Engineering Work Requests ESE-48 & 49 established a program for performance of Qualification Approval Tests on RPC`s 0.2 and 40 meghom Carbon Composition Resistors. This report is an accounting of these tests wherein (50) samples of each component were subjected to QA tests per drawings 8O2C250 and 802C251. Tests are explained and results tabulated.

This report itemizes the irradiations performed by Testing and Irradiation Services for Battelle-Northwest. It lists the material being irradiated, awaiting disposition and material shipped during the report period. Specific data given is TISR No., Request number, Material, Piece number, operating time, CMK Absorbed, charge date, location, exposure to date, discharge date and time, and shipping date.

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This report itemizes the irradiations performed by Testing and Irradiation Services for Battelle-Northwest. It lists the materials being irradiated, awaiting disposition and materials shipped during the month of October 1967.

This report provides for each process tube the coolant flow rat (gpm) and temperature drop ({degrees}C) for the process tube containing the fuel rod bundles and for the four nearest neighboring process tubes. Reactor shutdown and startup times are also given. Peak thermal neutron flux in the adjacent fuel can be calculated.

The objective of the detailed in this document is to determine the corrosion effects resulting from a reduction of sodium dichromate inhibitor from 1.0 ppM in pH 6.6 process water.

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The saturation voltage and current characteristics of a compensated ionization chamber (Q-1045) were measured with special regard to high current and voltage ranges. The chamber can be operated at currents up to I ma with a 2000 volt power supply. (auth)

Corrosion specimens of the five major aluminum alloys used in the construction of the Oak Ridge Research Reactor have been exposed to the high- purity primary cooling water in the ORR core and in the extennal portion of the primary cooling loop to determine their corrosion rates under actual operating conditions. These alloys, 1100, 3003, 5052, 5154. and 8061, exhibited average corrosion rates of less than 2.6 mpy during the first 500-hr test period and less than 0.5 mpy for a 4032-hr test. Very superficial pitting was observed. and no case of intergranular corrosion was found. (auth)

Some of the controllable variables have been investigated in casting of lead alloys having 0.06 to 0.09 wt.% Ca. The alloy has been found to respond to solution heat-treatment, room-temperature precipitation hardening, and accelerated hardening at 100 ts C. Tensile strengths to 7000 psi have been obtained. (auth)

A test was made to determine if there is sufficient excess reactivity in the core to override a peak xenon transient and to obtain dath for rod-worth calculations. After 149.8 EFPH's of plant operation on seed 2, there was sufficient excess reactivity to override peak xenon. Criticality during peak xenon was maintained with group III and group IV rods inserted, group I rods withdrawn to approximately -69 in., and group II rods withdrawn to approximately - 29 in. The override of peak xenon occurred 8 hr and 45 min after shutdown. (W.L.H.)

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Cesium Recovery from Ores. Adaptation of the phenol extraction (Phenex) process to the recovery of cesium from ore leach liquors continued to show promise. In roast-leach tests, 98 to 99% of the cesium was dissolved from pollucite ore by roasting the ore at 800 deg C with 1.8 parts of Na/sub 2/CO/sub 3/ plus 1.2 parts of NaCl and leaching with water. More than 99% of the cesium was recovered from the leach liquor and separated from other alkali metals by extracting with 4-sec-butyl-2-( alpha -methylbenzyl)phenol (BAMBP) in diisopropylbenzene and stripping with hydrochloric acid. Santophen-1 also extracted cesium effectively, but, because of the limited solubility of the cesiumSantophen-1 complex in the diluent, the utility of this phenol in ore processing is questionable. Separation of Alkali Metals. The extraction and separation of alkali metals from nitrate solutions was studied with several different types of extractants, including substituted phenols, alkylphosphoric acids, sulfonic acids, carboxylic acids, and mixtures of some of these. With all of these reagents, cesium was extracted more strongly than rubidium, which in turn was extracted more strongly than the other alkali metals. Separation factors were higher with the phenols than with the other extractants. Acid Recovery by Amine Extraction. …

A description is given of the process and equipment for the continuous conversion of plutonium nitrate to tetrafluoride powder for reduction to Pu metal. The conversion involves oxalate precipitation, filtration, calcination, and hydrofluorination. Typical results are described; the product is a free-flowing PuF/sub 4/ with a high degree of separation from impurities. (D.L.C.)

The Stationary Low Power Reactor No. 1 is a three Mw boiling water reactor designed to demonstrate the feasibility of a nuclear reactor to supply electrical power and space heat for remote sites. In addition to performance evaluation the facility provides training for military personnel. The reactor was operated for 1159 hr during the quarter for a total core burnup of 20.3%. Power generation was 103.7 Mwd for a total power accumulation of 466.9 Mwd. Eight malfunctions occurred during the quarter for a total unscheduled downtime of 40 hr 44 min, As a result of malfunctions, aluminum keys will be installed on the control rod drives, instrument well covers were removed, and an order has been placed for a station auxiliaries breaker with a higher temperature rating. Data were taken on seven tests during the quarter. Four of these are expected to be completed during the next quarter. All equipment items on order for the SL-1 power extrapolation expansion program are scheduled to be delivered before June 15, 1960. Although condenser dampers and damper controls, process instrumentation, equipment cabinets, and the radiation monitoring equipment have not yet been ordered, construction will not be delayed. The two tie-ins to the existing …

"Nuclear Science Series" on the National Research Council. Committee on Nuclear Science.

