Manhattan District History; Book VII, Feed Materials, Special Procurement, and Geographical Exploration; Volume 1 - Feed Materials and Special Procurement

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ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION Memorandum to File MANHATTAN DISTRICT HISTORY, BOOK VII, FEED MATERIALS, SPECIAL PROCUREMENT, AND GEOORAPHICAL EXPLORATION In April, 1970, I requested the Division of Classification to review Book VII, Volume I of the Manhattan District History to see whether it would be practical to prepare an unclassified The deletions necessary for declassification were listed in a memorandum, Charles F. Knesel to R. G. Hewlett, May 27, 1970, Copy 1 of 4A, 4 pages, SECRET RESTRICTED DATA. Copies of this memorandum are on file in the Division of Classification and the Office of the Secretary.

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During the period that tbe District Office was located 1n New York Cit7, August 1942 to August 1943, the program wae handled by · the Materials Section as its primary responsibility. With transfer ot the District Office to Oak Ridge, TermeBaee, in August 1943, the Madison Square Area was established primaril7 tor the continuation ot the supenision of the feed materials program, although this ottice, aa the Vaterial.s Section bad done previousl7, also handled the procurement of certain special operating .materials tor the procees·ing plants, which .. aotivitiea are discussed in the hietories ot thos• plants and brietl7 Thie book hu been prepared b7 the Jfadieon Sqaare Area Off ice on the baaie ot th• per.aonal knowledge ot the at.art at that office concerned in the program, and the records ot that office. References are ma.de in the text to pertinent docuraente ot record, which and a liat. of such cbcument• ia appended. Copiea ot War Pepartment contracts reterr•d to in the text are on tile in the Contract Section ot the lla.nhattan District in Oak Ridge. l 8Uml8JT ia included ahead ot the text to· enable the reader to get a condensed but compreherJaiYe pictun ot the subject matter without reading the entire book. Paragraph nUJlbV• and titles in the •WlllD&l'1' correspond to section numbers and titles in the text. The asterisk (*) baa been used to indicate those words which have been defined in the The stor7 ot the studies ot geological literature, field explorations, and inspections and surveJS to locate new sources of

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uranium ore or to evaluate and investigate existing known deposits tiill be found in Volume 2 of this book,. irGeographical Exploration".

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Occurrence, Uses and Properties of Uranium Raw Material Prices Recovery Operations and ·By-Products Organization and Personnel

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'fransportat.ion of Ore from Africa Weighing, Samplang and Assaying SECTION 3 - CANADIAN SOUBCBS BLACK OXIDE AND SOD_.\ SALT Refining by L~de Air Products Company ' Concentrating of American Ores by Vanadium. Corporation of America

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llallinckrodt Brown Oxide Plant du Pc:mt Brown Oxide Plant Linde Brown Oxide Plant Mallinckrodt Green Salt Plant du Pont Green S~lt Plant l!s.rshaw Green Silt Plant Linde Green Salt Plant Harshaw Hexafluoride Plant. Jlallinckrodt Metal Plant Electro lletallurgical Company Metal Plant du Pont Ketal Plant · Iowa State College •etal Plant Metal Jtrdrides K•tal Plant Westinghouse Metal Plant Brush Laboratories Metal Plant Massachusetts Institute of Technology lational Bureau of Standards lational Bureau of Standards Iowa State College

