QUARTERLY PROGRESS REPORT FOR THE PERIOD JANUARY 1, 1958 TO MARCH 31, 1958

Technical Report · Wed Apr 30 04:00:00 EDT 1958

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/4308081· OSTI ID:4308081

Coen, I. H.; Garbe, R. W.

Abbreviated press feed preparations of UO/sub 2/ powder appear suitable for the automatic pressing of pellets on a production scale. Progress was made in achieving compartment uniformity in disc-compartmented stretch-formed fuel tubes and controlling the free space for pellet expansion within the compartments. The designs for additional in-pile and out-of-pile test specimens were completed. A reference control rod program was developed on the basis of outside-in'' rod withdrawal in order to approach uniform fuel burnup and fission product buildup in the core. Stainless steel specimens suffered no detrimental attack as a result of their exposure to borated water under simulated reactor conditions in a dynamic test loop. The successful fabrication of a full-size strap design fuel assembly model demonstrated the feasibllity of welding tubes lnto bundles. Pressure drop versus flow curves were experimentally determined for the reactor vessel model Various fuel loadings in the CRX core were used in materials buckling measurements, control rod worth determinations, and instrumentation evaluations. The latest revisions of mechanical, thermal, and nuclear design data are appended. (For preceding period see YAEC-52.) (D.E.B.)

• Research Organization: Westinghouse Electric Corp. Atomic Power Dept., Pittsburgh
• NSA Number: NSA-12-010088
• OSTI ID: 4308081
• Report Number(s): YAEC-65
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

BUCKLING
FUELS
MATERIALS TESTING
MEASURED VALUES
PHYSICS
REACTOR CORE
REACTOR FUELING
VARIATIONS