PROGRESS RELATING TO CIVILIAN APPLICATIONS DURING DECEMBER 1959
>The creep and stress-rupture propenties of annealed and of 15% cold- worked Zircaloy-2 are being determined at of a AgBr fuel-element leak detector for use in watercooled reactors. The development of a thermal-neutronflux monitoring system was directed toward extending the sensing-probe life, increasing the effective instrument range, and improving the instrument reliability. Resistivity of Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/-MoSi/sub 2/-UO/sub 2/ ceramic tubes was determined to investigate the effects of MoSi/sub 2/ propontion and of extrusion pressure. In the development of corrosion-resistant welding alloys for use with Hastelloy F, a number of alloys are being exposed in boiling Sulfex and Niflex solutions to determine corrosion resistance of these liquids. Corrosion tests in 200-C water for 30 days have shown that the Al--35 wt.% U alloys containing Sn or Zr additives are equivalent to the binary Al--35 wt.% U and superior to 2S Al in their resistance to the corrosion attack of 200 deg C water. Work was continued on the development of a radiometric titration method of determining Al and Fe in portland cement. The investigation of the formation and decay of radiation-induced free radicals was continued. The effect of radiation on the nitration of cyclohexane was stadied over the range of 15 to 70 wt.% HNO/ sub 3/ with a 10-to-1 ratio of organic to acid. An investlgation is being conducted on the effects of combined high pressure and temperature on the uranium oxides and on the reactions of uranium oxides with other oxide systems. An irradiation surveillance program on AISI Type 347 stainless steel is continuing. The alloys which are being investigated as alternate cladding materials for the EBR include Nb, Nb-1.84 wt.% Cr, Hb--3.21 wt.% Cr, Nb--4.33 wt.% Zr. Nb--9.95 wt.% Ta--3.31 wt.% Cr, Nb--39.8 wt.% Ti--10.6 wt.% Al, Nb--20.5 wt.% Ti--4.28 wt.% Cr, and V--11.7 wt.% Ti--3.07 wt.% Nb. Experimental work concerned with the development of water-corrosion-resistant Nb- base alloy was completed. Feasibility studies are in progress to evaluate new methods for the detection of oxygen in sodium. Niobium-base birary alloys containing from 10 to 60 wt.% U are being studied to determine the applicability of these alloys as high-temperature reactor fuels. Thoriumuranium and Th-U-base alloys are being investigated with the aim of improving their irradiation stability and corrosion resistance. To aid in understanding fission- gas release from UO/sub 2/ bodies during irradiation and postirradiation heat treatments, the surface structures of various preparations are being examined before and after irradiation. Measurements of fission-gas diffusion from single- crystal UO/sub 2/ during post-irradiation heating were initiated. Methods of producing cemets of 90% of theoretical density or better containing 60 to 90 vol.% of ceramic fuel are being investigated. The gas-pressurebonding process is being investigated as a method of cladding ceramic and cermet-type fuels with Mo and Nb. Various methods of producing dense UC by powdermetallurgy techniques are being investigated. Melting and casting, metallurgical and engineering properties, diffusion studies, and radiation effects of UC are being studied. A fundamental study of the reactions of N/sub 2/ with Nb is being made. Experiments were continued ib producing UO/sub 2/ crystals from the vapor phase. The properties, irradiation damage, and fission-gas retention of fueledgraphite spheres are being investigated in support of the Pebble-Bed Reactor Program. Research on core materials in support of the MGCR program is in progress. The major effort is on the development and evaluation of UO/sub 2/ dispersions in BeO or Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ and dispersions of UC and UC/sub 2/ in graphite. Studies are being conducted to develop fuel, absorber, amd suppressor materials for the SM-2. (For preceding period see BMI-1398.) (W.L.H.)
- Research Organization:
- Battelle Memorial Inst., Columbus, OH (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-92
- NSA Number:
- NSA-14-015005
- OSTI ID:
- 4168358
- Report Number(s):
- BMI-1403
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Orig. Receipt Date: 31-DEC-60
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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