An active program is a present underway to develop equipment to handle liquid metals. Among the metals being studied are sodium and sodium--potassium alloy (the latter commonly referred to as NaK). In many of the systems being studied this liquid metal is pressurized by inert gas in the lines. At times it is necessary to bleed off some of this gas from the system. Although the gas is allowed to escape at a temperature at which the vapor pressure of sodium is extremely small, it has been found that excessive amounts of sodium are present in this gas stream. Either this sodium collects in the lead-off pipes from the system as a solid, threatening to block the passage in which it is found, or it passes out into the atmosphere. In order to explain the presence of such a dangerous concentration of sodium in the exit gas stream, it has been proposed that the sodium vapor present in the the system at high temperatures condenses into a mist or aerosol on cooling. This aerosol is stable and will not readily de-entrain or condense onto the surfaces over which it passes. Another possibility is that the oxygen present with the inert …

Theory of operation and test results are given for a resistance type of liquid metal level instrument. The voltage across a steel rod in the tank is amplified by a magnetic amplifier and indicated by a milliammeter. Temperature compensation is provided for tank temperatures up to 1000 F.

Most of the publications in the open literature available to us agree that sodium does not readily react with graphite, though potassium, rubidium, and cesium readily enter between the planes of the graphite lattice. In view of the conflicting evidence available, it seems inadvisable without very extensive further study to consider the use of graphite in direct contact with liquid sodium, except under very mild conditions of temperature and irradiation, and then only with very pure sodium and completely graphitized graphite.

Experiments are described which show that the velocity of compressional waves along a thin plate varies as a function of the frequency of the waves. In terms of transit times in aluminum the value is between 4.02 and 4.94 microseconds per inch.

The object of this project is to conduct studies on the coating of metals and alloys by the gas plating process. Coatings to be studied consist of chromium on copper; alloys of nickel chromium on copper; molybdenum on stainless steel and Inconel; chromium on stainless steel and Inconel; and tungsten and molybdenum and their carbides on stainless steel and Inconel.

This technical report is a summary of unclassified theoretical work on propagation of one-dimensional shock waves and on the propagation of spherical shock waves in gases.

The object of the work performed under this contract was to investigate the possibility of gas plating copper base metal with (a) pure chromium metal from chromium hexacarbonyl vapor; (b) chromium-nickel plating from a mixture of chromium hexacarbonyl and nickel tetracarbonyl. The object of the work performed during the final month was to confirm the fact that the gas plating of chromium metal and chromium-nickel laminates free from nitrides, oxides and carbides was practical.

A simple non-destructive chemical method for the identification of cadmium plating is presented. The test requires no special techniques or equipment and may be conducted in less than fifteen seconds.

Ultrasonic inspection for subsurface flaws is widely used in American industry. This report reviews the general principles and specific techniques of ultrasonic testing. The information is based on a review of the technical literature plus the experience of the Quality Assurance Department at Sandia Corporation in applying this nondestructive testing technique to quality evaluation programs.

The object of the work done during the month of June has been to assure that deposition of chemically pure chromium metal by gas plating, both by itself, or as a component of nickel-chronium and/or other alloys.

This note is concerned with the numerical integration of the integrals of the form anti l*SUB infinity/*SUP infinity/ f(x) *phi/(x) dx is "smooth."

This technical report is intended as a brief description of the free convection problem existing in the various annuli of the SIR Mark A rotating plugs. It is by no means a complete report of the plug "hot tests", but merely records some of the more significant experimental observations and presents a few of the theories and calculations made to explain the observed free convection phenomenon. The general discussion which follows is chronological. Details of analyses are relegated to the Appendix.

The direct reading height gauge is a new and fast operating instrument designed primarily for checking hole patterns, but it can also be used for a number of other purposes as well. This report gives a brief review of what the gauge is, what it will do, and how it is operated. Speed and the elimination of most of the sources of error are its chief attributes.

Gamma plutonium is found to be orthorhombic with eight atoms in a unit cell of dimension (1t 235 degree C) [formula]. The calculated density is [formula]. The space group is Fddd and the positions of the eight atoms are: [formula]. Each plutonium atom is bonded to ten others at an aver distance of [formula], four being at [formula], two at [formula] and found at [formula]. The mean linear coefficients of thermal expansion are found to be [formula].

