A Simple Leak Detector for Tritium (open access)

A Simple Leak Detector for Tritium

From abstract: "An ionization chamber of the integrating type was built that could detect a tritium leak rate of 10[^-13] cc per second within a few minutes, after a gas-collecting period of 16 hours. Electronic circuitry was avoided by using a quartz fiber voltmeter to indicate the rate of discharge of the chamber."
Date: January 1957
Creator: Colvin, D. W.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Electrolytic Reduction of Thorium Oxide (open access)

Electrolytic Reduction of Thorium Oxide

From abstract: "Thorium metal has been produced by electrolytic reduction of thorium oxide. Reduction was accomplished in both a KF-ThF4 melt and a NaCl-KCl-ThCl4 melt. A flowsheet for the complete process using the fused fluoride system is proposed."
Date: February 1957
Creator: Meyer, Leon Herbert, 1926-
System: The UNT Digital Library
Irradiation of Powder Metallurgy Plates (open access)

Irradiation of Powder Metallurgy Plates

From abstract: "Four plates of uranium that were fabricated by powder metallurgy techniques and clad with 1100 aluminum by hot pressing were irradiated in the Materials Testing Reactor. Increases of about one-half per cent in length and one per cent in thickness were observed after exposure of 1600 megawatt days per ton. The surfaces of the plates remained smooth."
Date: April 1957
Creator: Angerman, C. L.; Douglass, D. L. (David Leslie), 1931-; Marshall, R. P. & Caskey, George R., Jr.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Irradiation of Wrought Uranium Plate (open access)

Irradiation of Wrought Uranium Plate

From abstract: "Wrought uranium plate, clad in 1100 aluminum with a nickel bonding layer, was irradiated to a maximum exposure of 1600 MWD/T in the MTR and was demonstrated to be suitable as a fuel element material. Beta-transformed plate, or beta-transformed plate that was cold stretched 2-1/4 per cent, did not change appreciably in dimensions but roughened on the surface. As-rolled plate increased in length, but did not roughen. Irradiation reduced the strength and virtually eliminated the ductility of the plate. Abrasion of the cladding caused corrosion pitting. The strength of the nickel diffusion bond between core and cladding was unimpaired by the irradiation."
Date: July 1957
Creator: McDonell, William R. & Marshall, Robert P.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Extraction of Uranium and Other Actinides From Nitric Acid by Di-N-Butyl N-Butylphosphonate (open access)

Extraction of Uranium and Other Actinides From Nitric Acid by Di-N-Butyl N-Butylphosphonate

From abstract: "Equilibrium data are presented for the distribution of uranium, other actinides, zirconium, and nitric acid between aqueous solutions and di-n-butyl n-butylphosphonate diluted with n-dodecane. Data for the physical properties and chemical stability of the phosphonate are also given."
Date: June 1957
Creator: Siddall, Thomas H., III & Loehlin, J. H.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Shearing Irradiated Uranium Plates - Part II (open access)

Shearing Irradiated Uranium Plates - Part II

From abstract: "Radioactive contamination was confined and controlled in an isolation tank when irradiated plates of natural uranium were cut under water."
Date: July 1957
Creator: Olcott, Roland B.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Adsorption of Zirconium-Niobium on Silica Gel (open access)

Adsorption of Zirconium-Niobium on Silica Gel

From abstract: "Adsorption of radioactive zirconium-niobium from uranyl nitrate solutions by silica gel was increased by increasing the temperature and time the solution contacts silica gel, and decreased by "aging" the solutions before contacting the silica gel."
Date: July 1957
Creator: Karraker, David G. & Parker, Sidney G.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Kinetics of the Beta Transformation of Uranium (open access)

Kinetics of the Beta Transformation of Uranium

From abstract: "When uranium is heat treated at low beta-phase temperatures and air cooled, the rate of loss of preferred orientation is markedly less than the rate of coarsening of the grain structure. A coarse-grained structure cannot therefore be taken as an infallible indication of satisfactory heat treatment. The final grain size of incompletely transformed metal is essentially equal to or larger than the starting grain size. Large-grained specimens can not be refined by interruption of the transformation at an intermediate stage."
Date: September 1957
Creator: McDonell, William R.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Eddy Current Detection of Al-Si Penetrations in Canned Slugs (open access)

Eddy Current Detection of Al-Si Penetrations in Canned Slugs

From abstract: "An instrument for detecting aluminum-silicon alloy penetrations in the aluminum jacket of fuel slugs is described. The instrument is of the eddy current type and the sensing element is a small probe that does not touch the specimen under inspection. Al-Si inclusions 0.020 inch in diameter that penetrate to within 0.005 inch of the can surface can be detected. The response of the circuits is such that a slug 8 inches long can be scanned in 45 seconds."
Date: December 1957
Creator: Robinson, Richard C. & Ross, John D.
System: The UNT Digital Library
An X-Ray Method for Predicting the Stability of Natural Uranium at Low Burnup (open access)

