From introduction: "This report is concerned with exploratory experiments designed to studies the efficiency of a number of scavengers for zirconium and niobium adsorption and to provide preliminary information on the best conditions to employ on the most satisfactory of those scavengers studied, namely Super Filtrol FO. The data in this report include data obtained through October, 1949, and are by no means considered to be final. The investigation is currently being actively continued."

Objective: "The laboratory equilibrium study RC-E-1 described in this report was carried out to obtain uranium equilibrium curves at various concentrations of nitric acid and of TBP."

This report analyzes Parian and Teflon that were exposed to solutions of 1AX, 1AS, and 1AF, ANL June 1, 1948 Flowsheet, under conditions described in the following report.

The following report provides results from laboratory tests on the corrosion resistance of various types of stellite facings on astenitic stainless steel T-347 to Redox streams.

This report discusses a proposed method for treating the effect of increasing critical mass of plutonium solutions, which occurs when hydrogen density is reduced by dilution with heavier nuclei.

Abstract: "A titrimetric method for the determination of fluoride in plutonium is reported. Prior to a steam distillation of the fluoride, the bulk of the plutonium is separated by precipitation of the sulfate. The fluoride in the distillate is titrated at a pH of 3.2 with 0.001 M thorium nitrate, using chrome azurol-S indicator. Applied to samples containing 1 to 15 parts per million fluoride, the recovery is 87% and the precision on the 95% confidence level is +/- 0.65 ppm."

Report summarizing physical studies on Redox solutions and metal waste solutions, including refractometric investigations.

Report discussing study on recovery of nitric acid in the uranium recovery process. The behavior of chloride ions and tributyl phophate is noted, and the quality of recycled nitric acid was tested. Stainless steel in the nitric acid recovery system was evaluated for corrosion.

The following report describes a chemical procedure to analyze fission products and long-lived rare earths in both untreated urine samples and the supernates from the precipitation steps in the TTA procedure for plutonium.

Introduction: "A limited test progress for the evaluation of type 347 stainless steel pipe which failed the Huey (?) test has been complicated. The tests reported herein were similar in scope to those reported in document number EW-20765, Corrosion Tests on Stainless Steel Plate, Waste Metal Recovery Process. Material tested was obtained on order number EWC-8553, National Tube Company Heat #3X9741. Lots 9789 and 9790."

This report summarizes the research and development work carried out during December, 1959, and January and February, 1960, for Budget Activity 2790 - Separations Development for Non-Production Reactors. The major effort on Activity 2790 has been completed. Current efforts on the remaining problem areas will enable Hanford to begin reprocessing fuel elements from power reactors which employ depleted or slightly enriched uranium fuels in July, 1962.

Critical mass experiments to be conducted at HAPO will require dilute and concentrated plutonium solutions. Since very high plutonium concentrations (~2,000 g/l) cannot be attained in pumpable solutions, solid plutonium compounds will be utilized for this phase of the work. Mixtures of plutonium oxide and polyethylene, methyl methacrylate or paraffin compacted in containers have been considers for use in highly-concentrated plutonium systems of known hydrogen to plutonium atomic ratio (H/Pu).

A research and development program aimed at devising processes for the economical recovery of the potentially valuable long-lived fission products from Purex waste has been under wat at Hanford for several years. When this work has begun, the concentrated waste was primarily a nitric acid solution (6 to 10 M HNO3) containing the fission products and relatively small concentrations of iron, sulfate, and other corrosion products. Flowsheets based on classical separation schemes and rather similar to processes used by the Isotopes Division at the AEC's Oak Ridge operation served to separate the desired fission products from one another and from the corrosion products (1,2,3).These separation schemes employed careful step-wise pH adjustment to precipitate first the iron and then to separate the desired fission products from one another. The flowsheets were demonstrated on a pilot-plant scale with full-level plant waste. However, since the earlier work was complete, plant operations have been modified....

At the present time, cerium-144 and premtheium-147 are the two fission product rare earths that appear most promising for use as the heat source in isotopic power units. Under proper conditions, cerium and the trivalent rare earths can be extracted from the Purex fission product waste stream as an insoluble sodium-rare earth double sulfate. A reprecipitation as the double sulfate, dissolution of the hydroxide, serves to give almost complete separation from the corrosion products, inert constituents of the waste, and from most of the fission products. The cerium and the trivalent rare earths must then be separated from each other. In the case of cerium recovery, it is necessary to remove the trivalent rare earths in order to maximize the specific activity of the cerium. If promethium is the desired product, a preliminary cerium separation is desirable to protect the ion-exchange resin (used for separating promethium from its adjacent rare earths) from the intense high-energy radiation from cerium.

Four capsules containing Al-1.65 w/o Pu and Al-12 w/o Si-1.65 w/o Pu were charged into the MTR. These capsules will be irradiated to a burnup of 80-100% of the plutonium atoms to determine the stability of the material at high exposures. An additional sixteen capsules containing 5 to 20 w/o Pu in Al and Al-Si have been prepared. Eight are awaiting reactor space and should be charged soon. The remaining eight are being recanned to increase the end gap between the core and the can. Also four capsules containing high density UO2-PuO2 pellets canned in Zircaloy are awaiting assignment of reactor space.

During the canning of slugs for Production Test 313-105-3-M, a high number of rejects were caused by gas voids in the A1-S1 bonding layer. Since the heat treatment of the slugs in a molten salt bath resulted in a chemically altered surface, an investigation was made to determine the volume of gas evolved from salt-bath heat-treated slugs as compared to other types of slugs. This test was designed as a preliminary test to determine if there were a significant differences.

Two xenon extraction runs were made this month. It appears that a small design change in Trap #2 will be necessary so that a dry ice-trichloroethylene slurry can be used for coolant rather than liquid freon. For each of the runs this month the enriched generator was exposed for four hours in the est pile operating at 100 watts. A period of eight hours for cooling and xenon builidup was allowed before the collection and separation runs were started.

Hanford uranium contains minute angular inclusions which affect the microstructure, reactivity, and other important factors controlling the serviceability of the metal. Small quantities of the inclusions have been isolated by chemical means, and the x-ray diffraction patterns and chemical analyses of the isolated materials have been determined. As a first step in the identification of the inclusions present in rolled uranium, a search was made for a chemical method of separating the inclusions from the matrix metal.

Interest has been expressed in continuously monitoring the beta activity of the uranyl nitrate solution pumped to the RCU receiver tank, to facilitate operation at higher flow rates and with younger feeds. A beta scintillation detector has been developed which should make this feasible, and it is proposed that it be tested on stream for this use.

The remodeling, fabrication, and instrumentation of a high vacuum system are described. The faults encountered with the old system and their solution are outlined. Tests were made on diffusion pump oils and on the reduction of pump oil back diffusion. The measurement of high vacuum pressures by a cold cathode ionization gage at various points on a vacuum system are discussed.

The decontamination of portable instruments by the Calibration Unit has presented a problem for some time. Most of the contamination is in the 100 to 500 c/m or 500 to 2000 d/m range. Higher levels of contamination can usually be reduced to these levels, but further cleaning proves quite difficult

This report describes the final design of the Fuel Element Rupture Testing Facility and summarizes the safeguards analyses of the design and plans for operation.

Describes the design criteria, design details, and final installation of a high precision temperature and intimate contact monitor.

Description of Purex plant process for irradiated uranium for the separation and decontamination of plutonium and uranium from each other and from fission products.