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: Authority of and procedure for the leasing of land of the Alabama-Coushatta Indian Reservation in Polk County, Texas for oil and gas development.

To date, no data is available on the swelling rates of unrestrained unalloyed uranium rods operating at 450--630C core temperature and 250--350C surface temperature. These temperature ranges are of extreme interest in the Hanford fuel element development program. To obtain information on the effect of cladding restraint, exposure, and the above temperatures, on uranium swelling rates, a series of experiments is being designed for irradiation in Hanford reactors. The experimental assembly consists of a uranium fuel rod supported concentrically in an aluminum capsule. Surrounding the fuel rod is an annulus of liquid NaK to serve as a heat transfer agent. To provide a check on the operation and temperature calculations of the capsules, it is proposed initially to make a single irradiation in a normal process tube. The uranium core temperature will be continuously monitored by a thermocouple, and flux measurements will be made in the capsule to determine the specific power of the fuel.

None

None

Bubble phenomena have been given a new meaning with their study in relation to the kinetic behavior of reactors. Prior to their study in relation to physics, the bulk of work on bubble phenomena concerned naval engineering problems of behavior in cavitation and water entry behavior. This bibliography is intended to fill the need of the reactor physicist as well as the naval engineer. An attempt has been made to include all available references on bubble phenomena and associated effects. A subject index has been purposely omitted. It is felt that the breakdown in content headings is sufficient to ascertain areas of interest. There will be overlapping of headings and to find all possible entries, a search through the headings may be desirable. To increase the usefulness of this bibliography the location of an abstract has been cited wherever possible following the reference. Classified reports are included; however, their titles contain no classified information. Sources used in compiling this bibliography are: Chemical Abstracts, Industrial Arts Index, Applied Mechanics Review, Nuclear Science Abstracts, the AEC Abstracts of Classified Literature, the AEC card catalogs available at Atomics International, and the bibliographic services of Armed Services Technical Information agency. (auth)

A thermoelectric generator having independent outputs of 1.2 and 4.8 volts at more than 50 milliwatts after six month's service has been constructed and tested using a mock Po/sup 210/ heat source with an initial thermal power of 37 watts. (for preceding period see MLM-CF-58-4-49.) (auth)

Approximately 1,000 references to technical reports on nuclear and conventional merchant ships are cited. (T.R.H.)

An investigation has been begun of interdiffusion in the aluminum- uranium system and of the effects thereon of applied pressure. In confirmation of the results of other investigations, it has been found that UAl/sub 3/ layer growth is accelerated by increasing applied pressure. The growth kinetics are characterized by a transient'' period, during which growth occurs non- parabolically, which is followed by a steady state'' period of parabolic growth. Interesting correlations are shown to exist between annealing time, annealing temperature, and applied pressure on the one hand, and the nature and distribution of structural defects in the UAl/sub 3/ diffusion zone. (auth)

S>Progress is reported on fuel element development, reactor mechanical studies, nuclear analysis, chemistry, control, safety, feasibility, steam cycle, and materials and metallurgy. (For preceding period see AECU-3683.) (T.R.H.)

A limited investigation of neutron absorption was conducted to examine the relative effectiveness of crucfform and cylindrical control rods. If such data could be firmly established, reactors using cruciform rods could be readily analyzed by transforming the rods to their cylindrical equivalent then applying traditional theories. Conversely, the number of rods required in a reactor and their lceation could be determined for cylindrical rods then transformed to equivalent cruciform rods. In the present context, only the cruciform rods are of engineering interest; the eylindrical rods are namely an analytical device. The Monte Carlo method was selected for this study to minimize the number of approximations required. The asane with which it can handle complex geometries makes this method particularly attractive for the control rod problems, but it often becomes very expensive to follow a sufficient number of neutrons to achieve satisfactory statistics. The project was, in part, an experiment to determine if this tyce of problem could be solved with reasomable accuracy at a reasonable cost with Monte Carlo. (auth)

None

Report presenting an investigation to determine the static stability characteristics of five hypersonic missile configurations. Testing was performed at a range of Mach and Reynolds numbers. Results regarding the effect of base block, longitudinal stability, directional stability, and Reynolds number effect are provided.

The influence of the presence of grain boundaries on the rates of sintering of nickel, copper and iron wire wound compacts was studied. In iron compacts sintered in the alpha range, surface diffusion appears predominant and no grain boundary effect is therefore expected or evident. On the other hand, sintering of copper and of nickel compacts at temperatures close to their respective melting points apparently occurs by volume diffusion but with varying grain boundary effects. Neck growth in both materials appears entirely unaffected by the presence or absence of grain boundaries. Void shrinkage was found to be sharply inhibited in nickel samples from which grain boundaries had been deliberately eliminated, but no definite effect was noticed in copper, in apparent contradiction to previous results. (auth)

The self-diffusion coefficient of niobium was measured as a function of temperature. Procedures were developed for the preparation of NbCl/sub 5/ from a solution of radioactive Nb/sup 95/ in oxalic acid, and the subsequent vapor plating of a radioactive metallic layer from this volatile compound. Initial measurements made at 2000 and 1800 deg C yield values for the self-diffusion coefficient of 3.2 x 10/sup -9/ cm/sup 2/sec and 1.7 x 10/sup 10/ cm/sup 2/sec, respectively. (auth)

The mechanism of dimensional instability of uramium is under investigation. Ih order to confirm an assumption of the diffusion theory, the magnitude of diffusion anisatropy in alpha-uranium single crystuls is being determincd by measurement of the self-diffusion coefficients along principal crystullographic directions. lnitial measurements have yielded values of 5 x 10/ sup -15/ cm/sup 2//sec along the (010! and 4 x 10/sup -15/ cm/sup 2/ sec along the (OOl!. These values are being rechecked. in addition, in- -pile experiments designed to further clarify the effect of grain size on growth under irradiation have been initiated. (For preceding period see SEP-246.) (auth)

Lip type, oil labyrinth gas shaft seals were tested for use on Hallam Power Reactor sodium pumps with a 5-in.diameter rotating shaft. The seals were not recommended for use owing to excess helium leakage and short life. (C.J.G.)

Memorandum presenting flight tests conducted on a thick-lipped nose inlet of a transonic swept-wing aircraft. The total-pressure recovery and distortion at the compressor face were measured over the maneuvering range of the airplane for Mach numbers up to 1.03. Results regarding the radial total-pressure profile, average total-pressure recovery, and total-pressure distortion are provided.

Report presenting an investigation in the Unitary Plan wind tunnel to determine the static stability characteristics of five hypersonic missile configurations. Tests were performed at a range of Mach and Reynolds numbers based on body length. Results regarding the effect of a base block, longitudinal and directional stability, and Reynolds number effect are provided.

Report presenting an investigation to determine the experimental and predicted wave-drag characteristics of wing-body combinations. Two yawed wings, each with an average sweep of about 40 degrees, were tested with various bodies, and the results were compared with existing data for similar models with sweptback wings. Results regarding the aerodynamic characteristics and pressure results are provided.

Report discusses ways to reduce "viscous effects", which increase total pressure losses due to friction at increasing free-stream Mach numbers. Some of the effects are related to the inlet of an aircraft and potential issues in design. From Introduction: "Care must be exercised in inlet design to maintain uniform steady boundary-layer and core flows in the throat."