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]

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 abstract: Liquid alkali metals were circulated in a series of structural alloy loops under reactor radiation at high temperature. The first of these loops was a lithium-stainless steel (type 316) system, and the remainder were sodium-Inconel. No effect of radiation other than radioactivation was found. Mass transfer and metallurgical processes attributable to the operating temperatures were observed."

The behavior of insoluble corrosion products in the HRT is generally understood and studies of the removal of these solids by hydroclones can logically be terminated after the effect of higher processing rates by the multiple hydroclone has been determined. Chemical descaling may be required to supplement solids removal by hydroclones. Laboratory studies to find suitable reagents will be continued in conjunction with decontamination work presently in progress.

Samples containing 5 to 10 mg of uranium were extracted with hexone (methyl isobutyl ketone) and titrated coulometrically in sulphate media. Relative standard deviations of 0.45% for samples containing 5 mg and 0.56% for 10 mg were determined by precision studies.

By using a large central fuel and blanket reprocessing facility, slurry-fueled aqueous homogeneous reactors can attain an estimated minimum fuel cycle cost of 1.4-1.6 mills/kwh; with solution-fueled two-region reactors, a doubling time of 14 years may be obtained at a fuel cycle cost of 2.0 mills/kwh. On-site processing appears desirable only for large power stations made up of reactors designed for short doubling times. For instance, a solution-fueled two-region reactor can attain a 12-year doubling time at an estimated fuel cycle cost of 1.5 mills/kwh at a 2000 Mw electricity station with an on-site processing plant.

The initial and long-term nuclear characteristics of two internally cooled heterogeneous, graphite-moderated, two-region, molten-salt reactors have been studied. These reactors have doubling times of 22.5 years and 27.5 years. Methods of decreasing the doubling times by removing the Pa233 from the core and be increasing the specific power of the reactor are described.

This course on reactor controls is for the purpose of acquainting the student with some of the elementary considerations involved in setting up a control and safety system for a nuclear reactor. This material is the outgrowth of the notes prepared for the lectures on Reactor Controls given in the Oak Ridge School of Reactor Technologu. The lectures given by T. E. Cole in 1953-1955 are the basis of portions of the subject matter on reactor kinetics. Many suggestions and ideas contributed by E. R. Mann are included throughout almost every section. In addition, several members of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and of the Reactor Controls Department in particular, have provided information which has been included in these lectures notes.

This report presents a detailed study of HRT Run 14, which was abruptly terminated by the formation of a hole in the Zircaloy-2 core tank. In this run the reactor was operated at high temperature and pressure for ten days from March 25 to April 4, 1958. Nuclear power operation extended from March 29 until April 4, when fuel solution leaked into the heavy-water blanket. The maximum power level attained was 6.4 Mw.

A method was developed for the spectrophotometric determination of 30 to 100 ug of osmium as OSO4 is extracted with CHCl3 and diphenylcarbazide is then added to the organic extract. A blue-violet reaction product is formed, the absorbancy of which is measured at 560 mu. A suitable reagent concentration is from 3 to 5 ml of 0.2% diphenylcarbazide in a volume of 25 ml and the preferred solvent for the reagent is ethanol. Beer's law is followed over a range of 8 to 130 ug of osmium with a coefficient of variation of about 4%. After a 2-hour color-development period the molar absorbancy in less than 2 hours were unsuccessful. A study was made of the effects of foreign elements and only Ru(VIII) was found to interfere.

This report describes a computer program--Oak Ridge Thermal Ellipsoid Plot program (OR TEP)--for drawing crystal structure illustrations with a mechanical plotter.

In a discussion about design of cyclotron resonators, the suggestion has been made that a wide range variable-frequency system might be constructed with two coupled resonant circuits. It also would present the possibility of tuning without the switching of high-current contacts, a troublesome item now commonly used for cyclotrons. One of the circuits would be the dee and its stem which might, or might not, be tuned. The second circuit could be located out of the magnet gap in a region where more space is usually available. Tuning could be accomplished by variation of the coupling between the two circuits and/or by, say, variable capacitance of the tuned, or tunable, circuit.

