This document details activities of the Hanford Laboratories Operation during the month of March 1959. (FI)

It is deemed feasible to store reactor fuel wastes in a salt dome cavity to a depth where the differential in pressure between the soil over-burden pressure and pressure of the fluid inside the cavity does not exceed 3000 psi, and the temperature is less than 400 deg F. Tests at pressure increments of 1000 psi were conducted on a 2" cylindrical cavity contained in a 6-in. long by 6-in. cylindrical salt core. Tests indicate that the cavity exhibited complete stability under pressures to 3000 psi and temperatures to 300 deg F. At temperatures of 100 to 400 deg F and pressures to 5000 psi continuous deformation of the cavity resulted. Initial movement of the salt was observed at all pressures. This was evidenced by vertical deformation and cavity size reduction. It was noted that a point of structural equilibrium was reached at lower temperatures when the pressure did not exceed 5000 psi. A literature study reveals that the most common type of cavity utilized in liquefied petroleum gas storage is either cylindrical or ellipsoidal. A few are pear or inverted cone shaped. There was no indication of leakage for cavities when pressure tested for as long as 72 hr. …

An analysis was made of the fission-gas-release incident during the pressure pumpdown of the AE-6 Reactor resulting in the contamination of the reactor room and members of the operating staff. Descriptions are given of the normal core pumping procedures, procedural alterations during the incident, the discovery of the contamination and its possible causes, and the remedial actions taken. Steps taken to minimize the chance of the occurrence of the contamination in the future are listed. (B.O.G.)

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It is considered appropriate occasionally to make independent checks on the effectiveness of the plant laundry in removing radioactive contamination from plant-issue protective clothing. Previous surveys have offered constructive criticism resulting in improved handling of high level and soft beta contaminated clothing and incorporation in new designs of ventilating and air sampling recommendations. Recurrently the adequacy of laundry reject limits is questioned, and only recently an accurate, special study resulted in relaxed limits for Metal Preparation area clothing. A current question concerns the advisability of determining the reject level on the beta-gamma monitor more frequently than once a day. 2 tabs.

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This report has been prepared in answer to the request from the AEC contained in the letter of October 1, 1957, from A. T. Gifford, HOO to A. B. Greninger. As requested, the report is of a summary nature and a more complete discussion of many of the points considered will be found in the references listed. The report is directed primarily at C reactor but some discussion of the other reactors is also included. A description of the proposed utilization of I E slugs in C reactor together with the associated power increase schedule is presented below. The reasons for changing to the I E element are presented together with a comparison of solid and I E slugs in the C reactor. The changes being made in C reactor under CG 600 are described. The operational characteristics of the C reactor using solid and I E elements are compared and finally the nuclear safety status of all of the Hanford reactors assuming I E loadings is reviewed.

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This report summarizes work completed during the Redox Plant shutdown in January 1955. An analysis of major difficulties encountered, improvements made during the shutdown, and building design deficiencies brought to light by the shutdown are discussed. (JL)

This document details activities of the Fuels Preparation Department during the month of March 1958.

The test established that a practical orifice selecting device can be made and used to control the water flow rate to a process tube at either of two accurately calibrated rates with no loss of accuracy in flow measurement. With the selector tested, there was no flow restriction during the orifice transition. The pressure fluctuations during the change were small in magnitude, and caused no operational problem. The test demonstrated that orifice selection is feasible from operating other factors justify their use.

In numerous instances the graphite growth in the older piles has deformed the horizontal control rod holes with a resultant jamming of the rods and overstressing of the rods and thimbles. In addition, special operating procedures to maintain very low differential pressures are required with the present allowed maximum graphite temperatures to prevent collapse of the thimbles because of loss of strength at this temperature. This is currently a limit to the power level of the H Pile. This report discusses a new rod tip and seal which have been developed to allow the removal of the thimble and permit sealing at the pile face. This will allow advantage to be taken of any future increases in maximum graphite temperature with proportional increases in allowable power.

