obtained by voiding the moderator plastic strips. The results indicate that sufficient reactivity is available in the reflector to compensate for large power variations and equilibrium poisons. However, the reactivity worth is not great enough in the system considered to include startup from the cold condition or long-time fuel burnup. These experiments also show that in calculatioiis of critical mass and reflector worth the assumption of uniform void distributions seems valid for corcs of the size studied. (auth)

Study of the equilibrium phases which exist in Mg-rich alloys of the Mg-- U--Th system was continued. The precipitation of thorium as thorium dihydride from thorium-magnesium solutions was investigated over the temperature range 665 to 810 deg C. Soft, ductile niobium metal can be prepared by mixing essentially stoichiometric quantities of Nb/sub 2/O/sub 5/ and carbon, but slight deviation from stoichiometry yielded metal which was hard and non-ductile. The Zn vapor pressures over a number of Zn--Zr alloys were measured, and the results are summarized. An investigation of the U--Cr alloys was undertaken to establish the phase diagram and to determine the degree of ductility of some of the intermediate compositions. Alloys containing additions of small amounts of yttrium to tantalum, niobium, molybdenum, titanium, vanadium and zirconium were continued in corrosion tests. The structure of the alpha -phase compound in the V--Aa alloy was determined. The heat capacity of sodium tungsten bronze (Na/sub x/WO/sub 3/) was measured over the temperature range 1.8 to 4.2 deg K for various concentrations of sodium. Measurements of the elastic constants of single crystals of metallic Be as a function of temperature are in progress. Tensile tests were carried out on standard 0.252 m. diameter …

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This report describes the operation of the fuels preparation department for the month of November 1957. Manufacturing employee relations, process development, plant improvements and financial operations are described.

This document details activities of the Fuels Preparation Department during the month of October 1957.

The use of ion chambers or proportional beta counters is recommended for the measurement of Kr{sup 85} in separations plant gaseous effluent. It will be necessary to evaluate the Xe{sup 133} present if short cooling times (less than about 90 days) since irradiation are used. This can be accomplished through calibration and decay measurements. It is concluded that the Kr{sup 85} evolution could be determined to about {plus_minus}5% with careful measurements.

This document is a HAPO report dated September 20, 1957. At the time of this report, there had been many different methods suggested for improving the Purex organic recovery system. Some of these suggestions been tried in the plant and others had not. Information concerning this system and, particularly, methods for improving it were wide spread. At the time of this report was no immediate source of information available on the proposed and investigated methods for improving the Purex solvent recovery system.

This document details activities of the Irradiation Processing Department during the month of November, 1957. A general summary is included at the start of the report, after which the report is divided into the following sections: Research and Engineering Operations; Production and Reactor Operations; Facilities Engineering Operation; Employee Relations Operation; and Financial Operation.

The distribution of H/sub 2/ among feed materials and products in the thermite reaction producing dingot U was studied. The H/sub 2/ content of Mg, molten U, and molten and solid MgF/sub 2/ density oxide to 98 to 99% for the high specific surface, ow bulk density oxides. The observed values for properties of the U/sub 3/O/sub 8/ samples correlated better with conversion of U/ sub 3/O/sub to UF/sub 4/ than did the observed values for properties of the corresponding UO/sub 2/ intermediates. (auth)

Graded nonuniform cartridges are described which have plates with larger holes, greater free area, and/or greater plate spacing. These plates were developed and specified for the Purex Plant A-type columns. Use of the cartridges eliminated cyclic local flooding and increased the complete flooding frequency by 10 and 25 cycles/min at volume velocities of 530 and 1060 gal/hr/ sq ft, respectively, and exhibited satisfactory extraction efficiency over a wide range of frequencies and throughputs. (auth)

A parameter survey was conducted on the Organic Moderated Reactor (OMR) to determine the nuclear effect of temperature, enrichment, fuel to moderator volume ratio, fuel element size, ard fuel element container variation. Temperatures ranged from 300 to700 deg F; enrichments from 1.5 to 1.9%; and fuel to moderator volume ratios from 0.1333 to 0.545. Fuel element sizes of 3.75, 4.5, and 5.5 in. were considered. The stainless steel fuel element container thickness was varied from 20 to 80 mils, and also 200 mil aluminum was substituted for the steel. Results were obtained as values of k/sub eff/ which ranged from 0.927 to 1.152 through 150 problems. It was concluded that fuel element size should be at least 4.1 inches, fuel to moderator volume ratio in the neighborhood of 0.30, and enrichment 1.7% assuming 8% excess k for poisoning, burnup, and control. (auth)