This quarterly progress report of the Aircraft Nuclear Propulsion Project at ORNL records the technical progress of the research on circulating-fuel reactors and ether ANP research at the Laboratory under its Contract W-7405-eng-26. The report is divided into three major parts: I. Reactor Theory, Component Development, and Construction, II. Materials Research, and III. Shielding Research.

Continued work on the adsorbability of metal complexes from concentrated LiCl solutions and LiCl-HCl mixtures on a strong-base anion-exchange resin further demonstrated the much higher adsorbability of these complexes from LiCl solutions than from HCl solutions. The effect is believed to be due to the formation of less strongly adsorbed undissociated chloro-complex acids in the case of the HCl solutions.

Report issued by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory discussing the development of a closed-loop control system. As stated in the statement, "the purpose of this thesis was to design and build a closed-loop control system to be used as an indicator of the level of high temperature liquids contained in a tank" (p. 1). This report includes tables, illustrations, and photographs.

From abstract: "The Darex process developed for the recovery of uranium from stainless steel-containing reactor fuels consists of three steps: (1) dissolution of the fuel material in dilute aqua regia, (2) removal of chloride from the solution to prevent corrosion of downstream stainless steel process equipment, and (3) adjustment of the nitrate solution to solvent extraction feed conditions."

A replica electron microscope study of as-polished and cathodically etched surfaces of pyrolytic carbon coating on fuel particles has been made in an attempt to characterize coatings that showed as much as a 30% difference in bult density. High and low density coating could be characterized by their polished surface textures; however, these features were not indicative of the true structure as seen by direct electron transmission. Microvoids detected by the transmission study of cleavage flakes exist on too fine a scale to be observed either optically or by electron microscope examination of replicas of the polished surface. Other features such as the effect of cathodic and chemical etching, coating delamination, and duplex coating interfaces have also been examined.

Report containing ongoing research and development taking place at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Electronuclear Division.

The ORNL 86-in. cyclotron is being modified to provide for deflection of the proton beam. It is expected that operation will be resumed late in the spring. Nuclear physics work was limited, for the most part, to interpretation of previously collected data and to making preparations for utilizing the deflected beam. It was found that for certain isotopes the production rates could be almost doubled by operating at a slightly reduced energy and a much larger current. With the use of the ORNL 63-in. cyclotron, the absolute values of the electron capture and loss cross sections for 26-Mev nitrogen ions were obtained. The angular distribution of the cross sections for elastic scattering of nitrogen by nitrogen was measured at energies from 13 to 22 Mev. A double-focusing 90-deg magnet is being planned for use in identifying stable reaction products from nitrogen-induced reactions. The major components of the revised 44-in. test cyclotron were assembled and are being tested. Consideration is being given to the use of these components, along with a new 20,000-oersted magnet and a shielded cyclotron room, and if the tests are satisfactory the Laboratory will have available a machine which will accelerate N5+ ions to 81 Mev.

Report documenting the problems, design, and operation of countercurrent liquid-foam columns.

Technical report covering the work done to explore heat transfer analytically and experimentally in liquid metals in turbulent flow within the thermal entrance region of circular tubes having uniform well temperature. Includes implications of this research. [From Summary]

Report issued by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory discussing semiannual progress made by the Gas-Cooled Reactor Program. Descriptions of progress and studies conducted are presented. This report includes tables, illustrations, and photographs.

In a sense, the whole process of differentiation is one of directed functional mosaicism. It is, however, the accidental or random juxtaposition in the same organism of cells having actually or effectively different genotypes that is generally thought of as true mosaicism. The study of this condition constitutes a perfect meeting place for the fields of genetics and developmental biology, providing, as it does, interrelated information on mutability, cell lineage (including the special problems of cell lineage of the germ line), and the effect of genotype on part of the organism versus the whole. The discovery in recent years that most or all of one X chromosome of the normal mammalian female become randomly inactivated early in development, an event that leads to functional mosaicism, provides us with a great potential tool for the study of gene action. The present paper will attempt to bring together results of diverse observations and experiments (many of them as yet unpublished) bearing on both genetic and functional mosaicism in the mouse.

Report issued by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory discussing radiation corrosion studies. As stated in the introduction, "the purpose of this experiment was to compare the performance of a large number of materials under similar irradiation and exposure conditions" (p. 1). This report includes tables, illustrations, and photographs.

In-pile loop experiments L-2-15 and L-4-16 were two of a series designed to test the radiation corrosion of Zircaloy-2 and other possible reactor construction materials in UO2SO4 solutions under various conditions of radiation intensities, temperatures, solution compositions, and velocity flow past specimens.

Report issued by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory discussing annual progress made by the Instrumentation and Controls Division during 1966. Descriptions of progress and studies conducted are presented. This report includes tables, illustrations, and photographs.

Report containing ongoing research and experiments of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Instrumentation and Controls Division.

Technical report presenting a consideration of the characteristics of fused salt-ThF4 solutions suitable for use in homogeneous reactors. Presented in tandem with a brief survey of the literature pertaining to such solutions and a summary of the experimental work accomplished. [From Abstract]

From foreword: "This is a documentation of the experiments performed and the data accumulated during the early period of the Experimental Gas-Cooled Reactor (EGCR) fuel element design."

Report issued by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory discussing revisions to previously issued conversion coefficient tables. The revised tables are presented. This report includes tables, and graphs.

Report concerning the fixation and disposal of toxic waste derived from the Purex solvent extraction process.

Changes made in the Thorex process flowsheet were a decrease in the extraction column acidity to decrease thorium losses and the addition of a second thorium solvent-extraction cycle to provide the increased decontamination required when thorium irradiated to 2000-4000 g of U233 per ton is processed. Bonded slugs could not be dissolved by the Thorex flowsheet procedure. Various laboratory scale studies on feed preparation, first-cycle variables, and radiation damage to the solvent are reported.

Technical report covering the metallurgy of thorium and on fabrication techniques. Report investigates the stability and corrosion resistance of thorium exposed to eutectic NaK, extrusion as a means of fabrication of thorium tubes or rods, and corrosion of large single metal crystals by liquid metals. [From Summary]

Progress report of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Metallurgy Division providing updates on various projects, experiments, and other work. This report includes a summary of nondestructive testing, physical chemistry of corrosion, fundamental physico-metallurgical research, HRP metallurgy, process metallurgy, metallurgical materials and processing, metallography, and ceramics research.

Report containing ongoing projects and experiments undertaken by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Molten-Salt Reactor Program.

Report issued by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory discussing semiannual progress made by the Molten-Salt Reactor Program. Progress of operations, construction, engineering analysis, and development is presented. This report includes tables, illustrations, and photographs.