This is the monthly report for the Hanford Laboratories Operation October 1962. Reactor fuels, chemistry, dosimetry, separation processes, reactor technology, financial activities, biology operation, physics and instrumentation research, operations research and synthesis, programming, and radiation protection operation are discussed.

Document issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Will Wilson, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Whether the Commissioner of the General Land Office should collect certain annual rentals on oil and gas leases as provided in such leases, which provisions are in conflict with Article 5344, V.C.S.

Document issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Will Wilson, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Term of office of Members of the House of Representatives, and related questions.

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Technical progress in specific reactor projects and in general engineering research and development is reported. The information is presented in five main sections for each of which a separate abstract was prepared. (J.R.D.)

The inelastic interactions of negative pi mesons with protons at 374, 417, and 454 Mev incident pi kinetic energy are studied by measuring the differential distributions of finalstate neutrons. The pi source is an internal target of the Berkeley 184-inch synchrocyclotron. A magnetic beamtransport system momentum-anaiyzes and focuses the pi beam at a liquid hydrogen target located in an adjacent shielded experimental area. The time-of- flight distribution of neutral particles is measured at various laboratorysystem angles between 10 and 65 deg. Neutral particles are detected by observing the charged products of their interactions in plastic scintillator. The time-of- flight information is determined electronically by time-to-height conversion and pulse-height analysis. The time resolution of the total system is 1.0 nsec. Detected neutral particles accompanied by charged particles are separated by the electronic system from those not accompanied by charged particles. Analysis presuming the principal inelastic reactions to be pi /sup -/p yields pi /sup +/ pi /sup -/n and pi /sup -/p yields pi /sup 0/ pi /sup 0/n separates the time-of-flight spectra into gamma rays, neutrons from the reaction pi /sup -/p yields pi /sup 0/n, and inelastic neutrons. Calculated values of the neutron- detection efficiency are used in the …

An experimental program to evaluate the performance of FCR and EFCR fuel during transient operation is outlined, and the initial series of tests are described in some detail. Test results from five experiments in the TREAT reactor, using 1-in. OD SS-clad UO/sub 2/ fuel specimens, are compared with regard to fuel temperatures, mechanical integrity, and post-irradiation appearance. Incipient fuel pin failure limits for transients are identified with maximum fuel temperatures in the range of 7000 deg F. Multiple transient damage to the cladding is likely for transients above the melting point of the fuel. (auth)

From abstract: "This section, Part II, extends the comparison of two ceramic fuel systems to include the fuel cycle cost comparison in greater detail particularly with respect to fabrication and reprocessing unit costs."

An experimental program to evaluate the performance of FCR and EFCR fuel during transient operation is outlined, and the initial series of tests are described in some detail. Test results from five experiments in the TREAT reactor, using 1-in. OD SS-clad UO₂ fuel specimens, are compared with regard to fuel temperatures, mechanical integrity, and post-irradiation appearance. Incipient fuel pin failure limits for transients are identified with maximum fuel temperatures in the range of 7000 deg F. Multiple transient damage to the cladding is likely for transients above the melting point of the fuel.

This memorandum outlines the area of interest in connection with the SSBN launch application, on modification of the Tory II-C control rod system; and suggest a plan of development of information. Because of the very limited space for overall missile length, little room is available for control rod motion upstream from the core. Shortening the rod stroke, and the total length occupied by control rod mechanism., becomes very desirable. Changes in the actuator and linkage mechanism will clearly help, and should be investigated. However, this is concerned only with neutronic aspects.