The so-called Fluoride Volatility Processes refer to several proposed non-aqueous methods of processing irradiated fuel elements. In each of these methods, the uranium is fluorinated to UF6 and then decontaminated by distillation. One of those methods, involving the direct fluorination of the uranium by bromine trifluoride (BTF), has been under investigation at BNL since 1950. In 1952, it was demonstrated at BNL that uranium, as UF6, could be satisfactorily decontaminated by distillation in small-scale pilot plant equipment; end in 1953, BNL undertook the job of determining the technical feasibility of a continuous dissolver on a pilot-plant scale. The reason for the project was that the economic superiority of the process seemed to depend upon its amenability to continuous operation.

A method for determining the concentration of Li6 in aqueous solution has been tested using the nuclear reactions Li6 (n,α)H3 and O16 (H3,n)F18. Annihilation 7 radiation of induced 1.87 hour F18 radioactivity was counted with a well-type scintillation counter, and the radioactivity per millimole of lithium was found to be independent of lithium concentration below about 0.2moles/liter. The sensitivity limit for detecting lithium is less than 0.1 micromole (0.0075 micromole Li6).

The Fuel Cycle Program is an integrated program of investigation in the Vallecitos Boiling Water Reactor (VBWR) and other facilities to improve the technological limits of boiling water reactors in several areas. This report presents updates on tasks related to those areas.

The following report records a total of forty-nine graphite core samples that have been bored from process tube blocks in the Hanford piles with the intention to provide results to indicate that core boring is an entirely practical operation over bore scraping in obtaining powder samples.

The following report records a total of forty-nine graphite core samples that have been bored from process tube blocks in the Hanford piles with the intention to provide results to indicate that core boring is an entirely practical operation over bore scraping in obtaining powder samples.

Technical report. The effect of temperature during pile exposure on the fast-neutron-induced change in properties of graphite was studied. Temperatures up to 125 degrees C have no effect upon the rate of increase of elastic modulus; pieces exposed at 300 degrees C on the other hand show no change at all in elastic modulus. The increase in electrical resistance s an inverse function of the temperature of exposure at all temperatures in the range 60 to 300 degrees C.

Abstract: "Nuclear emulsion has been made in a manner similar to that of Demers and of Perfilov. An attempt has been made to achieve the grain size and sensitivity of Perflov's type P-9 Sensitive emulsion. Silver bromide grain sizes of essentially the same average size as Perfilov's were made from precipitations carried out over a narrow range of pAg's. Three brands of gelatin were tried. High sensitivity has not been achieved."

From introduction: "The purpose of this report is to summarize some of the observations on the dispersion and rate of disengaging of liquid-liquid systems and suggest some possible lines of future work."

In an earlier study on criticality conditions for homogenous mixtures, 2/cm^2 was used as the neutron age for all mixtures of water and uranium. At the higher H/U ratios (low uranium concentration), the calculated critical parameters were in good agreement were in good agreement with experimental data. At the low H/U ratios (high uranium concentrations) the calculated critical parameters were smaller than the experimental ones (more conservative from a nuclear safety point view). These results indicated that using 27 cm^2 as the neutron age gives increasingly conservative results as the H/U ratio decreases.

Various nuclear characteristics of two-region spherical homogeneous reactors have been computed in order to provide information for the design of HRE-3. Equilibrium isotope concentrations were established using an ORACLE code, and a two-group model was used to obtain critical concentrations and flux distributions. Breeding ratio is plotted as a function of reactor size, blanket thorium concentration, and other design and operating parameters, and the time required for a demonstration breeding is discussed. Tables of results, including neutron balances, are given for selected reactors. a number or relations are presented for estimating the effects of fission products, copper, corrosion products, H2O, and the core tank on breeding ratio.

The measurement of a alpha-particle energy has been used by many radiochemical laboratories for the identification and analysis of alpha-active radio nuclides. The use of the total-ionization method for alpha-active radio-nuclides. The use of the total-ionization method for alpha energy in ionization chamber in which the alpha particle loses all its energy in ionization of the chamber gas. Collection of the electrons thus formed generates a voltage pulse across the chamber capacity which is proportional to the alpha particle energy. This pulse is then amplified using a suitable linear amplifier and fed to a pulses as to amplitude; the information is then recorded or stored. Since the pulse amplitude is proportional to the alpha energy lost to the chamber gas, the pulse height analysis can be used to estimate the energy of the alpha particles and in the case of several alpha emitters of different energies, the relative abundance of the alpha emitters can be determined. An alpha energy analyzer system using the ion collection method has been fabricated for use in radiochemical laboratories required to perform a large number of alpha energy determinations. This report describes the operation, maintenance, and application of this alpha energy analyzer system.

Technical report. From Abstract : "A system has been developed to program a digital computer in much the same manner as an analog computer is programmed. Properties of a general purpose analog computer and a digital differential analyzer are combined to yield a program which employs, as input, standard data cards prepared from a diagram analogous to an analog computer diagram. The capacity of the system is much greater than that of most analog computers, making it applicable to large simulation problems. No scaling is required. The system is compatible with the Fortran symbolic language and may be used as part of a larger digital computer program. It may be applied to the more general types of boundary value problems arising in process simulation in addition to the initial value problems ordinarily solved on analog computers. It is particularly well adapted to non-linear problems and to control problems involving large transport delays. The program operates in basic machine language and, when used by itself, requires no compilation time."

This report discusses mechanical properties and heat treatment of some uranium-titanium alloys. These alloys were tested for use as fuel-element material.

The root locus method of the treatment of stability problems in the field of servomechanisms is briefly summarized. A simple mechanical instrument of the analogue type (a summing device) containing no gear mechanisms, and designed to do most of the numerical work of the root locus method, is also described.

Technical report describing a rapid and quantitative radiochemical method for the analysis of neptunium (237). This method is based on the extraction of neptunium (IV) with thenoyl-trifluoracetone in xylene. Neptunium (237) is separated free from other alpha emitters and from non-radioactive interferences, and the method may be readily adapted to remote control. [From Abstract]