Alternative P-type dopants such as, Th, P, and As were studied. Ingots were grown from a melt containing one at.% dopant and their electrical properties evaluated. Also, sintered pellets of PbTe were doped by exposure at high temperature to gaseous dopants. In most cases, the doping concentrations obtained were insufficient for SNAP 10A requirements. In the case of As, however, doping of Te-rich PbTe, the desired heavy doping was obtained. These preliminary studies suggest that dopants other than Na might be suitable for SNAP 10A requirements. (auth)

The adsorptive capacities of various inorganic adsorbents and activated charcoals for krypton and xenon were determined. Columbia-G activated charcoal had the highest capacity for both krypton and xenon at pressures from 0.01 to 125 mm Hg and temperaturens from 2 to 85 deg C. If a value of 1 is assigned to the capacity of this charcoal at 28 deg C for krypton, other charcoals range from 0.63 to 0.84, molecular sieves (except 4A) from 0.11 to 0.20, and some silica genls from 0.05 to 0.07. Various othenr adsorbennts, including one variety of silica gel and molecular sieve 4A, range from 0.005 to 0.032. Molecular sienve 5A and Columbia-G charcoal adsorbed 11.5 times more xenon than krypton. Adsorption of 7.5% water by either of these adsorbents lowerend their capacity for krypton 25 to 30%, while saturating the sieve material ( approximates 15% H2O) lowered the krypton capacity 80%. (auth)

This is one of twenty-one volumes summarizing the Aircraft Nuclear Propulsion Program of the General Electric Company. This volume summarizes the methods and techquies developed for use in the thermal design of nuclear reactors associated with that program.

Antiproton-production and nucleon-interaction cross sections were investigated for antiprotons in the energy range 0.5 to 1.0 Bev. The antiprotons were distinguished from other particles produced at the Bevatron by a system of scintillation- and velocity-selecting Cherenkov counters. The excitation function and momentum distribution were recorded for antiproton production in carbon and compared with statistical model expectations. The antiprotons were directed by a system of bending and focusing magnets to a liquid hydrogen target. An array of plastic scintillation counters, which almost completely surrounded the hydrogen target, was used to determine the p-p total, elastic, inelastic, and charge-exchange cross sections. Near 500 Mev the total d-p cross section was about 120 mb, and it slowly decreased to 100 mb near 1 Bev. The inelastic cross section, which is principally due to the annihilation process, represented nearly 2/3 of the total cross section. The elastic scattering distribution was highly peaked in the forward direction and could be fitted by an optical model. The total and partial cross sections were also determined for the collisions of antiprotons with deuterons. The p-d total and inelastic cross sections were found to be approximately 1.8 times the p-p cross sections. Corrections were made for the shielding …

None

The current state of knowledge relevant to biological blast effects was summarized in a selective manner. Initially, five problems of concern to those who would relate the environmental variations produced by nuclear weapons with biological response and hazard assessment were pointed out. Primary, secondary, tertiary, and miscellaneous blast effects were defined and selected interspecies experimental data of a physical and pathophysiological nature useful in estimating human response were presented. Tentative biological criteria defining safe levels of exposure were set forth as were survival curves for different conditions of exposure in Hiroshima. These were discussed along with the comparative variations in range of the free-field effects as they vary with explosive yield. The fundamental requirement for surviving seconds, minutes, and hours to abet survival for days, weeks, months, and years was emphasized along with the necessity for planning protective measures against all hazardous weapons effects as one attractive alternative for minimizing casualties and maximizing survival in the event of a nuclear war. (auth)

This report for November 1961, from the Chemical Processing Department at HAPO, discusses the following: Production operation; Purex and Redox operation; Finished products operation; maintenance; Financial operations; facilities engineering; research; employee relations; and special separation processing and auxiliaries operation.

The Idaho Chemical Processing Plant did not operate on fuel recovery during the period since numerous repairs and modifications were being made to the extraction and U concentration equipment, Ba/sup 140/ production continued on schedule; substantial decontamination of the RaLa facility was achieved and desirable replacement or repair of in-cell equipment was accomplished in the interval between two successive runs. Aqueous Zr fuel processing studies continued with the obje tive of adapting the HF process to continuous dissolution a complexing in order to increase the capacity of the ICPP process while using as much existing equipment as possible to minimize costs. Dissolution rates for Zircaloy-2 in 10M(bar) fluoride dissolver solution proved to be adequate for continuous dissolution (as high as 79 mg cm/sup -2/ min/sup -1/) in an acid range which resulted in both controlled gas evolution and stable dissolver solutions. Preliminary results indicate the possibility of blending Zr raffinates from this process with larger volumes of Al raffinates to achieve stable waste solutions and avoid the necessity of constructing additional special alloy tanks for Zr waste. Supplemental studies on the sodium formate process for head end precipitation of Zr snd fluoride are reported, as well as results of corrosion …

