PRIVACY ACT MATERIAL REMOVED 727713 REPOSITORY Pb COLLECTION Wqhmp VL~CLUC EW U226-ZG~ - @OXNO
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
PRIVACY ACT MATERIAL REMOVED 727713 REPOSITORY pb COLLECTION Wqhmp VL~CLUC EW u226-ZG~ - @OXNO. fi\ FOLDER '$.: \'A 1. I #1 - E. A. WFnne, Schcnectsdy #2 - Zay Jeffries, Fittsfield #3 - C. G. Suits, Schen*ctady #4 - R. C. Muir fi - J. R. Rue #6 - C. 8. Gross #7 - A. B. Greninger #8 - F. R. Creedon #9 - Smfnrd Operations Office Attention: F. C. Schlemmer, Managar #IO - Hanford OperaZions Office Attention: F. C. Schldmer, Managar #ll - Hanford Operatiom Office Attention: F. C. Schlemmer, Mamger #l2 - Hanford Ogerationa Office Attention: P. C. Sthlemer, Managcr 91.3 - Eanf~rdOperatiom Office Attention: B. C. Schlsmer, Ymger #14 - PO File #l5 - 700 File #16 - 700 File PRIVACY ACT MATERIAL REMOVED B Starzing Paw Czneral Sucma,-g. ................ 3 Staff. .. .................. 7 Force Repon. .................:-33. 8 Personnel D iatribut ion .............. 9 Plcnt StgtiSt'iC8 ................ 15 Mmufactur+aCivlsfons ....(. ......... 17 P Division. ................ 18 S DIvie9m. ................. 28 Power Division ............... 38 Kalncenexlce ................ 43 Project Zngineering Division. .......... 47 Electrical DiVisim. .............. 61 Instrument Divieion. ............. 72 TranaporYetion 'Division ............. 79 Technical Dlvieione. 85 \ ................. Pile techno log^ Division ............ 67 Sept?w.tiona Technology Division. ......... 97 Metalurgr and Control Division ........... 106 Medical Division. ................ 118 Health Instrunen* Dirieions ............. ~8 Accounting Divisian. ............... i59 Service Di~islons. ............... 180 Purchasing and Stores Diviaioa. .......... 181 . Plat Security and Services Division ... ..... 18 4 bployee and Comnu=litg Relations Divieion. ........ 211 Community Divisions. ........ #., ...... 223 Public Works Division. .............. 225 Comn;uni=y Commercial Fccilitiee Division. ....... 235 CmuniSy Housing Divlsion. ........... 24.0 Community Fire Division. ............ 24.4 Cornunity Patrol Civielon. ........... 245 Cmmitg Activities Division ..........9 -. 263 A Project aEd Related Parsomel. .. 270 I 19til85 A total of 97.2 tons of metal vas discharged duriL the month as the three piles operated at an average efficiency of 75.2 percent. The power level was 275 MW during operation except at 1004 Area, which operated at reduced levels ' after September 23, 1948, du to water in the graphite arising from a ruptured . tube. The 30 krts canning production a@n was at a new record with 146 tons of acceptable slugs produced. The canning yield WBS 90.5 percent--= increase of 1.5 gercent over Atquit. The Melt Plant aroduced 71 tons of billets. On September 20, 1948, the operatlq schedule va8 reduced from 7 to 6 days per week. A to$al of 39 batches were processed through Isolatioa. The waste losses for all separaticna activitiee averaged 2.7 percent for the month. On Septezber 13, 1948, all -eratiom i=2 the S Division were returned to a k0 hour besis. At the same tims, the isolation Building was placed on a three-shift, five-day basio. On September 13, 1948, the 200 Are- Power operations were returr;ed to a bhour per week basis. k. The glaaned six-day work week was reduced from 10% to apimoximately lo$ in the Maintenance Division 88 of Seztember 4, l9&. Accelerated constlvctiun activities have iqrcved the comFletian dates of the -,. badly needed decolltaminstion sa& filtera in th3 200 East and West Arsas. By persistent effort the Traffic Section of the Transportation Divisioa con- tinuee to @in cacessione ia the metter of freiat rate tariff reductiom, as sham in that division's r*;.pol",. A very surprising emd unexplained phenomenon was encountered when it was disccvered that about &If of the four-'ach, al$m-rolled, lead-digped slugs examined after norms1 *radiation had gmm longer and thinner while the remainder had grmn shorter and thicker. It has been demonstrated that pL-ified graphite can be pre2ared by merely gas jakfng the bars aftor the second pitch impregnation and then puriPjiry directly. Production coats 011 this materiel are lwer than those of reylar pmified graphite, it expands less under pile irradiation, is as strong as regular material, adhas ressocsble satisfactory nrachhing charzctaristics. The quality of all types of graphite deliveries continued to drop dura tho month. This drop ma the result mainly of a general density decrease. The water which entered the graphite of the B P'le from a li.aking grocess tube \ poduced reactivity loss of U8 inhsur3. Sane mter had been removed at rnocth- end but no recovery of reactivity hed occurred. s I19bt18b ,? General Summary HW 11226 - I, /"- -2- Pile tests show that Van Same corrosion can be reduced markedly by providing cathodic protection (nragnesium gaskets) or by elimkation of the golvanic cell (all-aluminum nozzks) . Expansion of pile graghite has deformed vertical rod thimble No. 27-F suffi- ciently to prevent cqlete insertion of the rod. Near by thimbles in the F Pile and Thimble No. 27-D -ahow evidence of 8imib-r deformation. Separations Plants Broduction tests on the reduction of process volumcs heve eharn that 3074 volume reduction may be optimum before encountering hi&.