POWER REACTOR PROGRAM. Progress Report to Savannah River Operations Office, AEC, for the Period October 1, 1960 through October 31, 1960
Technical Report
·
OSTI ID:4041642
Processing continued on the set of five thin-walled outer tubes comprising the demonstration set and on tubes 95 and 97, which were previously carried as far as the heat treatment which included an oil quench. Two prototype inner tubes, Nos. 103 and 104, were heat treated and processed. The tubes were shippsd to SRL. Borescopic examination of defects on the inside of tube 82 (U-- 1.5 wt.% Mo) indicated that they are insignificant. Companion tube 83 was retained in the as-extruded condition for possible future processing. Tube 113, an unalloyed vallecitos prototype, had a short uniform core and long tapers but acceptable cladding thickness. Two enriched tubes, Nos. 114 and 115, were extruded from billets of identical design. Additional bend tests were made on specimens with unalloyed and U--1 wt.% Si cores. As in the case of the U--1.5 wt.% Mo specimens which were reported earlier, the unalloyed uranium specimens developed cracks in the cladding-core interface at relatively low strain. The U-- 1 wt.% Si specimens, like the U--2 wt% Zr specimens reported earlier, were essentially free of cracks below the fracture strain. The fracture strain for the U-1 wt.% Si specimens was lower than that for the unalloyed uranium. The two different modes of deformation and failure suggested that there is no simple relationship between in-pile performance and ductility as defined by strain at fracture. Two U--1 wt.% Si castings were made and heat treated. Castings were also made of dingot uranium, U-0.3 wt.% Al--0.5 wt.% Si alloy and U--0.3 wt.% Cr-- 0.3 wt.% Mo alloy. Braze alloy for assembly of capsules is also being prepared. Experiments were begun for establishing the heat treatment and processing sequence for the U-Al-Si alloy. Uranium dispersed in magnesium and clad with Zircaloy appeared to have advantages as a fuel system. A program to investigate this system was initiated with the immediate objective of studying Zircaloy- magnesium bonding and interdiffusion. A program was also initiated to develop a transient zone melting technique for producing a cast structure in the cores of Zircaloy-clad fuel elements. Construction of an apparatus for the melting is underway. Laboratory experiments and two additional extrusions were made in attempts to gain an understanding of the outer edge irregularities of stainless steel-Zircaloy joints. Evidence was obtained that differential thermal contraction could be a major cause of the difficulty. (For preceding period see NMl-7232.) (M.C.G.)
- Research Organization:
- Nuclear Metals, Inc., Concord, Mass.
- NSA Number:
- NSA-15-015288
- OSTI ID:
- 4041642
- Report Number(s):
- NMI-7233
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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