Report documenting the progress of the Army Gas-Cooled Reactor Systems Program to develop a mobile, low-power, nuclear power plant for Military field operation.

In research in support of the GCRE, procedures for the fabrication of stainless steel-clad flat-plate fuel elements having a core of 28 w/o UN dispersed in an iron-18 w/o chromium--14 w/o nickel--2.5 w/o molybdenum matrix were developed. The preparation of UN and its compatibility with the components of the matrix alloy were studied. The UN for the program was prepared by nitriding uranium metal at 850 C and then dissociating the U/sub 2/N/sub 3/ produced to UN in a vacuum at 1300 C. In compatibility studies, UN reacted with nickel alone at 1800 F, but no reaction with nickel was observed when the other matrix components were also present. The effects of fabricational variables were evaluated by metallographic examination, longitudinal and transverse tensile tests, bend tests, and corrosion tests. Studies indicated that minus 200 plus 325-mesh UN dispersed in a minus 325-mesh elemental-powder matrix rolled green vith a 30 per cent initial reduction at 2100 F and then annealed 3 hr at 2300 F produced the best fuel core. (auth)

Development of a fabrication process and the manufacture of 95 PRTR process tubes demonstrates that the commercial fabrication of high quality Zircaloy-2 pressure tubing is feasible.

This report analyzes a linear, hard-core pinch tube built to examine tubes afflicted by small-scale instabilities evident from many observations.

This report describes a toroidal version of the hard-core pinch and the additional information it can obtain to what the analogous linear pinch can get.

It is well known that a pinch column with internal H/sub Z/ and external conducting shell can be made grossly stable, but that small-scale instabilities persist; especiaily in the tubular region of maximum current density. To investigate further these small-scale instabilities of the stabilized pinch,'' we are using 12-in.-i.d. linear pinch tube with a 3-in.-o.d. insulated center rod. By controlling a current along this rod, as well as a current along external conducting straps, and a third current in an external H/sub z/ coil, it is possible to create many grossly stable pinch configurations. The small-scale stability of the tubular region of maximum current density can thus be studied for a wide range of internal and external magnetic field vectors. The magnetic field distribution in each discharge is obtained by a string of 10 magnetic pick- up loops. The distribution of plasma density is determined by modulating the inner or outer wall current and measuring the radial velocity of the resultant compressional Alfven waves. In one experiment, an initial H/sub z/ is entrapped in plasma by preionization, and then pushed radially outward from the rod by a rising H/sub theta /. The resultant field distribution, in which H/sub theta / …

The toroidal version of the hard-core pinch tube is created by levitating a ring conductor inside a toroidal shell. The magnitude of induced H/ sub theta / necessary for levi-tation is small in terms of field strengths normally desired for energetic pinches. In a 3-in. glass-and-copper toroid of square cross section a 3/4-in. hollow copper ring has been levitated with a 60- cycle current of 3 kiloamperes. A 12-in stainless steel tube of round cross section is being built. The stability of nearvacuum field hard-core configurations is best investigated in toroidal geometry. At high power levels and low plasma densities, the conventional toroidal stabilized pinch'' is subject to an anomalous plasma energy leakage to the wall, which cannot be explained by the observed ultraviolet radiation alone. A critical question is, therefore, whether the relative stability of some hard-core pinches, as reflected by the smoothness and reproducibility of magnetic probe traces, is reflected by an improved containment of the plasma en-ergy leading to high temperature. A toroidal hard-core tube is also useful in studying the nature of the nonhydromagnetic instabilities observed in the linear inverse stabilized pinch.'' The presence and condition of electrodes appear to have a substantial effect on the …

Since the calculation of the PRTR energy distribution was first carried out by J. R. Triplett, the design has become sufficiently fixed to allow a refinement of his values. The present analysis, also, includes a calculation of the fraction of energy which is released in the shroud and process tubers that flows to the primary coolant to the top and bottom shield coolant is taken into consideration. Nuclear data used in the original calculations still appears satisfactory and is, therefore, utilized in the present analysis.

