This document details activities of the Fuels Preparation Department during the month of May 1960. (FI)

The pressurizer system and its related design and operating data are described. The philosophy and analytical procedures used in the design of the pressurizer for the Consolidated Edison Thorium Reactor are summarized

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The authors have previously reported that deuterium oxide in the drinking water of either male or female mice produces sterility. An investigation of some of the conditions--with particular reference to time--of deuterium oxide treatment to produce sterile C{sub 57} male mice indicated that the sensitive phase of sperm production centered around the late prophase of meiosis. In some experiments, although D{sub 2}O was almost completely absent during maturation of the sperm, and when the mice mated, these sperm exhibited the effects of their much earlier contact with D{sub 2}O. No viable offspring were obtained from these matings. They concluded that the presence of D{sub 2}O during the late prophase and meiotic divisions interfered with the normal construction or division (or both) of genetic material. It was suggested that changes in the forces, principally hydrogen bonds, in macromolecules affected their structural characteristics and resulted in abnormal division. The objective of the experiments reported here was to determine the phases of embryonic development of the mouse at which the lethal action of deuterium oxide on sperm is manifested. These investigations on embryonic growth initiated by sperm developed in D{sub 2}O have yielded additional evidence that D{sub 2}O severely damages the genetic material …

Three small samples of zircalloy-2, obtained from a KER tube, were irradiated in the Quickie Facility in F Reactor for one, four, and nine months, respectively. Each sample weighed approximately two grams. One day after discharge from the reactor, the specific activity of each of the samples was essentially the same (about 150 mr/hr/gram at one foot in air). Attenuation measurements taken one day after discharge using lead plates yielded a ten-fold reduction in gamma intensity for each 0.95 inches of lead. This indicates that an enclosure for kilogram samples of zircalloy which have been irradiated for long periods of time at fluxes up to 10{sup 14} neutrons per square centimeter per second should have six inch thick lead walls or the equivalent for gamma shielding. Based on the effective gamma energy and the half-life for the first day, it appears that Zr-89 may be the predominant isotope initially. After a few days, the half-life become long and gamma spectrometer measurements indicate the gamma softens revealing that Zr-95 might become the predominant isotope. However, isotopes were not determined specifically; impurities, other isotopes, or combination of isotopes could yield the same results.

From introduction: This report describes the geology of the area only to the extent necessary for preliminary evaluation of the possibilities for the disposal of liquid radioactive waste by injection through deep wells. Their value will increase with development of extensive commercial production of atomic power and attendant creation of radioactive waste from the processing of spent fuel elements. The disposal of liquid waste in deep reservoirs is only one of several possibilities that must be considered.

Discussing a geologic investigation undertaken near Lakeview Oregon to study the unique occurrences of uranium found there, and to provide an appraisal of the uranium recourses of the area.

Although there have been several previous investigations of neutron resonance absorption in thorium, knowledge in this area has not been sufficiently accurate nor extensive enough to satisfy the practical requirements of thorium breeder reactor design. The present experiment was performed in an effort to reduce this uncertainty by checking and extending the results of previous measurements of the geometric and temperature dependence of thorium resonance integrals. The experimental procedure was the determination of reactivity coefficients by measurements of reactor period in the Lynchburg Pool Reactor.

Describes how to establish grass-protected waterways on farm fields to prevent soil erosion.

This is the monthly report for the Hanford Laboratories Operation. Metallurgy, reactor fuels, physics and instrumentation, reactor technology, chemistry, separation processes, biology, financial activities, employee relations, laboratories auxiliaries, radiation protection, operation research, inventions, visits, and personnel status are discussed. This report is for May 1960.

This monthly document details activities of the Hanford Operations Office during the month of June 1960. (FI)

This monthly document details activities of the Hanford Operations Office during the month of May 1960. (FI)

The results of the HASP program to determine the role played by the stratosphere in the world-wide distribution of radioactive fall-out from nuclear weapons tests are presented. The program has operated since the fall of 1957. The sampling network using U-2 aircraft collected 10/sup 8/ scf of air from 57 S to 71 N up to 70,000 ft. Ashcan data are used for upward extrapolation. IPC Paper 1478 of near 100% efficiency is used. Stratospheric ruatter sampled is in the 0.01- mu range. Stratospheric inventories of Sr/sup 90/ were calculated for the periods Nov. 1957 to Dec. 1958, Jan. to Aug 1959, and Sept. to Nov. 1959 to be, respectively, 0.95, 0.81, and 0.7 megacuries. Concentrations were greater in the Northern Hemisphere by a factor of 2 to 3 than in the Southern Hemisphere. The Sr/sup 90/ maximum cccurs in the equatorial regions around 90,000 ft and slopes down to around 70,000 ft in the polar regions. Little fractionation is noted in stratospheric debris. Cesium-137 to strontium90 ratios are 1.8 to 0.5. A semiempirical application of Gaussisn diffusion is described which suggests that hot clouds injected in the equatorial stratosphere spread in the North-South direction with mixing coefficients near 5 …