An X-Ray Method for Predicting the Stability of Natural Uranium at Low Burnup

From abstract: "A 'Growth Index' for predicting the dimensional behavior of natural uranium at low burnup was developed from X-ray diffraction measurements of preferred orientation."
Date: November 1957
Creator: Sturcken, Edward F.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Isotopic Purification of Tritium by Electrolysis (open access)

Isotopic Purification of Tritium by Electrolysis

From abstract: "An electrolytic refining process was developed to produce tritium of high isotopic purity with negligible loss. The operation is semicontinuous, with multiple stages in cascade. All tritium oxide is handled within the confines of a hermetically sealed enclosure. The mechanical operability of the process was demonstrated in a five-stage prototype line designed to process 15 gram-mols of feed per day. An average separation factor per stage of 5.3 was obtained with a feed of tracer-level tritium. The equipment is described in detail."
Date: May 1958
Creator: Johnson, B. S., Jr.; Grace, J. T.; Meyer, L. H.; Karraker, D. G. & Nicholson, C. K.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Distribution of Uranyl Nitrate Between Al(NO3)3 and Tributyl Phosphate (open access)

Distribution of Uranyl Nitrate Between Al(NO3)3 and Tributyl Phosphate

From abstract: "The distribution of uranyl nitrate was measured from aluminum nitrate and nitric acid solutions into diluted tri-n-butyl phosphate. This information is useful for designing solvent extraction processes for recovery of uranium from aluminum nitrate or nitric acid solutions."
Date: March 1958
Creator: Ames, Donald P. & Karraker, David G.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Effect of Solvent Degradation on the Purex Process (open access)

Effect of Solvent Degradation on the Purex Process

From abstract: "The combined attack of HNO3 and HNO2 on tributyl phosphate - kerosene solvent used in the Purex process produces degradation products that cause abnormal quantities of zirconium to be extracted along with the plutonium and uranium and thus limits the decontamination."
Date: May 1958
Creator: Siddall, Thomas H., III; Wallace, Richard M. & Prout, W. E.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Scavenging of Ruthenium From Purex Uranyl Nitrate Solution (open access)

Scavenging of Ruthenium From Purex Uranyl Nitrate Solution

From introduction: "In previous work on the ion exchange adsorption of ruthenium, it was observed that when certain compounds of sulfur were added to dilute uranyl nitrate solutions, precipitates formed which carried ruthenium. The purpose of this investigation was to develop a similar method for scavenging ruthenium from concentrated uranyl nitrate solutions. Such a method, combined with the silica gel treatment for removing zirconium and niobium, might provide an integrated process to remove all three contaminants."
Date: June 1958
Creator: Prohaska, Charles A.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Summary Report on Thorium Metal Quality for Production Reactor Use (open access)

Summary Report on Thorium Metal Quality for Production Reactor Use

From abstract: "Background material leading to the development of the metal quality of reactor-grade thorium is given. The metal should be sound and of uniform hardness, free of internal cracks and inclusions, and corrosion resistant. It should contain only small amounts of natural uranium, thorium oxide, and elements that act as reactor poisons. Because of their effect upon metal quality, various methods for the production of thorium are discussed. Use of consumable electrode arc melting as the final step has contributed much to the production of thorium of excellent quality for reactor use."
Date: July 1958
Creator: Hayes, Edgar E.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Ultrasonic Fusion Joining of Sintered Aluminum Powder Materials to Aluminum Alloys (open access)

Ultrasonic Fusion Joining of Sintered Aluminum Powder Materials to Aluminum Alloys

From abstract: "Essentially void-free fusion-type joints of high strength were produced between small specimens of Type M-276 sintered aluminum powder plate and 1100 Hl4 wrought plate, using a technique consisting of controlled and brief exposure of the ends of both materials to an ultrasonically active coupler face in a bath of molten 1100 aluminum, followed immediately by butt joining and fast cooling. With further development, the process should be adaptable to other types of sintered aluminum powder materials and to other joint geometries."
Date: August 1958
Creator: Thomas, John G. & Meyer, Florence R.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Radiation Bursts in U235 Solutions (open access)

