Abstract. Refractory metals and their alloys are good container materials for alkali metal coolants. Thermodynamics of interaction with contaminants have been correlated with experimental test and show the need for high purity materials. Structural metal solubility data to 1600F can be used to correlate and predict engineering systems.

This technical report provides a design criteria for a technical support facility for the Lithium Cooled Reactor Experiment (LCRE) and SNAP-50-DR-1 Test Facilities. The support facility is adjacent to the LCRE Test Facility and is located completely within the existing Building 629 structure at the former ANP area of the National Reactor Testing Station (NRTS) near Idaho Falls, Idaho. The information and specifications presented establish the basis for the design of laboratories, shops and engineering areas required to support the installation, operation, maintenance and disassembly of the LCRE and SNAP-50 tests. The construction and modification required to adapt the building to reactor test support operations are described in detail in the following report.

A series of W-5 Re/W-26 Re thermocouples have been electron beam welded at the Hamilton Standard Division at our request. This technical report is a summary of our evaluation of these joints. These weldments did exhibit incomplete fusion in cap welds and some porosity in undesirable lead junction shapes. In fairness, this was a single attempt to make a difficult joint, and the objective of ungrounded 1/16 OD clad joints was met. As noted by Hamilton, two changes are necessary to improve this joint design: (1) swaging to forming the clad end rather than crimping prior to cap welding. (2) using a fixture with rotary motion on a tilting axis.

This technical report provides design criteria for reactor test facilities utilizing existing structures at the former ANP area of the National Reactor Testing Station (NRTS) near Idaho Falls, Idaho. The information and specifications presented establish the basis for the design of facilities providing the capability for installation, extended nuclear testing and remote disassembly of the 10mw Lithium-Cooled Reactor Experiment (LCRE). Facility structural and process design has been developed to the extent required to assure the safety and technical feasibility of the proposed facilities for reactor operation.

The favorable combination of physical properties such as heat capacity, viscosity, electrical resistivity, thermal conductivity and high temperature liquid range make alkali metals, in principle, among the best heat transfer fluids available for use in nuclear reactor and other esoteric powerplant systems. Unfortunately, many of these properties are not known with sufficient certainty in the high temperature region to permit optimization of design criteria for developing maximum efficiency coolant systems. For this reason, Pratt & Whitney Aircraft-CANEL, have been concerned for some time in extending the physical properties data of alkali liquid metals in the high temperature region. A supplemental program is being initiated to study some of the properties of alkali metals in the gas phase. This information is required for designing systems where the alkali vapor is the working fluid. In addition, programs are under way to study the solubility of noble gases in alkali liquid metals and wetting characteristics of these liquid metals with structural materials.

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.