In the reference letter and later letters the author made recommendations pertaining to the programs of AEC National Laboratories and other AEC contractors in direct support of the Savannah River project during FY-1956. He believes that these recommendations should now be revised in view of schedule changes ad in the light of accumulated experience. The estimated cost of the programs recommended earlier totaled $2,083,000 for FY-1956. The estimated cost of programs currently recommended total $2,048,000 for FY-1956. The programs mentioned in succeeding paragraphs are concerned mainly with the development of processes for producing extended surface fuel elements and, to a lesser extent, with the development of separations processes. The author considers these particular supporting programs important to the rapid and successful achievement of development objectives at the Savannah River Plant and accordingly recommend that the Commission sustain them. Two of the programs, specifically the work by Sylvania and by Horizons to develop processes for reducing thorium oxide to metal, are not now associated with meeting future production objectives at the Savannah River Plant. The author believes that these programs should be brought to an orderly conclusion, as previously planned, to avoid any loss of the art developed to date.

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The Dry Chemistry Process of the RM Line provides the means for converting plutonium oxalate to plutonium tetrafluoride. This process consists of drying the oxalate cake and then converting to the tetrafluoride by passing HF gas at elevated temperature through the filtered cake. Improvement to or replacement of the present Task II system is being investigated because of the high maintenance costs and unreliability of the present system. This study is one of several being conducted under the Chemical Processing and Reduction Design and Development Program for improving Task II operation. This report describes a Task II system using round filter boats and vertical hydrofluorination furnaces.

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This review indicates the present limiting capacities within the Redox plant and presents courses of action necessary to realize an instantaneous rate of 12/TD. The changes contemplated to reach this goal are time cycle reductions, procedural changes, and equipment changes which can be undertaken and achieved by the Redox organization presumably without recourse to project funds or special authorizations. The review proceeds systematically from the dissolvers, through head and, the extraction columns, concentrators, tail end equipment, and auxiliary equipment.

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