Abstract: The tensile and yield strengths of both cast and wrought uranium discs were substantially increased by explosively impacting them at room temperature and at 375 deg F. However, the room-temperature impacting caused gross damage in the cast material and slight internal damage in the wrought material at the highest impacting pressures. Impacting at 375 deg F, which is just above the brittle-ductile transition temperature for uranium, was the most effective method for increasing the strengths with no damage to either the cast or wrought material. This impacted material retained some of its increased strength after a low temperature (425 deg C) vacuum anneal that greatly increased the elongation. A salt anneal caused a partial recrystallization in the impacted cast uranium. (auth).

This interim report details the irradiation testing of co-product fuel-target assemblies in KER loops 3 and 4 which was authorized by PT-IP-645-D. The purpose was to demonstrate and characterize the simultaneous generation of plutonium and tritium during the irradiation of simulated N-Reactor co-product assemblies. Thirteen assemblies, each consisting of a 1.25% enriched outer fuel or driver tube and an inner, coaxial, lithium bearing target rod, were loaded in KER-3 and irradiated to approximately to approximately 1300 MWD/T tube average at N-Reactor conditions. One of the important aspects of the test was the fuel swelling performance in the large, tubular, enriched driver elements. This report describes the fuel swelling behavior of the driver elements.

This report discusses the irradiation testing of thick-walled single-tube, 1.6% enriched test elements (KSE-5`s) in KER loops 1 and 2 to evaluate swelling behavior of uranium at high temperatures. Test charge K-2-21 consisted of four KSE-5`s containing uranium with 400 ppm iron and 800 ppm aluminum. The object of the test irradiation was to establish the swelling performance of the fuel containing the iron-aluminum additions using the N-fuel composition as a reference fuel. This latter fuel has shown good high temperature performance in the British high-temperature gas-cooled reactors, but has not previously been evaluated at ``high`` specific powers in a high-temperature pressurized-water reactor environment.

The General Electric Company, as contractor to the AEC at Hanford, is proposing to modify the fuel loading of one or more of the IPD production reactors for the purpose of producing ``clean`` U-232 as a coproduct with plutonium. The isotope, U-233, with low (3-5 ppM) U-232 content, is expected to become a material with important nuclear applications. The IPD reactors are well suited to produce clean U-233. A proposal to produce 200 kg of U-233 for critical experiments for the AEC`s seed-and-blanket reactor program have been made in response to recent AEC inquiries. The production of such large quantities of U-233, on the schedule requested, would require nearly full utilization of the IPD reactors for a period of about half a year. This report, therefore, is intended to evaluate the nuclear safety of the IPD reactors whose entire loadings have been altered to coproduce U-233 and Pu-239. The coproduct loading will involve irradiating thorium oxide target elements. Excess reactivity to support the target material will be furnished by slightly enriched uranium, charged in tubes separate from the thoria. The expected fuel-to-target ratio is about 5.5 in the reactor cores and two in the reactor fringes. A full technical hazards …

Normally, in the flow of a flashing liquid through a pipe, it is assumed that the location of the choking phenomenon, if it exists, is at the exist of the pipe. Experiments have indicated that thee are circumstances under which choking can occur at the entrance instead. These experiments were performed to study the flashing of initially-compressed water through short lengths of pipe with length/diameter ratios of up to 20. Entrance configurations considered included sharp and rounded transitions and conical passages of 20- and 45-degree tapers. Upstream pressure ranged from 115 to 1,800 psia and in all instances, the upstream pressures were much greater than the saturation values. In most cases, choking of the flow was incurred when the liquid entering the pipe was required to depressurize to the saturation pressure (or below) when accelerating through the reduction at the entrance. Axial pressure surveys demonstrated that the pressure at the entrance of the pipe during choked conditions was the saturation pressure. It remained at the saturation value regardless of upstream pressure and the pressure distribution along the remainder of the pipe.

The purpose of this test was to demonstrate and characterize the simultaneous generation of plutonium and tritium. The data charged was February 10, 1964 at 12:00 noon. The fuel elements were thirteen 26.1 inch co-product test assemblies. The fuel was exposed for a total of 2,828 hours and at run conditions for 2,288 hours. The date discharged was June 7, 1964. Goal exposure was met.

For the test detailed in this report, the charge consisted of three NIEL fuel elements, two lithium-aluminum target elements, and front and rear crud probe train assemblies containing four ceramic fueled crud probes as authorized by PT IP-601. The objectives of these tests were to evaluate the crud forming characteristics of loop coolant containing ammonium hydroxide for pH control by operating at conditions generally regarded to induce high crud concentrations and to provide lithium-aluminum samples which may be used to determine production and extraction information.

Production Test IP-544-A authorized the irradiation testing of coextruded Zr-2 jacketed, single tube, thick walled, 1.6 percent enriched tubular elements (KSE-5`s) in KER loops 1 and 2 to evaluate swelling behavior at high uranium temperatures. This PT was intended to permit the evaluation of uranium swelling at N-reactor environmental conditions but at considerably higher uranium temperatures than those occurring in N-reactor fuel. Evaluation of the fuel performances at the authorized maximum fuel temperatures in the 550--600 C temperature range is essential in the design and analysis of single tube fuel elements for use in N-reactor. The test was subsequently supplemented to authorize the irradiation of uranium fuel containing up to 3000 ppm alloying agents for the evaluation of swelling behavior at the high uranium temperatures. This report describes the swelling behavior of a charge of 8 KSE-5 fuel elements irradiated in KER loop 1 to appproximately 2500 MWD/T as Test K-1-22. KER Test K-1-22 is similar (except for exposure level) to KER Test K-2-21 in which a charge of 8 KSE-5 fuel elements were irradiated to 1500 MWD/T. In both tests the charges consisted of 4 KSE-5`s containing uranium with low iron and silicon additions (N-reactor fuel composition) and 4 …

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On February 16, 1963 Production Test IP-573-1 was conducted at the K reactors to provide data to revaluate the adequacy of the last-ditch crosstie system. This test was run subsequent to rigorous mechanical cleaning of the crosstie system piping (January 9, 1963); therefore the resulting data reflects essentially clean line conditions. On November 1, 1963, approximately 8-1/2 months after the above-mentioned tests, a series of steady-state tests were conducted under authorization of Production Test IP-628-I. These tests vere designed to accomplish four major objectives: To evaluate the change in flow capability,of the crosstie system since the last test series; to test the ``worst case of crosstie flow capability. (This vas not run in February); to obtain hydraulic data pertinent to a proposed Modified Secondary System; and to obtain pressure drop and flow data on the crosstie system during flushing in order to revaluate the system adequacy, i.e., capacity, at a later date by comparing flushing data. This report contains the numerical results of the pressure and flow data obtained during these tests.

The primary object of the C2 tests for the NRX- A reactor support system is to survey the capabilities of the structure.

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This report covers the development of a tie plate to capsule weld. This work was done in the Westinghouse Headquarters Manufacturing Metals Joining Laboratory.

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An instrument has been developed for the detection of uranium dust in the atmosphere. The principle feature of this device is its ability to indicate a gross release of alpha radiation within a few minutes of its occurrence. The unit will sound an alarm when either the indicated level or the rate of increase exceeds preset values above normal background variations. (auth)

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The purpose of the report is to discuss the hydrogen flow experiment that was conduced in the Fluid Flow Laboratory.

Report issued by the University of California Lawrence Radiation Laboratory discussing a method of updating library circulation records on an IBM 1401 computer. The report describes the methods of generating and updating the records using transaction cards to create computer tapes that are sorted and updated to prepare current reports of circulation information.

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