This report describes and discusses sampling methods to study plutonium contaminated in off-site locations.

The following report presents data from the SALMON experiment, an experiment made to study the mechanics of a tamped nuclear detonation in a salt dome in terms of generated shock waves as they are propagated out of the dome and progressively through the crust and mantle of the earth. This experiment was made in the Tatum salt dome, Mississippi, October 22, 1964.

Report discussing the literature on the oxidation of polycyclic, aromatic hydrocarbons. Information has been assembled on (1) the oxidants effective in the oxidation of such hydrocarbons, (2) the relative reactivity of the hydrocarbons, (3) the conditions under which oxidation proceeds, (4) the chemical mechanisms involved when such oxidations occur, and (5) the products formed.

From Abstract: "This report describes the hardware required and discusses practical ways in which the necessary circuitry can be built into prime equipment."

Report issued by the APDA over studies conducted on "methods for increasing the power generation in a fast reactor fuel element test sample" (p. 9). The methods investigated are presented and discussed. This report includes tables, and illustrations.

Abstract. The rate constants for the reaction of the hydrated electron eaq with a number of solutes and with radicals formed in water radiolysis are reported. Hydrated electrons were formed in the electron pulse irradiated solutions at concentrations in the range from 1 to 10 pM. Their reaction was followed by the decay of the optical absorption of eaq at 5780 A. Generally a 04 psec pulse of 15 MeV electrons was used. In the absence of eaq scavengers, second-order kinetics prevailed owing to the dominance of the reactions,eaq+eaq, eaq+H, and eaq+H202 when OH radical scavengers were present in alkaline solution. An analysis of the decay curves leads to values for keaq+eaq and keaq+H of 0.9~ 1010 and 3 x 1010 M-1 sec-1, respectively. With scavenger present in excess over [eaq], pseudo first-order kinetics were found and rate constants for a number of inorganic and organic compounds are reported. The agreement of these and other rate constants with diffusion-controlled reaction theory is discussed.

Report issued by the U.S. National Bureau of Standards discussing piston gage pressure and reducing errors of measurement. Sources of error are described and evaluated in order to "reduce the magnitude of overall error of measurement" (p. 1). This report includes tables, and illustrations.

Report discussing pressure measurements made with piston gages that are affected by gravity, temperature, pressure, and several other variables. For accurate determinations of pressure the calculations must take these variables into account. A general equation is developed and simplified procedures for calculating pressure are illustrated.

Report documenting the progress of the Army Gas-Cooled Reactor Systems Program to develop a mobile, low-power, nuclear power plant for Military field operation.

This report covers the S-I-5-B-M fuel irradiation in the GETR Maritime Loop during the final quarter of fiscal year 1962 plus the month of July 1962 to conclude the irradiation program. The data are summarized in Section II.

This technical report presents measurements of the thermal expansion of five titanium carbide type cermets from 68 to 1800F. These cermets are designated by Kennametal, Inc., as K 138A, K 150A, K 152B and K 162B. They contain from 64 to 80 weight percent titanium carbide, 10 to 30 weight percent metal binder and 6 to 10 weight percent other carbides. The metal binders are cobalt, nickel, and nickel and molybdenum. An attempt was made to calculate the thermal expansion of each type cermet from thermal expansions of the constituents. The expansion of the mixture was computed by weighting and expansions of the constituents according to (1) weight percent of the constituents, (2) volume percent of the constituents and (3) according to a value developed for mixtures by P. S. Turner. It was found that expansions computed according to volume percent and by Turner's method agreed with measured values with +- 5 percent. The values calculated by weight percent were from 5 to 11 percent higher than the observed values. The thermal expansions of these cermets are compared with the expansions of a group of metals and alloys.

A digital-to-analog converter is described which is a part of a system that converts punched-tape digital data to analog data in a series of points drawn by an x-y plotter. The converter is designed to plot accurately tapes that contain information other than coded numerical coordinates. Operation of the converter is also described along with format requirements and power supplies. (J.R.D.)

From abstract: "In this report we present data obtained with the optical simulation apparatus on image quality as a function of the parameters of neutron scattering and image detector resolution...Also included in this report is a brief description of a large area (5 inch diameter) neutron beam exposure facility being set up at the reactor for the phase three work."