Moderator Reactor (VMR), a reactor concept under investigation by American-Standard for the AEC. The VMR is light-water moderated and cooled and is fueled with slightly enriched uranium dioxide pellets loaded into aluminum tubes. The core consists of 37 hexagonal fuel cans each loaded with 61 fuel pins. The cooling water, which flows upward around the pins inside the fuel can, boils in passing through the core. Reactor control in the prototype will be achieved by varying the moderator height. The site, laboratory, and the critical assembly, including control and safety mechanisms, are described in detuil. Special characteristics of the assembly pentinent to safety were calculated. The nuclesr energy released and the average and maximum fuel temperatures resulting from step reactivity increases up to 2% DELTA k/k are presented graphically for two cases. In the first case, fuel-temperature effects are considered to be the oniy shutdown mechanism; in the second radiolytic gas is considered to contribute to shutdown, in addition to fuel-temperature effects. The accident considered to be the maximum credible accident causes a step addition in reactivity of 1.5% DELTA k/k. The nuclear-energy release is between 160 and 310 megawatt-sec depending on the assumed shutdown mechanisms. This accident does not …

Capital investments and the cost of power were estimated for 21 heavy- water-moderated, natural-uraniumfueled power-reactor plants, ranging in capacity from 100 to 460 Mw(e). Comparisons were made of hot- and coldmoderator reactors and of the relative merits of pressuretube and pressure-vessel designs. Reactors cooled with liquid D/sub 2/O, boiling D/sub 2/O, /sub 2/O steam, and helium were evalunted. A cold-moderator pressure-tube reactor cooled with boiling D/sub 2/O shows the most economic promise of the D/sub 2/Omoderated reactor systems studied to date. Reactors of this type have sufficient reactivity to permit satisfactory fuel exposures, but the development of additional technology is a prerequisite for optimum designs. At capacities of 300 and 400 Mw(e), the estimated power costs from the current designs of boiling-D/sub 2/O pressure-tabe reactor plants are 11.3 and 9.8 mills/kwh, respectively. From liquid-D/sub 2/-cooled concepts of comparable capacities the indicated power costs are 7 to 20% higher. With an active development program, a power cost of 8.0 to 8.5 mills/kwh may be attained in a 300 Mw(e) boiling-D/sub 2/O reactor plant within the next decade. (auth)

The most important component required for the Astron experimental facility is a high energy, high current, pulsed electron accelerator. A thin cylindrical layer of high energy electrons trapped within an axially symmetric magnetic field is the key feature of the Astron thermonuclear device. The trapping magnetic field is constant in time. Therefore, it is not possible to inject electrons and trap the electrons in this field unless during the injection phase a part of the electron energy is absorbed by some friction process. This is accomplished by means of eddy currents generated on suitable passive circuits by the current of the injected electron bunch. This method has ben described elsewhere. However, in order to achieve an effective loss mechanism the current of the injected electron beam must be over one hundred amps. Such high current beams are difficult to handle except if the electron energy is high enough so that the electrostatic repulsive force is compensated to great extent by attractive magnetive forces. Hence the electron energy required is 5 Mev or higher. Other requirements on the electron layer yield the same result.

Describes what facilities should be used in storing fruits and vegetables at home.

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No conclusions could be made concerning tbe distribution of hydrogen injected into the reactor coolant because the samples were taken only from the purification loop through which tae hydrogen was added. No comparison of the uniformity of distribution obtained by injecting hydrogen through either the AC or the BD purification loop could be made. Comparative data were not taken until 9 days had elapsed since injecting hydrogen and the concentration was near tbe lower limit (15 cc/kg). The rates of hydrogen loss durirg the test were 5.9 cc/ kg/day for hydrogen injected through the AC purification loop, and 4.1 cc/kg/day for hydrogen injected through the BD purification loop. (auth)

Abstract: Presented here are working graphs of pressure, density, velocity, and temperature from the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory calculations (IBM Problem M) of a spherically symmetric explosion in a homogeneous atmosphere.

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The purpose of this report is to provide scope and justification for the installation of one new 900 HP pump in the 181-D Building and to tie the two 36-inch headers together in order to supply sufficient water to increase production at 105-D and 105-DR.

A test was made to bring core 1, seed 2 to the critical condition and to determine the critical rod bank height. Core 1, seed 2 was brought to criticality on a rod bank consisting of the control rods on inverters one and seven at a rod bank height of 24.70 in. (W.L.H.)

Partial summary: "To assess the durability of concrete and other materials used in concrete construction when exposed to natural weathering, the Corps of Engineers maintains severe-, mild-, moderate-, and non-weathering exposure stations at various locations in the United States. Specimens from actual structures and experimental specimens in which the amounts or kinds of components are varied are exposed until they fail or until testing is completed, whichever occurs first. The specimens are inspected periodically, and tested to determine their dynamic modulus of elasticity and pulse velocity. [...] Volume 1 contains the active evaluations" (p. ix).