Radiation Bursts in U235 Solutions

From abstract: "Calculations are made of the magnitude of the radiation bursts that can occur in a mixer-settler and in a large tank containing U235 solution if the concentration gets out of control. Various rates of increase in concentration are studied and various restraints are imposed on the expansion of the systems. The neutron kinetics equations, with five groups of delayed neutrons, and the equations relating the neutron flux to the pressure and volume of the gas formed by fission fragments are combined into a single first-order nonlinear differential matrix equation which is solved numerically on the IBM 650. In a mixer-settler containing 9.7 kg of U235 the magnitude of the burst was calculated to be about 10^17 fissions, both for low rates of increase in reactivity (<[or equal to]0.01% per sec) regardless of the confinement, and for an unconfined system regardless of the rate of increase reactivity. In a tank containing 88.9 kg of U235 successive bursts of about 10^19 fissions were calculated to occur about 0.5 second apart when the rate of increase in reactivity was about 0.1% per second."
Date: September 1958
Creator: Clark, Hugh K.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Fuel Meltdown Experiments (open access)

Fuel Meltdown Experiments

From Abstract: "Fuel tubes of enriched uranium-aluminum alloy were melted to various degrees of severity in the SPERT I reactor as a part of a program to evaluate reactor operating hazards. The heat flux encountered during the tests ranged from 200,000 to 650,000 pcu/(hr)(ft^2). The time required for the metal temperature to reach the melting point from the time when burnout began varied from 1.3 to 4.9 seconds. During these tests, pressure pulses were produced at a frequency of about one per second with peaks of about 150 psi."
Date: October 1958
Creator: Seaboch, James R. & Wade, James W.
System: The UNT Digital Library
A Synopsis of Studies Related to Tritium Monitoring and Personnel Protective Techniques (open access)

A Synopsis of Studies Related to Tritium Monitoring and Personnel Protective Techniques

Technical report issued by E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. From Abstract: "Information obtained from investigations pertinent to tritium monitoring and protective measures at the Savannah River Plant are given. These findings were used to establish realistic protective techniques and consequently, to insure the safety of workers exposed to this hazard. Topics included are: contamination, permeation of plastics and rubber, instrumentation, and biological and physical aspects."
Date: February 1959
Creator: Butler, Harry L. & Van Wyck, Robert W.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Aging of Al-Li Alloys - Part I (open access)

Aging of Al-Li Alloys - Part I

Technical report outlining experiments on aluminum-lithium alloys. From Abstract: "Aluminum-lithium alloys are subject to precipitation from solid solution, and may be age hardened by the same techniques used for more common aluminum alloys. Spherical particles of precipitate were observed with the electron microscope in 1.5% and 2.8% Al-Li alloys after aging for times comparable to those required to produce maximum hardness. Rod-shaped particles that were oriented parallel to either the (110) or the (111) planes of the aluminum matrix were observed in overaged specimens."
Date: January 1959
Creator: Angerman, C. L.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Manganese Dioxide Precipitation in Uranium - Aluminum Nitrate Solutions (open access)

Manganese Dioxide Precipitation in Uranium - Aluminum Nitrate Solutions

Technical report. From Abstract: "Precipitation of manganese dioxide in solutions of uranium-aluminum alloy effected maximum removal of fission products when the alloy solutions were acid deficient. Minimum adsorption of uranium and minimum volume of centrifuged MnO2 were obtained by precipitation in acidic solutions with vigorous agitation."
Date: February 1959
Creator: Henry, Hugh E.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Concentration of Plutonium by Cation Exchange -- Stabilization of Pu(Ill) in Nitric Acid (open access)

Concentration of Plutonium by Cation Exchange -- Stabilization of Pu(Ill) in Nitric Acid

Technical report. From Abstract : "Ascorbic and isoascorbic acids, used in conjunction with sulfamic acid, reduced Pu(IV) rapidly and completely to Pu(III) in solutions of nitric acid. The solutions of Pu(III) were stable. Aminoguanidine sulfate also retarded the oxidation of Pu(III) but did not reduce Pu(IV)."
Date: February 1959
Creator: Tober, Frank W., 1919-1995 & Russell, Edwin R.
System: The UNT Digital Library
Behavior of Technetium in the Purex Process (open access)

Behavior of Technetium in the Purex Process

Technical report. From Abstract : "Predictions of the behavior of technetium in the Purex process and details of the chemistry of technetium for Purex process conditions are given."
Date: April 1959
Creator: Siddall, Thomas H., III
System: The UNT Digital Library
Flow Characteristics of a Circular Weir in a Centrifugal Field (open access)

Flow Characteristics of a Circular Weir in a Centrifugal Field

Technical report outlining the use of circular weirs in solvent extraction between liquid phases of nuclear fuel elements. From Abstract : "A correlation of the experimental coefficients was developed to allow calculation of general weir performance."
Date: June 1961
Creator: Webster, Donald S.; Williamson, Clifton L. & Ward, James F.
System: The UNT Digital Library