The following document describes the usage and results of sending pulsed beams of electrically charged particles with electrically wide range of pulse lengths and pulse repetition rates.

Quarterly progress report on Accurate Nuclear Fuel Burnup Analysis project.

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.

Technical report describes how glasses and crystals subjected to ionizing radiation develop absorption bands and become colored. The coloring of defects can be used to determine how nuclear reactor induced defects anneal out or disappear as an irradiated sample is heated.

A potential performance limitation of superheat fuel is the susceptibility of the fuel cladding to low cycle fatigue failure. Two simplified analytical methods are presented to estimate the cyclic lifetime of circular superheat fuel cladding. One failure relation is based on a displacement method. The other failure relation is based on a stress method. These relations were compared with data from the literature, and with data involving damage obtained by Reynolds. A recommended design procedure involving the relations is presented. The technique was applied to the SADE 4B experiment with moderate success. These cycling relations involve only mechanical damage imposed by cycling, with a modification for additional damage caused by radiation; they do not include any other potential performance limiting mechanisms, such as stress corrosion, which are normally factored into the over-all fuel design. This work work done under Task C (Materials Development) of the Nuclear Superheat Project, AEC Contract AT(04-3)-189 - Project Agreement 13.

The development of high-energy charged particle accelerators such as the Bevatron and of improved nuclear-event detection devices such as the Berkeley 72-in. hydrogen bubble chamber has greatly increased the need for high-speed data reduction of nuclear events. Full exploitation of the potential of the 72-in. bubble chamber demands a very high-speed analysis system. This paper describes an approach to such a system.

Data relating to the binary and ternary systems involving beryllium oxide are presented . The survey deals with all available literature up to December 1962.

Technical report investigates creating a microbeam of deuterons to simulate cosmic rays and the results of brain irradiation, irradiation of the eye, and irradiation of hair follicles of mice. The report's conclusion was that "astronauts exposed to heavy primary particles over a period of some weeks would be expected to develop gray hairs, but this is the only significant biological damage they would suffer."

This technical report introduces "some approximations into the basic quantum mechanical theory" so that the theory of the covalent bond and the molecular orbital method "can be combined into one which will yield quantitative rather than qualitative binding energies and cohesive energies and also distinct energy levels and band structure." This approach will provide a common method "suitable to both solid state physicists and physical chemists, for calculating the energy levels in metals and complex molecules." This report also contains figures detailing the findings. (Quotations taken from introduction)

Abstract: The boron-carbon equilibrium diagram has been determined by X-ray, metallographic, and thermal analysis of sintered and arc-cast alloys. A single carbide having a range of solubility from approximately 9 to 20 a/o carbon and melting congruently exists in the system. The terminal solubility of carbon in boron is 0.1-0.2a/o. The freezing reaction at the composition and melting temperature of elemental boron; there is a eutectic reaction at 29a/o carbon and 2375 degrees Celcius. No allotropy of boron was observed.

Tests were run at the General Electric Company, Atomic Power Equipment Department, to determine the burnout conditions for a non-uniformly heated rod in an annular geometry.

From abstract: "The divalent metal ions of calcium, magnesium, nickel, and strontium are eluted from a cation exchange column with 1.5M nitric acid and separated from trivalent rare earths, aluminum and yttrium. Prior sequential elution of other metal ions with hydrochloric acid in acetone-water or with dilute hydrofluoric acid does not interfere with the present separation method."

This technical report introduces a new method to capture entire cell populations in the intestines of rats, which have been continuously exposed to radiation.This report finds that the "total number of cells per crypt found after 5 days of irradiation decreases with increasing dose rate." This report includes four figures and two tables detailing findings.

Test work was completed on development of a stripping method for the amine extraction (Amex) process which produces a concentrated uranyl nitrate solution for shipment to the refinery. This procedure offers potential cost savings by simplifying the overall mill-refinery flowsheet. The process involves treatment of the amine extract with calcium nitrate solution to convert the uranium in the solvent to a nitrate complex, stripping the uranium with water or dilute nitric acid, and recovery of nitrate from the solvent for recycle by contact with a lime slurry.

Abstract: The exhibit shows that colloidal aggregates (10 to 20 mu) of human serum albumin I131 may be used safely by intravenous injection to perform photoscans of the heart, liver, spleen, stomach, and salivary glands in man. Large particle size suspensions (10 to 50 mu) of the same material are being investigated experimentally in animals for scanning the lungs after intravenous injection and the brain following injection into an internal carotid artery. The advantages of this test material are the relatively low radiation exposure to the target organs and the number of organs that may be examined. Radiation exposure is low because of the rapid turnover in the target organs and removal from the body, mainly by urinary excretion, within 72 hours. The mechanism of liver-spleen localization with this organic colloid is the same as for inorganic colloidal radiogold198, namely, rapid removal from the blood by the phagocytic cells of the liver and spleen. However, in contrast to the inorganic colloid, which remains in the phagocytic cells permanently, albumin is digested by proteolytic enzymes and the I131 abel is set free to re-enter the general circulation. With the thyroid blocked, the I131 is excreted mainly in the urine as free …

It has been observed that energetic gaseous ions mark their region of impingement on certain metals in color. Under identical conditions of bombardment, multicharged ions of the same gas mark their impact areas with different colors. The colors are sensitive to the type and energy of the ion as well as to the metal bombarded. These colors may result from reflections from thin films formed by reactions at the target. Because the colors indicate that thicker films are produced with increased ion energy, ion penetration depth as predicted by theory is compared with the depth indicated by the colors observed.