Concrete mix design criteria, based on existing theories of proportioning and specifically oriented toward the solution of radiation shielding problems, were developed. Effects of aggregate gradation, cement-to- aggregate ratio, and water content were examined. A barytes concrete, designed according to these criteria, was thoroughly investigated in the Lid Tank Shielding Facility. Relative effectivenesses of dry aggregates, aggregates plus cement, and cured concrete were compared through thermal-neutron flux, fast- neutron dose, and gamma-ray dose measurements behind slab configurations. Attenuation was measured for the aggregate, the aggregate plus cement, and for the barytes concrete. Comparison with attenuations calculated on the basis of removal cross sections for the measured chemical compositions showed satisfactory agreement. (auth)

A description of the digital readout and drive portion of the Advanced Reactivity Measurement Facility II is presented along with the philosophy used in selecting the system block diagram and components, accuracy considerations, and a preliminary evaluation of performance and usability. The presentation discourages duplicating of the equipment; advantage should be taken of the opportunity to improve upon it. To this end guideposts are provided as well as a documentation of those aspects of the design that are considered worthy of duplication. (auth)

Temperatures were calculated relative to the storage of radioactive solid waste as a function of time and radial distance for radioactive solid cylinders in infinite solid media of "average soil," "average rock," and salt. A resistance at the cylinder--infinite medium boundary was included in the form of an air space. For the range of parameters used and withia the practical limits of accuracy, the maximum temperature rise increased linearly with the heat generation rate. The fission product spectrum was not significant in the determination of the maximum temperature rise. Under the pessimistic storage conditions assumed, the storage of cylinders of a practical size appears feasible without excessive temperature rise. A maximum temperature rise of 1000 deg F would be produced with an initial heat generation rate of 1300 to 1600 Btu/hr-ft/ sup 3/ for cylinders with a 5-in. radius, with 350 to 450 Btu/hr-ft/sup 3/ for a 10-in. radius, and with 175 to 210 Btu/hr-ft/sup 3/ for a 15-in. radius, assuming a thermal conductivity of the radioactive cylinder of 0. 1 Btu/hr-ft- deg F. (auth)

S> Thicknesses of ordinary concrete required to shield the demineralizers and filters in the HFIR primary water system were computed for normal operating conditions and for abnormal conditions such as a meltdown of the fuel within the reactor. About 4 1/2 ft, 3 1/4 ft, and 4 1/4 ft of concrete are required to shield the cation exchange unit, the anion exchange unit, and the filter unit, respectively, to the most stringent of the following radiation levels: (a) 0.75 mr/hr for normal reactor operation or reactor operation with one defective fuel plate; (b) 1 r/hr immediately following the meltdown of 1% of the fuel; and (c) 1 r/hr 24 hours following a total fuel meltdown. Shielding thicknesses may be estimated for other tolerances from

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An evaluation under simulated Pathfinder reactor operating conditions of a prototype Pathfinder control rod drive (described) indicated that the unit will perform satisfactorily under all Pathfinder operating conditions. Tests were performed on individual components of the drive and on the assembled drive. (D.C.W.)

The Blake Rhometer operating range was extended from 600 to 1000 deg F and a variable-orifice plugging meter was developed. Both instruments were evaluated in the Atomic Power Development Associates Scdium Technology Loop against weighed or metered contaminants. The loop injection series included: water, hydrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and methane gases; and tea bag injections of sodium carbonate, sodium hydride, sodium hydroxide, and sodium monoxide. Cover gas was monitored and temperature varied during and after each injection run, and the test loop cleaned by cold trapping after each run. A Continuous Hydrogen Monitor attached to the loop cover gas system and a Nickel Diffusion-Tube Hydrogen Monitor connected to the loop proper were evaluated for sensitivity and response. (auth)

Progress in fuels and materials development is reported. Irradiation tests on powdered UAl/sub 3/ intermetallic compounds demonstrated good stability and fission gas retention capabilities. Developmental aluminum powder metal products showed good corrosion resistance at high temperatures while retaining excellent high temperature strength. All of the fuel compositions tested (UO/sub 2/, U/sub 3/O/sub 8/, and UAl/sub 3/ in aluminum matrices) exhibited density decreases under irradiation. Tensile tests on sandwich-type fuel plates at elevated temperatures indicated that the fuel plate strength is strongly influenced by the core material rather than dependent primarily on the cladding material as was found true of lower (MTR) temperatures. Three capsules containing beryllium were inserted in the ETR, in order to determine strength, gas release, and growth during a high-temperature (600--800 deg C) irradiation. An MTR fuel element employing advanced metallurgical techniques to optimize the hydraulic and heat transfer characteristics was fuily irradiated in the MTR. The fuel element consisted of 32 plates containing 250 g U/sup 235/ in a U/sub 3/O/ sub 8/--Al dispersion. A prototype ETR fuel element was made without side plates. (M.C.G.)