Investigatlon of interdiffusion in the aluminumuranium system and of the effects of applied pressure on such systems was about completed. The growth kinetics of the UAl/sub 3/ phase were determined at 400 to 600 C and at pressures of 1 1/4, 5, and 10 tsi. The origin of the macroscopic defects occurring in the UAl/sub 3/ layer during interdiffusion was clarified. The solubility range of UAl/sub 3/ was determined by a nuclear track emulsion technique to be about 2.6 at.% uranium. Exploratory runs were made with incremental diffusion couples of aluminum vs. UAl/sub 3/ and of UAl/sub 3/ vs. uranium disks to determine the growth rates of the UAl/sub 4/ and UAl/sub 2/ phases. A theoretical estimate was made of the importance of pressure-induced shifts in equilibrium concentrations in intermetallic layer growth in the aluminum-uranium and aluminum-nickel systems. (For preceding period see SEP- 251.) (auth)

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A critical review of the methods reported in the literature for the study of gas-metal reactions in high and ultra-high vacuum systems is given. Experimental apparatus and techniques based on volumetric, gravimetric, magnetic, and other properties of the metals including work function, accommodation coefficient, resistivity, and others have been used. A volumetric method, based on a determination of rate-of-reaction, was selected as most readily applicable to the proposed investigation. (auth)

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At the request of Hanford Operations Office, Atomic Energy Commission, a study was made of the effects on the Hanford Facilities of a navigation and power dam at Columbia River mile 348, about five miles upstream of the 300 Area. The original study was based on a nominal slack-water pool elevation of 395 to 400 feet at the dam location. A supplemental study evaluated the effects on plant facilities of a dam at the same location but with slack-water pool elevation of 385 feet. In addition to effects of the dam on Hanford, a study was performed to evaluate the effects the dam would have on the environment.

Physics experiments were performed on the SM-1 core. Measurements were made on five rod bank positions and rod calibrations. The reactivity effects of core modifications were investigated. Modifications to the core included replacement of the boron absorbers in rods 1, 2, 3, 4 and C with europium absorbers; replacement of a control rod fuel element with one containing an integral europium flux suppressor; and replacement of a stationary fuel element. Additional experiments were designed to determine the reactivity of the SM-1 with 4 and 8 stationary elements removed; the neutron flux in the biological shield and in the region of an integrai europlum flux suppressor; and the gamma flux above the core and from irradiated control rod components. (auth)

For several years, a major category of fuel element failures has been the side corrosion type, characterized by localized accelerated fuel element jacket corrosion. Since it has been demonstrated {sup 1} that misalignment of fuel elements in a process tube will produce flow patterns and accelerated corrosion, termed ``hot spots``, failure to align the fuel elements in process tubes is considered a contributing factor in the production of side corrosion failures. Preliminary testing of both self-supporting and ``bumper`` fuel elements is underway. Data on the self-supporting fuel elements have demonstrated that the bridge-rail projections have sufficient support strength, do not of themselves create a corrosion problem and in actuality probably eliminate any hot-spot areas. Although one tube of bumper fuel elements in KW Reactor {sup 3} has been discharged, data are not as yet available. Potentially, the most sever corrosion conditions exist during the summer months when reactor inlet temperatures are high. It is desirable then, provided bumper fuel elements limit hot- spot corrosion, to evaluate the bumper concept for large scale use possibly by the summer of 1960. To accomplish this, a demonstration loading of the bumper type fuel elements must be underway by about July, 1959. The purpose …

The material covered are R and D, 2000 reactor and metallurgy program (production reactors, N-Reactor). Topics covered include operating schedules and production, fuel, engineering, safety, control, physics, etc.

