HANFORD LABORATORIES OPERATION MONTHLY ...

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DECLASSIFIED D

REPOSITORY '

HW-58661

HANFORD LABORATORIES OPERATION MONTHLY ACTIVITIES REPORT

DECEMBER, 1958

COLLECTION *c BOX No. r3\ h

\

FOLDER b)! fi JANUARY 15, 1959

THIS UOCUIqENT HAS B E E N SCANNED AND IS STOXED ON THi OPTICAL DISK D R I V Z

HANFORD ATOMIC PRODUCTS OPERATION RICH LAND, WASH I NGTON

G E N E R A L @ E L E C T R I C

1 2 b 0 9 7 4 CK DECLASSIFIED

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L E G A L N O T I C E

This report was prepared as an account of Government sponsored work. Neither the United States, nor the Commission, nor any person acting on behalf of the Commission:

Makes any warranty or representation, express or implied, with respect to the accuracy, com- pleteness, or usefulness of the information contained in this report, or that the use of any information, apparatus, method, or process disclosed in this report may not infringe privately owned rights; or

Assumes any liabilities with respect to the use of, or for damages resulting from the use of any information, apparatus, method, or process disclosed in this report.

As used in the above, "person acting on behalf of the Commission" includes any employee or contractor of the Commission to the extent that such employee or contractor prepares, handles or distrib- utes, or provides access to, any information pursuant to his employment or contract with the Commission.

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aac.ac IICWLAUO. WAIW.

HW-58681

T h i s d x u m e n t c ons is ts pages. Copy N copies . S e r i e s

HANFORD LABORATORIES OPERATION

MONTHLY ACTIVITIES REPORT

______....-...-- ----.-' DECEMBERa 1958 .---------

HANFORD ATOMIC PRODUCTS OPERATION RICHLAND, WASHINGTON

71190

PRELIMINARY REPORT T h i s r e p o r t was p r e p a r e d only fo r u s e within Genera l E l e c t r i c Company in the c o u r s e of work under Atomic Energy Commiss ion Cont rac t W-31-109-Eng-52. the r e p o r t are those of the au thors only.

Any views or opinions expres sed in

Route To: I P, R, No. I Location' (Route Date I Signature and Date

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i x HW-58661

4.

5.

Procurement of f i e l d equipment f o r next summer's j o i n t AEC-Air Force program i n atmospheric diffusion proceeded on schedule. The data analysis system, using d i g i t a l computers, has been developed.

The background i n the body monitor was determined t o be sa t i s f ac to ry a f t e r i t s f i n a l cleaning. i n the 329 Building monitoring f a c i l i t y . The examination re-emphasized the need f o r more data on normal a c t i v i t y i n humans.

Two subjects exposed t o airborne f i s s i o n products were exaained

Sa t i s fac tory progress was =de on the many pro jec ts i n the i n s t m e r t f i e l d among which were: airborne p a r t i c l e measurements, contamination surveying, alpha a i r monitoring, and automatic data reduction.

Useful r e s u l t s were obtained with the analog computer i n the simulation of both MPR and PRTR behavior.

Biology

Rabbit thyroids from Wahluke Slope had about 10 times more 1131 than one year ago.

Whitefish a t P r i e s t Rapids continued t o show high P l eve l s - about four times t h a t of one year ago.

32

Contamination of a l l other forms were about the same as one year ago.

Metabolic coef f ic ien ts needed f o r s e t t i n g the MPC of w185 were found. drinking water, this i s 0.02 pc/ml. (more conservative) than those l i s t e d by ICRP.

For Some of the coef f ic ien ts found a re smaller

Programming

Assistance was rendered t o CPD i n carrying out an economic study of several a l t e r n a t e "head end'' processes f o r po ten t i a l use in low throughput power reac tor f u e l processing p l an t s .

A deta i led study was completed on t h e use of high exposure plutonium in the PRTR; ea r ly introduction of high exposure plutonium was found t o save up t o two years i n a t t a i n i n g equilibrium recycle conditions. About 54 Kg of high exposure material (20$ Pu-240) will be required, and the procurement of t h i s was discussed with the Commission. Steps were taken t o i n i t i a t e the r e - i r r ad ia t ion i n the Mlli and ETR of t he plutonium bearing f u e l p l a t e s recent ly discharged, i n order t o provide about 2 Kg of high exposure material f o r l a t t i c e measurements i n the PCTR, and then f o r PRTR fuel.

A more ref ined study of plutonium burnout in the PRTR was completed. determined that plutonium spike assemblies w i l l be consumed at a r a t e of about one per 6 days ra ther than one per 8 days as forecas t some time ago.

It was

The neutron temperature and epithermal r a t i o of the PRTR were re-evaluated on t h e basis of recent B r i t i s h data and ana lys is . turned out t o be only s l i g h t l y d i f f e ren t from values used i n the pas t .

These more ref ined constants

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DISTRIBUTION

W. E. Johnson

H. M. P a r k e r

0. C. Schroeder F. W. Albaugh C. A. Bennett

J. L. Boyd

L. P. Bupp P. F. Gas t

A. R. Keene

H. A. Kornberg

T. G. Marsha l l

L . H. McEwen

W. Sale

R. W. Benoliel J. W. Healy

H. P. Shaw - V. R. Cooper H. A. Pau l sen

Atomic Ene rgy Commiss ion , Hanford Operat ions Office Attn: J. E . T r a v i s

E. J.. Bloch , D i rec to r , Division of Product ion,

Savannah R ive r Operat ions Office, Aiken, South Caro l ina 300 Files Record Cen te r

Washington 25, D. C.

UNCLASSIFIED

iii

TABLE OF -

Staff

F o r c e Repor t and P e r s o n n e l S ta tus Changes

Genera l S u m m a r y .

Reac to r and F u e l s R e s e a r c h and Development Operation .

Phys ic s and Ins t rument R e s e a r c h and Development Operation .

Chemica l R e s e a r c h and Development Operation

Biology Opera t ion .

Operat ions R e s e a r c h and Synthesis Operation

P r o g r a m m i n g

Radiation P ro tec t ion Operation ,

Labora to ry Auxi l ia r ies Operat ion .

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. v i through xi

. A-1 through A-46

, B-1 through B-11

C-1 through C-26

, D-1 through D-6

E-1 through E-7

. F-1 through F-6

.. G-1 th roughG-7

. H-1 th roughH-18

Employee Relat ions Operation . , 1-1 through I- 7

F inancia l Operation . . J-1 through 5-5

Invention Report . K- 1

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S T A F F

Manager , Hanford Labora to r i e s ,

Manager , Biology . . Manager , Chemica l R e s e a r c h and Development . Manager , Labora to ry Auxil iar ies . Manager , Operat ions R e s e a r c h and Synthesis ,

Manager , P h y s i c s and Ins t rument Rei Development .

Manager , P r o g r a m m i n g . Manager , Radiation Pro tec t ion .

Manager , Reac to r and F u e l s R e s e a r c Development .

Manager , Employee Relat ions

Manager , F inancia l . .

? a r c h and

. ant

. H. M. P a r k e r

H. A. Kornberg

.L . P. Bupp

J. L. Boyd

. C. A. Bennett

P. F. Gas t

. L. H. McEwen

, A . R , Keene

, F. W. Albaugh

T. G . Marsha l l

. W . Sale

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BUDGETS AUD COSTS

HW- 58661

Costs f o r December were $1,571,000 an increase o f $16,000 over the month of November. F isce l year to-date cos ts a re 43$ of the $20,941,000 Midyear Budget Review submitted in December.

RESEARCH AND DEVEUPMENT

1. Resctor a d Fuels

The first i r r ad ia t ion in the ETR 3x3 b o p , consis t ing of three, seven-rod clus- t e r , co-extrusion Zircaloy-clad elements, is proceeding sa t i s f ac to r i ly . Ho ruptures t o date have been suffered by c l u s t e r f u e l a t exposures up to 3000 MWD/T.

Two, 36-inch long rod and tube elements of uranium c lad with Zircaloy-2 continue t o operate i n KER Loop 4.

The f i r s t coextruded Zircaloy-clad rod fabricated a t Hanford was produced, employing equipment avai lable on-site. shows the qua l i ty t o be excellent.

Preliminary examination of the product

The self-supported-fuel development w a s successfully completed, and the program turned over t o F'PD.

No evidence of a recurrence of the deep p i t t i n g of fuel elements c lad in X-8001 noted in-reactor on the f i r s t lots o f t h i s a l loy has been found on the many elements now being rout inely discharged from the production reactors .

A t a surface temperature of 260 t o 290 C, the in-reactor corrosion r a t e o f X-8001 aluminum i s 1.5 mils/year. 5 mils/year i n an NPR type environment a t a maximum surface temperature o f 350 C.

This corresponds t o a corrosion r a t e of 3 t o

Samples o f NPR Zircaloy process tubing have withstood burs t t e s t i n g a t 10,500 ps ig and 300 C. The tubing was not s t ressed t o the y ie ld point i n these t e s t s .

I r rad ia t ions have been s t a r t e d in HAP0 hot t e s t holes on candidate NPR graphites.

Steady s t a t e tests of the e f f ec t s o f a C-Reactor f ron t connector rupture were completed. They indicated that the reactor could sus ta in a connector loss i f rear header pressure exceeds 15 psig.

A four-rod cluster with Pu-Al a l loy cores and jacketed in Zircaloy i s under i r r ad ia t ion with high-temperature coolant in a KER loop. ready f o r charging during the first quarter of 1959.

A second c lus t e r is

Various plutonium-bearing f u e l specimens were prepared f o r i r rad ia t ion i n the MTR. Included were: Mixed-crystal Pu02-U02 types, Al-Pu and Al-Si-Fu al loys ranging f r o m 5 t o 20 w/o Pu, high-burnup A1-Pu experiments, and injection- c a s t Al-Pu types.

Small additions of Pu02 t o U02 enhance i ts s in t e rab i l i t y , whereas la rger amounts (25 and 50 w/o Pu02) result i n a lower density a f t e r s in t e r ing than fcr uD2 alone. - .

1 2 1 1 0 9 8 2

v i i HW- 58661

Aluminum-clad alumihum a l loy co-extrusions have been successfully made in preparation for co-extrusion cladding of A1-Pu al loys with aluminum jackets.

The f i r s t U02 swaged rod assembly being i r r ad ia t ed in VBWR is operating s a t i s f a c t o r i l y .

Unsintered UO specimens have operated in the a t heat f lux values of 850,000 t o 1, 5 50,000 BTU/hr/sq f t .

The Pac i f ic Sc ien t i f i c hydrogen s in t e r ing furnace i s i n s t a l l e d and operating well.

Flexure t e s t i n g of a PRTR o u t l e t jumper has been completed, w i t h no indication of damage o r leakage.

Phase I PRTR construction is 60% completed versus 70% scheduled. construction i s 48% completed versus 49% scheduled. i s ll$ completed versus 9$ scheduled.

PF'PP construction is 54% complete. versus %$ scheduled.

Phase I1 Phase 11-A construction

Phase I1 construction is 61% complete3 The PFPP Phase I11 desi@ was comyleted on schedule.

2 . Chemical Research and Development

Neptunium process chemistry research continued and results a r e reported on n i t rous acid e f f e c t s i n the Purex HA column, f u r t h e r study of anion exchange chemistry including engineering t e s t s of a la rge (25-l/2 inch) annular f ixed- bed anion exchange column, invest igat ion of recovery schemes f o r Redox, and bas ic neptunium chemistry.

Ten t e s t s were completed in t h e p i l o t p lan t f o r n i t r a t e waste treatment by formaldehyde addi t ion. pera tures , feed r a t e s , feed pos i t ions , and reaction periods. Up t o 90 per cent of the n i t r a t e may be vo la t i l i zed and the waste e f f luen t reduced t o near- neu t r a l a c i d i t y .

System behavior was s t ab le and safe f o r various tem-

A final report is i n preparation.

Examination of ion exchange r e s in after 140 days operation i n t he Purex con- t inuous anion exchange contactor indicated the mater ia l is approaching the operational l i m i t . r ad io ly t i c degradation.

Resin replacement i s required because of chemical and

The Hastelloy-F p i l o t sca le dissolver and condenser were completed and heat t r e a t e d t o make weld areas more corrosion r e s i s t a n t . assembled t o allow study of the Miflex process.

The equipment i s being

Some sixteen flowsheet tests at O m using an t ic ipa ted Darex and Niflex feeds i n a typ ica l Redox HA system indicated general system losses and s t a b i l i t y t o be sa t i s f ac to ry although the decontamination was poorer than present process.

F i r s t experimental t e s t s were completed on the vo la t i l i za t ion of some f i s s ion products from low-level i r r ad ia t ed uranium. evolved a c t i v i t y consisted of iodine and te l lur ium which vaporizes from the meta l l ic specimen as it was heated t o 1200 C i n an air atmosphere.

As expected, the la rge f rac t ion of

- d . f & . I 2 4 0 9 8 3

Examination of a s t a i n l e s s s t e e l p i g t a i l downstream from a zirconium reactor process tube iden t i f i ed the radionuclides responsible f o r a c t i v i t y deposited i n the p i g t a i l . p i g t a i l s on aluminum process tubes. both cases.

The d i s t r ibu t ion of isotopes was similar t o t h a t found i n Arsenic-76 was a major contributor i n

Improved ca l ibra t ion standards have allowed more precise reporting of some eighteen radionuclides present ly analyzed f o r i n Columbia River water. Standard deviation on these very low-level analyses is now k 25 per cent corn- pared with previous + 100, - 50 per cent limits.

A process flowsheet study indicated f i v e countercurrent stages (equilibrium) would separate plutonium e f f i c i e n t l y from i r r ad ia t ed uranium oxide i n a pyrochemical molten aluminum - fused K C 1 - AlCl3 system. showed the d i s t r ibu t ion of protactinium i n the metal - salt phases favors the metal phase. s tud ies using zinc as a d i luent i n the aluminum phase. The two component metal phase a l so allowed temperature e f f e c t s t o be studied t o a range below the melting point of aluminum.

Other experiments

Distr ibut ion data f o r uranium i n the system were extended by

O l d r i v e r channels were found as much as f i f t y f e e t below the present water table i n some p a r t s of the Project adjoining the 200 Area. contain highly permeable f l u v i a t i l e gravel and may o f f e r course f o r much of t he ground water flow t o the Columbia River. permeable channels w i l l be p lo t t ed as p a r t of other geological and hydrological data.

These channels

Where possible , the locat ion of

The react ion of f luor ide ion with gypsum t o form f l u o r i t e (CaF2) w a s studied as a mineral react ion po ten t i a l ly capable of removing strontium from acid so lu t ions . product formed w a s f i n e and plugged the mineral column.

F i r s t r e s u l t s show Srgo was removed from solut ion but the f l u o r i t e

3 . Physics and Instrument Research and Development

The study of temperature e f fec ts on the neutron economy of present reactors continued i n both the experimental and theo re t i ca l a reas . a bearing on sa fe ty of operation of the reac tors .

These e f f ec t s have

Experiments on la rge s o l i d fue l s continued f o r the longer range Production Reactor Program as did the c l u s t e r element experiments begun last month. l a t t e r experiments severely t a x the capacity of t he present PCTR because of t he l a rge l a t t i c e spacing.

These

Muclear s a fe ty experiments continued i n the area of s l i g h t l y enriched produc- t i o n reac tor f u e l s . i n with c r i t i c a l experiments performed a t O m .

An experiment is i n progress t o t i e PCTR measurements

In the non-production fuel a rea ; the c r l t i c a l mass of 3'$ enriched uranium decreases as the diameter of the f u e l rods drops, the value of .6-inch rods being 284 pounds as compared t o 394 pounds f o r .g-inch rods. I n dissolving f u e l rods, the nuclear s a fe ty limits w i l l have t o be s e t on the basis of the smallest c r i t i c a l mass applicable as the dissolut ion proceeds. Experiments t o determine t h i s w i l l continue t o smaller rod diameters.

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Progress continued on the computer machine analysis of plutonium utilization, and in particular was directed toward cases of various plutonium compositions used in conjunction with depleted uranium feed.

Activities of the Radiological Evaluation Task Force were devoted largely to revisions of estimates of %he environmental dose for incorporation into idor? mation to be provided in the forthcoming hearings on Waste Disposal. Other matters receiving study were the calculations bearing on reactor accidents, organization of a dietary survey, and revisions to portions of the forthcoming AFSWP training program.

An invited paper on radiological hazards was presented at the national ANS meeting. Staff. Seattle with the faculty of the University of Washipgton for discussion of increased cooperation.

A presentation on PRTR hazards was made to the AEC Hazards Evaluation Members of the Hanford Laboratories University Relations Council met in

Technical and Other Services

Release of 1l3 to the atmosphere returned to normal with an average emission of 2.1 curies per week.

Documents HW-58569 and CLVI-569, "Report of Task Force for Evaluation of Capital Expenditures" were issued. evaluate longer range programs of capital expenditures under the AEC ground rules.

Fallout from bomb debris continued throughout the northwest.

The task force concluded that it was feasible to

A formal report is being prepared jointly with the Atmospheric Physics Operation concerning the statistical analysis of data from the planned deposition and diffusion study.

In addition to the above, statistical and mathematical assistance on 35 separate problems was given within HLO and to other departments and operations.

There were 14 authorized projects a t month end with total authorized funds of $6,485,000. PF'PP are recorded separately.) Two projects were completed during the month. new project is awaiting AEC approval. are in preparation.

The total estimated cost of these projects is $7,691,000. (PRTR and One

Project proposals for fourteen new projects

The number of requests from customers for emergency shop work decreased framthe previous month permitting the achievement of a normal overtime level. machine shops were utilized to provide assistance to the extent of ten man moriths. The lead time requested for completion of a typical job where the labor was estimated at 40 man hours averaged 17 working days versus what is considered to be an optimum lead time of 8 working days. machinists.

Other project

Personnel requisitions were filed for two additional

The 1958 report on HAP0 memberships in Technical Societies was submitted to Contract Accounting together with the list of 1959 memberships approved by Department Managers.

Control of code designations for classified titles was transferred to the Security and Patrol Operation effective January 1, 1959. 1 ' . i 1

xi HW-58661

Supporting Functions

Continuity of service r a t e s will be ra i sed from 1 6 t o 12$ of s a l a r i e s , e f fec t ive January 1, 1959 t o provide f o r the expected increase from the Savings and Security Program.

F ina l t r a n s f e r of the 231-2 Building was received from CPD during December.

Current authorizat ion of 4000 Program equipment funds a r e s t i l l l imi ted t o the Plutonium Recycle Program. funds necessary f o r the Gas-Cooled Reactor and Swelling Studies.

Steps a r e under way t o attempt t o obtain the equipment

The systems study fo r converting the present cost accounting system t o electronic data processing i s nearing completion.

A t month’s end, the staff of t he Hanford Laboratories Operation t o t a l l e d 1204 employees, including 568 exempt and 636 nonexempt employees. employees possessing technica l degrees: including 272 B . S . , lo7 M.S. and lo5 Ph.D.

There were 484 exempt

Since no agreement w a s reached a t the December 26th meeting between the Company and the HAKE i n the matter of the Wonacott grievance, it appears t h a t the question w i l l be taken t o arbitratinn. San Francisco at torney as a r b i t r a t o r and have wr i t ten t o him regarding h i s ava i l ab i l i t y

The Company and the J3AM!TC have agreed upon a

Two non-unit grievances were received in December; one from a Draftsman pertaining t o working conditions and one from a General Clerk regarding the reassignment of another Clerk. second grievance was s e t t l e d at Step 11.

The f i rs t grievance was answered s a t i s f a c t o r i l y a t Step I and the

As of December 3, 1958, 94.9 of a l l e l i g i b l e EL0 employees have signed up f o r the Savings and Security Program which became ef fec t ive January 1, 1959.

Duping December one Ph.D. and three experienced BS/MS candidates accepted HAP0 o f f e r s . Mid-year BS/MS campus r ec ru i t i ng was completed with a t o t a l of 37 schools v i s i t e d , 55 o f f e r s extended, f i ve o f f e r s accepted, and 46 remaining open. engineering continues as one of the most d i f f i c u l t f i e l d s of recruitment t h i s year a t the bachelor’s l e v e l .

Mechanical

Eleven members of t h e Technical Graduate Program a r e present ly available f o r o f f - program placement; th ree of these w i l l be placed on January 1, leaving a t o t a l membership of 26 which i s t h e least s ince the program was establ ished i n 1950.

Laboratories personnel worked a t o t a l of 199,500 man-hours during the month with no disabl ing i n j u r i e s . w a s completed with no disabl ing i n j u r i e s . December was 1.30 as compared with 1.12 during november.

Since September 1, 1956, a t o t a l of 5,283,560 man-hours The medical treatment frequency f o r

There w a s one secur i ty v io la t ion during the month, bringing the t o t a l f o r the calendar year t o 45. n

EiM Parker : kss -

A - 1

REACTOR AND FUELS RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT OPERATION

TECHNICAL ACTIVITIES

A. FISSIONABLE MATERIALS - 2000 PROGRAM

1. METALLURGY PROGRAM

Corrosion Studies

Autoclave Tests of New Aluminum Alloys. of corrosion tes ts conducted during the year i n 360 C deionized water autoclaves. Broadly speaking, a l l t he a l loys now being given ser ious consideration have b e t t e r res i s tance t o accelerated corrosion than X-8001 ( i . e . , formerly M-388). I n many cases the r a t e s are lower than those usually obtained f o r X-8001. For several of the most r e s i s t a n t a l loys the corrosion process has a logarithmic dependence on time rather t h a n a (higher) parabolic dependence. J u s t how decreased rates i n autoclaves relate t o dynamic, simulated reac tor service i s s t i l l being c l a r i f i e d by means of flowing loop t e s t s on the bet ter materials. Some recent observations a t Argonne National Laboratory suggest that a l loys corroding by a logarithmic process i n autoclaves a re also more corrosion r e s i s t a n t i n dynamic tests as w e l l .

The following i s a b r i e f summary

Dynamic Aluminum Corrosion. Additional dynamic corrosion data i n deiondzed water have been obtained. Differences i n the corrosion res i s tance of M-400 and X - 8 0 0 1 a r e minor; hence, i n t abula t ing the new and o ld data no d i s t inc - t i o n w i l l be made i n t h i s t a b l e between X-8001 and M-400 a l loys .

Temp a 200 c 250 C 300 C Flow Rate i o f p s 25 f p s 38 fP s 19 f p s 4 f p s

1 mo. (o r ig ina l ) 0.52 1.75 1.77 1 .51 1.19

3 mo. (o r ig ina l ) 1.22 2.58 1 mo. (1st replacement) 1.26 1.87 1.88 1.44 1.03 2 mo. (1st replacement) 2.05 2.18

2 mo. (o r ig ina l ) 0.84 2.32 3.20 2.29 1.72

1 mo. (2nd replacement) 1.11 1.59

The results thus far obtained may be summarized i n the following points :

1. 2. A ve loc i ty e f f e c t e x i s t s i n the 300 C test . 3 . The e f f e c t of temperature i s r e l a t i v e l y small. I n the ranges

(200-300 C) r a t e s increase perhaps three- t o four-fold as temperature increase "he agreement between dupl icate samples is good.

Replacement e f f e c t s have been observed only f o r t h e 200 C t e s t .

4.

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A- 2 HW-58661

Alloy

A-2 ( 0 ) c-2 (Y) A-3

264

265

M-400

x-8001

C-810 c-812 c-823 x-8001 198X A203

E-3

Results of Autoclave Tests in 360 C Deionized Water

Vendor

Hunter-Douglas

Alcoa 11 I t

I 1

11

I t

I t

11

11

I1

11

I1

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Argonne I1

RLO

Alloy

(A-2)) c-810 c-2 A- 3 264 265 M- 400 c-812 Alcoa c-823 198X Argonne

E-3 HAP0 I t

Testing Time,

6.0 6.0 5.9 11.7 5.5 11.7 5.5 11.7 5.5 11.7 5.5 11.7 2.0 1.7 2.0 2.0 7.0 5.5 8.0 5 -0

months Corrosion,

mils

2.1 4.9 2.7 4.2 2.5 8.5 398 10.2 3.6 9.1 4.3 9.3 1.4 1.2 1.1 1.6 0.67 0.82 1.25 0.75

Remarks

Can stock

1/16 sheet stock 11 I t

I t I t

I t 11

11

I t

11 I t 11

11 II 11

I t 11 11

Can stock 11 11

11 I t

Sheet stock 1 1 11

11 I t

11 11

Nominal Composition Other - Ti - Fe - Ni -

1 0.5 2.0 0.5 1.5 1.5 2.6 0.3 4.3 0.4 1.0 1.0 1.5 1.5 0.6 2.1 1.0 - 5.5 0.3 0.6 2.1

0.1 0.2

0.05 Be, 0.05 Zr, 0.2 Si

- 0.35 Cr 0.8 Cu

0.1 0.1 0.1 0.2

Zircaloy Etching. The corrosion testing of Zircaloy clad fuel elements requires that the elements be etched and autoclaved. The standard etch solution, a mixture of nitric and hydrofluoric acids, is difficult to remove completely from crevices in the fuel element. Incomplete removal of fluoride results in the formation of "white oxide'' on the surface during autoclaving and necessitates reprocessing the fuel element.

Y.

I Z k O 9 8 8

The use of ultr t isonic energy w a s explored i n an e f f o r t t o f i n d b e t t e r r i n s ing techniques f o r complicated shapes. The following preliminary general izat ions can be made. Ultrasonic a g i t a t i o n of the e t ch solut ion el iminates the charac- t e r i s t i c "gas grooving" of Zircdoy-2 but causes an accelerated p i t t i n g . The in te rmi t ten t appl ica t ion of l i g h t u l t rasonic ag i t a t ion eliminates the grooving without causing excessive p i t t i n g . Ultrasonic ag i t a t ion of t h e r inses , water o r &(NO$) solution, produces s l i g h t l y improved r ins ing . sonic ag i t a t ion does not make it possible t o e tch and autoclave complicated shapes w i t h deep narrow crevices, it does o f f e r promise f o r crevices which a re s l i g h t l y too deep f o r conventional etching and r insing. wrapped element was etched and autoclaved employing u l t rasonic ag i t a t ion i n e t ch and r inse solut ions. oxide.

Even though ultra-

For example, a wire

This element showed only two minor spots of discolored Presumably even these two spots could have been eliminated.

Gasless Etching of Zr-2. HF ac id e t c h as reported l a s t month. the basis of these scouting t e s t s t o establish approximate optimum conditions, t he gasless e tch ba th now under t e n t a t i v e consideration is:

Further development work w a s car r ied out on the chromic- All tests were conducted a t 25 t o 30 C . On

HF (48$ Conc 1 - lo$ by volume H20 - gW$ by volume

Temp. 25 t o 30 C . C r O 3 - 60 t o 80 g / l

The e tch rate on Zr-2 is about 0.5 m i l per minute. amount of H2 i s given off i f t he solut ion i s not constant.ly ag i t a t ed t o replenish the Cr+6 concentration a t the m e t a l surface. suppressed, bu t some C r metal deposition ( e a s i l y wiped o f f ) t akes place.

A t 60 g / l CrO3, a small

A t 80 g/l the hydrogen react ion i s

This e tch so lu t ion i s quoted as a repor t of experimental f indings but has not ye t been adopted f o r use on tubes o r f u e l elements. new chromic-HF ac id etching process on subsequent corrosion behavior of the Zircaloy has not yet been determined.

For example, t h e e f f e c t of t h i s

Hydriding of Zr-2. A program was started f o r determining the rate of hydriding of Zircaloy-2 as a function of surface treatment, hydrogen concentration, water ( o r steam) concentration, and temperature. Two samples, one whose surface had been prepared by etching and the o ther by 24-hour treatment with steam a t 400 C f o r 24 hours, showed no evidence of hydriding a f t e r exposure t o tank hydrogen (not dried) a t 20 p s i g and 330 C f o r 45 minutes.

Radiometallurgy Laboratory Studies

Radiometallurgy a c t i v i t i e s during the month i n support of t h e 2000 Program have included the completion of the laboratory work on the temperature monitored co- a x i a l f u e l element (GEH-4-31) and t h e continuing examination of a U-Mg alloyed slug which w a s irradiated t o 10,000 MUD/T (GM-3-8); disassembly and measurements of a 1.646 enriched, coextruded, four-rod c l u s t e r element (FT-IP-172-A) ; t e s t i n g twenty-four uranium t e n s i l e specimens which were irradiated a t low temperatures and exposures (HAPO-173) and making r ep l i cas f o r e lec t ron microscopy f o r uranium swelling s tudies (GHI-3-31). Results and conclusions are re - ported i n d e t a i l i n connection with the respective development programs.

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Basic Metal lurm Studies

Effec ts of Low Tempera+,ure I r r ad ia t ioc on the Pro>erties of Uranium. purpose of t h i s test is t o f ind the threshold of detectable neutron

The

damagp t o uranium through a s i r ies of low terqerature axid short exposure i r r ad ia t iocs . The specircens were i r rad ia ted i n the snout f a c i l i t a t 105-KW t o exposures ranging from 1015 t o 1018 nvt o r from 5 x 10-s t o 5 x t o t a l atom percent burn-q, Pos t - i r rad ia t lon %ensi le , hardness, and annealing r;ests &re being ;erformed t o determine the mount of damage induced and the easo of removal, Sixteen t e m i l o specinens representing various annealing states following i r r ad ia t ion were t e s t ed during the month,

Both t e n s i l e and hardness data reveal that t h e unirradiated control specimens i n the reac tor I n general, recovery of the y ie ld s t rength during annealing f o r a l l exposxres precedes recos-ery of t h e hardness. increase i n y i e ld s t rength over t h a t expe te j . occTxred f o r a l l exposures. This i s a t t r i 5 u t e 3 t o aging. two higher e q o s u r e s , 2 - 3 8 ard 6 65 x lC17 nvt] a f k r annealing treatments a t 400 C. change occurred i n the t e n s i l e s t r2ngth or d u c t i l i t y w i t h twenty-five-hour anneals at 300 and 400 C , hcwever, alm3st c o n ~ l e t e recovery occurred i n both hardness and y ie ld s t rength a t 430 C. 2,g x 1015 nvt, room tsrprat t l re anzealing f o r one nonth a f fec ted complete recovery i n y i e ld s t rength w i t h p rac t i ca l ly no change in hardness.

Aained s t r a i n s indace3 ky beta heat +-reatm%nfv p r i o r t o inser t ion

A t 300 C an

Xtiraness data aiso indicate aging f o r the

For the highest e q a s - x e , 6.65 x 10-7 nvt, p rac t i ca l ly no

For t h s lowest ewosure,

The data obtained t o da te s;lgg=st tha? the ozcxrrenee of twinning, which i s the primary mode of deformation of u r a n i m a t room temperature, i s highly dependent uson the c i s p r s i o n and s i z e of point defect c lus t e r s . Furthermore, foreign atms a F p a r to r e s t r i c 5 the ioerease i n twin s ize t o a grea te r extent than point defect cl'is+,ers. l a t t i c e defec ts i n uranium esaec ia l ly by txppine , %y foreign atoms may aeccunt f o r t he aging e f f e c t s o5served.. a t ed uranium i s conplex and a f f e c t s each p r o p r t y d i f f e ren t ly .

Tine agglomrat ion of

Final ly , t h e rezovery of i r r a d i -

B r i t t l e Eond Study. which s t rongly support t he previons evidence of the existence of a so l id solut ion of U(Al,Si)3 i n the AlSi bond l a y e r - a sample of th is l aye r i s d e f i n i t e l y t h a t of a simple cubic s t ruc ture . The width of t he d i f f r ac t ion l i n e s sgggests tha t the s t ruc ture is s t ra ined . The calculcted s ize of t he uni t c e l l i s 4,17 R . This compares with s i z e s of 4.03 equal concentration of aluminm aod s i l i con atoms i f a l i nea r appl icat ion of Vegard's l a w is assumei. aluminum-silicon system i s necessary t o establish the exact composition.

Additional x-ray d i f f r ac t ion da ta 'have been obtained

A d i f f r ac t ion pa t t e rn of

fo r USi3 and 4.28 R f o r UAl.3"

A de ta i led invest igat ion of the uranium-

These values pred ic t an almost

Electron an3 @ t i c a l MicroscoFy. The study of t he microstructure of cladding and f u e l materials i s a d i r e c t way of detect ing radiat ion damage i n these materials. Two techniques are being w e d : (1) metallographic examination of polished ana etched surfaces and (2) fractographic s tudies .

. -.

A r ep l i ca o f a n i r r ad ia t ed U02 fractcgraphic specimen a f t e r a metallographic po l i sh and e tch has Seen o5tained. etching of t he i r r ad ia t ed UOg requires addi t ional development. a t i on of t he i r r ad ia t ed fractographic specimen has revealed a small number of holes, 200 t o 500 $ i n d iaae te r ; t he holes appear t o bear no re la t ionships t o any crystal lographic f r ac tx re feat,ure.

However, polishing and Examin-

Two r ep l i cas of f r ac tu re surfaces of u ran im inpact specimens i r r ad ia t ed t o 0 .1 a/o burnup have been prepared f o r subsequent e lectron microscope study. The two specimens were fractured a5 -78 C and -196 C. metallurgy f a c i l i t i e s f o r breaking i r r ad ia t ed uranium inpact specimens a t elevated temperature a re being com?leted.

Radio-

The bond between uranium and Zircaloy-2 cladding af ter coextrusion and after a ten-minute, 730 C beta heat trea:ment h a s been studied by electron microscopy. A second phase i n the uranim, very 21osC t 3 the U-Zr-2 in te r face , was found t o cons is t of discontinuous spherical p a r t i c l e s which a f t e r heat treatment increased i n number and s i ze . The heat t rea tment had no apparent e f f e c t on the sharp il-Zr-2 in te r face .

Hanford I r r ad ia t ion PT-3NA. upon some knowledge of the e f f e c t s of i r r ad i s t ion on the s ign i f i can t mechanical and physical p roper t ies i s under way. between 400 and 700 C f o r three cycles !six transformations) during t h e month. beta phase transformation on t h e recovery of irradiation-induced damage i n uranium. After annealing, a network of microeracks apparently out- l i n i n g the gra ins of t he specimen was obsPrved; the surface roughness due t o g r s in d i s t o r t i o n which appeared t o emanate from an inclusion s t r inge r occurred. Th i s specimen w i l l be tested during the coming month t o determine t h e ne t e f f e c t of these s t r u c t u r a l changes on i t s mechanical proper t ies .

The design of advanced f u e l elements depends

A program t o obtain t h i s information One t e n s i l e specimen was cyc l i ca l ly annealed i n vacuum

The purpose of t h i s t e s t i s t o determir-9 %he e f f e c t s of alpha t o

increased; and an eruption w i t h i n t h e gage sect ion

In-Reactor TestinF. Engineering data concerning the instantaneous e f f e c t s of neutron rad ia t ion on s t ruc tu ra l material proper t ies , primarily creep, are required f o r determining reac tor design l h i t s . Research and development work i s being done t o develo? remotely control led, in-reactor creep capsules. t o be i n s t a l l e d i n the X-0 l eve l of t h e lG5-Icvr Reactor. By means of the in-reactor and duplicate ex-reactor capsriles, t he n e t e f f e c t s of the neutron rad ia t ion on creep rate w i l l be determined. A d i r ec t ive w a s issued by t h e AEC on December 8, 1958, authorizing Pro jec t CG-785, Rev. 1, “In-Reactor Studies Equipment - 100-K Area, ” i n the amount of $276,000 , t o provide f a c i l i t i e s f o r t h e a3ove work.

An instrument f a c i l i t y f o r cagsule control and monitoring i s

Recrys ta l l iza t ion and Recovery of Zirconium and i t s Alloys. The k ine t i c s of r ec rys t a l l i za t ion and recovery i n zirconium, Zircaloy-2, and Zircaloy-3 are being determined t o establish optimum conditions of heat treatment during f ab r i ca t ion operations. Percent cold work, temperature, time and heat treatment atmosphere have been selected as var iables .

Additional x-ray and hardness information f o r zirconium heat t r ea t ed i n helium has been obtained, worked material, which had been heat treated f o r 100 minutes a t 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, and 800 C, A s i n the case of 50 percent cold worked mater ia l , t h e measurements of x-ray d i f f r ac t ion l i n e width indicate that a grzdual recovery occurs from below 300 C up t o the r ec rys t a l l i za t ion temperature. Hardness measurercents indicate a second react ion occurs a t high temperatures which causes some rehardening. have been i n i t i a t e d t o esta3lish a s t ruc tu re cor re la t ion w i t h t h e recovery da ta and t o iden t i fy second phsses which may be re jec ted from solut ion during znnealing.

Results were cbtained from 25 percent cold

Metallographic s tudies

Xrradiations of S t ruc tura l Materials i n the EiR. needed concerning pro;?erty changes i n high s t rength materials which may occur under combined high temperature and high f l u environments.

Information is current ly

An assembly containing seven annealed Zircaloy-2 t e n s i l e specimens i s now being i r r ad iz t ed i n t h e 3x3 loop f a c i l i t y , e q o s e d t o water a t approximately 280 C. These specimens w i l l 3e discharged a t the termination of the f u e l element i r rhd ia t ion now i n progress i n the loop ,

A second assembly containing seven Zircaloy-2 specimens, cold worked 25 percent, has been fabricated and w i l l he charged w i t h t he next fue l i r r ad ia t ion .

New Fuel Element Development

Rod Clust,er Fuel. reached 1100 MWD/T exposure, diameter. This tes? i s t h e f i r s t Zircaloy-2 clad, seven-rod c l u s t e r operated a t KER.

The KBR Loo;, 1 charge of seven-rod e l a s t e r elements has This charge has coextruded f u e l rods 0.630"

The support spacing, w a s discharged on Decexri3er 28, 1958, f e e t and th ree f e e t i n l ength) were lowered fro% the rear face i n a spec ia l discharge t r a y . Cursory examination a t the basin showed no v i s i b l e f u e l rod bowing. fu r the r examination.

Loop 3 long rod tes t , designed t o check m i n i m a requirements f o r The elements (two

The e leaents w i l l be shipped t o C basin f o r

Rod Cluster &el Elements . Three, seven-rod c lus t e r , coextruslon clad, f u e l elements continued t o operate s a t i s f a c t o r i l y during the pas t month i n the ETR 3x3 loop f h c i l i t y . 90 kw/ft with 280 C o u t l e t coolant temperature 5 u t i s presently averaging 70 kw/f t a t the' same o u t l e t temperature, a t ion I s 1500 MWD/T of which 250 has been a t t a ined .

Indicate2 sgee i f ic power peaked a t

Goal exposure f o r t h i s i r r a d i -

Four, stainless steel clad, seven-rod c l u s t e r f u e l elements, being i r r ad - iated i n a K - t h r o w hole f a c i l i t y have reached an exposure of 3000 MWD/T. This f u e l w i l l be discharged n e x t month w i t h an exposure of 3500 MWD/T. The fuel i s opereting a t a spec i f i c power of &I kw/ft, and w i t h a 270 C core temperature. The s t a i n l e s s steel-araniun in te r face bond coe f f i c i en t i s about 3000 BTU/hr/ft2/OF. Four, seven-rod c l u s t e r f u e l elements , one

A - 7

foo t i n length, and one three-rcd c lus t e r , th ree feet i n length, were charged in to the KER Loop 2 f a c i l i t y . were fabr ica ted from Zircaloy-2 clad, coextruded fue l rod containing 1.6 percent enriched uranium. 100 kw/ft of element. The three-rod c l u s t e r f u e l element was fabricated frm coextruded 1.6 percent enriched rod w i t h in tegra l end closures made during the extrusion. This t e s t w i l l determine the dimensional s t a b i l i t y of such f u e l rods. 40 kw/ft of element i n 210 C coolant temperature and has a contemplated goal exposure of 3500 MWD/T.

