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open access

Fission Product Activities in Irradiated Natural Uranium, Enriched Uranium, and Thorium

Description: Calculated data and graphs describing the effects of batch thermal-neutron irradiations on the buildup of fission products in natural uranium, enriched uranium, and thorium are presented together with empirical equations and plots correlating total fission product activities and/or decontamination factors. Fluxes of 1012-1015 are considered.
Date: March 28, 1956
Creator: Arnold, E. D.
open access

Relative Biological Hazards of Radiations Expected in Homogeneous Reactors TBR and HPR

Description: An evaluation of the relative health hazards of radioisotopes produced in nuclear reactors is reported. The most important hazards were indicated to be I131, the Sr90 - Y90 chain, the Ce144 -Pr144 chain, Sr 89, the Ba140-La40 chain, Y91, the Zr95-Nb95 chain, Pr143, La140 , and Pa233. The most critical body organs affected by air-borne contamination are the thyroid gland, the bone marrow, the lungs, and the gastrointestinal tract. Where possible, continuous daily removal of gaseous and solid fis… more
Date: December 2, 1955
Creator: Arnold, E. D. & Gresky, A. T.
open access

Thorex Thorium Nitrate Product Specifications

Description: Activity and ionic impurity specifications are presented for Thorex thorium nitrate products. Two sets of specifications are given, one set for direct handling during refabrication of production reactor thorium metal slugs and the second for refabrication of future power reactor thorium metal elements by semi-remote technics. Consideration was given to the health hazard problems associated with each process step between the Thorex process and final refabricated source material in order to arriv… more
Date: May 24, 1956
Creator: Arnold, E. D. & Wischow, R. P.
open access

HRP Radiation Corrosion Studies

Description: A fifth in-pile loop experiment, L-4-8, was completed. The loop operated in-pile for a total of 1637 hr, during which time the LITR energy output was 4377 Mwhr. The average fission power in the loop based o cesium analyses was 622 w when the LITR was at full power (3 Mw). Based on oxygen data, the generalized corrosion rate for the first 300 hr was 4.0 mpy; the rate for the remaining 1357 hr was 0.7 mpy. The nickel data gave parallel results. The corrosion of the type 347 stainless steel, Zirca… more
Date: August 21, 1956
Creator: Baker, J. E.; Bradley, N. C.; Jenks, G. H.; Olsen, A. R.; Savage, H. C. & Walter, F. J.
open access

Homogeneous Reactor Test Summary Report for the Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards

Description: The Homogeneous Reactor Test (HRT) is the experimental reactor facility (Frontispiece) being designed and constructed at ORNL as the next step in homogeneous reactor development between the 1-Mv HRE and a "full-scale" power station. The HRT will provide an integrated test at 5 to 10 Mv for the flowsheet and equipment designs on which the full-scale effort will be based. Furthermore, its design is such that several homogeneous systems which require essentially the same operating equipment may be… more
Date: January 5, 1955
Creator: Beall, S. E. & Visner, S.
open access

Basic Gamma-Ray Data for ART Heat Deposition Calculations

Description: In order that fairly accurate thermal stress calculations can be made on the ART, it is necessary to have a reasonable picture of the temperature distribution in the reactor. To get the temperature distributions, and to determine cooling requirements in various parts of the reactor, one must know the heat deposition rates due to alpha particles, beta rays, gamma rays, and neutrons in all parts of the reactor. The present report contains only the basic physical data necessary to determine the he… more
Date: October 3, 1956
Creator: Bertini, H. W.; Copenhaver, C. M.; Perry, A. M. & Stevenson, R. B.
open access

Solid State Division Semiannual Progress Report for Period Ending August 31, 1955

Description: LITR Fluoride-Fuel Loop. — The inconel loop was dismantled for removal of the samples and for recovery of the uranium by using the remote cutting tools installed in a half cell of the Solid State Building. Disassembly proceeded without incident. An electric-arc cutting technique was developed for removal of the stainless steel enclosure around the pump bowl. Fission power and maximum flux were determined by irradiating a simulated loop, by heat-balance calculations, by radiochemical analyses fo… more
Date: November 16, 1955
Creator: Billington, D. S. & Crawford, J. H., Jr.
open access

The Oak Ridge National Laboratory Research Reactor Safeguard Report

Description: The proposed ORNL Research Reactor is designed to serve as a general purpose research tool delivering a maximum thermal flux of 8x10^13 n/cm2-sec at the initial power level of five megawatts. Operation at power levels up to ten megawatts is proposed for such items as sufficient cooling capacity is available to handle the increased heat load. The reactor will use MTR-type fuel elements and beryllium reflector pieces in a 7 x 9 grid with moderation and cooling provided by forced circulation of de… more
Date: October 7, 1954
Creator: Binford, F. T.; Cole, T. E. & Gill, J. P.
open access