Calculations are given for eighteen stainless steel clad helium bonded specimens of UO2-ThO2 containing normal U to be placed in 6 holes in a holder in a position of the ORR not to exceed a peak unperturbed flux of 4 x 10^14 n.cm^2/sec and irradiated to a peak nvt of 1.96 x 10^21 neutrons/cm^2

The "absolute" containment of ions in the DCX magnetic mirror field resulting from the cylindrical symmetry of the field is discussed. The regions of confinement in space and momentum are plotted for 300 Kev deuterons.

The problem of controlling the surface temperatures of core vessels in two-region aqueous homogeneous reactors has been examined by analyzing several possible systems for cooling the wall: (1) direction of the inlet core fluid along the wall at a high velocity; (2) passage of heavy water through the wall of a double-wall core vessel; and (3) flow of cool blanket slurry past the wall.

The ORIC (Oak Ridge Relativistic Isochronous Cyclotron) radiofrequency system for which Model III represents the resonator is the third system which has received enough consideration to warrant construction of a model. The purpose of the model is to check the calculations for the frequency range and excitation power of the resonator. After an introductory description of the r-f system and model, the detailed calculations of the properties of the model will be given followed by the data from measurements of the model characteristics.

The nuclear characteristics and fuel costs of a number of aqueous homogeneous reactors have been estimated. Most of the reactors studied were cylindrical, two-region power-breeders variously having between 0 and 300 g/l of thorium in the core and between 500 and 1000 g/l of thorium in the blanket. The results of the calculations, including breeding ration, fuel inventories, doubling times, and net fuel costs, are summarized in this report.

Either system appears to be fairly satisfactory from a containment standpoint. Current results indicate probable over-all rates of about 0.2mils/mo for titanium vs. 1.5-3.0 mils/mo for Ni-o-nel. Tests are not 100% comparable due to changes made in flowsheet conditions, but have been of sufficient variation and length as to allow good predictions to be made. Both metals show some tendency toward local attack in Thorex solutions. These tendencies are increased by poor welding techniques.

The purpose of this study was to develop equations for calculating fision product heating in the HRT-CP underflow pot from measured temperatures and to attempt to correlate the rat of solids accumulation in the underflow pot with fission heating and reactor power. Using fission heating data calculated from relating solids accumulation and heating have been tested. In one case an error of no greater than 26% was incurred in the calculation of the total weight of solids collected during chemical plant runs 17-4, 17-5, and 17-6. Further development work will be done on this correlation.

Calculations indicate that single-transfer line concatenated pulse column systems can be operated with static pressures that are not excessive if a sufficient number of vessels are employed in the system. The required number of vessels can be attained by using a series of short columns or by using holdup pots in conjunction with a limited number of columns.

Equilibrium loading of uranium on Dowex 21K has been studied in a sulfate system for uranium concentrations from 0.0005 M to 0.0005 M, total sulfate concentrations of 0.45 M to 0.6M, and sulfuric acid concentration of 0.020 M. Loading data have been fitted to Langmuir adsorption isotherms and Langmuir constants have been evaluated. Resin was equilibrated with uranium feed solutions by flowing the feed through a shallow fixed bed of resin.

The power and estimated reprocessing load are tabulated for existing and proposed United States and United States-built reactors of 10 Kw or greater thermal power.

Data on waste volumes and heat generation of several reactor fuels which may be reprocessed in the Power Reactor Fuel Reprocessing Pilot Plant at ORNL are tabulated.

Several experiments have been performed at ORNL with light water solutions of uranyl nitrate (highly enriched in either U^233 or U^235) in an essentially bare sphere 27 inches in diameter. This report presents the results of several calculations with elementary bare reactor theory and a discussion of the observed discrepancies between the calculated and experimental results. If the observed critical concentration is used in the calculations, the calculated effective multiplication constant is less than unity' thus a higher critical concentration would be predicted than is actually observed.