A series of exponential experiments were performed using Consolidated Edison Thorium Reactor oxide type fuel pins in a light water lattice. These experiments were performed in a new facility where measurements were made at temperatures up to 468 F. In addition, boric acid was added to the system in various concentrations. The main objective of these experiments was to obtain the change in material buckling for the system as operating conditions were changed from ambient temperature to high temperature.

Tory 11-A, the first experimental reactor in the Pluto nuclear ramjet program, will be tested in late 1960 at the Nevada Test Site of the Atomic Energy Commission. The fundamental objective of Tory II-A is to demonstrate that a high power density, high-temperature, air-cooled reactor can be successfully designed, constructed, and operated. This application places requirements on the reactor control system which are considerably more stringent than those found in previous reactor systems, both from the standpoint of radiation environment and system performance. To fulfill the system requirements a high-performance reactor control system has been designed and built; control actuation hardware has been developed which can withstand the high-radiation environment of Tory LI-A. This actuation system features radiation-tolerant electrohydraulic components: actuators, servo-valves, solenoid valves, feedback transducers, accumulators and associated hydraulic components. To provide high reliability against undesired shutdowns while carrying out high power level transients, the Tory 11-A control philosophy includes a new concept in reactor safety: reliance on a nonlocking, fast-reset safety system during accident situations. The fast-reset system acts so as to hold the programmed power level rather than initiating an irreversible "scram" action. A reactor "scram", if tolerated, could produce thermal shocks which would seriously damage the …

In 1947 Bauer, and later independently Huntley (1948), pointed out that the helium content of iron meteorites as measured by Paneth and coworkers could be accounted for by the accumulation through cosmic-ray production rather then the decay of uranium and thorium. Bauer (1947) also predicted that the meteroitic helium should contain a significant proportion of He3. I was realized that by studying the effects of cosmic radiation on meteorites much could be learned about the history of meteorite and cosmic radiation. Chemical and instrumental techniques have been developed for the isolation, purification, and measurement of cosmic-ray-induced C14 in both stone and iron meteorites. The isolation of carbon from the silicate materials is done by fusion in an oxidizing flux in a vacuum system. From the iron meteorites the carbon is recovered by the decomposition of the metal in nitric acid in a closed system.

From introductory paragraphs: "The central problems in neutron research are the understanding of nuclear structure and the study of the properties of nuclear particles, particularly the properties of the neutron. The most fruitful attack on these problems is the determination of the probability of interactions between neutrons and nuclei, i.e., the measurement of neutron cross sections. Ideally, this involves the study of all possible types of neutron interaction with all available nuclei at all neutron energies...The discussion in this paper will omit the interactions leading to neutron productions, and will be limited to the intersections of neutrons with stable nuclei."

This report measures the cross sections of isotopes for 14.5 MeV neutrons and compares the author's results with calculated and existing literature values.

The following report is the third Quarterly Report in a series whose investigative purpose is to determine the extent to which zirconium and zirconium alloys exhibit delayed failure as caused by a combination of absorbed hydrogen and applied stress.

In the Sulfex process, stainless steel cladding, generally 304-L, is removed from fuel elements by dissolution in boiling four to six molar sulfuric acid. When cladding removal is complete, the decladding solution is removed is removed to waste. The exposed fuel cores are rinsed and dissolved in nitric acid.

A process was developed in which stainless steel-clad UO2 fuel rods are fabricated by high-temperature coextrusion. The process has a potential of being a more economical method for the preparation of stainless steel-clad UO2 fuel rods than the conventional pellet process. Consequently, it was considered advantageous to evaluate the irradiation characteristics of fuel rods fabricated in this manner. Therefore, 24 coextruded fuel rods were manufactured for evaluation in a reactor. The required amounts of UO2 and clad were soaked in separate containers at 1875 and 760 degree C, respectively. The containers were removed from their respective furnaces and were coextruded in one pass. A force of 450 to 475 tons was used, and a reduction ratio of 18 to 1 was obtained. The coextruded rods were cut to the approximate length, and the ends were sealed with an acid-resistant tape. The carbon steel can covering the stainless steel clad was removed by immersion in 1:1 nitric acid for 20 minutes. The rods were visually inspected, the specified lengths of clad and fuel were obtained by machining, and the correct diameter was obtained by belt sanding. The fabrication of the fuel rods was completed by inserting the plenum support tubes and …