Archive description
Volume 2 presents an account of K-25 research and development activities, excluding work connected with the special chemicals development program, which is covered in Book VII.
Document text
Machine-read from the scan, so expect some errors. Lines that couldn’t be read are left out.
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and •eourlty upeota, ooeta, O!'ganisatlon, and peracmnol. other pbuea ot the K-26 Projeot are dealt with in •epara'9 wlumea ot Book n u 81 Dffember 19'6, by whioh time the buio K-16 naea!90h progam had of tabulatloms, charts, photographa, file reterenoea, docnDl!lntuy a•
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Prooell Cllu YaoU\11 Pumpl b. Prlnolple ot Operation ll Fonatlon or Eleotrcm Beam I Aeoeleratloa ot Queoua %ODii (6 Dhoharp ot Iom ... Prlnolple ot Operation a. Prinalple or Operation be Component Parts
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Pilot Plant Ro. 1 Pilot Plant Boe 2 Pllot Plant Noe S Pllot Plant No. aA Pilot Plant no. l!J Single Stage Blonr 8)'8tierim b. Plugging and Comumptlon Imrt au hating or aa.rtera Dewlopment ot Speolal Chcdoa1a
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toward the aolut.ion of problema encountered in the conoent.ration of the choioe ot a euitable teed material, the dnelo..-nt. ot d1£tua1on barrier•, process pumps, eeals, and control 1Dlltl"WD811ta, and the adapprogrua ••r• oentced in a number ot wdnr•it..1 and industrial laboraResearch aad Development, oowering the pco1od ot 1 JuJ.7 1941 to 30 June W-740S-eng-SO, and the labarat.oriu came to be known by the code name aent. work ~ toward the de.Jign, oonstnaotion, and operation ot a product.ion plant., and ev&l.uat.1.on ot the clittuaion met.hod in oompariaon the lellu Corporation alao t.o engage in considerable research and
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dnelopant work on IUah 1ubjeota u barrier manufacture and propert.iea, Ia diaaharging ita reapoaaib1.U.t7 u operating contractor tor the 1-2s plant, the Carbide and Carbon Cbemioah Oorporat.ian aponaored. a aumber buio dittueion proo•• ruearoh prograa wu tranaterred froc Colwabia pr1u oontn.otora include the Bell Telephone Laboratoriea, Princeton and the Interchemical. Ccrparatian• aental theo17 tor a praot.iael ditfullian Hparation plant. wae worked out escape ot the two oamponent.• 1l1ll be in proportion to the reapeot.ive ooncentratione, and i11Yer•ely in proportion to the equare root• ot t.he
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up ot a back preeaure ill the outer apace, and the contJ.nuoua dacrea•• ion reeearoh prograa wae expanded in December 1942, at whioh tiat the '1ne under OSRD contract OEllar-406) to continue !ta reaearch work and undert.ake the iamediate design of a l kilogram per day 90 per cent U-235
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t.o p!"Osecute this work. Fundamental research was to be done at Columbia 1•• 0£ the Kellogg C~ny. In early 1942 diecuesione were held with a group of Britiah investigatcre regarding t'urliamental alternatiY• plant barrier t.e11ting waa the developed baaed on the uae ot aixt.ure• ot helium and carbon dioxide as a working aublt.anoe. The separation fact.or Relative concentration ia the JDOlecular ratio ot u~S,6 to uZ3S,6 present. incre&sing !unction ot fineoeae and poroait.7 ot barrier aperturea. The ratio of actual now through t.he barrier, ua!er apecitied teet cond1tioms. creasing as the ditference between tore pressure and back pressure is increased. It. is also an increasing function ot the number and eize or barrier apertures per unit. area. Important chemi.cal properties or
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lodging in the apertures) and it• can1W11pU.on rate (tendenq to Prior to 191.3 MOT pra1ild.DarJ t,1P8• of barri.r were teated ~a diviaion ot th'i SAK taboratoriea wa• oatabliehtld tor the epecitic
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dittiault. to handle and manutacture, and poor in re11et.ance t.o corro11on. developnent ot critical items.
