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The design and construction program of the Bolling Experimental Reactor is reviewed. A number of preliminary experinnents were performed with Borax-II at pressures between 75 and 300 psi. The most corrosion-resistant U-Zr--Nb alloy developed so far is produced by heating in a vacuum to the gamma phase, quenching, and aging for 2 hr at 400 deg C. Special attention is given to the removal of H/sub 2/ from the material. Unclad and unirradiated samples of U--Nb and U--Nb--Zr alloys were corrosion tested in H/sub 2/O. Corrosion rates were also measured under irradiation conditions in CP-5. Elongation measurements of irradiated wrought and cast U--Zr material suggested no way for treating the wrought fuel so that stability comparable to the cast material could be obtained. Natural circulation boiling density tests at 600 psia were made in order to determine the effects of channel cross section and subcooling on the steam void fraction. Results of autoclave and dynamic corrosion studies of 2-S Al in H/sub 2/O are reported. These results include the testing of Ni-clad samples. A large number of criticality calculations were performed for the EBR-Il and the PBR. The solubility of ThO/sub 2/ pellets containing various concentrations of U/sub 3/ O/sub …

This report discusses two methods which have been considered to reduce the rear face activity. The first involves the use of a solids purge to scour out the activity, and the second employs the use of a chromic acid purge to put the activity into solution. Solids purging is found to be ineffective in reducing rear face activity levels. A chromic acid purge conducted at 60 C for 1/2 hour can be expected to reduce the Zn{sup 65} activity level about five fold without injuring the reactor or causing any harmful aftereffects.

It is the purpose of this document to review and up-date the previously presented scope basis for the activated silica installations in light of the existence of the Phase I portion and the present expected water flow requirements of Project CG-558. It is the further purpose to outline the recommended scope bases for the sulfuric acid addition system for pH correction at all areas.

This document presents a summary of work and progress at the Hanford Engineer Works for December 1954. The report is divided into sections by department. A plant wide general summary is included at the beginning of the report, after which the departmental summaries begin. The Manufacturing Department reports plant statistics, and summaries for the Metal Preparation, Reactor and Separation sections. The Engineering Department`s section summarizes work for the Technical, Design, and Project Sections. Costs for the various departments are presented in the Financial Department`s summary. The Medical, Radiological Sciences, Utilities and General Services, Employee and Public Relations, and Community Real Estate and Services departments have sections presenting their monthly statistics, work, progress, and summaries.

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1. The r a t e s of photosynthesis and subsequent respiration of Chlorella pyrenoidosa were measured using an oxygen analyzer (sensitive to paramagnetism). The energy absorbed during the photosynthesis periods was determined and the quantum requirement was calculated. 2. Dark respiration r a t e was found to depend on the r a t e of light absorption during the period of photosynthesis, and increased with increasing photosynthesis rate. 3 . The quantum requirement, corrected for respiration, varied from 4. 9 ( a t a ratio of photosynthesis to respiration of 1.4) to 6. 9 (at a r a t i o of 12). Both uncorrected and corrected quantum requirements approach an experimental value of 7. 4 a t high light intensity. 4. The lower quantum requirement obtained a t low light intensity is believed to be due to a relatively greater importance of contribution of energy from respiration t o photosynthesis. An expression i s derived for the relation between this contribution and the enhancement of dark respiration due to the level of photosynthesis to which the plants a r e conditioned. 5. Attempts to obtain the blue -light stimulation of photosynthesis with algae photosynthesizing in r e …

W. J. O`Leary and R. R. Herries visited BMI to review the progress of subcontract research on extended fuel elements. 1. Three ``pinhole`` corrosion samples, bonded at ERL by fluid pressure, have been tested in boiling distilled water for, 624 hours with no evidence of undercutting corrosion. 2. A series of 30 samples is being prepared to investigate the effect of higher bonding pressures on resistance to undercutting corrosion. 3. A 25-pound lot of Horizons` thorium is analyzed and has been compacted in preparation for consumable electrode arc melting.

Optical microscopic examination of air- and rain-borne dust shows most of the particles to be less than one micron in diameter. Electron microscopic examination of the same dust shows predominantly clusters of particles whose individual diameters are in the range 200 to 1000 A. The residue obtained by filtering rain water through a millipore filter is found to be slightly radioactive in more than half the cases observed.

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The theory of isotope separation by countercurrent chemical exchange is worked out in detail using the continuous transfer concept. A comparison is made with discrete stagewise processes such as gaseous diffusion and with various general concepts of solvent extraction. The effects of a cell structure in the flow system is also worked out. An elementary design procedure is included both for the no-loss case and the case where the losses are small. In addition, a method of estimating stage lengths or transfer rate constants from small scale batch experiments is presented.

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The following studies were approved: 8501 - non-destructive testing, 8502 - 300 Area process development, 8503 - new fuel element fabrication, 8504 - protective coatings for new fuel elements, 8505 - corrosion, 8508 - instrument development in 300 Area, 8514 - instrument development in 100 Area, 8515 - instrument development in 200 Area, and 8524 - new LM elements. Information and Safety agreements are listed, and information in appended on the following topics: financial status, instrument development program, metallurgical development program, and Technical Division study status.

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 …

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.

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