A method is described for observing the uptake of Fe by rat bone marrow cells in vitro. Results of experiments on effects of anemic serum and human erythropoietin are presented with a brief discussion. It is concluded that the differences in uptake of Fe/sup 59/ are the result of isotope dilution. (auth)

Zirconium anodizes similarly to tungsten in respect to the change of interference colors with applied voltage. However, the oxide layer on tungsten cannot reach as great a thickness. Hafnium does not anodize in the same way as zirconium but is similar to tantalum. By measuring the interference color and capacitative thicknesses on zirconium (Grades I and III) and a 2.5 wt.% tin ailoy, the film was found to grow less rapidly in terms of capacitance than in terms of iaterference colors. This was interpreted to mean that cracks develop in the oxide as it thickens. The effect was most pronounced on Grade III zirconium and least pronounced on the tin alloy. The reduction in capacitative thickness was especially noticeable when white oxide appeared. Comparative measurements on Grade I zirconium and 2.5 wt.% tin alloy indicated that the thickness of the oxide film on the tin alloy (after 16 hours in water) increased more rapidly with temperature than the film on zirconium. Tin is believed to act in ways to counteract the tendency of the oxide to form cracks, and to produce vacancies which promote ionic diffusion. (auth)

The composite plates of the absorber section consist of compacts of europium oxide-- stainless steel clad with stainless steel by hot roll-bonding. Specifications are given to cover materials, dimensional and finish requirements, tests for quallfication of absorber plate fabrication, the conformance of fabrication procedure, and the manufacturing procedures. Drawings are also included. (M.C.G.)

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The Stationary Low Power Reactor No. 1 is a three Mw boiling water reactor designed to demonstrate the feasibility of a nuclear reactor to supply electrical power and space heat for remote sites. In addition to performance evaluation the facility provides training for military personnel. The reactor was operated for 1159 hr during the quarter for a total core burnup of 20.3%. Power generation was 103.7 Mwd for a total power accumulation of 466.9 Mwd. Eight malfunctions occurred during the quarter for a total unscheduled downtime of 40 hr 44 min, As a result of malfunctions, aluminum keys will be installed on the control rod drives, instrument well covers were removed, and an order has been placed for a station auxiliaries breaker with a higher temperature rating. Data were taken on seven tests during the quarter. Four of these are expected to be completed during the next quarter. All equipment items on order for the SL-1 power extrapolation expansion program are scheduled to be delivered before June 15, 1960. Although condenser dampers and damper controls, process instrumentation, equipment cabinets, and the radiation monitoring equipment have not yet been ordered, construction will not be delayed. The two tie-ins to the existing …

The needed illumination intensity is estimated from the 20-in. and 72- in. chambers to be 50 and 160 lumen-sec/ft/sup 2/ respectively. Possible source distributions are considered. With in intensity of 100 lumen-sec/ft/sup 2/ and a source brightness of 100 lumen-sec/ster. cm/sup 2/, the aperture is calculated to have a diameter of 8.6 cm. (D.L.C.)

A review is presented of the methods developed at the Savansah River Laboratory and elsewhere for quantitative correlation of irradiation growth with preferred orientation inuranium, with preferred orientation characterized by x- nay and dilatometric techniques. In an application of the methods, it is shown that a strongly oriented uranium plate, clud in aluminum, was much more stable in dimen- . sions than would be expected from the observed dimensional behavior of either unrestrained single crystals of uranium or aluruinum-clad polycrystalline rod. The greater stability of the plate is attributed to a relatively strong claiding and other restraing effects. (auth)

