An interfacial viseometer was built for use in an interfacial phenomena study. Installation of a 6-in.-ID foam separation column system was completed. The dispersiondrying-sintering characteristics of six low-nitrate batches of thoria sol material were studied. The average effective porosity of the CuO pellets used for reactor helium purification was determined to be 0.0545 for H/ sub 2/ transport and 0.0526 for CO transport. In continuous Zirflex dissolution studies, no H/sub 2/O/sub 2/ decomposition was observed when 10% H/sub 2/O/sup 2 was fed into boiling dissoivent through a water-cooled nozzle and the oxygen concentration in the scrubbed off-gas could be used to control the H/sub 2/O/sub 2/ concentration in the dissolver. The free fluoride in Zirflex solutions must be maintained above 1 molar in order to prevent uranium precipitation at low concentrations of uranium even though the F/sup -//U ratio exceeds 100. Chopped stainless steel-clad UO/sub 2/ sections were leached in a 4 stage pyrex leacher model using 6, 7, and 8 M nitric acid as the dissolvent. The temperature distribution expected within fuel elements consisting of square arrays of tubes was calculated for shipping conditions assuming heat to be transferred only by radiation. HETS values were calculated for uranium stripping …

Engineering studies of a 6-in.-ID countercurrent foam column were started. The capacity of Mark II Stacked Clone Contactor was found to be limited by gradually increasing entrainment. Thoria sols were prepared from trough denitrator products in a conical bottom tank agitated by circulation through an external centrifugal pump. Experimental results agreed favorably with predicted results for the reaction of CO with CuO and fur the simultaneous reactions of H/ sub 2/ and CO with CuO. In a 2-in. dissolver, Modified Zirflex dissolution rates of Zircaloy-2 increased non-linearly with F/S. The 250-ton prototype shear was received and installed. Priorities were established for development work on graphite fuels. A total of 5 SR Core I fuel clusters were mechanically dejacketed from the second carrier shipment of SRE Core I fuel. Degradation of NaK to a solid or waxy form required that the slugs be ejected by the jackscrew. The NaK disposal system operated satisfactorily for the Iast ~3000 ml of NaK. A procedure for estimating the temperature rise of spent reactor fuels during shipping gives reasonably good results. A puIse column was operated with the light phase c nt-nuous using an external phase separator. Zirconium ates were dissolved by HF in molten …