Equilibrium loading of uranium on Dowex 21K was studied in a sulfate system for uranium concentrations from 0.0005 to 0.005M, total sulfate concentrations of 0.045 to 0.6M, and sulfuric acid concentration of 0.020M. Loading data were fitted to Langmuir adsorption isotherms and Langmuir constants were evaluated. Resin was equilibrated with uranium feed solutions by flowing the feed through a shallow fixed bed of resin. (auth)

In a preliminary experiment, the integral diffusivity of 1 M FeCl/sub 3/ solution varied uniformly with the fraction difiused: from 0.3 x 10/sup -6/ cm/ sup 2//sec for 10 per cent diffused to 0.8 x 10/sup -6/ for 30 per cent diffused. A short Fluorox run made with crude UF/sub 4/ in the 4-in. fluidized bed showed that UF/sub 6/ could be produced from the impure feed. Denitration of Th(NO/sub 3/)/sub 4/ solutions on fluidized or mechanically agitated beds of ThO/sub 2/ and gave fine ThO/sub 2/ particles for all conditions tested. The rate of sorption of uranium into 40 micron Dowex 21K resin particles from a 0.0042 M uranyl sulfate solution was studied by measuring the uranium loading on individual beads as a function of time. Chloride concentrations of 28 to 51 ppm were produced in the solvent extraction feeds during five feed adjustment runs made with the Darex Reference flowsheet. Decladding of SS-clad /sub 4/ gave essentially identical results as batch decladding. When a Mark I prototype assembly was sheared into 0.75-in. lengths with a"plane of contact" blade in the 126-ton Manco shear, 22.2 g of metal fines (304L stainless steel) 1680 microns or less in size was …

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In compliance with a request from Coolant Testing Operation, the Reactor Engineering Operation has made a study to determine the maximum operating pressure limits for the pertinent Zircaloy-2 process tubes. Since these tubes shall be used for testing NPR fuel elements, it is considered desirable that KER Loops 2 and 3 permit operation at temperatures of around 300{degrees}C while the NPR prototype facility permit operation at about 316{degrees}C in a manner such that there is minimum hazard to the KE-Reactor and to personnel.

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Eurochemic reports were reviewed by BNL personnel concerning aqueous reprocessing, and several comments are offered for process improvements. Also, pertinent BNL documents related to waste and head end processes and corrosion are listed. (J.R.D.)

A procedure is described for the uniform removal of very thin sections of metal surfaces by electrolysis. Equipment requirements and the various parameters affecting operation are considered, and the results of applying the technique to studies of solid-state diffusion are discussed. The technique appears to offer considerable promise for evaluating chemical changes at metal surfaces which have taken place as a result of corrosion or diffusion processes. (auth)

The latest HAPO Five Year Program review, HW-59633, forecasts substantial increases in Pu production from the eight existing Hanford reactors over the next several years. These production increases would be attained by a combination of several methods which include increased reactor power levels resulting from higher process water flow rates and coolant bulk outlet temperatures, improved time operated efficiency, higher conversion ratios, and reduced transient reactivity losses. In order to provide a realistic basis for budgeting to meet these or other increased production goals, it is necessary that a study program be undertaken to determine in general terms the plant changes required to support these forecasted levels, to evaluate the economic and technical feasibility of achieving the process conditions, and to present an integrated program for achieving these objectives. This study program will necessarily consider the interrelated effects of a number of various facets of reactor and water plant process conditions, operational requirements, and proposed development programs. The purpose of this document is to present a plan for the execution of the proposed study. Included in this outline are a review of the basic study considerations, problem assignments and schedules, and manpower and cost estimates for the performance of the …

This material is the outgrowth of the notes prepared for lectures on reactor controls given in 1953-55 at the Oak Ridge School of Reactor Technology. The course on reactor controls was for the purpose of acquainting the student with some of the elementary considerations involved in setting up a control and safety system for a nuclear reactor. Topics are discussed on kinetics, neutron energies, poisoning, analog computing, instrumentation, start-up, neutron sources, etc. (W.D.M.)