Tne seven-rod c l u s t e r f u e l elements

The seven-rod elements are operating a t

The three-rod element i s presently operating a t

Heat t r ans fe r ena lys i s of t he temperature d i s t r ibu t ion across the c o o l m t passages.of a seven-rod c l u s t e r f u e l e leaent pred ic t s that a wide var ia - t i o n e x i s t s due t o the channeling of the coolant through the rods, To determine w h a t ehanneling ac tua l ly e x i s t s , a grow of eight , seven-rod c l u s t e r f u e l elements w i t h themocouples placed i n t h e channels has been charged i n t o the KER Loop 3 f a c i l i t y . four w i t h 2 0 - m i l cladding and four w i t h 30-mil cladding, have been completed. These f u e l elexrients a r e t o be charged i n t o a KER loop f a c i l i t y i n order t o compare f u e l element dimensional s t a b i l i t y betweer. the two c lad thicknesses. The fue l w a s made from le6 percent enrlchcd uranium coextruded w i t h Zircaloy-2. Goal exposure f o r t h e i r r ad ib t ion i s 3500 MUD/T.

Eight, seven-rod c lus t e r fue l elements,

I n i t i a l examination of one element of fo-m-cluster f u e l e lenents i r r ad ia t ed t o a 0 0 MUD/T i n t h e KER Loop 2 f a c i l i t y was begun. from coextruded 1.6 percent enriched u r a n i m Zircaloy-2 rod. The rod stock exhibited a very rough uranium-Zircaloy-2 bond l aye r and was i r r ad ia t ed t o determine the e f f e c t of such a bond l aye r on the dimensional s t a b i l i t y of the fue l . Upon macroscopic examination of t he fue l , no damage t o the bond l aye r w a s observed. There was evidence, however, of core crasking. Micros scopic examination of t h e cracks showed that generally these cracks s t a r t e d a t an inclusion i n the uranium and propagated along a grain boundary. Further examination of other rods from the saxe i r r ad ia t ion w i l l continue t o determine the cause and frequency of silch crackfng,

Tubular Fuel. w i t h Zircaloy-2 continue t o operate a t KER Loop k

The f u e l was fabricated

Two, 36-inch long rod and tube elements of uranium clad

Nuclear Metals shipped t h i r t y feet of uranium a l l o y Zircaloy-2 clad tube t o BLO during December which w i l l be used f o r KER and ETR t e s t i n g . Completion of a tubular element f o r FTR t e s t i n g i s scheduled f o r February 1959 0

Coextrusion of Zircaloy-2 and Uranium, Two Zirealoy-2 clad, so l id uranium rods were successful ly coextruded on the 280-ton extrusion press belonging t o the Plutonium Fabrication Development group. The extrusion r a t i o was 10 t o 1 w i t h t h e b i l le t s preheated t o 650 C and the b i l le t container heated t o 550 C. The copper has been s t r ipped from the extrusions, and t h e rods are present ly being sectioned t o determine bonding, uniformity of extrusion and condition of the uranium. The extrusion b i l l e t s con- s i s t e d of a so l id cylinder of be t a heat treated uranium, 1.685” OD by

A-8

4-3/8" long, placed inside a 185-mii w a l l Zircaloy-2 can. evacuated and then sealed by e lec t ron beam welding 1/8" f l a t Zircaloy-2 d i s k s i n each end. can w i t h a 450 beveled copper nose plug and a l / 2 " copper end plug. copper can was evauated and then sealed by e lec t ron beam welding.

The can was

This assemSly was then placed i n a 6 2 4 1 copper The

An extrusion press f o r use i n eoext.rusion s tudies i s t o be set up on one of t h e two ex i s t ing 400-ton hydraulic presses i n t h e 306 Building. The extrusion press equipmen? has been designed, and the extrusion press i s expected t o be ready fo r use i n February. The press w i l l back-extrude, and i s P n i t i a l l y designed t o handle extrusion r a t i o s of 12.5 t o 1. The b i l l e t container can be heated t o 600 C.

Corrosion of Coextruded Zircaloy-2 Clad Uranium Fuel. t he behavior of coextruded Zircaloy-2 clad u ran im fue l , defected, and

Testing t o determine

exposed t o high temperature water, i s continuing. Simulated :hilures have been produced a t 300 C i n an induction heated autoclave and i n Elmo #4 Loop. As addi t iona l t es t data a r e acclxnulated, it becomes apparent that more runs and observations must be =de i n order t o del ineate the normal s c a t t e r of the data. Rods of coextruded material appear t o give the most consis tent and t h e most des i rab le behavior when i n the "as-extruded" condition. Beta treatment by any of four methods used appears t o be detrimental t o the f a i l u r e behavior of defected rods, as colrpared w i t h t he behavior of the "as-extrudedtt rod. s t rength of the bond i s a f fec ted by the beta treatments, and, although i n some cases the bond s t rength exceeds the Zircaloy-2 clad shear s t rength, it i s less than t h a t of "as-extruded" material. Specimens defected a f t e r a diffusion hest treatment and t e s t e d i n the autoclave perform poorly. This observation i s i n agrement wI:,h reported work of NMI, but t h e reason f o r t he observed behavior as compared t o that reported for U - 2 w/o Zircaloy, c lad wi th Zircaloy-2 and diffusion t r ea t ed , i s not readi ly apparent. quantity of t he l a t t e r coextruded material i s on hand, and s tudies of it are being s t a r t e d .

Coextruded Rod Element End Closures. A coextruded rod element end closure which w i l l have adequate physical s t rength, good corrosion resis tance, and be amenable t o production assembly methods i s required. which show promise of meeting these requirements a re being developed. These are the brazed and welded end cap and the double welded cap closures . A completely sa t i s f ac to ry brazing a l l o y has not ye t been found f o r t he brazed and welded closure. unsa t i s fac tory because of melting point o r physical charac te r i s t ic? . Work on t h e welded double end cap closure has been delayed while a j i g is being constructed.

Bond s t rengtn measxements a l s o reveal that the

A

Two end closures

A number of a l loys have been made and found

Aluminum Clad Fkel Elements fo r High Temperature Service. uranium and aluminum jackets and intermediate mater ia l s i s a main de te r -

In te rac t ion of -

r en t t o the use of aluminum cladding f o r high temperature service. High pressure bake t e s t i n g of AlSi bonded and hot press N i bonded aluminum clad uranium f u e l elements has indicated some promise of application of these dements t o high temperature service (organie coolan t ) .

A-9

AlSi bonded, hot press N i bonded, and co l lo ida l graphite diffusion barrier (unbonded) aluminum c lad f u e l elements have been examined a f t e r 3500 hours exposure a t 370 C, and about 400 p s i i n ORA #1. The AlSi bonded elements had bumps on the surface ind ica t ing U/Al/AlSi i n t e r - act ion. supe r f i c i a l ly unchanged. revealed some l a r g e unbonded areas. by f r o s t t e s t i n g . elements (both AlSi and N i ) revealed a very friable bond w i t h low re- s i s tance t o mechanical shock. It has been concluded tha t t h e AlSi and N i bonded aluminum clad f u e l elements are unsuitable f o r high temperature appl ica t ion because of the e f f e c t of the exposure on the nature of the bond. The graphi te d i f fus ion barrier (unbonded) elements show some promise and have been returned t o t h e t es t .

The N i bonded and Colloidal graphi te barrier elements appeared

These *mbonded areas were v e r i f i e d Ultrasonic bond t e s t i n g of t he bonded elements

Destructive examinat>ion of the p a r t i a l l y bonded

Cold Closure. by forcing r ings of i n t e rna l and external jacket material t o flow over the end of the element and meet i n an annular r ing j o i n t a t t h e end of t he element core. This method has been unsiiccessful t o da te because of t he i n a b i l i t y t o obtain 6 cold pressure weld a t t he j o i n t in te r face . The uranium oxide surface on the in t e r f ace has not extruded up through the annular punch as was hoped. i n t e r f ace which prevented the aluminum from pressure welding.

Attempts a r e beir.g made t o cold close I & E f u e l elements

This has l e f t an oxide f i lm i n the

Tests will soon be run t o determine if the oxide film can be su f f i c i en t ly broken up by simultaneously extruding p a r t of t he in t e r f ace up through an annular punch and p a r t down i n t o a small annular groove i n the core below the r i n g j o i n t . tests.

The necessary too l ing i s nearly complete f o r these

Self-supported Fuel Elements. t o accurately pos i t ion elements i n smooth bore process tubes. expected that t h i s method w i l l improve reac tor operation. r e s u l t s from FT IP-&-A f o r t e s t i n g th i s process, IPD has requested an expanded tes t program which includes 1 3 smooth bore tubes i n B Reactor and t e n tubes i n K Reactor. l a s t month. The i n i t i a l evaluation i s complete, and the results were sa t i s f ac to ry . Hereafter, FPD w i l l assume the r e spons ib i l i t y f o r t h i s program. sonic method of a t tach ing supports.

Self-supported f u e l elements are designed It is

Based on the

Sixteen charges f o r B Reactor were completed

One phase s t i l l being evaluated by the laboratory is the ultra-

Coaxial Fuel mements. f u e l element concept has been examined a t the HAP0 Radiometallurgy

The t h i r d KCR i r r ad ia t ion tes t of t h e coaxial

f a c i l i t y . tends about one-third the way t o the outs ide has been observed i n a cross

- sec t ion of the outer uranium tube. The seriousness of t h i s crack i s not known. A second f u e l element of t h i s t h i r d i r r ad ia t ion test is a t the MTR and w i l l be i r r ad ia t ed t o a goal of 1500 W / T .

A microcrack which ini t ia tes a t the inside diameter and ex-

A-10 W- 58661 c

E l l i p t i c a l o r Nosed Md Closures on Coextruded Zircaloy-2 Clad Fuel Elements. A method of completing the closure of coextruded f u e l elements nosed by swaging has been deveioped. counterbored uranium core, and the jacket i s nosed by swaging over the Zircaloy-2 cap. the cap. danger of uranium pickup as a r e s u l t of jacket penetration during welding.

S t a b i l i t y of Fuel Elements. v e r t i c a l f u e l elements depend upon i n i t i a l imperfections i n s t ra ightness , and on end t h r u s t and a x i a l and normal loads. e l a s t i c ana lys i s has been developed which gives an approxirrate method of evaluation f o r the above var iab les . This work i s described i n "Variational Method for Determining C o l l m Deflections," HW-5863. This work w i l l be factored i n t o a general repor t on s t a b i l i t y considerations f o r reac tor f u e l elements. inclusion i n the Fuel Element Design Handbook.

A contoured Zirealoy-2 cap i s s e t on the

The closure i s complezed by welding t h e nosed jacket t o Th i s produces a mechanically strong closure and eliminates the

The length l imi t a t ions between supports of

A var ia t ion method of

When the general repor t i s finished, it w i l l be su i tab le f o r

Restraint of Uranium Swelling by Zirconium Cladding. swelling behavior of unalloyed clad U r a n i a n operating w i t h a cladding

Knowledge of the

surface temperature of 250 t o 350 C and a maximmi f u e l temperature of 450 t o 600 C i s of importance f o r Hanford's f u e l element development work. In order t o provide such swelling data, f i v e experimental assemblies w i t h Zircaloy-2 clad coextruded uranium f u e l roils were b Q i l t f o r i r r ad ia t ion i n the MllR and ETR.

Electron microscope s tudies of Gm-3-31, the f irst of the above f u e l rods t o be i r rad ia ted , show c l u s t e r s of bubbles w i t h approxFmately 2000 8 diameters. t o the cladding. has approximately 60 percent of t he 3500 MWD/T goal exposure. uranium temperature averages about 400 C. with a n average cen t r a l uranium temperature of 480 C, now has approximately 600 MUD/T exposure. p l e t ion of Radiometallurgy f a c i l i t i e s .

Variations of t h e flux d i s t r ibu t ion i n t he various cycles i n the ETR have caused temperature va r i a t ions of 400 C i n GEH-3-58. cycle t h e temperature of GEH-3-58 has dropped frm 710 C t o 650 C, and the temperature of GEH-3-59, which was charged t h i s cycle, has dropped from 650 t o 600 C. cant exposure.

The density of these bubbles decreases f ron the f u e l center GEH-3-32, present ly undergoing i r r ad ia t ion i n t h e m,

GEH-3-57 operating i n the ETR The center

Measurement of changes i n uranium densi ty awaits com-

During the present

Neither of these two f u e l rods has reached a s i g n i f i -

In order t o determine t h e dependence of f u e l element swelling upon cladding and uranium temperatures, cladding thickness, and exposure, a series of capsule i r r ad ia t ions i n Hanford reac tors i s planned. Based on an ana lys i s of data obtained from an i n i t i a l t es t evaluation capsule irrad- i a t e d i n DR Reactor, it is planned t o charge twenty-four capsules i n D Reactor by the end of January. w i l l be charged and i r r ad ia t ed as rap id ly as possible .

Following t h i s , addi t iona l capsules

A-11

2. REACTOR PROGRAM

Coolant Systems Development

Corrosion of X-8001 Aluminum. r e l a t i v e l y low temperature (100 t o 120 C), but otherwise under conditions more severe than experienced in-reactor f a i l e d t o show a s igni f icant d i f - ference between the X-8001 (e .g . , M-388) and 1245 aluminum. each of X-8001 and 1245 were t e s t ed in a j e t impingement apparatus a t 100 C but a t an abnormally high process water veloci ty of 34 f t / s ec . After a four-hour exposure, no a t tack was evident on the 1245 samples, and only s l i g h t surface roughening occurred on the X-8001 samples. the two alloys a t 120 C &I f i l t e r e d water (no dichromate) containing 1.0 ppm of diatomaceous earth showed excessive amounts of local ized corrosion, but no differences were detected between the two al loys. a t ion of fue l elements clad i n X-8001 and exposed i n the reactors have n o t disclosed any recent examples of the deep p i t t i n g noted on the f irst batch of X-8001. noted. Additional t e s t s w i l l be scheduled as soon as a l t e r a t ions t o the out-of-reactor f a c i l i t i e s a re completed.

TWO out-of-reactor corrosion tests a t a

Two samples

A t es t of

Routine examin-

Only occasional examples of very shallow p i t t i n g have been

Rupture Testin tested i n Elmo s t i c k i n the tube. where the Zircaloy-2 jacket had raised and was to rn . of KER s ize w i t h coextruded rods did not s t i c k inside a 2.08" Zr-2 tribe a f t e r exposures of three hours t o 300 C water. defected w i t h one 25-mil hole i n two of the rods.

Two beta- t reated coextruded tubular pieces were rupture- a t 300 C f o r a t o t a l of three hours.

Both pieces had a s ingle defect about 3/4" i n diameter The pieces d i d not

Two seven-rod c lus te rs

Each element was pre-

Connectors f o r a heated tubular element a re being fabricated t o carry out heated s lug rupture t e s t s i n January under prototypical 100 Area process conditions.

Decontamination of KER. t o decontaminate the out-of-reactor port ion of KER Loop 4. mockup tube w a s discharged and recharged wi th special samples f o r the t e s t , and a c t i v i t y readings were taken a t a number of selected points throughout the system. hours and then drained. acid flush. of Turco-4502 was circulated f o r two hours. After f lushing several times w i t h water, a 3 6 (by vol.) n i t r i c acid solution was circulated f o r about one hour., Several more water flushes followed. promising, w i t h an indicated loop inside surface D.F. of 34 and a "dose r a t e " D.F. of 25, calculated based on the average of 23 readings w i t h a survey instrument taken a t d i f f e ren t locat ions along the outside of the

A modification of the Turco-4501 process was used F i r s t , the

A 5 6 solution of Turco-4501 w a s c i rcu la ted f o r about two One water f lush w a s used and then a 1% n i t r i c

One more water f lush and then a 2.0 pounds/gallon solut ion

The tes t results appear

loop

Laboratory Decontamination Studies. using processes compatible w i t h carbon steel. appear most promising &re Turco 4512 and a two-step process, designated

Decontamination has been studied The inh ib i tors which

"APACE", of : w i t h EDTA (Versine) and inh ib i to r s . - 2-mercaptobenzo-thiazole. but caused operating complications i n the loop. eppear t o be of much value. phates, persu l fa tes , and surface-active agents have been investigated i n the laboratory as possible means of decontamination. w i l l require more invest igat ion before d e f i n i t e concentrations can be s t a t ed

( a ) a lka l ine permanganate, followed by (b) ammonium c i t r a t e One inh ib i to r t e s t ed las t month was

This inh ib i to r was sa t i s f ac to ry i n the laboratory

Several mixtures of varying amounts of phos- Consequently, it does not

Two of t h e solut ions

Polished carbon steel and s t a i n l e s s s t e e l cou-pons were tested i n t he APACE decontamination process and i n 25% Tureo 4512, In one hour at 60 C i n the Turco so lu t ion , t he s t a i n l e s s s t e e l coupons were penetrated 0.0013 m i l , and the carbon steel coupons 0.031 m i l . Penetrations i n the APACE process were 0.63 m i l f o r carbon s t e e l and 0.001 m i l f o r s t a i n l e s s s t e e l .

Inh ib i tor Systems. The t e s t evaluating 50 ppm Na$p20702H 0 as a corrosion inh ib i to r a t pH 4.5 and 180 C f o r car3on steel and X-8001 i? M-388) aluminum a l loy was terminated. Corrosion rates of carbon steel were exceedingly small (approximately 1.0 mpy), and only minor p i t t i n g was noticed. ranged from 0.5 t o 1.0 m i l deep and were located primarily in crevices . Excellent aluminum inhib i t ion was noted and although f i n a l weight l o s s data a r e not y e t avai lable , it appears penetrations w i l l be on the order of 0.1 t o 0.2 mil/year. Work i s now under way t o study t h i s inh ib i t ion a t lower concentrations and higher temperatures.

The p i t s

Heat Exchanger Testing. heat exchanger on Elmo-1 w a s removed completely using a 7-1/2$ solut ion of su l fu r i c ac id with I$ "Rodine 81" inh ib i to r added. using 175 F o u t l e t temperature was used. Carbon s t e e l coupons i n t h e e f f luen t l i n e l o s t about one m i l while s t a i n l e s s steel coupons l o s t about 0.1 m i l . (1) a n e f f ec t ive r u s t i nh ib i to r should be addzd following cleaning t o prevent reformation of rust; and (2) surface bo i l ing should be avoided s ince the solut ion appeared t o decompose leaving a black deposit on t h e overheated surface

The sca le from t h e baffles of one raw water cooled

A s i n g l e pass system

The cleaning process disclosed only two minor problems:

In-Reactor Corrosion of Aluminum. recent ly discharged from

The X-WOL aluminum-clad Doe elements Loops 2 and 4 have nearly all showed small

w e i g h t gains after cleaning. a low corrosion rate i n pH accurately s ince a t these exposures (about 90 and 60 days) t h e weight l o s s from corrosion i s masked by t h e weight of an unremovable film. of surface temperatures showed excel lent agreement w i t h t he thermocouple slugs exposed i n the loops. According t o heat transfer considerations a surface temperature of 244 C was predicted for the s lug i n Loop 4. This s lug had a can w a l l temperature i n i t i a l l y of 245 t o 246 C . Loop 2 was calculated t o be a t a surface temperature of 205 C. measured i n i t i a l l y t o be 200 C . Loop 4 tes t were 265 C and i n t h e Loop 2 tes t were 245 C . rates a t these surface temperatures averaged about 1 . 5 mils/year.

This, as w e l l as v isua l examination, ind ica tes 4.5 H3PO4 but one which cannot be measured

Calculation

The s lug i n It w a s

Maximum surface temperatures i n t h e The corrosion

This

A - 1 3

corresponds t o a corrosion rate of 3 t o 5 mils/year f o r surface temperatures of 350 C. on f u e l elements a f t e r a t o t a l exposure of ,2000 MWD/T would be two t o four m i l s . t o be a sa t i s f ac to ry cladding material f o r the NPR, at least a s far as corrosion i s concerned. t h i s w i l l require e i t h e r longer exposures o r higher temperatures. higher temperature t e s t (greater than f i v e months a t surface temperatures of 320 C ) w i l l be scheduled after the in s t a l l a t ion of new Zircaloy tubes in the KEFi loops. In the meantime all four KER tuSes w i l l be scheduled f o r t e s t i n g of prototypical fuel elements f o r NPR or PRTR and fo r thermocouple tests t o measure loca l water t e q e r a t u r e s and f i l m temperature drops.

For NPR conditions, the t o t a l corrosion of the aluminum jacket

From these preliminary results it appears t h a t aluminum may prove

Although fur ther def in i t ive data are desirable, A

Struc tura l Materials Development

NPR Zircaloy Tubing. DDR-28 have been received f o r evaluation.

The two rej'ected tubes produced by Mallory-Sharon on The tiibes were received as six

pieces about twenty f e e t long. Testing Operation f o r eddy current, dye penetrant, and radiographic t e s t s t o supplement the f i e l d inspection tes ts . w i l l be subjected t o burst t e s t i n g t o determine the e f f ec t of such defects on burst ing strength. a s a control.

Tney have been sent t o the Radiographic

Areas w i t h spec i f ic defects

A six-foot section free of defects has been selected

NPR Process Tube Bursting. Additional tests on end-closure f i t t i n g s fo r NPR heavy w a l l tubing were performedc A t o t a l in te rna l pressure of 10,500 ps ig a t 300 C was obtained before the tes t was terminated because of excessive seal leaking. Examination of the end-closure revealed that the one-inch th ick stainless steel flange had buckled destroying the seal. The tube w a s not s t ressed t o the y i e ld point a t t h i s temperature and pressure. below 4000 ps ig in t e rna l pressure due t o O-ring leaks.

Zircaloy Creep Testing. Zr-2 i s continuing a t BMI. New long duration tes ts on annealed Zr-2 have been started. cycling tes ts have begun, and the tes t program w i l l be accelerated w i t h the addi t ion of four more test units shor t ly a f t e r the beginning of January 1959.

Subsequent tests w i t h a l C 5 - i n e h th ick flange were terminated

Long duration creep t e s t i n g of 15% cold worked These tests are of nearly 10,000 hours duration.

Temperature

The design of an in-reactor- tes t capsule i s approximately 85$ complete. One experimental s t r a i n gage has been constructed and i s now being bench tes ted .

Nonmetallic Materials Development

Graphite Development. eleven graphi te boats f o r charging in to the hot tes t -hole , lO5-C, during the next outage. The samples were divided in to two groups w i t h goal exposures of 700 MWD/AT and 1500 t o 2000 MUD/AT. exposure group are a series of graphites representative of: previously used in reactor construction but w i t h an exposure of 5110 MWD/AT;

Three hundred f i f t y graphite samples were placed i n

Included i n the longer ( a ) those

. 1% . i -.. 6 A-14 mi- 5866s

(b) a s e r i e s of experimental graphi tes i n whieh t h e temperature of graphi t iza t ion w a s varied from 1300 C t o 2700 C, previously i r r ad ia t ed t o 1000 MWD/AT; and (c) a number of samples representing new cokes being i r r ad ia t ed f o r the f irst time. The temperature-of-graphitization series may provide information regarding sa tura t ion of high temperature con- t r a c t i o n s ince graphites processed a t a maxbum of 1300 C have very high contraction rates and should sa tu ra t e a t r e l a t i v e l y low exposures. The graphi te types made from new cokes which are being studied f o r possible use i n the NPR include Sunray, Ohio, Continental and Socony Vacuum cokes from the National Carbon Company; Sohio Lima from Speer Carbon Company; and two types from Great Lakes Carbon Corporation, sinrilar t o the Con- t i n e n t a l from National Carbon Company which are spec ia l ly processed a t t h e re f inery t o Fmprove t h e i r p roper t ies . gether with standard samples of known types make up the 700 m / A T exposure group. t i v i t y , and e l e c t r i c a l r e s i s t i v i t y changes w i l l be observed f o r each type of graphi te . loading in to a cold tes t -hole f a c i l i t y .

These new types of graphite to -

Physical length, weight, c r y s t a l l i t e dimensions, thermal conduc-

A s imilar group of graphit2 samples is being prepared f o r

Ef fec t of Gamma Radiation on the Neoprene Rilbbers. A preliminary inves t i - gation of rad ia t ion e f f e c t s i n the Neoprene (polychloroprene elastomer) rubbers shows that Neoprenes GN, GN-A, and GRT are s l i g h t l y more r e s i s t a n t t o the damaging e f f e c t s of rad ia t ion than Neoprenes W, WHV, and WRT. Apparently, neoprenes undergo t e n s i l e and elongation proper t ies ) t o exposares of 5 x lo7 r after which cross l ink ing pred minates w i t h the t e n s i l e s t rength increasing out t o an exposure of 3 x lo8 r, of ten reaching a value of b e t t e r t h a n 100 percent of t he o r ig ina l value. by ozone as a result of exposure t o ionizing radia?ion, it appears that oxidation i s not t he p r inc ipa l mechanism of damage,

chain cleavage (based upon rap id drop of

Although the Neoprenes can be oxidized and af fec ted

Thermal Hydraulics Studies

Reactor Flow Hazard Studies . Steady s t a t e experiments were completed t o determine t h e thermal hydraulic cha rac t e r i s t i c s of reverse flow through a C Reactor process tube. These experiments, which were run a t very low flows and a t tube powers comparable t o those i n a reac tor sho r t ly after a scram, w i l l be useful i n pred ic t ing the hazards involved i n the rupture of a f ront hydraulic connector.

Apgroximately 80 experiments were made of heat t r ans fe r conditions a t f l o w r a t e s between 1/4 and six gpm. t r a n s i e n t type experiments, t en t a t ive conclusions were made that a tube operating a t current powers could sus ta in the flow reduction following the l o s s of a f ron t hydraulic connector provided that the r ea r header pressure was grea te r than 10 t o 15 psig. During t h e course of t h e experiments some in t e re s t ing and valuable cooling-by-boiling data were obtained f o r reac tor shutdown conditions.

From the resalts of these and l imi ted

A-15

Hyar-ulic Studies. C - 1 1 1 design of I & E f u e l elements f o r C Reactor. uranium elements (1.445" x 0.355" nominal) were found t o have an annulus t o hole channel flow r a t i o of 3.16 (at 200 p s i A P and 50 C isothermal). The C-111-enriched elements (1.440" x 0.360" nominal) have an annulus t o hole channel flow r a t i o of 3.05 (50 C and 200 p s i ac tua l slug dimensions are presented i n HU-58612.

Hydraulic cha rac t e r i s t i c s were determined f o r t he new The C-111-natural

P). The data and

A laboratory invest igat ion was s t a r t e d t o specify or ien ta t ion and determine pressure drop e f f e c t s of w i r e wraps on seven-rod cl t ts ter f u e l elements f o r the NPR.

C r i t i c a l and hro-Phase Flow Experiments. were run with cold water on a momentum chamber which was recent ly constructed. water discharges from various t e s t sect ions and thus a i d ' i n the determin- a t ion of steam qua l i ty and the s l i p r a t i o Setween the &earn and water. The c r i t i c a l flow equipment i n the hydraulLcs laboratory has been a l t e r ed t o accommodate the two-phase flow apparatus.

Preliminary ca l ib ra t ion test.s

This device w i l l be used t o nieasnre the momentun of s t e m -

Miscellaneous. I n s t a l l a t i o n of the 32,000 amp s i l i c o n r e c t i f i e r s and associated equipment t o provide addi t iona l heat generation capacity i n the 189-~ Building was i n i t i a t e d by the contractor . l a t i o n i s proceeding on schedule,

To da te the i n s t a l -

Mechanical Equipment Development

Organic Cooling System Components. hours during the month a t t eape ra twes between 300 and 350 C using the terphenyl-biphenyl eu tec t i c mixture as a coolant. A l l four mechanical s e a l s were removed during t h e month f o r examination. which use a Teflon wedge o r r ing t o prevent leakage along t h e shaf t under t h e ro t a t ing por t ion of t he sea l showed signs of erosion under the Teflon No s igns of erosion were found i n the Byron Jackson seal which uses an asbestos shaft packing r a the r than Teflon. oxide coated shafts and stainless s t e e l o r asbestos shaf t packings.

The MOTS-1 f a c i l i t y operated f o r 265

The three sea l s

Tests w i l l continue using

EIU-58413 on t h e combustion hazards of organic f l u i d s was issued during the month.

Shielding Studies

The fast neutron re laxa t ion length obtained from ferrophosphorus concrete a f t e r a 200 C bake i s 8.1 cm. and are being i r r ad ia t ed i n t h e tes t w e l l on top of the DR Reactor. f o i l s from the t e s t on ordinary concrete baked a t 300 C are being counted. A second s e t of foils was placed i n ordinary concrete slabs and is now being i r r ad ia t ed . The f o i l s from the test on pure iron a r e being counted.

The tes t slabs have been baked a t 300 C The

ta A-16

Attempts are being made t o increase the s t a b i l i t y of the 100-channel analyzer ( f o r use with the f a s t neutron spectrometer) by minor c i r c u i t modifications and component changes. chassis are working sa t i s f ac to r i ly . checks are being made on the height-to-time convertor and the p r in t e r chassis .

The arithmetic, memory, and display Setup procedures and wave-shape

B. WONS - 3000 PROGRAM

Research and development in the f i e l d of plutonium metallurgy continued in support of the Hanford 234-5 Building Operations and weapons development programs of the University of California Radiation Laboratory (Project Whitney) . Detai ls of these a c t i v i t i e s are reported separately v i a appropriate t o weapons development work.

d i s t r ibu t ion l i s t s

1 2 4 1 0 0 2

UI?CLASSxFIED 8 A-17 HW-58661

C . REACTOR DEVELOPMENT - 4000 PROGWA

1. PLUTONIUM RECYCLE PROGRAM

Plutonium Fuels Development

PuOp-UOp I r r ad ia t ion Capsules I Two Zircaloy-clad capsules (GM-14-19, XI) containing two compacts each of high densi ty PuO2-UO2 mixed c r y s t a l oxides were shipped t o the MTR on December 2, 1958. 0.026 a/o Pu02, have dens i t i e s of 91 percent of t he theo re t i ca l value, and w i l l generate the sase spec i f ic power as a2 Al-1.8 w/o Pu a l loy rod of the same diameter would produce. Two capsules (GEH-14-21> 22) have been prepared and contain three compacts each of low density, about 65 percent of the theo re t i ca l value, PuO2-UO2 mixed c r y s t a l oxides. It i s t en ta t ive ly planned t o ship the l as t two capsules during 2anuary 1959.

Al-Pu I r r ad ia t ion Capsules, Zircaloy cladding and Al-Pu and Al-SI-Pu a l loy cores w i t h nominal plutonium concentrations of 5, 10, 15, and 20 w/o a re a t the MTR. w i l l be i r r ad ia t ed t o a f r ac t iona l burnup value f o r the plutonium atoms of about 25 percent and w i l l have cen t r a l core temperatures of 400 C . second s e t of capsules (GEH-14-42 through 49) have been fabr ica ted and are waiting t o be autoclaved, All the capsules rn t he second s e t are ten ta- t i v e l y scheduled t o be irradiated t o the same t o t a l atom percent burnout and t o have cen t r a l core temgeratures of 400 Z o

The compacts contain

Eight capsules (GE3-14-5 through 12) w i t h

These capsules

A

High Burnup Al-Pu Alloy Capsule I r r ad ia t ions . Four Zircaloy-clad capsules TGEH-14-23 through 26) containing A1-1.65 w/o Pu and Al-12 w/o si-1.65 w/o Pu a l l o y cores were shipped t o t h e MTR on Decen3er 2, 1958. The samples a r e t o be i r r ad ia t ed t o 80 t o 100 percent burnup of t he plutonium atoms. The tests are designed t o v e r i f y and supplement t h e earlier GEH-3-24 t e s t . The capsules are being sen t bask t o HAP0 f o r the g r i t -b l a s t ing of l a rge i d e n t i t y marks on the cy l ind r i ca l surfaces t o f a c i l i t a t e f u e l element i den t i f i ca t ion . The capsules a t present car ry full, stamped tes t numbers on the end capso reac tor on January 12, 1959 (Cycle 116)

Injection-Cast Al-Pu Alloy Capsule I r rad ia t ions . capsules (GHi-14-27, 28) w i t h Al-1.8 w/o Pu al loy, vacuum-injection-cast cores were fabr ica ted and shipped t o the MTR on December 2, 1958.

The four capsules are scheduled t o be charged i n t he

Two Zircaloy-clad

Diametral-Tolerance Test, A1-Pu Alloy Capsule I r r ad ia t ions . Zircaloy-clad capsules containing Al-1.8 w/o Fu alloy cores were f ab r i -

Four

cated a i d autoclaved clearance on two samples (GEX-14-29, 3l), and plans are being made t o re jacket these specimens. The o ther two capsales were shipped t o the MTR on December 2, 1958.

F ina l r a d i o g r s ~ h s indicated in su f f i c i en t end

Al-Pu Alloy Clus ters f o r KER I r r ad ia t ion . c l u s t e r containing &-8 w/o Pu and A1-12 w/o si-8 w/o Pu a l loy cores i s being irradiated i n Loop 3 of the KER f a c i l i t y .

The four-rod, Zircaloy-clad

It has been indicated

I Z h I O 0 3 UNCLASSIFIED

UNCLASSEIED A-18 HW- 58661

tha t the element may be discharged yet t h i s month o r possibly the f i r s t p a r t of January 1959. The second c l u s t e r which i s of similar design i s t en ta t ive ly scheduled t o be charged i n Loop 1 during the f i rs t quarter of 1959.

Thermocouple-Equipped, Al-Pu Alloy Cluster for KER I r r ad ia t ion . , A seven- rod c l u s t e r with extruded M-1.8 w/o Pu a l loy cores and Zircaloy-2 jacketing is being fabr ica ted . nearly as possible the appearance and construction of the center rod and six-rod r ing of the l a t e s t c l u s t e r design f o r the Al-Pu a l loy , 19-rod, PRTR c l u s t e r elements. The test c l u s t e r w i l l be about 28 inches long and w i l l have single-piece a l l o y cores about 18 inches long, With the a id of Coolant Systems Development Operation, an attempt i s cur ren t ly under way t o mount thermocouples a t t h e a l l o y core center a t the core-clad interface, and on the jacket ex te r io r of a t least one rod i n -,he six-rod r ing .

The c l u s t e r element w i l l dupl icate as

A seven-rod dummy c l u s t e r w i t h s t a i n l e s s s t e e l cladding has been completed and i s ready f o r f l u i d flow tests.

PuOp Impregnated Graphite Capsule I r rad ia t ions . The fabr ica t ion of components f o r a Pu02-impregnated-graphite i r r ad ia t ion test has been completed. End caps have been welded in to one end of each capsule, and the jacket components a re ready f o r assembly. The graphi te cores a re being impregnated w i t h h o g by the Heavy Element Chemistry group. iment i s t o inves t iga te t h e i r r ad ia t ion s t a b i l i t y of t h i s fue l material.

The purpose of t h i s exper-

Al-Pu Clusters f o r t h e ETR. f o r i r r a d i a t i o n t e s t i n g i n the 3x3 and 6x9 high pressure-high temperature loops i n the ETR. A seven-rod c l u s t e r w i l l be i r r ad ia t ed i n the 3x3 loop, and a 19-rod c l u s t e r w i l l be i r r ad ia t ed i n the 6x9 loop. Each c l u s t e r w i l l have an over -a l l l ength of 47 inches, and the f u e l material i n each w i l l be about 35 inches long. The c l u s t e r design i n each case w i l l be t h e same as t h e design an t ic ipa ted f o r t he plutonium-containing elements f o r t he PRTR. It w i l l cons is t of Zircaloy cladding w i t h Zircaloy w i r e wraps, Zircaloy end caps, stainless steel end spacers, and s t a i n l e s s s t e e l quick disconnect f i t t i n g s . This type of element w i l l be capable of remote disassembly and reassembly. The s t a i n l e s s steel flow tes t models f o r each experiment have been completed, and flow t e s t i n g w i l l comence as soon as t h e basket assemblies are f inished. Zircaloy and stainless steel components f o r t he test specimens a r e being fabricated. These cons is t of one tes t assembly f o r t h e seven-rod c l u s t e r and two complete t es t assemblies f o r the 19-rod cluster. and one w i l l be used i n the ETR c r i t i c a l f a c i l i t y .

Two c l u s t e r experiments are being designed

One of the 19-rod test assemblies w i l l be i r rad ia ted ,

The planning and ca lcu la t ions for t h e seven-rod c l u s t e r experiment are fu r the r advanced than the plans f o r the 19-rod element because the flux value i n t h e 6x9 f a c i l i t y is s t i l l unknown. The f u e l material i n each case w i l l be an aluminum-plutonium a l l o y fabr ica ted by cas t ing and ex- t rusion. A t e n s i l e machine w i l l be used as a make-shift extrusion press , with a

The extrusion b i l le t s are being cas t a t the present time.

1 2 4 1 0 0 4 UNCLASSIFIED

A - 1 9

m a x i m u m a t t a inab le extrusion length of fue l material i n each f u e l element rod

HU-58661

about 20 inches. Therefore, the w i l l be i n two sect ions. Each

sect ion w i l l be stretch-straightened and slipped i c t o the Zircaloy tubes. There w i l l be a maximum room temperature clearance of 0.003-inch between the can and the fuel material which w i l l provide surface t o surface heat t r ans fe r contact under operating conditions.

The f u e l material i n t h e seven-rod c l u s t e r w i l l be an aluminum-1.3 w/o piutonium a l loy . It has been calculated that the spec i f ic power generation of a rod i n the six-rod r ' n g w i l l be 1104 kw/ft i n the 3x3 loops ' unper- turbed f l u x of 1.28 x lo1$ nv. Flux depression ca leu la t ions f o r t h e seven- rod c l u s t e r show t h a t t he center rod w i l l then be generating about 10.8 kw/ ft. The maximum power generation of t he c lus t e r i n t h e highest flux region of t he loop w i l l be about 80 kw/ft. This i s equivalent t o the power generation i n t h e six-rod r ing and the cen t r a l rod of a 19-rod c l u s t e r t h a t i s generating 1700 kw i n t he PRTR. A tube i n t he PRTR that i s generating &n average power of 1200 kw, which is the maximum average tube power, has a center zone which i s operating a t t he eqiiivalent of 1700 kw, The c l u s t e r i n t h e 3x3 loop w i l l be subjected t o PRTR operating conditions, I c e o , t he same coolant surface veloci ty , 1050 ps ia , and 260 C coolant temperature. t r a n s f e r c a l c u l a t i m s show that under these operating conditions, the maximum cen t r a l core temperature w i l l be about 372 6. For a burnup of 50 percent of t he Pu atoms, a p i l e exposure of 56 days o r about four FTR cycles w i l l be required. f o r pos t - i r rad ia t ion examination i n the Radiometallurgy f a c i l i t i e s .

Heat

After i r r ad ia t ion , the c l u s t e r w i l l be returned t o HAP0

Plutonium Oxide Fuel Materials. i n the s in t e r ing furnace has been replaced, and operation now appears t o be sa t i s f ac to ry . The new element was outgassed under vacuum, with i n t e r - mi t ten t hydrogen purges, t o a temperature of 1100 C. a temperature of 1600 C was a t t a ined without any indicat ion of insu la t ion breakdown

The burned-oilt molybdenum heating element

In subsequent heatings

P e l l e t s containing physical mixtures of U02 and PuOg with various plutonium concentrations have been prepared f o r MTR i r r ad ia t ion . able f o r loading and t h e Al-Pu a l l o y a t m i c percent plutonium comparable from a heat-generation standpoint a re :

The pieces ava i l -

Ceramic ~ l o y a/o PU n u t . PuO2 5 &heor. Den.

0.0259 91 0 188 65 1.02 1.46 2.56

93 65 93

1,8 1.8 5 5 10

The low density pieces were 0.504" d ia . A f t e r heating, t h e 90 percent dense p ieces w i l l be ground from 0.513" t o 0.504" dia . Six p e l l e t s of each concentration w i l l be loaded h t o capsules upon assignment of CEII numbers and charged t o the MIR f o r I r r ad ia t ion t o approximately 254 burnup of t he plutonium atoms.

I211 I O 0 5 UNCLASSIFIED

. . . UNCLASSIFIED A- 20 m-586& ' .

The center less grinding f a c i l i t i e s a r e nearing completion a f t e r hsving been modified t o insure sa fe ty from a c r i t i c a l i t y standpoint. Glove box operation i s expected within t h e next month.

