This monthly progress report covers activities in the following areas: pile control; shielding studies; process tube assembly; pile operating equipment; power recovery; pile piping; and test laboratory. A detailed discussion is given for each topic.

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A pile oscillator was designed, constructed, and operated at the Battelle Research Reactor. This pile oscillator cycles a specimen and a standard in the same container through an annular ion chamber located in the thermal column. This almost simultaneous oscillation of the standard and specimen eliminates errors caused by power drifts or fluctuations. The use of a continuous graphite rod for the container or carrier reduces undesirable scattering effects of the carrier. The oscillator was calibrated using the cross section of gold foil as a standard. Effects of geometry on measured cross sections were investigated. In general, larger samples gave higher apparent crosssection values than thin foils of comparable cross sections. Most measurements to date were made on powdered-metal samples. Values obtained at Battelle are presented and compared with values from Oak Ridge on similar samples. At present the sensitivity of the oscillator is limited to total absorption cross sections on the order of 1 mm/sup 2/ for accurate crosssection data. The limit of the accuracy of the measurements is approximately the accuracy to which the absorption cross section of the standard sample is known. An analysis of the errors indicates that cross sections on the order of 1 mm/sup …

A previous report described the conceptual design of a plutonium producing reactor that may be characterized as follows: Power output (2000 MW); cooling - (natural convection of light water through the reactor, up through a draft tube to an evaporative cooling pond, then back to the reactor, and fuel (400 to 500 tons of uranium enriched to 1.2% U-235). Because this reactor would be cooled by the natural convection of light water, it is believed that the construction costs would be significantly less than for a Savannah or Hanford type reactor. Such expensive items as water treatment and water pumping facilities would be eliminated entirely. The inventory of 500 tons of slightly enriched uranium, however, is an unattractive feature. It represents not only a large dollar investment but also makes the reactor less attractive for construction during periods of national emergency because of the almost certain scarcity of even slightly enriched uranium at that time. The Atomic Energy Commission asked that the design be reviewed with the objective of reducing the inventory of uranium, The results of this review are given in this report.

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This code finds inelastic cross-section matrix elements (transfer matrix) for hot monatomic moderator for multigroup calculations by numeric- analytic double integration of Cohen's formula. Several approximations to the actual neutron density ean be used as weight functions over the velocities of the initial groups. Modified and supplemented results are presented on binary cards and/or tape for direct input into the Argonne Transport Theory Codes or the SNG Code, or for offline output. (auth)

An experimental study was made to determine the effective shielding provided by a modern reinforced-concrete office building (AEC Headquarters building) from nuclear fall-out. Pocket ionization chambers were used for measurement of the radiation-field strength. Fall-out was simulated with distributed and point-source configurations of Co/sup 60/ and Ir/sup 192/ sources. Four typical sections were selected for study, and experiments were performed on each. These included an external wing with exposed basement walls and an external wing with a buried basement. Roof studies were made on an internal wing with a full basement and on the east end of wing A, which has a thin-roof construction. The thick-roof construction of 8 in. of concrete and 2 in. of rigid insulation covers all the building except the east end of wing A, which has 4 in. of concrete and 2 in. of insulation. (auth)

Batch processes on a scale of 250 to 300 g of uranium were developed for the production of uranyl oxinate (8quinolinate) and uranyl malonate. Both compounds are insoluble in water and were found to be suitably soluble in pitch. Uranyl oxinate was prepared by the reaction of an aqueous uranyl nitrate solution with an acetic acid solution of oxine (8-quinolirol) at about 80 deg C. Complete precipitation was accomplished by the addition of ammonium hydroxide. Yields of better than 99.5% were obtained. Uranyl malonate was prepared by the reaction of aqueous solutions of sodium malonate and uranyl nitrate at about 80 deg C in 97 to 98% yield. Uranyl 2-ethylhexanoate was prepared by a transesterification reaction from uranyl acetate and 2-ethylhexanoic acid. Yields of 90% were obtained but the process was quite laborious ard time consuming. A metathesis method of preparation was not successful. (auth)

Ultrasonic and eddy current methods were used to inspect EBR-I Mark III fuel elements and componentsUltrasonic techniques were used to inspect for homogeneity of the casting, bonding of the core to the clad on the extruded rod, bonding of the Zircaloy spacer disk to the uranium, and cracks in the Zircaloy rod used for end caps. Eddy current techniques were used to measure the cladding thickness on the extruded rods and to inspect the zirconium wire used for spacers on the completed fuel element. (auth)

The effects of pile irradiations on the physical properties and corrosion resistance of U-- Mo, U-- Nb; and U--Si alloys are reported. The dimensional stability under irradiation of the gamma phase U-- Mo and U-- Nb alloys is excellent; however, an isotropic volume increase of 4 to 6% per wt.% burnup may limit the ultimate fuel element life. Corrosion resistance of the gamma-phase alloys appesrs to be improved when subjected to s neutron field; this is attributed to an irrsdiation induced stabilization of the gamma phases. The U/ sub 3/Si alloy, on the other hand, suffered severe deterioration, particularly of corrosion resistance. Changes in electrical resistivity, hardness, mechanical properties, and crystal structure are presented and the mechanisms producing the observed changes discussed. (auth)

