Information concerning diffusion is presented, including a study of the relative rates of diffusion of Fe/sup 55/ and Fe/sup 59/ in Ag, diffusion of Ru in Ag, self-diffusion in AgCd and AgIn. chemical and tracer diffusion in Ag-alpha AgCd diffusion couples, the influence of pressure on diffusion in AgZn alloys, the energy of motion of vacancies in Au at high pressure, and ionic conductivity of alkali halides as a function of pressure and temperature. A list of publications containing diffusion information is also included. (J.R.D.)

The following report covers investigations on sedimentary rocks of Middle Pennsylvanian age in northeastern Oklahoma, southeastern Kansas, and western Missouri. Distribution of uranium and other trace elements in these rocks was studied during 1955 and 1956.

A report about the U. S. Geological Survey's program about uranium investigations and geologic mapping in the Monument Valley area, Arizona. A resource appraisal of the area was an inherent part of the program, and is detailed in this report.

The following report covers studies and investigations of uranium deposits in the Black Hills of South Dakota and Wyoming. The ore minerals include carnotite, tyuyamunite, metatyuyamunite, corvusite, rauvite, uraninite, and coffinite, as well as minor amounts of other uranium and vanadium minerals.

The following report describes a method of obtaining precise unit-cell data from oriented electron diffraction powder patterns.

The following report describes studies of thermodynamic equilibria of vanadium in aqueous systems as applied to the interpretation of the Colorado Plateau ore deposits.

Liquidus temperatures in the aluminum -uranium system have been redetermined for alloys containing 13 to 50 wt. % uranium. Thermal analysis, electricalresistance measurements, and metallography were employed in the investigation. The binary aluminumuranium alloys studied and, their corresponding liquidus temperatures are as follows: 17 wt. % uranium, 755 deg C; 17.5 wt. % uranium, 780 deg C; 24.5 wt. % uranium, 954 deg C; 30.9 wt. % uranium, 1068 deg C; 41.6 wt. % uranium, 1190 deg C; 51.2 wt. % uranium, 1265 deg C. Eutectic and peritectic temperatures were determined to be at 640 and 732 deg C, respectively. Binary alloys containing ternary addition of up to 1 wt. % silicon and up to 0.5 wt. % magnesium were studied also. Neither silicon nor magnesium were found to have any effect on the liquidus temperatures. However, silicon lowered the peritectic temperature from 732 to 700 deg C and among alloys coataining less than 30 wt. % uranium had a refining effect on eutectic UAl/sub 4/ particles. The only effect that could be attributed to the magnesium addition was a tendency toward coarsening the UAl/sub 4/ particles in alloys containing less than 30 wt. % uranium. (auth)

A formal mathematical description of the time dependence of activity in the maln coolant loop of a pressurized water reactor resulting from the discontinuous release of core contalned fission products is developed. The description accounts for the deposition, re-solution, and demineralization of activities due to one, two, and three member mass chnins- A description of the IBM-650 WOLONTIS Code No. S0168, which numerically evaluates the various activities discussed, is given in the appendix along with the input data and results for a pair of exemplifying problems. (auth)

This report describes the operation of the fuels preparation department for the month of April 1958. Manufacturing, employee relations, process development, plant improvements, and financial operations are described.

"This bibliography is a compilation of titles to unclassified reports, journal articles and conference papers written by members of the University of California Radiation Laboratory, Livermore and Berkeley, relating to Project Sherwood (Controlled Thermonuclear Reactions) from 1953 through 1957."

This is a bibliography referencing documents based on fused lithium salts within the years 1950-57.

Abstract: "Neutron nonelastic cross sections measured at different detector biases have been used to determine the cross sections for inelastically scattering 14 Mev neutrons into 9- to 14-Mev energy range. The cross section for producing these high energy neutrons, which may be attributed to direct interaction processes, is roughly 10% of the nonelastic cross section, for all elements. A comparison is made with data of Coon and co workers, who measured angular distributions for the same high-energy inelastically scattered-neutron group."

Abstract: "Neutron nonelastic cross sections have been measured for 23 elements at 14 Mev, and for a selected set of these elements over the energy ranges 7 to 14 Mev and 21 to 29 Mev. Conventional sphere transmission techniques were used for the measurements. A comparison with optical model calculations of Bjorklund and Fernbach shows excellent agreement."