Thus far, it appears t h a t small additions of Pu02 enhance t h e s in t e r - a b i l i t y of uranium dioxide, presumably by lowering the ac t iva t ion energy f o r se l f -d i f fus ion . T h a t pU02 causes densif icat ion so le ly by inh ib i t ing grain growth i s unl ike ly s ince there is such a d r a s t i c densi ty difference between U02 and U02 bearing Pu which has been f i r e d a t low temperature. Increasing both temperature and time a t temperature seems t o allow v i r tu - a l l y complete se l f -d i f fus ion i n the U02 c rys t a l , r e su l t i ng i n dens i t i e s which a r e equal t o pieces with Pu02 addi t ives . Increasing the concentra- t i o n of PuOg tends t o result i n a lower s in te red density. The f i n a l dens i t i e s of UO2, uo2-25 w/o PuO2, an2 UO2-50 w/o Pu02 were 94 -, 85 -, and 70 percent, respect ively, after four hours a t 1600 C. The specimen surfaces had a charred appearance which might be a t t r i bu ted t o reduction of the Pu02 t o a lower oxide. t o determine w h a t phases are present i n these samples.

A s reported previously, extrapolat ion t o Sin2 8 = 1 of the high angle r e f l ec t ions of a d i f f r ac t ion t r a c e of a ~ O ~ ' 1 6 . 6 w/o PuOg (1620 C ) mixture yielded a l a t t i c e constant of 5.4596 2. Extrapolation of the mors symmetrical low angle l i n e s aga ins t the Nelson-Riley function, Cos @/Sin 8 + Cos2 e/e, resu l ted i n a const.ant of 5.4592 R. a re i n c lose agreement w i t h 5.4568 8, as predicted by Vergards Law.

It w i l l be attempted, by x-ray d i f f r ac t ion ,

These values

A pa t t e rn of the MCU UOg on hand w a s obtained wi th f i l t e r e d copper rad i - a t ion t o determine the O/U r a t i o . through 620 were e a s i l y resolved, and r e su l t i ng calculat ions gave a l a t t i c e parameter of 5.4675 8.

The doublets of the l a t t i c e planes 422

The corresponding O/U r a t i o was found t o be 2.01.

A i r Pressure In jec t ion Castinp;. In jec t ion cas t ings were made i n t o two jacket materials i n f u r t h e r tests of t he prototype equipnent. Minor equipment a l t e r a t i o n s have been made, and some more are planned before cas t ings containing plutonium w i l l be made. i s apparently deeply embedded lubr icant from the i n t e r i o r of Zircaloy tubing has not been completely resolved. One 0.02O-inch w a l l Zircaloy tube was degreased, swab etched, and heated t o approximately 400 C p r i o r t o in jec t ion cast ing. A f t e r cast ing, a black residue was found on the aluminum freeze plug and i n t h e c a s t aluminum which touched the f reeze plug. The top of the cas t ing was porous, and there was a d i s t i n c t odor of sulfur associated with t h e black residue. Apparently, some substance was driven out of the tube w a l l and then condensed on t h e vented f reeze plug when the tube w a s heated before the in jec t ion cas t ing was made.

The problem of removing what

Nine s imi la r tubes were sent t o the Fuels Developnent Operation t o be heated i n a high temperature vacuum furnace t o remove whatever the sub- s tance is t h a t causes t h e poros i ty .

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UNCLkSSIFIED A- 21 HW-58661

Several cas t ings have been made in to 0,008-inch w a l l stainless s t e e l tubing, a t a lower (25 ps ig ) in jec t ion pressure. and a more p l i a n t cladding, good bonds have resu l ted from these cast ings. The tubing was reduced i n both diameter and length when the aluminum core contracted demonstrating the s t rength of t h e metallurgical bond. With 0.030-inch w a l l s t a i n l e s s and Zircaloy tubing some bonded areas remained a t t h e bottom of t h e tubes after cooling but with the 0.008-inch w a l l tubing, a continuous bond remained f u l l l eag th .

Because of a siower cooling r a t e

Two in j ec t ion cas t , 1.8 w/o Pu capsules w2re c o q l e t e d f o r shipment t o the MTR f o r i r r ad ia t ion s tudies . i n t o 0.030-inch w a l l Zircaloy tubing w i t h abosphe r i e pressure only .

The capsriles were made by in jec t ing Al-Pu

Extrusion Development. Photomicrographs of t he nominal 0.500-inch diameter a - U extrusions containing 1.8, 6, 10, 15, and 20 w/o U snow thaz any segregation i n t h e c a s t b i l l e t i s only p a r t i a l l y broken up agd dispersed i n the rod extruded a t 9 9 reduction. Streamlined flow of metal through the f l a t face shear d i e instead of t he expected revers2 flow does not completely homogenize t h e a l loy . A new d i e i s being designed with t h e object ive of achieving b e t t e r mixing.

Cross-sections of 1100 Al b u t t s extruded a t 75, 88, 94.7, and 9 9 . 5 r e - duction i n area through f l a t face shear d i e s show t h a t complete homo- genization occurred only i n t.he extrusion with the g rea t e s t reduction.

A number of 2s clad, 61s co-extrusions were made using a streamlined d i e a t 98$ reduction i n area. and a uniform cladding thickness.

Preliminary evaluation shows good surface f i n i s h

Welding Development. has been v i r t u a l l y eliminated. helium back-f i l l ing l i n e had been sealed, welds made on six-inch long, one-half inch I .D . , 0.030-inch w a l l Zirzaloy-2 tube specimens showed negl ig ib le discolorat ion. welds on one backr f i l l i ng of heliuxri<

The welding chamber atmosphere contamination problem After a l l major leaks i n the chamber and

It i s now possi5le t o make about 40 acceptable

Three weld specimens showing marked discoloration of t he weld zone (one i n an extreme condition) were sent o f f - s i t e t o a vendor f o r vacu-blasting tes ts . The returned specimens were etched and autoclaved. No r e su l t an t corrosion product w a s d i scern ib le . Vacu-blasting equipment i s now on order.

Autoclaving of 28 tes t specimens showed no white corrosion product of the weld zone.’

Fuel Element Cluster Engineering. completed i n December f o r hydraulic flow test.s. 304 stainless s t e e l c lad with aluminum cores and are t o precede the ac tua l i n -p i l e i r r ad ia t ion c l u s t e r s which w i l l be Zircaloy clad with Al-Pu a l loy cores.

Three dummy f u e l element c l u s t e r s were These c l u s t e r s a r e type

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1 2 4 1 0 0 1

UNcLAssIFm A- 22 HW- 58661

A seven-rod c lus t e r for ' KER i r r ad ia t ion w a s designed (SK-3-6021, 8022, and 8023) w i t h as many fea tures of the PRTR Mark I - D a s possible . This c lus te r was modified f o r a two-inch I . D . horizontal process tube. It has an over- a l l length of 28 inches and a core length of a l i t t l e over 18 inches.

A seven-rod c lus t e r f o r ETR i r r ad ia t ion was designed (a-3-13304, 13305 and 13306) f o r a two-inch I . D . v e r t i c a l process t u t e . 44-3/4 inches, and the core length i s about. 33 inches.

A 19-rod c lus t e r f o r ETR i r r ad ia t ion was designed (H-3-13303 and 13304) which i s the same as the Mark I - D PRTR element except f o r the length. has an over-al l length of 44-3/4 inches, and a core length of about 33 inches

The over-al l length i s

It

The Mark I-B model 19-rod c lus t e r which has been undergoing thermal cycling and pressure drop t e s t s since October has shown no v isua l e f f e c t s of these t e s t s . produced the following data:

The pressare drop t e s t s performed by the Thermal Hydraulics Operation

Water Temp. Pressure Flow Pressure Drop

2 o c 150 p s i 120 gpm 8.8 p s i

This pressure drop corrected f o r PRTR water temperature and pressure conditions.

across the element w i l l be lowered s l i g h t l y when

U02 Fuel Development

PRTR Components. rod c lus t e r fue l element has been completed. This design i s based on a s imilar design developed by Plutonium Metallurgy Operation. design w i l l use Zircaloy-2 f o r a l l p a r t s of hangers, fas teners , and end caps i n order t o simplify the chemical processing of the fue l .

Zircaloy tubing i n t he amount of 15,960 f e e t was ordered from Wolverine Company f o r swaging s tudies and t o fabr ica te U02 fue l rods f o r the f i rs t loading of the PRTR. 0.035" w a l l Zircaloy-2 tubing has been received and i s being inspected by eddy current and x-ray examinations. order i s expected i n January.

The f i n a l design of a l l components of the swaged U02 19-

The completed

As p a r t of t h i s order, 1092 f e e t of 0.680'' ID x

Receipt of the balance of t h i s

The back extruded J cups have been successfully formed on the 110-ton crank press . cut from rod and some from heavy sheet stock were equally successful. However, the sheet stock contained some s t r inge r s which showed up as badly r ippled m e t a l in some of the back extruded cups.

The cups made from Zircaloy-2 washers, some of which were

Assembly. s a t i s f ac to ry f o r welding zirconiun. Ten file1 rods, e ight f e e t long, were welded i n the box without atmosphere change. appeared t o be as good f o r the ten th rod a s it was f o r the f i rs t .

The vacuum welding box has been used and proven t o be very

The atmosphere protect ion Two

0 0 8 UNCLASSIFIH)

UNCLASSIFIED A- 23 HW- 58661

and one-half hours were required t o evacuate the box t o 0.06 micron (6 x loe5 mm of mercury) after opening the box and reversing the fue l elements. The arc time required t o weld each end of the 0.560" OD f u e l rod i s approximately f i v e seconds.

Swage Cmpaction. be prepared by arc-fusing U02 powder. material appears a t t r a c t i v e f o r use i n U02 fue l elements, pa r t i cu la r ly f o r swaging. pensive operation. Approximately 200 pounds of this material was received from the Norton Company f o r swaging studies. approximately four percent higher w i t h t h i s material than with other types of high density U02 thus f a r evaluated. swaged t o 90 percent of theore t ica l density are present ly being i r rad ia ted i n a KER loop.

U02 approaching 100 percent of theore t ica l density can Because of i t s high density, t h i s

Use of fused U02 w i l l el iminate s in t e r ing which is a very ex-

Cold swaged dens i t ies a re

Fuel rods containing fused U02

Previous t e s t i n g has demonstrated that swaged UOg dens i t ies a re increased by r a i s ing the U02 temperature during swaging. cladding appears t o be a simple, ye t e f fec t ive means of increasing U02 temperature. control than i s possible w i t h ex is t ing equipment. e l e c t r i c res is tance heating eqaipment i s being developed.

Resistance heating of the

Refinement of t h i s process depends upon better temperature For t h i s purpose,

Three of ten rods fabricated f o r i r rad ia t ion i n the VBWR were found t o have cracks i n the Zircaloy cladding. autoclave test when white corrosion product was noticed on the jacketing. Dye check and Zyglo examinations revealed more and smaller cracks. of eddy current and ul t rasonic tes ts are not ye t avai lable . scopic) examination revealed that cracks occurred from equally spaced posi t ions around t h e rods. during swaging, and the flashed metal subsequently caused cracks. Since swaging var iables appear t o be responsible f o r t h i s problem, equipment i s being procured which w i l l permit t he needed control of rate of t rans la t ion and ro ta t ion .

Cracks were f i r s t found after the

Results Visual(micro-

This would indicate t h a t "flashing" had occurred

The Radiographic Testing Operation i s developing electronic devices fo r inspecting tubing p r io r t o and a f t e r swaging t o de tec t flaws i n the m e t a l . Dye penetrant inspection w i l l also be used on a l l swaged rods.

In-Reactor Evaluation. contained i n Zircaloy-2 tubes, 1" OD x 6" kong, have revealed a number of

Gross melting experiments involving unsintered U02

new phenomena as previously reported. The most recent test of t h i s series involved a 12" long, 1" OD Zircaloy-2 clad element containing three weight percent enriched U02. flow and temperature data f o r t he coolant stream varied between 57.5 and 62 kw per foot . g rea tes t recorded average surface heat flux i s 850,000 BTU/hr/f t . Local heat fluxes caused by extreme thermal neutron flux gradients are estimated t o exceed 1,250,000 BTU/hr/ft*. developed a cladding leak after 1 4 days of i r r ad ia t ion and released f i s s ion gas in to the coolant stream. GEfI-4 f a c i l i t y f o r re turn t o HLO f o r subsequent examination.

The average power generation as determined from

The element

The t e s t elemeot w a s discharged from the MTR

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UNCLASSSFIED A- 24 HU-58661

A series of seven capsules conk in ing swaged GO2 a re being i r rad ia ied i n the MTR. e f fec t of fabr icat ion var iables , enrichment, density, exposure, and heat f lux on the f i s s ion gas re lease and i n - r e a c t o r core s in te r ing . exposure capsule has achieved 3750 MWD/T, The f i r s t capsule t o be examined w i l l be discharged in January 1959.

The tests a re being performed t o obtain information cn the

The maximum Goal exposure is 15,000 MKD/T.

Four tes t assemblies containing s intered U02 p e l l e t s m e being exposed i n the ETR. The tes t is expected t o provide information on the e f f ec t of density (as great as 98 percent of t heo re t i ca l ) , and surface grinding on tho f i s s ion gas re lease and mode of f rac ture of the s intered U02.

I r rad ia t ion of swaged U02 rods clad i n Zircaloy-2 cr 304 s t a in l e s s s t e e l t o obtain data t o substant ia te use of the swaged U02 19-rod c lus t e r f o r PRTR f i r s t lobding continues i n a l l of t he KER high temperature, high pressure loops. Dn ing the month of December the eight-foot long swaged UOz seven-rod c lus te r , which conforms t o the geometry of the inner seven rods of a 19-rod c lus te r , was discharged from the reac tor , Inspection of the discharged element, which ha3 been i r rad ia ted f o r approximately t h i r t y days, showed no loosening of the spir t i l ly wrapped spacer wire o r f r e t t i n g between the wire and the rod surfaces.

Six swaged four-rod c lus te rs i n Loo? 1, two swaged four-rod c lus te rs , and two s intered p e l l e t f i l l e d four-rod c lus te rs i n Loo? 3, one eighteen-inch long swaged seven-rod c lus t e r i n Loop 4, and the two newly charged eighteen inch long swaged seven-rod c lus t e r s i n Loop 2 a re operating sa t i s f ac to r i ly . The four-rod c lus t e r s i n Loop 3 w i l l be discharged on the next reactor shutdown E

In order t o study the dimensional s t a 3 i l i t y of a nested tubular fue l element, such an element, consisting of a h b e of s intered U02) and a cent ra l rod of swaged U02, has been fabricated f o r i r rad ie t ion i n the GTR 3x3 f a c i l i t y . Tk.e O.O3O" wall Zirc.aloy-2 clad t-ibe contains 9% f 1% dense s intered U02 r ings separated from each othcr by a 0.015" gap t o allow f o r var iable expansion. O.D. of the tube is 1.770", and the I . D . i s 0.938". swaged U02 clad i n 0.030'' w a l l Zircaloy-2. 30" long with the rod spaced in the center of t he tube by a 0.145" diameter Zircaloy-2 wire spirally-wrapped around the rod on a 10" pi tch .

The 0.638" diameter cent ra l rod consis ts of 87% f 1% dense The ent i re fue l element i s

Basic Studies. radiated U02 specimens i s a method of determining the extent of radiat ion damage. specimen (87 percent theore t ica l density) and a low density specimen (87 percent theore t ica l density) i r rad ia ted t c 40 MWD/T has been completed. The i r rad ia ted specimen was found t o be more b r i t t l e t o handle than the unirradiated specimen. anism. and along g r a i n boundaries, were found t o be dispersed throughout t he irradiGted specimen. cent theore t ica l density) has been s t a r t ed ,

The study of f ractured surfaces of unirradiated and ir-

Electron microscopy examination of an unirradiated low density

Radiation damage modified the U02 f rac ture mech-

The examination of high density specimens (95 per-

Small f i s s i o n gas holes (200 R i n diameter), located within grains

0 UNCLASSIFIED

UNCLASSIFIED A-25 HW-58661

Ceramics laboratory equipment i s being assembled t o fu r the r t h e development and experimental fa2r ica t ion of t h e f i r s t PRTR f u e l loading. Progress during the month i s s m m r i z e d below.

I n s t a l l a t i o n of t he 300-ton automatic t a b l e t t i n g press (CGH-804) i s 90 percent complete. next month.

The press sho;lld be t e s t ed and i n development use

The Pac i f i c S c i e n t i f i c hydrogen atmosphere furnace was s t a r t ed a t t h e f irst of t he month. shor t i n t h e winding. t o 1500 C u n t i l t h e r eac t ro l can be replaced a t month's end. oxide boats a r e being pushed through the muffle.

One of t he r eac t ro l s overheated because of a possible Maximum fwnace temperature w a s a r b i t r a r i l y l imited

Aluminum

Consolidation of t h e several grinding machines in to an experimental ceramics grinding f a c i l i t y i s under way. A 14" x 96" Axelson l a t h e w a s obtained from excess f o r polishing and f in i sh ing swaged U02 f u e l rods.

P r i o r t o swaging PRTR f u e l element rods, it i s necessary t o compact the U02 powder in to tubes approximately seven f e e t long. designed and i s being fabr ica ted for i n s t a l l a t i o n i n the basement of t he 325 Building i n which U02 powder may be conveniently loaded in to various lengths of tubing up t o e ight f e e t . The hood w i l l have an exhaust system and w i l l eliminate the d u s t hazard involved during loading of t he U02 i n t o metal tubes.

A hood has been

When swaging, it i s necessary t o r o t a t e the rods as they a re being fed in to the swage t o prevent "flashing'Ic t h e swage d i e s of an inverted swage may produce a defect i n the f inished rod. Hand feeding r e s u l t s i n non-uniform r a t e s of t r ans l a t ion and

. ro ta t ion . To obtain better cont ro l of these var iables , a feeding device i s being fabr ica ted . This p i l o t device w i l l not permit f u l l l ength feed of rods through t h e swage. The second device i s a prototype and i s intended t o demonstrate what control i s necessary and a t t a inab le f o r swaging. fabr ica ted in t h e next two months.

Tne material which f lashes between

Therefore, a second device has been designed.

The prototype i s t o be

Coolant Systems Development

PRTR Fuel Test ine. A 19-rod c l u s t e r prototypical Pu-A1 f u e l element with 17 stainless steel c lad rods and two Zircaloy-2 clad rods with sp i ra led Zircaloy mixing wires was thermzlly cycled approximately 45 times between 250 and 580 F. No elongation of the wires o r movement of t h e rods i n the end f i t t i n g s was noted. removal of t he Zircsloy etching solut ion w a s noted. A semi-prototnical PRTR tube using F l e x i t a l l i c gasket seals a t the i n l e t , nozzle-process tube and cap j o i n t s with a f l a r ed Parker f i t t i n g tubing o u t l e t w a s ther - mally cycled approximately 800 cycles from 200 t o 580 FP 1900 p s i . only l eak noted was a t t h e nozzle-tube seal. bu t leakage was again noted a f t e r 50 cycles. fabr icated by Mechanical Equipment Development Operation f o r t e s t ing . prototypical gas seal w a s found t o leak 3 l i t e r s / m i n a t 580 F but only

Corrosion under the wires caused by incomplete

The A new gasket was ins ta l led , A new j o i n t design i s being

A

0.5 l i t e r /min a t 300 F during thermal cycle t e s t i n g .

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UNcLAssIFm A- 26 HW-58661

Struc tura l Materials Development

PRTR Zircaloy Process Tubes. the extrusion of 137 bi l le t s . O f these, three f a i l ed t o extrude, and three extrusions were excessively eccentr ic , been cleaned, pickled, and shipped t o Tube Reducing Corporation for tapering. t he rate of 25 per week.

Chase Brass and Copper Company has completed

Twenty-six of t h e 137 have

The remainder of the extrusions w i l l be processed and shipped a t

The f i rs t rocking operation on seven tubes has been completed' vacuum annealing a t Allegheny Ludlum Stee l Corporation, those Zr-2 tubes which were supported i n the vacuum furnace by stainless steel she l l s acquired about a three-inch bow.

During

After s t ra ightening by Tube Reducing Corporation the tubes w i l l be given the f i r s t tapering pass, another vaculm anneal, and the f i n a l tapering pass. The best delivery date possible f o r t h i s i n i t i a l group of seven tubes i s mid-February.

PRTR Zircaloy Jacket Tubine;. negotiated w i t h Nuclear Metals, Inc providing an additional $42,100,

A modification t o contract DDR-29 i s being

and extending the time period by ten months. extrusions w i l l be fabricated, and a d i f f e ren t method of s iz ing w i l l be evaluated. to specif icat ion within four months of the date on which the contract modification i s signed.

Additional external ly ribbed

An attempt w i l l be made t o produce a t least one s e t of tubes

New Rochelle Tool Company has produced and shipped t o HAP0 three acceptance samples of jacket tubing with ribs welded on. The welds appear sa t i s fac tory , and the ribs run straight and t rue throughout t he i r length. The tubes a re not bowed but have become somewhat out of round. The tube cross-section i s s l igh t ly t r iangular with the ribs a t t he points. f igura t ion .

The contractor has experienced d i f f i c u l t y welding the small (0.085~' hlgh) r i b t o the la rge (2.998" I D ) tube. The r i b overheats and melts while t he tube fa i l s t o heat t o welding temperature- This thermal imbalance appears t o be unsunnountable so t r ia ls w i l l be made using s l i g h t l y heavier r i b s t o f ind the point a t which welding becomes feas ib le . R i b stock of 0.100" and 0.115" height has been provided. An attempt w i l l be made t o upset, by using more squeeze r o l l pressure, these higher ribs t o the correct height during the weLding operation.

PRTR Process Tube Bursting. process tubing w a s vacuum annealed a t 750 C f o r two hours and burs t t e s t ed a t 300 C, measured on the outside surface) instead of the usual wide longitudinal s p l i t . pressure a f t e r the circumference of the tube had increased by 3%. The un i t hoop stress when the tube began t o y i e ld p l a s t i c l y was about

These are i n the 1.802" s ize .

Methods w i l l be investigated f o r res tor ing the proper con-

A 14-inch section of l7 .W cold-worked PRTR

The tes t resu l ted i n a pinhole type failure (0.1" x 0.04"

The pinhole appeared w i t h a.*1 audible report a t 4200 p s i t o t a l

1 2 4 1 0 1 2 UNCLASSXFXED

UNCLASSIFIED A-27 HW-58661 .

44,600 ps i . 47,600 p s i hoop stress. that the pinhole f a i l u r e resul ted from a t o o l o r v i se mark, t he dimensions of which had not been determined p r io r t o the t e s t .

Other annealed PRTR process tu3es have burs t a t 44,000 p s i and A pos t - tes t v i sua l examination of the tube revealed

Further invest igat ion of the e i f e c t of surface defects on the s t rength of Zircaloy tubing i s scheduled.

Corrosion Studies

Corrosion of PRTR Shield. Preliminary tes ts have been completed on several va r i e t i e s of m e t a l shot considered f o r use i n the top and bottom biological shields f o r the PRTR. Duriron shot were recent ly tested in approximately 85 C softened water for 35 days. During t h i s period the shot, after ac id cleaning t o remove rus t , showed a s l i g h t weight gain instead of a weight l o s s , bu t the magnitude of the gain w a s within experimental e r ror . drop measurements made during the tes t showed some decrease, but t h i s may have been due t o a combination of a l a rge amount of f i n e shot pa r t i c l e s , plus corrosion of the i ron pipe which contained the shot.

Pressure

Another t e s t w a s s t a r t e d using ch i l l ed iron shot i n a feed and bleed re- c i rcu la t ing system. controlled a t 81 t o 85 C. After 34 days of t e s t i n g wi th t h i s water, the shot showed only a small amount of weight l o s s and appeared t o have no more r u s t than when it was s t a r t ed . The shot w a s ea s i ly poured out, which was not possible a f t e r any of the previous tests.

The water was deoxygenated and deionized and was

On t he basis of these tests it now appears that a closed, rec i rcu la t ing cooling system should be incorporated in to the PRTR design with provision f o r chemical addi t ions. of t he PRTR shield cooling system is scoped.

Long term tests w i l l be s t a r t ed when the design

Corrosion Resistance of Swaged, UOp Core, Zr-2 Clad b e l Rods. A series of fue l elements etched and autoclave t e s t ed f o r Ceramic Fuels Development Operation showed sca t te red white corrosion product after autoclaving. This corrosion was l imited t o the swaged body of t he fue l element. caps and welds showdednormal black films, which suggested the swaged tubing was at fault. A series of tests conducted t o help define the cause of t h i s corrosion behavior points t o the conclusion that the above corrosion defects arose during the swaging operation. product after autoclaving i s evidence that the autoclave test was working as intended, t o ident i fy and r e j e c t Zircaloy with in fe r io r corrosion re- s is tance.

The end

The appearance of the white corrosion

Radiometallurgy Laboratory Studies

Radiometallurgy a c t i v i t i e s during the month i n support of t he 4000 Program have included the metallographic examination, rep l ica t ion f o r electron microscopy, and/or f i s s ion gas col lect ion and sampling for U-235 burnout analyses on: (a) a powder U02, Zr-3 clad s lug (GIB-L-26) ; ( b ) a swaged

1 2 4 1 0 1 3 UNCLASS IF XED

UNCLASSIFIED A- 28 HW-58661

U02 three-rod c lus t e r (Gm-4-33) ; (6) UOe powder elements (GF&b-30), and (d ) U02 powder capsules (IP 1 4 9 - D ) .1 Results and conclusions are reported i n d e t a i l i n connection w i t h the respect ive development programs.

Thermal Hydraulics Studies

Two ea r ly prototypes of t he PRTR ventur i s ( fabr ica ted as per H-3-11806) were flow t e s t ed w i t h cold water i n t he Hydraulics Laboratory. of the tests w a s t o compare the flow cha rac t e r i s t i c s f o r t h e two ventur is fabr ica ted from the same drawing. It was found tha t t he ventur i P-flow da ta d i f f e red by one gpm a t a flow of 120 gpm. Actual dimensional d i f f e r - ences between the two ventur i s are not kncwn a t present , t o t h roa t ) i s about 21 p s i a t 120 g p m w i t h 10 C water.

The purpose

The h P (upstream

ca lcu la t ions were made t o determine the heat f lux limits i n portions of the Mark 11-B f u e l element when used i n the YBUR. Two f u e l assemblies incor- porating seeplents of the Mark 11-B were exmined f o r the l imi t ing conditions of melting point of UO2 and hydraulic s t a b i l i t y limits of the VBWR. maximum heat flux of 600 000 B/hr f t 2 was calculeted f o r the melting point

A

case and 242,900 B/hr f t 5 was calculcf,ed for the s t a b i l i t y l i m i t .

Calculations were made f o r a re-sized Mark IS type fue l element w i t h 0.060-inch cladding as compared t o the o r ig ina l of 0.030-inc.h i n the Mark 11-B. Mark 11-B element w i t h the main differences of a reduction of UOg weight from 21.0 t o 19.4 l b l f t and an increase i n f r i c t i o n a l pressure drop by a f ac to r of about 1 . 5 .

The new design was found t o be very similar t o the o r ig ina l

Pressure drop across several types of proposed PRTR frrel elements has been experimentally determined w i t h cold water. Fuel element types invest igated were va r i a t ions of the Mark I-€3 (19-rod c l u s t e r ) , Mark XI-A, and Mark 1x1. In a l l cases the f r i c t i o n lo s ses aeross these f u e l elements were within 10 percent of values calculated using the hydraulic radius concept, I n the concentric tube fuel elements t he flow d iv is ion t o the various channels w a s within f i v e percent of t heo re t i ca l values , On t he basis of these results it is ten ta3 ive ly concluded that, t he pressure drops calcriLated using the hydraulic radius concept are sa t i s f ac to ry f o r any of these fue l elements.

The Mark L-B f u e l element has a s l i g h t l y lower pressure drop than t h e Mark I - A which was examined several months ago, pro3ably due t o reduced res i s tance across t h e end f i t t i n g s .

I n s t a l l a t i o n was s t a r t e d of equipment t o be used i n the study of l o c a l heat t r ans fe r coef f ic ien ts i n t h e PRTR fue l elements. The system cons is t s of a 30-inch sect ion of a 19-rod c l u s t e r SUFpGrted i n a 45-inch sect ion of 3.25 XD p l a s t i c tube equipped with an ent.ranee and ex i t f o r water coolant. Five of the rods i n the 19-rod clust .er w i l l be removable, and any of these rods can be replaced by one which contains a sensing probe, capable of measuring l o c a l heat t r ans fe r coe f f i c i en t s -

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UNCLASSIFIED A- 29 HW-58661

The sensing probe consis ts of a n eight-inch section of p l a s t i c with three pieces of 0.002" x 2" nichrome ribbon wrapped around i ts periphery. ribbons are connected i n s e r i e s by copper bus bars countersunk i n the p l a s t i c rod. by wires which a re l e d through the support rods t o the sensing probe. ribbons a re recessed in to the p l a s t i c rod t o y ie ld a hydraulically smooth surface. e l e c t r i c a l l y insulated from it by a layer of saran wrap. couples w i l l be used t o detect the loca l temperature of t he heating ribbon while being cooled by 60 F water. Thus, by knowing the loca l ribbon t e m - peratures, t he thermal energy generated in the ribbon and the loca l water temperature, the various loca l heat t r ans fe r coef f ic ien ts can be calculated. This equipment w i l l be used t o study the e f f ec t of the s p i r a l l y wrapped wires on the loca l heat t r ans fe r i n the fue l elements.

These

DC power w i l l be supplied t o the bus bars from a r e c t i f i e r The

Five thermocouples w i l l be placed under the center ribbon and These thermo-

Mechanical Equipment Development

Design Test PR-20 - Calandria Character is t ics . construction of the calandria and the dump tes ts t o date, was issued during the month. Additional dum? tests a re current ly scheduled f o r ear ly January. The moderator l e v e l control tests were s t a r t ed . e r a to r l e v e l using t h e prototypical helium compressor i s current ly being determined.

HW-58333, describing the

Rate of rise of the mod-

Design Test PR-25 - Shroud Tube Bellows. The s t a in l e s s s t e e l bellows w i t h brazed aluminum ends as developed by the Sclar Aircraf t Company was chosen f o r use on the PRTR. Larger bellows of t h e same design have been ordered f o r t e s t i n g and evaluation f o r t he six-inch center process tube of the reac tor . Insulated, cast end bellows were received from the U. s. Flexible Met'allic Tubing Company. cycles on the f lexure tester. In addition, t he gas leak rate was not w i t h i n specif icat ions. the six-inch center tube w a s cancelled..

These bellows f a i l ed between 12,000 and 14,000

The purchase requis i t ion f o r cas t end bellows f o r

Design Test PR-32 - Biological Shield Moat. Rupt.ure Diaphragm. report , EW-58357, was issued during the month.

The f i n a l

Design Test PR-50 - Reactor Piping Seal Test.inp. containing prototype seals, i s s t i l l undergoing thermocycling on Elmo-?.

Process Tabe Assembly "A",

The gasket on the process tube t o nozzle seal had t o be replaced due t o a leak. A very s l i g h t leak, as evidenced by condensation on a mirror, has occurred in the 1105 cycles s ince the gasket replacement. This leak i s only apparent during the f irst p a r t of the cooling cycle. It i s believed t o be caused by a s l i g h t difference i n the m o u n t of compression of t he gasket a t d i f f e ren t points . A l l other l i qu id seals have shown no signs of leakage during the 2520 temperature cycles a t 1900 p s i . The ou t l e t gas seal w a s leaking a t a rate of th ree l i t e r s per minute a t the 580 F portion of t h e cycle and a t a rate of 0.5 l i t e r per minute a t the 300 F portion of the cycle.

I 2 4 M 1 5 UNCLASSXF'ED

A- 30 Hw- 58661

' 8 r q q E F l a t type-capper or aluminmi gaskets with asbestos f i l l e rs have been t e s t ed as a replacement f o r the copper "0" r i n g i n the o u t l e t gas seal located a t the nozzle centering flhnge. dicated that t h i s type of gasket would be sa t i s f ac to ry f o r reac tor use. The same type of gasket has been ordered f o r t h e aluminum "0" r ing i n the o;ltlet gas s e a l located a t t h e flanged end of the process tube.

Preliminary tes t r e s u l t s i n -

f o r t e s t i n g as a replacement

HU-58414, describing the development work on gas paekings f o r the o u t l e t gas seal, was issued during the month.

Desim Test PR-51 - Reactor Piping S t ruc tu ra l In tegr i ty . of t he sho r t e s t o u t l e t jumper has been completed. cycles of one-half inch def lec t ion were completed a t a pressure of 1500 p s i and room temperature without leakage, d f s to r t ion of the jumper, o r loosening of the Parker end f i t t i n g s . Testing of a longer j m p e r with more o f f se t s and bends was started. cycles completed t o date. Testing of jumpers a t reac tor temperatures has been postponed u n t i l the middle of January due t o delays i n rece ip t of materials

Flexure t e s t i n g Approximately 51,000

No d i f f i c u l t y has been e q e r i e n c e d i n the 31,000

I n s t a l l a t i o n of t h e eight-inch gas l i nes and the t h e m 1 b a r r i e r was begun on the reac tor i n l e t face mockup. w a s redesigned t o cor rec t an alignment error'

One jumper on the o u t l e t face mockup

, will-be nm E& 800n i ~ 6 the fab-. r i c a t i o n ah &nst&&a+&iin. o f Wxe'renrcPining 63 kw.-ba&e-r 19 completed.

The prototype pump f o r Phase I is cur ren t ly scheduled fo r t h e hundred-hour, high temperature tes t i n January. a flexible mounting f o r t h e s ta t ionary face of t he ~rimary mechanical seal. It w a s believed that t h e high operating teqera t -xe and pressure conditions of the pump caused enough d i s t o r t i o n of %he pmj) cover t o cause a f a i l u r e of t he primary seal.

The p-mp cover was modified t o provide

PRTR 14-Inch Gate Valve. of the valve are being mschined i n preparation f o r i n s t a l l a t i o n of the valve in the Single Tube Prototype Mockup.

This valve was received. F i t t i n g s f o r each end

-Pass Valve. The eight-inch valves quoted by t h e manu- re drop requirements. New spec i f ica t ions are arger valve which w i l l meet t he requirements.

PRTR Shim Control. The shim control assembly was t e s t ed and functioned normally. Extensive development is under way on a su i t ab le method t o prevent t he shim control elements from f a l l i n g out of the reac tor core, o r t o slow t h e rate of fa l l , i n the event that the supporting bead chain breaks

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UNcLAssIFm A- 3 Hw-58661

PRTR Charge-Discharge. ensure that the hook would not accidentally release when supporting L- plutonium-aluminum alloy fuel element. release has been decreased from approximately 65 pounds to slightly less than 30 pounds. of a Pu-A1 fuel element and provides a sufficient safety factor agsinst accidental release.

The prototype dischmge hook was modified to

The load which the hook will

This new load is,less than one-half the weight

PRTR Helium Compressor MockuE. and the instrumentation and the high pressure receiver ordered. of the facility will be completed and installation started during the next month.

The scoping of the facility was completed Design

PRTR Process Instrumentation. temperature detectors continued. on life cycling.

Testing of Engelhard a d Ruge resistance Panellit flow transmitters continaed

A relay failed on the 0-25 psid unit during this period.

Hazards Analysis. A review of the PRTR control system, loss-of-coolant incidents, and the back-up light water injection system was presented before ti sub-committee of the Advisory Committee for Reactor SLfeguards in Washington, D.C. , on December 10. moderator control system was used in explaining and demonstrating moderator level control.

The working model of the gas balance

As a result of this meeting further study will be made of:

a. b. The feasibility of annunciating, in the control room, all

Means of preventing a shim rod from falling out of the core.

safety circuit by-pass switching.

Design Development

Phase I PRTR Construction Status. The Phase I PRTR contractor is approximately completed versus 70.5% scheduled. The concrete cylinder wall inside the containment vessel was completed to elevation -6' in the "A" and "B" cells. Framing for the five-foot thick O'-O" floor slab was started in the process cell. The area on the east side of the building was cleared to allow the Phase I1 PRTR contractor to install steam and water lines. Both crane trestles were removed, and back-filling around the vessel i s estkoated to be 7C$ complete.

Phase I1 PRTR Construction Status. completed versus 4% scheduled. 0'-0" floor slab to column line 4 and erected structural steel to column line 4 except for the two northeast bays. mechanical work for the 0'-0" slab in the two northeast bays.

The Phase I1 PRTR contractor is 4@ The contractor completed the -12' and

He is currently completing

Phase XI-A PRTR Construction Status. The Phase XI-A PRTR contractor is estimated to be 115 completed versus a scheduled %. Road work is essentially SO$ complete.

A design change was prepared process sewer outfall pipe.

specifying 1/2" wall thickness for the

UNCLASSIFIED

UNCLASSIFIED A-32 m - 58661

Phase XI1 PRTR Construction S ta tus . wi th the Phase 111 PRTR contractor t o date. f o r the warehousing Function and has moved h i s temporary construction o f f i c e t o the s i te .

No regular meetings have been held Be has assumed respons ib i l i ty

PRTR Design Analysis. Two s tudies were i n i t i a t e d . These were:

1. A review of t h e annunciator systez f o r %he PRTR. of t h i s study are t o determine i f t he presently planned alarms a r e necessary and su f f i c i en t , and t o recommend ac t ions t o be taken upon rece ip t of each annunciator s igna l .

Purposes

2. A study of events following a process tube l eak i n the PRTR. The purpose of t h i s study is t o develop a pressure re lease system which w i l l prevent excessive damage t o the calandria i n t h e event of a tube leak .

Reactor Flow System - Process Piping. air-operated-to-open primary pump bnass check valve designed t o l a t c h i n t h e open pos i t ion and o f f e r extremely low res i s tance t o thermal circiiLation flow.

Bids were received f o r a spec ia l

To avoid re leas ing l a rge q?rantities of steam i n t o the containment vessel , w i t h r e su l t an t hazard t o personnel a? the time of total containment, a six-inch relief pipe was designed t o conduct blowoff s t e m from the relief system in t e rna l rupture d isc t o the fue l element discharge p i t . There it w i l l be condensed f o r a s u f f i c i e c t l y long period of time t o permit evacu- a t ion of personnel.

Reactor Flow System - Inlet Vhlves. shor te r valve which w i l l enable re-location of t he thermal barrier. Valves located above the f ixed portions of the thermal barrier w i l l be equipped w i t h nuts f o r wrench oseration instead of hand wheels.

Aloyco subit+Yed drawings f o r a

Reactor Core Components. d i f f i c u l t y i n qualifying procedures and welders f o r aluminum welding f o r the calandria and moderator storage tank. The calandria process channel shroud tubes which they received fron,? Alcoa did not xtieet the r i g i d s t r a igh t - ness tolerances specif ied. These and a number of other d i f f i c u l t i e s have caused them t o f a l l approximately a month behind t h e i r om production schedule for the calandria, shields , and storage tank.

Consolidated Western Steel has had considerable

Control and Instrumentation. high l eve l s a fe ty amplifiers f o r t he PRTR was l a rge ly resolved ea r ly i n t h e month when GE-APED, San Jose, proposed un i t s with acceptable speci- f i ca t ions t o Minneapolis-Honeywell*

The d i f f i c u l t y i n obtaining sa t i s f ac to ry

The automatic con t ro l l e r design i s now r e l a t i v e l y firm. Most of t he proposed components have e i t h e r been t e s t e d o r a r e now ava i lab le f o r t e s t i n g . A f i n a l desig9 description i s expected t o be received from Minneapolis-Honeywell f o r review and approval ea r ly i n January, along with preliminary panel layouts

1 0 1 8 UNCLASSIFIED

. .

UNCMSIFIED A- 33 W-58661

Scoping of a f u e l element rupture detection system designed t o detect f i s s i o n product rare gases was begm during the month. Choice of t h e noble gas method was based upon an APD review of systems of po ten t i a l value t o t h e PRTR.

In accordance with agreements reached du-ing discussions held t h i s month with representatives of the Division of Reac+,or Development and of ACRS, a number of minor changes t o PRTR instrumentation an6 control sys tem are being made o r are under consideration. These include:

Flow Monitor System

The bypassing c i r c u i t r y f o r individual monitors i s being revised t o eliminate bypass jumpers. These are being replaced by large, red-handled plugs which f i t i n to a s ing le jack beneath each monitor uni t . An auxiliary contact within each jaek w i l l l i g h t an ident i - fying l i g h t i n t h e control Toon whenever a monitor i s bypassed. Consideration i s being given t o the addi t ion of a "spare" monitor, which would connect between manifolds on the monitor rack, and which could be used, by appropriate valving, t o ' 'spare" any one u n i t and allow i t s removal f o r maintenance during operation.

