The performances of aqueous-homogeneous (AHBR), molten-salt (MSBR), liquid-bismuth (LBBR), gas-cooled graphite-moderated (GGBR), and deuterium- moderated gas-cooled (DGBR) breeder reactors were evaluated in respect to fuel yield, fuel cycle costs, and development status. A net electrical plant capability of 1000 Mwe was selected, and the fuel and fertile streams were processed continuously on-site. The maximum annual fuel yields were 1.5 mills/ kwhr. The minimum estimated fuel cycle costs were 0.9, 0.6, 1.0, 1.2, and 1.3 mills/kwhr at fuel yields of were 0.9, 0.9, 1.5, 1.5, and 1.3 mills/kwhr. Only the AHBR and the MSBR are capable of achieving fuel yields substantially in excess of 4%/yr, and therefore, in view of the uncertainties in nuclear data and efficiencies of processing methods, only these two can be listed with confidence as being able to satisfy the main criterion of the AEC longrange thorium breeder program, viz. a doubling time of 25 years or less. The development effort required to bring the various concepts to the stage where a prototype station could be designed was estimated to be least for the AHBR, somewhat more for the MSBR, and several times as much for the other systems. The AHBR was judged to rank first in …

The performances of aqueous-homogeneous (AHBR), molten-salt (MSBR), liquid-bismuth (LBBR), gas cooled graphite-moderated (GGBR), and deuterium-moderated gas-cooled (DGBR) breeder reactors were evaluated in respect to fuel yield, fuel cycle costs, and development status. A net electrical plant capability of 1000 Mwe was selected, and the fuel and fertile streams were processed continuously on-site.

The performances of aqueous-homogeneous (AHBR), molten-salt (MSBR), liquid-bismuth (LBBR), gas-cooled graphite-moderated (GCBR), and deuterium- moderated gascooled (DGBR) breeder reactors were evaluated in respect to fuel yield, fuel cycle costs, and development status. A net electrical plant capability of 1000 Mwe was selected with continuous processing of fuel and fertile streams. The maximum annual fuel yields were 16, 7, 4, 4, and 4.5%/yr, respectively at a fuel cycle cost of 1.5 mills/kwhr. The minimum estimated fuel cycle costs were 0.9, 0.6, 1.0, 1.2, and 1.3 mills/kwhr at fuel yields of 7, 1, 1, 2, and 3%/yr. At a fuel yield of 4%/yr, the costs were 0.9, 0.9, 1.5, 1.5, and 1.3 mills/kwhr. Only the AHBR and the MSBR are capable of achieving fuel yields substantially in excess of 4%/yr, and therefore only these two can be listed with confidence as being able to satisfy the mdin criterion of the AEC long-range thorium breeder program i.e., a doubling time of 25 years or less. The development effort required to bring the various concepts to the stage where a prototype station could be designed was estimated to be least for the AHBR, somewhat more for the MSBR, and several times as much for …

The performances of aqueous-homogeneous (AHBR), molten-salt (MSBR), liquid-bismuth (LBBR), gas-cooled graphite-moderated (GCBR), and deuterium-moderated gas-cooled (DGBR) breeder reactors were evaluated in respect to fuel yield, fuel cycle costs, and development status. A net electrical plant capability of 1000 Mwe was selected, and the fuel and fertile streams were processed continuously on-site.

Design and construction specifications to be followed in the development of the reactor, its associated systems and experimental facilities, and the housing and required services for the facility are presented. The testing procedures to be used are outlined. (D.C.W.)

Graphs have been made which show the nuclearly safe parameters for uranium rods in light water with uranium enrichments up to five weight percent U-235. These data were to serve as a guide to those persons who may be involved with the maintenance of nuclear safety in handling and processing operations with slightly enriched uranium fuel elements. The data are applicable to fuel element fabrication and processing operations, and in general to those operations involving the handling and storage of fuel elements apart from reactors.

The flowsheet visualized from development work thus far for final plutonium recovery and purification will accept as feed a Purex partition stream without feed adjustment beyond the usual reoxidation. Extraction with trilaurylamine at approximately 0.3M appears suitable for 20 to 60 g Pu/liter product from 0.5 to 2 g Pu/liter feed. Scrubbing with either ((2 M or))2 M HNO/ sub 3/ is possible. Acetic acid is at present the first choice for stripping agent, with oil-soluble and aqueous-soluble organic reductants as alternates. (auth)

Centrifugally cast stainless steel piping was selected for the primary piping of Spert III, a 2500-psi, 650 deg F water moderated and cooled nuclear reactor system, because of the significant cost advantage of using cast piping and because of favorable results from metallurgical examinations of the material. Essentially no operating experience was available at that time on the performance of cast piping in elevated pressure and temperature service. Presented are a brief history of operational experience with this piping in Spert III, the results of a recent plant inspection, and the results of the initial metallurgical examination of centrifugally cast material. On the basis of the Spert experience, it can be concluded that centrifugally cast stainless steel pipe has given adequate service under cyclic operation and probably is equal to high-pressure stainless steel piping fabricated by other methods. However, due to the limited general use of this material, no statement can be made as to the usual commercial quality of cast piping or to its performance under conditions other than those reported. (auth)

