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This is the monthly report for the Hanford Laboratories Operation, September, 1957. Metallurgy, reactor fuels, chemistry, dosimetry, separation processes, reactor technology, financial activities, visits, biology operation, physics and instrumentation research, and employee relations are discussed.

This report has been prepared in answer to the request from the AEC contained in the letter of October 1, 1957, from A. T. Gifford, HOO to A. B. Greninger. As requested, the report is of a summary nature and a more complete discussion of many of the points considered will be found in the references listed. The report is directed primarily at C reactor but some discussion of the other reactors is also included. A description of the proposed utilization of I E slugs in C reactor together with the associated power increase schedule is presented below. The reasons for changing to the I E element are presented together with a comparison of solid and I E slugs in the C reactor. The changes being made in C reactor under CG 600 are described. The operational characteristics of the C reactor using solid and I E elements are compared and finally the nuclear safety status of all of the Hanford reactors assuming I E loadings is reviewed.

The phrase "composite control rod" is used to describe a hafnium-tipped titanium-boron control component with a titanium cladding. Blades for such cortrol rods were successfully prepared in cooperation with the Battelle Memorial Institute by a picture-frame rolling technique. The rolling packs, which are machined from type 304 stainless steel, contain slntered titanium boron and wrought hafnium core materials in a commercially pure titanium envelope. Such packs are evacuated, sealod off, and rolled at 16O0 F with a total reduction of 3/1 using 20% reduction per roll setting. Postfabrication treatments include mechanical removal of the stainless steel envelope, flat annealing, machining, and stress relief annealing. Data on the mechanical properties, corrosion performance, thermal cycling resistance, and irradiation damage resistance of composite control rod components are presented. This information strongly indicates that composite control rods will perform satisfactorily in water-coolod reactors. (aut)h

Run SM-3 covered 947.4 hours of which 669.2 hours were on slurry. Behavior of the system with slurry concentrations of 200 and 400 g Th/l were explored. Modifications made to the loop since the end of run SM-2 gave a flow of 360 gpm vs 230 gpm previously, and the blanket inlet nozzles were cut down from 2 in. ID to 1 1/2 in. sch 80 pipe, giving a velocity of 35 ft/sec out of the nozzles. The slurry was found to be suspended apparently uniformly in the blanket under the operating conditions and also with the flow reduced to 300 gpm by reducing the alternating current frequency. A further reduction to l97 gpm appeared to give conditions similar to run SM-2, with a much more marked concentration gradient in the blanket. The run was interrupted at 947.4 hr by a pump bearing failure. (auth)

Tensile properties amd impact strengths were determined for iodide Zr, sponge Zr, and alloys based on both grades of metal, containing nominally 1.5% M. Sheet specimens, welded and unwelded, were tested. Tensile properties were established at room temperature and 300 deg C. Impact strength values were measured at --100 deg , R.T., 100 deg , 200 deg , and 300 deg C. These (alpha) materials generally exhibited a lack of heat treatability, litile or no deterioration of properties due to welding, and essentially no indication of impact transition temperature. Tensile strength and impact behavior were established for alloys based on iodide zirconium containing 15% Nb, 15% Nb + 2% Pd, 15% Nb + 2% Pt, 15% Nb + 1% Fe, and a binary sponge zirconium + 15% Hb alloy. High strength levels could be established by proper heat treatment. The presence of Pd, Ft, or Fe seemed to delay the formation of the embrittiing agent as determined by hardness and resistivity vs time of anneal curves for these alloys. uth)

ABS>A hypothetical reactor core is presented in which right cylindrical fuel regions sre positioned at the core corners of equilateral, space-filling, parallelograms. The average gamma heating rate density in each of a set of concentric annular regions, centered on a fuel cylinder, is presented for three different fuel cylinder separation distances. The fuel cylinder radius, fuel composition, and moderator composition are held constant. The calculation was done using the Monte Carlo method. (auth)