Safety System

Consideration i s being given t o providing shutdown annunciator t r i p s whenever a safe ty c i r c u i t component i s bypassed.

Shim Controls

ACRS representatives were not i n complete accord w i t h t h e t h e s i s t h a t t h e low poison s t rength of t he PRTR shim,eontrol system j u s t i - f i e d t h e use of a less expensive assembly w i t h normal engineering r e l i a b i l i t y r a the r than a "supersafe" shim design; they took exception t o t h e current shim design on t h i s count. Consequent.ly, s tud ie s of shim control design modification a re proceeding i n three areas:

(1) GE-APED, t he shim design contractor , i s being asked t o study f u r t h e r t h e c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of the bead chain used, and p a r t i c u l a r l y any de ter iora t ion through wear o r corrosion as a result of extended use; i n addition, APED i s being asked t o include i n t h e gearmotor dr ive t r a i n a torque l imi t ing device t o prevent s t r e s s ing the bead chain excessively a t any time.

(2) REDO i s inves t iga t ing means of slowing the r a t e of f a l l of a shim rod i n event of chain breakage, and means of providing a pos i t i ve s top t o prevent f a l l i n g of a rod i n event a chain breaks.

( 3 ) The shim control e l e c t r i c a l c i r c u i t r y i s being revised t o eliminate the simultaneous movement of s i x rods during "group" movement. Instead, cycle t i n e r s w i l l be provided


UNCLASSIFXED A- 34 HU-58661

t o move the rods sequentially, one a t a time, when "group" movement is ca l led f o r Q Each rod i n turn w i l l move f o r one second, then stop fo r f i v e seconds while the others move in turn. only one other rod can move (and thus be i n poten t ia l danger of breakage) before the e f f e c t s of dropping t h e first rod shut the reactor down.

Thus, i f a chain do5s break and a rod drops,

Helium Gas System. helium compressors were received and comnented on. helium compressors, made by Hofer i n Germany, w i l l be of horizontal design instead of ve r t i ca l design as indicated in the i r bid. resulted i n a l l o t t i n g the compressors additional f l oo r space i n the reactor process c e l l .

Arrangement drawings f o r the high and low pressure The high pressure

This change has

Shieldinq. t o a minimum, corrosion t e s t s have indicated the d e s i r a b i l i t y of changing from a once through process water cooling system t o a high pu r i ty water, rec i rcu la t ing system. A scope revision and scope system arrangement are being prepared to accomplish t h i s change,

To reduce shot corrosion i n the top and bottom primary shields

Thermal Barrier. Because the process tube inlet jumper valve i s shorter than had been ant ic ipated, drawings a re being revised t o r a i s e the thermal barrier in the lower access room t o give increased head room above the moderator storage tank working surface,

Fuel Handler. fabr icat ion of t he fue l handler, with a low bid of $122,000. drawings a re current ly being revised t o correct d raf t ing e r ro r s and t o i n - coworate sane design modifications. The more important changes include: (1) manual release a t t a c h e n t on both fuel element hooks, (2) addition of cam act ion f i l t e r re ta iners , ( 3 ) extending water spray system t o the t h i r d cask section, (4) change of nozzle ro ta t ing attachrcent, ( 5 ) addition of a i r hose and e l e c t r i c a l leads from building, (6) addition of actuator posi t ion i n the bottom cask section, (7 ) lengthening of the cooling shroud and modification of t he seat, and (8) addition of some in t e r locks ' i n the control c i r c u i t . These revisions are scheduled t o be completed ear ly i n January and w i l l require a change i n pr ice of t he fabricat ion contract .

Uillamette Iron & Stee l Coqany was awarded the contract f o r General Mills

b e l Element Examination Fac i l i t y . and steel shielding and the necessary vent i la t ion and services were completed.

The approval drawings for the cas t iron

A paper describing the Fuel Element Faamination F a c i l i t y was prepared f o r presentation a t the Seventh Conference on Hot Laboratories and Equipment t o be held in Cleveland, Ohio, i n Aprile

PRTR Physics. w i t h spike loading configurations have been extended t o include the combin- a t ion of Mark I 1.8 w t $ Pu-A1 spike with Mark I UO feed. t h i s study may be compared with values f o r 1.65 wt Pu-A1 spike gresented

Calculations of r eac t iv i ty and power d is t r ibu t ions associated

Results from

1 2 k I O 2 0 UNCLASSIFIED

UNcLAssmm A-35 m-58661 .

i n Figure 1 of HU-58016 as follows:

1. Approximately three fewer spike tubes would be required f o r t h e 1.8 w t $ Pu-A1 f o r nearly a l l pos i t ions i n the core than i s the case f o r the 1.65 wt

The peak/average power r a t i o i s 10 percent higher f o r a l l spike annulus pos i t ions with 1.8 wt $ Pu-Al. 1 x ) O kw tube power l i m i t , t h i s would forb id a spike annulus nearer than about 55 cm t o the center of t he core.

Pu-Ale

2. Assuming a

3. Although flux peaking w i l l increase with burnout of Pu and shim rod inser t ion, spike loadings from about 65 cm t o t he edge of the core appear t o be safe w i t h t h e 1.8 wt $ Pu-A1 material.

Three group flux ca lcu la t ions have been completed t o obtain v e r t i c a l flux d i s t r ibu t ions and r e a c t i v i t y as a function of moderator level and f u e l hanger length ( ac t ive zone placement) a

top and bottom sh ie lds w a s incorporated t o re-evaluate v e r t i c a l primary sh ie ld fluxes. l eve l , based on a maximum heat f l u x was also obtained. does not consider other operating power l imi t ing fac tors , such as moderator boi l ing, e t c .

A detailed representation of the

Permissible operating power as a function of moderator This l a t t e r study

Calculation of f l u x d i s t r ibu t ions i n 7- and 19-rod c l u s t e r s of Pu-A1 f u e l f o r t e s t i n g i n the FtTR has Fuels Development Operation.

been completed a t the request of Plutonium

A study t o determine the reac tor power t o be d iss ipa ted as a function of time, a f t e r a scram i n PRTR, has been i n i t i a t e d . Fission power was obtained by simulating a scram on the GEDA analog computer from operating powers of 50, 60, 70, 80, and 90 MM. Fission product power was obtained from the work of Stehn and Clmcy, Untermyer and Willes and others . The remaining power source, s tored heat, is t o be evaluated by means of a d i g i t a l computer program now being prepared. product power with NPD results show the PRTR power t o f a l l o f f more rap id ly after about 0.6 second due t o t h e faster moderator dump time.

Comparison of t h e f i s s i o n power and f i s s i o n

Plutonium Fabrication P i l o t P lan t

Construction i s 53.B complete. complete. information is received on the r o l l i n g m i l l and extrusion press, scheduled f o r about August 1. items.

Pro jec t design i s approximately 8 f i Projec t design w i l l be at a v i r t u a l s t a n d s t i l l u n t i l vendor

Nearly all of the remaining design work is on these

Phase 11 Construction. 5 4 scheduled.

Phase I1 construction i s 614 complete compared t o Concrete work i s 90$ complete.


. , - . . . . , . . . . . . . . .

UNCLASSIFIED A- 36 H'W-58661

Phase 111 Design. f o r the Phase I11 i n s t a l l a t i o n contract was m e t . was delivered t o the AEC on December 15, and the complete contract package on December 22, as scheduled.

The. design schedule completion date of December 12 The design package

Design development work on pressure control f o r glovebox hoods was completed w i t h release of a repor t HU-58101. t h e report had ac tua l ly been completed e a r l i e r , i n ample time f o r t he r e s u l t s t o be benef ic ia l t o t he pro jec t . i s precise , rapid i n response, and lov in cos t .

The work described i n

The control system developed

Procurement. been transmitted t o Purchasing Operation. $706,475 have been placed. t o date has been $t2,812 under est imates .

Requisitions t o t a l i n g $706,287 i n estimated cos t have Purchase orders t o t a l i n g

The ac tua l cos t of the material ordered

PRTR Pressurized Gas Cooled Loop F a c i l i t y

Pro jec t CM-822, t he PRTR gas-cooled loop f a c i l i t y , w a s approved by the AEC on December 11, 1958, and an interim authorizat ion of $50,000 was made. a r e being wri t ten. Final completion of the pro jec t i s scheduled f o r 18 months from date of authorizat ion, o r June 11, 1960.

Scoping of t he pro jec t i s under way, and the design c r i t e r i a The c r i t e r i a a re scheduled f o r corrpletion February 11.

The loop as cur ren t ly scoped has a design temperature of 1100 F maximum fo r gas leaving the in-reactor assembly. invest igat ion of the p o s s i b i l i t y of increasing ou t l e t temperatures t o 1400-1500 F. wi th scoping.

AEC has informally requested

This invest igat ion i s being car r ied out concurrently

2. BASIC S U E U I N G STUDIES PROGRAM

The d i f fus ion of t h e i n e r t f i s s i o n gases, krypton and xenon, and subsequent void formation, r e s u l t s i n swelling of i r r ad ia t ed f u e l mater ia l s . The swelling appears t o be dependent upon i r r ad ia t ion temperature, r e s t r a in ing pressure, burnup, burnup rate, f u e l composition and f u e l material parameters such as puri ty , res idual work i n the metal, and grain s i ze .

1 2 4 1 0 2 2 bXCLASSIFIED

UNCLASSIFIED A-37 HGI- 58661

A l-l/2-pound ingot of high pur i ty , th ree percent enriched uranium, was produced t h i s month t o be used i n tests t o determine t h e e f f e c t of metal p u r i t y on swelling behavior' This ingot, which was produced i n a s ingle consolidation m e l t , w i l l be forged and ro l l ed i n t o a 1/2 inch diameter rod of about 1 2 inches length, It was made employing a new method of b r ique t t i ng the dendri tes . with a 75-ton press t o produce a s ingle high-density b r ique t t e f ron a month's production of uraniTm dendri tes made i n tho new e l e c t r o l y t i c c e l l . It i s planned t o produce a l a r g e r ingot i n the coming month.

A hot prossing p l u g e r and d ie set was used

Assembly of the f i rs t two i r r ad ia t ion capsides was delayed t h i s month pending delivery of thermocouples, heaters, and tezperature eontrol instruments. capsule w i l l be assembled using a heater and thermocouples made i n the laboratory. during t h e coming month.

These are expected i n t h e l a t t e r p a r t of January. An i n i t i a l

This w i l l f a c i l i t a t e the i n i t i a t i o n of capsule bench t e s t s

The design of a capsule f o r measurement of swelling during i r r a d i s t i o n underwent several modifications as a r e s u l t of heat t r ans fe r calculat ions. The ent i re temperature range of t h e tests (300 t o 800 C ) cannot be handled with a s ingle design. Differing heat t ransfer cha rac t e r i s t i c s are needed t o operate i n t he three ranges of 300 t o 400, 400 t o 600, and 630 t o 800 C . This w i l l be accomplished by means of remova3le longitudinal i n t e rna l f i n s . A number of instruments have been considered f o r monitoring the volume increase of the uranium in-reactor . Several of these w i l l be evaluated i n laboratory bench tests.

Metallographic examination of t h e h b b l e s ir i r r ad ia t ed uranium specimens continued t h i s month. The observation of bzbbles i n both i r r ad ia t ed and uni r rad ia ted uranium (containing xenon) indicates that t h e bubbles are non- uniformly d i s t r ibu ted i n small areas of t h e samples. The bubbles are of ten found i n ' ' c lus te rs" . This could possibly be explained by an assumption of heterogeneous nucleation of t h e bubbles. One p a r t i c u l a r specimen of i r r ad - i a t ed uranium (0.2 a/o burnup a t 300 C ) w a s annealed a t 600 C f o r one hour. Examination of r ep l i cas taken before and a f t e r t h e anneal showed l i t t l e change i n t h e s i z e and d i s t r i b u t i o n of the bxb3les. The bJbble s i z e i s from 200 t o 300 8 diameter. w i l l be continued. core temperature of 4m C ) was examined i n a transverse cross sect ion of a 5/8-inch diameter uranium rod. from ZOO0 t o 20,000 8 (0.2 t o 2 microns) a grea te r number of bubbles than the surface, which was at a probable irrad ia t ion .temperature of 200 C. The conclusion w a s drawn t h a t the bubble formation i s more dependent upon the i r r ad ia t ion temperature than the burnup i n t h i s temperature range.

Pos t - i r rad ia t ion annealing of this sample A second specimen of i r r ad ia t ed uranium (0.2 a/o burnup,

The bubble s i z e i n t h i s specimen ranged The core of t he rod contained

Surface tension provides the most powerful r e s t r a in ing fo rce on small bubbles i n uranium. not been measured. uranium wires (0.001 t o 0.010-inch diameters). pended v e r t i c a l l y i n a controlled atmosphere furnace.

It i s estimated t o be about 1000 ergs/cm2, but has An attempt t o measure it w i l l be made using f i n e

The wires w i l l be sus- The weight of the

I24 1 0 2 3 UNCLASSSFIED

UNCLASSIFIED A- 30 m-58661

uranium wire w i l l provide a t e n s i l e stress which i s g rea t e s t a t the poin t of suspension. of wire which does not extend nor contract a t long times of heating i n t h e furnace. This w i l l be of the order of 3.0 inches from the b o t t m of a 0.010-inch diameter wire a t elevate9 t empra tu re . The data obtained from these wires w i l l be used t o ca lcu la te t h e surface tension and the temperature coefficieri t of the swfac-e t m s i o n f o r uranium

Gauge marks w i l l be used t o f ind the sect ion

One of the important e f f e c t s of voids f i l l e d with iner t gases i s t o decrease t h e s t rength of the m t r i x material. the e f f e c t of hydrogen i n t he embrittlemcnt of steel. ature vacuum t e n s i l e t e s t apparatus i s being procured for the study of the e f f e c t of xenon gas i n normal reac tor grade unirradiated uranium. A marked decrease i n the d w t i l i t - y a t high temperatures i s expected i n the ?uranium containing xenon gas. duced p r i o r t o the t e s t s by means of a glow alscharge apparatus.

An analogy might be A high temper-

The gas w i l l be i n t ro -

The study of t h e number of bub5les having a pa r t i cu la r s i ze i n a spec i f ic volume of uranium i s very important t.0 a kas ic understanding of the mechanisms involved f n the swelling phenomenon. used i n combination with volume-increase data t o t e s t ce r t a in hypotheses about the mechanisms. The metallogr6pnic s t l d y of a mall cross-sect ional a rea of a specimen w i l l be use3 t o obtain the S?lbble size d i s t r ibu t ion by measuring the s i z e and number of bubbles appearing i n the f i e l d of view of t he microscope. the method of i n fe r r ing the volume d i s t r ibu t ion froni t he cross sec t iona l d i s t r ibu t ion . cannot measure the bubble s i z e d is t r ib- i t ion without knowing the bubble pos i t ion d i s t r ibu t ion and v i ce versa. For t h i s reason, an independent method which does not require knowledgz of the bubble pos i t ions is being sought t o supplement t h e metallographic s tud ies . One poss ib i l i t y , now under consideration, i s t o "c lass i fy" the b-ib3le s i zes based on t h e d i f f e ren t rates of escape of t h e radioactive f iss ion-gas bubbles from molten uranium.

It w i l l be

The observed pos i t ions of t he bubbles ind ica te

X t has been detemined that the metallographic method

3 0 (SAS COOLED POWW REACTOR PE0i"rRAM

Graphite Studies

F a c i l i t y f o r the Promotion of Chemical Reaction by Ganzoa Radiation. Radiation induces reac t ions between gasis an3 graphite tha t are not observed i n t he absence of r ad ia t ionc Studies i n support of the Gas Cooled Power Reactor Program c a l l f o r extensive invest igat ion of the e f f e c t s of rad ia t ion on t h e rate of gas-graphite react ions. A gamma i r r ad ia t ion f a c i l i t y consisting of a 15,000 cur ie cobalt-60 source i n a seven-foot diametsr by fourteen-foot deep water - f i l l ed tank i s planned f o r i n s t a l l a t i o n In the 3730 Building> The cobalt source material w i l l

I21i I O 2 4 UNCLASSIFIH)

A- 39

be canned i n type 347 s t a in l e s s steel, and the canned nine-inch long rods w i l l be held i n the desired configuration a t the bottom of the t a k by a stainless s t e e l j i g . w i l l be possible . end of April 1959.

8 Reaction r a t e st'ltdies i n a gamma flux of 10 r/hr Beneficial use of the f a c i l i t y i s expected by about the

Graphite Oxidation Studies. dation react ion have been continued using tne weight l o s s equipment described e a r l i e r , 0.42 inch i n diameter, was oxidized a t 750 f 5 C i n a carbon dioxide stream w i t h 6 gas flow r a t e of 0.4 cubic foot per hour. period of twenty-one hours (0.01 persent oxrdation), weight l o s s was a l i n e a r function of time. squares analysis) a f t e r the i n i t i a l p r i o d . The t o t a l weight l o s s was 1.87 percent f o r the 245-hovlr experheri te

Studies of t he carbon dioxide-graphite oxi-

A sample of type KC graphite, two inches long and

After an i n i t i a l

The w e i g h t l o s s was 0.15 percent per day (least

While modifications were being m&de t o the surface area equipment a sample of KC graphite was oxidized without measuring surface area. After i n i t i a l carbon dioxide and a i r oxidation (occasioned by a leak i n the equipment) t.0 a weight l o s s of 1.8 percent, the s m p l e was oxidized a t temperatures of 650i5, 70025, and 750k5 C, consecutively. When steady state conditions were reached a t each tercperatwe, the oxidation rates were found t o be 0.106, 0.107, and C . l & 4 percent per day, respectively. The sample i s present ly being oxidized a t 800 C, and the data w i l l be combined t o ca lcu la te an act ivat ion exrgy fo r t he graphite-C02 reaction i n the 650 t o 800 C temperature range.

Radiation Induced Graphite Contraction, ing information on graphite contraction applicable t o high temperature

A rough d r a f t of a report present-

graphite moderated reactors has been prepared. avai lable sources and a discussion of t he e f f ec t s i n terms of current rad ia t ion damage theory are included i n HW-5790O1 "High Temperature Radi- a t ion Induced Graphite Contraction," 5y J. M. Davidson, E. M. Uoodruff, and H.H. Yoshikawa. The report is expected t o be issued soon as an un- c l a s s i f i ed document following c l a s s i f i ca t ion review.

Rslevant data from a l l

PRTR Pressurized Gas-Cooled Loop Faci1it.X: prepared, and design funds have beer. approved by the AEC f o r a carbon dioxide cooled loop i n the Plutonilm Recycle Test Reactor. consis t of in-reactor and ex-reactor t es t sections and w i l l have pro- vis ions for i r r ad ia t ing f iss ionable mater ia l . The scoping phase w i l l require approximately eight weeks f o r completion.

A pro jec t proposal has been

The loop w i l l

Graphite Studies f o r the Prototype Enriched Gas Cooled Power Reactor. Graphite problems and a development program i n support of the KE-ACF Prototype Enriched Gas Cooled Power Reactor were discussed with repre- sen ta t ives of ACF Industr ies , Inc., Kaiser Engineers, and the Idaho Office of the AEC. The three general areas of in t e re s t were graphite coating evaluation, engineering scale graphite oxidation measurements and rad ia t ion induced mechanical praperty changes i n graphite. The

method of approach suggested f o r determining the res i s tance of coatings t o air oxidation i s e s s e n t i a l l y the same as the method which w i l l be used i n the Hanford evaluztion of coatings i n contact with carbon dioxide. I r r ad ia t ed coated samples can be subjecte3. t o oxidation tests i n flowing a i r t o provide useful da t a f o r hazards evaluation of the PEGCPR, small sca le t e s t s of uncoated graphite oxidation by a i s are plamed. The i r r ad ia t ion of a va r i e ty of grsphi tes manufactured from various cokes has been i n i t i a t e d a t Hanford. ava i lab le f o r t he se l ec t ion of favorable cokes f o r the manufacture of graphi te f o r high temperature reactor appl icat ions.

Only

By January 1, 1960, data are expected t o be

D. CUSTOMER WORK

Radion?.etallurgieal Examinations

I & E Hole Fa i lures From 4985 KGI and 4259 KE (RM-25.2). Examination of the in t e rna l ly and ex terna l ly cooled, na tura l u ran im, production f u e l element which ruptured by f a i l u r e of the in te rna l can w a l l i n 4259 KE has continued.

The failure of t he can w a l l occurred one and one-half inches from the male end of the s lug and v isua l examination showed crackicg i n the male weld. When examined i n de ta i l , the cracking proved t o be su2erficia1, and no defects were observed a t the base end i n e i t h e r the material o r canning process. some minor poros i ty i n the &Si, but the poros i ty w a s i den t i f i ed as voids which occurred a t fhe time of canning r a the r than undercutting by water or steam.

A cross sect ion of the s lug one-half inch from t h e male end showed

The s lug was sectioned t o remove a wafer from between the female end and the rupture a t a d is tance of one inch from the r u p t w e area. of the slug which w a s located between the wafer and thc failure was sectioned longi tudina l ly t o expose t h e surface of thP in t e rna l can w a l l and a cross sect ion of t h e rupture= i n t e r n a l can w a l l . w i t h penetration of less than 0.01 inch.

The portion

Micor s-uface corrosion w a s o h e r v e d on t h e The corrosion appeared t o be caLdtational type p i t t i n g

Undercutting of t h e AlSi by water and/or stem was observed i n both the longi- tud ina l and transverse sect ions. cur ren t examinations, and it i s assumed a t t h i s time that the defect oceurred f u r t h e r along toward the cap end of the slug.

No water en t ry s i te was discovered during

PT IP-134-A I r r ad ia t ion of Enriched Hot Pressed Wafered Uranium Fuel Elements 3RM-245). An I & E element camposed of 1 .6 percent eririched uranium wafers w a s received f o r examination. A reddish film deposit was noted around the supporting ribs, which had been spot welded t o the element after assemSly. sectioned longi tudina l ly and i s being polishe3 so t h a t cross-sect ional aea- surements of the individual wafer coniprising the element 5zy be made'

The elezent appeared t o be i n good condition.

EIalf of the e1ener.t has keen

A-41 m-58661

I & E Hole Fai lure - 2582 C (RM-249). f a i l ed by in te rna l sp i re f a i lu re , as reported l a s t month. a t ion of t he sp i r e has revealed no apparent defects due t o f au l ty material . Intergranular corrosion a t tack of hot wster on the sp i re In the neighborhood of the rupture had penetrated about halfway through the sp i re w a l l . I n addition, an etched s t ruc ture which appears t o be some type of "flow l ine" s t i l l re ta ined from the extrusion of the sp i re was found. seen had penetrated the sp i re .

An enriched I & E fue l element had F'urther examin-

None of the defects

Metallography Laboratories

The Syntron vibratory lapping machines mentioned l a s t month can be used f o r a l l s teps of grinding and polishing. can be realized from a vibratory lapping s y s t m are: of manhours per sample, (2) extreme flatness of t he sample surface, ( 3 ) excel- l e n t re tent ion of inclusions, both the so f t and f r i ab le ana' the hard inclusions, ( 4 ) the sample i s not l imited i n s i ze o r shape so long a s it can f i t w i t h i n the lapping bowl (12 inches diameter i n t h i s case) e The lapping machine, as provided by the Syntron Company, has some drawbacks i n the design of the polishing bowl which a f f ec t the ease wi th which the bowls can be handled and cleaned. t o minimize these drawbacks.

Some of the major advantages which (1) time saved i n terms

Modifications now being made on-si te i n the bowl design are expected

Samples processed during the month:

Total samples processed: 201

Photographs

Micrographs Macrographs

Total

284 - 52

336

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PRYSICS ANI> INSTRUMENT KESEMCH AND DEVELOPMENT -TION

MONTHLY REPORT

At the request of the Fuels Preparation Department, a study was made of the nuclear safety of a new storage container designed for storage and shipment of ribbed fuel elements having a 0.95 percent enrichment. The container is safe in one layer arrays.

The nuclear safety of uranium turnings (1.25 percent $35) submerged in oil was evaluated. barrels each containing a to be safe.

An infinite single plane array of standard 30 gallon of 175 pounds of turnings was calculated

REACTOR

STUDIES RELATEXI TO PRESENT PRODETION REACTORS

The study f neutro tion of Pu'39 and were made at 200%: ium slug.

Theoretical studies on neutron thermalization were directed toward comparing the results of various schemes for calculating neutron f lux in the neighborhood of a temperature discontinuity. The various resultant fluxes were used to determine reaction rates with neutron absorber having a 1, absorption cross section. The maximum spread in reaction rates for t%e three flux distributicns used was four percent.

Analysis of PCTR traverses across a hot-cold boundary continued. The goal is to obtain a transfer cross section which describes the transfer of neutrons from the "hot" group to the "cold" group and vice versa.

emperatures in lattices continued with the irradia- Two irradiations

one in pure graphite moderator; one in a natural uran- f o i l s in the TPR t h e d column.

Instrumentation

Work continued on the circuitry for the magnetic core storage elements. printed circuit boards were prepared and fabrication was started on the tran- sistorized circuitry.

The

STuDlES REzA!mD To FzlTuRE PRODUCTION REACTORS

The wet and dry bucklings of an 8 3/8-inch lattice fueled with 1.92-inch diameter natural uranium rods were det rmined in a graphite exponential pile. The bucklings were both about 35 x 10% cm-*, hence this is the cross over point. The carbon to uranium volume ratio was 22.65.

B -2

Experimental data were obtained i n t1.e FCTR cn a seven-rod c l u s t e r of 0.925- inch diameter na+,ural upanim rsas i o a 10 1/2-fnct graphite l a t t i c e . experimert is part cf a prqgrarri t z check negative buckling values c!btained with expcnerf,iG pile measurements 0x1 this PJel element. l a t t i c e spacing is t:c la rge f c c the FellR e w e , but is the s U e s t l a t t i c e spacing f o r yhich pos i t ive w e t asd dry bucklings were obtained. heavy water were used between the PCTR dr iver 15% an13 the t e s t l a t t i c e t o try tu slow dcwn t he neutrons fkwing i n t o the t e s t c m e and hence obtain a reasonable match ef the neutron s p e c t r m across the t e s t core. no% been analyzed as yet.

This

The 1'3 i/2-ineh

Tubes of

The data have

A l is t cf Frei imfrsry s p e c i f i c a t f m s fcr a High !kMperature NPR Wck-up Facility was issued t c a id in s2:~:n.g arid cost andys ie . ceering Operation. has been ecgaged t 5 prepare the prelimfnaPy desi- and mike a cos t e s t f m t e .

Construsfion Engi-

Tre p r r j e c t prapcsal fa r s S c a l e was almost finishEd.

Prcliminsry anaiysis vas made cf rececf 305 p i l e measaremente. mentE obtained the r e a c t i v i t y e f f e c t ~f various eladdings on I and E fuel elements. !The a.z&ysis 5Edicatos that replazemsnt cf standard I atld E elements by elements wfth the same external dimensions, but. consisting of over- s ize fue l clad i n 0.936-iwh 302 s t a in l e s s s t e e l woad reduce the dry reac- t i v i t y in a p ~ o d - ~ c t i o n reaa,tor by &ljcut 800 inhama.

nie measure-

Preliminary meastirements have beeli d e t o deternine the value of bcrat ing s t e e l f o r shielding. Wasxrarnents lwre been made of the gamma ray produe- t f c n in s t e d samplesl by a mon\_.energe+,ic slow reuman beam. pr;duce.l and trammitre3 th rcqk a oae-inch borate6 steel sample and one-inch ana t k e e - i n c h mild s t e e l samples were measmed at%, a N a I c rys t a l ganana detectGI-, I n t e g r d c o m t s were taksn f c r the gama ray energy regicn cf 0.33 t c 0.75 Mev and the regicic greater than 0.75 &v. cated that the borated steel m s several times better than the same thickness of mild s t e e i i n bcth gamma e ~ e r g y regiong. of the steel and rep.lp;li~cibiXty cf t he resuits wiil be studied.

The gamma rays

Preliminary results indi-

The e f fec t e cf degree c.f boration

The investigation. of ne-ir rie.dt.roz 53tect3rs continued with emphasis on fission detec tc rs arid cn sn i fd state arA plasma t.hermicn9c energy csnversiun devices.

Plans were star ted fclr experimental work on the me cf optdcd. techniques for the measurement c<f grapL5te teqperatmes. l i eved that the temperatwe of a black of graphite i n a cne-half inch diameter hole could 'De measured remstely with nc e l e c t r i c a l elenents i n the hole.

A t the present time, it is be-

STUDIES REUm TO SEPARATIONS PLANTS

C r i t i c a l mass data were otts imd by subc r i t i ca l approach techniqws on four water moderated lsttices fuel& with 0.6OO-ineh urariium rods enriched t o 3.063 percent in $35. Analyses cf the data show that the m f n i m c r i t i c a l mass f o r these rods is about 284 pounds cf wanium for a (H$/U) v,̂ lume r a t i G cf 4.3. This may be compared wfth the results fram 0.925-inch rDds which gave a minimum c r i t i c a l mass c i 39L pc+;ln3is f - ,?' ' .

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'-4 Criteria for the deeim of a safe slab container for melting plutonium metal were presented to CPD for the design of a new melting furnace.

A recommendation was made to replace an existing CFD feed hopper with one which would be safe under a l l operating conditions.

Criteria were established for the safe storage and handling of paraffin blocks containing uranium enriched to two percent in $35. were received fram the Criticality Group at Oak Ridge.

These blocks

The detailed design of the Plutonium Critical Mas6 Gaboratory is 82 percent complete. has been prepared by CEO and is being circulated for approval.

A project prspsal requesting funds for construction of phase one

TKO more water moderated exponential experiments were conducted with uranium enriched to 1.25 percent in U235. inches and an I.D. of 0.500 inch.

The fuel elements have an O.D. of 1.336

Solutions of the pile kinetic equation with linear time variation of reactivity are being apFlied to study the reactivity changes which occur when the height of a fissionable solution is changed.

Calculations are being made to estimate the epithermal multiplication factor for plutonium fuels as a function of the exposure of the plutonium. The results w i l l be used to pick desirable isotopic concentrations for future PCTR experiments with MTR irradiated plutonium.

Analytical work continued on the effect of the central cell containing can on the values of measured in the PCTIi.

Instrumentation

Design drawings wers about. 9@ completed on the PRn wide angle viewer.

On the mm profilometer, details of the eyepiece and camera section were warked out and purchase specifications for some of the lenses were written. A method of autmatically recording the WELI~, diameter, and orientation of the fuel element is being devised. fied to correspond with the change in location of the focus compensating lenses.

Drawings of the bottom section were modi-

An investigation was started for an automatic printout system for the PRTR profilometer. actual system and which will be used for demonstrating the principles.

A system MU be set up in the lab which w i l l resemble the

GAS COOLED REACTOR PROGRAM

Notice was received that the delivery of the uranium-oxide fuel pellets will be delayed about one month. this program.

This will introduce a corresponding delay in

Theoretical studies continued aimed at developing an experimental technique fcr measuring ccntrol rod strengths i n PCTR cores.

CRCSS SECTION PROGRAM

The KE neutron spectrometer broke down. its drive motor to burn out. on this spectrometer and is working satisfactorily.

Binding of the third a s caused A new neutron monitor chamber was installed

A new fission chamber is under construction for slow neutron fission cross section measurements.

The accumulation of subthreshold fission data on Am241 and Np237 has been extenaed down to 0.02 ev.

No data have been taken on fast neutron cross sections because of the shut- dom of t-he positive isn accelerator. fined to refining the associated electronic instrumentation.

The work on this program was can-

ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

Atmospheric Physics

Praxrement of equipment far the stable atmospheres e-riments during the summer of 1959 proceeded essentially on schedule. gasoline-driven air pumps and auxiliary equipsnent were committed and aztion was taken to procure inexpensive disposable filter holders in quantity sufficient for the planned experiments. developed by the Army Chemical Corps appears to be abptable, with only minor modification, to our needs.

Orders for 485

A plastic filter holder

Development refinements on the particle counter were continued. remaining problem with regard to equipment is the procurement of towers from the Signal Corps. no reply to the E ' s request for these towers has been received. Design modifications and adaptation of tall telephone poles has permitted the reduction of' our request for towers to a total of 1.5 rather than 20.

The major

hjor emphasis hss been placed on the developaaent of rigorous analysis techniques which permit definitive statcPlents with regard to the dispersion of materials from the concentrations observed in air. data are to be reduced to punch-card (or magnetic-tape) form. hypotheses and assumptions and the camputation of descriptive parameters are to be done on high speed computers. These analyses should be done on a current basis so that any necessary experimental modifications may be accomplished as the program progresses. Valuable assistance has been given by Opera- tions Research and Synthesis Operation in setting up statistical tests of hypatheses and assumptions.

As presently planned, all All tests of

A very strong interest in the automatic fluorescent prticle counter has been expressed by off-site agencies th Dugway Proving Grounds

g i y + ~ + I 2 4 I 0 3 b a

B-5

and Fort Detrick of the Army Chemical. Corps have asked f o r de ta i led information regarding this instrument. le te descr ipt ion of the instrument by the Instrument Develspment Operation.

These requests have been deferred pending a comp-

DOSIMETRY

Background i n the i ron room of the body monitor was measured after the room had received i t s final cleaning.

Two subjects exposed t o airborne Rd&- F d o 6 were examined i n the rock shield. The first had no detectable deposition, 1. e., less than 0.05 pc. The second had between 0.03 and 0.10 )IC. precise knowledge of the Cs137 present i n the body.

The cleaning reduced the background by 2@.

The uncertainty i s due t~ l ack of

An experiment designed t o check discrepancies betwee2 x-ray counting and alpha counting f o r plutonium i s in progress. being made on grcrmd beef spiked with known mounts of plutanium.

Both types of measurements a re

The pos i t ive ion V a n de Graaff was used f o r e-rimental wrk f o r one-half t he month. Students from the University of Washington worked on a stopping power experimerrt, Radiclogical Development Operation t e s t e d the use of slow neutron penci ls i n moderaters, Nuclear Physics Operation worked on the time-of- f l i g h t system. that has developed i n the machine and is hampering i t s use. The source of the i n s t a b i l i t y has not yet been located.

Half the month was spent t ry ing t o t rack down an i n s t a b i l i t y

The p o s s i b i l i t y i s being studied of using the hi&-flux room i n the V a n de G r a a f f bui lding and s c i n t i l i a t i o n counter e p " L 9 n t normally i n use i n t h a t building f o r an emergency statim t o measure Na2 from neutron exposure during a c r i t i c a l accident i n the plant,.

i n the bcdy that would r e s u l t

The Manager, Radiologisal Physics Operation,is a member of , and attended a meeting of the AEC ad hoe cantnittee on Natural Level Dosimetry. meeting, it was decided that i f l a rge scale radio-epidemioiogical studies became nzcessary, the Hanford-developed pulse methcd of reading penci ls would be the best chaise f o r the dcsimetry method.

A t this

INSTRUMENWTIQN

Invest.igations of detect ion techniques f o r rad ia t ion protect ion instramentation continued. hand and shoe counters and on polrbble instruments. t a r s f o r -alarming-type monitors were started. p a r t i c l e detect ion techniques have indicated that at l e a s t two, and perhaps th ree , d i f f e ren t types of zinc-sulfide p a r t i c l e s on a s ingle f i l t e r can be measured separately. ments i n the o u t b o r experimental laboratory. fabr ica ted and t e s t i n g was stgartea.

Laboratory t e s t i n g i s i n progress on sc ix i t i l l a t ion tezhniques f o r Invest igat ions of detec-

Invest igat ions of zinc-sulfide

An experimental dust de tec tor was fabr ica ted f o r experi- A pratctype pinhole camera was

Work on s e n s i t i v i t y improvement techniques continued with the invest igat ion of mass e f f o r t s on p a r t i z l e co l lec t ion for alpha air detection. cross cor re la t ion f o r amplifier and mul t ip l ie r phototube noise reduction resumed.

The work on .

The i n i t i a l tkoughts cn cross cor re la t ion techniques were included

B -6 EW-58661-

in the internal report EW-51725. toring system was calculated to be such that a plutonium contamination of one- hundred times the maxim permissible concentration would cause an alarm in apprDximately ten minutes.

The autornatic techniques considered during the month included the portable dose- rate integrator and a passive d o g computing circuit. Fabrication was started on a portable dose-rate integrator prototype utilizing the mechanical-optical integrator. Another experimental model which employs an instrument-type precision mechanical integrator was fabricated and testing was started. might also be useful as pyrheliometer integrators for use by the Atmospheric Physics Operation.

The sensitivity of the dual apha air moni-

These

Parts were ordered for a prototype passive computing system for possible use by the analytical laboratory. The prototype will be used to demonstrate the rapid solution of five simultaneous equations. !&e five inputs w i l l be dial settings determined from pertinent channels of a multichannel an8J.yzer, and the outputs w i l l indicate the actual mounts of the five radioisotopes in the sample.

Approxinately 30 tons of very-low contamination level bulk talc has been ordered by the Biology Operation to be used for shielding the Dog Counter an instnrmef6 ii-,gr in vivf3ynitoring in animals, for radioisotopes ~ u $ 3 9 , Sr9O, Ru 3r:u factorily; however, the background problems, because of the proldmity of the 100-F pile and the 100-F settling basin, have been disconcerting. of the talc shielding, similar to that used for the Physics Operation experimental body monitor, should alleviate the background problem to a very marked degree. itself.

, and Cs . The instrument has continued to perform satis-

The use

Additional lead brick shielding will be used next to the counter

The zinc-sulfide particle counter for the Atmospheric Physics Operation is now back in satisfactory operation after some modifications concerning the detector head were completed. As presently fabricated, the scintillation detector-counter has an accuracy of 5 lo$ in comparison to act& v i s u a l counts of the filter-held particles. with equally good results. The instrument can detect a minimum of about 500 particles per filter which is satisfactory to the Atmospheric Physics Opera- tion personnel. The instrument readout is Imown to be linear Over the range of 500 to 300,000 particles per filter.

Various brands of filters were tried

The circuitry and detectors for the experimental scintillation hog thyroid monitor used at the Biology Operation were modified to improve the overall performance of the instmnt. s used to detect and count, via photopeak chamel counting, the amount of I €31 in live hog thyroids.

The instrument

An electron multiplier was installed in the detector end of the mass spectrometer for this program. a factor of 10 to 100 lower than expected; however, the gain was sufficient to study the pulse characteristics of the detector system.

The measured current gain for the multiplier was

A new multiplier

Analog computing -

I n the NPR s imula t im program, a preliminary run f o r the heat t r ans fe r sec- t i o n was completed. turned t o t.he customer (ED) f o r a re-evaluation of the constants involved. The pressurizer has been simulated t o the sa t i s f ac t ion of the customer and all necessary runs have been completed.

In the PRTR simulation program, a study of power decay after scram from varioue operating l e v e l s has been completed. The @O-He equations have been corrected t o remove a previous e r ror . Analysis with the corrected equations indicated that the time constants f o r the system a re approximately one-half of thcee previously calculated. The xenon equations have been succeesfully s e t up en bctk the amlog and the Lit-ton DDA.

Since the results were unrea l i s t i c , the problem was re-

A one-grslip, m u l t i - r e g i z neutron d i f fus ion prablem was completed on the DIA.

Weather Fcrecasting and Metecrclogy Service

Type of Foreca,at

&Hour Prcducticn 24-Hour General Special

Amber Made

93 62 121

$ Rel i ab i l i t y

80.0 84.7 9.1

December was warm and wet . The temperature average of 35.2 exceeded ncmml by 2.4 degrees and p rec ip i t a t ion t o t a l i n g 1.64 inches was more than twice the normal amrnt. This was t he eighth s t r a igh t month of above- normal temperature.