None

The experimental results on the oxidation of H from a He stream with CuO pellets were very close to the predicted behavior based on the mathematical model. Experimental measurements of uranyl sulfate loading rates on chloride equilibrated resin showed little variation with solution concentrations. A tentative flowsbeet was proposed for cost analysis of processing a Pebble Bed Reactor. A U-Zr plate was dissolved in nitrate-free Zirflex solution. An authentic TRIGA prototype was processed in engineering-scale equipment. Three 4- stage leacher model dissolution runs were made, two of which used 8 M HNO/sub 3/ and one used 4 M HNO/sub 3/. Flooding rates and holdup data were obtained for sieve plate pulse columns under 5% TBP - l.8 Mi Al(NO/sub 3/)/sub 3/ flowsheet conditions. A Purex waste calcination run (R-37) was made using sodium anid imagnesium to reduce sulfate volatility. (auth)

Programming a computer that optimizes the beam in the Brookhaven AGS is discussed. Layout, method, and routines are given particular attention, and representative data cards are shown. (D.C.W.)

Thermal stresses in the HFIR beryllium reflector were computed for the unlikely case where the reactor is scrammed with a simultaneous loss of coolant flow and for the case following an electrical power outage where the reactor power level and the coolant flow rate are reduced simultaneously. For the case where the reactor is scrammed with a sudden loss of the coolant flow, the resulting maximum tensile thermal stress following the scram is 22,500 psi. In case of an electrical power outage, the maximum tensile thermal stress following a reduction of the fission power level from 100 Mw to 10 Mw with the lowering of the coolant flow rate to 10% of the normal value is 12,800 psi. (auth)

A 500 MWe sodium-cooled, PuO2-UO2 fuel, fast spectrum reactor design is presented, which is calculated to have a fuel cycle cost in the civinity of 1 mill/ekw hr, and to have important safety features due to an appreciably negative Doppler effect.

The nuclear characteristics of a variety of small reactors composed of thoria -urania fuel in heavy water were determined in a program of critical experimentation. The fuel element consisted of ceramic ThO/sub 2/-U/sup 235/ O/ sub 2/ pellets stacked to a height of 1.5 m within 0.787-cm-OD aluminum tubing. The pellets used most frequently were of 0.587-cm diameter and had a Th/U/sup 235/ atom ratio of 25. Rods containing similar pellets with only half as much U/sup 235/ were used to achieve small changes in the U/sup 235/ content of the cores. Some cores were assembled with 0.660-cm-diameter pellets having an atom ratio of 15. All cores were located in a 2-m-diameter tank containing D/sub 2/O. Three distinct core structures were used, allowing measurements with uniformly distributed fuel rods, loading patterns compatible with the EBWR core geometry, and clustered lattic arrangements with D/sub 2/O, H/sub 2/O, and air surrounding the clustered fuel. Most of the cores assembled had some amount of radial D/sub 2/O reflector. A 0.3-m-thick bottom reflector composed of D/sub 2/O and aluminum was always present. For most of the assemblies, the control rods were fully withdrawn, criticality being achieved by adjustment of the water level. Observed critical …

The technique of radiation characterization is reviewed, with particular emphasis on new methods and their practi-cal aspects. Each type of detector is discussed in terms of its principle of operation and its applicability to various problems in counting and spectrometry. Auxiliary electronic instrumentation and the function of each instrument are described in general terms. Other topics discussed include low-level counting, absolute counting, and the mounting of radioactive sources. (137 references.) (C.H.)

Ring-joint flanges were studied in thermal-cycle tests as part of the development work associated with Homogeneous Reactor Experiment No. 2 (HRE-2). The purpose of this study was to provide criteria for design, installation, and operation of joints that would remain leaktight under reactor operating temperatures and pressures. Joints ranging from 1/2 in., l500 lb to 4 in., 2500 lb and with various initial bolt loadings were cycled between room temperature and 636 deg F. It was demonstrated that when joints were made up to HRE-2 standards and specifications, leak rates of less than 0.25 x 10/sup -3/ g of water per day per inch of gasket pitch diameter could be routinely- attained. Undamaged gaskets could be reinstalled or new gaskets used with equal probability of achieving acceptable leak rates. The system installed in HRE-2 was provided with a high-pressure buffer system to ensure that the small amount of leakage to the cell would be nonradioactive. (auth)