The compatibility of zirconium diboride, boron carbide, and boron nitride with type 304 stainless steel was evaluated as a function of temperature (1000-1200°C), time (1-3 hr). Appropriate loadings of the boron compounds and stainless steel powder were blended and fashioned into a compact powder metallurgically. Each compact was roll clad into a plate and subsequently heat treated at a temperature equal to the initial sintering temperature. Metallographic examination of the fabricated and heat-treated plates demonstrated that none of the systems were metallurgically stable. The instability was generally manifested by the (1) interaction of the discrete boron compounds with the matrix and (2) precipitation of a hypothetically boron-rich phase throughout the stainless steel matrix material.

The compatibility of zirconium diboride, boron carbide, and boron nitride with type 304 stainless steel was evaluated as a function of temperature (1000 to 12OO deg C), time (1-3 hr). Appropriate loadings of the boron compounds and stainless steel powder were blended and fashioned into a compact powder metallurgically. Each compact was roll clad into a plate and subsequently heat treated at a temperature equal to the initial sintering temperature. Metallographic examination of the fabricated and heat-treated plates demonstrated that none of the systems was metallurgically stable. The instability was generally manifested by the interaction of the discrete boron compounds with the matrix and precipitation of a hypothetically boron-rich phase throughout the stainless steel matrix material. Of the three compounds, boron nitride was relatively the most stable in a stainless steel matrix under the test conditions. (auth)

Approximately 16 to 18 liters of isopropyl alcohol in a 20-liter glass carboy in a floor type hood were ignited by infrared heat lamps used to heat the carboy and contents. A technician received several minor lacerations on the hand. (C.H.)

ABS>Estimates have been made of what the probable radionuclides produced in weapons detoriations, including fission products and neutron-induced radionuclides in air, soils, and sea water will be. The nuclear and decay properties and some metabolic or biological properties of these nuclides are tabulated where available. Estimates are made of the amounts of the radionuclides produced in weapons detonations. Some radionuclides are discussed with respect to their particular biological interest from the standpoint of the hazard to man. (auth)

Typical transient temperature curves for the reactor outlet coolant have been obtained for the cooldown period. Additional curves showing the relationship of several variables on the required heat exchanger area were obtained.

Two water quality control labs are being provided for the the NPR. One, a "cold" lab, is located in the183 Building adjacent to the control room. Its primary purpose is to provide facilities for quality control of the output of the filter plant and the demineralizer plant. The other, a "hot" lab, is located in the 190 Building. Its primary purpose is to provide facilities for the quality control of the primary and secondary coolants, and the moderator coolant.

Document issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Will Wilson, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Authority of the Comptroller to pay accounts for salaries, office rent, etc. of the Texas Industrial Commission incurred between May 31, 1959 and June 22, 1959.

Document issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Will Wilson, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification: Questions relating to the transfer of moneys to the available school fund and the certification required by H.B. 5, 1st Called Session, 56th Legislature.

Report discussing theories of irreversible thermodynamic processes. "The purpose of this review is to collect the presently available experimental data for a variety of quite different irreversible phenomena and to show that this evidence does indeed verify the Onsager Reciprocal Relations."

In the last twenty years a thermodynamic theory of irreversible processes (TIP) has been vigorously developed which has been able to treat irreversible phenomena in a detailed way. The present macroscopic form of the theory was suggested primarily by the statistical mechanical investigations of Onsager. The presently available experimental data are collected for a variety of quite different irreversible phenomena and it is shown that this evidence does indeed verify the Onsager Reciprocal Relations. Thermoelectricity, electro- kinetics, transference in electrolytic solutions, isothermal diffusion, heat diffusion, heat conduction in anisotropic solids, and thermogalvanomagnetic effects are the phenomena considered in detail. (W.D.M.)

An experiment was designed utilizing a charge-exchange reaction to study the decay and interactions of the neutral K mesons produced. The experiment produced no events that could be interpreted as either the decay or interaction of neutral K mesons. The nature of the experiment and the possible explanations of this unexpected result are presented in this paper.