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t he procurement o f the basic J·e.1• muteri.als containin g, uriin ium a.nd theii oon.,,.qrsion to faed .matt>rials fo r the processing plants. The pro r;t·am it volved t he locating and processing of :l"f{W ntorials and t;heir ref'ininr, and treatment to obtain foed .matorials, in the particular .fonns and of the highes t pu:ri ty • for utili zation in t he proceadng pl nuts within th< stringent time limitations which had be ~n established. At the outset < the program., tha obj eotive wa.s to procure tu1proxiJnQtely l, 700 tons of t black oxide (U30a) .. or its e quivalent in ore oouoentrates by the middl« or 1944, f or conversion to feecl ma t eri als, while the priuent objective is to p rocure suftioient U30s to permit opei•a.tion of production and r'9· Tha ocourranao of the element uranium was r~ oognized in 1789 found primarily in pitchblende and oarnotite ores, and to a lesser ex• tent in other ores s uch at torbarni t.,e~ The principal ortiJ depos:I. ta are .loos.ted in the Belgian Congo ot Afrioa., the Great Bear LAke region of Canada, and tho Colorado plateau region of western Uni t ed States, and lessor deposits a r e known to exist in many other countrhs throughout the world . Although thef'e was no particular demand for pu.re uranium. metal, aa ouch, prior to the atar·t of the projoot, there were some com·

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known ; while ohemica.lly, uranium is ooneidored to be a r<'l lativaly notive they undergo spontaneous and unoontrollallle transmutation into simpler, or lighter Vfeicht, s le i::ients. Uranium a.nd radium, in their natural.·• occurring in uranium ores in the ratio of 1 pa.rt to ovary 3i million I n tho original deve lopc.ent of. the progrt.lm., it wu.s envisioned that one oontrac;tor wotild perform all or the nace:Jsary work under one prime oontro.ct. rrowever, as the prot~ ram was enlarged,. it readily b!lloame apparent that i t would be both. desirable and essential to engage the aervices of as r:ian1 lea.ding industrial oonoerna as possible in order to distribute the L19lly oomplox t ask• among the best personnel available in industry. l n general, operati ons consisted essentially of looe.t1ng a dequate souroas of raw :materials, p roouri~g the raw matarinlo, refining obtain feed f.o r the proeossing plants. Initial proourem.ent of black oxide wna l>ogun in 1941 by the OSR.D. In Jul;y 1942, the first order f0r blaek oxide was pla~ed by Stone & ;iebster for the f.tan.ba.ttan District, and in the lat ~~ er part of 1942, all proou:remont was ae:sumed direotly by the Manhatt an Ui striat. As part of the procurement program. certain otha r i tams . such a& radium, r adiW!laoutron :Jourca.s, and radioo.otiv~ lead, were proouritd f or otJw r projact

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they will not be detailed. However, a cost summary ot the work done 1a given in Appendix J. The procurement for K-25 consisted in contracting tor the design, construct.ion, and operation of plants tor special and unique fluorocarbons, and the details are outlined in Appendix G. Raw ·11aterial prticea varied according to the grade and type of ore, and the resultant difference in subsequent cost. ot refining to recover t~ uranilllll content. The sequence of operations and th• tTP• ot procqsea to n ued in refining and treatment. operatiou, and the requirement.• tor new initiated. and carri•d forward at an accelera~ rate,, with the result , that, by the middle of 194.3, }u-acticallT all ot the plante· llhicb were required were in l'11ll operation. Throughout all etagea ot the program, it was neceesa17 tba:t Taried and extenaiT• reaearcb and dnelopnaent work be undertaken since th• l-10 process), had to be produced on a commercial scale neTer before and b7-product aateri.als, and the uraniua content which waa recovered waa reintroduced· into the processing circuit, where it waa eventuall7 cotr verted to usable teed materiw. The result• ot the prograa b&T• been the attainment ot both the procur...nt and prodtiction objectifta. The project~ . baa obtained title to approxillatel7 10,000 tone ot v3os in ore concentratea ot llhieh 3,625 tona were obtained through the Waahingtoa office. There h&Ye been produced aa te.ed mat.etials tor the proceasing plants

