HOMOGENEOUS REACTOR PROGRAM PROGRESS REPORT FOR PERIOD FROM AUGUST 1 TO NOVEMBER 30, 1960
@ 8 3 6 C 6 7 9 8 ) reactor maintenance and major repairs to the core tank was completed. Both core-vessel holes were patched and leak tested. Tools were developed to measure core-vessel thickness in the core section and to examine and photograph the inner surface at high magnification. A new core circulating pump with inlet and outlet piping revised was installed in order to reverse the direction of fuel flow. The HRT resumed nuclear operation and was brought to criticality on Nov. 7. Preliminary evaluation of the new hydroclone system indicated that the efficiency is not greater than that of the original unit. Fluid age measurements in the flow model of the HRT core indicated that the bulk temperature of the core should be about 20% above the outlet temperature. A conceptual design and criticality calculations were made for a cylindrical HRT replacement vessel. Calculations of the pressure use in the HRT were performed for various reactivity-rats additions and several operating conditions. Critical fuel concentrations were also calculated for different variables. Engineering Development. Testing of the straight-through core vessel was continued. Alumina bearings were operated in high-temperatuns water in a 200-g.:pm pump for 6970 hr. The drive system of the three-stage oxygen compressor was revised in an attempt to prevent diaphragm failures. Ths operation of capillary viscometers with a panticular pumped thoria slurry at 30 deg C showed that all pseudoshear diagrams fell on a single curve. Solution Fuels. Tracer-level experiments showed that protactinium was coprecipitated with thorium from aqueous acid thorium nitrate solutions when H/sub 2/O/sub 2/ was added in an amount sufficient to precipitate no more than 3% of the thorium. The solubillties of H/sub 2/ in H/sub 2/O and of D/sub 2/ in D/sub 2/O were determined. The temperatures for the appearance of liquid-liquid immiscibility were determined for two homogeneous-reactor fuel solutions and their concentrates. Liquid-liquid equilibria in the systems UO/sub 3/-CuO-SO/sub 3/D/sub 2/O and CuO- SO/sub 3/-D/sub 2/O were studied. Solubilities of 3CuOSO/sub 3/- 2D/sub 2/O at 300, 325, and 350 deg C were determined in solutions of D/sub 2/O and D/sub 2/SO/ sub 4/. Measurements of electrolytic conductance of 0.0lM KCl solutions wens made at pressures up to 400 atm. Three-dimensional models representing solubility relations in the system UO/sub 3/-CuO-NiO-SO/sub 3/-D/sub 2/O at 300 deg C were constructed. An all-titanium pump loop was constructed to study the chemical stability of uranyl sulfate fuel solutions and the corrosion resistances of various materials at temperatures and pressures up to 370 deg C and 3000 psia. A review and correlation of Zircaloy-2 radiation corrosion data are presented. An experiment to test Zircaloy-2 corrosion in the HRT core is described. Data from batch autoclave tests of uranium sorption on hydrous zirconia from uranyl sulfate solutions are reported. Slurry Fuels. Radiation effects on a settled bed of thoria pellets in D/sub 2/O were determined. Data obtained in recalibration of gas-injection apparatus showed little or no deactivation of a sol-prepared palladium catalyst by excess oxygen partial pressures. The effects of ball-mill charge, mill length, and rotational speed on the wear rate of thoria pellets were studied. Corrosion and size degradation during irradiation of thorium slurry in in-pile loops was investigated. Fuel and rotational speed on the wear rate of thoria pelleta were studied. Corrosion and size degradation during irradiation of thorium slurry in in-pile loops was investigated. Fuel Maufacture. Methods of minimizing cracking and poor resistance to attrition of spherical thoria pellets are discussed. Spherical thoria pellets were successfully coated in a plasma-jet apparatus with Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/j, Ta/sub 2/O/ sub 5/, ZrO/sub 2/, TiO/sub 2/ Ni, and Cr. Flame calcination of thoria sols in the 1500 to 1600 deg C range gave rounded particles of ThO/sub 2/ having mean sizes of 2.7 and 4.6 mu . Metallurgy. A 3.5-kg batch of rounded-end ThO/sub 2/ pellets with densities between 9.0 and
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- US Atomic Energy Commission (AEC)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-26
- NSA Number:
- NSA-15-013994
- OSTI ID:
- 4064698
- Report Number(s):
- ORNL-3061
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Orig. Receipt Date: 31-DEC-61
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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HOMOGENEOUS REACTOR PROGRAM PROGRESS REPORT FOR PERIOD FROM DECEMBER 1, 1960 TO MAY 31, 1961
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Related Subjects
ABSORPTION
ALUMINUM
ALUMINUM OXIDES
CALCINATION
CALCIUM
CATALYSIS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHROMIUM
COATING
COMPRESSORS
COPPER OXIDES
CORROSION
CRACKS
CRITICALITY
DENSITY
DETECTION
DEUTERIUM
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
ELECTROLYSIS
FABRICATION
FAILURES
FUEL SLURRIES
FUEL SOLUTIONS
FUELS
FUSED SALT FUEL
GRAIN SIZE
HEAVY WATER
HIGH TEMPERATURE
HOMOGENEOUS REACTORS
HRT
HYDROGEN
HYDROGEN PEROXIDES
IN PILE LOOPS
IRRADIATION
LEAKS
LIQUID FLOW
LIQUIDS
MAINTENANCE
MATERIALS TESTING
MEASURED VALUES
MEMBRANES
NICKEL
NICKEL OXIDES
OXYGEN
PALLADIUM
PARTICLES
PEBBLE BED
PELLETS
PHOTOGRAPHY
PHOTOMETRY
PLASMA
POTASSIUM