This report details 200 Area activities for the month of May 1966.

EWR-ESE-144, Fifty MC-890 type final assemblies were subjected to irradiation at low temperature test in order to determine if irradiation would reduce the frequency of high voltage breakdowns. A control lot of a like number of units was subjected to low temperature test in the same manner except without irradiation.

Resulte of a laboratory investigation undertaken to adapt the Pu anion exchange process to the direct recovery of the Pu lost to the Task I oxalate filtrate are reported. It was found that the Button Line Task I Filtrate can be recovered by HNO/sub 3/ anion exchange process, thus isolating the Button Line from any solvent extraction process. (J.R.D.)

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This describes about Cold Compacting of Uo$Sub 2$ + Zrh$Sub 2$ Fuel Pellets for Critical Experiments.

This document reflects our comments on the drawings and design information that we have received. It is therefore contingent upon the drawings and specifications which we have not as yet received from Vitro Engineering Company.

Comparisons between experimental data obtained from single-phase gaseous hydrogen cool-down with those computed from a computer program have shown excellent agreements.

Verify that the multigroup code P1MG and its associated library yield, for a flat flux problem, the same few group constants as the MUFT fast constant code.

ABS>The Gauss-Jordan, Choleski, congruent transformation, and rank annihilation methods for inverting large symmetric positive definite matrices were compared. An attempt was made to consider the effects of both condition and order of the matrix to be inverted on the closeness of the computed inverse to the exact inverse. Each method was programmed in FORTRAN using only single precision arithmetic. Then the error indicators were computed using double precision arithmetic so that the latter calculation was not a limiting factor. It was found that any one of the methods is satisfactory for a well-conditioned least squares matrix of order 10-30. However, when the matrix becomes ill- conditioned then the Gauss-Jordan method appears to be clearly superior (at least for the matrices studied). Algorithms and FORTRAN subroutines for each method are presented. (auth)

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This monthly document provide source and special nuclear material composition of ending inventory reports for the month of April 1966.

This test was conducted to determine the adequancy of the Core Band to withstand the forces imposed upon it during Reactor Operation.

The combination of operating temperatures around 550 deg C with LiF present in the salt baths produces about the same bulk metal losses on Ni and Ni- base alloys as was found by operating at 650 deg C without Li in the salt baths. The presence of U accelerates corrosion of Ni and Ni-base alloys during the Volatility Process fluorination cycle. Prior F conditioning of L Ni decreases corrosion of the material during subsequent fluorination. Prior F conditioning of INCO-61 weld metal increases the attack on INCO 61 during subsequent fluorination. Bulk metal losses on L Ni and the Ni-binary alloys containing Al, Co, Fe, or Mn are about the same during fluorination at 550 deg C with Li present in the fluoride salt baths. The presence of the alloying elements, Al, Fe, or Mn, in Ni drastically reduces or lelements intergranular attack usually found in unalloyed Ni exposed to a fluorination environment. In fluorination environments, the effect of adding Co to Ni on subsequent corrosion by intergranular attack of the binary is unclear. These reported tests showed that serious intergranular attack of a 95% Ni --5% Co specimen occurred. On the other hand, this test series and previous series …

A criticality excursion occurred at the Oak Ridge Critical Experiments Laboratory on November l0, l961 as enriched uranium metal, neutron reflected and moderated by hydrogen, was being assembled. It is estimated that the energy yield was between 10/sup 15/ and 10/sup 16/ fissions. There was no personnel exposure or property damage. Fission product contamination, both airborne and contained in the metal, decayed sufficiently overnight to allow unhindered continuation of the experiment. The excursion was caused by a too rapid approach of the two sections of uranium constituting the experiment. (auth)

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This document describes a deviation from the "Test Program and Procedures for the 710 Critical Experiment Reactor Loading and Rod Calibrations," TM-63-1-702, which was made in accordance with ITS Standard Practice J80-81 on March 13, 1963. The deviation did not involve a significant change in the safety of the operation.

Activities in a program to determine the effects of neutron irradiation on A-302B steel are reported. Plans are discussed concerning performance tests on tensile, notched tensile, tube, and Charpy specimens. An irradiation capsule design was finalized. A theoretical analysis of the critical conditions arising in a tube subjected to both internal pressure and axial load is included. (J.R.D.)

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Radiation-induced contraction as a function of temperature was studied in needle-like and conventional coke graphites from 450 to 1200 deg C. Fast neutron exposures ranged up to 3.2 x 10/sup 21/ nvt, E) 0.18 Mev, corresponding to approximately 20,000 Mwd/at. in a Hanford graphitemoderated reactor. The results significantly extend information on the effect of high temperature irradiation on needle-like coke graphites manufactured with particle size, impregnation, and graphitization temperature as variables. In general, the transverse contraction rate goes through a broad minimum between the temperatures of 850 and 950 deg C with the least contraction occurring at approximately 800 deg C. Needle coke and CSF graphites show the same effect but the contraction of needle coke graphites is approximately 0.8 that of CSF at all temperatures. In the parallel direction, the rates of contraction are the same for both CSF and needle-coke graphites. (auth)

Numerical calculations of energy distributions of ions and electrons in DCX in steady state after burnout are discussed. The d-c plasma potential establishing quasineutrality is also determined. The electron distribution is found to be Maxwellian, but the ion distribution is not. For typical DCX conditions, the plasma potential is an appreciable fraction of the injected ion energy (tens of kev). The code employed, ORACLE code EDDIE, which solves coupled, steady-state Fokker-Planck equations governing the ion and electron distributions in energy space, is discussed. (auth)

This paper reports the chemical and physical properties of the NTA film packet. It correlates with these properties the response of this packet to neutrons of various energies. In this correlation the concept of the track unit is introduced as a basic unit for reporting film-packet response.

Answers by ICPP personnel to questions asked by Eurochemic are given on a variety of subjects, including off-gas sampling systems, off-gas filtration, iodine evolution during fuel dissolution, and process cell contamination. Data are presented on the% of I/sup 131/ retained in waste solutions in the absence and presence of mercury. (D.L.C.)

Efforts have been made to experimentally evaluate and to calculate the effect of reactor environment on splines. This report follows some of these efforts and relates them to operational experience. The use of splines in the Hanford Reactors has improved the efficiency and ease of operating the reactors. With the widespread use of splines, it is important to know the effect of reactor exposure to safely and efficiently use the splines in reactor operation.