Techniques involving the use of high-intensity short-duration light pulses have been applied t o the study of the kinetics of photoconductivity in films of metal-free phthalocyanine. These experiments, in conjunction with measurements of steady-state photoconductivity, are consistent with the following scheme. The principal route for the formation of charge carriers is via the first excited singlet state, although the lowest triplet state can, t o some extent, contribute to charge - carrier production. The mobility of the carriers is low and is concentration-dependent, being lower at higher carrier concentration. The decay of the photocurrent is the result of a diffusion-limited bimolecular recombination, with a capture radius of approximately one molecular diameter. The experiments indicate that carriers produced thermally in the dark do not interact with light-produced carriers.

The addition of ortho-chloranil to the surface of films of metal-free phthalocyanine has been found (a) to increase the dark conductivity of such films by as much as 10{sup 7}, (b) to increase the steady-state photoconductivity by as much as 10{sup 5}, and (c) to result in the formation of unpaired electrons whose concentration decreases reversibly as a result of illumination. These systems exhibit a light-induced polarization, the phthalocyanine layer becoming more positive with respect t o the ortho-chloranil layer. Kinetic studies demonstrate that, upon illumination, a single process (time constant = 40 seconds) results in the increase in conductivity, the decrease in unpaired spins, and the increase in polarization. The results are consistent with the following scheme. An electron transfer from phthalocyanine to ortho-chloranil occurs in the dark at room temperature, producing holes in the phthalocyanine layer and ortho-chloranil negative ion radicals (high conductivity, ESR signal). Illumination results in the transfer of an electron from an excited phthalocyanine molecule to the ortho-chloranil negative ion, producing further phthalocyanine holes and ortho-chloranil double-negative ion (increase in conductivity, increase in polarization, decrease in ESR signal). By equating spin concentration with charge - carrier concentration (phthalocyanine holes) it is possible to calculate a …

Electron microscopy was used to supplement metallographic studies of bonds between Zircaloy-2 interfaces. Treated surfaces before bonding, and bonded sections made by a variety of techniques were examined. Electron micrographs of belt-abraded surfaces exhibited a consistent fine-scale roughness. Chemically pickled surfaces were nearly smooth regardless of prior treatment. Chemically pickled samples and a zirconium oxide-coated sample pressure bonded at 1500 F and 10,000 psi had pitting at bond lines that could have been due to voids or to contaminant at the interface which etchod out. The pitting was almost completely eliminated in one sample by pressing one hour at 500 F and 350,000 psi. This indicated that the bond-line pitting in these samples was due to voids at the interface. Zircaloy-2 samples pressure bonded after coating with carbon chromium, iron nickel, or tin etched in relief along the bond line, indicating the presence of contaminant at the interface. On the basis of the present investigation, it is proposed that grain growth across the interface in chemically pickled samples may have been inhibited by the presence of a thin contaminant film originally present on the Zircaloy surfaces. However, the poor grain-growth characteristics of chemically pickled samples may also be due in …

In another paper there was reported an attempt to observe the charge-exchange process in a counter-triggered multiplate cloud chamber at the Bevatron but the interpretation was ambiguous. Shortly after the close of that experiment the 30-in. propane bubble chamber at the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory was completed and able to be used for a combined engineering test and experiment. The existence of Reaction (1) has been confirmed in this experiment, and an approximate cross-section value for carbon is calculated.

The objective of the test detailed in this report is to irradiate self-supported fuel elements under conditions of severity comparable in these expected for future loadings of this geometry, to attempt to determine the resistance to corrosion of cooled cladding, the effect of supports on cladding corrosion and coolant flow patterns, and the relative resistance to ``hot-spot`` type attack and rupture of ``projection`` fuel elements and rib supported elements. This test will authorize irradiation of four columns of self-supported and four columns of rib-supported I and E, 1.47% enriched fuel elements until two ruptures are sustained in each group on type demonstrates a significant factor of improvement in rupture resistance over the other.