Pile Engineering Sub-Section has been investigating the causes and effects of cocked slugs in process tubes for the past year because they are suspected to be the cause for some slug ruptures. In Project CG-642 - Continuous Charge-Discharge Equipment - C Reactor it is proposed that slugs be flush charged into the process tubes. This document reports the effect of flush charging slugs on their tendency to cock as discovered in laboratory tests.

Slug ruptures characterized by intergranular corrosion failure of the aluminum can (Hot Spot Ruptures) have been a major cause for loss of reactor production, particularly during the past year. Although the cause for these failures is not definitely known, it is suspected that fuel elements when cocked in the process tube will sufficiently distort the neutron flux and the heat transfer characteristics in a localized area that very high local temperatures will exist and the corrosion rate of the aluminum can in these areas will be accelerated. It is the purpose of this test to introduce slugs that are known to be cocked and compare their resistance to rupture with slugs that are known to be uncocked when initially charged.

This historic report is on letter which details the research into atmospheric dispersion of fissioviable materials in the event of a reactor accident at Savannah River Plant. Graphs are included.

The document presents powers to which the piles are predicted to be limited by slug ruptures and outlines two plans for raising power after 558. These plans are coordinated in the sense that results from one area are used to make operating plans for other areas.

An event is described that is interpreted as evidence for the simultaneous production of a {theta}{sup 0} and a {bar {theta}}{sup 0} according to the scheme of Gell-Mann and Pais. This interpretation assumes the production of a normal {theta}{sup 0} and a K{sup 0} with no associated hyperon, where the {theta}{sup 0} is observed and the K{sup 0} is inferred from the rule of associated production of heavy unstable particles. The event was obtained by exposing a high-pressure diffusion cloud chamber to a 4. 5-Bev/c {pi}{sup -} meson beam from the Bevatron.

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The ART fuel-to-NaK heat exchanger was modified with six 60 staggered spacers and six 60 inclined spacers alterately placed. Transverse pressure taps were installed across one spacer of each type. The average transverse pressure difference across each instrumented spacer was expressed in terms of the ratio of the transverse pressure difference to the quantity, pu/sup 2//2g,, over the Reynolds modulus range of 3,000 to 8,O00. For the inclined spacer, this term fell between 1.4 and 1.1; for the staggered spacer, the data varied randomly between 0.01 and 0.3 with no definite trend established. The tube bundle friction factor was also determined and fell about 10% below the data previously obtained using vertical spacers. (auth)

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Reactor performance currently is being measured primarily by the time operating efficiency. However, the time operating efficiency reveals only a partial picture of the overall reactor performance, since it indicates only the amount of time that the reactor is operating and indicates nothing concerning actual efficiency while operating. True efficiency is measured by the amount of production accomplished with respect to the production potential of the facility. To present a more accurate picture of reactor performance, two types of losses need to be examined in addition to losses resulting from normal outages. These are losses during non-equilibrium operating conditions and differences between plant potential level and the actually achieved equilibrium level. Losses of these types have been reported to the Process Evaluation Group by the reactor Operations Physicists. The purpose of this document is to report the results of an analysis of these data for the period of May through June, 1956, to determine the uses of this type of analysis, and to determine if such data should be collected and analyzed routinely.

This report discusses the losses of uranium and plutonium in coating wastes.

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