The production reactors operated by Douglas United Nuclear, Inc., use treated Columbia River water as the coolant on a once through basis. Thus, radionuclides formed largely by the neutron activation of river salts are discharged to the river. One method of reducing the quality of radionuclides in the effluent is to increase the efficiency of parent isotope removal during the water treatment process. Prior to 1961 the water treatment process for preparing reactor coolant had been improved to the point that reactor quality coolant could be produced using an average alum flocculent feed rate of 6 ppM. Laboratory experiments carried out in 1959 and 1960 demonstrated that a markedly increased removal of parent isotopes resulted when alum feed rates in the neighborhood of 20 ppM were used. The results were confirmed by two half-plant tests of short duration in July, 1961, all water treatment plants began to use alum at a somewhat arbitrarily selected rate of 18 ppm. The practice Continues to date at all plants except at the K Reactors. The K Reactor alum feed has been limited to a nominal 15 ppM because of the high filtered water requirements. The use of the high alum feed rate did …

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The chemical feasibility of the direct, continuous reduction of UF/sub 6/ to U with Na was shown in several tests. Up to 93.5% of the U content of UF/sub 6/ continuously reduced by Na in a reaction vessel was recovered as massive U metal of acceptable purity. A semicontinuous reactor for continuous reduction is described. (D.L.C.)

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, Waggoner Carr, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Whether the various cities and the Texas Highway Department have the authority to enter into and perform contracts with regard to their respective obligations concerning the construction, maintenance and operation of State Highways within cities, including controlled access highways, or whether all jurisdiction with regard to such highways lies with the Highway Commission and is nondelegable.

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, Waggoner Carr, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Whether, under Section 17 of Article 6243, V.C.S., the Board of Firemen’s Relief and Retirement Fund Trustees of Galveston, Texas, is authorized to pay pension benefits to a wife, who pensioner married after his retirement, and pensioner is in the penitentiary serving a sentence for a felony.

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, Waggoner Carr, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Validity of a “rider” in the General Appropriation Bill to authorize and require pre-audit procedures by the Comptroller of Public Accounts of Claim against the State.

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, Waggoner Carr, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Whether the University of Houston is required to take out building permits covering either new construction of buildings or remodeling and repairs to existing buildings and related questions.

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 an official or worker at the polls in a primary election may be permitted to leave the polling place for the purpose of eating of for other purposed, and upon return continue their duties at the polls.

This document lists the physics factors for the K Reactors following the transition to the KV fuel element geometry and zirconium tubes. Each new parameter with the zirconium tube lattice has been calculated relative to the factors used with aluminum tubes and the KIV fuel elements. The purpose of this document is to provide working values for plant assistance use during the transition to the zirconium lattice. In some cases, where there are large uncertainties in the absolute values, the conservative end of the range has been provided for present operational use in safety and control administration. Refinement and publication of ``best`` values for the zirconium lattice based on the extensive experimental and calculational studies are included in future Reactor Physics Unit programs.

A crystallographic study of the transition element beryllides was undertaken in support of phase diagram work. These beryllides are very high melting, and the use of ordinary methods make it difficult to determine stoichiometry. We have succeeded in establishing the compositions and complete crystal structure description of all of the room temperature stable or metastable compounds of the beryllides of niobium, tantalum, titanium zirconium, hafnium, vanadium, chromium and molybdenum. Since some of the structures found were not previously reported, complete structure determinations had to be done.

Abstract. The peacetime application of nuclear explosives to the conservation and development of our national water resources is, at this time, of sufficient promise to present some of the possibilities publicly. In nuclear explosives man has at his disposal and service, a powerful source of energy - a new tool - that we believe can be utilized safely to excavate channels and lake basins, or to create conduits of broken permeable material and underground reservoirs. In surveying the possible applications of nuclear explosives, the following ideas are among those worthy of serious consideration: (a) the use of nuclear explosives for the economic movement of large volumes of earth in the construction of earth fill dames, (b) the use of nuclear explosives for the diversion of a stream from a river system, whose flow is largely lost to the sea, into another stream channel leading to an arid section or a closed basin, (c) the use of nuclear explosives to create a recharge basin or a conduit to a subsurface aquifer for fresh water recharge, and (d) the use of nuclear explosives to create off-channel reservoirs for the elimination of saline waters through recharge to a mineralized aquifer and by evaporation.

Annual report with the objectives of evaluating, producing, and maintaining an up-to-date set of basic nuclear data; producing and evaluating multigroup constants; and improving of present day methods of neutronic calculations as related to microscopic and macroscopic nuclear data, for unclassified research sponsored by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission during FY 1968.

Heavy-ion reactions in the low-Z region were investigated with 27-Mev nitrogen ions from the 73-inch Cyclotron and with 30-Mev oxygen ions from the Tandem Van de Graaff. Experiments included studies of angular distributions and excitation functions for transfer reactions, compound-nucleus reactions, effects of angular momentum on the density of nuclear states, and so-called Ericson fluctuations in the compound nucleus Si/sup 28/. Nuclear reactions induced with 22-Mev protons in the 86-Inch Cyclotron were used in studies of the pickup- reaction mechanism, shell-model studies from pickup reactions, scattering and the optical model, and level schemes in highly deformed nuclei. In theoretical investigations of the mechanisms of nuclear reactions and related nuclear- structure information, the elastic scattering of complex particles was analyzed via the optical model; the applicability of the distorted-wave method to stripping reactions was investigated, and the inelastic scattering of carbon ions from carbon was examined. Experimental studies with the eightsector electron model, Analogue II, led to very successful deflection of the beam in November 1962, a significant advance in accelerator technology, This investigation, still incomplete, eases one of the major uncertainties associated with the proposed Mc/ sup 2/ cyclotron. The radioactivity resulting from the residual undeflected beam being dumped onto …

Abstract: A method is given for the rapid and accurate numerical integration of integrals of the form [integral] [superscript infinity] [subscript infinity] f(x) [golden ratio constant] (x) dx, where f(x) is "smooth."