The Extraction and Recovery of Uranium (and Vanadium) from Acidic Liquors with DI (2-Ethylhexyl) Phosphoric Acid and Some Other Organophosphorus Acids

Description: Bench scale studies have been made of the recovery of uranium from acid leach liquors (and slurries) by solvent extracting with di (2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid in an organic diluent. Uranium may be stripped from the organic solvent by either alkaline or acidic reagents, the former having been studied in greater detail. On the basis of these tests, a recovery process may be considered which shows promise both from the standpoint of operation and chemical costs. Under proper conditions, vanadiu… more
Date: May 13, 1955
Creator: Blake, C. A.; Brown, K. B.; Coleman, C. F.; Horner, D. E. & Schmitt, J. M.
open access

Aqueous Uranium Slurry Studies

Description: A summary of the laboratory development program on aqueous uranium slurry fuels for the Homogenous Reactor Project during the period April 1951 through March 1953 is presented. These investigations were devoted primarily to a study of the uranium oxides in aqueous suspensions. It was concluded that U(VI) was most likely to be the stable valence state in such slurry fuels and it was shown that β-UO3·H2O platelet crystals were the stable modification at 250°C. Very pure slurries of β-UO3·H2O pla… more
Date: October 20, 1955
Creator: Blomeke, J. O.; Bamberg, J. L.; Blomeke, J. O.; Bruce, F. R.; Fulmer, J. M.; McBride, J. P. et al.
open access

A Preliminary Survey of Radioactive Constituents in Rainwater at ORNL

Description: Technical report surveying radio-chemical analyses by ORNL's Analytical Chemistry Division and Health-Physics Division of large volumes of rainwater for plutonium, uranium, and fission products. Overall, carrying efficiencies for Al(OH)3 scavenging of rainwater were determined for these elements, as well as for Pu and U. [From Abstract, Introduction]
Date: December 4, 1950
Creator: Booksbank, W. A., Jr.; Emmons, A. H.; Gost, J. W. & Reynolds, S. A.
open access

ORNL Mortal Recovery Plant: Processing of ORNL Graphite Reactor Fuel Elements During the Period July and August, 1955

Description: From July 7 to August 31, 1955, 20 tons of uranium and 1,200 g of plutonium were recovered in 47 days of plant operation at an average rate of 833 lb/day of uranium and at a cost of $2.60/lb of uranium. Uranium and plutonium recoveries were, respectively, 99.9 and 95.5 per cent.
Date: November 11, 1955
Creator: Brooksbank, R. E.; Chandler, J. M. & Hylton, C. D.
open access

The Isolation and Purification of Americium

Description: Gram amounts of americium were separated quantitatively from kilogram quantities of lanthanum to yield an americium product approaching 90% purity. The remaining impurity was chiefly yttrium. Elution of americium from 25% loaded Dowex 50 resin column with 0.15 M citric acid— 0.10 M diammonium citrate — 0.3 M ammonium nitrate, pH 3.3 gave a product containing 99% of the americium with a La/Am ratio of 1/100 or less in one fourth of a column volume, in this case about 1 100-fold volume reduction.… more
Date: April 17, 1956
Creator: Campbell, D. O.
open access

The Effects of Reactor Irradiation of Thorium-Uranium Alloy Fuel Plates

Description: Several plates of 98.7% Th - 1.2% U 235 (clad in aluminum) were irradiated in the MTR for an integrated flux of 2.6 x 10 21 neutrons/cm2. Although these samples represent an early development in bonding of aluminum to thorium and there are better methods at present, the bond proved to be quite strong and both clad and core were dimensionally stable under irradiation. The production of uranium 233 was as much as theory would indicate and the total amount of fissionable material material after ir… more
Date: September 7, 1955
Creator: Carrell, R. M.
open access

A Fused Salt—Fluoride Volatility Process for Recovery and Decontamination of Uranium

Description: A preliminary chemical flowsheet is presented of a fluoride volatility process for recovering and decontaminating uranium from heterogeneous reactor fuels after dissolution in a fused salt. In laboratory work, a gross β decontamination factor of > 10 4 was obtained in the fluorination of a UF4-NaF-ZrF4 melt by passing the product UF6 through NaF at 650°C. The solubility of UF6 in molten NaF-ZrF4 was shown in kinetic studies to cause a lag in the evolution of UF6 from the fluorinator. Corrosion … more
Date: October 10, 1955
Creator: Cathers, G. I. & Bennett, M. R.
open access

