This report covers the examination of thirteen process tubes seven from F Pile, three from C Pile and three from D Pile. Five of the thirteen tubes were removed because they were leakers, four from F Pile and one from C Pile. One tube from F Pile and one from D Pile were removed. Reactor Section had requested the removal of two from F Pile to check for external corrosion. Two tubes, small diameter old pile annulus, were removed from C Pile under PT 105-519-E, ``Raising Permissible Outlet Water Temperatures of Certain Tubes at C Pile.`` Two tubes were removed from D Pile under PT 105-525-E, ``Effects of Water Quality on Operations.`` Visual inspection was made of the inside and outside surfaces of the tubes before and after cleaning in a cold 10 per cent nitric acid solution. Samples varying from one to four inches in length were taken from each section for metallurgical examination to determine depth of pitting, wall thickness, and spot check the 72-S cladding thickness. These determinations were made at selected points in each section on what appeared to be the area of severest attack.

This report discusses process development programs to be reviewed at the Savannah River Laboratory. The review will include reactor and metallurgical process development programs and chemical processing development programs.

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A world-wide network of gummed film stations was established to monitor fall-out following Operation Castle. Although meteorological data were poor, a general connection of tropospheric flow patterns with observed fall-out was evident. There was a tendency for debris to remain in tropical latitudes, with incursions into the temperate regions associated with meteorological disturbances of the predominantly zonal flow. As the season advanced, such incursions became more evident. Outside of the tropics, the southwestern United States received the greatest total fall-out, about five times that received in Japan. The maximum fall-out on any day at an individual station in the United States, correeted to sampling day, was 200,000 d/m/ft/sup 2/. It is concluded that the probability of early fall-out in inhabited regions would be reduced by holding Pacific test series in the winter months. (auth)

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This memorandum describes a test which is to demonstrate the feasibility of routinely charging uranium slugs during reactor operation into tubes of the highest available powers and to provide functional testing of the equipment necessary to reduce such charging to a routine operation on all tubes in the reactor. This test will authorize the installation and routine operation of improved equipment for charging and discharging uranium during reactor operation on five central process tubes at C Reactor.

Continuous monitoring of the pile outlet water temperature may offer definite advantages from both the operating efficiency and pile safety points of view. The temperature data could be continuously displayed which would provide Operators with the kind of information required to operate efficiently while remaining within specified tube outlet water temperature limits, and permit tube outlet water temperatures to be continuously in the scram circuit, thus contributing to safety of operations. The most positive protection against flow instability due to localized power surges would be given by a safety system which continuously monitors the effluent from each of the process tubes for temperatures above safe maximums. Such a system would need 2004 controllers and would be relatively expensive and time consuming to install using existing methods of proved instrumentations. However, if the temperature generation of adjacent tubes is closely related, there is a possibility of using a system of fewer controllers in which each ``controller tube`` supervises a number of adjacent tubes. This report outlines a study undertaken to show whether or not such a system might prove feasible. It contains a comparison of two suggested systems, one using one controller monitoring the outlet water temperature for each twenty-five process …

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Conditions of time, temperature, and pressure for hotpress bonding of aluminum-nickel and uranium-nickel disks were determined experimentally. A process for jacketing Hanford four-inch slugs, coated with nonporous nickel electroplates, in aluminum cans by cold-sizing and hot-pressing was developed and conditions of time, temperature, and pressure required for the actual canning process were determined. (auth)

Progress is reported on the following investigations: pilot-plant evaluation of U ore concentrates; low-acid extraction of U; scrub-column operation, corrosion of reactor materials in sparge tanks containing UNH; effect of UO/sub 2/F/sub 2/ content on UF/sub 4/ reduction; thermal densification of UF/ sub 4/,; operation of the moving bed reactor; reduction of UF/sub 4/ with Mg; development of a mold insulator; preparation of Th (C/sub 2/O/sub 4/)/sub 2/ and ThCI/sub 4/; production of Th metal; ore resistant t transform ation of U; effect of H/sub 2/ content of slug canning behavior; centrifugal casting of slugs; determination of Zr and Mo in U alloys; and analysis of U and Th ores for rare earths. (W.L.H.)

The double salt calcium uranium(IV) fluoride can be precipitated from uranyl nitrate solution. In the presence of fluoride and calcium ions, ferrous salts will reduce uranium(VI) nitrate to the four state precipitating calcium uranium(IV) fluoride. X-ray studies showed that the compound is a true double salt. The salt can be dehydrated under argon at 250 deg C and reduced to metal by the bomb technique. Reduction yields are high, but co-precipitated iron in the salt is concentrated in the uranium button, resulting in iron impurities of approximately 0.6%. The double salt is a suitable feed for fused salt electrolysis. Electrolyzing from a solution of 30% double salt dissolved in LiC1- KC1 eutectic dendritic uranium was recovered with a current efficiency of 35%. Iron impurity in the electrolyztically prepared uranium was reduced from an expected concentration of 5700 ppm to an actual concentration of 250 ppm. (auth)

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This report contains notes and calculations regarding safety of the 234-5 Building.