A hot-pressing system was designed and is adaptable for bomb melting experiments up to 2000 deg C. Two devices were constructed for measuring. One was designed to measure Seebeck coefficients, resistivities, and bond resistances of swaged and machined thermoelectric wafers and the other was designed to measure thermoelectric parameters of cylindrical thermoelectric pellets up to 1000 deg C. Design studies on a fission-fired thermoelectric generator were completed. Seebeck coefficient and resistivity were determined for Li/sub .06/Ni/ sub .94/ and p type PbTe as a function of thermal fiux at 400 deg C (average). Designs of prototype thermonuclear fuel elements are presented which include single-leg, double-leg, multi-junction notched-bar, and multi-junction pelletized designs. The effects of heattreatment on the thermoelectric properties of n and p type PbTe were determined at 68 deg F. The compatibility of PbTe and GeTe with cladding materials was investigated at 510, 600, and 650 deg C. The results of life testing a swaged single-leg GeTe element are discussed. The nuclear characteristics of a 500-kw thermoelectric core that employs a rod-type fuel element were calculated. Designs of a thermoelectric reactor system that utilizes thermal circulation are presented. (For preceding period see WCAP- 1545.) (C.J.G.)

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Studies are being made on the effects of variation of aluminum content, heat treatment, surface preparation, and other metallurgical factors on the room temperature ductility of Al-- Fe alloys. The variation of Fe/sub 3/Al order as a function of temperature for 13.9 Alfenol was redetermined under constant instrumental conditions. The variation of the electrical resistivity of the three alloys under consideration with temperature on slow cooling is illustrated. An anomaly in the disordering process near the Fe/sub 3/Al -- FeAl transformation temperature was manifested in the stoichiometric Fe/sub 3/Al alloy. Above a temperature of 490 deg C there was a rapid decrease in the integrated intensity of the (210) FeAl superlattice reflection. The best ductilities obtained corresponded to heat treatments involving slow cooling to produce a high degree of Fe/sub 3/Al order and subsequent annealing of the ordered material for short periods of time near the Fe/sub 3/Al -- FeAl transformation temperature. (M.C.G.)

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A frequency analysis was made of the VBWR stability test data. Interpretation of the steady-state noise observed in the stability tests involved consideration of several possible sources of excitation. One of these, a theory of water surface waves, is summarized. Visual and destructive examinations were made of selected fuel rods. Fretting corrosion of the Zircaloy-clad fuel rods against stainless steel spacers was observed. Evidence that UO/sub 2/ thermal conductivity increases with time was obtained. Hot gas isotatic pressed fuel rods failed after 316 Mwd/T irradiation and 5 months storage under water. Shakedown operation of a 7-rod test section for measuring burnout heat flux was conducted. A comparison of measured and calculated isotopic composition for uranium and plutonium isotopes after 400 Mwd/T irradiation indicated that the calculations underestimate capture in U/sup 238/ and overestimate capture in Pu/ sup 239/. Flux wire irradiations provided axial and radial flux profiles and the ratio of thermal to fast flux as a function of axial position. (M.C.G.)

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In-pile loop experiments L-2-15 and L-4-16 were designed to test the radiation corrosion of Zircaloy-2 and other possible reactor construction materials in UO/sub 2/SO/sub 4/ solutions. The solutions employed were 0.17 m UO/ sub 2/SO/sub 4/, 0.015 m CuSO/sub 4/, and 0.03 m H/sub 2/SO/sub 4/ in H/sub 2/O for experiment L-2-15, and 0.17 m UO/sub 2/SO/sub 4/, 0.015 m CuSO/sub 4/, and 0.025 m H/sub 2/SO/sub 4/ in H/sub 2/O for experiment L-4-16. The mainstream temperature in the experiments ranged from 278 to 280 deg C. Construction material for the loops was type 347 stainless steel. Specimens of types 347 and 309SCb stainless steels titanium-55A and -110AT, platinum, Zircaloy-2, crystalbar zirconium, and a variety of other zirconium alloys were tested. The power density at core specimens ranged from 19.8 to 4.6 w/ml in L-2-15 and from 5.7 to 1.3 w/ml in L-4-16. For loop L-2-15, the total time of hightemperature operation with UO/sub 2/SO/sub 4/ was 792 hr, during in-pile exposure, and the reactor energy was 1632 Mwh; for loop L-4-16, 1032 hr and 2325 Mwh. During both experiments most of the reactor energy was accumulated at 3-Mw power level. In general, stainless steel corrosion results from these experiments …

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Vapor volume fraction (void fraction) experiments using a gamma attenuation technique were planned. The experimental program required designing a test section and a steam generator. While the design of the test section was straightforward, the steam generator required considerably more attention because of the large flow and power requirements. Both designs were completed. All components of the gamma attenuation detection system were assembled and checked to be sure they were in proper operating condition. An IBM-1620 computer program was written to reduce the count rate data, taken during the experiments, to void fractions. A calibration of the void detection system was accomplished by scanning a Lucite-air mock-up of a water-steam flow pattern. The measured void fraction distribution was in good agreement with the known void distribution of the Lucite-air geometry. (auth)

Uranium-bearing thermoelectric compounds are now being prepared by tantalum bomb melting and by the hydride process. Tests of devices made up from these compounds indicate that the main fabrication problems are densification and contact bonding. Data from a hot-swaged pellet and a swaged device of US/sub 2/ indicate some promise for that compound. Improvements in techniques of thermoelectric parameter measurements include programming of automatic test data recording at desired intervals around the clock; increased accuracy and versatility of measurements through use of a newly-constructed adjustable precision resistor; and a method for measuring which should lead to an experimental means for determining the thermoelectric figure of merit, Z. Potential profile studies on PbTe pelleta are yielding important information on contact resistance parameters. A fission-fired thermoelectric generator is being prepared for the next in-pile test. (auth)