Instrumentation ~

Laboratory tests were cm-pleted on the dual alpha air monitoring system and the system was delivered t o the Purex f a c i l i t y f o r instaSlat ion. The instrument employs two high-level alpha air monitsre which are intended f o r n a d use i n two separate locations. I n addition, a system which measures the difference between the two high-level monitors i s ut. i l ized t o al low the reduztion of background e f f e c t s and thus, an increase i n sens i t i v i ty . The alarm w i l l sound i n approximately t e n minutes i f the concentration of plutonium contamination i n the air I s one-hun&ed times the maximum permissible concentration. A t this alarm se t t i ng , there i s a twenty percent probabi l i ty of a f a l s e a l a r m i n one year due t o the radon-thoron nat.Wral background.

The sens i t i ve gama s c i n t i l l a t i o n t r ans i s to r i zed monitor, which was designed and fabr ica ted f o r the Regional Monitoring Operation, i s still operating successful ly . The i n s t r m e n t , used f o r routine sens i t ive garmna monitoring, i s used i n a i r c r a f t , r iverboats , and land vehicles. The full-scale f i r s t - range s e n s i t i v i t y corresponds ti' 0.015 mr/k from a Fia gamma source. The ins t ru - ment has performed successfully i n all f i e l d t e s t s t o date. Some more C a l i - b r a t ion wcrk w5.U be done t o determine the angular response with and without

m!!F var i sus lead shields.

B-8

Acceptance t e s t s were completed on f i f t y HAP0 G-M mters made by Victoreen ar,d on eighteen channels of Victoreen Remote Area Wnitors . Only one channel cf the remote area mmiitors met specif icat ions. A t o t a l of f i f t y - six channels are on order.

BdLaation t e s t s were ccmpleted on a Jordon Remote Area Monitor and on a protot.ype portable alpha-beta-gamma detector.

Field t e s t s were continued on the prototype s c i n t i l l a t i o n alpha ac-operated WPFY

A scra tch depth microsccpe previausly designed and fabr ica ted i n the O p t i - c a l Shop was ca l ibra ted and tes ted. Scratches from f i f t y mil l ionths t o f i f t e e n thmsandths of an inch deep ape measured tc an ticcuracy of p l u s o r minus f i f t y mil l ionths cf an inch. pot.ential users included the measmment of the scratch depth on the surface of an aluminum fuel element can, and the measurement of the peak t o valley distance of scratches on the G-E surface roughness standard comparison plates.

The mut ine Optical Shop work incladed the fabr ica t ion of twenty-eight glass bearings, two sxmll LSLOX bcrescope lighting heads and a scratch depth microscope. started on e ight more glass bearings. stal led at, the l o g - C fuEl examination f a c i l i t i e s . on twa Purex crane periscape heads, a l a rge Lenax bcrescope, and the U-Build- ing crane periscope, and servicing was continued on eight lenses f o r another borescope.

A demonstration of the instrument t o

Fabrication ccctinued on a l a rge Lenox head, and was A profilometsr telescope was in-

Servicing was completed

Manager physics and Instrument Research

HANPORD LABORATORIES apERATIcIN and Development

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Chemical Research and Development

FISSIONABLE MATERIAL - 2000 PROGRAM

IRRADIATION PROCESSES

Automatic Analyzing Monitor

The monitor was not operated during the month i n deference t o problems of higher p r io r i ty . Modifications of a room i n 146-FR f o r i n s t a l l a t i o n of the monitor neared completion. A major portion of the de ta i led drawings of the instrument was completed by F a c i l i t i e s Engineering Operation.

Uranium Oxidation and Fiss ion Product Vola t i l i za t ion

Study of induction furnace performance using various metal l ic sleeves surrounding a specimen t o be heated showed the impract icabi l i ty of m e t a l crucibles f o r contain- log uranium specimens. supported i n a quartz tube closed with a stainless steel cap and s i l icone rubber sea l . required. f i s s i o n product during the heating cycle.

Experimental work on f i s s i o n product v o l a t i l i z a t i o n from low l e v e l irradiated uranium was started. Four tests were made. Analyses a re not complete, but p r e l i p inary r e s u l t s indicated, as expected, that a la rge f r ac t ion of the iodine and t e l l u r i u m was vo la t i l i zed a t 1200 C over a 10 minute period i n an air atmosphere.

A furnace w a s designed which cons is t s of a graphite crucible

Shielding and ex terna l cooling of the cap and s e a l w i l l be provided as Counters were assembled and i n s t a l l e d f o r recording gross evolution of

No oxidation experiments were performed. However, t he f i s s i o n product vo la t i l i za t ion tests showed that the base l i n e data obtained from the oxidation study appl ies c losely t o irradiated uranium; i n one experiment, an irradiated specimen was heated in air f o r 50 minutes a t 1200 C and w a s found t o be completely oxidized.

300 Area Waste

Removal of contaminated so i l having a surface dose rate reading greater than 10 mr/hr. from the 327 Building addi t ion excavation was recommended. was made f o r the s o i l a+, the southwest corner of the building. latter material would jeopardize the s t a b i l i t y o f t h e foundation and new storage basin. It was also reco-nded that the s o i l i n the immediate v i c i n i t y of the leak be covered w i t h blacktcp u n t i l it can be removed, and that a monitoring well be d r i l l e d in to the groucd water t a b l e i n t h i s area.

An exception Removal of t h i s

Decontaminat.ioa of Reactor Components

Fiss ion product and uranium dioxide contaminated stainless and mild s t e e l coupons were prepared f o r use i n decontamination s tudies . three weeks t o pH 10 water a t 290 C i n the out-of-pile E m - 5 loop t o provide a non-contaminated magnetite film. They were then exposed, along with a piece of

The coupons had been exposed for

134-5866l. . c-2 ,

irradiated uranium wire, to pH 10 water a t 194 C . s i x days and cooled s i x dfbys. of abcut 1.5 R / h r beta and 3 mr/hr gamma.

The uranium wire had been irradiat.ed After t h i s exposure, t he coupons ha8 a surface reading

A n d , v t i c a l Services

Columbia River radioanalysis was ref ined f o r Radiation Protection. meamzed isotopes are now being reported with an average standard deviation of f 25 per cec t . metho3.s. wa?.er cc l lec ted ups+uream from the reactors - a subs tan t ia l e f fo r t . on along w i t h r e p r t i n g regular samples with the wider tolerance brackets. t ior: of them allowed reporting r i v e r radioisotope l eve l s a t the earliest time g rac t i ea l .

The 18 regularly

It had been + 100, - 50 per cent due t o sketchy performance data on the

It was car r ied The %ighter brackets resulted from analyzing t r ace r s added s ingly t o r i v e r

Tolera-

SEPARATICN PROCESSES

Plutcrium AiA m Exchange

W a g operation cf the Purex continuous anion exchange coatactor it was found that the push t i m e f o r t L e r e s in iccreased considerably between about the 110th and t h e 140th day of opera%ion. Samples of the res in taken a t 110 days and 140 days were compred. The 140-by r e s in showed no more broken beads than the 110-dgy r e s in and IJ&S completsly free of t he extremely f i n e material present i n bcth 60-day and 110-day amp lea, The color of the r e s in a t 140 days had changed t o yellow in ccnt ras t t o tk browr c f aew resin and both the 60- and 110-day saqlss. absenr-e of broken bekds a d the change i n color are probably i rk i ca t ive of softec- irig c.f the r e s i n beads by com\ined chemical and radiatiori a t tack . This appears t.c be the ~ d y feas ib le expla=t,icr?. of the increased push times noted. The absesce of the f l&e mferial which waz present i n both the 60- acd IlO-day smplce i s presumed to iLdicate thaf, t h i s material has COW completely dis integrated and/or diescdved. Reglacement of the r e s in i s sckeduled during the next p lan t c22utdGm.

The

Diresf Calcimt,ion of Plu%onium Nitrate. capa215 of producing plutanium n i t r a t e solution of high puri ty , the oxalate precip- itatim s t e p f o r f inal pur i f ica t ion i s poten t ia l ly unnecessL-y. stady has, t t e re fore , keen i n i t i a t e d t o invest igate the problem of d i r e c t calcina- t i on . Prslfminary experiments have been encouraging. A dense (2.41, free-flowing plutonium oxide was formed by the addi t ion of concentrated plutonium n i t r a t e - n i t r i c az id Soluticrn t c an excess of boi l ing ten molar oxalic: ac id (molten H2C 04'2 H 0)

a3 550 C . u t ion of t he oxalate precipi*&tion, thus eliminating t h i s par t icu lar rework problem.

Because the anion exchange Frozess is

An experimenaal

fcllowed by evapos t ion t o dryness of the resu l t ing slurry arid f i n a l l y y calc f natior, This process ha8 t he obvious advantage of eliminating the supernatsnt sol-

234-5 Off-Gas F i l t e r . filter penci l which is calcizer and plutonium Lchozk, a penci l f i l t e r f i l t o r was backflushed nczed.

I

I 2 4 1 0 4 5

T e s t a has continued on the Selas 50-micron-pore-size ceramic being evaluated f o r par t icu la te removal from 234-5 Building chloride converter off-gases. To tes% i t s resis tance t o thermal was placed i n a 500 C oven f o r f i v e hours. Once 84 hour tfie f o r one minute w i t h C a i r . No physical damage w a s

c-4 EW- 58661

Nitrate Destruction

Tec experimental runs have been completed i n the Semiworks n i t r a t e destruction un i t s ince the feed tower was replaced (reported last month). Operation has been very mocth with no indicat ions of pressure surges during normal operation. Tests o f , off-standard conditions involving the addition of formaldehyde t o the reactor while a t hmbient temperature conditions followed by heeting resulted i n pressure surges of only one foo t of water.

Other data secured during the repor t period indicate:

a ) High feed temperatures are benef ic ia l i n improving the u t i l i z a t i o n efficiency of formaldehyde .

b ) Under selected operating conditions, up t o 90 per cent of the n i t r a t e i n the feed ( 1 W W ) may be vo la t i l i zed by the formaldehyde and the product ac id i ty may be reduced t o near-neutral values.

c ) The react ion was r e l a t i v e l y insens i t ive t o whether the formaldehyde addition point m s located i n vapor o r l i q u i d region of the reactor .

d ) Variations i n the reactor residence time from 0.7 t o 4.1 hours had l i t t l e e f f e c t on reactor p e r f o m c e .

Multicurie Cell Invest igat ions

Analyses have now been received on the cerium recovery run performed las t month t o Test the McKenzie peroxydisulfate process. complete, i n sa t i s f ac to ry agreement with laboratory sca le work, and ruthenium evolution was apparently not s ign i f icant . However, much of the zirconium-niobium was p rec ip i ta ted w i t h the cerium due t o a s l i g h t l y too high pH.

Recovery of cerium was 95 per cent

Additional dab on t ho p rec ip i t a t e which has been rout inely observed i n as-received 1 W W shows that it is not simply s i l i c a . It contains subs tan t ia l amounts of iron, alumirium, chromium, nickel, copper, phosphate, s i l i con , and t r aces of a number of cther elements. Over half of the f i s s i o n product zirconium-niobium and less than ore-tenth of the other f i s s i o n products are associated with the prec ip i ta te . residue remaining after successive treatment w i t h n i t r i c acid, oxal ic acid, sodium hydroxide, and a lka l ine tartrate consisted mostly of b s r i u m and lead sulfates together w i t h the precious metals, espec ia l ly gold.

A

Recezt t r a c e r l e v e l experiments have extended previous information on the e f f e c t of high a c i d i t y and of other solut ion var iables on t he cesium carrying eff ic iency of zinc ferricyanide. These show t h a t cesium can probably be recovered from current 1 W W without any neutral izat ion, i.e., a true high acid process. This might be desirable if cesium is t o be recovered i n conjunction with a scheme of waste disposal which does not involve neutral izat ion of the waste.

1 2 4 1 0 4 1

Strontium Recovery

Further experiments have been performed t o better define the behavior of other f i s s i o n products i n the strontium recovery process. t ions, approximately 0.1 per cent each of the feed cerium, ruthenium, and zirconium- niobium were found with the strontium a f t e r completion of the low pH by-product, high pH product, and n i t r i c ac id i so l a t ion steps. good decontamination f o r a prec ip i ta t ion type process, the a c t i v i t y of the unwanted f i s s i o n products remaining a t t h i s s t ep is equivalent t o about ten per cent of the a c t i v i t y of the strontium-90 on a cur ie basis and t o considerably more than t h i s on a basis of gamma cur ies as per cent of bremsstrahlung. may accordingly be required. fu r the r decontamination, and the p rec ip i t a t e was gelatinous and d i f f i c u l t t o handle.

Using spiked synthet ic solu-

Although t h i s represents qui te

Further pur i f ica t ion Prec ip i ta t ion of strontium f luor ide gave only s l i g h t

Calcination of Purex Waste

A s e r i e s of 1W comgositions were postulated based on varying degrees of improvement with respect t o minimizing t o t a l so l id s content. 900 C with phosphate, borate, and s i l i c a t e glass-forming additions (as w e l l as with no addi t ive) and the s o l u b i l i t y i n boi l ing water determined. The r e s u l t s show that the higher temperature i s required t o obtain low s o l u b i l i t y and a l s o that the com- pos i t ion of the waste i s qui te important and requires fu r the r study t o define the "insoluble yet meltable" range.

These were calcined a t 400 C and

The eight-inch by ten-foot radiant heat spray calciner was heated up t o test the e l e c t r i c a l res i s tance heating. desi@ of the lagging and i n the behavior of the thermocouples, and these w i l l require correct ion before runs w i t h feed solut ion begin. the three-inch unit t o t e s t two ideas: give an added heat surge to obtain high p a r t i c l e temperature without high equipment temperature, and ( 2 ) introduction of spray a t the bottom, r a the r than top, of column f o r b e t t e r segregation control . Ign i t ion was observed with 200 gms/l of sugar addi- t i v e and an oxygen atmosphere o r with 400 gms/l of sugar without oxygen addition. The wall temperature was TOO C i n both cases. with ign i t ion than without. t ion ; however, this may have been due t o sugar addi t ion or t o a higher than normal drying temperature.

Certain minor def ic iencies were revealed i n the

Experiments were run i n (1) addi t ion of a combustible mater ia l t o

Bulk dens i t i e s appeared t o be higher Some fragmentation occurred with the bottom feed loca-

Analyt ical Services

8 Radioactive strontium i n crops i s now being detected a t the 2 x 1 0 p / g leve l ; a 35-fold improvement i n detect ion limit. Use of the i so l a t ed laboratory, mentioced i n August, and use of an anit-coincidence beta proportional counter (one count per minute background) allowed the refinement.

Obsenration Wells

Very few marked changes were found i n the ground water contamination pa t te rn near ground disposal f a c i l i t i e s . For the first t im a monitoring w e l l n e w the U6-BC c r i b s was found to contain radioact ive contamination i n detectable concentrations

contained radioisotopes only a t in te rmi t ten t sampling periods. $In m t e d samples. Previously t h i s and o ther monitoring wells a t the s i t e

e n

C-6 HU- 58661

Srcund wat.er samples from wells near the 216-A-24 c r i b continued t o show increasing concentrations of radioact ive material. gamma s c i n t i l l a t i o n probe revealed the presence of detectable gamma emit ters from a depth of about 20 feet all the way down t o the water t ab le (220 f e e t ) i n all kut the westernmost of these wells. In t h i s monitoring w e l l gamma emit ters were de5ected tc a depth of about 145 f e e t . Ground water samples from all of these mcnitoring wells were ound t o contain radioactive contamination i n concentrations ranging from 2.6 x l d to 8.2 x 10-6 uc/cc. Rod t e s t a of the d i s t r ibu t ion of l i q u i d show that a l i q u i d head is seldom present i n other than the western sect ion of the cr ib . Monitoring probe surveys of the risers however, show that radio- ac t ive mater ia l is d i s t r ibu ted along the e n t i r e c r ib . occurred by l a t e r a l seepage r a the r than overflow of the d i s t r ibu t ion l i nes .

A sumey of these monitoring wells with a

This d i s t r ibu t ion may have

Monitoring w e l l s a r e under construction i n the 200 West Area using a core sampling technique. W i t 3 t h i s d r i l l i r g method no water is added t o the hole, making possible a r e a l i s t i c survey uf moisture dis t r ibu3ion in the samples. g l ac io f luv ia t i l e gravels contain about 1 t o 2 per cent moisture by volume, while fiEe-grained Touchet soil cootsins 3 t o 7 per cent moisture by volume. lenses were found to contain as much as 18 per cent moisture by volume. kta help e s t ab l i sh the spec i f ic re ten t ion of l o c a l s o i l s a f t e r long drainage periods.

It was found t h a t

Some clay These

Disposal t.0 Ground

Research on the r e m v a l cf plutonium from Recuplex waste by an anion exchange r e s in stowed promise of providing a method f o r economic recovery of t h i s materi ’

waste which in t e r f e re ser ious ly with standard analyses f o r Pu239. The Am241 is not remved by on exchange r e s ins . Sirxe i t s MPC i n drinking water i s the same as that f a - P u ~ ~ the exchange r e s in treatment does not grea t ly improve the r e l a t i v e hazarcl of the radioact ive mater ia l i n the waste. It may be possible, however, t o remove the americium ion by ca t ioa exchange on the s o i l a f t e r the solut ion i s prcjperly neutralized. IRA-400 r e s i n with 0.35 M n i t r i c acid.

cmplexing agents, such as c i t r i c a c i d o r ethylenediamine te t raace ta te , which y ie ld m i o n complexes suscept ible to anion exchange.

The rt+udy i s complicated by the presence of s ign i f i can t corcentrations cf Am &* in the

It w a s shown that plutonium car: be eluted from the Amberlite Pre iminary experiments a re i n progress t o

determine the f e a s i b i l i t ? of recovering Am2 t from the Recuplex waste by means of

The laboratory s tudies of the Recuplex CAW waste were interpreted i n terms of plant appl icat ion. product. could be recovered by anion-exchange each month. A t the same t i m e only a small c a p i t a l investment and almost a negl igible increase i n operating cost would &.e required.

Special Geological Studies

The data indicated that approximately $15,000 t o $20,000 worth of

The first of a s e r i e s of discussiors was held with members of CPD and Frank Neumann, ee femlog i s t of the University of Washington, ccrrcerning the earthquake pcteotLa1 and damage poten t ia l study Mr. NelrmRnn is making f o r CPD.

c -7

The Bach Drilling Compan; completed more than 90 per cent of the origdally estinated 4000 feet of drilling on Project CA-794. to be drilled.

Drilling is continuing on the last wells

TRANSURANIC ELEMENT AND FISSION PRODUCT RECOVERY

Recovery of Neptuniun in Purex

"IBN" Contactor. of stripping neptunium out of the -ex l B U stream into a confined aqueous phase in a simple one-stage contactGr interposed between the lRX column and the 1C column. If the distribution ratio (organic/aqueous) for neptunium could be maintained at about 0.001, then about one kilogram of neptunium could be "trapped" in abmt 2000 galloris of aqueous solution in this contactor and neptunium concentrations in other plant s+,rea,ms would not have to increase above the "once-through" level. In addition to greatly reducicg the inventory of neptunium in other portiors of the plant, such a "IBN" cootactor would enable substantial purification of neptunium from uranium, plutonium, and possibly UX1 and would, therefore, simplify considerably the final purification of $he neptunium product.

Exploratory studies were undertaken to determine the feasibility

Maintenance of a neptunium distribution ratio in the neighborhood of 0.001 will require that neptunium be maintained essentially quantitatively as neptunium(V) e

been attempted with aqueous phases consisting of metal nitrate solutions to which nitrous acid has been added. ticns the neptunium distribution ratio is too high, of the order of 0.1. ferric nitrate solutions, however, neptunium distributions are more favorable, being 0.076 in 1.5 M Fe(N03)3, 0.1 M NO2 ; 0.016 in 1.0 M Fe(N03)3, 0.1 M N02-; and only 0.006 in 0.5 E Fe(N03)3, 0.1 E N02-. concentration-from 0.1 to 0.5-M did not alter the neptunium distributiol:.

Nitrous Acid Behavior in Purex Systems. HA column has been shorn to be of critical importance in the recovery of neptunium, some attention has been given to those processes which tend to produce or deplete nitrous acid in W e x systems.

This has

With either aluminum nitrate or sodium nitrate sclu- With

- In the latteF case, increasiEg the nitrite

- Since the nitrous acid profile in the Purex

Nitrous acid is produced by radiolysis in nitric acid solutions. value is about 2.5 in a solutior containing 4.5 M nitrate. dose rate of 0.7 watts liter i n Purex HAF, nitrob acid wouli: be expected to form

solutions to cobalt-60 radiation at about this dos9 rate resulted ir: formation of nitrous acid at a rate of 4 x centration of 3.8 x 10-3 molar nitrous acid was established in about 24 hours. The rate of buildup was only about two-thirds as fast in 3 M EN03 but the same equilibrium level was reached. built up at a rate of 1.2 x 10-5 moles/liter/minute in 1.8 M U02(N03) and at about half this rate in 3 8 HNO3, reaching an equilihum levef'of 3.3 x 10-3 molar.

The expected G With the estimated

at a rate of about LO' f moles/liter/minute. Exposure of synthetic Purex HAFS

moles/liter/minute at 25 C. An equilibrium con-

At 50 C, with the same radiztion dose, nitrous acid 0.8 M HNO3 -

Nitrous acid is consumed in Purex systems by reaction with constituents of the solvent. been made both with plant solvent and with purified laboratory sclvent. ,> b -'. ,r. . .,

Preliminary measurements of the rate of consumptioli of nitrous acid have In the

. * " ..

c-a aW-586a

latter case, d is t i l led TBP and Amsco 125-90 W were separately washed with a lka l ine permanganate, 3 M n i t r i c acid, and 10 per cent sodium carbonate and then blended t o give a solvent c k a i n i n g 25 volume per cent TBP. t h i s solv n t t o an i n i t i a l concentration of 2.9 x

tu re could be sampled, t o 1.6 x 30 minutes, and t o 1.2 x 10' m o l a r after two hours. With f r e sh ly carbonate-washed p lan t solvent spiked t o the same i n i t i a l l e v e l of ni t rous acid, the corresponding l eve l s 5 x lo-' molar (after two hours).

When n i t rous acid was added t o molar, it had dropped to

m o l a r a f t e r E"" 1.9 x 10 -E molar before the

ere 7.2 x 10-5 molar, 3.5 x 10-5 molar ( a f t e r 30 minutes), and less than

An addi t iona l complication which was evident i n e a r l i e r work i n which the objective was t o e lucidate the r o l e 02 nit rous acid i n catalyzing the chemical degradation of Acpex solvent is the f a c t t h a t at elevated temperature cer ta in of the solvent degradation react ions produce n i t rous acid as one of the products.

Thus, it is apparent t h a t t he n i t rous ac id aqueous p r o f i l e i n the EA column is a complicated function of temperature, flow ra t e s , chemical composition and solvent h i s to ry and may not be g rea t ly dependent on the amount of ni t rous ac id added in the feeds.

W i f i c a t i o n of Neptunium by Anion Exchange. p w i f i c a t i o n of neptunium by anion exchange indicate that adequate pur i f ica t ion of the Purex neptunium product from all contaminants can very probably be obtained i n a s ingle cycle of anion exchange. ta ined by loading neptunium a t room temperature out of 6 M HmO3, 0.1 M ferrous sulfamate, 0.1 M semicarbazide, and washing a t room tempeFature with 50 column volumes o r moreof the same (co ld) solut ion. This y ie lds poor f i s s i o n product decontamination but it has been shown that applying a second room temperature wash cycle employing 15 column volumes of 8 M BNO followed by a 4 column volume wash employing-8 adequate f i s s i o n product decortamination.

Continued experimental s tudies of t k

Adequate plutonium decontamination can be ob-

0.01 5 Ell?, 0.05 M semicarbazide E O 3 to remove f luor ide y ie lds

On the basis of previous work on the anion exchange of plutonium it is expected that operating the f luor ide wash cycle a t 60 C w i l l improve decGntamination from both f iEsion products and UXl, and t h i s i s being checked experimentally i n current work.

Experience in these s tud ies indicates t h a t the bulk of the UX1 e lu t e s with the i n i t i a l portion of the neptunium product. addi t iona l insurance on VX, decontamination is t o e l u t e the neptunium product i n d i sc re t e f rac t ions . Recycle o r rework of perhaps the f irst f i v e per cent of the e lu ted neptunium should assure adequate decontamination from U X l i n the remaining 95 per cent.

Therefore, a simple expedient to provide

No fu r the r experimental chemistry work is planned after completion of current e tudies exploring a high temperature f luo r ide wash cycle and invest igat ing the f e a s i b i l i t y of subs t i tu t ing hydrazine f o r semicarbazide i n the plutonium removal s tep . Simplif icat ion of the aforementioned procedure w i l l probably be possible, but must await development of firm technology f o r recovering neptunium i n Furex and spec i f ic information on the composition and impurity content of the neptunium feed to the f i n a l pu r i f i ca t ion s tep.

P

IIW- 58661.1 8-- I r . %?'/ . f

C-9

An annular fixed-bed anion exchange column (8 f e e t high with a 19-1/2 inch ID annulus) is undergoing engineering study. f r ee - se t t l ed bed averaged 0.1 psi-ft/gpm with 3 M n i t r i c acid. i s not s ign i f i can t ly d i f fe ren t than that obtainex i n a six inch diameter column.

inch OD, Pressure drops across the

This pressure drop

I n i t i a l f l u id i za t ion s tudies indicate t h a t it i s much more d i f f i c u l t t o a t t a i o large bed expansions i n the annular column t h m it is i n a simple c y l i d r i c a l cclumg. Flcw r a t e s of about 7 gmp/sq.ft. of bed only produced a bed expansior of' 25 per cent.. This flow would have completely removed the bed from the six inch cy l indr ica l column.

Pur i f ica t ion of Purex Neptmium Product

The seeocd batch of neptunium recovered i n the Purex p l an t was pur i f ied i n a col labcrat ive e f f o r t with m e m b e r s of the Process Chemistry Operatiorz, Chemical Processing Department, u s i rg the f a c i l i t i e s i n tbe I-F multicurie cut ic le , 222-5 Building. t ions, the ll5-gram Purex product was pur i f ied by a s ingle cycle of ar ion exchange. A l l spec i f i ca t i c r s were niet o r c losely approached.

Using a flowsheet very similar t o that described i n the precedirg sec-

Indications from t h i s run a r e t h a t the planned provisions f o r operating the f lucr ide wash cycle a t eleva+,ed temperature and e lu t ing the product i n f rac t ions should enable adequately pur i f ied product t o be rout ine ly obtained i n a s ingle cycle of e i o r exchange i n f i t u r e runs.

Recovery of Neptunium in Redox. d e s i r a 3 i l i t y of rezlacing ferrous ammnium su l f a t e by ferrous sulfamate ir the lB column t o assure t h a t neptunium reaching t h i s column will follow uranium an2 be back-cycled r a the r t ha r beirzg l o s t t o the p lu to~ ium product. Preselice of the f 3 w - sheet amount 'of s u l f a t e (0.1 nn la r ) i n the uranium-lean end of the IB column depree- sed the neptmium d i s t r i b u t i o s r a t i o (organic/aqueous) by a f a c t o r of about 10. Calculations based on these data ind ica te about a 50-50 s p l i t i n th, e IB column with the present flowsheet aud ferrous ammonium su l f a t e whereas about 99 per cent of the neptunium should follow the uranium if tbe ferrous ammonium su l f a t e were replaced by ferrous sulfamate.

Additional laboratory experiments confirmed the

Further s tudies of a modified Redox HA column showed the neptunium distribut. ion r a t i o t o be surpr i s ing ly i m e r s i t i v e t o Cr( III)/Cr(VI) r a t i o o r t o Cr2O7' concentraticE. With aqueous phase "acidity" ranging from 0 t o 0.02 M acid-deficient, neptunium dis- t r i bu t ion coefficierits remained i n the range 0.3 t o 5.4 f o r Cr(III)/Cr(VI) r a t i o s raoging from 0 t o 0.5 and f o r Cr2O7' concentrations rangirg from 0.001 t o 0.1 M

(with no added Cr( I I1) ) . - It was also found t h a t uranium depresses the d i s t r ibu t ion r a t i o f o r neptunium i n s l i g h t l y ac id i f i ed EA systems ( 0 t o 0.02 M acid-def ic ient aqueous phtise). Neptun- i u m d i s t r ibu t ion r a t io s , which are of the-order of un i ty o r greater i n the absecce of uranium, were 0.12 wi th 0.33 molar and 0.38 with 1.1 molar uranium i n the organic.

Neptunium Chenistrx

The co-extraction and separation of neptunium and plutonium with tr i laurylamine was successfully t e s t ed f o r possible appl icat ion in Palmolive reprocessing. F

Plutonium

1 2 4 1 0 5 2

c-10 HW-58661

and neptunium rere co-extracted with ten volume per cent TLA-Amsco D95 after adjust ing both t o the extractable ( I V ) states 'by treatment with fe r rous sulfamate followed by excess o i t r i t e . neptunium then s t r ipped separately with ferrous sulfamate and n i t r i t e , respectively. Advantage i s taken i n t h i s scheme of differences i n the k ine t ics of plutonium and ceptunium oxidation. The amine process should have the advantage over the use of ion exchange res ins of less damage from the high radiat ion l eve l s involved.

The organic was scrubbed with n i t r i c acid and the plutonium and

Preliminary scouting experiments have been done t o test the app l i cab i l i t y of spectrophotometry t o the study of neptunium solut ion chemistry. much promise, and several i n t e re s t ing results have already been obtained. Thus the rate of oxidation of Np(V) by n i t r i c ac id i n the presence of t race n i t r i t e was much slower a t macro neptunium concentraticns than inferred a t Savannah River from solvent extract ion experiments. Also of process significance was the observaticn that n i t r i t e (0.1 M) reduced Np(V1) t o (IV) i n 8 M HNO3 with a half time of about two hours, thus &clusively proving an hypothe& d s e d on observed ion exchange behavior. I n other experimelrts (of i n t e r e s t i n Redox recovery of neptunium), ferrous ion was found t o reduce Np(V1) t o (V), ra ther than t o (IV), i n 1 .5 M A N N , 0.05 M ENO3.

The method shows

- -

Cesiuin I so la t ion and Packaging Prototype

Shop fabr ica t ion of prototype components is approximately 50 per cent completed. During January, upon rece ip t of the base frame from Minor Construction and equip- mer;t pieces from 200 West and 300 Area shops, i n s t a l l a t i o n a c t i v i t i e s are scheduled t o start i n the 321-A Buildicg.

Drawing No. SK-2-3226, "Ionization Chamber, Cesium Iso la t ion and Packaging" has been completed and issued. cf 0.37511 amp i n a gamma rad ia t ion f ie ld of 80,000 r/hr a t a chamber poten t ia l of 700 v o l t s .

The ioc iza t ion chamber is designed t o y ie ld an i oc current

Studies have been i n i t i a t e d t o determine the modifications required t o the cesium prototype t o permit i t s use fcr packaging other f i s s i o n products. modifications required f o r packaging strontium f luor ide are being determined. this study a preliminazy flowsheet supplied by Chemical Research is being used.

I n i t i a l l y the For

ANALYTICAL AND INSTRUMENTAL CHEMISTRY

Polarography of Plutonium

The appl icat ion of square wave p la rography t o plutonium concentration measurements was studied and a progress report , HW-58463, has been issued. of plutonium(II1) and plutonium(IV) i n either n i t r i c o r hydrochloric acid so lu t io s

moles per l i t e r . A s ta t ionary platinum electrode and a 10 mi l l i vo l t square wave of about 85 cps superimposed on a 50 millivolt-per-minute d-c scan were used. N i t r i t e interference is e a s i l y eliminated by adding sulfamate, dissolved oxygen does not in te r fe re , and a concentration of up t o about f i v e times as much Fe( I I1) as plutonium can be tolerated. Other possible interferences were not studied.

The concentrations

can be measured by square wave polarography t o a detection l i m i t of about 2 x 10- z

1 2 4 1 0 5 3

c -11

Tape Recording of Nuclear Pulses

A study of the f e a s i b i l i t y of recoraing nuclear pulses on magnetic tape as a meane of extending the usefulness of multichannel pulse height a d y z e r s has shown t h i s method to have l imited appeal under present conditions. Pulse resolut ion has not been as had been ant ic ipated and the present a b i l i t y t o divide a 256-channel a ~ a l y - zer i n to two 128-channel instruments has done much t o re l ieve the s i tua t ion which made tape recording appear desirable.

EQUIPMENT AND MA'EXIALS

Pump Dewlopment

A Model CF Chempump, containing a Hanford modified tapered-bearing system, was removed from tes t after 12,500 hours of successful operation pumping 60 per cent n i t r i c acid. The puq, after inspection, is t o be used i n norm& 3 U Buil3lng in- l ine t r ans fe r service.

,

Four Magnaflow pumps, supplied by Purex Technology operation, have been equipped w i t h glass bearings and are being evaluated f o r use as in- l ine pumps f o r handling XA Columo e f f luec t . Preliminary tes t ing, using a simulated plant mock-up, indicates that the systeE would be inadequate as or ig ina l ly specified. Tests are t o be continued on a modified system.

The titanium canned mctor pump (Gaylord Rives - GEL design) f roze after about 820 hours of operaticn. caused interference between the bearings and the jcurrials. cleaned of scale depcsi ts aEd has operated s a t i s f a c t o r i l y f o r 1130 Lours i n dis- t i l l e d water as a completely submerged uni t .

Deposition of scale from the water employed as tes t f l u i d The pump has been

Bearing T e s t Program

A report , m-58639, "Developments i n the EL0 Bearing T e s t Program - Interim Repr t " w a s wri t ten. bearing tes t program since i t s inception.

Thic r e p r t summarizes the a c t i v i t i e s i n the Chemical Development

Attempted R e m c v a l of Corrosion Test Samples from plrex 101-A Waste Storage Tank

Two attempts t o remve baskets of corrosion test samples from the Purex 101-A mder- ground was+,e storage tank failed due t o d i f f i c u l t y i n f reeing the lead radiatior: plugs and t o jamming of the sample basket i n the riser. It may be possible t o remove o m set a t a later date using spec ia l equipment. It i s unlikeiy that the other set can be removed.

Corrosion of 304-L Stahless Stee l by P1utoz;ium Chloride

Samples of 304-L stainless steel were exposed t o plutonium chloride powder i n atmg- pheres having dew points ranging from -2OC t o +15C. from -2OC t o +5C, p i t t i n g attack occurs a t rates of one o r two mils per month. a dew point of +l5C, very severe a t t a c k both p i t t i n g and intergranular occurs. e.xposures were made i n closed systems i n which the desired dew point was obtained

It appears, that a t dew pcirits A t

These

F, . I 2 4 1 0 5 4 % I

c-12

w i t h sulfuric acid-water mixtures. q u t i t y of water avai lable and t h a t d i f f e ren t results would be observed in flowing atmosphere systems.

It is possible that such systems l i m i t t he t o t a l

This po in t .wi l1 be checked.

Corrcsion of "Curtisol" by Ni t r i c Acid

Samples of A-55 t i tanium l a p j o i n t s soldered with "Curtisol," a Curtiss-Wright titanium solder, were exposed t o boi l ing 65 wt. per cent n i t r i c acid. completely dissolved within one hour; it is not s a t i s f ac to ry f o r joining t i tanium fc r service i n n i t r i c acid solut ions.

The solder was

Non-Metallic Materials

Plastic cast ing s tudies are being made i n Process Equipment Development. e f f o r t s have been made t o determine the precision possible with various p l a s t i c cast ing techniques. were submitted t o the E l i Whitney Metrology Laboratory f o r measurement. O f t he group submitted one deviated from the master a maximum of 170 microinches and a minimum of 35 microinches. Both deviations were on the dnus side.

Recently

Five c a s t epoxy duplicates of a b i n c h nominal G d i u s template

PROCESS CONTROL D M E M ) m T

Assistance t o Chemical Processing Department on Process Control I n s t m a t a t i o n

A lead shielded i o c chambr system was designed that w i l l indicate the cocling t h e of f u e l elements delivered t o the -ex Plant . The system u t i l i z e s the same ion chamber t h a t was develcped fcrr the cesium recovery process. be f i e l d tested t o dete-niine the shielding combination resu l t ing i n the maxim attenuat ion of low erergy gamma a c t i v i t y from the fuel elements an3 a minimum a t t en t - uation of the high energy gamma acxivi ty . i n preference t o the ex is t ing Health Monitoring chambers because of i t s smaller s i z e and resu l t ing lesser quantity of lead required f o r equivalent shielding.

The i o c chamber w i l l

The cesium-type ion cham3er was selected

A mock-up of an alternate method of venting the Redox IAFS two je t sampler has been fabr ica ted and is beicg tested a t 321 Building tank farm. A 2-inch cverflow l i n e has been i n s t a l l e d from the ktermediate l e v e l sample pot t o the 2-icch connector head on the F-1 tank. both je ts i n the system. It reduces the gas velocity, permittir;g entrained l i qu id tc deentrain 01; the walls of the pipe, thus minimizing l i qu id carryover t o the veseel vent system.

A gamma absorptiometer t o measure plutonium cmcent ra t ion i n the "C" ion exchange column has been assembled, t e s t ed and ca l ibra ted f o r the range 0 t o 60 gm/l. of plutonium. The instrument w i l l be in s t a l l ed approximately two feet a3ove the product take-off point on the C Column. product Concentration. i n s t a l l a t ions .

This i s of su f f i c i en t s i z e t o accoxnwdate the discharge from

It w i l l a id i n obtaining a more uniform The u n i t h&s been delivered t o the p lan t for f inal

Two of the newly ccnceived tubing type gamma monitor c e l l s were fabricated, laboratory tested and delivered t o the Redox Plan t . i n l i n e a r polyethylene tubing. on the HCP (m) i n l ine gama monitor. %c monitor i n the past. 1

The monitored volume is housed The c e l l s are scheduled f o r i n s t a l l a t l o n and test

(This has been the most d i f f i c u l t stream

1 2 4 i C 5 5

IC Column Studies

c-13 Hw-5

System for controlling the acid concentration of the 1CX stream and the uranium concentration of the 1CF stream were tested and found satisfactory. system dilute nitric acid is continuously added to a distilled water stream with the acid addition being controlled by the pE of the resulting 1CX stream. 1CF system organic (W) is added to a concentrated 1CF stream, with the organic addition being controlled by a photometric uranium analysis of the resulting mixture. Little success has been achieved to date in measuring and controlling the acid concentration of the 1CF stream.

In the 1CX

I n the

Magnetic Flowmeter Tests

An endurance test of a Fischer-Porter magnetic flowmeter using 100 per cent UNH was terminated this month after 56 days cumulative operation. this test the meter has been recommended for measuring UNH feed flow to the UO3 plant calciners. visible damage to the instrument was observed, and flow rates were determined with an accuracy of fO.O1 gallon per minute.

On the basis of

During the test period no plugging of the meter occurred, no

Calciner Automation

A n analysis of the furnace control for the UO

obtained from these equations by numerical. integration on the Digital Differential Analyzer (DM) will be compared with plant tests made during startup in order t o evaluate the describing parameters.

calciners was begun with a theoretical derivation of the heat equations. The theore 2 ical transient response of the furnace

NON-PRODUCTION FUELS REPROCESSING

Mechanical Processing Cell Shear Tests

Continued tests with a 40-ton hydraulic shear equipped with a notched (1/2 x 3/4 inch rectangular notches) upper blade and semicircular lower stationary blade, and cutting simulated reactor fuel assemblies (ceramic-filled stainless and copper tubing), both in air and water-submerged, showed:

The notched blade performance is inferior to that of either straight or V-blades; chopped material catches in the notches.

The semicircular stationary blade performance is supericr to that of straight or V-blades.

Water-submergence had no affect on the shearing performance. Some fine ceramic was dispersed in the water.

A low-velocity waterflush through the shear throat reduced fines accumulation in the throat by about 75 per cent.

I 2,'4 I 0 5 b

C -14

Cut-Off Saw Development

"Cold-sawing'' ( W t i p l e milling c u t t e r t ee th on a c i r cu la r blade) is being invest i - gated as an a t t r a c t i v e a l t e rna te f o r f r i c t i o n cu t t ing of end f i t t i n g s from power reac tor fue ls . Cold-sawing combines the advantages of hacksawing (low cut t ing speeds and heat generation, l a rge r saw p a r t i c l e s ) and c i r cu la r f r i c t i o n sawing (longer blade l ife, simple equipment, ea s i e r remote blade change, maintenance).