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ing recast l"..J.atal . .At no time ware de liveries hahind the forec&st schedule of requirements. Among the i'uture considerations nhioh will be brought about by the c omp letion of the program a re problems with f ore i gn interaatfi, problems regarding distribution of ore residues ii.nd disposition oi.' tha pro.. Tho 002t of tho program, to l January 1947, has been approxim.ate ly $90,268 ,490, of whioh $27,592,360 was f or procurement of raw materials, $58;622.,360 for refining and trea'bnent operations, and $3 ,357,690 vision of the prog,ra.11 was handled essontial],y by oi'fioer personnel on the staff 0£ the Distriet Engineer. The organi~ation originally established in 1942 ·to ·adminhter the program. in its early stages was the :Materials section of the Manhattan l>iatriot, at that time lo<l&ted. in Bew Tork, lf.Y • fGlllla 1 the prograa has been administered by the Madison square Area in. . who contributed to the suocesa of t~'.progrtllll; und all militfl,ry and civilian personnel. both in the war Depar'Qnent and the contractors• organizations, deserve the highest praise £or the results which they have helped 2. African sources - The richest source of uranium-bearing raw materials for the project came i'r<n the Shinkolobwe mine, lo0totec:l in the southeastern oorner of the Belgian QongQo The mine vms disooverad in 1915• but operations were not beg~=2l.}t s owner--Union Miniere du Haut Iatanga ,

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a Belgian Company - until after World War I. The ndne operated intermittently from its opening until 1937, during which time mining and refining operations were conducted principally tor the rec0Ye1"7 ot radi'!lll1. The extreme richness of the· African ore, assa)'ing as high aa 65. to 75f. U30g,. has enabled Union Jliniere du Haut latanga to dominate com.pletel.7 the radium and uraniUlll market. By 1937, sutticient ore had been mined and stock-piled. to e.atiSty the future normal radium and ur&ni'1Jll market for s.pprorlmatelJ' 30 ,..eare. Therefore, all mining and refining operations were stopped in 193?. In order to procure raw material• froa thia rieh Atrican eource, Corporation ot lew York, I.I. Thi• eompa07 wu the sole agent tor the eale 3,839 tona of t130g contained in ore had been . procured~ contract from African Metals st a cost °.~ approximately 19,113,800. Of' the total 31839 tons, 767 tons o! U30g were obtained troa ore which was alread)r in tbie country, and the remainder wae obtained trom the stockpile at the Shinkolobwe mine in Africa. In a.ddi.tion to tbi• material obtained by. conmarines were active during most o! the .period ot shipment. Howe"Yer, only two shipments, totaling about 200 tons of U30g in .ore, were lost at aea. One of these shipment• waa lo.st through ene.IDJ" action, and the other waa lost through a marine accident. Since shipments troa Africa arrived faster than refining opera-

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tions in this eountl'J" could be carried ot:l't, it was necessary to obtain storage facilities in the United States for these ores. Ores arriving · from Africa were ator'd originally at the Seneca Ordnance Depot, and later, at the Clinton Engineer Works. They are currentl7 being shipped to a warehouse ib Middlesex, New Jersey, and are stored there until th97 can be shipped to the refineries. The weighing, 3amplL.J.g, and assaying ot African ores are also condl.lcted at the !liddlesex. Warehouse. 3. Canadian Sources - The aecond richest source of raw materials for the project wa$ tbe Eldorado mine, located on the aoutheae.t shore ot . Great Bear Lake in Canada. Mining and re.tining operations at the 'Eldorado until 1940, during which time, the ore was mined and refin.ed tor the reeovery ot :radium, uraniU11, and silver. l'he mine was closed in 1940, since auff icient ore had been mined and stock-piled to satist7 the normal future cozmnert1b'a.l market tor a.pproximatel.1 5 years. BoweY'er, in 1941, the Ottiee eaaitated the reopening of the mine. The mine was reopened and started operations late in 1942, and mining and re.tining operation• have continued since t.hat. date in order t.o till the ~ub1equent. requirements of the There had been contracted for, to 1 January 1947, approrl.mately 4,149 tons or ore, at a cost of approxiinatel7 85,0S2,300, to be delivered aa 1,137 tons o.t black oxide. To l January 1947, 921 tons of U30g have been delivered. The early contracts !or the purchase of black oxide were written directly with Eldorado, or with Bcris Pregel, president of the Canadian RadiUlli. and Uranium Corporation of Mew York City, th.e sales agency for Eldoradots pi-oducts in the United States. Since 3eptember 1943,