Production rates of the Hanford reactors can be increased in proportion to the quantity of process cooling water which can be supplied to them. This water must be of such a quality that slug and tube corrosion rates are acceptable, the gross activity of the effluent water must not be excessive, the concentration of specific radioactive isotopes constituting a radiological hazard must be minimized, and the film formation rates should be as low as possible. In the Hanford water treatment process, the filter plants are the controlling factor in determining the quality of the water, and one of the elements limiting the quality of water. A major development effort was therefore undertaken to develop methods of increasing the capacity of the existing filter plants. This report presents the result of this development work from its inception in 1951 to its conclusion in 1954.

In the canning operation, the preparation of aluminum components is important in assuring uniform wetting of the aluminum surfaces with Al-Si. The surfaces of the components should be free of dirt and grease and should also have a minimum retention of non-metallic film, normally aluminum oxide, for the best wetting properties. At present, dirt and grease are removed satisfactorily by a vapor degreaser followed by a Duponol-alkaline wash. The standard specified method of removing the aluminum oxide film from aluminum cans is a four-minute etch in twenty percent phosphoric acid. The oxide is removed from the caps by an eight-minute etch in twenty per cent phosphoric acid or an alternate etch of a one percent solution of hydrofluosilicic acid. If the phosphoric acid etch is not controlled properly, it is possible to form a thin, inert phosphate coating on the surface of the aluminum, which is undesirable for good wetting characteristics. In an effort to find a better etchant for aluminum components, an investigation of various commercial and non-commercial etchants was undertaken. This report details results of this investigation.

The intent of this manual is to present a description of the main process building, equipment, and auxiliary facilities as well as a process summary. Material is of a scope nature with more detail devoted to features unlike those of existing separations systems. An attempt is made to convey some of the basic design philosophy and the problems encountered in the development of design criteria. This information is written primarily for Separations Section supervision who have not had an opportunity to become conversant with the Purex Project. The manual may also be of assistance in orientation and training of personnel. In order to avoid repetition and duplication of effort, one line service diagrams, equipment sketches, tables, and detailed data are not a part of this manual.

This is the monthly report for the Hanford Laboratories Operation, September, 1957. Metallurgy, reactor fuels, chemistry, dosimetry, separation processes, reactor technology, financial activities, visits, biology operation, physics and instrumentation research, and employee relations are discussed.

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This document provides a discussion of the design features for the P-10X Project needed in Building 109-B.

Prior to the installation of improved charging machines and charging techniques serious gouging of the soft aluminum fuel element jackets was not infrequent. A certain amount of mechanical abrasion also occurs as the element is pushed over the tube ribs in the course of the loading operation. To eliminate or at least minimize mechanical damage there has been some experimentation with hard anodic coatings applied to the aluminum fuel element jackets. This report is an evaluation of thinner anodic coatings which should develop lower mechanical stresses within the oxide and should be less subject to cracking.

This is a progress report of the production reactors on the Hanford Reservation for the month of July 1952. This report takes each division (e.g., manufacturing, medical, accounting, occupational safety, security, reactor operations, etc.) of the site and summarizes its accomplishments and employee relations for that month.

As new designs, geometries, and procedures for fabricating experimental fuel elements are developed, it becomes necessary to determine how well each new product fills the need which prompted its development. While the criteria for satisfactoriness vary with the type of fuel element, there is one criterion that is common to all types designed for use in heterogeneous reactors: the elements must withstand irradiation in the reactor for the required period without jacket rupture or excessive change in dimensions. To learn whether a new type of element meets this and other requirements, a statistically significant number of representative samples must be subjected to, first, comprehensive screening tests designed to insure trouble-free performance in the reactor; next, a long-term irradiation exposure equivalent to or exceeding that which will be normal for that type of element; and finally, a thorough examination to determine the extent of quality loss resulting from the irradiation. This report discusses the application of the foregoing philosophy in the evaluation of two lots of experimental fuel elements fabricated by unconventional procedures.

This memorandum provides a discussion of material lost upon rupture of a fuel element.

This is the monthly report for the Hanford Laboratories Operation, May 1958. Reactor fuels, chemistry, dosimetry, separation processes, reactor technology, financial activities, biology operation, physics and instrumentation research, employee relations, operations research and synthesis operation, programming, radiation protection, and laboratory auxiliaries operation area discussed.