Feed Preparation

Darex. and chloride removal f o r s t a i n l e s s s t e e l clad, unbonded, uranium dioxide core fue ls has been issued; "Preliminary Darex Plowsheet," HW-58600 by J. J. Shefcik and A . M. P l a t t , December 18, 1958.

A repor t del ineat ing workable flowsheet conditions f o r batch dissolut ion -

A sequential d i sso lu t ion of 304 stainless steel pipe and annular pieces of s in te red U02 was performed i n the p i l o t u n i t . Continuous addition of 3.75 M HC1 and 4.7 M HNO3 developed a cyc l ic and unstable react ion with s t a i n l e s s steel-at flow rates- l e s s than about 0.01 g p m per square foo t of s t a in l e s s s t e e l surface. r a t e s the react ion proceeded smoothly. Dissolution of the U 0 2 proceeded a t rates of 100 mils per hour i n 2.6 M - chloride, 3 - M acid, a d 1.2 M - s t a i n l e s s s t e e l .

Chloride removal s tud ies on a simulated Yankee-element dissolver solut ion (2.5 M - chlor ide) using equal volumes of 50 per cent and 60 per cent n i t r i c ac id as a continuous b u t t during b o i l down produced chloride decontamination f ac to r s of 2.4 and 16, respect ively. Similar experiments using 50 and 60 per cent acid i n a batch addi t ion and boil down procedure produced chloride decontamination f ac to r s of 2.2 and 2.9, respect ively.

Niflex.

200-E F a c i l i t y a t 2l25 F f o r one hour and water quenched. arid only mild d i s t o r t i o n cccurred.

A t higher

I n s t a l l a t i o n of the Hastelloy F dissolver system f o r Niflex (EN0 -HF dissolut ion of S.S.) i s 85 per cent complete. The vesse ls were hea t t r e a z ed in the

Oxide scal ing was mild

Zi r f lex . Dissolution rates of" s in te red uranium dioxide f u e l cores were determined under a var ie ty cf conditions. Typical rates secured a r e as follows:

Solution Composition Rate ' m i Z '

10.6 10.0 0.0 0.2 110- 160

6.9 2.7 1.8 0.2 13-20

6.9 0.9 2.7 0.2 2- 6

Sulfex Process

.Complete ana ly t i ca l data are now avai lab le f o r recent s tud ies of the r a t e of dissolut ion of i r r ad ia t ed U02 ( i r r ad ia t ed t o E. 500 g &/ton U and cooled - ca. 20 months) i n boi l ing 4 M H#O4. These data r a t e s of

D -

1 2 4 1 0 5 1

1 x corresponding t o a reac t ion rate of about 0.05 per cent per hour. These rates were lower by a f a c t o r of E. 10 when s t a i n l e s s s t e e l was being simultaneously dissolved a t a rate of ca. 0.1M per hour. Surprisingly, t he r a t e of dissolutior?. of unirradiated UOg wasTound to' be depressed by a f ac to r of - ea. 10 a l s o i n the presence of dissolving s t a i n l e s s s t e e l .

g/hr,cm2 and 7 x g/hr,cm2 f o r uranium and plutonium, respectively,

It has been previously reported t h a t uranium metal r eac t s with boi l ing 4 E H s O 4 tC y ie ld not only soluble uranium but a l s o a f ine ly divided, water-peptizable sol id . Recent s tud ies indicate that t h i s s o l i d is an intermediate i n the react ion which leads t o ul t imate formation of soluble uranium. The amount of t h i s s o l i d increaees f a i r l y rap id ly t o a s teady-state value which i s then maintained throughout the remainder of the reaction, indicat ing a step-wise react ion whereby the massive uranium metal is converted f irst to a finely-divided s o l i d (presumably an oxide) which then dis- solves ln the boi l ing 4 M - H g O 4 t o y ie ld uranium(N) in solut ioc.

Processing of Uranium-Molybdenum Alloy. When uranium-three per cent molybdenum a l loy is d i s s d v g d (o r d i s in tegra ted) i n boi l ing n i t r i c acid, l a rge amcunts of f h e l y divided yellow-white so l id s are formed. I n the experiments performed, a s ingle addi- t i o n of ac id (rangirg from 10 t o 50 wt. per cent ) was made t o excess metal and dissolut ion w a s allowed t o proceed to near zero f r ee acid. Se t t l ed volume of the so l ids ranged from 420 to 690 gallons per ton of uranium dissolved while centrifuged vclumes ranged from 40 t o 80 gallons. per cent of the dissolved uranium and from 45 t o 85 per cent of the dissolved molyb- deaut. Washing of the so l id s was d i f f i c u l t due t o the small p a r t i c l e s i ze . solvents t r i e d , only sod!-um carbonate and the halogen acids ( H C 1 md HF") completely dissolved the so l ids . Sodium hydroxide metathesises the sclidE t o iz.sol-hie sodium diuranate and soluble mcly3date ion.

The water-washed so l id s contained from 2.5 t o 4.7

O f Sever&

Dissolution of uranium-three w e i g h t per cent molybdenum a l l o y i n boi l ing n i t r i c acid-ammonium fluoride-aluminum n i t r a t e solutions, without leaving appreciable sol ids , i s r ead i ly accomplished if the Al/F mole r a t i o is 0.5 o r less, the F,Mo (terminal) mole r a t i o is about 30, terminal uranium corcentratfon is about 0.4 E, and terminal a c i d i t y is about one m o l a r . Instantaneoils d i s so lu t io r ra+&s, under these conditiocs, a r e greater than one g/cm2/hr ard appear adequately high.

Pink so l id s of unknown composition were formed i n the aqueous phase when dissolver solut ion prepared as i n the preceding paragraph and spiked with &(N) was contacted successively with neut ra l hexone. The so l id s were not formed if the dissolver solu- t i o n was made 0.05 t o 0.1 M i n sodium dichromate. be heated f o r several hour; a t 90 t o 95 C without formation cf so l id s even when the Al/F r a t i o was increased t o as much as 1.5 provided the so lu t ioa was first made 0.1 to 0.2 M i n sodium dichromate. these cEnditions. these solut ions was obtained i n four successive contacts w i t h hexcrne containing 0.1 M n i t r i c acid, even when +de solut ions were not heated t o oxidize. plutonium. Corrzsion problems associa+,ed with a high temperature oxidation step would be reduced by this procedure. adequate urwium recovery from these feed solut ions under simulated Redm extract ion h d s t r i p conditions. 10-100 parts of molybdenum per mil l ion parts of uranium indicat icg good separation of molybdenum

Al'so, the dissolver solut ion could

Plutonium(N) WBS oxidized t o Pu(V1) readi ly under Extraction of grea te r than 99.9 per cent of the plutonium from

Batch contact and mini mixer s e t t l e r s tud ies indicated

The first cycle product stream (HCP) from a miri run contaked

I 2 h I O 5 8

The d isso lu t ion of' uranium-three percent molybdenum a l loy under conditions simulating Darex core d isso lu t ion was studied. dissolut ion when the solut ion was held a t the boi l ing point and when the t o t a l chloride t o molybdenum mole r a t i o was about 10. could be avoided by not heating the solut ion during dissolut ion. mole r a t i o s about 25, so l id s were not formed when the solut ions were boiled during dissolut ion.

Large amounts of s o l i d were formed during the

Formation of so l id s at t h i s Cl/Mo mole r a t i o A t total C1,'Mo

Following each simulated Darex dissolution, the solut ion (or s lu r ry ) was concentrated t o one-half volume, one volume of concentrated n i t r i c ac id was added, and the r e su l t - ing solut ion o r s l u r r y was refluxed t o remove chloride. of so l id s were present a f t e r chloride removal.

I n all cases, large amounts

Materials of Construction. (vacuum melted) showed that heat treatment times greater than one hour a t ternpew- tu res of 2100 and U 5 O F do not increase the weld metal corrosion resis tance t o ni t r ic-hydrofluoric ac id solut ions over t h a t obtained i n one hour. ence i n the weld m e t a l corrosion resis tance ( t o ni t r ic-hydrofluoric ac id solut ions) was observed f o r weldments whether water-quenched o r a i r cooled after annealing a t 2100 and 2l50 F. cooled samples. s e r i e s of welds all made under near ly iden t i ca l conditions and annealed a t 2100 F. A l l samples from the same series which were heat t r ea t ed a t 2l50 F showed l i t t l e o r no p re fe ren t i a l weld m e t a l a t tack . water-quenched also showed no preferen t ia l weld-metal. a t tack. scal ing and p i t t i n g occurred during the annealing, no cracking was observed when the welds were quenched. after exposure t o 1 M - HN03 - 2 M - HF f o r 72 hours.

Further study of post-weld heat treatment of Hastelloy-F

Also, no d i f fe r -

Severe a t t ack on both base and weld metal occurred on furnace- S igni f icant differences i n weld metal a t t ack occurred within a

Samples annealed a t 2l75 and 2200 F and Although appreciable

The specimen annealed a t 2200 F showed weld metal cracking

Annealing of the 321 Building Hastelloy F dissolver was only p a r t i a l l y successful. Weld m e t a l removed from one of the weldments corroded a t a rate of about 200 mils per month i n boi l ing 1 M HNO3 - 2 M HF. i n Sulfex-type solution;. Higher temperatures were not specif ied because of possible temperature gradients i n the furnace and f ea r of weld cracking during quenching.

No preferen t ia l weld metal a t tack occurred The =Gal was made a t 2125 F f o r one hour.

A one- l i te r vesse l constructed of one-eighth inch th ick vacuum melted Hastelloy F, annealed a t 2125 F after welding, is being exposed t o f a i l u r e i n boi l ing 1 M HN03 - 2 M EF. Fresh corrodant i s supplied two tirnes a week; hea t is supplied by GGscol mantle. f a i l u r e .

To date, 500 hours of exposure have been accumulated without

Nionel weldments made with a coated f i l l e r rod are subject t o p re fe ren t i a l weld metal a t t ack by Sulfex-type dissolver solut ions. not occur on weldments made with No. 65 Nionel f i l l e r wire ( i n e r t gas tungsten process ) . Heof+ - S.S.) increase from two t o seven mils per month as dissolved s t a in l e s s s t e e l is increased from zero ts 50 grams per l i te r .

Similar p re fe ren t i a l a t t ack did

Corrosion rates f o r Nionel i s simulated Sulfex dissolver solut ions (3.5 - M

C -17 En- 5

I

Heliarc-welded samples of Carpenter 20 Cb have not shown preferential weld metal attack in Sulfex-type dissolver solutions. dissolved stainless steel concentration OCCUTS as noted above for Nionel.

Increased corrosion with increased

Solvent Extraction

Semiworks Redox Processing of Non-Production Fuels Feeds. scale testing of modified Redox flowsheets for processing low-acid Darex aLd Niflex type feed solutions was completed at Oak Ridge National Laboratories late in November. "standard" Redox conditions, eight with Darex conditions, and seven with Niflex conditions. steel molar ratios of 2:1, 1:1, and 1:2 were evaluated. 100-300 MWDIton at 0.07-0.15 Ew, ton and cooled f o r four to eight morthe was employed as t.he source of uranium and radioactivity.

The "hot" semiworks

A total of sixteen different flowsheet tests was completed: one with

Flowsheet conditions using feed solutions with uranium-to-stainless Urariium irradiated tc

The test results indicate that the maximum gross gamma decontamination factors (HAF/HCU) obtainable under modified Redox conditions are 300-500 with Darex feeds and100-200 with Niflex feeds. tion fac%or of 2300 obtained using a standard Redox flowsheet, decontamination factor is about 2700 for dichromate-treated feed. ) results indicate that the majority of gamma activity in the HCU streamwas due to ruthenium in all cases. above decontamination factors are generally in the range of 0.1 to 1.0 per cect. The basic HA Column flowsheet conditions for reasonable decontaminatior performance and waste losses uoder &rex and Niflex conditions are estimated to be:

These results should be compared to a decontamina- (The Hanford pl-t

Incomplete data

Waste losses to the HAW stream for flowsheets providing the

a) HAW salt strength equivalents* 1.0-1.1 - M Al(NO3l3 b) Extraction section L/V 005 to 0.65

c) scrub Section L/V ca. 0.1 - Flooding rates in the HA Column under Darex and Niflex conditions are slightly higher than under "standard" flowsheet conditions when the silicon concentration in the feed solution is relatively low (0.001 M). in Darex feed solutions is relatively high (ca: 0.005 z), the flooding rate is reduced by nearly a factor of two. 0.002 M (the highest concentration tested because it corresponds approximately t.0 the hiaest stainless steel concentration obtainable with a Niflex flowsheet.) had no effect on flooding rates.

When the silicon cmcentration

Silicon concentrations in Niflex feeds up to

On nearly a l l flowsheets tested, visible precipitation occurred in the HAW stream within periods of time ranging from a few minutes to a few hours. case did precipitate& form within the HA Column during normal operation.) acidification of the waste stream (prior to formation of precipitates) by 0.1 to 0.2 M - acid rendered it stable for periods of several days Gr more.

(However, i n no Immediate

*This is taken as the summation of concentrations of Al(N03)3, stsinless steel, Bnd 3 - l/61NaNO3 + NHI+NO~), expressed in molarity.

2 4 1 0 b 0

Additional "cold" flooding and shor t ly a f t e r the f i r s t of the 3e t o b e t t e r define the e f f e c t

c -18

steady-state t e s t ing w i l l be performed a t ORNL yeas. of sil icon on flooding, optimum flowsheet conditions,

The primary object ives of these t e s t s w i l l

and e f f e c t s of molybdenum in feeds.

Instrumentation - Transient Pressure Monitor

The desigp of a system t o record t r ans i en t pressures has been started. w i l l be used i n the study of t r ans i en t pressures developed i n dissolver vessels during the d isso lu t ion of sodium containing f u e l elements.

C r i t i c a l i t y Studies - Feed Materials Preparation

A t e s t l o t of UO3*4H2O has been prepared and w i l l be observed f o r s t r a t i f i c a t i o n of moisture conterit upon standing. uranium r a t i o f o r a stable, homogeneous mixture of UO t he th i rd PCTR c r i t i c a l i t y experiment using 3 per cenz U-235 enriched U03 w i l l con- t a i n & H/U atomic r a t i o of e ight .

This system

The r e s u l t s w i l l determine the maximum water-to- and water. The feedstock f o r

XEACTOR DENELOPMENT - 4000 PROGRAM

Amine Extraction of PRP Fuels

Experiments reported last mcnth indicated that the di luent plays a major ro le i n the rad ia t ion damage of amine solvents. ated and un-irradiated solvents indicated that the material which i s responsible f o r the enhanced ex t rac t ion of zirconium-niobium is e i t h e r present a t very low concentration or that it is high boi l ing and thus not detected. experiments were a l s o run w i t h a highly pur i f ied di luent , dodecane. f ac to r s on ext rac t ion were about two-fold higher than with xylene o r Amsco 095, but s t r ipp ing behavior was similar, i .e . , that small f r ac t ion which extracted was apparently f ixed i n the solvent.

Gas chromatographic comparison of irradi-

Extraction-scrub Decontamination

Pyrochemical Processes

AlC13-KCl -Al System - Uranium.

below the melting point of aluminum i n the system AlC13-KCl-A1, a s e r i e s of experiments was done using zinc as a d i luent .

of the m e t a l phase decreases. changed from 0. 5 to 0.13 as the mole fras- Kc1 r i c h region show a sharp decrease i n the quantity

+,ion of aluminum changed from 0.73 t o 0.52. creased below 0.5, the decrease i n % was much l e s s extensive, ranging f o r example, from 0.05 t o 0.06 as the aluminum mole r a t i o changed from 0.29 t o 0.19. datum point a t an aluminum mole r a t i o of 0.038 gave a KN value of 0.034.

In order t o study the uranium behavior a t temperatures

The preliminary r e s u l t s a t 625 C acd in the as the aluminum content

A s the mole f r ac t ion of aluminum de-

A s ingle

Thus,

- (Mole f r ac t ion u i n metal) - (Mole f r ac t ion U iri salt)

(mole f r ac t ion aluminum i n s a l t ) (mole f r ac t ion aluminum i n metal.)

*

c -19 HW- 58-,& aL. .si

In te rpre ta t ion of the data a t t h i s time i s d i f f i c u l t since a twenty-fold var ia t ion i n the uranium content of the m e t a l phase occurred i n t h i s series of experhents . However, it is tempting t o ascr ibe the described behavior t o an abnormal reductfcn

There is, however, no evidence f o r such an e f f e c t from the phase diagram of the aluminum-zinc system.

Pyrochemical Flowsheet Studies

A po ten t i a l batch o r continuous countercurrent extract ion process flowsheet i n the aluminum-potassium aluminum chlor ide system has been developed f o r the separation of plutonium from irradiated uranium oxide fuel. t i o n coef f ic ien ts , of 33.3 f o r plutonium and 0.333 f o r uranium, expressed as grams salt phase, grams actinide/gram m e t a l phase 99 per cent discard of uranium, f i v e equilibrium stages and a metal/salt mass flow r a t i o of 2/1 a re required.

Mg-Zn/MgC12-KC1-NaC1 System

-o f the aluminum a c t i v i t y by the zinc.

Based on assumed constant extrac-

and assuming 0.1 per cent loss of plutonium and

Distr ibut ion coef f ic ien ts obtained a t 750 C f o r plutonium i n this system range from 1 to 20 (expressed as plutonium so far does not appear t o vary excess, as

reduction of

would be expected.

M ~ - A ~ / M ~ C Z ~ - K C I System

DistriSuticm coef f ic ien ts f o r plutonium a t 750 C Again no sa t i s f ac to ry in t e rp re t a t ion of the data pected react ion stoichiometry.

AlCl,-KCl-Al System - Protactinium

have ranged as high as 100 t o 272. has yet been found i n terms of ex-

In order t o c rea te a better p ic ture of the ac t in ide behavior i n the AlCl3-KCl-Al system, a series of experiments was conducted w i t h protactinium-233 t r ace r . t raced .aluminum a l loy was prepared by evaporating a n i t r a t e s a l t i n a cavi ty of ar aluminum block and melting under c ryo l i t e . The re su l t i ng a l l o y was then equ i l i -

A

brated with uranium. The d i s t r ibu t ion coef f ic ien ts defined as compared t o the other ac t in ides . Although

the data are ten ta t ive , the typ ica l peaking of the d i s t r i b u t i o r curve was not observed.

This behavior of protactinium may be usefu l i n devising a scheme f o r removal and conversion t o aluminum a l l o y of both U-233 and Pa-233 from irradiated thorium. (Thorium has been shown t o ex t r ac t only s l i g h t l y under these conditions.)

Mercury Isotope Separation

A re-evaluation of t he photoexcitation process fo r mercury isotope separation has shown t h a t t h i s method may be economically feasible and that developmnt s tudies

C-20

PRTR Fuels Processing

The g rea t s i m i l a r i t y of the proposed PRTR fuels and fuels which w i l l be discharged from other power and propulsion reac tors r e s u l t s i n much of the e x p e r b n t a l work reported herein on Non-Production Fuels Reprocessing being applicable t o the PRTR grogram. feed preparation, and mterials of construction is equally applicable t o the processing of spent PRTR f u e l s as t o the processing of any spent fue l s . i s re fer red t o the sect ions above on these subjects.

For example, most of the information learned on mechanical processing,

The reader

Dissolution of Uranium-Al~~~inum Alloys

Several scouting s tudies have been conducted to determine typ ica l dissolut ion r a t e s of 1/2-inch diameter U-A1 a l loys i n mercuric n i t r a t e - n i t r i c ac id mixtures. Essent ia l ly complete d isso lu t ion of the 0.9 t o 2.25 per cent uranium a l l o y was achieved i n one t o two ho-us using boi l ing 3 t o 8 M HNO3 with 0.01 a dissolut ion agent a t charge m l r a t i o s of about

Hg(N03)~ as HNO3/Al.

1 The i n i t i a l d i sso lu t ion r a t e s a t t a ined w i t h ac id concentrations of 5 and 8 I4 HNO resulted i n self-sustained boiling, po ten t i a l foaming problems, and require2 coo - ing of the dissolver t o maintain control. 3

The dissolut ion rates secured w i t h HNO were adequate (-150 mills/hr.) and very l i t t l e external heat was required

to main 2 a i n boi l ing conditions.

BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE - 6000 PROGRAM

Radionuclides i n Reactor Cooling Water

A small sect ion of a s t a in l e s s s t e e l p i g t a i l from a zirconium reactor tube was analyzed t o estimate how the use of zirconium tubes might e f f e c t the r ea r face dose when used i n place of the standard aluminum tubes. The data are tabulated as follows:

Concentration Isotope ( 4 Act iv i ty1

Estimated $ Dose a t 1 foo t

AsT6 47 39

23165 19 22

s c 46 393 16

~ r 9 7 3.5 1 2

c u a . 20 10

Cr51 5 0.3

Neglecting the very shor t l i v e d radioisotopes, 2 8 7 contr ibutes about 12 per cent of the dose. AsT6 is the ma’or contr ibutor t o the dose f o r the first day after a shutdown, but t he rea f t e r Zn6$ and Sc46 are the nearly equal maJor contributors. Since the radioisotcpic composition of the e f f luent water from t h i s tube did not

d i f f e r s ign i f i can t ly from that of an aluminum tube, the r ea r face contamination observed i s

both the G I t r a c t dose due t o downstream use of Columbia River water and the re5ctor r e a r face e q o s u r e dose.

robably also representat ive of an al um tube with some uncertainty as t o the Z r 5 7. It i s in t e re s t ing t o note that A s w i s the major contributor t o

A s e t of standard radioanalyt ical procedures has been developed and used f o r ac t iva t ion analyses of some 20 elements i n reactor cooling system materials. procedures include d i r e c t gamma spectrometric measurements, spec i f ic element separa- t ions and group separations followed by spectrometric measurements. dures a r e being used i n the study of the o r ig in and nature of radicisotopes formed i n the reac tor cocling system.

These

These proce-

Geology and Hydrology

A new, preliminary coritour map of the surface of the Ringold formaticn disclosed an irregular surface sloping gently eastward t o northeastward toward the Columbia River, and crossed by anastomosing r i v e r channels. These channels a re evidently comparable t o the present-day Columbia River channel, and bottom as m c h as 50 f e e t beneath the current water table. They are f i l l ed and covered with highly permeable f l u v i a t i l e gravels, hence probably transmit a la rge p a r t of the grcund waters moving from the v i c i n i t y of the Separations areas in to the Columbia River.

The channel of most concern t rends southeastward from the southwest comer of 200 East t o about coordinates N3O,OOO, W40,000, thence probably northeastward t.0 a pc in t just north of well 699-31-30 and then nearly eastward t o the Colum3ia River. It passes between t h e two Ringold "islands" previously ident i f ied , one east ef 200 E a s t Area, the other southeast of 200 E a s t Area and extending 63 the 300 Area.

The 200 E a s t Area ground water mound also loca tes the chsrulel described above although the wide spacing of wells e a s t of 200 E a s t Area on which the ground water and Ringold surface contours are based permits only a generalized p ic ture there. bulge i n the 400-foot groucd water contour near well 699-3;-30 li2s above the chm- rzel. Presumably much of the water i n the mound flows eastward v i a t h i s channel i n to the Columbia River. The mound completely bridges the channel aLd probably de- f l e c t s ground waters and contaminants from beneath 200 East Area disposal sites away from the charnel, around the end of the mound and in to the Ringold beds that. r i s e above the water t a5 le southeast of 200 E a s t Area.

The eastward

The loca t ion of the channel was control led by shallow fo lds i n the Ringold forma- t ion, by basa l t r idges t h a t rose above the water l e v e l a t the time of erosion and def lected the streams, and by the var ied e rodabi l i ty of the sediments encountered.

A wel l pumping t e s t was conducted by a commercial wel l -dr i l l ing firm i n well 699-33-56. The e f f ic iency of this well w a s reduced t o about 27 per cent by the bentonite dril- l i n g mud used i n constructing the w e l l . eliminated casing losses during the test. this locat ion was determined t o be 155,000 gal/day/ft . cons i s t of a th in zone of permeable g lac io f luv ia t i l e sands and gravels overlying a thicker zone of Ringold conglomerate, f o r a t o t a l thickness of about 90 f e e t . .The average coef f icierit, of permeability is correspondingly 1700 gal/day/ft.*.

B e w e l l was screened, which essentdal ly The coef f ic ien t of t ransmiss ib i l i ty a t

The aquifer was found t o

I 2 4 I O b 4

Instrumentation was completed on a la rge p l a s t i c model f o r laboratory study of the movement of high densi ty wastes i n the ground water. Studies were made t o compare the effect iveness of various instruments f o r measuring s o i l moisture content. commercial device consis t ing of a p a i r of e lectrodes encased i n a gypsum block was found t o require more than 24 hours t o achieve equilibrium with a soil system. Other matrix materials are being t e s t ed t o determine equilibrium response.

A

S o i l Chemistry and Geochemistry

A react ion between c a l c i t e aQd oxalate ion Fn basic solut ion was studied and found ix incorporate boce-seeking elements from solut ion i n much the same way 6s the calcite-phosphate react ion. calcium oxalate monohydrate. the calcite-phosphate reaction.

Tbe end Froduct of t h i s react ion w a s i den t i f i ed as The react ion displayed no par t i cu la r advffitages over

For the first time a mineral react ion vas discovered that permitted the removal of strontium from ac id so lu t iom. i n solut ion with gypsum to form f l u o r i t e (CaF2)" and r e s u l t s i n a fine-grained product that tends t o plug the column. This makes appl icat ion of the react ion una+,tractive u n t i l ways of overcoming these pro3lems a r e found. There appears t o be a marked reduction i n SrgO removal from solutions contaiLing alumillum, probably indicat ing competition f o r avai lable l a t t i c e s i t e s .

The process involves the react ion of f luor ide ion The reac t io r i s extremely rapid

The reac t ion removes radiostrontium from solut ion a t a pE of 2.0.

A technique was developed f o r preparing standard, carbonate-free s o i l . t h a t bes t r e s u l t s coul3. be obtained if the s o i l was t r ea t ed by a preliminary leach with 0.1 M HC1. HC1 and 1;t stand f o r tw:, weeks. Equilibrium calcium sa tura t ion of the carbonate- free s o i l was not obtained even by t r e a t m n t with 28 l i t e r s of 1.0 M CaC12 solution. Isomorphic subs t i tu t ion of C a f o r Al i n octahedral l a t t i c e s has bee; suggested to account f o r t h i s behavior.

It was found

After the preliminary leach the s o i l i s t i t r a t e d t o pH 1-2 with

F i e l d Apparatus Develcpment

!RE closed c i r c u i t !i'V canera was readied f o r t e s t ing i n pro jec t wells. f i c a t i o a - t o the opt ics was necessary t o permit focusing at very short object t o lens distances. Other work i n c l u b d providing a mirror, s t ab le support, and i l lumination scurce. I n i t i a l laboratory t e s t s i n a sect ion of w e l l casing indicated that, s a t i s f ac to ry resolut ion would be achieved.

Some modi-

F a c i l i t i e s f o r f i e l d handlirip; were also developed.

A s o i l tamper was designed and fabricated t o permit uniform packing of s o i l i n laboratory permeability s tudies .

Seismic re f rac t ion f o r determining depth t o the l o c a l water ta3 le and underlying basalt wss invest igated i n a loca5ion where the depth t o ground water was a b u t 50 f e e t . were used t o measure the travel-t ime of a sound wave from an i n i t i a t i c n p i n t t o each of several surface pick-up points a t increasing distances from the i n i t i a t i n g point. The data obtained permitted sa t i s f ac to ry determination of the depth t o the water t ab le i n t h i s area. improved accuracy.

Sensi t ive commercial geophones asd a l o c a l l y designed and assembled chronograph

Correction of ce r t a in l imi t a t ions i n the equipment should permit

C-23 HW-58661

P a r t i c l e Studies

SedimentAtion techniques were used t o determine s i zes of p a r t i c l e s from uranium cut-off operations. p a r t i c l e s of two d i sc ree t dens i t i e s but 75 per cent or more of the p a r t i c l e s were sham t o be grea te r than 60 microns. a r e grea te r than 60 microns diameter. high e f f ic iency of the g lass wool f i l t e r s used i n Radiometallurgy c e l l s .

Some ambiguity i s introduced because of the presence of

About 90 per cent of the uranium oxide pa r t i c l e s m e data a re consis tent with the unexpecterl

Ground Waste Invest igat ions

Tests of ion exchange react ions i n unsaturated s o i l sys t em were la rge ly involved w i t h development of techniques fo r measuring the degree of satura5foc of the s o i l , Methods s tudied include heat t r ans fe r and weighing techniques.

S o i l column t e s t s were performed t o evaluate the influence of soluticln pH and s a l t concentratAon on the breakthrough of strontium. It was found t h a t the e f f e c t of pH depended on the nature of the accompanying ion. There did not appear t o be a s large a pH e f f e c t i n the Ba-Sr system as i n the Na-Sr system. breakthrough w a s found t o be inversely proportional t c salt leve l , but not s toichiometr ical ly .

The ra$e of strontium

This probably r e f l e c t s the influence of r e l a t i v e binding energy.

Two 47-foot s o i l columns were constructed from s t a i n l e s s steel tubing and mounted i n the s t a i r w e l l of 271-U Building. Radiostrontium breakthrough curves w i l l be determined f o r these long columcs a s part of the study of +,he adaptation of the Thomas-Hiester-Vermeulen equations t o laboratory s o i l columna, times the length of the longest s o i l columns previously studied and w i l l provide valuable information regarding the extrapolat ion of the data.

These a re four

Manager, Chemical Researck & DevelopmeLt

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UICCLASSIFIE D D-1

BIOLOGY OPERATION

HW- 58 661

A.

B O

ih, Leo K . Bustad returned from a one yea r ' s leave of absence t o resume h i s dut ies as Manager, Zxperimental Animal Farm. his post-doctorate s t u i i e s a t t n e University of hashington with a Kational

Sciences Foundation Fellowship

During h i s leave he continued

TECkKICAL ACTIVITIES

FTSSIOi;A;?IZ I~LkTZEIALS - 2LCO PROGRAM

BIOLOGICAL MCXITORIiiG

Atmospheric Contamination

Concentrations of 1131 in thyroid glands of jack rabbi t s from Wahluke Slope were nine times greater and from other s t a t ions about six times lower than thoseof one year ago.

Collection S i t e

Wahluke Slope

4 Niles SW of Redox

Prosser Barricade

pc /g tfiyroid Aver aze Niiaximum Trend Factor I

Fission products occurred i n raobi t s i n the following amounts, which were s l i g h t l y grea te r tnan one year ago.

Sample Type

Feces

Bone

Liver

Muscle

Columbia River Contamination

pc/g wet wt. Average

7 x 10-5 -5 6 x 10

2 x.10-5

5 2 x 10-

Trend Factor

- -

+ 2

+ 2

Contamination l eve l s of b e t a emit ters i n r iver organisms co l lec ted within and downstream from the Hanfora Reservation were about the same a s l a s t year. The average contamination in f lesh of whitefish from P r i e s t Rapids, however, was four times t h e amount reported one year ago.

Values were as follows:

UL CL AS SI FIED I 2 4 1 0 1 0

UN-CLASS D I E D D-2 KW-5 8661

j x / g w e t w t . Ave r ag e M&WR Trena Factor Sanple RTe Location -

6 x - 2 MWOWS (en t i re ) Hanford 5 10-3

3 10-4 2 10-3 - Whitefish Flesh Priest Rapids

Whitefish Flesh F-1

Whitefish Flesh

Goose

Ringold

Hanford

2 10-3 5 x 10-3 4 2

2 x 10-5 2 x 10-5

221-U Swamp Contamination

Radioactive contamination l e v e l s i n waterfowl were s l igh t ly grea te r than those of one year ago. Values were as follow:

Sample me /uc/g wet w t .

Average M a x i m u m

Waterfowl (game species) Bone 4 10-3

Sof t T i s sues

Effect of Reactor Sff luent on Aquatic Organisms

Ivionitoring of e f f luent from the 100-KE reactor was not en t i r e ly according to plan owing to mechanical d i f f i c u l t i e s with t h e pump *ich supplies the ef f luent sample t o our laboratory. A subs tan t ia l l o s s was experienced among the chinook salmon eggs held in r i v e r water as w e l l as in the d i lu t e eff luent , bu t t h i s was a t t r ibu ted t o i n f e r t i l i t y . (even at the 2.5 per cent s t rength) w a s greater than i n t he control. This may w e l l have resulted from the s l i g h t l y higher temperature during ea r ly stages of incubation s ince the m b i e n t r i v e r temperature was already apFreciably above

The m o r t a l i t y of a l l egg l o t s held in di lu te e f f luent

optimum.

BIOLOGY MEDICXE - 6000 PROGRAM

METABOLISN, TOXICITY, Aid TRA;;3F31 OF RALIOACTIVE lvlA'Ti3RIALS

Phosphorus

Preliminary r e su l t s indicate that P32 orally administered t o t r o u t was retained i n inverse re la t ion t o temperature . the r a t e of loss of P32 from muscle and kidney t i s sue was d i r e c t l y r e l a t ed to temperature bu t t he r a t e o f loss in other t i s sues was s i m i l a r f o r t ne three d i f fe ren t temperature levels .

After termination of isotope adninis t ra t ion,

UIiCLASSIFIED

UNCLASSIFIED 3 -3 HW-58661

Strontium

A tec’hnique f o r perfusing t h e g i l l s of t r o u t was perfected t o t he s t a t e where it was possible t o test with an isotope. t h a t Sr9O aoes cross the g i l l membranes of f r e sh water f i sh .

Two 60-day-old miniature pigs were sacr i f iced 15 days a f t e r the in t r agas t r i c administration of 1OOpc of Sr999O. qpea red in the feces , while s l i g h t l y l e s s than two per cent (1.9 and 1.8) appeared i n the urine. Less than 0.5 per cent was found i n the s o f t t i ssues . ske le ta l analysis is incomplete, it would appear t ha t over 20 per cent of the administered dose was deposited in t h e skeleton.

Preliminary use o f the technique indicates

About 75 per cent of the administered dose

Although

Iodine

The Q/D ( r a t i o of radioiodine i n the thyroid. to the quant i ty f ed da i ly) of t i e sheep anci swine changed l i t t l e from las t month. i n the sheep t h a t were not pregnant and a decrease among swine in advanced pregnancy. Compared with one year ago, t he four and five-year-old ewes showed an increased Q/D which may be d e t o the colder weather and a reduction in the s t ab le iodine content of t he l a s t load of hay.

Exceptions were an increased Q/D

Cesium

The concentrations of Cs137 i n f i s h from the spiked pond increased among species t h a t occupied posi t ions progressively higher i n the food chain. i n s m a l l f i s h were

concentration. which was 11,000 times t h e concentration in the water.

The concentrations The f i s h t i s sue s than i n l a r g e r f i s h of the same species.

with the highest C s 337 concentration w a s f l e sh and bone contained the l o w e s t Among the b i o t a the planktonic algae contained the highest Cs137

Tungsten

Retention of tungsten in the spleen of r a t s was best described by a biological half- l i fe of 35 days i n a f r ac t ion deposited following o r a l ingestion of .0006. Retention i n the skeleton can be described by 2 biological half- l ives of 76 and 4.8 days applying t o f rac t ions -41 and -59, respectively, of t h e t o t a l of tungsten deposited. was .005 (present ICRP value .008), Based on these f igures the MPC f o r N185 is .02 pc/ml, assuming spleen to be the c r i t i c a l organ; anci .Ob pc/ml assuming the skeleton to be t he c r i t i c a l organ. organ calculates t o be .06 pc/ml with recommended ICRP value a t 0.1 pc/ml. i s no ICRP r e c o m e n h t i o n f o r ~185.

The f r ac t ion deposited in t h e skeleton from mater ia l o ra l ly i n ested

For the I P C based on skeleton as c r i t i c a l T i r e

Radioactive Pa r t i c l e s

Gross examination of more than 100 mice k i l l e d 500 days a f t e r inhalat ion of 0.1 to 0.5 p c Pu23902 o r Ru10602 were completed. Tumors associated with lymphatics and lymph nodes in the i n t e s t i n a l mesentary were observed with l i t t l e pathology in t h e puhonarg t i s sues . o f similar quant i t ies nearly all observed pathology was confined to t he pulmonary

I n e a r l i e r experiments after in t ra t rachea l administration

UNCLASSIFIED

UNCLASSIFIED D-L HW-58661

t i s sues . the l u n g i s the c r i t i c a l organ a f t e r inhalat ion of insoluble radioactive par t ic les .

Lung clearance s tudies following inhalat ion of Ru1O602 and ~ ~ 2 3 9 0 2 a re complete. Large f rac t ions o f t h e deposited radioisotope were l o s t within a month. Smaller f rac t ions of about three per cent were l o s t with a biological ha l f - l i f e of 200 days f o r Ru106 and more than a year fo r Pu239.

These preliminary r e s l l t s may question t5e present assumption t h a t

Gastrointest inal Radiation In jury

Considerable data were accumulated on in te r re la t ionships between DNAase and DNA following x- i r radiat ion. D3Aase following i r r ad ia t ion may be, a t least i n par t , responsible f o r t he s e n s i t i v i t y of DXA t o radiation. DKAase in the in t e s t ine i s decr-ased following i r rad ia t ion . on the e f f e c t of chronic feeding o f yttrium-50.

It has been suggested by others t h a t re lease of

Our r e s u l t s indicate t h a t t h i s i s not t h e case s ince Studies continue

Relative B io10 gic al Effectiveness

I n eweriments u t i l i z i n g both growing and non-growing cul tures of haploid yeast , RBE values of 1 were obtained f o r tritium compared t o P32. un i ty were consis tent i n tests involving growth, v i ab i l i t y , and mutation.

These values of

Although it had previous1 physical c a r r i e r s f o r Po2fo i n a chemical dosimeter containing erioglaucine, additional experiments showed considerable v a r i a b i l i t y depending upon the method of cleaning t h e platinum par t ic les . pa r t i c l e s which by themselves changed t h e color o f the dye.

produced no change i n dye color. such pa r t i c l e s yielded a color change expected f r o m the tritium alone, indicat ing tha t these p a r t i c l e s should not i n t e r f e r e w i t h evaluating absorbed dose f r o m

I n atteypting t o increase resolut ion so t h a t the pos i t ion o f Po21o i n o r on yeas t c e l l s could be determmed, autoradiodraph combined. Sectioned yeast cells exposed tp Po210 were mounted on standard gr ids and coated with l i q u i d emulsion. processed t o develop the grain tracks. stood up w e l l and both alpha t racks and s ingle grains were c l ea r ly v i s ib l e along with c e l l s t ructure . no Po210 penetrates the yeas t ce l l although the evidence sugges t s t ha t t h i s may be the case. The few,instances i n which tracks ap ear t o or iginate from wi t 'n in the c e l l qu i te probably are due t o car ry of the Po510 by t h e kni fe &ring sectioning.

appeared p rac t i ca l to use p la thum pa r t i c l e s as

Cleaning with H C 1 or HN03 yielded platinum With potassium

dichromate -- H SO cleaning solution, platinum pa r t i c l e s Were obtained which 2 4 Addition of tritium to dosimeter containing

PO 210.

and electron microscopy were

After a time f o r exposure the grids were I n the electron microscope the emulsion

It would be premature a t t h i s tihe to pos i t ive ly s t a t e t ha t

BIOLOGY OPEXATION 'HA Kornberg: e s

1 2 4 1 1 1 1 3 UNCLASSIFIED

Uh’CLAS SIFIED

- - - -

I I I I I I I

I

a)

LlNCLASS IFIED

D. Lectures

a. Papers presented

R.C. Thommon, It!

E.

D-6 -58661

a.

a t meetings c

anford Biology", American 1558; Richland, Washington.

b. Off-site Seminars

iuclear Society, December 4,

H.A. Kornberg, "A General Survey of Biology a t Hanford," Washington Sta te College, Pullman, Sashington - December 1, 1958.

J. J. Davis, "Concentration o f Radioisotopes by Aquatic Insects i n the Columbia River," mtomology Group, Washington S ta t e College, Pullman, Yashington - Uecember 11, 1958.

C. Local Seminars (Biology)

P.L. Hackett, "Preliminary Stxdies on Calcium-4s ana Strontium-90 in Milk and Serum," i)ece,nber 3, 1958.

