The Columbia River Cooling Program basically consists of effecting a reduction in river temperature at the Hanford site during the summer season. The implementation of this program in recent years has been accomplished through the selective and controlled discharge of waste water at Grand Coulee Dam. The purpose of this report is to describe the river cooling program conducted in CY-1965 by Facilities Engineering personnel, and present the program results.

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

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

This report details activities of the Reactor and Materials Technology Department for the month of February 1965.

Metallic fuel development is reported concerning N-reactor fuel element failures, target element development, target element closure welds, alternate target element closure systems, alternate uranium compositions, N-fuel support development, hot die size fuel cladding, improved closures for ThO{sub 2} elements, and N-reactor meltdown tests in the IRP. Corrosion and water quality studies are proceeding with emphasis on downstream pitting of aluminium process tubes, hydride formation in zircaloy tubes, groove and ledge corrosion of aluminium, pitting corrosion of carbon steel in filtered water, storage basin studies, examination of K reactor process tubes, zircaloy tube hydriding studies,nickel plated aluminium, effect of beryllium and uranium on the corrosion of zircaloy-2, and examination of zircaloy-2 graphite cooling tube. Thermal hydraulics studies include boiling burnout experiments for N-reactor and heat transfer experiments for K-reactor. Graphite studies include burnout monitoring in the N-reactor and graphite contraction.

This monthly report details reactor and materials technology activities during the month of June 1965.

This report discusses research at the Hanford production reactors on reactor materials and reactor technology.

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The electrical resistivities of polycrystalline samples of La, Pr, Nd, and Sm are reported in the temperature range 1.3 to 300 deg K. La exhibits a superconducting transition at 5.8 deg K. The curve for Pr has slope changes at 61 and 95 deg K. The Nd curve shows small jumps at 5 and 20 deg K. Sm shows slope changes at 14 and 106 deg K. (auth)

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Tantalum-sheathed plutonium fuel pins were prepared for the first core loading of the Los Alamos Molten Plutonium Reactor Experiment-I. Plutonium--10 at.% iron alloy was prepared by co-reduction and by co-melting methods. After casting the alloy into rods, each rod was machined and finished to a 0.357-in.- diameter piece weighing 175 g. The finished alloy rod was finally placed in a tantalum sheath, then sealed by fusion welding to a tantalum cap. Procedures and equipment used for alloying, casting, machining, welding, and inspection are described. Methods used to prepare rods of other low-melting plutonium alloys also are discussed. (auth)

A review of the theories of electron paramagnetic resonance in biology is presented, including a discussion of the nature of the physical observation, followed by examples of materials of biological interest. Iq discussing these examples, information is presented in terms of the nature of the starting material under observation rather than the nature of the magnetic entities observed. The examples proceed from the simpler molecules of biological interest (metabolites, vitamins, cofactors) into the more complex materials (polymers, proteins, nucleic acids) toward cellular organelles (mitochondria, chloroplasts) and, finally, to whole cells, organisms and organs. The observation of photoinduced unpaired electrons in photosynthetic material is described and the various parameters controlling it are discussed. The basic observation is interpreted in terms of a primary photophysical act of quantum conversion.

In conjunction with the proposed thorium target element replacement program, hydraulic tests were performed in the Hydraulics Laboratory in 185-D building to determine the flow characteristics of 1.480-inch OD solid thorium loadings in B, C, D, and K fringe tubes. Included are supply curve data for those orifice combinations which are tentatively to be used with the thorium loads in the various fringe tubes. In addition, predicted supply-demand characteristics are presented for a loading of 1.600-inch OD thorium solids in a K-Reactor Zircaloy-2 process tube equipped with a 0.270-inch flat-plate orifice in a X central zone double-orifice retainer union (cage), Drawing H-1-21952.

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The projection welded brazed closure is being studied as a possible alternate method of closing coextruded Zircaloy-2 clad uranium fuel elements for the NPR. This closure consists essentially of projection welding the Zircaloy-2 cap to the element cladding followed by a fast resistance heating of the cap and exposed uranium face under pressure to braze the cap to the uranium face. The work to date has been entirely on 0.593 inch OD rods and 1.050 inch OD by 0.500 inch ID tubular elements. This closure has the advantage that the entire closure is completed in less than 5 seconds on one machine and consequently the element is at a temperature which would be detrimental to the Zircaloy-2 cladding and uranium bond for a very short time. The amount of uranium removed for this closure is reduced by a factor of 10 over conventional braze closure methods with a substantial savings in uranium and acid milling time. A braze material which is not toxic can be used to bond the cap to the uranium.

Reactivity and fuel burnup studies were performed for a 255 Mw(e) sodium- graphite reactor of the advanced calandria core type. This reactor is briefly described. Initial criticality calculations and flux distributions were obtained, using two-group theory for enrichments between 2.0 at.% U/sup 325/ and 4.0 at.% U235. A four-group burnup study was performed for enrichments between 2.5 at.% Uisup nd 3.25 at.% U/sup 235/. Core lifetime, changes in isotopic fuel composition, variations in radial power distribution, and fuel cross sec tions are presented. Reactivity during core lifetime was assumed to be controlled by the presence of a homogeneous poison which simulated the effects of control rcds. The results presentad are useful in determining initial enrichment selection in fuel programming and fuel cost studies. (auth)

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The purpose of this test is to provide a set of experimental data to test a compute code frequently used in nuclear safety analyses and to explore certain experimental techniques which may prove extremely valuable in the future. In addition, some basic physics parameters which will be measured may be used in an assessment of the feasibility of using a deactivated Hanford reactor for space-dependent transient tests.

A linear induction pump of a special design was used to circulate molten sodium through a mockup of an experimental "overflow" type of sodium-cooled reactor. The distinctive features of this pump are that no seals or moving parts are required: no piping is required to carry sodium to the pump or away from it because the pump is mounted directly on the reactor vessel, with the windings outside of the vessel and the magnetic flux return path inside the vessel. The pump develops 342 gpm at 6.2 psi when pumping sodium at 600 deg F with an efficiency of 4.7%. (auth)

Programming a computer that optimizes the beam in the Brookhaven AGS is discussed. Layout, method, and routines are given particular attention, and representative data cards are shown. (D.C.W.)

Samples capsules containing buttons of materials of interest for SNAP fuel elements were held at temperatures up to 1600°F , in hydrogen, under a 20-tsi load for 200+ hours.

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A graphical compilation is presented of atomic and molecular cross sections of interest to controlled thermonuclear research. The cross sections are shown, as a function of energy, for collision processes involving molecular ion dissociation, charge exchange, excitation, ionization, photoionization, scattering, energy loss, and recombination. Pertinent nuclear cross sections are also included. A bibliography is given covering the literature since 1950. (auth)