None

The effect of very high heat fluxes on the corrosion of 1100 and 6061 aluminum alloys by water was investigated. The test conditions generally simulated those expected to exist during operation of the High-Flux lsotope Reactor. At heat fluxes between 1 and 2 x l0/sup 6/ Btu/hr-ft/sup 2/ and with coolant temperatures and velocities in the ranges of 13l to 250 deg F and 3l to 51 fps, respectively, a layer of boehmite ( alpha Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/- H/sub 2/0), which has low thermal conductivity, formed on the water-cooled aluminum surfaces during test. When only relatively thin films formed, the boehmite adhered tightly to the aluminum, but in those cases where relatively thick films formed, some boehmite spontaneously spalled from the surface. The rate at which the boehmite formed on the surface (and consequently the rate at which the aluminum temperature increased) was a function of the temperature at the specimen-water interface and the pH of the coolant. The lower the temperature and the lower the pH (in the range of 5.0 to 6.5 with HNO/sub 3/), the lower the rate of corrosion- product formation. Within the ranges investigated, pressure and flow rate were without effect, and the same results …

The effect of temperature on the yield strength of the polycrystalline hexagonal Ag--Al intermetallic phase was investigated over the temperature range 77 to 775 deg K. It was found that the curve for yield stress vs temperature for both polycrystalline Ag--33 at.% Al specimens that were heavily cold-worked prior to deformation and those that were recrystallized prior to deformation was parallel to that for prismatic slip in single crystals. Increase of the percent Al in the specimens resulted in an abrupt decrease in the ductility at a composition of about 37 at.% Al. This decrease in ductility was attributed to precipitates in the grain boundaries. (auth)

The absolute differential cross sections for elastic scattering of 31- Mev He/sup 3/ ions on Be, Al, Cu, Sn/sup (nat)/, Sn/sup 120/ and Bi were measured in the angular range of approximately 10 to 120 deg in the center-of-mass system. Thin selfsupporting foil targets were chosen to span the parameter A/sup 1/3/, where A is the target mass number. The first excited states of the isotopes of these elements had sufficient energy separation from the ground state to enable elastic scattering to be resolved from inelastic scattering. The detection system, consisting of CsI(Tl) scintillation crystals, was capable of 3% pulse- height resolution and 1 degree angular resolution. Characteristically, the light- element angular distributions show strong diffraction effects. The differential cross section divided by the Rutherford cross section decreases exponentially at large angles for the heavy elements, and the differential cross sections break away from Rutherford behavior at angles which increase almost linearly with increase of atomic number of the target nucleus. A comparison of the results for natural Sn, and Sn enriched to 85% in Sn/sup 120/, indicated that within the experimental uncertainties over the measured angular interval, there were no pronounced isotopic effects. The data are presented both in …

The electrolytic dissolution of zirconium in HCl-methanol was studied as a function of potential, solution composition, and temperature. The dissolution is characterized by two regions. At high potentials the zirconium is electropolished and complete dissolution is achieved. At low potentials the current is an exponential function of the potential (Tafel behavior). In this region a small amount of finely divided alpha -zirconium which is insoluble in HCl-methanol separates from the bulk metal. The energy of activation for the corrosion reaction (0.0 volt) is 16.5 kcal/mole; in the electropolishing region (1.0 volt) the activation energy is 7.7 kcal/mole. A broad solvent capability for metallic reactor fuels is offered by the HCl-methanol medium since, in addition to zirconium, stainless steel is also dissolved electrolytically while uranium and aluminum dissolve chemically. Other process implications are discussed. (auth)

None

Zirconiurn alloys used in the fabrication of nuclear fuel elements can be disintegrated and converted to insoluble oxides by electrolytic treatment in concentrated nitrate solutions. This reaction shows promise as a technique for reprocessing nuclear fuels clad with Zircaloy-2. For a particular applied voltage, nitric acid achieves the highest rate of attack, but the reaction can be carried out at rates of 2 mg/(cm/sup 2/)(min) or greater in either 7.5M sodium nitrate or 2.3M aluminum nitrate. A reaction rate of 7 mg/(cm/sup 2/) (min) can be easily attained in either 8M nitric acid or 7.5M sodium nitrate. The rate of reaction is a function of the temperature and tho applied voltage. An as-yet unsolved problem is the carry--down of uranium with the insoluble zirconium oxide product. (auth)

Binary mixtures of BeO with the oxides Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/, CaO, Li/sub 2/ O, MgO, Sc/sub 2/O/sub 3/, TiO/sub 2/, Y/sub 2/O/sub 3/, and ZrO/sub 2/ were fired to temperatures in excess of 2050 deg C in an attempt to produce a stabilized cubic crystalline modification of BeO. No evidence was observed in microscopic and x-ray diffraction analyses of the cooled specimens that a cubic form of BeO had formed in the experiment. (auth)