Investigation of aqueous and steam corrosion at elevated temperature has been carried on at Hanford for several tears. A number of reports have been published on various phases of the corrosion program but, except for monthly reports, little has been written on the progress of the Corrosion and Coatings Operation alloy development program. This interim report will outline the more important current phases of the aluminum alloy program.

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

In HAPO solvent extraction processes there are two independent aspects of nitrous acid chemistry. One concern the decomposition of the solvent through nitration reactions and the attendant problems. These reactions are autocatalytic in the presence of nitric acid and have threshold values for both temperature and nitric acid concentration for a given solvent below which nitrous acid disappears and above which it is generated with continuous destruction of the solvent. These reactions are identical to those found in the prior study of the hexone system.

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."

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.

Hastelloy F is a prime contender as a material of construction for plant dissolvers in the power fuel reprocessing program. Consequently, the fabrication and installation of dissolver was undertaken to delineate any unknown problems associated with the use of Hastelloy F; and, at the same time, to provide a vessel for development studies on the Niflex or the Sulfex processes. The purpose of this report is to describe the actual basis for design as well as to present the problems encountered during the fabrication of the vessels.

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.

In the continuing search for better methods of effecting the secondary fusion welded closure in Alsi bonded aluminum clad uranium metal fuel element, an article on "The Twin-Argon Welding Process" by J. A. Donellon was recently found in the September 1954 issue if the British Welding Journal. From a review of the article, the process appeared to have enough possibilities to warrant exploring it. Communication were established with the General Electric Company, Ltd..

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).

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.

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."

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.

The Interim Power Fuels Reprocessing Program, as established by the Atomic Energy Commission, provides the service of recovering uranium, thorium, plutonium, etc., from irradiated fuels discharged from non-production reactors of both public and private ownership. To provide this service on an interim basis and at minimum capital investment, the Commission has assigned the processing responsibility for the various fuel types to several AEC sites. The sites are to be assigned fuel types most similar to their normal production. As a result, HAPO has been assigned the responsibility for processing the low enrichment uranium and uranium oxide type fuels with isotopic content up to 5% uranium-235. In addition, some plutonium base fuels will be processed at Hanford.

A 19-rod Zircaloy-clad half-length PRTR spike element successfully irradiated to high plutonium burnout at full power in the ETR shoved partial bonding of the core and cladding. Unsatisfactory autoclave films on the Zircaloy cladding of the PRTR Al-Pu fuel elements are delaying final assembly of the first 30 clusters. Further conditioning of the autoclaves and the availability of permanent etching facilities are expected to correct the present difficulties.

During the period when the writer mixing fuel element was being evaluated, a small Litton glass lathe and a General Electric Fillerarc welder were used to weld the mixing spool to the fuel element. Due to the condition of these units and to the numerous difficulties encountered with them, it was deemed necessary to design and procure a semi automatic welding unit which could weld in excess of three hundred fuel elements per day.

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.

A number of the questions which have been posed to us in the subject references are commented upon below. These have been reviewed by personanel of the Research and Engineering Operation and the Facilities Engineering Operation, Chemical Processing Department, and of the Chemical Research and Development Operation, Hanford Laboratories Operation. Particular acknowledment is given G. J Alkire, J. P. Duckworth, J. B. Fecht, R. G. Geier, E. R. Irish, H. M. Jones, G. C. Oberg, A. M. Platt, W. H. Reas, W. C. Schmidt, R. J. Sloat, W. H. Swift, M. T. Walling and L. L. Zahn of these organizations for assistance given assembling this information.

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.

In order to prevent dangerous concentrations of combustible gases such as hydrogen and ammonia in Redox dissolvers, a continuous analysis of the off-gases is needed. Hydrogen is evolved from most fuel element dissolution processes now used or planned for use at Redox. Ammonia is also released from ammonium fluoride dissolution of zirconium and caustic dissolution of aluminum cladding. Oxides of nitrogen and hydrogen are formed during nitric acid dissolution of uranium or plutonium-aluminum alloys. Since no fixed ratio exists between the concentrations of any two of these gases, the determination of combustible gases in complex mixtures is not possible with a single bulk property analyzer.

Report that "describes the equipment, technologies of use, and reliability of an ultrasonic tester - designated UT-4 - capable of detecting very small defects in the brazed closures of reactor fuel elements" (p. 2).

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

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.

The major portion of transfers and inventory in the Chemical Processing Department are dependent on volume measurement. Good volume measurements are therefore essential to good SS material control. Considerable attention has been given to the volume problem especially on primary transfer points. Document HW-57888 discusses the biasing effect pf temperature on manometer oil. HW- 57866 given the procedure for vessel calibration. Other undocumented correspondence has discussed recent calibrations and certain aspects of temperature considerations in the volume determinations. However, there is a need to document for future reference the consideration given temperature and provide at the same time information which covers the temperature angle on all volume methods used in the Chemical Processing Department.

Report reviewing literature that concerns "the compatibility of stainless steels and nickel-base alloys with various gases which might be present in or around a high temperature nuclear reactor" (p. 2).