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Chemical Development, Quarterly Progress Report, October-December 1953.

Description: Introduction - The work of the Chemical Development Group has included studies on the thermal and radiation stability of organic materials suitable for reactor coolants, the thermal and radiation stability of zirconium hydride, reactor safety devices involving chemical systems, and general analytical development.
Date: June 15, 1954
Creator: Loftness, R. L.
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The Chemical Effects of 1 Mev Electrons on BrF3 at 25 degrees C

Description: "An investigation of the chemical effects of 1-Mev electrons on BrF3 at 25 degrees C has been carried out. Pressure measurements taken during the irradiation suggest the presence of Br2 and BrF5 as decomposition products and a fractional distillation of the irradiated liquid confirmed their presence. The extent of decomposition was determined both by fraction distillation and spectrophotometric methods. The radiation effect seemed to reach saturation when approximately 10 per cent of the BrF3… more
Date: October 1, 1954
Creator: Yosim, S. J.
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The Distribution of Tracer Plutonium and Fission Products Between Molten Uranium and Solid Uranium Oxide, Carbide, and Nitride

Description: "A study has been made of the distribution of tracer fission products and plutonium between small samples of molten uranium and solid uranium oxide, carbine, and nitride. The distribution showed the same behavior i general for all three materials: 1. The rare earth elements, Cs, Ba, and Sr were extracted primarily into the solid scrub phase. 2. Zirconium and Nb partially concentrated in the scrub phase. 3. Plutonium, Mo, and Ru tended to remain completely in the metal phase. The distribution… more
Date: September 15, 1954
Creator: Keneshea, F. J.; Saul, A. M. & Young, C. Y.
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Effect of Reactor Irradiation on the Thermal Conductivity of Uranium Impregnated Graphite at Elevated Temperatures

Description: "An experiment to determine the effect of reactor irradiation on the thermal conductivity of uranium-impregnated graphite at elevated temperatures as described. The results show a decrease in the thermal conductivity saturating at [approximately] 60 percent at a temperature of 700 degrees C; at [approximately] 50 percent at a temperature of 1000 degrees C; and at [approximately] 25 percent at a temperature of 1300 degrees C. It was found that after irradiation at a given temperature, exposure… more
Date: April 29, 1954
Creator: Durand, Richard E.; Klein, David J. & Nykiel, Harry H.
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Heat Generation in Thermal Shields

Description: "Heat production resulting from the absorption of gamma ray photons in thermal shields and the leakage of neutrons and photons from ferritic thermal shields are investigated. The gamma rays considered arise from three types of reactor radiation -- thermal neutrons, fast neutrons, and core and reflector gammas. The energy spectra of the fast neutron leakage and absorption have been investigated in some detail because of the significant contribution of fast neutrons to the heating of the concre… more
Date: August 15, 1954
Creator: Heisler, M. & Wetch, J.
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Improved Method for Numerically Solving Multi-Group Reactor Equations

Description: "A method for solving multi-group reactor equations which arise in the diffusion approximation is outlined. Considerable work has been done on this problem at KAPL and ORNL. Their approach is to replace the differential equations by difference equations. Complications arise in this method where more than one slowing down medium is present since the fluxes are discontinuous at the interfaces. The primary purpose of this article is to develop an exact integral expression for the neutron flux w… more
Date: September 15, 1954
Creator: Lehman, G. W.
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A Pebble-Bed Reactor for Stationary Power Plants

Description: A preliminary study has been made of a solid homogeneous reactor for stationary power plant application. The core consists of graphite spheres impregnated with uranium and thorium, and the coolant is bismuth. This concept possible offers advantages over other solid fuel reactor systems with respect to simplification of core structure, fuel fabrication and fuel handling, and reduction of fuel inventory external to the reactor. From the results of this preliminary study, it appears that the pot… more
Date: May 15, 1954
Creator: Beeley, R. J.
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Preparation of a Thorium Slurry

Description: "A study has been made of methods to prepare a fluid containing 1 gram of thorium per milliliter. The methods considered were solutions of thorium salts, suspensions of dry solids in water, and collodial suspensions. Thorium oxide, oxalate, and fluoride were tried in conjunction with one or more surface actants, but it was not possible to attain the required thorium concentration. Thorium hydrosol, produced by peptization of thorium hydroxide and subsequent electrodialysis, gave the necessary… more
Date: April 1, 1954
Creator: Silverman, L. & Trego, K.
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Proton Irradiation Effects in Thorium

Description: "Iodide-processed thorium foils were irradiated with 9-Mev protons at temperatures below -140 degrees C. the recover of electrical resistance upon annealing was studied in the range 0 degrees to 75 degrees where tempering curves showed rapid changes taking place. Determinations of the activation energy associated with this process were made and the mean value obtained was 1.22 ev. Correlations of this result have been made with those found previously for copper. From these comparisons, a tenta… more
Date: December 15, 1954
Creator: Meechan, Charles J.
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Reactor Physics, Quarterly Progress Report, August-October, 1953

Description: "A thorough analysis of the data obtained on depleted, natural, and enriched uranium lattices has been made. Consideration of the possible sources of discrepancies between theory and experiment has led to a suspicion of the calculated thermal neutron diffusion lengths. A series of diffusion length measurements in non-multiplying lattices of lead-cadmium alloy has been initiated. An analysis of some early exponential experiments on lattices proposed for a neutron production reactor has been ca… more
Date: December 10, 1953
Creator: Laubenstein, R. A.
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Reactor Physics, Quarterly Progress Report, November, 1953 - January 1954

