Report containing hazard and safety information regarding the Experimental Breeder Reactor-II in Idaho.

From introduction: "This is the ninth of a series of quarterly reports which will cover the progress and results from the conceptual design, economic evaluations and research and development work performed by the General Electric Company as part of the Nuclear Superheat Project."

From abstract: "This report presents the design, fabrication, assembly, operating procedures, and start-up data for six experimental test loops to examine the effect of steel exposed to sodium at temperatures as high as 1300 F."

From summary: "A superposition model is developed to predict the critical heat flux in forced convection flow. The model is applied to available experimental results in boiling water flows and good agreement is obtained between the model and test data over the multitude of geometries, flow rates, pressures, and fluid enthalpies tested to-date."

From abstract: "This report presents the results of a feasibility study on a simplified power conversion unit primarily for use with nuclear, steam power plants for military applications."

From abstract: "Describes Heat Transfer Reactor Experiment No. 3, a solid-moderated nuclear power plant with a horizontal reactor."

The ACIR Library is composed of publications that study the interactions between different levels of government. This document addresses alternative approaches to governmental reorganization in metropolitan areas.

This memorandum provides an discussion as to the possible application of nuclear ramjet propulsion in a submarine-based missile system. Questions are raised as to modifications required, compatibility with present submarine launch facilities, and missile and booster volume.

This memorandum discusses study areas and items that will require attention for the naval studies of the utilization of nuclear propulsion in a submarine-based missile system.

Report presenting a bibliography of about 550 references of the soft X-ray literature since 1950 and through 1960. The emphasis is on the application of soft X-ray spectroscopy to the study of valence band electronic states in metals and alloys. Therefore, the spectral region of 25 to 800 angstroms involving ruled glass grating spectrometers is of principal interest. In addition to soft X-ray data, references on all pertinent aspects of the apparatus and experimental problems are included. Also listed separately are references of value in corroborating soft X-ray data with other results. Subject, author, X-ray band, material, and other indices are included.

Report documenting a process for recovering uranium from nichrome fuels (HTRE). This is accomplished by dissipating the fuel into a mixture of HCl-HNO3, stripping away chlorine ions with HN03, and recovering the uranium via tributyl phosphate solvent extraction.

The favorable combination of physical properties such as heat capacity, viscosity, electrical resistivity, thermal conductivity and high temperature liquid range make alkali metals, in principle, among the best heat transfer fluids available for use in nuclear reactor and other esoteric powerplant systems. Unfortunately, many of these properties are not known with sufficient certainty in the high temperature region to permit optimization of design criteria for developing maximum efficiency coolant systems. For this reason, Pratt & Whitney Aircraft-CANEL, have been concerned for some time in extending the physical properties data of alkali liquid metals in the high temperature region. A supplemental program is being initiated to study some of the properties of alkali metals in the gas phase. This information is required for designing systems where the alkali vapor is the working fluid. In addition, programs are under way to study the solubility of noble gases in alkali liquid metals and wetting characteristics of these liquid metals with structural materials.

Two methods for measuring target efficiencies are briefly discussed. The second method puts an upper bound on the efficiency and permits observation of instantaneous efficiency, thereby aiding location of losses. Measurements agree well with conventional radiochemical values.

The studies of Irving and Edgington, and Healy on the synergistic effects of tributyl phosphate (TBP) and tri-n-octylphosphine oxide (TOPO) on the solvent extraction of thorium and other metals by thenoyltrifluoroacetone (TTA) are discussed. It is shown that the synergistic effect is a result of addition reactions as well as replacement reactions and is not a function of the metal being extracted. A compilation of equilibrium constants describing the synergistic effect of TBP and TOPO on TTA extraction is given for the following metal ions: Th4+, UO2,2+, Am2+, Cm3+, Pm3+, Tm3+, and Ca2+.

A circuit is described developed to fill the need for a pulser with a 15-20 volt amplitude into the 93 ohm line, stable, transistorized and low cost, fast 10 Nano second rise, and a variable repetition period from 0.5 sec. to 4 sec.