Chemical Separation of Isotopes Section Semiannual Progress Report For Period Ending December 31, 1954

Description: New systems involving the exchange of boron between boron trifluoride and boron trifluoride addition compounds have been explored. These systems have large separation factors and potentially simple reflux mechanisms. A precise determination of this separation factor for the anisole-boron trifluoride system gave the value (see report). Boron exchange was found to occur between BF and BCl3. Several homogenous catalysts have been found which activate the hydrogen-water exchange, but none are adopt… more
Date: May 20, 1955
Creator: Clewett, G. H & Drury, J. S.
open access

Chemical Separation of Isotopes Section Semiannual Progress Report for Period Ending June 30, 1955

Description: The countercurrent gas-liquid system BF3(g)—anisole·BF3(l) for the concentration of boron isotopes has been studied. The single-storage separation factor varies from 1.039 at 0°C to 1.029 at 30°C. Rate of exchange is rapid, and, with efficient contacting equipment, complete exchange may be obtained in less than 15 sec. A total separation of 1.525 has been realized in laboratory equipment. The critical-product reflux reaction is quite efficient. Only about 55 moles of BF3 remain in each million … more
Date: February 23, 1956
Creator: Clewett, G. H. & Drury, J. S.
open access

A Physical Property Summary for Fluoride Mixtures

Description: This report presents a summary of certain physical properties that have been determined experimentally on the fluoride mixture that have been formulated at ORNL (Rers. 1, 2). These properties include the density, enthalpy, heat capacity, heat of fusion, thermal conductivity, viscosity, Prandtl number, electrical conductivity and surface tension. In addition to the experimental data, values have been predicted for the heat capacity and density of the other mixtures from the correlations of these… more
Date: September 5, 1956
Creator: Cohen, S. I.; Povers, W. D. & Greene, N. D.
open access

Disassembly and Postoperative Examination of the Aircraft Reactor Experiment

Description: The Aircraft Reactor Experiment (ARE)was successfully concluded in November of 1954, and a detailed report of the operation was published the following year. At that time it was thought that an extensive examination of the reactor and system components after disassembly was warranted. It was realized, of course, that the level of radioactivity of the components would necessitate extensive delays in the examinations. Since examination of a few critical ARE samples showed nothing unexpected, much… more
Date: April 15, 1958
Creator: Cottrell, W. B.; Crabtree, T. E.; Davis, A. L. & Piper, W. G.
open access

Aircraft Reactor Test Hazards Summary Report

Description: The successful completion of a program of experiments, including the Aircraft Reactor Experiment (ARE), has demonstrated the high probability of producing militarily useful aircraft nuclear power plants employing reflector-moderated circulating-fuel reactors. Consequently, and accelerated program culminating in operation of the Aircraft Reactor Test (ART) is under way. In order to adhere to the compressed schedule of the accelerated program, it is essential that the Atomic Energy Commission app… more
Date: January 19, 1955
Creator: Cottrell, W. B.; Ergen, W. K.; Fraas, A. P.; McQuilkin, F. R. & Meem, J. L.
open access

The Effect of Acidity and Reducing Agents on Ruthenium Solvent Extraction by Tributyl Phosphate in the 25 Process

Description: Results of tracer studies suggest that, in tributyl phosphate extraction processes designed to recover and purify fissionable material, minimum ruthenium extraction should be obtained from feeds at least 2 M in nitric acid or at least 1 M acid-deficient. Ruthenium decontamination was decreased by preheating the feed and increased by pretreatment with reducing agents. A pretreatment using 0.06 M ferrous ion and 0.5 M urea with 1 hr simmering at 85°C should increase ruthenium decontamination abou… more
Date: December 15, 1954
Creator: Flanary, J. R. & Frashier, L. D.
open access

Determination of Plutonium and Uranium in Scrup Dissolver Solutions

Description: Methods for the determination of plutonium and uranium in highly radioactive scrup dissolver solutions have been developed. Plutonium was separated from the dissolver solutions by solvent-extraction and ion-exchange techniques and determined by potentiometric titration. Uranium was separated by ion exchange and determined by potentiometric titration. Solutions that were similar to the actual dissolver solutions and that contained known amounts of plutonium and uranium were analyzed by these met… more
Date: July 14, 1955
Creator: Foster, R. W.; Cooper, J. H. & Raaen, H. P.
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