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ANP PROJECT QUARTERLY PROGRESS REPORT
14. RADIATION DAMAGE
D. S. Billington, Solid State Division
A. J. Miller,
Radiation-damage studies of ma-
terials exposed in the ORNE graphite
reactor, the LITR, and the 86-in.
cyclotron have continued. A sample of
a zirconium-bearing fused fluoride
fuel has been irradiated with a high
flux in the MTR, but examination of
the irradiated capsule and its con-
tents has, not yet been made. A sodium-
filled loop was operated in the LITR
at about 1200”F, but it was shut down
after seven days because of a flow
s t oppage .
Additional irradiations of fuel
have been carried out in the LITR at
ARE fission rates for extended periods
of time. High power dissipations, in
the range that would occur in an air-
craft reactor, were achieved for long
periods of time in fuels by using 22-
Mev protons from the cyclotron, and
there was some indication, but no
positive evidence, of radiation damage
or radiation-induced corrosion.
In-reactor cantilever creep measure-
ments on Inconel in an air atmosphere
were continued in both the graphite
reactor and the LITR. Frorn these more
recent measurements, it appears that
the radiation has only a small effect
on the creep strength. Examination of
some of the older test rigs showed
that the decrease in creep strength
previous 1 y reported cou Id pos s i bl y
have been due to defective extensometer
devi.ces. Apparatus is being con-
structed for creep measuremenLs #in the
MTR.
These radiation damage studies are
described in the following. Additional
information is contained in the So 1 id
State Division Quarterly Progress
Report for the Period Ending November
lo-, 1952.
186
ANP Dhvision
IRRADIATION OF FUSED HATERIALS
G. W. Keillioltz D. F. Weeks
J. G. Morgan M. T. Robinson
11. E. Robertson D. D. Davies
C. C. Webster A. Richt
P. R. Klein W. J. Sturm
M. J. Feldman
Solid State Division
R. J. Jones R. I,. Knight
Electromagnetic Research Division
B. 1‘. Kinyon
OHNL Engineering Division
The installation in the MTR of the
testing facility for fused salts was
completed. The guide tube extends
from a 1 3/8-in. hole in a beryllium
“A” piece through a specially designed
flange in the north-tank access hole.
In the first run, a 1-in. column of
salt was contained in a 0.1-in.-ID
Inconel capsule. The capsule ternpcra-
ture was maintained at 1500°F by means
of a controlled flow of cooling air.
The flux at the capsule position was
determined by means of cobal t wire with
the MTR operating at 19 and at, 25
megawatts. The estimated thermal flux
for the first capsule run at 30 mega-
watts was 2.1 x ioi4.
The capsule contained a fuel with
the composi tion NaF-ZrF4 -UF, (50.0-
46.2-3.8 mole X). It was maintained
at 1500°F for 116 hr at full flux, and
there was an estimated power dissipation
of 1900 watts/cm3 in the fused salt.
This approaches the power density
expected in an aircraft reactor,
Examinations of the irradiated capsule
and the salt are now being made. In
addition, two capsules containing the
fuel have been irradiated in the LITR
at 140 watts/cm3 for 565 hr, and two
more have been placed in the LITR for
1000-hr tests. Examinations of the