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The effects of core barrier coatings, void spaces, and surface-cleaning techniques on the quality of Zircaloyclad flat-plate UO/sub 2/ fuel elements prepared by gas-pressure bonding were investigated. Techniques were developed for the application of barrier layers of chromium by a vapordeposition process and of crystalline carbon by a pyrolytic process. These coatings, together with a graphite coating previously developed, were evaluated in pressure-bonded fuel elements for their effectiveness in preventing coreto-cladding reaction and for their general production feasibility. Crystalline carbon coatings 15 to 40 mu in. thick and chromium coatings 25 to 40 mu in. thick were determined to be satisfactory. In the stady of the flow of cladding-plate material into void spaces in the picture-frame assembly, it was established that excessive flow, and consequent thinning of the cladding, can be minimized by individually compartmentalizing the cores with Zircaloy ribs. This design resulted in maximum restriction of the effects of a cladding failure in service. Quantitative data on the maximum amount of void space resulting from manufucturing tolerances or from chipped fuel cores that is tolerable in cladding failure in service. Quantitative data on the maximum amount of void space resulting from manufucturing tolerances or from chipped fuel cores that …

Monitor activation theory leading to the basic relation between the monitor weight and activity and the neutron flux is presented. Manipulations to convent the theory into a form suitable for machine computation and details concerning programing, accuracy, range, usage, and costs are included along with a sample case. (auth)

The external holdup of expensive materials and associated capital costs for the heat removal systems of fluid fuel breeders were determined. The aqueous homogeneous and molten salt breeders were found to contain substantially less uranium holdup external to the core than the liquid metal fueled breeder. The cost of heat removal and turbogenerator plant equipment for the three systems was compared. (auth)

Radioassays of milk, soil, grass, and other material located near the Savannah River Plant showed no detectable Sr/sup 90/ due to plant wastes. These assays indicated that the Sr/sup 90/ found in this geographical area (25-mile radius of SRP) was nuclear weapons debris. Sr/sup 90/ was separated from milk by absorption on cation exchange resin. An extraction technique was used in assaying Sr/sup 90/ in all types of samples. Cs/sup 137//Sr/sup 90/ ratios were found to be constant in soil samples. (auth)

BS>Ruthenium, either as soluble salts, powdered metal, or oxide, catalyzed the oxidation of Cr(III) to Cr(VI) in dilute oxygenated sulfuric acid solutions. Under the same conditions, in the absence of ruthenium, Cr(Vl) was not produced. In a 2 M Al(NO/sub 3/)/sub 3/-1 M HNO/sub 3/ solution at atmospheric boiling point, ruthenium and compounds of ruthenium, platinum, palladium, rhodium, and osmium very markedly increased the rate at which Cr(III) was oxidized to Cr(VI). Very low concentrations of ruthenium were capable of causing the oxidation to proceed at an appreciable rate. In boiling 65% nitric acid, Cr(HI) was oxidized to Cr(VI) if reduced oxides of nitrogen were removed from solution either m the presence or absence of ruthenium; without removal of the oxides of nitrogen, detectable quantities of Cr(VI) were not formed in either case. Cr(VI) was not produced in boiling and aerated uranyl sulfate solutions containing ruthenium. (auth)

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Safeguards analyses of the isolated coolant Icops of the HWCTR indicated that accidental loss of ccoling water from the Icop heat exchangers will not lead tc vaper binding of the Icop D/sub 2/O pumps, or to other detrimertal consequences, providing that the reactor is scrammed following the loss of coolant. Several static seals of the types that will be used in the HWCTR exhinited leakage rates that were well below design specifications during cyclic tests at peak conditions of 1500 psi and 260 deg C. From full-scale experiments with lattices of seven-rod clusters of natural uranium metal at various lattice spacings in D/sub 2/0, values for the bucklings, flux distributions, and microscopic parameters of the lattices were measured. (For preceding report see DP-480.) (auth)

Fission prcduct cross sections were measured radiochemically and mass- spectrometrically for gold bombsrded with 112-Mev C/sup 12/ ions. Cross sections for 43 nuclides were measured for elements from nickel to barium. Thirty-six yields are either primary fission product yields (independent yields) or were corrected (with less than 25% correction) so as to represent independent yields. The independent yields were empirically systematized and a yield-mass curve was constructed. The yield-mass curve is compared with the yield-mass curves obtained from the fission of Bi with 22 and 190-Mev deuterons. The yield systematics indicate that the sum of the mass numbers of complementary fission products is 13 plus or minus 1 amu less tban that of the compound nucleus, and the sum of the charges of complemertary fission products is two units less than that of the compound nucleus. It is postulated that 9 plus or minus 1 neutrons and an alpha particle must have been emitted. Evidence is presented that at least three and possibly more of the neutrons are emitted prior to fission. The most probable charge of the fission products as a function of mass number was determined empirically. It is shown that from mass number 80 to mass number …