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duotion pilot. pl.ant wu deaiped at. the Colwlbia 8chCW"born Labora•. imo. a• DA) barrier aiumtaotve. Tm A barrier wu aband•ed becaue at Columbia dur1ne -the period 11her. emphaaia wae being placed on A barrier
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II barri.. exbibita a greater plugtag tendenq than DA, but. 11 oapable
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EUiabath, N«w Jsrs^/, and tha other at tha Elisabeth plant using nickel oxide obtained from the Linde Air Products Coopanjr at fonawanda. New York. A third tjpe was subsequent!/ developed and produced by Linde, using an Improved prooees which greatly increased the rate of production. / It was Manufactured by Unde for several Months, and will be tested by installation in several stages of the K-27 cascade. 5. Davalopnent of “ It was realised in the early stages of the prooees pump developaent prqgraa that a satisfactory stage puop would have to have absolutely no lose of process gas, very little inleakegs of inert geese, no Inleakage of oil or condensable vapor, ■!nissiM holdup volume, high resistance to corrosion, a wide range of capacity and coopreiaion ratio, ability to handle vary dense gaa, and high efficiency of operation. These requiraaanta could beet
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Slflultancoualjr with th« drrslopaunt of op«o-*otor eontrifugal punps# yarioua dlaphragn types were loveetlgeted In order to provide a aeal-leea design 1a the event of unsatisfactory performance of the nitrogen-sealed machines' 4 diaphragm pump was also considered aa specially suited for use in the contemplated upper sections of the plant* Qas bearing blower development was prosecuted by Waatlnghouse and by General Electric in oLose association with K el lex and SAM* Various designs were studied Involving a thin metallic diaphragm in the air gap of the motor* Bearings ware Idbrioatad by means of process gas, the motor ran in normal atmosphere, end no seal was nsossssry* A totally enclosed type was also studied, in which neither s seal nor a diaphragm was required] all parts ran in process gas. This type required special inert lubricating oil and motor insulation. The density of the gas handled in the purge oascads varies markedly from point to point* Decreasing the density of gas handled by centrifugal pumps daoreases their capacity* Positive displacement pu-p., handle gases of different densities without this disadvantage. Shaker, paddle, rotary, and magnetic designs were studied, but s reciprocating type waa ultimately selected for purge r The piston is lubricated by the process gao, and pump valves consist of
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light. aheet; metal apringa. The JJUl"I• pwnpa were llllWi'act.ured b7 the For aenioe with prooNe ooollAt, a yertiaal pwap was dnelnitrogen oontined. u a blanket- gu under e11gbt pruaure &boYe the proo••• gas, ot welded oonat.ructiOA and with a •pecial aeal. ao u to ooait.7, and a oooling •78t• tor uae at. at.ad,y operating apeeda.
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te1ta, an operating procedure was worked out in 1uoh a ny a1 to obw'iate iaotopio u•&J work, and the ultr.....W.U:dt.7 ot the dittmion procu1 deflection ot these 1"&78 b1 a perpendicular agnetic tield, and d.itt...- corder, worid.Dg on the maaa apeotroater pl'inciple, records the cone Mbexane, and COa-120. Numoroua accesaoriea inclme a .Pirani gage tor
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mrcurt oarri~ troai the dittueion Y&OUWll pump, and an ionisation pge nrtaoe wbUe the equipunt. 1a under high Taowa, and detect.J.ng the preecoe ot the probe pa in a ae• 1peotroaetC" t)'P8 indioator. The Camining thia Wonnat.ion with the known iaotoplo oompo•1t.1.ml ot t.he pr1nciple that an electric cnuTent paaaing through a wire 1.nor...ea its temperature, and that. the clU'terenoe 1n temperature bet.ween the
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wire and the gas aurrounding it rea.che1 an equW.brium yalue, which ie dependent on the percent.age com,poaition ot the gaa. Since electrical Uaed in the purge ouoade, the acouatio anal.J'&er determ.inee, the prooea11 stream, and actuates a control aechaniam llO u to prevent enc-loading of the purge oelh because or 1.ncreued UF6 oonoeatration wit oanaiata of a re80BUlce tube oontaj 0 1na a diapbrap at each end. One dilphrap ie aaited b7 an el.ct.raupetio ooil, and aenda 80\IDd oauee it to induce a Yoltage in a aecond ooll. The aound 1ntena1t7, and, hence, the volt.ge induced la greatest. at the natural trequeno7 atone bridge. Long Mt.al oap111•ries are used as the tour rea1at.ancee, proceaa gaa paaaing through two parallel pair• ot •reaietor••" A 1111.dpointa of the bridge anu to indicate wmalanoe. A 10dium tluoride that branch, and unbalancing ot t.he bridge. The degree or unbalance
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t.raoe indioatcr• were dnelopod to provide & •ane tor maaitoring It. aq be arranged to irovid• oantinuoua and au.tomatJ.c trace indication detector ot •peoial design uHd tor obeold.Dg coolant. llnea, ooolant coolant 1-.k• are pmtped through a te•t chamber, through which two intralltbiam. fluoride tilter which abeorba all intra-rad radie.tlon. The intenait.7 o1 this bum will there.tore be iodeplftdeot o t the coolant cuit. A dittereno• in t.empiarature between the two th...,_t.era reeulta trom. the ditterenoe 1n 1Jitma1ty of impiagant radiation, and cauaea a (:_,:i wae designed to maitor the plant. aupplies ot drJ" air and nitrogen, and
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retlected beam of light tram a cold mirror i• d1 -ed b1 ooodenaatiao of ()'I 10 llal 19441 Pilot. Plant llo. 2 waa plae-1 in operation,
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waa deaigna ted Columbia Area Enginesr in tt.e apria£ ot 1943. lie was
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T.19nt to use in tho preaenoe or the prooeaa t'U• It 11nG neoeasa.ey to oolw wry ewlous oorroaion T>roblona. and to dewlop a nutr..bor or ettect ot product oom~tion. which ocoura in ewn c!ld tol"'rJD or dewlornnent l'J'Of',l'\'.l.Jll tor apeoial ohetrl.cala required by the K-25 Projoct to doacribod in Book VII.
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be oan"ied on at the Univeroi~J tron 1 Deoedlor l~l to 30 April 1943.
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directiod the projoot work, and booause at the adatonco ot certain ta-
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