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Ms.n.h!i.'ttrui Distriot contracts• for security x·easons. have boon written in treasu:ror and president of Eldo1•ado and ac:ted as agents for that company. ohase blaok oxide directly from Eldorado• and r.here was no need for the atorago. the weighing , Sflmpling, and asaa.ying. and the preliminary refining stepa, as in the case of the Af'rioe.n ores. 4. .i\Inerioan Sources • The third important source ot u t•e.nium•bearing the Onited States. Operations in thie area had begun abo~t 1911. and, principally for the radium content and to a 11\inor degree for m·an1ua and U30a, andJ operation• on theae ores deolinod rftpidly after 1923 because ot tha unfavorable position wbioh oarnotites thetn had in i:he radium field with respect to radiwa deriv~d from the newly diaooTored riQh ores from the Belgian Congo. HowevEtr. the great deman.d tor vanadium brought about by World War II stimulated the developn~rt1i and exploitation of domestic aourc•s. and earnoti tttt have been 111inod ainoe 1957 principally for their vanadium As a result or the mining nnd refining of oarnot1te ores, prinoipally tor the recovery of radiwa and vanadium, during the past 30-35 yea.rs, ther$ were aoowuulated tremendous stookpiles of te.113. n.ga whioh oontdned varyi ng low, but eoonom1oally reooverabl8. peroontages of uranium. The District entered into · oontraot nsgotiationa with the three ma.jor oompani<'lS

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operations a s well as the produots of' the ci1rrant operat i ons. To l Jan:1ary tracted for t he delivery to tho project 9£' _approximately l,349 tons of U30a, contained in 379,671 tons or ore tailint s, at a cost of ~ 2,072,330· mately 150 ton• of uran1wa Clompound• we re being consumed annually in the manufaoture of C$r&mio colors. The neod for conservation and control ot qraniwu fJUpplies wae .reoognhed in Deoem.ber 1942. at whioh tinut the War and, in aooordanoe with that l"equest. Conservation Order M-285 wae iawued on 26 January 1943 and further a'm.ended in August 1943. prohibiting the sale or purchase of ura.n1um. oompounde tor a.ny use other than. a fp -vital mili t ary and indu1trial applioationa. As a raeult of thflH operation•. the stooka ot retined uraaiwa compounds held b7 various inanufactrurera and d1atributor1 were made available to the proJ•ot. As of l Januu7 1947, contraot .negotlat1ona with the Vitro Manutaoturing Co:iapany. Afrioan Metals. and 1everal other oompaniea resulted in tined uranium. aalte, at a oost of appro:d-.tely $1.056.Uio. Th• Waahington by our anaed f'oroee in th• European Theatre of Operatioas • 6. Procurement ot Othar Radioaotive Materials - In addition to the proourmnent ot uranium aa a raw material tor the project, it also beoame neut ron sources and radioaotivo l~ad. Inasmuch as ·tmese materials ooour

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in nature in conjunction with uranium, their procurement was handled aa a part or the general procurement program. Tbe varied operations ot the Dietrict made neeeaa&?'J' the procurement, to 1 Janual'T 1947, of 7'3 grams ot radium, at a coat ot 1679,399, and SS tons or lead oxide, as a source of ratiioactiYe lead, at a cost ot $88,400. Hegotiationa to date. baTe procured all the radiu and radioactive lead required b7 the Jl&nbattan Die7. Refining o'l Raw Oree to Black Oxide and Soda Salt - The processing operations ror refining raw ores and ore eoneentratea were per:to.rmed b7 Eldorado Vining and Retining/\at Port Hope, Ontario, Canada, and. …