ARMY GAS-COOLED REACTOR SYSTEMS PROGRAM MONTHLY PROGRESS REPORT FOR AUGUST 1959

Technical Report · Wed Sep 30 00:00:00 EDT 1959

OSTI ID:4159555

In the Gas Cooled Reactor Experiment-I the BMI-16 in-pile tube was installed and pressure checked. Parallel operation with two blowers was unsuccessful. The lifetime of an ML-1 fuel element was evaluated for two cases. Cross sections were drawn of three IB elements for use in studying neutron scattering. Pressure drops of five basic space designs were compared. Preliminary investigations and reports were completed on a production line scintillation spectrometer to safeguard against mixing pellets of different loadings. A variable-speed rotary welding machine for welding fuel pins was assembled. The test model for the transient heat transfer method was completed. Periodic combustion tube and furuace failures interrupted gas corrosion tests, but creep and tube burst tests were continued. Existing alloys were investigated and did not meet ML-1 design requirements. In-pile testing of the IB-1 alpha T element was completed. Two GCRE production elements were placed in the BMI critical facility for comparison with standard critical assembly elements. Design and development were continued on the solid-moderated, homogeneous GCRE-II. Irradiation of the II-IC capsule was completed, and flux perturbation measurements were made on the II-2C capsule. An investigation was made of the hazards associated with the proposed hot criticality experiment. An analysis of cycle efficiency was completed for a closed-cycle, regenerative gas turbine system under GCRE-II reference operating conditions. Three methods of flattening the radial temperature profiles of the core, other than by fuel variations, were studied. An in-pile loop test element was designed and fabrication methods were developed for both this test element and the reference reactor fuel element. At ML-1 loading mock-ups of power conversion and reactor packages were 90% complete for crosscountry roadability and aircraft loading tests. Elastomer shock mounts used on the package were given static and dynamic shock tests. The transmissivity of the shield for the ML-1 15-ton reference design was studied. Corrosion tests with ammonium pentaborate for shielding showed that it was unstable above 150 . At the Gas Turbine Test Facility design information was provided for open cycle piping. (M.C.G.)

• Research Organization: Aerojet-General Nucleonics, San Ramon, Calif.
• DOE Contract Number: AT(10-1)-880
• NSA Number: NSA-14-023748
• OSTI ID: 4159555
• Report Number(s): IDO-28544
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Orig. Receipt Date: 31-DEC-60
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

REACTOR TECHNOLOGY
AIRCRAFT
ALLOYS
AMMONIUM COMPOUNDS
BORON COMPOUNDS
CAPSULES
COMPRESSORS
CORROSION
CREEP
CRITICAL ASSEMBLIES
CROSS SECTIONS
DISTRIBUTION
EFFICIENCY
ENRICHMENT
ERRORS
FABRICATION
FUEL ELEMENTS
FURNACES
GAS COOLANT
GAS FLOW
GASES
GCRE-1
GCRE-2
HEAT TRANSFER
HIGH TEMPERATURE
HOMOGENEOUS REACTORS
IN PILE LOOPS
INSPECTION
IRRADIATION
LIFETIME
MACHINE PARTS
MATERIALS TESTING
MEASURED VALUES
MECHANICAL PROPERTIES
MIXING
ML-1
MOCKUP
MODERATORS
NEUTRON FLUX
NEUTRONS
PELLETS
PIPES
PLANNING
POWER PLANTS
PRESSURE
REACTOR CORE
REACTOR SAFETY
REACTORS
RODS
SCATTERING
SCINTILLATION COUNTERS
SHIELDING
SHIELDI