October performance of the plant production facilities was outstanding (915.2 tons U processed by Purex; 625.4 kg Pu separated by Redox/Purex). Redox processed three types of feed. Operation of incinerator furnace was resumed in Pu finishing processes. Capital cost estimates were prepared for several schemes for power reactor fuel reprocessing in Redox. Redox encased waste lines and line support system were found to be in good condition. H concentration in Redox dissolver off-gases occasionally exceeded lower flammable limits while sodium nitrate from high level waste storage tanks was used to suppress hydrogen.

This document provides the source and special nuclear material composition of ending inventory reports for the month of October 1966.

This report details activities of the Hanford Atomic Products Department for the month of October 1966.

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This note refers to the classification of two letters on reactor water flow.

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Annual report of the Brookhaven National Laboratory describing the lab's goals, activities, and research during fiscal year 1966.

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Demands for cobalt-60 have been relatively small as long as the principal applications were for radiography and gaging. The accumulated production in the entire United States is less than ten megacuries, although the Hanford plant is capable of producing about 150 megacuries every year using uranium enriched to 0.95 percent, and greater amounts with higher enrichments. The new developments brighten the prospects for large-scale utilization of cobalt-60. First is the possible us of cobalt-60 as a heat-producing radioisotope. Although shielding weights make cobalt-60 unattractive for space applications, the general size of thermal applications can be appreciated by noting that 32 megacuries of cobalt-60 would be required to provide the 500 kw of isotope heat which NASA reports they will need by 1980; terrestrial applications may be an order of magnitude larger. This application of cobalt-60 has been promoted primarily by Savannah River and utilization of high activity cobalt-60 (200-500 curies/gram) as a heat source is being investigated by them under MFC 5.

Fifty-one female cottontails were collected during their first pregnancy of the breeding season in 1964. The reproductive performance of these animals has been completely evaluated and the adrenal glands incubated. Chromatographic separation and quantitation have been carried out on the majority of the adrenal incubates.

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An evaluation is given of the ground water contamination resulting from disposal of plant effluents at Hanford. Analytical results are presented for gross beta activity in the unconfined ground water aquifer and gross beta activity at depths in the ground water. Results are given where concentrations of radionuclides are above the routine detection limit for gross beta. The average concentrations detected during the previous report period are listed for comparison. (JSR)

This report puts under one cover numerous data which have been used and are used in health physics considerations of plutonium and americium.

The useful service limitations of polymers and polymer-bonded laminates used for bearing retainer materials needed to be established to determine their suitability for the NERVA system. Materials investigated included two forms of Teflon bonded glass cloth laminate (Armalon), a polyimide formulation filled with 15% MoS$sub 2$ and FEP Teflon.

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