This report covers an investigation meant to find the feasibility of producing corrosion resistant zirconium from sponge by special melting techniques. The zirconium metal has certain required specifications, such as: the metal must be free from bafnium, and it must be free from other impurities of undesirable neutron cross section.

Technical report outlining various experiments that took place in the Oak Ridge Area Critical Mass Laboratory until August 31, 1950. Experiments took place in categories of critical experiments, experimental engineering, heat transfer, radiation damage, nuclear measurements, reactor physics, ARE reactor design, circulating fuel reactors, and circulating moderator reactors. [From Summary]

Technical report surveying radio-chemical analyses by ORNL's Analytical Chemistry Division and Health-Physics Division of large volumes of rainwater for plutonium, uranium, and fission products. Overall, carrying efficiencies for Al(OH)3 scavenging of rainwater were determined for these elements, as well as for Pu and U. [From Abstract, Introduction]

Introduction: "A corrosion test program, to determine the suitability of LaBour B-55 and Worthite for use in the construction of circulating pumps for th UO3 process has been completed and the data are appended."

A problem proposed by E. Hart to determine whether there are locally high or low neutron densities at the corners of a cubical cavity in a graphite lattice. To simplify the computations consider an infinite two dimensional lattice with a square cavity that has a point source of neutrons at the center (see Figure 1).

Report discussing statistical quality control for the period of December, 1951-February, 1952. Statistical quality control is provided for studies of the General Ionic Analyses Laboratory, the HR Control Laboratory, and the X-10 Laboratories.

The free streaming of neutrons in a cylindrical cavity is investigated. Using experimental data for the flux distribution along the walls, the direct beam hole loss and leakage into the target from the lattice is estimated for the MTA system.

Introduction: "Since it has been found that zirconium and zirconium-tin alloys may be embrittled by certain heat treatments, it was decided to determine if welding of these materials affects their ductility in any way. A single bend test in both the longitudinal and transverse directions was used for evaluation of the variables considered."

Report containing results of a study regarding concentration of radioiodine in edible plants fed to animals.

A new colorimetric method for the determination of cholesterol has been investigated. It makes use of the relatively stable green color given by a purified digitonin precipitate with the anthrone reagent of Dreywood. Equal precision can be obtained with the new method using 1/10 or less of the quantity of material required for present colorimetric methods.

The susceptibleness of certain "ceramic" substances to extreme radiation damage (such as that observed in graphite) as indicated by changes in dimensions and heat content is discussed in terms of the experimental evidence which is available.

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.

Two xenon extraction runs were made this month. It appears that a small design change in Trap #2 will be necessary so that a dry ice-trichloroethylene slurry can be used for coolant rather than liquid freon. For each of the runs this month the enriched generator was exposed for four hours in the est pile operating at 100 watts. A period of eight hours for cooling and xenon builidup was allowed before the collection and separation runs were started.

Various organizations in the Biophysics Section of the Radiological Sciences Department participated in evaluating local radioactive particle fallout as influenced by the nuclear explosions at the Nevada Proving Grounds during the early part of 1953. Data collected from approximately 50 air monitoring stations operated by the Regional Survey forces were used to determine the trend of radioactive particle concentrations in the atmosphere between March and June. These measurements were supplemented with the findings of associated organizations in the Biophysics Section during and immediately after the peak influx on May 26.

In obtaining the results reported here a double focusing magnetic type spectrometer was used. Momentum spread was about 1%, and in most cases 2560 counts per point were taken. An end window Geiger tube was used as a detector. The window was of mica with areal density of 1.6 mg/cm2.

From introduction: This work is a survey of possible uses of ceramic materials in Hanford-type fuel elements.

An empirical relation is presented which represents a boundary between no vacuum sparking and possible vacuum sparking. Metal electrodes and r.f. or d.c. voltages are used. The criterion fits several orders of surface gradient, voltage, gap, and frequency. Current due to field emission is considered necessary for sparking but in addition, energetic particles are required to initiate a cascade process which increases the field emission currents to the point of sparking. An elementary cascade process is outlined, but the data upon which it is based is not fully stated.

Abstract: "Differential thermal-expansion effects in brazed joints involving Type 310 stainless steel and GE-62 brazing alloy were investigated. The work included dilation and modulus-of-elasticity measurements using homogenous cast specimens and observations on bimetallic cantilevers made of the two constituents. No anomalies were found, although there were irregularities in the expansion of the brazing alloy which were ascribed to a solubility phenomenon. The elastic modulus of the brazing alloy was determined. Cantilever deflections with temperature and with load were measured, and the results were interpreted using equations which treat the specimens as true bimetals consisting of two homogeneous components. The difference in thermal-expansion coefficients obtained in this way from the temperature-deflection data was consistent with the dilation measurements. The load measurements yielded an average elastic modulus for the bimetal which was about two-thirds of what would have been expected from knowledge of the components. This discrepancy probably arose from porosity which was observed in the braze components."

This report follows a preliminary study on uranium migration in pressed and sintered UO2-bearing bodies based on MoSi2 or Al2O3.

Report discussing the results of Project "A," which had three main components: "Effect of P2O3 Concentration on the Distribution Coefficient for Uranium Between Crude Phosphoric Acid and O.P.P.A.," "Effect of Chloride Concentration in Phosphoric Acid on the Distribution Coefficient for Uranium Between O.P.P.A. and Phosphoric Acid," and "The Use of Di-Isobutyl Carbinol in the Preparation of a Solvent to Extract Uranium from Phosphoric Acid (N.P.P.A.)."

The purpose of this manual is to present available data which can be used to determine disintegration rates of radioactive samples from counting rates measured under given circumstances with routinely used laboratory instruments. There is also brief discussion on the methods by which the various factors have been determined with reference to the accuracy with which they are known and to what extent the finally quoted disintegration rate is affected by these errors. Emphasis has been placed on those isotopes of particular interest to Radiological Sciences programs and the manual is intended as a standard through the use of which comparable values can be reported from all units in the Department.

The investigation to be described in this paper was one of several undertaken to resolve a curious discrepancy that had arisen in measurements of the diffusion length of graphite. Those diffusion lengths measured with the graphite layups of 100 Area piles were three to six centimeters higher than the value obtained with the Hanford Standard Pile. The fact that the 100 Area structures of the order of 40 ft. X 40 ft. X 30 ft, not including reflector, approximated an infinite medium, whereas sigma piles are of the order of 8 ft. X 8ft. X 10 ft., suggested the possibility that the diffusion length obtained by mensuration of relative fluxes and application of the conventional equations depended in some way on the size of the medium. Therefore, in order to determine if such a dependency actually exists, it was proposed to erect a series of graphite stacks of different dimensions and to make diffusion length measurements in each.

Abstract: "A titrimetric method for the determination of fluoride in plutonium is reported. Prior to a steam distillation of the fluoride, the bulk of the plutonium is separated by precipitation of the sulfate. The fluoride in the distillate is titrated at a pH of 3.2 with 0.001 M thorium nitrate, using chrome azurol-S indicator. Applied to samples containing 1 to 15 parts per million fluoride, the recovery is 87% and the precision on the 95% confidence level is +/- 0.65 ppm."

Report discussing details of the design for the Bevatron at the University of California Radiation Laboratory. The Bevatron is a "6-billion-electron-volt (Bev) proton synchotron. This device will receive a 10-million-electron-volt (Mev) proton beam from a linear accelerator, and further accelerate a reasonable percentage of these protons, at a nominally constant radius of 600 inches, to a final energy greater than 6 Bev."