R.L. Uhler, "Influence of Calcium on StrontLm-90 Uptake by Plan ts , " December 3, 1958.

2r. (!. L. Templeton, (United iiingaom Atomic Energy Authority, Xindscale ljo&s, England) - "TAie Public Health Aspects of the Windscale Inc i ien t t t , becemoer 9 , 1958. -

D r . B. Roger Ray, (Associate Dean, Division o f i iatural Sciences, S ta te College of Washington, Pullman, Washington), "Some Physical and Chemical Charac te r i s t ics of Lipoproteinstt, uecmber 18, 1958.

Publications

a. -lIW Publications

None

b. Open Li te ra ture

Palmer, R.F., R.C. Thompson and H.A. Kornberg, IIFactors Affecting the Relative Deposition of Sr and Ca in the Rat :" Science - 128 , 15'05 (1958).

L.A. Xrumholz and R. F. Foster, llAccumulation and Retention of Radioactivity froan Fission Products and other Raaiomaterials by Fresh- Water brganisns," Chapter 9, Publication KO. 551, hational Academy of Sciences - National Research Council, 1957 (published February 195'8) .

Jonaldson, L.R. and R. F. Foster, "Effects of Radiation on Aquatic Organisms," Chapter 10, Pdblication KO. 551, .National AcadenIy o f Sciences - Natbndl Research Council, 195'7 (published February 195'8)

I 2 4 I D 1 5

OPERATIONS RESEARCH AND SYNTHESIS OPEXiTION MONTHLY REPORT

December, 1958

0P.GANIZATION AND PERSONNEL

There were no changes I n personnel during December.

OFEEIATIONS RESEARCH ASTIVITI%S

Economic Studies

Documents HW-58569 and CLYI-569, "Report of Task Force f o r Evaluation of Capital Expenditures," were issued. evaluate longer range programs of c a p i t a l expenditures under the AEC ground rules .

The task force concluded t h a t it was feas ib le t o

Due t c d i f f i c u l t i e s with the Fortran program, the calculat ions f o r the f i r s t set of reactor model conputations connected with the input-output simulation stxdy were not completed by the Procedures and Computing Operation during a recent t r i p t o the UCLA I B M 709 computer. It w i l l now be necessary t o wait u n t i l the HAP0 709 i s i n s t a l l e d and operating t o complete the calculations.

CPD Zontrol Study

As of the end of December all of the wri t ing on the final report had been completed and the typing and preparation of the f ina l report was well underway.

Team e f f o r t on the Z-plant information study continued t o be d i rec ted primarily toward an ana ly t i ca l code s t ruc ture f o r t he cast ing phase. The team i s a l s o agreed t h a t a decision on balance automation can be made, and f a c t u a l data on which t o base t h i s decision m being accumulated.

SFare P a r t Prccuremnt

A model f o r gJiding the procurement of spare p a r t s f o r t he NPR has been developed. A repor t is present ly being prepared so t h a t t he personnel responsible f o r ae t t ing the procurement l eve l s can tes t the app l i cab i l i t y of t h i s model.

Sl!ATISTICAL AND MA!T!€EMATICAL ACTIVITIES I N SUPPORT OF fiESEARCH PRO(IRAE"s

2OGO Program - Metallurgy

A stst ist ical analysis of Zircaloy-2 high temperature rupture data was i n i t i a t e d f o r t he Fuels Development Operation. Correlation techniques a r e being u t i l i z e d t o invest igate the dependence of rupture t i m e on temperature and transverse and longi tudinal stress f o r annealed and cold-work material.

2QOO Program - Reactor

I n connection with NPR tube design, questions were answered for Fuels Developnent persmmnel p l amlng an experimental invest igat ion of the cons t ra in t of u ran im swelling by Zircaloy-2.

* . : 1 2 4 1 0 ? b

HW - 58661 E-2

$000 Progrm - Swel l iw S t i d i e s

Further discussions were held uith Fuels Development Operation concerning the d i s t r i b u t i o n of diameters and centers of gas bubbles i n i r r a d i a t e d uranium. The estimation methods based on microphotographs of cross-sectioned uranium samples provide information on the d i s t r ibu t ion of bubble radii only i f the d i s t r ibu t ion of centers is assumed and v ice versa. I n an attempt t o overcome thi6 deficiency severa l a l t e r n a t i v e methods of estimation have been proposed. Current e f f o r t s are d i rec ted toward the evaluation of one such a l t e r n a t i v e method based upon measuring the rate by which gas escapes from a molten irradiated uranium sample and r i s e s through a known depth of un i r rad ia ted molten uranium. allows t h e estimation of the bubble radii d i s t r ibu t ion without a p r i c r i knowledge of the d i s t r ibu t ion of centers.

If the mechanica of t h i s method can be perfected su f f i c i en t ly , it

6QOO Program - B i o l o u

Consultation was i n i t i a t e d with members of the Biology Operation r e l a t i v e t o design of a long term chronic strontium 90 uptake experiment on swine. t i c a l advice was sought concerning t h e optimum numbers of animals t o be placed on each feeding regime.

S t a t i s -

A t t he request of Metabolism Operation, s t a t i s t i c a l ana lys i s was begun on excretion data from acute and chronic administrations of strontium 90 and calcium 45 t o experimental animals i n order t o measure excretion and re ten t ion rates of these 1 so t s p e a.

Ancther i n a series of continuing discussions was held with Radioecology Oper- a t i o n concerning poss ib le methods of s t a t i s t i c a l ana lys i s of d a t a on uptake and r e t en t ion of radioactive cesium f o r t he various cons t i t u t an t s of an aquat ic community.

S t a t i s t i c a l ana lys i s of mor ta l i ty and growth data on Chinook salmon involved i n miscellaneous f i s h t e s t s was completed, and the r e s u l t s reported to in te res ted personnel of the Aquatic Biology Operation.

6000 Program - Atmospheric Physics

Discussions were held with the Atmospheric Physics concerning the u t i l i z a t i o n of s ta t is t ical formulas t o analyze data from next summer's A i r Force-AEC deposition and d i f fus ion study. Operation explaining the u t i l i z a t i o n and derivation of t he s t a t i s t i c a l techniques was i n i t i a t e d .

A formal r epor t j o i n t l y authored with Atmospheric Physics

STATISTICAL AND MATHEMATICAL ACTIVITBS FOR THE PROWCT DEPARTMENTS

Pmeess Experimentation (FPD)

Assistance w ~ l s given i n connection with the non-wetting problems recent ly encountered i n I and E f u e l elements. been demonstrated t o be bene f i c i a l with respect t o t h e degree of non-wetting

Chemical etching of t he I and E sp i r e had

E-3

enco:ntezed. frcm data submitted.

The e f f e c t cf e tch bath temperature Gn can w a l l lcss was estimated

The e f f e c t s Gf heat t r ea tnen t on the dimensional growth of bare uranium cores were evaluated by t e s t i n g f o r uniformity of diameter along the core and evaluating the importance of t he over-al l growth. It was suggested t h a t a s t a t i s t i c a l evalu- a t ion of t h e degree of interference expected between heat- t reated cores and alumf- num components ?tight be i n order, such that the p o s s i b i l i t y of rev is ing tolerance r e s t r i c t i o n s f o r the compocents could be investigated.

Acceptance Sampling (FPD)

A report. was issued upon request t o personnel associated with acceptance of bare uranillm cores which out l ined the data necessary t o invest igate the economic d e s i r a b i l i t y cf reducing hydrogen content a t the ingot stage.

An invest igat ion of accegtance s a p l i n g data f o r aluminum components over the p a s t few manths disclosea the probable use of screening by the vendm i n addition t o an evident lack of l o t hamogeneity. It was pointed out t h a t t h e var iab les plans recommended f o r use were inva l id i n such cases. A t t e m p t s w i l l be made by l i a i s o n personnel t o cor rec t these s i t ua t ions . I n the meanwhile, it was rec3m- mended that combined var iab les -a t t r ibu tes plans be u t i l i zed , where the a t t r i b u t e s plans would be used on a sequent ia l basis i n the event a l o t i s r e j ec t ed by the var isble s piar, . It was requested by QEali ty Control personnel t h a t the f e a s i b i l i t y of using some kind of reduced inspection f o r bare uranium cores be evaluated. Suggestions were made i n t h i s area 3ased on comparisons of operating cha rac t e r i s t i c s curves a r i s ing f rm d i f f e r e n t sample s i z e s with f ixed AQL's.

Some concern was expressed over a possible change i n the sverage r e a c t i v i t y l e v e l of uranium f u e l elements received a t HAPO. f u e l element weight, i ron content, carbon content, and s i l i con content were co l lec ted fcr m m e f i f t y l o t s i n order t o see if r e a c t i v i t y values depend on values. associated with these other var iables .

Data consis t ing of r e a c t i v i t y value,

An analysis is being made of these data.

Meascring Produc% Qua l i ty IFPI))

A r epor t was issued presenting the results of an analysis of sonic o r i e n t a t i m data r e su l t i ng from measurements performed on a given shipment. va r i a t ion w i t h i n a l o t were c l ea r ly ident i f iab le , which poin ts ou t the possi- b i l i t y %hat a revised h t t i n g system or ig ina t ing a t Fernald wo7Ll.d result i n m r e homogenexs l o t qual i ty .

Sources of

Necessary sample s i zes were found f o r detect ing a given difference between l o t s with respect tc. t o t a l bmd count. However, it was again pcinted out t h a t mcre consideration must be given the basic problem of defining w h a t cons t i tu tes a l o t i n order t o red.xe the var ia t ion now present within a l o t .

Total bond count data were used as c r i t e r i a t o compare carbonate treated f u e l elements wi th chlor ide f u e l elements with respect t o porosi ty . with t h i s same problem, necessary sample s i zes were deteruiined f o r detect ing a given difference i n post-canning w a r p experienced by f u e l elements receiving

I n connection

these treatments.

I 2 4 1 0 1 s '

0 Diszxsi ;ns were h e 3 k i t h in te res ted p l ' scnnel regarding the type of Experi- 2rn.tation nezesssxy +,.J o t t a i n a rezsor.a'cle comgariscii between pre- i r rad ia t ion R L ~ oat -9 r sd ia3 . cn rrieasurexents of unbonded areas. mi& c)c ..,nC-irx*a3iatec2 f ~ e l eierrents szch t ha t an ewelwtion c m l d be rxbe cf Thp reasnement sys t em rather thar, the i r r ad ia t ion e f f ec t s .

This c o q a r i s o n wmld be

FatSematical Znvest igat ims of Testing Equipment (FFD)

A mathemtical invest igat ion t o pred ic t the type of signals t o be expected from a f u e l element eddy-current analyzer under var iable r e s i s t i v i t y d i s t r i - b i t i o n s within the metal is i n progress.

Fathematical i n v e s t i g a t l m s are 'ceing made on the problem of the propagation of s m i c waves ir. a c m p s i t e re5im. p r e z s t i s i of s ignals received from f;lel element t e s t i n g devices.

This problem f inds appl icat ion i n the in t e r -

C:nsi+er&le at?e;nt,isn was a,g%iz given t: t h e general prcrblem af uslng var iables reasiJre3er.t; tC! predict f i e l dement kehavior i n the reactors . t h e 11;~c:-?:,;lt3 Df h m the data wculd he col lected and used i n t h i s so-called "Qiali',y C c t i f i c s t i c n P F Z ~ ~ " was investigated. S i m e a decis ion has now keen mae t y the appropriate Task Porte tc, recamend t h a t such a prcgrzn! be undersaken, u x h m x e de t a i l& w ~ k will have t o be done i n t h i s area.

Specif ical ly ,

- LT c - ~ n e c t i x i with t t i s prsg :~? , it 2s necesssry t o d e t e i d n e how t o weight Z f f e - e n t f u e l e i e z n t chzrac te r ia t ics i n crder t o describe q u s l i t y as a Wk3i.P. I: 15 hope1 that a. firm answer t c C,k i i s can be found d t e r several months Gper- s t l - , n w.',tl. t he plan.

zvcr the years by thE v a r i c l - a personnel engaged i n f u e l element performance. ,s t h i s en.;, a questionriaire has t een prepared and d i s t r ibu ted t o scme 3 C per- szcce l from ZFD, Fp3, and fiL0 i n whkh 50 comparisons between hypcthet ical fttel eleaer , fs are t r J be made. 8 "quslitjr index" a t the kegicning of the progan;, unless the exten5 cf disagree- m n t t ha t r e s u l t s indicstec zka t j u s t es rsasmable an index could have been f x x 3 by pol l ing, say, a cross-sect icn of the Spalding Elenen+ary stttdent body.

I n the meanwhile, an attelzpt i s being made t o define =-- qk a 11 q - i d i t y index" f m c t i a z 3y u t i l i z i n g in fo rmt ion that hae been acquired

"-

Results from t h i s questionnaire w i l l be used t o define

Cmphs have been prepared icdicat ing appropriate sample s i zes t o use i n prs - d x t l s n tests i n orrier t o de tec t given differences i n sversge warp 1,etween treatmen%s.

An Inves t igs t ioa i s being m d e of the e f f e c t s cf power and exposilre pJn aversge warp asscciated with 1 snd E f u e l elements. are being used i n t h i s analysis .

Data from several production t e a t s

Tke r:Jptlrre r a t e curve expressing side mpbure rate as a fxnction of exposure, pzwers and teqera5tt-e icd ica tes t h a t there a r e r e s c t m l i n i t s below which one WJST q e r a t e i r order t o rmint3ti3 e %olerable riipture r a t e . Anc the r appnach t3 fir16 l i m i t i - 8 cond i t i cnc ecnsiszs i n comkinlng >;nifxxi mr ros ion data with

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minimum res idua l can w a l l data i n order t o estimate the rupture r a t e due t o uniform corrosion. i n x d e r t o compare the l imi t a t ions a r i s i n g from each approach.

An inves t iga t ion i s current ly being made of t h i s problem

A comparison was made of observed I and E rupture rates with pred ic ted rates, assuming that the e f f e c t s of power, temperature, and exposure found f o r so l id f u e l elements apply t o I and E f u e l elements after appropriate correct ions f o r uneven coolant flows. i n which the p o s s i b i l i t y of improving on these predict ions was considered. This would be done by taking i n t o account the f a c t t h a t d i f f e ren t areas of the I and E f u e l element have d i f f e r e n t rupture po ten t i a l s because of the uneven cooling around the f u e l element periphery.

Discussions were also held with in t e re s t ed personnel

Acceptance Sampling ( IPDL

A plan t o sample incoming coal shipments f o r consistency and BTU value was reviewed as requested. The cha rac t e r i s t i c s of a proposed sampling plan were detsrmined.

Assistance has been given appropriate personnel i n in te rpre t ing the r e l i a b i l i t y purported t o hold f o r a given vendor's proposed high speed scanning nuclear monitoring system. Necessary data t o support these r e l i a b i l i t y statements have been requested.

Radiation Dose Study (IPD)

A r epor t was issued out l in ing i n general terms the types of da ta that would be required t o answer the questions posed i n t h i s study. i n t h i s r epor t that the wealth of ex i s t ing data are probably worthy of statis- t i c a l analysis . area .

It was a l s o mentioned

Lack of time has prevented any further work being done i n t h i s

General

Results of a recent a t t i t u d e survey conducted a t K area i n order t o measure any improvements i n a t t l h d e s ince the last plant-wide survey were reported t o appropriate personnel.

The last of a series of sessions was conducted on the appl icat ion of s t a t i s t i c s t o problems of immediate concern t o FPD personnel. t e n t a t i v e l y being planned.

Further sessions are

A discrrssion was held with personnel of Process Technology Operation concerning the estimation of a three-dimensional mathematical re la t ionship f ram a l l p o s s i b l e t w + dimensional re la t ionships given one var iab le fixed. versat ion a shor t note, % p l i c i t e l y Defined Linear Functional Relationships i n Three-Dimensional System, I' was wr i t ten and c i rcu la ted t o in t e re s t ed persom.

As a result of t h i s con-

OTHER STATISTICAL AND MATHEMATICAL ACTIVITIES

Consultation serv ices were given t o personnel of t he SS Measurements Oper- a t i o n i n evaluating a proposed p lan t o apply bias correct ions a t the data m n c e r a the r than on a monthly bas is . It was pointed out t h a t although the

fp' plan would simplify account ing procedures,

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vlewp:’,nt, t h e monthly eccrections system has the sdvantage of tending t o be nzre c‘cjective, and p rwid ing a c learer h i s tory cf the correct ions made.

4- diceussicn was held with personnel of the Health and Safety Operation i n rsgsrd t o t h e i r recent ly cmple ted home accidents survey. Zffered concerning the evaluation of the survey r e su l t s , par t icu lary as t o The assumptions underlying an in te rpre ta t ion of these results as being repre- sen ta t ive of a l l Relations and U t i l i t i e s employees.

Suggestions were

A s t a t i s t i c a l analysis of data r e l a t i n g t o age spec i f ic death r a t e s i n Richland v ~ t 3 a h a begun for the Health and Safety Operation. follaw-up of a s i m i l a r one conducted approximately f ive years ago, the re- s i l t s of which were published i n the Journal of the American Medical Associ- at ion

The present study i s a

r,’.,~,-.. ~ ~ ~ = ~ ~ ~ b i o n s were held with personnel of Analytical Laboratories Operation ccnser~ing the ca l ibra t ion cf Radiation Monitoring f i e l d instruments.

A t;ur was taken of the Bioassay Laboratory as the first s tep i n a systems sns lys i s of the current bioassay estimation procedure.

Wcyk continued 3n a royJgh draft formal repor t of a mathematical method of reeoll-ing a multi-source count among a known set of isotopes i n the presence of appreciable background.

Carl A . Bennett, Manager OPERATIONS RESEARCH & SYNTHESIS

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PROGRAMMING OPERA'EON DECEMBER 1958

A. FISSIONABIX MATERmLS - 2000 ,PROGRAM

1. Nonproduction Fuels Dissolving Process Study

Assistance was rendered t o CPD i n carrying out an economic and process design study f o r a number of systems with a capacity of about one ton of uranium per day. t h a t construction and operating cos ts could be determined. information as a basis, advantages and disadvantages of twelve a l t e rna te process combinations were establ ished t o provide a bas i s ' fo r optimum process design and s i te se lec t ion study. Nonproduction fue l s can be generally grouped t o comprise about 20 percent stainless steel clad U Q material , 35 percent stainless steel clad uranium a l loy material , and 45 percent zirconium clad UO, material . a t Hanford a r e limited t o a maximum of 5 percent.

This study establ ished process and equipment scope so With t h i s

Enrichments f o r consideration

A l l of the s tud ies assumed t h a t the f u e l would be cut-up before del ivery t o t h e d isso lu t ion step. instead of chemical decladding. chips of cladding material may be e i t h e r chemically dissolved or mechan- i c a l l y removed from the dissolver . This study showed t h a t the preferred a l t e r n a t e involved a controlled-fluoride leaching s t ep using n i t r i c acid and aluminum n i t r a t e complexed hydrofluoric acid. preferred mater ia l of construction for t he dissolver , and mechanical means of cladding chip removal would be u t i l i zed . This a l t e rna te w i l l a l s o provide equipment which has considerable f l e x i b i l i t y f ir other processes, such a s Niflex, Zirf lex, and Sulfex. Its cost estimate i s one of the lowest and yet it would meet the capacity requirement. "he pr inc ipa l obJections t o t h i s scheme (as w e l l as some of t he other a l t e rna te s ) r e l a t e t o lack of knowledge on large-scale leaching of cores from cut- up f u e l elements.

Leaching of the core mater ia l was then possible However, a f t e r core dissolut ion, t he

Hastelloy "F" is the

Process problems such a s the formation and removal of prec ip i ta tes formed during processing of the molybdenum-uranium a l l o y cores are l e s s severe i n the preferred a l t e rna te . modifications i n the Redox and the U Plants were studied.

As to l oca t ion f o r these new f a c i l i t i e s ,

B. REACTOR DEVELOPMENT - 4000 PROGRAM

1. Plutonium Recycle Program

Plutonium Requirements f o r t he PRTR

Detailed plutonium requirements f o r t h e PRTR were calculated f o r t h e next f i v e years by quarters. fabr ica t ion y ie ld , it appears t h a t about 54 Kg of high exposure (20 per

Taking i n t o account isotopic composition and

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cent Pu-240) plutonium from an external source during that t i m e may serve t o bring t h e PRTR t o quasi-steady s t a t e conditions two years earlier than with t h e use of mi l i ta ry grade plutonium feed. t h i s need and i s examining possible means t o provide the material. f i rs t act ion w i l l probably be t o r e - i r r ad ia t e the Hanford fabricated MllR plutonium f u e l elements i n t h e MTR and ETR t o higher burnups. (They a re current ly between 8 and 10 percent Pu-240.) The highly exposed plutonium that w i l l be produced w i l l be used first f o r PCTR measurements and then f o r PRTR fue l .

The AEC was apprised of The

Thjs schedule i s socn t o be revised t o account f o r new information developed i n the course of t h e analysis described beluw.

Isotopic Composition and PRTR Plutonium Spike Fuel Throughput

More refined plutonium burnout and i so topic composition computations (using the Li t ton computer) have been carr ied through four i r rad ia t ion cycles on spike eleinents ( P u - A l ) . A cycle includes burning plutonium a t constant flux of 5 x 1013 neutrons cm-2 sec'l u n t i l heat output drops t o 1/2 of the i n i t i a l value. t h a t PRTR charge-discharge increments w i l l probably be closer t o six ra ther than t o e ight days f o r spike assemblies w i t h corresponding increase i n processing and procurement r a t e s f o r a given in-reactor spike f u e l element inventory, Chemical separations work may a l s o begin sooner. The first f u l l batch of fourteen assemblies could be collected i n about 200 ra ther than 272 days as formerly estimated. show that 60 t o 65 days of cooling instead of 120 days may suf f ice pr ior t o chemical processing. determined by these calculat ions i s tabulated a s fcllows:

Significant outcomes of t h i s computation a r e

Preliminary f i s s i o n product data

The isotopic composition of recycled f u e l a s

Input Pu Composition - Mol Fraction Days t o Half Heat Output

242 a t = 5 x 1013 n/cm2 sec - 2 4 1 - 2 40 - 2 39 - F i r s t Cycle 0.954 0.043 0,003 0.0001 13 0 Second Cycle 0.701 0.241 0.051 0.007 145 Third Cycle 0.446 0.414 0.105 0.034 173 Fourth Cycle 0.229 0.531 0.148 0.093 211

Three cases of mixed Pu@-U@ elements were a l s o studied up t o exposures of 12,OOO MWD/T and compared with Uo;! elements f o r exposures up t o 9500 MWD/T. Mixed oxide elements using production Pu% and Uo;! elements without added Puo;! were found t o produce roughly cornparable isotopic compositions f o r comparable high exposureso The ht@ qbtained from long exposure of depleted uranium and the recycle of plutonium used once i n Pu-A1 elements was found t o produce generally comparable compositions f o r comparable exposures.

PRTR Neutron Enerm SDectrum Study

The neutron temperature and epithermal r a t i o of t he F'RTR was re-evaluated on t h e bas i s of Br i t i sh r e s u l t s (AERE N/P & R/R 2398, Measurements of


UNCLASSlFIED F- 3 HW- 58661

Reactm Spectra by Time-of-Flight and In tegra l Methods, C.G. Campbell, R.G. Freemantle and M.J. Poole). The calculated values f o r t h e PRTR with an 80 C moderator temperature and cadmium r a t i o s measured f o r U$ i n the PCTR were found t o be an ef fec t ive moderator temperature of 115 C and a r a t i o of epithermal t o thermal neutron flux of 0.079. s t a n t s i n f u e l cycle s tud ies i s recommended although the change from values used i n the past i s small. sponding r e s u l t s f o r plutonium-aluminum f u e l elements, although measured cadmium r a t i o s are not yet avai lable f o r these.

Use of these con-

Calculations were started t o determi= corre-

Fuel Cvcle Analvsis

Considerable e f f o r t was devoted t o an ex is t ing program t o study f u e l cycle charac te r i s t ics f o r systems i n which plutonium of varying compositions i s used t o enrich depleted uranium feed i n a var ie ty of reactors . This program, being executed on the IBM 650, received emphasis owing t o the ear ly scheduled replacement of t h e IBM 650 machine by the IBM 709 computer. a b i l i t y limits t h i s analysis t o cases of 200 C moderator temperature, 0.93 resonance escape probabili ty, 0.93 thermal u t i l i z a t i o n fac tor , and values of kw/E

Computer ava i l -

of 1.05, 1.15 and 1.30.

Three of t he fou r plutonium compositions considered a r e similar t o those which might be secured on ac tua l prolonged exposure of plutonium fue l . The isotopic compositions studied are as follows:

Plutonium w/o Isotopic Composition Isotope Case A Case B Case C Case D

239 1 0 6 75 53 31 2 40 20 30 34 2 41 5 14 25 242 3 10

Each reac tor s i z e (as characterized by the assigned value of k , / E ) i s being examined as operated with the U-235 enrichments stated below a s w e l l a s with comparable w e i g h t percent enrichment (of f i ss ionable plutonium isotopes) of t h e plutonium compositions stated above.

Reactor

(km/E 1 Case 1 Case 2 Case 3 Size w/o U-235 Enrichment

1.05 0.71 1.0 1.5 1.15 1.0 1.5 2.0 1.30 1.5 2.0 3.0

Estimation of fuel throughput r a t e s f o r these cases w i l l form the basis f o r later study of f u e l cos ts t o compare the lowest cost f u e l cycles associated with both U-235 and plutonium enrichments.

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Other Act iv i t ies

Edi t ing of t h e Plutonium Recycle Program FY-1958 Annual Report was completed. Progress was made on an analysis of gaseous diffusion plant economics as related t o possible changes i n uranium enrichment costs. Detailed review of t he PRTR hazards report , t he RBU report (ASAE-34) and the PRTR technical manual were undertaken. Further study of the PRTR shim system from t h e standpoint of r eac t iv i ty requirements was started. A presentation on PRTR hazards was made t o the AEC Hazards Evaluation Staff .

c . 6000 PROGRAM

Radiological Consultation

The Task Force on Radiological Evaluation gave primary a t t en t ion t o revision of estimates of t h e environmental dose f o r inclusion i n the forthcon;ing Waste Disposal Hearings. Conferences were he ld t o discuss calculations of reactor accidents and the organization of a d i e t a ry survey. forthcoming AFSWP t r a in ing program and suggestions f o r detai led revis ion of portions of the program were made.

Study was made of the

Consultation was provided on the re ten t ion of inhaled pa r t i c l e s , a proposed advisory standard, and on plutonium injury. Proposed revis ions t o Radiation Protection Standards were a l so reviewed. draft of the Handbook on Safe Handling of Radioisotopes were made.

Preparations f o r revis ion of the

D. UTIW ACTIVITIES

An invi ted paper on rad io logica l hazards was presented a t the National ANS meeting. i n Seattle w i t h facu l ty members of t he University of Washingbon t o discuss increased technica l cooperation; and several promising areas of common in t e re s t were ident i f ied . Advance planning f o r t h e 1959 SINE (Summer I n s t i t u t e fo r Nuclear Education, Chemical Processing ) program was started. Arrangements were made f o r Dr. Hadley Cantr i l , of the Princeton Research I n s t i t u t e f o r In te rna t iona l Social Research, t o speak before an HLO Science Colloquium t en ta t ive ly scheduled f o r Mrch 24, 1959.

Members of t h e Hanford Laboratory University Relations Council met

Manager, Programming LH McEwen:dl

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A . ORGfiTZATION AND PERSOWEL

Joan F. Cooper and R . 9 . Beauchanp were t r a s f s r r e d and Records Operation on December 8 md CecemSsr 1, was removed from the payro l l on Deeenbir 31, 1958. the r o l l s i n Radiation Prgtect ion Opca t ion at year

B . ACTIVITIES

in%o the Exposure Evaluation 1958. Ma-garet F. Peterson Tstal 1lub5r of enp iopes on €26 was 1.33.

No new cases of plutonium deposit ion wzre dcsect.=d. Thz total nmber cf plutcnium deposit ion cases is 226. occurred a t Hanford and all deposi t iza cases vhizh w a r r e d t o p r e s e c t Ear,fo-? employees p r i o r t o emplcyment at Sanford.

This t o t a l inciuies ai!. deposition eases which have

Two enplpyees were t rea ted by i n d u s t r i a l phyeiciane w i t h DTPA i n November and December. I x i t i a l r e s u l t s indicate t h a t thP norms1 plutonium-in-urine excretion r a t e can be increased by a f ac to r cf approximately 50. t i o n cases is planned by i n d u s t r i a l physicians t g detercine the effect iveness f o r d i f f e ren t types of plutonium exposure and elapse3 time since the exposure.

One minor case of Ru i n a 325 Building laborato=.y, t i o n counter detected approxin?ately D.L pr, E ~ ~ C S i n cne employee (approximately 3% of the MPL).

Treatment of other deposi-

106 deposit ion re.=,ulted from s i r contamination which occurred Wh-lz-3ody m n i t c r i n g w i t h the prototype s c i n t i l l a -

Approximately 50 pounds of u r a n i m al lsyed wi th mgnecium and zirconium wc3re burned i n the uranium b u r i a l ground under c m t r d l e d con5iti-cs. Nc ground or air contamination was detected.

Release of 1131 t o the a%meFhPre retur3ed t-, c?m&l v i t h a3 werage emiesion of 2 .1 cur ies per week. out the Pac i f i c Northwest.

Fal lout cf n u c k a r b m k d e k i z c c 3 t i x e d generally through-

Waste water ample§ from thE: 23b-5 w a i ? e s t r e m i cm+lnu?d t o show &me normal mounts cf plutonium. t o 1 .4 pc per gram of mxd.

Mud samples frm the d i t c h shcwed plgtonium continued up

Modifying chemical y ie ld and correct icn f s c t o r s aDplied t y the Radiological Chemical Analysis laboratxry t o analyses of Cohzbia Eivrr water caused apparent increases i n the reported values of mcst radioisotopes rout inely encounter&. Since one of the Largest 2orrection factctrs w a s f o r the As7’ d z t e r n i n a t i m and since As76 contributes about one-half of the >g?ential exposure f r m drinking Columbia River water the average per cent of the o s c q a t i c n a l m a x i n m pemiss ib l e exposure t o the G I t r a c t f o r the lasf 12 mcnths incrFaF’ed from the previously reported 1.0 per cent t o 1.7 per cent .

A study of the re la t ionship between thc beta m d gamm za l ibrs t ions by the CP meters was Pssent ia l ly completed. A o a l p i c of t h e re3LtS indica tes t h a t it is f eas ib l e t o discontinue the b e t e c a l i b r a t i c r w d use a constant ca l ibra t ion fac tor

I 2 4 IO29

based upon the ncrmal gam& 2al ibrat ion cf thee? ins t -mcn t s . meters ( a k u t cne-half of the crder) were received from the Victoreen Instrument Company. these im?rumen+c, i n t ? servic2.

F i f t y new HGM

Acceptance t e s t s iDdicated ve-ry l i t t l e e f f o r t was required t o place

The f i b b a d g prccecsiEg machine w a s p ~ c g r s m c i f o r pe& performaxe resu l t ing i n a process r a t e of abcut TOO b a d g e per h3U-r. Th i s zachioe i s one phe.se of the automaticn cf %hhs fib, bsdge p x g r m 0 1% f u x t i m i s t2 s rcept badges from a hcqper - lcakr , ident i fy the f i b w-ith X-ray, remqve the whole f i l m packzt, and ready t3e b d g e f o r reuse w i t h a new f i h packet.

Work con+,Lnw3 09 the appl icat ion of th% Sisvert . ionizat ion chambers t o p rac t i ca l problems at Emford. small currents f s @ m t h e ~ c , chmkers paves the m v f o r ELprlications where high eens i t i v i ty m d Eubainiature eizc are required. ionizat ion chmber having 8 t o t a l c h a b s r v?lur;zs cf sbout 1/40 cco)

The a b i l i t y cf the pclse reader t c l measure the extremely

(A Siever t chamber is a small

C m s t r u c t i m an2 eq-iipmoz? i n s t a l l a t i o x at t k Shfeldsd Pwscrael Mcsitoring S t a t i m neared mnplc,tlon. Phyeicc h3d F a c i l i t i e e EnginseriDg t a 3 e t e m i x i ? m z requiring correct ion p r i o r t c a c c e p t s x ~ ; of the f a c i l i t y . was ccmple ted .

A rwiew w6: M e i n ?enjmctic?n w i t h Radiclogical

I z t e r i o r pa in t i% of +,F% e n t i r e bioassay building

Thirteen members sf t he Radiclogical Dsfrnce t e a hs13. a plc+,ting rccn; d r i l l i n 325 BuildiDg. follcwing m i l i t a x a i r c r a f t nucleaz sccLiests.

The per icdic review of the Manual of Radiation Protsct icm Standards was s t a r t e d . The latest recommendations of the NCRP w i l l kc factored i n t o the next ed i t ion t o be published.

Ins t ruc t ions and discusaicm werf considered OR appropziate act ion

Draft teat imow was prepared f o r the D i v i a i m of B i c l D g y arid Medicine f o r the scheduled Cmgressionsl Ilearings on R a i a t i c m P,azc&s I n d u s t r i a l Relations

C . EMPIJXZE FEUTIONS

A mee+,ing w a s held or? diecuseior? of the Wmacr3tt Crievmcc h5th the HAMTC. s igni f ioant progress w a s made.

No

G - 3 HW-58661

There were two medical treatment i n ju r i e s fcr a frequency of 0.92. violat ions occurred during the month.

No securi ty

Three suggestions were submitted by R P O personnel. No new suggestions were received i n RPO f o r evaluation. H. J . Paas w a s Eelected t o serve as RPO representative 09 the Suggestion Board f o r the year , 1959.

One evaluation w a s completed. No awards were made.

Pr inciples and Methods of Supervision m d Leadership t ra in ing cc~urse w a s attended by V. M . Mill igan.

D. SIGNIFICA!I!T REPORTS

Undoc. InventGry of Radioactive Wastes t c Ac-tFve Disposal Sit .es, September, 1958, by K . F . Baldridge.

Undoc. Inventcry of Raclioact-ive Wastes t c Active Disposal S i t e s , October, 1958, by K. F. Bsldridge.

HW-58760 Waste Disposal Monitoring Act iv i t ies Summa,-y, December, 1958,by K . F. Baldridge.

HW-58761 Regional Monitoring Ac t iv i t i e s ., D ~ c s ~ . 3 e r , 1.958, by B. V . Andersen.

HN-58298 A Study of the Radiation Response Character is t ics of du Pont 552 Film, by W . V. Baumgartner

DJ-58645 Monthly Report - December 1958, Radiation Monitoring Operation, by A . J . Stevens.

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FWIONAL MONIrORING - RESUUS (November 24 - December 21, 1958) Activi t y Monthly Trend**

Sample Type and Location Type Average Units* Factor

Drinking Water

Columbia Rlwr Water

Was t o Water

Outlying Wet Wells Total Beta 1.9 x 10-6 (mx) pc/cc -- Basins t o River Total Beta 21 > 090 curiee/d€by -- Reactor Effluent Retention

Atmasphe r e

0roee Dose Rate - -- -- B e ~ ~ r a t l o n s M a e Bt8-g- 0 -9 =d/bY Residential Areas Beta-gama 0 07 nirad/day

1-13 Segarstionr Areas 1-131 3.2 x 19-13 W/CC -2 1-131 Beparetione Stack6 1-131 2 .1 curies/wesk -6 Active Psrticlar - ProJsct -I 4.5 ptle/100 m3 -- Active Partlclar - Environe -- 9.3 ptle/100 m 3 -- Vegetat lbn

Beparat lone 1-131 7.8 x 10-6 d g m -- VC/W -3

Oregon 1-13 r, 1.5 x 10-6 PO/@ -4

1-131 - Warh. and Ore. Beta 2 .o P C / S --

Residential 1-19 e 1.5 x 10-6 Eastern Waehlngton and

F i ~ ~ i o n Products leee

* The $ MPCQI I s the percent of the mrrximran pennirsible l i m i t for continuous occupational exposure t o the gastrointest inal t r a c t calculated from dr inking water limits

wt The trend factor showr the n-fold incrsaee (+) or decrease ( 0 ) from lest month, w re ~ l w n of n lees t han 2 w i l l not be noted,

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EXPOSURE EVALUATION AND RECORDS

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December 1958 t o Date

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Gamma Penci ls Paired Readings Paired Readings Lost Pencils Processed 100-280 m r Over 280 mr Readings

December 29 J go4 56 1955 t o Date 489,502 572

5 76

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Beta-Ganma Film Eadges Badges Readings Readings Readings Lost. Average Dose Processed lOO-300 mrads 300-500 mads Over 5CQ mrads Readings Per Film Packet

28 40 December 10,991 786 181

9,467 618 133 478 3.10 11.54

Slow Neutron Penci ls Penci ls Paired Readings Paired Readings Lo, t Processed 4-12 m r e m Over 12 men Readings

December 1958 t o Date

0 25,880

0 297

0 94

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Slow Neutron Eecember 1,057 1958 t o Date 4J197

Fas t Neutron December 162 1958 t o Date 11,105

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1 3

0 11

December 1958 t o Date Bioassay Plutonium: Samples Assayed 730 13 > 072

Results above 2.2 x pc/sample 26 579

13 > 274 28

Fiss ion Product: Samples Assayed 677

Uranium: Samples Assayed 265 3,542

Results above 3.1 x pc F'P/sample 2

0 17* Confirmed Plutonium Deposition Cases

*ringing al l - t ime HAPO t o t a l t o - 226. occurring o f f s i t e were formerly included i n t h t o t z l cf 222 reported i n November. These cases are no longer on HAPO r o l l s .

(Three posi t ive p h t c n l m deposit,ior, cases

UNCLASSIFIED

UNCLASSIFIED G - 7 HW-58661

Uranium Analyses Following Exposure

Units of 10-9 pc U/CC Number

Sample Description Maximum Average Samples

20 5 -3 Fuels Preparation 12 Hanford Laboratories 8.0 2.6 25 Chemical Processing 42 3 * 9 71 Chemical Processin@ 17 8.9 Random 1.8 0.7

2 2 16

Special Incidents 10 6.0

Following Period f No Exposure Units of 10-9 pc u/cc

Number Maximum Average Samples

3.7 31 6

10 3 -9 66 9.2 4.4 2.5

2.0 2 .o 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

* Samples taken p r i o r t o and after a spec i f ic job during work w e e k .

Thyroid Checks

Checks Taken Checks Indicat ing 0.01 pc

Hand Checks

Checks Taken-Alpha -Bet a -Gamma

Skin Contamination

Plutonium Uranium Fiss ion Products

CALIBRATIONS

Por t able Instruments

CP Meter Juno GM Other

To ta l

Personnel Meters

Badge Film Penci ls Other

To ta l

Miscellaneous Special S e m i ces

To ta l Number of Cal ibrat ions

December

0 0

1958 to Date

25 0

28,724 481,826 18,481 375 , 427

33 4 35

345 72 615

Number of Units Calibrated December 1958 t o Date

901 11,371 3 13 3,891

1,246 15,692 228

7,723

91,130

I 2 4 I 0 9 5 AR Keene:kc UNCIASSIFIED

UNCLASSIFIED H-1 HW- 58661

LABCIU!K)RY AUXILIARIES OPERATION MONTHLY REPORT - DECEMEER, 1958

GENERAL

Safety performance of the operation w a s considered sa t i s fac tory . no major i n ju r i e s ; the minor in jury freqierisy r a t e vas 2.44, which is'bi5lox average experience.

There were

The absenteeism r a t e w a s 3.88 pe r cent., which i s abcut, average experien:e.

There were no secu r i ty violat ions charged to t.he Operation.

There was one non-bargaining u n i t grievance which was s e t t l e d a t Step 11.

TECHNICAL SHOPS OPERATION

Total productive time f o r the month vas 13,374 hours. backlog i s 17,390 hours of which 504 i s required i n the Y J r r P n t moritki, with the remainder d is t r ibu ted over a three mcnth period. the month was 2.5 3 (456 hours) of the total avat1akl-e heurs.