The Palmolive program is directed toward the recovery of neptunium-237 and production of plutonium-238. The neptunium is recovered during the chemical processing of irradiated uranium and is purified and fabricated into target elements. The target elements are irradiated to produce plutonium-238 by neutron capture of neptunium-237 and are processed to provide plutonium for shipment to the final customer and neptunium for recycle within the system. The following report summarizes a preliminary engineering study of the technical and economic factors involved in installing long-term Palmolive manufacturing facilities at Hanford to meet the reduced production goals. Prime emphasis is placed on the process technology and plant design requirements for fabricating and reprocessing neptunium target elements on a production basis. The relationships of these phases of the target cycle to the recovery and purification of virgin neptunium in the Purex Plant and irradiation of target elements in the Hanford reactors are reviewed in the light of the reduced plutonium-238 demands.

The Zircaloy-clad fuels and the application of the Zirflex Process for dissolution are discussed. Zirflex chemical flowsheets are presented as developed by pilot plant operatlons. The Zirflex Process is applicable to the reprocessing of fuels from the Dresden Reactor and the PWR Reactor. Other applications of the process are the Plutonium Recycle Test Reactor fuels and the New Production Reactor fuels, possible fuels from the Experimental Breeder Reactor; NPD-2 fuels; and fuels from Carolina-Virginia Nuclear Power Associates Reactor. (W.L.H.)

The assumptions used to derive the total neutron yield per detected alpha particle (from the D-T reaction) which were derived in an earlier report are reexamined in the light of additional experimental information. It is concluded that for an alpha counter at 90 deg to the incident beam direction the assumptions introduce practically no difficulties. Therefore, for precise monitoring in the absence of certain target information it is recommended that this configuration be used. For counters at angles different from 90 deg , nonuniformity of target loading contributes the most serious error to the computed yield. (auth)

The detonation of a contained or partially contained nuclear explosion is accompanied by the deposition of a large fraction of the energy in the form of high-temperature, high-pressure regions. The nature of the surrounding medium, the time-temperature history, and the time of cavity collapse or venting determine the extent to which undesirable nuclides such as Sr/sup 90/ and Cs/sup 137/ will appear outside a fused insoluble matrix and be available to ground water or to the atmosphere. The movement of these undesirable radioactivities relative to the ground water movement can be predicted on the basis of measured K/ sub D/'s (distribution coefficients) for the radioactivities in the medium. The induced radioactivities are a 20 to 25% contribution to the fission product radioactivity at times the order of one day, a 1% contribution at about 1 week, decreasing to 0. 1% at about 45 days, increasing to about 2% because of the Co/ sup 60/ for a period of 3 to 15 years. (auth)

A theoretical method of determining the time, temperature, and pressure required for pressure bonding was proposed and then evaluated experimentally. The analysis considered only the mechanical deformation of the bonding surfaces induced by the external pressure. It was postulated that such deformations obey the power law for steady creep. The applicaiion of the law to the closure of thick-walled aluminum cylinders under gas pressure was investigated. The behavior was compared with ihat predicted from creep data obtained from short- time torsion creep tests. Only fair agreement was establtshed. The creep law was then applied to the calculation of the closure of voids at the interface between bonding surfaces. It was assumed that the voids exist as isolated spherical or cylindrical holes. The law failed to predict the total closure which occurred. Apparently, the creep law does not hold in the almost microscopic domain of the interfacial voids, although the disagreement may have been due to the oversimplification of the geometric representation. Resolution of the ambiguities probably will be attained only when sufficient experimental data to establish an empirical relationship of closure with bonding conditions are available. (auth) l8092 To develop fatigue-design information for the ORNL reactor programs, a study was …

The purpose of this document is to update 190-C pump capacity information previous released in HW-52449{sup 1} and HW-58580{sup 2}. Improvements in motor cooling has resulted in raising the previous 3500 HP limit to 3660 HP{sup 3} thus increasing total pumping capacity.

Samples containing 5 to 10 mg of uranium were extracted with hexone (methyl isobutyl ketone) and titrated coulometrically in sulfate media. Relative standard deviations of 0.43% for samples containing 5 mg and 0.56% for 10 mg were determined by precision studies. (auth)