Archive description
An account of K-25 design, engineering, and procurement activities, excluding work connected with the special chemicals development and procurement 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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development and procure .ent program, which is covered in Book VII. ' The are discueaed, and an account is presented of the development end tinal design of the diffusion process ayat.em and its component. parts, the equipment used, and the various auxiliary installation.;;./ The Yolume concludes a6!ety and security features, 09sts, organization, and personnel. ' Other phases o! the K-25 Project are dealt wi~h in eeparate volumes of Book ll gotiated in July 1941, tor tho etudy o! the diffusion process, to 31 and administrative responsibility passed trom the M&.nhatt&n Distriot to t.he United States Atomic Energy Commission. / A number of appendiC t"O are attached to illustrate the text by me~s eno 08 1 docwr.entary exhibits, and a glossary. • Rei·. ·rences indicn ted by B, Item 12 of Appendix C, etc. / h.eference to the Glossary, Appendix li, "is made by means of ~::.n a s terisk. ,i
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Vclume 3. ' f'uragraph tmmbers in the Su:nrn.c1.f'Y correspond to soction riwnbers emphasis on design and development has been prepared by the Kellex CorpoArnold.' Thie report has provided an outstanding source 01· reterance durf.ne the pre.pa.r&t.ion ot the present ;.'t;)rk. v )fore extensive treatment of the design may be t'ound by consulting the Kellex report, frequent references to which are inserted in the text.• Al~o referred to are t:.he Kellex Engineering Descriptions, which are tnbul.atcd in Appendix D5 o!' this volume, and the Kellex C'.)era.ting Manuals, which are tabulated in Appendix CJ of Volume 5./ These reterence works are on tile in the K-25 Division O!fice of the U. s. Atomic Energy Commission, Oak Ridge, Tennessee. v
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b, Scope ot Contract a, Dec1aion to Continue the Pilot Plent Revi~w and Reassessment of Gas Di.f tuaion Method Selection of the Contractor e.., Decialon to Construct e 4600-Stsge Plant The Kellogg Contract
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4-2 Separation by Gaseous Diffusion 4.1 ~l) llolecular Speed verau• Molecular Mase 4.2 d. Circulation of Feed 4.2 •• Removal of Enriched Gaa 4,3 d. Net Flow Patteni 4,5 b. Volatility ot Uraniwn Hexatluoride 4.7 c. Reactivity ot Uranium Hexafluoride 4.8 2) Conswnption ot Proceea Gae 4.s S-2 The Teat Floor 5.1 c. Reaulta of Cascade Operation 5.3 a, Flow Test Loop 5.5 b. limeyr Pump Test Loop 5.5 o. Stokes Pump Teet Loop 5.5 •• American Machine Detenae Pump Test Loop 5.6
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Par. Not Page Noa 5-6 Cold Trap Testing 5.6 a. Location within Clinton Engineer Works 6.1 b. Method of Selecting Specilic Site 6.2 o. Or1g1nal Cboioe of Process Area Site 6.2 d. Power Plant, Site 6.3 •• Final Choice ot Prooeaa Area Site 6.) b. Heed tor Further Investigation 7.1 7-2 Major Polley Deciaiona 7.2 a. Deciaion of -18 Auguat 1943 7.2 d. Deciaion of l6 March 1945 7.4 •• Addition or 1-27 Facility 7.4 7-4 The Plant Cascade (Section )00) 7.5 2) Variable Equipment Size 7.6 d. Hwnber or Stages 7.7
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I a. Number of Stages per Cell 7.u I b. Cell Inverse Recycle Lines 7.12 I c. Cell Direct Recycle IJ.ne 7.12 (1) Inverse Recycle Flow Meaaurement 1.12 (2) Direct Recycle Flow Control 7.JJ a. Number or Cells per Building 7-l.S 2) Flow Control Equipment 7.18 d. Section Rectcle Lines 7.18 7-9 Feed Puritioation System (Sect.ion 100) 7.19 7-10 Surge and Waste System (Section 600) 7.22 7-12 Pro~ae Gau Reoovory Systom 7.26