The t o t a l shop work

Cver:ine worked during

Distr ibut ion of time w a s as follows: Man Hours $ of Total

F e i s Preparation Department I r r ad ia t ion P ro ce s s ing Dep art.ment Chemical Pro cess ing Department Hanfo r d Lab0 raib r i e s Ope ra t ion Construction Engineering Operation Miscellaneous

1698 12*6

633 4.7 927'0 69.5

L3 03 3 36 2.5

1394 10.4

The number of requests f r o m customers f o r emergenzy shop k i r k decreased f r o m the previous month permit t ing the achievement o f a mrmai overtime leve l . Other p ro jec t machine shops were u t i l i z e d to Froride assistance to the extent of ten man months. where the labor vas estimated at, 40 man hours alreraged 17 w r k i n g days versus what i s considered to be an optimum lead time of 8 working days, r e w i s i t i o n s were f i l e d f o r two addi t ional machinists

The lead time requested f o r corrqIeticr, of a typ ica l job

Personnel

A journeyman welder attended 811 educational zouree szonsored by the Mil ler E l e c t r i c Company in Appleton, Wisconsin. The Zourse ?overed new inovations i n welding machine8 and techniques.

Quotations covering a universal mil l ing machine were reTefved and evaluated. The Cincinnati #2 mashfne ewipped with independenr cverkead spindle m e t all important specif icat ions and as such was the lowest pr iced offerfng received. Delivery i s expected i n the month of February.

RADIOGRPSHIC TESTING OPERATION

Activi ty for the Badiographic Testing Operation w a s abc.i,* ncrmal f o r t h i s mmth. e q o s u r e s (including x-ray and gamma ray), and b,629 were supplemert*ary test.s. The supplementary t e s t work incbded dimensional meas;rernm-tts (mirrcmetric 11,

A total o f 5,602 t e s t s were made, of which 975 were radicgraphic

UNCLASSIFIED H-2 HW- 58661

borescope, eddy current, leak detection, penetrant, and u l t rasonic (thickness measurements and f l a w detect ion) t e s t s . radiographic tests.

O f t o t a l work time about 50% w a s on

Work s t a t i s 5 i c s were considerably infhericed by a large number of small jobs. A t o t a l of 1554 items were handled. The f e e t of material represented by t h i s t o t a l amounted t o 14,575 f e e t . It i s ant ic ipated that, wheg a l o t cf handling i s required on small mrk t h a t the footage and t o t a l nurrber of t e s t s w i l l be decreased, as shown f o r t h i s mGnth. Work was done f o r 19 d;ffererrt organiza- t i o n a l components, representing most of the operating depar%mente and service organizations. conclusions and recommended act ion. Radiographic TeFting Operatior, vas COT',- sulted on 19 d i f f e ren t occasion; f o r advice and information regarding general t e s t i n g theory and applications f o r o ther than the ,jobs 5abulafed i n Par? 11.

A total of 53 reports were issued dezaii ing +,est findings v l t h

To be able to b e t t e r evaluate eddy current and radicgraFhic t e s t ing of welded s t a i n l e s s s e e 1 tubing, an addi t ional order of 1" OD x O+lO9" t E c k wall tubing w i l l be studied. This mater ia l i s being fabri2ated at. abou: the sane time the 57,000 f e e t of PRTR tubing is being made and it c a ccnven2ently be worked into the correlat ion program.

A pro jec t proposal has been i n i t i a t e d to provide picki ing and l imited autoclave f a c i l i t i e s i n the 221-B Building f o r use on tubular prcducts. T2e f a c i l i t y w i l l coqlFmex+, t e s t i n g f a c i l i t i e s already inst.alled. Chemical Processing Department is required, of coxrse, before the p ro jec t cm proceed. Adequate fume consrol i s e s s e n t i a l and it, i s f e l t 5'; sarr be provided by i so la t ion cf the f a c i l i t y w i t h su i tab le low-cost walls.

&cncxrren:y of the

The application o f a portable leak de%ection u n i t fo r helium leaks has been eminently successful i n the reactor areas. Surveys have been completed a t KW and KE: and a re i n progress i n o ther reactor areas i n conJmction wtth reactor shutdowns. The izcidence of leaks is variable but, has been ra ther la rge . Tighteliing o f the various systems should produce la rge sayings i n cos t and i n supply of c r i t i c a l helium stocks.

T e s t i n g S t a t i s t i c s

NO .Of Component Tests

CPD 22

CEO 573

FPD 9

Ft . of Weld o r Material

1 5 1/2

763

1 1/2

NO ,Of Pieces Description

8 2 5/16" ID x .350f' w a l l x i3 1/2" long SS 2" 10" Sch. 10, SS pipe welds.

26 2" Szh. 40 aluminxu weld eo-qons PRTR containment vessel welds.

5 1/2" d i m . Sch. 160, pipe welds.

UNCLASSIFIED

UNcLASsIFm H- 3

No.of Ft . of Weld No. o f Component. Tests o r Material Pieces

m 3722 12363 1/2 717

I

I P D 1226 1431 1/2 798

- - MTAIS 5602 14575 1554

HW- 58661

Description

Hastelloy F pipe; .9%, 1.8%, 14.3% Pu-A1 castings for fuel p l a t e s , rods, e tc . Co-extruded I & E f u e l elements. Z r . c lad Na-K samples. .008~1 & .028'1 w a l l SS tubing; 1" OD T i tubing. 3", 1 7/8", OD, exter ior ribbed Z r . tubes; 2.4" and 2.7" OD r ib l e s s mR tubing. 8Il-347 SS flanges.

xx strong 3 1/2" pipe welds on NPR loop-189 D. Hel ium leak t e s t i n g a t l o 5 KW. Thickness t e s t i n g of 6" and 12" Sch. 80, 18i1 Sch. 60 by-pass l i nes , 190 B.

FACILITIES ENGINEERING OPERATION

f r o j e c t Act ivi ty

There were 1 4 authorized pro jec ts ' a t month end with total authorized flmds of $6,485,000. Twu pro jec ts were c o q l e t e d during the mnth . One new p ro jec t i s ava i t ing AEC approval.

The to%al estimated cost o f these pro jec ts is $7,691,000.

Pro jec t proposals f o r fourteen new pro jec ts are i n preparation.

The two p ro jec t s completed during the w n t h were CA-658 - Shielded Personnel Monitoring S t a t i m - 747 Building ($lkO,OOO),and CG-779 - Additions to Separa- t i ons Development F a c i l i t i e s - 321 Building ($25,000). within the authorized funds and d i rec t ive completion date.

Both were completed

The attached monthly project report covers the s t a t u s o f individual pro jec ts .

Engineering Services

T i t l e S t a tus

Modification o f Elevator, 327 Bldg. Securi ty F i r e mor Company contaract i s complete. Elevator i s i n operation. P lan t Forces w i l l complete t he i r work approximately January 1, 1959.

Reroofing of 146-FR and 222-U Approximately 57$ comple3e. Inclement. Buildings weather i s delaying the progress o f

t h i s job.

Additional Pasture - 100-F Area Work i s complete.


H- 4 RW- 58661

-yi'..Lc

Eemovable Crating - 3745-B Bldg.

-- S t a t m

Fabrication and i n s t a l l a t i o n c,ost.s on o r ig ina l design proved excessive. design i s being prepared.

A new

Tr-aveling Crane - 314 Building Shipment of conversion equipment has been promised the week o f 1/19/59.

Ad~-t.ione tC Room 123 - 146-FR Building.

Work i s 95$ complete.

In s t a l l a t ion has been delayed pending ava i l a b i l i t y of sheet metal men.

Provide Additional Hoods, Room ?-a, 325 Building

Decontamination of the 314 Build-ng

An estimate f o r vacuuming and paint ing the i n t e r i o r of the building, has been prepared.

[email protected] Room 30-C - 326 Bldg. Equlgment has been removed and an order wasplaced f o r a sink and l a b t ab le f o r the corrosion lab.

S:ope Usable Available Space Near 2 3 - 2 Building

Preliminary layouts of new s t ruc tures and layout of equipment to be relocated to 231-2 Building have been made. complete . Study i s

Held up due to p lan t forces work load. AlTernate Steam Condensate Line - 328 Building

Adm:.cis ter Pressure Vessel In- spec+,ion Program f o r FY 1959

Carried out consult-ing service with customers and scheduled inspections f o r next quarter.

Alternations to- 40' x 80' m y Mecs Hall Bailding

Authority to use the mess h a i l and z a ? services a t the cemp s i t e was received f romthe AEC. Work is 3O$ complete.

Target date is Canuary 16.

306 Building Water F i l te r Replacement p a r t s were ins ta l led . The v e n b r was requested t o review ins+,al- l a t i o n and to witness malf'unction. h i s recommendation, unit was shipped bazk to manufacturer f o r rework.

Upon

A work order has been issued to Constmni- t i on Operation fo r purchase and i n s t a l l a - t i on of a 1,000 bu. silo s imi la r t o those now i n place adjacent t o 141-B Building. Estimated completion date i s 1/30/59.

Sav-Duet, Storage S i lo - Bloiogy Operation

1 2 4 5 0 9 9

T i t l e - Relocate Fros t f r o m 314 Build Building.

Te s t E quipmen t ng t o 303-5

Design and Drafting Services

T i t l e

Cesium Recovery

Fuel Element X-Ray Densitometer

Draw Bench Chain Support

No n -P ro duct ion Fue 1 s Pro ce s s i n g

Manipulator Dolly, CA-749

Clamping Fixture

Rod Holder and Drive

Sample Holder

Ver t ica l Housing Assembly

Gamma Monitor Cell Model N and V

Ewil ibr ium Chamber

Melting Poin t Furnace

Thermal Analysis Furnace

E- 5

Status

A cost estimate and a p l an t forzes work review are cur r -n t ly being prepared.

S ta tus & Description

This job i s approximately 9% complete.

Temporarily held up. Work 85% complete.

Completion held up pending outcome of t e s t run. Work 505 complete.

Prototype Saw Assembly 754 complete and Shear Feed lo$ complete. on t h i s job has been discontinued.

Further m r k

Work s ta r ted .

A fixture to hold and press plug in se r t s in to W2 f i l l e d rods. Work i s complete.

A device f o r holding and posi t ioning W2 f i l l e d rods w i t h plug in se r t s i n welding machine. Work complete . A holder f o r sample of uD2 f o r inser t ion i n vacuum annealing furnace. Work comp1et.e.

Layout gear t r a i n and drive linkage whl2.h holds p a r t s f o r Beliara welding. c o q l e t e . Work

A device f o r the detection o f gamma radiat ion. Work complete.

A device to measure thermal conductivity of dense ceramics. 5096 complete.

A furnace f o r determiring the melting poin t of W2. Work complete.

A v e r t i c a l r e s i s t a x e furnace f o r determining %he thermal propert ies of U02. Work s ta r ted .

H - 6 HW- 58661

T i t i e

Creep Capsule

Test Seztion Mock-TJp

Wide Angle Viewer - PRTR Exarulna%.ion Cel l

StatGe & Description

Measurement of Zirconium. A caps-ale to monitor s t r e s s , elongation, and temperature while being i r rad ia ted . 204 complete.

A tube faci1it .y to simulate 3x3 and 6x9 t e s f f a c i l l t i e s i n the ETR f o r mock-up and sold run purpcses. Work coq1et.e

Work 954 complete.

In addition to the above about 25 mis,:ellaneous Job i$ems a re being worked on i n the drafting oI;era%ion.

Mairrtecance and Biiilding; Engineering

C o s z e - November - $iO;,665 Ootober - $ 90,780

FYTD Total: $437,0b. 35.l$ cf Bidget. The expend2ture forezast predicted cos t +a be 3 4 . 9 .

Unusual Maintenana:e :

Painting Revision H&7 Roofing Crib Lines Other

Total

No vemb e r FYTD -

Preventative maintenance scheaules are b e h g reviewed f o r 300 Area Huj buildings.

A sr.udy cf maintenance h is tory development i s being i n i t l a t e d to see i f mechanizing of t he work order blue copy records i s feas i3 le .

TECHNTCAL IXFORMATION OPERATION

A pre-pQblieat-ion draft o f the AEC's Quarterly Li te ra ture Revlew cr, Reactor FGei Processing f o r A u g x t a , September and October1 1-958, vas reoeived f o r comment. T'nis review, ed i ted by S. Lawrowski of the Argome NatAor.al Labora- tory, I s one o f three T e c h i z a l Progress R5views aow pGblished by tke qommissLcn. The reviews have caused sgme d issa t i s faz t ion among AEC cont.ractors beZaixe (I)

UNCLASSIFIED E-7 HW- 5866i

information which the s i t e has not been able to publish because of c l a s s i - f i ca t ion d i f f i c u l t i e s i s occasionally declassif ied and appears i n the review, (2 ) there have been exarnples of inadvertent re lease o f pa ten t information, and (3) some s i t e s f e e l t h a t c l a s s i f i ed information has been disclosed in t h e reviews. view a d r a f t of the pxblication before it goes to press. A recent l e t t e r ind ica tes t h a t a considerable number of changes were made i n the issue because of the comments received f r o m HAPO and o ther s i t e s .

As a re su l t , the s i t e s w i l l now be given an opportunity to re-

The control of code designations, present ly a respons ib i l i ty o f the Technical Information Operation, w i l l be t ransfer red t o the Securi ty and Pa t ro l Operatlon on January 1, 1959. Thereafter Securi ty w i l l be responsible f o r servicing the needs of the P lan t f o r code words--seeking AEC approval on new code words as needed and disseminating information received f o r the AEC on new o r discontinued code words. Technical Information w i l l continue to maintain a cross reference f i l e of code words and the i r def ini t ions, since th i s f i l e i s i q 5 r t a n t to an understanding of the technical reports . Level 2 components have been informed o f the forthcoming change.

Representatives of Technical Information, GE and AEC Security, and the Process Engineering and Manufacturing Division, HOO attended a meeting which con- s idered the present unsat isfactory provisions f o r handling Atomic Weapon Data docments. deals with Atomic Weapon Data. Sigma def in i t ions) is planned but probably w i l l not be cleared through the numerous channels f o r a t least s i x mnths . t inue with the present procedures.

There is wide-spread d issa t i s fac t ion w i t h Manual Chapter 2108 which A revision of the Manual Chapter (including the

There appears to be no a l te rna t ive but to con-

An e f f o r t i s being made t o get some r e l i e f from the present s t r ingent AEC instruct ions on the c l a s s i f i ca t ion of photographs, pa r t i cu la r ly t h e re quire- men+, t h a t i n t e r i o r and ex te r io r photographs o f a l l buildings except those so le ly housing administrative a c t i v i t i e s be c l a s s i f i ed CONFIDJ3NTIAL. A l e t t e r directed t o the AEC pmposed the less r e s t r i c t i v e in te rpre ta t ions of t h i s requirement, and indicated t h a t HAPO would use these in te rpre ta t ions u n t i l the matter i s resolved wi th the Division of Classif icat ion.

The inventory of Class i f ied F i l e s document holdings was completed on Desember 19. calendar year. were inventoried,

This is the f i r s t time t h a t the inventory has been completed within a Almost 206,000 SECKET and documented CONFIDENTIAL docments

Reducing the staff of the 100-H F i l e s to one person (reported i n November) i s working o u t w e l l . occlasions during the month. documents ready f o r use i n January, 1959 required the help of one Issue c le rk and a Route clerk.

It Was necessary to send assistance on only f o w A peak load i n issuing and ge t t ing binder-type

The annual report on HAPO's 1958 memberships was completed and subm- ' t t e d to Contract Administration. a l i m i t on P lan t expenditures f o r memberships. Administration w a s the l i s t of 1959 memberships approved fo r renewal by Level 2 managers.

The report w i l l be forwarded to AEC, which has set Also forwarded to Contract.

1 2 4 1 1 0 2 UNCLASSIFDD

UNCLASSIFIED H - 8 Rw- 58661

Work-ing Vclume S t a t i s t i c s

Dcc'nent Distr ibut ion and F i l e s November

mmmentns routed and discharged (copies) 21,283 Dccuments issued (copies) 11,207 Documents sen t o f f s i t e (copies) 2,965 Bcument reserves f i l l e d (copies) 872 lbcuments picked up and delivered 23,996

Document Accountability

Holders of c l a s s i f i e d documents whose f i l e s were inventoried

330

Documents inventoried in. F i l e s (copies) 7,347 Documents destroyed o r r e t i r e d (copies) 5,334 Documents revised (copies) 1,480 Documents pul led and documents f i l e d (copies) 11,599 Documents r ec l a s s i f i ed 807

204,154 Accountable copies of SECRET and DOCUMENTED CONFIDENTIAL documents ons i te .

Reference and Publ icat ion

Books cataloged (new t i t l e s ) 55 Books added t o the co l lec t ion (volumes) 272 Ready reference questions answered by professional s t a f f 125 Li te ra ture searches by professional s t a f f 119 Reports abstracted ( t i t l e s ) 216 Formal reports prepared ( t i t l e s ) 16 Offs i te reqyest.s f o r HAPO reports (copies) 145 Reports re leased t o CAP ( t i t l e s ) 24

Library Acquisitions and Circulat ion

Books ordered (volumes) Per iodicals o rdered Books c i rcu la ted (volumes) Per iodicals c i rcu la ted ( i ssues) I n t e r -Library loans Films borrowed or rented Indus t r i a l f i lm showings Bawd per iodica ls added to the col lect ion

97 1,567 2,103

73 31 67 47

December

15,386 11,768 1,595

516 18,616

444

1,026 . 2,974

7,140 1,317

697 204,029

135 277 149 102 182 14

403 25

439 69

1,891 2,300

54 23 32 72

UNCLASSIFIED

UNCLASSIFIED H- 9 m- 58661

Library Collection :

No. o f books 24,966 8,131 1,376 1,922 36,395

per iodica ls 11,378 1 1,431 96 12,905

36,334 8,132 2 , 807 2,018 49,301

No. of bound

S t a t i s t i c s November. December

Documents ,, Including drawings and photographs reviewed f o r downgrading o r dec lass i f ica t ion . 41 40

Dcc-ments and papers (intended f o r o r a l presentat ion o r pubi icat ion) reviewed f o r appropriate c l a s s i f i ca t ion . 31 19

Doc-aments submitted to Declassif icat ion Branch, Oak Ridge 9 48

LABORATORIES ADMINISTRATION

T b e l y revis ions were issued on three OPG's during the month.

The followir,g contracts were entered in to :

CA-206, Consultant Agreement with D r . Henry Eyring DDR-55, E a t t e l l e Memorial I n s t i t u t e , a program i n conjunction with PRTR.

The following contracts are being negotiated:

DDR-29, N.-?clea.r Metals, Inc., a mdif ica t ion providing f o r addi+uional research and development work.

SA-?&, The Swedish Hospital , f o r exchange o f c l i n i c a l data.

DDR-54, Aeropmjects, Inc., f o r welding of f u e l elements.

A ccnt rac t with New Rochelle Tool Corp, f o r the development, con- s t ruc t ian , an3 demonstration of a machine to weld ribs to Zircaloy tubing.

A contract f o r the design, development, and fabr ica t ion of an in-reactor instrument.

UNCLASSIFIED

1 2 4 1 I 0 4

UNCLASSIFIED H-10

A contract f o r machine shop work is being considered.

HW- 58661

Assistance to Hanford, No. ATH-HLO-2-59, f o r an engineerAg review of PEU'R was extended to allow f o r mre time.

Additional Assistance to Hanford authorization on corrosion t e s t i n g o f aluminum cladding is being considered.

A schedule o f budgets, reports , and other information generally requested during the year was issued f o r advanced planning by managers.

One reqyest f o r a m t o r scooter was processed and one vehicle was reassigned within Hanford Laboratories Operation.

LABORATORY AUXILIAFUE??

LZG Boyd: jcw

UNCLASSIFIED

Y J c I- -

s : n f ? a

L Z

1

c 0

.Ti 4 (3 4 m

%

3 a

I

LL

I

f A Y

w J c t- -

I

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k a a cd k 0 k

B -2 2

4 4

P

3 a 0 t

t! a4

r

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P a i!a dba *8

a k

b P m

HW- 58661- UNeLASSIFIED

GENERAL

EMPLOYEE RELATIONS OPERATION MONTHLY REPORT

At moEth's end, the staff of the Hanford Laboratories Operation totalled 1204 e q l o y ~ c i including 568 exempt and 636 nonexempt employees. possessing technical degrees, including 272 B.S., 107 M.S. and lo5 Ph.D.

There were 484 exempt employees

PERSONNEL DEVELOPMENT

Representatives of each level 2 component met with representatives of Columbia Bgsiri College and the Richland Public Schools Adult Evening School to discuss educatiosi needs of Plant personnel and means by which the two schools might assist in meeskq these requirements.

Responsibility for administering the HAP0 portion of the Armed Forces Special Weqors Project Training Program has been delegated to A. J. Stevens, RPO, for the Progru'3 technical contect and to J. P. Crewdson, ERO for administration. Both visited Re$& College in Portland on December 12th to meet with AFSWP participants c d with Dr. W. L. Parker of Reed to arrange the details of the Program.

A proposal for the conduct of the Summer Institute of Nuclear Ebgerw for Professxs was submitted t o the A.E.C. for approval.

Ten employees completed the 11-week PSM & L couse. ment Orientation.

Two employees attended Mmage-

UNION RELATIONS

Since no agreement was reached at the December 26th meeting between the Company a?id the HAMllC in the matter of the Wonacott grievance, it appears that the question will be taken to arbitration. The Company and the IIAMTC have agreed upon a San Frawieco sttomey as arbitrator and have written to him regarding his availability.

Two non-imit grievances were received in December, one from a Draftsman pertsirirg to working conditions m d one from a General Clerk regarding the reassignmetlt of arothcr Clerk. second grievance was settled at Step 11.

m e first grievance wa6 answered satisfactorily at Step I ard the

Copy for an employee information booklet on the Whole Body Monitor and copy for a series of GE News and Management Newsletter items on new maxbxum pemissikle limits were drafted a,nd submitted for approval to Radiation Protection Operation at their request.

Revision of the pamphlet, "Your Guide to the Tri-City Area" was undertaken at the request of Professional Personnel Placement Operation.

To help insure proper representation of HLO participation in the University of Washington Summer Biology Institute, Public Information has agreed to coI;ta@t tte U-W News Bureau to request cooperative news release arrangements on publicity dealing with the Institute.

1 2 4 1 I 1 4

U N W S I F I E D I- 2 HW- 58661

EMFLOZZ COMPENSATION

As of December 31, 1958, 94.9$ of a l l e l i g i b l e HLO employees have signed up f o r the Savicgs a d Security Program which became effect ive January 1, 1959.

A preliminary analysis of the appra isa l d i s t r ibu t ion pa t t e rn f o r the 1958 exempt employee appraisals has been completed and forwarded t o the HIX) Level 2 Manager. Also included was an analysis of the new appraisal versus present pay relat ionship.

A new l e v e l 5 component, Reactor Technology Development, was establ ished within the Reactor Engineering Development Operation e f fec t ive December 1, 1958.

The BLO Organization Directory i s being revised and updated t o January 1, 1959 and w i l l be d i s t r ibu ted i n ear ly January.

?he Nonexempt Compensation Study i s proceeding on schedule. The new job description format is current ly being firmed up and the job e n l u a t i o n point scheme is currently i n the f inal stages of val idat ion.

Seven nonexempt Jobs were audited during the month. four job descr ipt ions were rewri t ten w i t h two of these being re-evaluated t o higher grade c l a s s i f i ca t ions .

As a r e s u l t of t h i s ac t iv i ty ,

Thirteen suggestions were approved f o r awards t o t a l l i n g $315 a t the December meeting of the HILI Suggestion Board. f h d s i n the HLO Suggestion budget. KLO suggestion &ward is $23.59 and the r a t i o of awards t o savings is 13.34.

At December 31, we have a balance of $1670 of unused Following t he December meeting, the average

k+,yas 3. Fekete, a r e t i r e d employee who formerly worked In the Biology Operation, paEsed away December 25, 1958 a t Kadlec Methodist Hospital,

H I 0 Par t ic ipa t ion i n m l o y e e Benefit Plans

Year Pension Savings Savings - 1958 Insurance Plan Stock Bonus Plan

Mar. 99.7 98.6 61.9

Sept . 99.7 98.8 61.6 Dec . 99.8 98.7 50.3

June 99.7 98.9 61.4

PROFESSIONAL PERSOHNEL PLACEMENT

8.7 7.6

7.5 6.5

During t h e month of December aeven Ph.D. candidates v i s i t e d HAPO, r e su l t i ng i n two KIX) Offers being extended, one o f f e r accepted and one HLO o f f e r re jected. The one acceptance a l s o reported on t he ro l l . responsible f o r securing an outstanding e l e c t r i c a l engineer f o r the Company's Technical Military Planning Operation In Santa Barbara, California.

In addition, HApo's e f f o r t s were primarily

Offer ac t ion t o experienced BS/MS candidates includes four of fe rs extended, th ree accepted and two men placed on the r o l l . f o r Hu, with two renmzining open and one man placed on the ro l l .

O f these numbers three of fe rs were extended

UNCLASSIFIED

UNCLASSIFIED m-58661-

Mid-year BS/MS campus recruit ing was completed with a t o t a l of 37 schools vi, @it€L. A t o t a l of 55 offers have been extended, f i ve candidates have accepted our offer, and four have rejected, Mechanical engineering continues as one of the most diffi- cu l t f i e lds t o a t t r a c t qualified candidates and it appears that these engineers are i n considerable demand i n a l l sections of the country.

Eleven members of the Technical Graduate Program are presently available for off- program placement, membership of 26 which i s the l a t e s t membership since the Progrsm was established i n 1950.

Three of these w i l l be placed on January 1, leaving a t o t a l

HEULTH, SAFETY AND SECURITY

Laboratories personnel worked a t o t a l of 199,500 man-hours during the month with no disabling injur ies . have been completed with no disabling injuries. The medical treatment frequency f o r December was 1.30 as compared with 1.12 during November.

Since September 1, 1956, a t o t a l of 5,283,560 man-hours

There was one security violation during the month, bringing the t o t a l for the calendar year t o 45.

The programmed changeover t o ASA e lec t r i ca l receptacles in the 326 Bldg. is now lo@ completed; i n the 328 B l d g . 85% completinn t o date.

Eighteen requisit ions were received during the month; 12 were f i l l ed , 2 cace l l ed , and 28 remain open, including 19 f o r Engineering and Laboratory Assistants, 5 f o r Draftsmen, 3 f o r Craftsmen and 1 Secretar ia l opening. dates in process and 2 t ransfers a r e pending.

There a re currently 12 candi-

-ger, Employee Relations

T.G. luhsrshall:tr

I 2 4 1 1 1 7

UNCLAsslFm I- 5 Hw- 58661.

Nonexempt Ehployment S ta tus Nov. Dec . Requisitions Transfer Requests

Nonexempt Transfer Requests Nov. Dec. -- -- A t end of month 24 28 Active cases a t end of mo. 65-x 66 1 4 Cancelled

6 6 1

F i l l e d during month 12 12 Transfers effected

Cancelled 2 2

Received during month 12 18 , NW 10 -

Candidates Considered

Total appl icat ions 29 48 Total transfer requests 1 from other a t HAP0

++Shown last month i n e r r o r as 70.

T A B B 111. UNION RELATIONS

Grievances h c e s s e d - January 1, 1958 t o da te

Total Processed

Step I

30 (includes 5 non-unit grievances)

Answered s a t i s f a c t o r i l p 20

Answered Sa t i s fac tor i ly+w 10 0 Pending time l i m i t Pending a r b i t r a t i o n decis ion 1

-x Step I grievances which Council indicated a des i r e t o discuss a t Step I1 not scheduled f o r discussion within three months are considered s e t t l e d a t Step I.

.)Ht Step I1 grievances i n which t h e Council formally applied f o r a rb i t r a t ion but f o r which no f u r t h e r ac t ion is taken within th ree months are considered s e t t l e d a t Step 11.

UNCLASSIFIED 1-6 HW-58661-

U 0

8 PI 0

-P 4 rn 2 R

F;;“

UNCLASSIFIED

U N C U S S IFlED 1-7

C - Technical Graduate and Technician Training Program Month Ending December 3, 1958

Number Personnel on assigment 29 1 0 )

(HAP0 Tech Grad Program.. . . . . . . (West. District E.P.. . .. . .... . .

Distribution of assignments by Depts.

HLO CEO R&UO FPD IPD CPD

Distribution of assignments by functions R&D or Engineering

TG Program

Other

I24 I 1 2 0

29

13 0 0 0

13 3

24 5

HW-58651.

TT Program

13

13 0

UNCLASSIFIED J-1 RW-58661.

FINANCIAL OPERATION MONTHLY REPCRT

Personnel

There were no changes i n the personnel of the Financial Operation during December.

General Accounting Ope r a t i o n

Act ivi ty concerned wlth in t e rp re t a t ion of Prime Contract requirements and the preparation of Approved and Agreement Letters t o the Ctaumlssion has been unusually heavy during the past month. This a c t i v i t y has included the preparation of s i x let ters t o the Caemrission and par t ic ipa t ion i n formulation of a Modifleation t o Appendix B of the Prime Contract.

Continuity of service accrual rates were carefu l ly studied and recammendations for CY 1959 compared with 1958 rates a re shown below:

Suggested 1959

Pension 4*3$ 4.8$ Insurance 2.0 1.8

2.9 2-7 Social Securi ty Taxes Workman's Accident Compensation - .2 Savlngs and Securi ty

- 2.8 .5 Program & Stock Bonus Plan

These new rates axe scheduled t o begin January 1959.

The State Department has disallowed about $65.00 of expenses i n connection with Geneva Conference. taxi cos ts frm hote ls t o conference sites and return. Contract Accounting may attempt t o recover a port ion of expenses disallowed, i f the HAP0 t o t a l i s

These cons is t of taxes paid on domestic t ransportat ion and

8 i @ . f i C a t .

In cannection with the physical inventory of uninstal led cataloged equipment in the custody of Biology Operation, a mlssing equlpnent repor t is being prepared fo r four n ~ i . S S b g items with a ne t value of $9.00. Upon r ece ip t of this document, with the required signatures, a forntal repor t of results will be issued.

Field work i n connection with the physical inventory of uninstal led cataloged equlpnent in the custody of physics and Instrument Research end Development Opera- t i o n is complete and the r c c a n c i l i ~ ~ f o n i s i n progress. Custodial personnel are cur ren t ly conducting a search f o r 3 unlocated items valued at $486. items valued at $2,655 found during the count will require fur ther invest igat ion p r io r t o being added to record. an estimated value of $920,308.

Eleven

1,229 item Were physically inventoried having


J- 2 HW-58661.

Fina l t r ans fe r of the 231-2 Building, representi% lo@ of the power wiring ($90,963) and 50$ of the o r ig ina l piping ($213,000) w a s received in December 1958 frm CPD. Transfer of these t.wo items w a s delayed pending an exgineer's estimate of the amount removed or not ' i n use. CPD.

The balance of piping (50$) w a s r e t i r e d t o

A pro jec t proposal, CAB-828, was prepared and forwarded t o the C0;mmission fo r approval, t o provide a f a c i l i t y of approximately 3,000 square f e e t i n the v i c i n i t y of the 340 Building i n the 300 Area t o serve as a cen t r a l storage mea f o r equipment and materials.

The inventory of HLO equipment being held f o r future use i n ex is t ing storage areas i s complete. items of equipment found with an estimated value of $475,500. equipmeat located have been or a re In the process of being furnished t o custodial personnel requesting that they i l idieate the disposi t ion of each I t e n (1) r e t a i n f o r immediate use, (2) excess, or (3) t r ans fe r t o a cen t r a l storage area.

Anticipated date of occupancy is May 1, 1959.

Sixteen storage areas were physically inveztoried with 893 Listings of the

Two new revis ions t o the AEC Manual, per ta ining t o the accountabili ty of property of others i n the custody of HAP0 and the do l l a r report ing of such equipment t o the Commission, w i l l increase the workload in Property Accounting but a t the same time provide addi t iona l control of equipnent belonging t o others. the revis ions indicate t h a t (1) we w i l l a f f i x i t leri t if ication tags and maintain control records of all c a p i t a l (zataloged and uncataloged) equipment, (2) the records will r e f l e c t quant i t ies and acquis i t ion cos t and shall be supported by document f i l e s per ta ining t o the property indicat ing m e r and other per t inent details, and ( 3 ) physical inventories shal l be taken annually and the acquis i t ion cos t of a l l property of others will be sham as footnotes t o plant and equipment repor t s by pr inc ipa l organization.

Brief ly

The ' 'outside" forecas t of SS materials for the 4th quarter of FY 1959, and the lst , a d , 3rd and 4th quarters of FY 1960 w a s prepared and submitted t o Contract Accounting during the month. September 21, 1958 w a s received ircm the Comrmission and f i e l d persome1 were mtf f ied accordingly.

Approval of the last "outside" forecast submitted

Arrangements were completed for the regulax quaxterly inventory of spec ia l materials, as of December 3, 1958, t o be conducted by custodial personnel. ing w i l l not witness the count but xi11 reconcile the r e s u l t s t o Property Accounting recorda.

Property Account-

A repor t of results w i l l be issued upon ecsnpletion of reconci l ia t ion.

Cost Accounting

A revised Financial Plan was received fran HOO-AEX during December which increased the f b d s available f o r 4000 Program research and development by $460,000. PRP increased $285,000 and Gas C O o l t r i Reactor Studies increased $175,000. The revised Financial Plan did not Include any funds for the Waste Disposal Program. The equipment funds t o t a l i n g $400,000 for the 4000 Program were spec i f i ca l ly ear- marked for HIP which represents a change from the previous Financial Plan as the funds were previously applicable t o the overall 4000 Program a c t i v i t i e s . equipment funds a re required for both the Gas Cooled Power Reactor Program and the Swelling Studies a l e t t e r w i l l be submitted t o HOO-AEC requesting (1) a t r ans fe r of ex is t ing funds from the research and development category (operating cos t s ) t o

As

I 2 4 I t 2 2 UIPCLASSIFIED

UNCLASSIFIED J- 3 HW-58661.

the equipment category for the Gas Cooled Power Reactor Program and (2) au additional authorization in the equipment category for the Swelling Studies.

A report was issued to Level 3 managers comparing operating costs through November 1958 for certain f’unctions Kith the FY 1959 Target Budget which wa8 submitted to the Manager - HAP0 in September. servlce assessment and supporting servlce functions. functions through November are 41$ of the Target Budget, indicating satisfactory performance during this period of the fiscal year.

The HLO Target Budget places emphasis on the Costs associated with these

Budgets were prepared for Level 4 and 5 components during the month and were based on the Midyear Budget Review previody prepared for each Level 3 ccmponent. Midyear Budget Review will be-sham on the December cost statements.

The systems study for converting the ‘present cost accounting system to electronic data processing was well along by month-end. The system proposed by HLO Cost Accounting was reviewed by a majoridy of the managers and supervisors in HLO. As a result of this management review further modifications to the proposed system are being considered at this time. and transmitted by February 1, 1959 to Data Processing Operation for review and evaluat i on.

The

It is anticipated the study w i l l be camplete

Liquidation rates were revlsed for the rotational trainee and technician trainee programs effective with December billings as underliquidations of cost exist for both programs. technician trainee rate w a s increased from $115 to $140. technician trainee rate will be reduced to $130 on July 1, 1959.

Personnel Accountinq

As of December 20, 1958 there were 1,005 employees participating in the Savlngs and Security Plan. Incentive shares allotted to these employees would amount to 969. authorization records of the 1,005 employees was transmitted by magnetic tape to Schenectady and we now have an IBM run of our Savings and Security Program master file as maintained by the Computer Center at Schenectady.

The rotational trainee rate was Increased from $150 to $175 and the It is anticipated the

Of‘ those participating, 561 were exempt, 444 non-exempt. The individual

Custody receipts for 1953 bonds were returned fram each individual eligible and were transmitted to Schenectady December 19.

Stock Bonus deductions for exempt employees enrolled in the Savings and Security Program were made for the last time in December and in order to eliminate clerical work in preparing refunds of deductions not used for the purchase of bonds, the normal December deductions in erne IPstsnces was reduced to an amount which when combined with the November balance exactly equaled the purchase price of a bond or bonds. Unused balances w i l l be refunded on pay checks received January 9.

*

This procedure was not follqyed for non-exempt employees.

Audi tine

Issuance of the report on the audit of material and equipment furnished AEC Con- tractors is awaiting CEO clearance. Field work on the audit of contracting and procurement is nearly ccmplete. 1 2 4 1 1 2 3

HW- 58661.

Procedures

Several meetings have been held with HLO landlord representatives and with FPD Maintenance Operation fn an attempt to f'urther define the procedure needed concerning mafntenance information pertinent to HLO buildings.

To assist management in the job of planning their workload, a listing was prepared (in conjunction with Specialist - Technical Administratiorr) of information which is regularly requested of t h y

An instruction letter, setting forthr'procedures to be followed in the mea of forms revlew and control, was issued to management.

Blue lstterhed stationery for HLO has been dlecontinuad and is being replaced by white. izg them of the change.

Review of the HAP0 and HLO c d e structure is continuing, have both expressed interest in expanding the 13 digit cost code structure. Other stzrdies which are continuing are the establishment of a permanent work order source f i le , delivery of travel checks to HLO General Ledger (nearly complete) an& mechanization of accounting.

An information lettzr w a s distributed to all HID secretaries irifom-

HLO and FR) Finacce

Me asursment s

Annual measurements and goals information for Hesford Laboratories was collected and the necesssry acpual reports were issued during the first week of December. Weparation of the Hanford Laboratories portion of the report "1958 at HAPO" has be-

Payroll Statistics

Number of BLO Employees Changes During Month

Employees on P8yFdl at Beginning of Month

Removals and Transfers Out Additions m d Transfers In 4

Employees on Payroll at End-of Month

Overtime Payments During Month Exempt Now exempt

Gross Payroll Paid During Month

Exempt Non-Exempt

Total - 1 192

% 1 204

December

- $ 841

4 170

$3 0I.l

$450 619 278 636

-

$ p 9 255

Exempt Mon-Exempt

564 628

2) 8 i4) E $g

$1 194 rn $6 528

November

$443 883 2Iu22

UNCLASSIFIED

UNCLASSIFIED 4

J- 5 m- 58661.

Participation in Ehployee Benefit Plans at Month End

Pension Plan Insurance Plan Personal Coverage Dependent Coverage

U . S . Savings Bonds Stock Bonus Plan Savings Plan Savings and Security Plan

Good Neighbor Fund

Insurance C l a i m s

Employee Benefits Life Insurance Weekly Sichess & Accident Comprehensive Medic al

Comprehensive Medical Dependent Benefits

Total

December Participation November Participation Number Percent Number Percent - 1 174 98.7

1 225 99*8 815

717 59.6 90 7.5

1 015 94.9

829 68.9

-

December Amount Number -

12 1 511 33 4 118

1 165 98.7

1 220 99.8 806 -

824 69.1

November Number Amount -

62 -

Manager - Finance


UNCLASSIFIED K-1 HW -58661

INVENT1 ONS OR DISCOVERIES

A l l pe r sons engaged in work that might reasonably be expected t o

r e su l t in inventions or d iscover ies advise that , t o the best of t h e i r knowledge

and belief no inventions or d i scove r i e s were made in the c o u r s e of t he i r work during the per iod covered by th i s r epor t except a s l is ted below. pe r sons fu r the r advise tha t , for the per iod there in covered by th i s r e p o r t , notebook r e c o r d s , i f any, kept in the c o u r s e of t h e i r work have been examined fo r possible inventions or d iscover ies .

Such

INVENTOR TITLE OF INVENTION OR DISCOVERY

G. B. Bar ton The Growth of Synthetic Quartz C r y s t a l s

R . H. Moore

D. R . Kalkwarf

J. W. Goffard V. H. T rou tne r

A Pyrochemica l P r o c e s s with Uranium and Plutonium Recycle In tegra l t o a Uranium Fueled, Plutonium Enriched Reac tor

The Use of Erioglaucine as a Radiation Pro tec t ive Agent (HW -5841 1)

F u e l Element F a i l u r e Mmi to r ing in Autoclaves

stl, 4.&L$yL For H. M. Parker I For H. M. Parker

UNCLASSIFIED

HANFORD LABORATORIES OPERATION MONTHLY ...

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