Measurements were made of the total energy deposited at various points within a 42-cm-dia spherical water-filled lucite phantom by the secondary particles resulting from 160-Mev proton reactions with various targets. Target materials were water, aluminum, carbon, copper, and bismuth. Detectors were small lucite-walled ionization chambers filled with 97% A--3% CO/sub 2/ or ethylene gas. Data were taken both with the lucite phantom on the beam axis and with the phantom offset approximately 54 deg -43' from the beam axis. The proton beam energy determined from a part of these results, 160-162 Mev, is in good agreement with published values. The energy deposited by secondary particles was found to increase with Z, as expected. The depth-dose curves obtained have a steeply negative slope over the region near the surface of the phantom and a more gentle slope at greater depths. The magnitude of the dose in the region of the initial slope decreases with increasing target thickness. The dose in this region is presumably due to secondary protons. The magnitude of the dose at greater depths increases with increasing target thickness. At the greater depths the slope of the depth-dose curves, presumabiy controlled by secondary neutron interactions, is similar to that …

Installation of the test equipment and checkout of the steam-water test facility's controls for the first series of tests was completed with favorable results. Tests to determine the relation between steam void fraction and superficial steam velocity are complete through the pressure range of 600 to 2,000 psig. A correlation equation which relates steam void fraction to basic system parameters ia reported. The liquid level detector is in operation, and preliminary tests were performed. Detector performance is as predicted. Void fraction measurements in the downcomer region of the reactor mock-up were completed. Results show that by using a reduced area riser, carryunder in a natural separation system can be greatly reduced. The prediction equation which relates riser geometric parameters and fluid properties to downcomer voids is refined to include results of the large diameter tests. The resulting equation more accurately describes large diameter risers. Development and testing of the 8- and 10-inch diameter centrifugal downflow separators were completed. The best separator tested to date has a flow capacity of 2800 gpm with 0.75% carryunder. Development of an analytical approach to design of this type of separator for a given set of pressure and flow conditions is in progress. (auth)

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A generalized least-squares technique can be used to calculate equilibrium constants in solvent extraction equilibria by minimizing the difference between observed and calculated distribution ratios. The method was successfully applied to the extraction of uranyl nitrate and nitric acid by TBP dissolved in an inert diluent. (auth)

A brief review of boiling for ordinary fluids with emphasis on the wall superheat required for bubble initation from different surfaces at varying pressures is presented. Calculations based on an equation valid for normal fluids indicate that superheats from two to eight times that for water are required to initiate a vapor bubble in some of the alkali metals. The high superheat and the high thermal conductivity peculiar to liquid metals are combined to explain the unstable liquid-metal boiling phenomenon in natural- and forced-circulation loops. Forced-convection boiling-potassium heat-transfer coefficients correlated by the Locknart-Martinelli two-phase flow parameter are in reasonable agreement with the forced-convection boiling-water data of Dengler and Addoms. Some recomraendations on bubble initiation sites and future work with liquid metals are also included. (auth)

A scavenging-precipitation ion-exchange process using phenolic resins was developed to decontaminate lowradioactivity-level process water waste prior to discharge to the environment. In laboratory and small engineeringscale tests, greater than 99.9% of the cesium and strontium, the principal biological hazards were removed from ORNL low-level waste, and the total activity level was lowered to less than the maximum permissible concentration recommended for populations in the neighborhood of atomic energy installations. The water was treated by a scavenging-precipitation with sodium hydroxide, pH 11.7, and ferrous sulfate, copperas-5 ppm Fe, to remove suspended solids and soluble hardness, clarified, and then passed through a carboxylic-phenolic ion-exchange resin to sorb the remaining radionuclides. After passage of 1,500 to 2,000 resin-bed volumes, the resin was eluted with 10 volumes of 0.5 M HNO/sub 3/. Sodium carbonate can be added in the precipitation step to aid the quantitative precipitation of calcium for wastes that contain small amounts of phosphates, or alternatively, an extra ion-exchange column of carboxylic resin can be used to remove calcium and thus conserve the capacity of the phenolic resin for cesium and strontium. Three kinds of studies were made: batch laboratory-scale studies, continuous nonradioactive runs at 15 liters/hr, and runs with radioactive waste …

Poison demand curves were computed for a boiling water reactor with H/ sub 2/O to UO/sub 2/ ratios of 2.1 and 3.0, a uranium235 enrichment of 3.3 wt%, and fuel depletions in the range of 10,000 to 25,000 Mwd/t. These curves indicate poison lumps in the form of cylinders to be desirable. For these same reactors, the excess reactivity was computed for the cold clean, hot clean non- voided, and hot full-power equilibrium conditions. The excess reactivity was computed with and without a black burnable poison sized for the full power equilibrium condition. The moderator temperature defect and reactor operating power defect are increased substantially if computed including explicitiy the effect of a black poison. Model development was completed for depleting isolated cylinders. Initial self-shielding factors were computed as a function of cylinder radius for ten neutron temperatures. Depletion calculations were performed for four values of cylinder diameter and neutron temperature. Gadolinia cylinders in alumina rods were formed and sintered at temperatures up to 2850 deg F. A reaction between Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ and Gd/sub 2/O/sub 3/ begins at 2650 deg F. Investigations were begun of reaction between UO/sub 2/ and Gd/sub 2/O/sub 3/. Development was completed on methods to …