MATERIALS TESTING REACTOR-ENGINEERING TEST REACTOR TECHNICAL BRANCHES QUARTERLY REPORT, OCTOBER 1-DECEMBER 31, 1962

Technical Report · Fri Mar 29 00:00:00 EST 1963

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/4717264· OSTI ID:4717264

Initial criticality of ARMF II was achieved December 4, 1962, on 3201 g U/sup 235/ with a center-hole equivalent of one ruel element. The instrumentation included an automatic data integrator and readout system. Heat transfer conditions in a simulated ETR flow channel were measured up to burnout (3.8 x 10/sup 6/ Btu/hr ft/sup 2/). This work substantiated the use of the Ditus- Boelter and the Jens ottes correlations for heat transfer in ETR fuel elements. Preliminary results were obtained in irradiation testing of sample fuel plates containing powdered uranium-aluminum intermetallic compounds. A study was made of the desirability, from a nuclear standpoint, of replacing the present cadmium safety rods in the ETR by hafnium rods. Hafnium was found to be superior to cadmium both in total shutdown worth and resistance to burnout. A series of calculations was made to study the epithermal poison sensitivity in the ARMF for modified experimental water hole conditions. It was found that the sensitivity was increased significantly by reducing the water hole from a 6.5- to a 3.25-in. square and placing a Mark II fuel element in this position with the sample located at the center of this assembly. Collaborative nuclear chemistry and fast chopper measurements of a 360curie sample of Ta/sup 182/ (115 day) reveal a prominent resonance at 0.147 ev with a peak cross section of 47,000 barns. Reasonable account of some aspects of the inelastic scattering of thermal energy region neutrons from liquid methane can be made using a cluster model involving 18 molecules. Rotational freedom is allowed but the translational motion is inhibited. Measurements of neutron inelastic scattering from powdered Be reveal strong structure effects. A detailed study of the shapes of gamma ray spectra obtained with NaI scintillatlon counters was completed. The problems associated with the development of computer techniques for analysis of pulse- height spectra are treated. Procedures for handling these data with computer programs are presented. Installation and check-out of the instrumentation and control system for the ARMF II was completed. Some of the important features of the regulating rod readout and shim rod drive readout are described. The results of tests of pressure transducers and associated cables in a high peak flux environment is reported along with laboratory tests of strain gages. An experimental displacement flowmeter was developed to measure the transient flow of the water moderator during transient power excursions of a reactor. A three- phase frequency divider was developed for use with the velocity selector. Other experimental techniques include a logarithmic X-Y plotter, a new method of measuring magnet release time, and a time-saving chart reader. The library of nuclear codes on tape at the Bartlesville computing center now encompasses 26 separate programs ready for routine use. In addition the gamma shape generation was largely converted to FORTRAN, along with other programs for the analysis of gamma spectra. A program to solve numericaliy an integral equation of the first kind was written and checked out for the IBM 650. (auth)

• Research Organization: Phillips Petroleum Co. Atomic Energy Div., Idaho Falls, Idaho
• DOE Contract Number: AT(10-1)-205
• NSA Number: NSA-17-022967
• OSTI ID: 4717264
• Report Number(s): IDO-16857
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Orig. Receipt Date: 31-DEC-63
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS
ALUMINUM ALLOYS
ANALOG SYSTEMS
BERYLLIUM
CABLES
CADMIUM
CHOPPERS
COMPUTERS
CONTROL ELEMENTS
CRITICALITY
CROSS SECTIONS
DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT
FLUID FLOW
FREQUENCY
FUEL ELEMENTS
FUELS
GAGES
GAMMA RADIATION
HAFNIUM
HEAT TRANSFER
INSTRUMENTS
INTERMETALLIC COMPOUNDS
IRRADIATION
LATTICES
LIQUIDS
MAGNETS
MATERIALS TESTING
MEASURED VALUES
METHANE
MOLECULES
MOTION
NEUTRON SPECTROMETERS
NEUTRONS
NUMERICALS
PLATES
POISONING
POWDERS
POWER
PRESSURE
PROGRAMMING
PULSE ANALYZERS
PULSE GENERATORS
RADIOCHEMISTRY
REACTORS
RESONANCE
RODS
SAFETY
SCATTERING
SCINTILLATION COUNTERS
SENSITIVITY
S