The high flux research reactor HIFAR contains ten tons of heavy water which acts as moderator and primary coolant. Over an eighteen months period regular microbiological examinations have been carried out on samples of heavy water taken from various parts of the circuit. The heavy water circuit provides an interesting opportunity for the study of microorganisms because of the high isotopic purity (greater than 99.6 per cent.), and the high chemical purity of the heavy water in the reactor. Furthermore, during its passage through the reactor core the water and suspended bacteria are subjected to intense irradiation, the neutron flux being approximately 10 14 neutrons cm-2 sec-1. The presence of bacteria in the heavy water circuit has been demonstrated and experimental results and methods used are discussed. Some evidence is presented to show that the ion—exchange resin bed contributes nutrients to support bacterial growth.

Breakaway corrosion of Be in moist CO2 can be avoided if the Be is fabricated using preoxidized powder. The powder is preoxidized by heating in dry O/sub 2/. Preoxidation of Be powder was measured as a function of temperature and time of heating in O/sub 2/. The subsequent reactions of the preoxidized powder in moist CO/sub 2/ at 700 deg C were studied and the effect of increasing amounts of added oxide was measured. A model is proposed to explain the inhibition of corrosion by added oxide. (auth)

Concentric tubular reactor fuel element geometries to give equal coolant outlet temperatures are presented. Oscillations from tube to tube in thickness and temperatures generally occur but it is possible to eliminate them by choice of the centre element. This may be a fuel rod or a non-heat—producing rod with or without a surrounding annulus of fuel. The geometries and temperatures are dependent on the voidage and on a non-dimensional parameter equivalent to a Biot number based on the channel equivalent diameter.

It has been observed that energetic gaseous ions mark their region of impingement on certain metals in color. Under identical conditions of bombardment, multicharged ions of the same gas mark their impact areas with different colors. The colors are sensitive to the type and energy of the ion as well as to the metal bombarded. These colors may result from reflections from thin films formed by reactions at the target. Because the colors indicate that thicker films are produced with increased ion energy, ion penetration depth as predicted by theory is compared with the depth indicated by the colors observed.

Monthly newsletter of the High Plains Underground Water Conservation District No. 1, discussing the field of underground water. Topics include profiles of water conservation research, annual pre-plant soil moisture survey data, annual Winter Water Level measurement data, and information about the latest water conservation tips.

Abstract This technical report covers the thermal analysis performed on the SM-1 Core III for both steady state and transient conditions is reported. SM-1 Core III will be used as a test for Type 3 elements in a PM-2A Core. The steady state analysis indicated minimum departure from nucleate boiling ratios (DNBR) for both design and scram conditions above the minimum criteria of 1.5. Local nucleate boiling was noted in the hot internal channels and lattice passage at scram power conditions. Loss of flow transient results indicate DNBR's above 1.5, insuring that the core is safe from burnout. Bulk boiling was noted in the hot channels and lattice passage at scram power condition.

"In Householder, using Weissinger's identity , obtained the necessary and sufficient conditions for the c onvergence of the Seidel method for the solution of finite matrix equations of the form (D-S-S*-F)u = f. The same coniditions were also obtained by Krein and Prozorovakaya for an analog of the Seidel method for the operator equations of the form (D+S+S*)u = f in a Hilbert space. The purpose of this article is to extend the result of the above authors to the generalized overrelaxation iterative method for the solution of a wider class of of operator equations in a Hilbert space."

"The diffusivities of Fe, Co, and Al in otherwise pure Au were determined by a residual activity technique. It was found that the frequency factors and activation energies of the transition elements into Au are normal relative to the values for Au self-diffusion, and suggest that lattice diffusion is operative, in contrast to the corresponding situation for the diffusion of these elements in Al. This difference in behavior is explained in terms of the marked difference in solid solubilities in the two series."

The self-diffusivities of Co60 and Ni63 in cobalt--nickel solid solutions exhibit a greater activation energy below the Curie temperature (T/sub c/) than above. Values of DELTA Q = Q (ferromagnetic) -- Q (paramagnetic) are approximately equal to RT/sub c/. This observation is interpreted to indicate that the increment in activation energy arises from an increase in the formation energy of a vacancy in the ferromagnetic lattice, with the additional binding energy arising from the interaction of a spin with the Weiss field."