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An attempt is made to present available information pentinent to reactor containment. This is done directly, by summary and reference, or by reference alone. To provide a reference framework, the first review document must necessarily be handled differently from supplemental periodic reviews. The plan is to: (3) provide a detailed account of the problem and suggestions for work needed to yield adequate solutions; (2) present the accumulated knowledge and accomplishments; (3) give an account of experience in applying the containment concept; and (4) append extensive bibliographical material. An attempt is made in each case to indicate the significance of the information and its relation to the problems outlined. (A.C.)

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The leakage of electricity aoross a vacuum space in an electrostatic generator which employs a mixture of Sr/sup 90/ and Y/sup 90/ as the source of charging current was investigated. The vacuum is obtained by means of an oil pump. The leakage was shown to consist of a flow of positive and negative particles between the anode and the cathode. The positive particles were found to be primarily organic ions produced in a layer of oil on the surface of the anode. The negative particles were shown to be mostly electrons. Yields of secondary negative particles and secondary positive particles produced by average positive particles in the energy range from 50 to 200 kev were measured. Yields were found to be dependent on the nature of the target material as well as on the energy of the incident ion. A mass spectrometer was employed to study the nature of the positive ions. Most of these were charged fragments of organic molecules. Neutral particles were attributed to dissociation of a portion of positive ions during their flight from the anode to cathode. Electrons, most of which originate at the beta source, are presumed to be the agent for positive ion production. …

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please delete the no. 17076<><DSN>13:017077<ABS>The P/sub 1/ multigroup code was written for the IBM-704 in order to determine the accuracy of the few- group diffusion scheme with various imposed conditions and also to provide an alternate computational method when this scheme fails to be sufficiently accurate. The code solves for the spatially dependent multigroup flux, taking into account such nuclear phenomena is slowing down of neutrons resulting from elastic and inelastic scattering, the removal of neutrons resulting from epithermal capture and fission resonances, and the regeneration of fist neutrons resulting from fissioning which may occur in any of as many as 80 fast multigroups or in the one thermal group. The code will accept as input a physical description of the reactor (that is: slab, cylindrical, or spherical geometry, number of points and regions, composition description group dependent boundary condition, transverse buckling, and mesh sizes) and a prepared library of nuclear properties of all the isotopes in each composition. The code will produce as output multigroup fluxes, currents, and isotopic slowing-down densities, in addition to pointwise and regionwise few-group macroscopic cross sections. (auth)

The conclusions of this paper are: (1) Short-term photosynthetic experiments using C{sup 14}O{sub 2} and paper chromatography were performed with 27 different plants representing nine phyla: Schizophyta (Schizophyceae), Euglenophyta, Chlorophyta, Charophyta, Chrysophyta, Rhodophyta, Bryophyta, Pteridophyta, and Spermatophyta. (2) There is a remarkable uniformity in the types of ethanol-soluble compounds which became radioactive in the entire group of plants used. The amounts of the different compounds varied considerably percentage-wise among the various plants as would be expected because of their inherent metabolic differences and the variations in their physiological states induced by experimental conditions. (3) Sucrose became radioactive in very different amounts in two major groupings of plants: (a) those containing only photosynthetic tissue and (b) those containing non-photosynthetic tissue as well. The amount of radioactive sucrose in the former group was much lower than that in the latter. (4) An unidentified compound became radioactive in appreciable amounts in two of the blue-green algae, but was radioactive in very small amounts or not visible at all on the chromatograms of all other plants.

This report describes the development of work that began as an investigation of photosynthesis and that continues in this direction, but which has as a new product some entirely strngly results. Photosynthesis, the process upon which all life on earth today is ultimately dependent, achieves the conversion of electromagnetic energy from the sun into chemical energy in the form of plant material by the reduction of CO{sub 2} from the atmosphere with the liberation of O{sub 2} to the atmosphere. It has been possible to describe in some detail the way in which the plant accomplishes the reduction of carbon dioxide, using radioactive carbon as a tracer. The status of the present knowledge, and how they attained it, together with some prospectus of the future and what we can look forward to, is the principal theme of this discussion.

This document describes aspects of heat transfer for the Hanford production reactors. Boiling, flow rate, cooling water failures, thermocouples, and shielding are considered.

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The results of small exploding-wire studies were found to be capable of direct extrapolation to larger wires (an increase in cross-sectional area of 1500 to 1500 from the small wires). Copper wires up to 40 mils in diameter and iron wires to 62 mils in diameter were studied for use as fuses. in lengths up to 18 in. A dependency between pause time (the time between system current cut-off and current restrike) and wire length is described for several sizes of copper wires exploded with 16.5- and 49.5-kilojoule sources. The role of wire confinement is discussed in connection with establishment of the pause. (auth)

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