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Activities reported include: metallurgical work; development and fabrication of high-temperature cermets; stabilization of urania; development of small-diameter, thin-walled tungsten tubing; cladding high-temperature cermet fuels; properties of high-temperature materials; evaluation of high-temperature cermets; nondestructive testing of ultrahigh-temperature reactor components; and irradiation of high-temperature cermet fuels.

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This report addresses the comparison of SNAP-50/SPUR System with MHD, Brayton, boiling reactor and thermionic systems.

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This report details post-irradiation annealing studies at 610 and 630 C which have shown that a submicron dispersion of UC in uranium is effective in reducing mobility of fission gases in uranium irradiated to 1.4 {times} 10{sup 20} fissions/cc (0.3 percent burnup). Electron microscopy of both the as-irradiated and the annealed samples show that a large population of less than 0.1{mu} UC particles develops which is believed to be responsible for the decreased swelling during annealing. Uranium fuel elements containing 390 ppm Fe and 840 ppm aluminum shows substantially less swelling both during irradiation and during post-irradiation annealing than uranium containing 140 ppm Fe and 120 ppm Si. Zircaloy-2 clad thorium-uranium fuel continues to show excellent performance in a pressurized water loop. Fuel swelling is currently 1.0 percent at an exposure of 3.7 {times} 10{sup 20} fissions/cc (11,000 MWD/T).

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The purpose of this memorandum is to firm up requests for uranium oxide fuel elements. This first priority is to have two fuel columns fabricated for irradiation testing.

This report covers the activities with regard to on-site customer irradiations as of the above date. The report covers the status of material undergoing irradiation awaiting dispositions material shipped during the months and current status of all reactor test holes. The integrated exposure values are calculated in accordance with HW-62781, ``Status Report Equations.`` The integrated exposure reported is the average exposure received by the surrounding uranium columns. Conversion to exposure received by the sample is left to the customer.

This report, from the Chemical Processing Department at HAPO, discusses the following: Production operation; Purex and Redox operation; Finished products operation; maintenance; Financial operations; facilities engineering; research; and employee relations.

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This report discusses the production of weapon grade plutonium and tritium as an economically attractive mode of operation for N-Reactor. With the successful completion of the proposed research and development program coproduct production in N-Reactor could begin in January 1967. Approximately 5 kg of tritium could be produced at a reduction in unit total cost of up to $7 per gram equivalent when compared to other modes of operation of N-Reactor that yield only-weapon grade plutonium. Achieving this production level and unit cost requires a fuel and target design that will subject the materials to more severe temperature and exposure conditions than for the tube-in-tube design. Analyses of existing knowledge and experimental results obtained to date are very encouraging. However, there is a continuing need for additional experimental verification of the limiting conditions for both fuel and target to permit the specification of a production fuel and target design. The incremental cost of this program is estimated to be $1,055 million in FY-1965, $0.796 million in FY-1966 and $0.450 million in FY-1967 for a total of $2.3 million. The principal benefits to be derived from this expenditure of research and development funds are lower unit grade plutonium. When the reactor …