"A brief examination of the post irradiation grafting of machine irradiated polyethylene film with acrylic acid monomer was made. Evidence of postgrafting was detected in samples that had been irradiated to a total dose of 10 Mrads at a dose rate of 0.01 Mrad/sec. and then exposed to a 25% purified acrylic acid solution in benzene for periods of 1 to 4 days."

Entrained solids have in the past been one of the major factors limiting solvent extraction fission product decontamination. These solids are known to be surface active, to absorb fission products, and to form interfacial films or "cruds". A major step in eliminating these cruds was taken when the Purex columns were modified to operate with the interfaces at the waste ends of the columns rather than the product ends. This type of operation tended to flush the solids out with the waste rather than the product streams.

Molecular sieves are synthetic zeolites which, when dehydrated, contain a network of empty pores and cavities that constitute almost 50% of the total volume of the crystals. They have the unique property of adsorbing within these cavities only those molecules that are small enough to pass through the pores of the crystals, Molecular sieves have a very strong affinity for water and other polar molecules. It is this selective property plus their stability and reasonable cost that make them of interest for the application described herein.

The increasing popularity of liquid-hydrogen targets in physics research has emphasized the need for containers with maximum beam transparency (i.e., thin walls and low Z) and suitable strength at cryogenic temperatures. Fabrication of a Mylar container satisfying these requirements is described here.

A need for a small vertical cylinder-type furnace arises frequently in the Chemistry Department at the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory (LRL). Adequate heat is the major requirement; close control or calibration is not usually necessary. A heating unit of this type can either be used for quickly concentrating solutions in centrifuge cones or, by the addition of a refractory pedestal--can be made into a crucible furnace for size 0 and 00 crucibles. Because much of the chemistry done at LRL is with radioisotopes, disposal of contaminated equipment is an important consideration. In general, furnaces are difficult to decontaminate, hence there was a need for a disposable type. Because nothing meeting the requirements seemed to be commercially available, the Health Chemistry Department made up a simple furnace that has proved useful.

This paper discusses a group of high-speed switching circuits using the basic current-switching mode of operation. The first part of the paper presents a dynamic analysis of the basic current-switching mode and the second part is the dynamic and steady-state analysis of a current-switching flip-flop.

From abstract: "To investigate the deviation of the internal conversion coefficients of E2 transitions from theoretical computations and their dependence on nuclear deformation, the total internal conversion coefficient of the 121.8-kev 2+-0+ transition in ellipsoidal Sm152[over]90 was measured to be 1.135 ± 0.010 with a high accuracy coincidence-sum method. The K-shell to total internal conversion ratio was determined to be 0.588 ± 0.003 with a [beta] spectrometer...The experiment revealed no deviation from theory nor indications of strong dependence on nuclear deformation; it therefore did not confirm recent beliefs in this regard. The details of the coincidence-sum method were described. The K electron to total electron capture ratio, from Eu152 to the 1.53 Mev state in Sm152 was also measured to be 0.79±0.02."

From abstract: In this report a consistent set of U-235 partial cross sections for use in the analysis of thermal or intermediate reactor systems has been provided.

"As a part of a program to determine the p-p scattering matrix at 213 Mev, the triple scattering parameters R and A were measured at 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80. and 90 deg in the center-of-msss system. The results are compared with a phase shift analysis by MacGregor and Moravcsik and with the predictions of the boundary condition model of Saylor, Bryan and Marshak."

From Introduction: "An improved high-temperature gage was needed, and in an attempt to fill this need an investigation was initiated in February 1954 in the Enameled Metals Laboratory at the National Bureau of Standards. The present Monograph constitutes a final summary on this program."

Figures 1 and 2 summarize total decay energies for the four radioactive series. The alpha-decay energy obtained by measuring the energy of the alpha particle leading to the ground state includes the energy of the recoil nucleus. The curve shown in figure 3 defines in broad outline the conditions and regions of alpha instability. A great deal more is to be learned from a more detailed examination of the region where alpha radioactivity is prominent. Of great value to the experimentalist is that he is able to predict alpha energies, and the agreement between predicted and measured values often serves as a criterion for isotopic assignment. A number of systems for correlating alpha decay energies have been employed, and that perhaps most widely used is illustrated in figure 4. Here the isotopes of each element on a mass number vs. energy plot are joined, resulting in a family of curves which over a wide region comprise a series of nearly parallel lines.