Specifications were prepared for control rod fuel elements for the Core Il of PM-2A. These stainless steel-base fuel components of thin plate-type construction and containing a dispersion of UO/sub2/ were successfully used in powering the Army Package Power Reactor. The component, which consisted of sixteen composite fuel plates joined by brazing, was designed for radioactive service in pressurized water. Tests for qualification of fabrication procedures and specifications covening loading, materials, and processing are presented. Also included are drawings and the process flow diagram. (M.C.G.)

The chemical vapor deposition of niobium, molybdenum, tungsten, chnomium, carbcn, and niobium--vanadium alloys in a fluidized bed of UO/sub 2/ powder particles wss used to provide uniform, dense, nonporous coatings on the individual particles. in the case of niobium, which received major attention, hydrogen reduction of niobium pentachloride vapor was used as the vapor- deposition reaction. The most serious problem was that of maintaining bed fluidity aad avoiding agglomeration. This problem was overcome to permit routine operation of the coating equipment. In the entire program of 68 experimental runs, only 1.1 per cent of the product was lost by agglomeration. In routine operation, this loss should be even lower. (auth)

The diffusion coefficient of tracer amounts of Au/sup 198/ in gamma U is described by an Arrhenius-type equation: D = 4.86 x 10 cm/sup -3/sec exp(-30,400 cal/mol/RT). The values of D/sub 0/ and the activation energy are close to those for self-diffusion in gamma U, indicating that the low activation energy for self- diffusion is due to a general weakness of the lattice rather than to easy compressibility of the U atom. (auth)

Recent fuel element irradiations demonstrated the structural integrity of spherical uranium-graphite fuel elements at burn-ups in excess of the design requirements of a 125 Mw(e) Pebble Bed Reactor (PBR) power plant. Other irradiations indicated the successful development of a coated fuel particle which permits fabrication of fuel elements meeting the PBR design objectives of a fission-product release rate (R/B) ? /sup 10-6/. beta plus gamma system activity in a 125 Mw(e) PBR is 490 c, assuming complete release of /sup lO-6/ of all fission products volatile at or below 2500 deg F. The low R/B being obtained from PBR fuel elements indicates that decay during diffusion of the short-lived volatile precursors of nonvolatile daughter products will result in further reduction of this system activity, and an increase in the average half life of the fission products remaining in the system will increase the efficiency of a bypass clean-up system. The method of fabricating coated particles by the hydrolysis of metallic chlorides to produce oxides or pyrolysis of hydrocarbons to produce carbon on a suitable substrate, is described, and preirradiation test results are given. An accelerated coated-fuel-particle program is discussed as well as development work on the Pebble Bed REactor concept …

Stainless steel-base fuel components of thin plate-type construction and containing a dispersion of UO/sub 2/ were successfully employed in powering the Army Package Power Reactor. The component is designed for radioactive service in pressurized water and consists of sixteen composite fuel plates Joined into an integral unit or assembly by brazing. Specifications covering loading, materials, and processing are presented. A list of applicable drawings and the process flow diagram are included. (auth)

Data on the properties, constitution, compatibility, radiation behavior, fabrication, preparation, storage, and handling of uranium, thorium, and plutonium carbides are reviewed. 187 references. (C.J.G.)

Stainless steel-base fuel components of thin plate-type construction and containing a dispersion of UO/sub 2/ were successfully employed in powering the Array Package Power Reactor (SM-1). The component is designed for radioactive service in pressurized water and consists of eighteen composite fuel plates joined into an integral unit or assembly by brazing. Specifications are presented which cover loading, mterials, and processing. A list of applicable drawings and a process flow diagram are included. (auth)