MATERIALS TESTING REACTOR-ENGINEERING TEST REACTOR TECHNICAL BRANCHES QUARTERLY REPORT, JULY 1-SEPTEMBER 30, 1962

Technical Report · Tue Jan 15 00:00:00 EST 1963

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/4748277· OSTI ID:4748277

9 : 5 8 < 4 9 6 6 = 9 7 8 9 5 was determined experimentally in the ETRC. This is the first phase in the development of a technique for identifying the neutron energy spectra. A method is presented for predicting the excess reactivity in the ETR as a function of power-time. A semi- empirical equation is developed which describes the time dependence of the excess reactivity in terms of certain reactivity parameters determined in the ETRC. Preliminary values were established for the infinitely dilute absorption resonance integrals of natural Hf and Rh. Measurements of the ARMF temperature coefficient of reactivity gave a value of about 27 mu k/ deg C at the usual operating temperature of 17 to 18 deg C. Corresponding coefficients for net sample reactivity vary with sample geometry, sample material, and measurement position. For several arbitrary samples this was on the order of 1 mu k/ deg C or less. Sample fuel plate cermet cores containing UAl/sub 3/ powers blended with Al and B/sub 4/C are being clad with high-temperature and corrosion- resistant Al alloys for irradiation, testing, and evaluation purposes. The use of the U-Al intermetallic compound powders combines the potential advantages of the alloy core with those of the cermet core, i.e., high fuel density, good radiation stability, and the possibility of uniformly dispersing burnable poisons in the fuel plates. As part of the mechanical property determinations for fuel elements, tensile tests of various Al alloy and cermet compositions were performed at ambient temperature, 200 and 400 deg F in the unirradiated condition. It was found, in general, that strength and ductility decrease with an increase in teraperature. A new type boron-stainiess-steel control rod'' material was evaluated for use in the EOCR. It consists of a boronstainless-steel core clad with stainless steel and is produced by compacting powders of enriched B and stainless steel as a cermet core and roll bonding between sheets of conventional stainless steel. The cladding remained ductile after irradiation to 1.07 x 10/ sup 20/ thermal neutrons per cm/sup 2/ in the MTR while the core became embrittled. There was no detectable blistering or corrosion of the sample during irradiation. Heat transfer tests on roughened surfaces simuiating MTR-ETR fuel channels substantiate predicted improvements in heat transfer film coefficients based on a direct analogy with friction factors. The conceptual design (axial loading and rotating-bending loading) of the ETR in-pile fatigue of structural steels experiment was completed. The study of the decay of the long-lived Ho/sup 166/ isomer revealed four gamma rays whose energies are greater than 1 Mev. These additional transitions were placed in the Er/sup 166/ level scheme. The relative magnitudes of the variances of the expansion coefficient ( alpha /sub lambda ) of a directional correlation-function of the form W( THETA ) == alpha / sub o/ + alpha /sub 2/ P/sub 2/(cos THETA ) + alpha /sub 4/ P/sub 4/(cos THETA ) were es timated. It is shown that these relative magnitudes are more characteristic of the angular configuration used in the measurement than of the shape of a particular directional-correlation function. The total neutron cross section of Pa/sup 233/ was measured in the thermal region and at 1.0 to 4.0 ev. The total neutron cross section of natural Lu was determined at 0.007 to 100 ev. The irreversible swelling threshold temperature of high purity Be irradiated to a fast (> 1 Mev) neutron dosage of 1 x 10/sup 21/ n/cm/sup 2/ was determined to be approximately 725 deg C. A flow sheet for the chemical separation of gram-size samples of Pa/sup 233/ from irradiated Th was demonstrated on a laboratory scale at full-level Pa concentrations. The scattering of 0.025-, 0.07-, and 0.1-ev neutrons by gaseous methane at -- 148 deg C was measured. The inelastic scattering of low energy neutrons by H/sub 2/S, NH/sub 3/, C/sub 2/H/sub 6/, and C/sub 4/H/sub 10/ was also determined. The ine lastic scattering of 0.020-, 0.0415;= 0.070-, and 0.10-ev neutrons

• Research Organization: Phillips Petroleum Co. Atomic Energy Div., Idaho Falls, Idaho
• Sponsoring Organization: US Atomic Energy Commission (AEC)
• DOE Contract Number: AT(10-1)-205
• NSA Number: NSA-17-017623
• OSTI ID: 4748277
• Report Number(s): IDO-16827
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Orig. Receipt Date: 31-DEC-63
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS
ABSORPTION
ALUMINUM
ALUMINUM ALLOYS
AMMONIA
ANALOG SYSTEMS
ANGULAR DISTRIBUTION
BACKGROUND
BERYLLIUM
BONDING
BORON
BORON CARBIDES
CASTING
CERMETS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COMPUTERS
CONFIGURATION
CONTROL
CORROSION
CROSS SECTIONS
CRYSTALS
DECAY
DENSITY
DISTRIBUTION
DUCTILITY
ENERGY
ENRICHMENT
EQUATIONS
ERBIUM 166
EXPANSION
FILMS
FOILS
FRICTION
FUEL ELEMENTS
FUELS
GAGES
GAMMA RADIATION
HAFNIUM
HEAT TRANSFER
HIGH TEMPERATURE
HOLMIUM 166
HYDROCARBONS
HYDROGEN SULFIDES
INTERMETALLIC COMPOUNDS
IRRADIATION
ISOMERS
MATERIALS TESTING
MEASURED VALUES
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
METHANE
MOLECULES
NEUTRONS
PLANNING