PREPARATION AND FABRICATION OF PLUTONIUM FUEL ALLOY FOR LOS ALAMOS MOLTEN PLUTONIUM REACTOR EXPERIMENT NO. 1 Page: 31 of 33
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the stopper from a fuel rod transfer tube, opened the sliding door
between the hood and the glove box, and carefully slid the plutonium
alloy rod from the transfer tube onto a piece of cloth in the hood.
The rod was then picked up by forceps and dropped through the funnel
into the fuel capsule tube. After removing the funnel, the tube holder
assembly was mounted in the welding chamber. The tantalum cap was
placed on the insertion rod, and the upper lid was then clamped in
place. An inert atmosphere was established within the welding chamber
by evacuating and refilling with helium twice. Finally the helium flow
from the chamber was diverted through the mercury bubbler. At this
point the tantalum cap was inserted into the top of the tantalum tube,
a small flow of argon was passed into the chamber and the cap was welded
to the tube.
In order to weld the fuel capsule, the pointed electrode was
positioned about 0.025 in. from the circumferential joint between the
cap and tube, in the same plane as the joint. The rotary drive motor
was turned on and the time cycle controller was then started. The weld
was then completed automatically, under the observation of an experienced
welder. After cooling in the inert atmosphere, the weld was inspected
visually and monitored for alpha contamination. The assembly was then
weighed to determine the exact weight of plutonium alloy. A typical
finished fuel rod is shown in Fig. 12.
The finished fuel capsules were finally inspected for leaks by
mounting in a vacuum chamber and monitoring for helium with a mass
spectrometer leak detector.28
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Anderson, J.W.; McNeese, W.D. & Leary, J.A. PREPARATION AND FABRICATION OF PLUTONIUM FUEL ALLOY FOR LOS ALAMOS MOLTEN PLUTONIUM REACTOR EXPERIMENT NO. 1, report, April 15, 1960; New Mexico. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc864853/m1/31/: accessed April 23, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.