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f.ar. No, Pasre No, 2) Intemnl Vert.1cel Bar Type (4) &averaion to Single Shell Parallel Fin Type SECTIOU 9 - PHOCESS BUilDDiGS AND UTILITIES Procese Building Vent1lstion System
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9-8 Convortor Handling Equipment 4) Contruninated Coolant Retum ( 4) SiJiPpl,,y end Return Main Loops
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g. Revision of Diapoaal System Acid Neutralizing Plant (K-1407) (2) Pumps and Filters Carbon Mixing Plant (K-1410) Auxiliary Steam Plant (Section 1500) (l) Coal Handling Equipment 3) Aah Handling Equipment b. Selection ot Power Source (.2) Coneidorntion of Electronic Frequency Changers (2) Choice of Cable Type Coal Hnndling Syate
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(1) Conversion to Oil Service {b) Boiler Uanual Control 1. Ash Handling System 12-6 Steeru Generation System (b) Front. Wall Tubes (c) Reer Wall Tubes (d) Side Wall Tubes e. Water and Stearu Circuit
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c. Main Tranamiasion Linea d. Constant. Frequency System a. Variable Frequency Syetem
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d. Proceas Gae Recoveey System •• Product Withdrawal System (1) Wute and Product Pwnpl •• Procees Gae Coolers &• Proceae Block Valves Process Service Inatallationa a. Process Coolant. System Conditioning and Admi.ni.etr&tive Facilities Review o! Gaeeoua Diffusion Plant Design
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Assietonee with Theoretical Problems Development of Scraper Cold Traps (l) Hew York Safety Coarnittee (2) Trenef er o! Responsibility (2) Designation of Restricted Areas New York Area
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tration, and m.a to be so dosicnoa tho.t it could bo fitted, if desired, into El. largor plrult far tho production of' ao por ocmt On 10 Deoombor 1942 tbc l!ili tnry Policy Co:!l';d tteo tnithorisecl General Eellocc Coopany aa onzinears." On 14 December 1942• lotter eontre.ot p1·oouretlBnt, am related sorvioeo 1n connoction with tho ccnstruction trntion ot tho U-235 isotope le 0.71 rnol per oont. / Tho prlnoiplo of'
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struotion of a ooo ldlog-a...,.. per da..y 30.6 per oont plAnt." On 16 nino proaesn seotiontJ With equlpnont aue and preasuro lewl ~eying
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teed introduction. and 270 below. Baoh •tae• contains a diffuser which enclose• the diffusion 'barrier. and a process oooler which utilises pertluorodimethylcyolohexane a• ooolant. and which 1• fabricated integrally with the clittu•r to tonn the •oODverter". fwo oentritugal pumpa are provided: the "An pump tor aO"ring enriched dittuaate to the nert higher atage. 1111d the •B" pump tor wpply1.ng the oonTerter with a mixture ot dittuaate from the atage below llD.d partially depleted residue trmn the atage above. A oonare provided for 111:taeuremnt of process preasurea. tuperature. and interata.g• tlow. Six stages are grouped to form a oell. whi.oh 11 the mnalleat by-pusing a cell. operating on inverse recycle. or operatirig on direct stag•. and 8 B" atrttam leavinc the .tirst stage le aent to the ,._,, pump ot the aixth stage. Direct recycle operation iJlvolvea aend.big the tlow trom tlw top stage •A• pump to thu auction ot tho •nn pump of the a.- 8t&ge. and 11 employed when a back pressure tends to denlop in the dl110harge line or the aixth stage •an pump. Cell oonnectiona are availprooeH unit above the cell is the process building. of Which there are piping and .._lving tao111ties have been provided to permit by-pasa1ng of an mtire building. and operating on inverse reoyole./ Two lines
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Corinooting linos run t'ror.1 the Un:~ reooJ"dor mnirolcl in Buildin,: remo•l raeilitfos were theref'oro Nquirod, and wero hustalled at tbo mterial to the oo.scado.