Description: "A series of thermal neutron diffusion length measurements has been made on non-multiplying lattice of lead-cadmium alloy rods in D2O. One-inch diameter rods in square lattice spacing of 4, 9, 6, 9, and 12 inches were used. Excellent agreement was found between theoretical and experimental values of the diffusion length. The analysis o the diffusion length measurement required a correction for the epithermal neutrons entering the exponential tank. These epithermal neutrons provided a distri… more
Date: May 15, 1954
Creator: Laubenstein, R. A.
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Reactor Safety, Quarterly Progress Report, February-April 1954

Description: "The composition of the solder for the solder plug has been set as the tin-silver eutectic. Final tests on this solder show that life expectancies much longer than 6 months are probable with the current design. The design of the heater tube to contain the solder plug has been settled. This consists of a copper tube impregnated with U235O2. Arrangements have been made to have test specimens fabricated by powder metallurgy techniques. The equipment for the MTR in-pile test of trigger element r… more
Date: October 1, 1954
Creator: Huston, Norman E.
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Role of Ionization in Radiation Annealing

Description: "The role of ionization in the phenomenon of 'radiation annealing' of graphite has been studied by using a 1-Mev electron beam. Changes in the c-axis of a sample with a Hanford irradiation of 460 mwd/ct were studied. Two thermal anneals of 4 hours each at 350 degrees C proved sufficient to complete the thermal annealing at this temperature. The samples were then irradiated for 7-1/2 hours at a temperature of 340 degrees C. The samples received an irradiation of 47 microampere-hours, equivale… more
Date: unknown
Creator: McClelland, J. D.; Smith, A. W. & Senkovits, E. J.
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Separations Chemistry, Quarterly Progress Report, April-June 1954

Description: "Scale-up experiments on high temperature fuel recovery processes have included the dummy run phase on the handling of 1-kologram samples of molten, non-irradiated uranium in the hot cell. The next step involves the use of spent X-10 fuel slugs. Small scale experiments with X-10 uranium on the extaction of Pu with Mg show that as much as 80 per cent of the Pu can be removed in pone pass. Treatment of uranium with fused fluorides can remove at least 90 per cent of the Pu in one pass. Oxide sc… more
Date: unknown
Creator: Bareis, David W.; Cubicciotti, Daniel D. & Motta, E. E.
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Separations Chemistry, Quarterly Progress Report, January-March 1954

Description: "Scale-up work on high temperature fuel recovery processes has progressed to the point where the (high temperature) vacuum furnace for several operations to the hot cells has been completed and tested under operating conditions. Small scale experiments on high temperature methods for processing molten irradiated uranium fuel have been made with spent X-10 fuel slug pieces. The results of direct Pu evaporation, treatment with fused fluorides and oxide scavenging were every similar to those fou… more
Date: August 1, 1954
Creator: Motta, E. E.; Bareis, D. W. & Cubicciotti, D.
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Separations Chemistry, Quarterly Progress Report, July-September 1953

Description: "Continued progress has been made with the high temperature decontamination processes for irradiated uranium fuel. The fused salt treatment of molten uranium has been extended to UCl3. Plutonium and rare earths were extracted into the UCl3 phase. Direct plutonium distillation from molten irradiated uranium has been scaled up to the hundred gram scale. Solid scavenging experiments using uranium oxide, uranium carbide, and uranium nitride in contact with molten uranium have indicated fission p… more
Date: April 1, 1954
Creator: Motta, E. E.; Bareis, D. W. & Cubicciotti, D.
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Separations Chemistry, Quarterly Progress Report, October-December 1953

Description: "Work has continued on high temperature methods for processing irradiated uranium fuel. Additional results have been obtained with fused halide treatment, solid scavengers and direct Pu distillation. With fussed fluorides about 95 per cent of the Pu was removed from a uranium sample, while treatment of uranium with HC1 gas removed almost all the Pu and many fission products. treatment of molten uranium with uranium oxide removed a substantial fraction of the fission products without removing P… more
Date: March 26, 1954
Creator: Motta, E. E.; Bareis, D. W. & Cubicciotti, D. D.
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A Sodium Cooled, Graphite Moderated, Low Enrichment Uranium Reactor for the Production of Useful Power

Description: "A design study is presented for a sodium cooked, graphite moderated power reactor utilizing low enrichment uranium fuel. The design is characterized by dependence on existing technology and the use of standard, or nearly standard, components. The reactor has a nominal rating of 167 thermal megawatts, and a plant comprising three such reactors for a total output of 500 thermal megawatts is described. Sodium in a secondary, non-radioactive, circulation system carries the heat to a steam genera… more
Date: September 15, 1954
Creator: Weisner, Edward F.
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Sodium Graphite Reactor, Quarterly Progress Report, December 1953 - February 1954

Description: "Engineering pertinent to the development of the sodium-cooled, graphite-moderated type of reactor was continued. This included work on problems related to the zirconium canned moderator, low enrichment uranium fuel, sodium piping, secondary coolant system, shielding, and the control and safety elements. A large fraction of the work was devoted specifically to problems of the proposed Sodium Reactor Experiment (SRE) configuration. In this connection, an integrated effort was initiated to pre… more
Date: August 1, 1954
Creator: Inman, G. M.
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Sodium Graphite Reactor, Quarterly Progress Report, June-August 1953

Description: "Engineering was continued on the development of sodium cooled, graphite moderated type reactors. General studies were carried out as well as studies specifically devoted to the following: a. full scale poser-only plant, b. thirty-mega watt pilot plant, the SGR, c. sodium reactor experiment, the SRE. This work consisted of theoretical analysis of various aspects of nuclear performance; economic investigations of different fuel element, cooling system and plant arrangements; and experimental i… more
Date: January 20, 1954
Creator: Inman, G. M.
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