"This bibliography is a list of references pertaining to factors affecting the motion of the artificial earth satellite. References are foreign and domestic literature."

Abstract: "An absolute measurement of the 14.1-Mev (n, 2n) cross sections of Li-6 and Li-7 has been made using the large scintillator technique, resulting in cross sections in barns of 0.070 +/- 0.006 and 0.056 +/- 0.005 for Li-6 and Li-7, respectively."

Report discussing experiments on particle density, plasma compression, electron heating, and electron energy distribution of plasma in a pyrotron. Past experiments that led to this investigation are discussed as well.

Somewhere in the future lies the possibility that the existing HAPO reactors will no longer be required for the production of weapons grade plutonium. This could come about either through advances in technology or through changes in the requirements for this particular fissionable isotope as a weapons material. In any event, should these reactors no longer be utilized for plutonium production, it would be appropriate to consider the possibility of their conversion to other uses, notably that of electrical power production. Accordingly, this study has been made with the objective of investigating the economic and technological feasibility of such conversion. However, it must be recognized that the results presented herein are based on present day technology and economic philosophy and that within the next five years we may experience considerable renovation of these criteria which could alter the conclusions of the study appreciably. The primary benefit to be gained from this preliminary study is to narrow the area of future and more detailed investigation as much as possible so that if and when such a conversion appears likely, a significant fraction of the almost infinite number of combinations of reactor and power plant parameters may be rejected at the outset.

The separations plants operated on schedule, and Pu production exceeded commitment. UO{sub 3} production and shipments were also ahead of schedule. Purex operation under pseudo two-cycle conditions (elimination of HS and 1A columns, co-decontamination cycle concentrator HCP) was successful. Final U stream was 3{times} lower in Pu than ever before; {gamma} activity in recovered HNO{sub 3} was also low. Four of 6 special E metal batches were processed through Redox and analyzed. Boric acid is removed from solvent extraction process via aq waste. The filter in Task II hydrofluorinator was changed from carbon to Poroloy. Various modifications to equipment were made.

The reactivities of several U--Nb-- Zr alloys in the Sodium Reactcr Experiment are compared with that of 2.8% enriched U fuel. The alloys considered have the following compositions: 15% Nb--70% U--15% Zr; 12% Nb--82% U--6% Zr; and 6% Nb--82% U-- 12% Zr. Each alloy is studied at U enrichments of 3, 7, and 11%, and the alloy enrichments necessary to give the same reactivity as the 2.8% enriched U fuel are found by interpolation. (T.F.H.)

This report describes the development of work that began as an investigation of photosynthesis and that continues in this direction, but which has as a new product some entirely strngly results. Photosynthesis, the process upon which all life on earth today is ultimately dependent, achieves the conversion of electromagnetic energy from the sun into chemical energy in the form of plant material by the reduction of CO{sub 2} from the atmosphere with the liberation of O{sub 2} to the atmosphere. It has been possible to describe in some detail the way in which the plant accomplishes the reduction of carbon dioxide, using radioactive carbon as a tracer. The status of the present knowledge, and how they attained it, together with some prospectus of the future and what we can look forward to, is the principal theme of this discussion.

From abstract: Results of a reconnaissance geochemical survey of the Eau Claire Quadrangle, Wisconsin; Minnesota are reported. Field and laboratory data are presented for 565 groundwater samples, 680 stream sediment samples, and 667 stream water samples. Statistical and areal distributions of uranium and other possible uranium-related variables are displayed. A generalized geologic map of the survey area is provided and pertinent geologic factors which may be of significance in evaluating the potential for uranium mineralization are briefly discussed.

In order to facilitate reactor design studies a compilation of calculated two-group constants averaged over the infinite-medium flux produced by a fission source was made for approximately 80 materials of interest to reactor engineers. A comparison with available experimental age measurements is included. (auth)

Preliminary geologic map of the Elk Ridge 3 NE quadrangle, San Juan County, Utah

As part of the over-all program of investigation of the rheological properties of aqueous thorium oxide slurries, a capillary-tube viscometer was designed for routine determiation of shear diagrams of slurries over a temperature range of 30 to 85 deg C. A particular feature of this viscometer is the vertical oricntation of the capillary tube which minimizes the effect on the results obtained with dilate, rapidly settling slurries. (auth)