>A 10-year program of development and construction of large-scale, sodium-cooled reactors is summarized. The current state of development of the SGR and its associated components is sufficiently advanced to permit construction of economic plants within the 10-year period. Two advanced Sodium Reactor concepts are presented. A construction program involving two reactor experiments and two full-scale plants with a capacity of 550 Mwe, together with associated development, is estimated to cost 6 million. Of this amount approximately 06 million would be borne by the AEC and the remainder by power utility companies. Escalation and construction loan interest charges are included in these figures. The cost of power from the larger power plant would be approximately 6 mills/kw-hr, based on 1959 dollars. (auth)

In order to achieve the high exhaust gas temperatures, which are desirable if the full potential of nuclear fission as an energy source for rocket propulsion is to be realized, it seems essential that the fissionable material be maintained in a gaseous mixture with the propellant. It is then necessary to separate the fissionable material from the propellant before discharging the latter, since the loss of fissionable material is prohibitive otherwise. This report presents an analytical evaluation of the characteristics of a vortex tabe which achieves the desired separation by means of a centrifugal field. Propellant is fed into the tube tangentially, at the periphery, and diffuses radially inward through a cloud of fissionable gas, picking up the fission heat as it goes. The fissionable gas is held against this radial propellant flow by the centrifugal vortex field generated by the tangentially entering propellant. The analysis involves several assumptions, the most important of which are that the flow is laminar and that it is inviscid. A set of non-linear first order differential equations is obtained which is sufficient to describe the fissionable gas concentration, temperature, and pressure distributions in the tube. These equations have been integrated numerically for a very …

An enriched I & E fuel element failed during irradiation under Production Test IP-109-AC in December, 1957. Radiometallurgical examination of this slug was requested by the IPD Process Analysis Operation. This report presents the results of the examination work.

Report discussing performance estimates for several airplanes using General Electric AC-210 ramjet nuclear-powered engines. Assumptions used for designing the engines, radiation shield, and airframe are described. Potential tradeoffs in regards to power and weight reduction are also discussed.

Report presenting performance estimates for a family of airplanes designed to cruise at Mach number 4.25 and using General Electric AC-210 ramjet engines. The airplane was designed to carry a payload of 10,000 pounds and use a crew of one. Results regarding the shield weight, engine weight, number of engines, and nozzle-velocity coefficient are provided.

"In these studies ions of several-kilovolts energy were extracted from an ion source located inside one of the peaks of the mirror field...The extraction slot of the source is located near the field injection plane, about midway between the mirror peak and the center, and ions are injected perpendicularly to magnetic field lines. In their traversal of the distance between the mirrors, the ions are in an inhomogeneous magnetic field and have a component of velocity along curved field lines. This gives rise to a to a 'guiding center' drift in the azimuthal direction and prevents the particle trajectory from intersecting the ion source after the first reflection. The magnetic field is increased during the injection period by an amount sufficient to move the reflection surface inside the ion source region by the time the ions have precessed completely about the symmetry axis."

This report addresses the conversion chemistry of plutonium nitrate.

Abstract: "Measurements have been made on pseudo-cylindrical graphite-enriched uranium unreflected systems. These measurements include both critical mass determinations and time dependent measurements using a pulsed neutron source to drive the assemblies."

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A general program has been written to plot curves on the Oracle curve plotter. A description of the code and complete instructions for preparation of input tapes and operation of the code are given. The code tape is available from the Mathematics Panel or from the author.

From Summary: "The over-all component performance characteristics of a J71 experimental three-stage turbine with 97 percent design stator areas were determined over a range of speed and pressure ratio at inlet-air conditions of approximately 35 inches of mercury absolute and 700 degrees R. The turbine break internal efficiency at design operating conditions was 0.877; the maximum efficiency of 0.886 occurred at a pressure ratio of 4.0 at 120 percent of design equivalent rotor speed. In general, the turbine yielded a wide range of efficient operation, permitting flexibility in the choice of different modes of engine operation."

"An experimental investigation of the internal-flow conditions of a J71 experimental turbine equipped with 97-percent-design stator areas was conducted at equivalent design speed and near equivalent design work. The results of the investigation indicate that the stage work distribution closely approximates design, the actual distribution being 44.1, 33.4, and 22.5 percent for the first, second, and third stages, respectively. The first-, second-, and third-stage efficiencies were 0.894, 0.858, and 0.792, respectively" (p. 1).

Report presenting a high-pressure-ratio axial-flow turbojet engine in the altitude wind tunnel to determine the effect of inlet-duct length on engine operation. Data were obtained with a short bellmouth inlet and a 20-foot duct section of uniform diameter between the inlet and compressor. Results regarding the steady-state characteristics, acceleration characteristics, compressor stall limits, and surge characteristics are provided.

Limitations on the maximum temperature of the pile moderator have been imposed to prevent or control the gasification reaction of the graphite stack with the pile gas atmosphere. An uncontrolled reaction would cause a loss of structural strength, density, and thermal conductivity and would thus result in an unnecessary shortening of the effective operating life of the HAPO piles. Numerous studies have been made to define the rates of reaction of the pile stack with various components of the pile gas and the influence on these rates of various pile operating conditions. Based on these studies, maximum graphite temperature has been so restricted that after 10 years of pile operation the graphic stack has sustained less than 1% oxidation (based on recent experimental data). As pile power levels increased, the maximum graphite temperature has also increased and will increase still more as present and future power level programs are completed. In order to evaluate the effect on the graphite stack of the present programs, and to some extent determine the feasibility of future programs, a more realistic approach to the question of structural integrity and oxidation versus pile life is necessary. It is the purpose of this report to summarize …

Data on the effects of oxidation on the compressive strength of graphite are presented. Results indicate that a rapid decrease in compressive strength in unirradiated graphite during initial oxidation, with a more gradual decrease during further oxidation. Irradiated samples exhibited greater compressive strength than non-irradiated. (J.R.D.)

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"Tests have been conducted in the Langley 8-foot transonic tunnel on a 0.04956-scale model of the Convair F-102A airplane which employed an indented and extended fuselage, cambered wing leading edges, and deflected wing tips. Force and moment characteristics were obtained for Mach numbers from 0.60 to 1.135 at angles of attack up to 20 degrees. In addition, tests were made over a limited angle-of-attack range to determine the effects of the cambered leading edges, deflected tips, and a nose section with a smooth area distribution" (p. 1).

Report presenting performance testing of a supersonic compressor designed for a tip speed of 1400 feet per second, a pressure ratio of 2.0, and a corrected weight flow of 30.5 pounds per second. The overall performance results of the rotor alone at design speed gave a pressure ratio of 2.17, an adiabatic efficiency of 89 percent, and a weight flow of 28 pounds per second. A comparison with the predicted design results is provided.

Report presenting an investigation of transient operation of a turboprop engine in an altitude wind tunnel at 35,000 feet over a range of Mach numbers to determine the effect of flight speed upon the dynamic response of the engine. The generalized time constant of the engine-propeller combination varied with flight speed and power level.

An electrical conductivity technique was developed to determine the dilution-displacement rate of an electrolyte in a well from which data the velocity of the water through the well can be calculated. The electrical current flow between two of the electrodes in a well drops proportionately with the dilution and the displacement of the electrolyte by fresh water entering the well. The drop of electrical current flow over a period of time was applied to a derived equation to obtain a value for ground water velocity. The technique gives results comparable to other methods and some problems of the standard methods of measuring ground water velocity are eliminated. However, a correction factor for porosity of the aquifier must be used in the derived equation. Porosity values are not adequately known in most cases, therefore the ground water velocity figures are generally relative rather than absolute.