The results of equation of state measurements made behind strong shock waves in nitrogen are consistent only with the higher of the two spectroscopically acceptable values of the dissociation energy of nitrogen, 9.764 ev.

Calorimetric combustions of calcium metal were conducted at an initial temperate of 25 degree under an oxygen pressure of 50 atm. The energy of combustion under these conditions was to be 15,649 joules/g. The corresponding standard heat of formation of the oxide from the elements is calculated to be -628.63 +- 0.99 kjourles/mole. this value if 1.1% more positive than the previous accepted value.

Extensive numerical evaluation was performed on a Fourier series derived for the potential distribution in an electrolyte lying above a plane containing infinitely long, narrow electrodes juxtaposed and arranged in an infinitely alternating array with even symmetry. In contrast to the previous studies in this series, the limitation that the electrolyte has finite depth was imposed. Four perspective drawings of the reduced potential function were made to scale to illustrate the potential variation throughout the solution. From this study a practical rule was established for deciding from the behavior of the electrochemical system what effectively is an "infinite thickness" of the electrolyte. Current density variation over the anode was evaluated for several different combinations of relative thickness b/c and of relative polarization parameter ~/c. When b/c is small, the major part of the corrosion current is concentrated in the vicinity of the anode-cathode junction, provided that the electrical resistance of corrodent is not too high or the polarization too strong, i.e., provided that ~ is relatively small in comparison with c. Several graphs of C* (x) were included to illustrate the effects of the dimensionless groups (a/e), (b/c), and (~/c). Comparison with published experimental data was made, and the agreement …

The design and construction of a 1,000,000 fps rotating mirror frame camera is described. Twenty five consecutive pictures 20 mm in diameter can be obtained on a strip of 35 mm film. A resolution of at least 20 lines/mm is obtained on a moderately fast film like Linagraph Shellburst. Accurate synchronization of the event to be photographed is required. The camera has been most useful in the investigation of explosive and related phenomena.

Precise solutions are given for the problem of the semi-infinite strip extending from x=0 to x=infinity, stress-free along the edges y= +-1, when the edge x=0 is subject (a) to a quadratic sheer displacement and zero normal stress, (b) to a cubic normal displacement and zero sheer stress. These are the two simplest (non-trivial) end problems of the semi-infinite strip, antisymmetric in y, that may be formulated. The corresponding symmetric problems (a) linear seer displacement and zero normal stress, (b) quadratic normal displacement and zero sheer stress, were solved in earlier papers.

A basic technique in the design of a nuclear power reactor is to prescribe the dimensions and composition of a simplified model and to calculate the corresponding neutron flux and power distributions. Comparison of calculations for different models and of particular calculations to experimental results guides the physicist to a reasonable prescription. Until recently, the usual model had spherical or cylindrical symmetry. We have found it feasible to extend the methods to include a class of reactors in which there is variation of composition with respect to two space-dimensions. In this paper, we summarize some of our experience with these calculations.

Two spectrophotometric methods are given for determining dissociation constants of dibasic acids. Each method is applicable for any degree of overlapping of the dissociation constants. Neither method requires a direct measurement of the extinction coefficient of any of the individual species that are in equilibrium with each other. A minimum amount of data is required in either method.

Knowledge of the mechanisms involved in the aqueous absorption of nitrogen oxides is limited, and no definite evidence has been available to indicate if the major chemical reactions involved occur in the gas phase or in the liquid phase. This work was undertaken to determine in which phases the chemical reactions occur and to obtain additional information on the over-all mechanism of the removal process. The results of this investigation show that the rate of absorption of nitrogen oxides decreases significantly as the operating temperature is increased. The major portion of the chemical reactions occurs in the liquid film and the gas film, with an appreciable amount of the reactions occurring in each.

A wet collection system for aerosols has been developed using fibrous media. Tests show the performance to be in accord with recently developed theory of collection by fibrous media. The effects of varying aerosol particle size, particle density, and gas velocity have indicated that inertial impaction is the primary collection mechanism. Three-year operating experience on several full scale plant installations shows reliable performance.

The following are some of the equipment currently used in the Health Physics counting rooms at the Laboratory: scintillation counters, end window beta-gamma counters, precipitcon beta-gamma counter, autoscaler beta-gamma counter, and continuous flow proportional counter. This technical report describes the equipment, supporting equipment, procedures, and sample preparation in use at the Laboratory.