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Corporation at Deoatur. Illlnoia. Prominent omtr1Wting contractors oul tie~. and plans wore made for the convereion ot tm Bouda.ille-Berehey plant to the lllUiutaoture or k-1 or DA barrier. With the cooperation or & large number of t'irme, mass production was flC?hieved in ten mnth•• wider a program ooardinated 17¥' the Carbide and CarbCll Chemioale ~rporation. Reciprocating. bellowa-aealed• purge pumps were aamd'aotured by the Valley
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pumps by th.ct Westinghouae Eleotrio and Ma.nutacturing Company. Prooeaa gal coolers are ot 9hell and tube design, and u• pezowsing tbmed oopper tube a produoed by the Wolverine Tu.be Oamp81'!.y. The integral stage oooler• torm a part or the oannrtera produced by Chryalere Coolant ooolera ..re produoed by the WhitloClc Kanutaoturing Campany. llcmal tubing tor prooeH piping waa aupplied by the International Rickel Cc:apany in aizes up to tour inch diameter. Large aizes were produoed by the Bart rotatin,; piping itaelf' aa the plating tank. and oiroulat!ng ei.otrolyte at high velocity. Process valves were required to be resistant to ocrroalon. vacuum-tight. and or minimum resistance to now. A speoial Yalw la undttr way at present to replace all valve "ate with the later developed and aore satisfactory Jai'P-lD fluorinated plutio. the prinoipal nl.T• ueed ded.~n with a wdge-type actuatin{; meohanilllll oapable of exerting aoatilig pressures up to the tatigue point ot the metal. In all• about a doHn A oentral control room at the aidpoint of' the oaaoade is
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truiudtting, reoording, and controlling equipments At each atage 0 th.Git pressure or the converter tails stream actuates a tran1Z111 tter which connrts a fixed range or prooesa pressure to a fixed range or air preHw• to be fed to a controller, the latter then actuating the atage oontrol Taln. the ccmtroller ls or the propcrtional plus autcmatic reset type oa.soad• 1• baaed an the u99 or a datum tl)"R• which utilise a a nitrogen header at 111 aoourately llaintained pressure aa a reference tor pressure aigned, engineered, .nd produoed by the Gener..i Eleotrio Company. 't!w Tayler Inatrwnent Oampani•• turniwd oorusultmt and cgineering ""ioea, and manutactured many or the 8J>9Cialbed and atuidard pneumatic illstnmmnta. and by the Fi aber Go'Y'8rnor Campany• trap design depends upon proper arrangemnt ot heating eurtaces and gas tlow pa11ages •o as to ettect depoai tion of aolid without obatruotmately worked Cl.lt and applied. !be lar~er sise cold traps are or the d®ble shell radial tin type, and were mmufactured by the PatteraanJtelley Company. The 811&ller aiHa are of the ainglo ahell, parallel tin
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are equipped with oalrod heaters tor use in wand.ng the trap oontent• tor raaoval. sid all types are heavily insulated with 8 to 10 inches ot u'bestos tel t. Carbon traps are uaed to eupplement the ue ot oold oarban trap oonsist1 ot a oylindrioal .teel shell tapering at the bottm to torm a ocmioal Motion. !he ocne la oharged with alumina. and the the al\Bdna prevents n:oeaaln temperature rlae and oaking. 1n higher 9. Prooesa Buildings and Utilities. • In ext.rnal appearaoe. the prooeaa plant proper mppeara a• a large "U"-mhaped struowe. It la aacle up or a ae1"le1 ot M oontiguoua bl.lildinga • three ot wbioh houae b..-nt or eaoh oontdna ooolant and lubricating oil hand.ling •quipMD.t. prooeaa gu recovery equipment. and wntilating taD.11 ad a1r tonnerse !he ooll tloor oantdna the banka ot llheet-metal-enoloNCI tliary equipment. !he oella are aiTanged 1n two parallel ran aeparated by a motor alley. and the oell tloore or adjaoent buildings are aeparated by withdrawal alleya. '.lhe pipe gallery levwl includes prooe11a piping and Talve1 enclosed 1n sheet metal dry air compartment a. Operation ot eaoh building ia ocmtrolled frcm the top tloor level which oontalna instrument
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panel board1 and con'U'"ol equipment. Eaoh building is prodded with tor beating by unit heater•• lighting. and. canamication. Ccnnrtere. leek detectors. and other heavy equipment. are acmtd 1n and out or the line to the proo••• building ooolmit b9adera. The CeFlS la oiraalated pmaped back to the wt ooolant 1torage tank. Die ooolmit puritioatlon tower•• and two lndiridtal sq>ply and return loopa. A total ocmtinuou• oiroulation of about 120.000 GPll la Mintained through the two loop•• and re1peoti'f9 prooeaa ooolera mid oooling tantra. by lllffD• of a battery ot reoiroulating pumps. About &000 OPM ot llab-up 11 supplied by Mau alumina dey8ra. an umonia refrigeration system. a brine o1roulst1on 8)'stem. and a dry air piping distribution ayatm.. It waa originally
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the •iH of the ooanrter '° lie teated. tor leak teating pipe ...ellbli••• in ora:r to make rooa tfll' dn91opmnt work aow beinl earrled out la
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