- waste losses. Reasons ere being sought for the actmuletion of by-product preci- pitate in i3-l st B Plant. Reduction of metathesis time cycles is to be cbtsined by a 'slight rearrangement of process flow. Ccntinued studies of verious sands for we in filter- ventilation eir discharge heve shown that crushed flim from the American Graded Sand Company has filtering and non-packing propertics superior to other sands recently tested. Tests with a scru5ber column, electro- static precipitator, and cyclone separator have also been continuLld. Uranium trensfcr H.E.T.S. measurements carried oct on the 16-u~~.Redox Scale-up Column have velues ranging f'mm 2.6 to 9.8 feet. The colllmn *xis proved ta be vestly overdesigned for throughputs poseibls with the Raschig ring packing used, however, A 5-inch column packed with 1/2-Fnch Raschig rings ves fouzd to have an E.E.T.S. value of a. 1.5 feet at throughpts equivalent to necrly 1.2 long tons of ureniq'day. An 8-inch column similarly packed also gave an H.E.T.S. value of ca. 1.5 feet at throughputs eqEivclent to 2.1 long tons of uzunium/day. It is believed that the quoted throughput on this latter column K is still far below floodlng and the etudy of this c0l.m.u is being extended. These studies point up the possibility of short (30 feet or under), smU diameter (6 to 8 inches) columa bei- feasible for Eedox productior plant operation. Initial studies cerried out with tho l/lOGth acele S.O.D. mixer- settler units have pointed up the need for redeslga of these mdels. Installa- tion of the full-ecele mixer-settler unit is nearly completed. The Research Section has demnstratcd in the laboratory tha3 ruthenium volatfli- zation from oxidized dissolvzr solution facrecses witS the, temperature, and air sweep. DecontRminRtion fec:ors obtabmlc by ths adsorption of zirconium and columbium on glass wool have been aeesured. The effects of small mounts . of Si, Sn, Cu, Al, end Fe on extraction stage heights hcve been investigated. Quadratic equations have been developed for the solubility of hexone ix various Redox process solutions. Redox CM~S-OV~~oxidetion studies heve been continuzd to measur3 the effects of Piogen peroxide oxidation on ruthenium and cerium decontamination, the reactivity of hydrogcn perioxidc end sulfamic acid, and che affect of plutonium concentration on the rates of its oxidation by dichromate. 300 Area Plant Assistance personnel continued to supervise the rolling of uranim rods for Hanford at Lockport, N.Y. and Aliquispa, Pa. Exanination of a SinglJ uranium rod producad ezperimentallg at Aliquipga by a conhination forging-rolling operation indicates that this 2-step febrication process my yield a superior rod with considenble operatiag economy. Further triala ere be- schedcled. Preliminary .arracgenents were made with the Industrial Heating Engineering Division in Schenectadjr, and with Ghe Knolls !.tonic Parer Leboratory, to utilize equipmznt of the latter for induction heating trials with uranium rods and slugs. If' successfu1, considcra5le sinplicatim of th2 cenn-ing operation my be possible. 1194181 -3- In the Operetional H. I. Division survey findings in gtneral were nornal. The active particle deposition continued to be of prb,0 conc,zm. In the Control and Devclopnt Section, samples of water, air and vegeta+,ion shuwed essentially no deviation fYon the nom1 patta,n. The blmssa7 analyses shoved no results above the warning limit for the plutonium excr9tion test. Uranium content of three urine sampler, fell in the 50 to 70 ug/Liter range. In the Biology Division, monitoring of mmmals and fish proceeded with specicl incident except Ln the 200 I Arec where the program was abruptly terminated by predntora. B study of tha effects on aquatic life of pile effluent wcter,. which hos not xdergona decay in the basin, will begid ne&* nonth. There was no evidence of inju,? to any enplayee Curing the nonth due to redlation. Toxic sffacts of carbon tetrachloride reeulted in hospitalization of four sub- cmt=actor eqloyeee. Its ut? habeen disconticued as a degrecsing egent in the sub-coatrector program in favor of less toxic agents. Records ere mw being kept to lndiccte ap2roximate totel lifetime exposure of employees to radiation. Recent animal eGeriments have indicated a need for such data. Clinic and hoepital treatmnzs decreased moderately but were rocghly double the twelve months previous figurea ', P*lic health activities were satisfactory with a lcw incidence 03 cmnunicable diseasz . Effective Sepsember 1, 1948, the rnloyea and .Jmi%gSelstians Division, and the Labor Relations and Wage Rate Divieion were removed fora the Semce Divi- sions and combined into a se2erate Divlsio=1 !mown a8 che Ebplojee and Community .Relaticna Division. Firm oders heve been placed for ell steel requirements for the fourth quarter of 1948 with the exception of galvanized sheets. Aaitional allocation of sheets has been requested. Requeet ME received from the Atomic Energy Connnission to submit estimtea of requirements of ell forms of AlumL~umfor 1949.