Hanford Works Monthly Report for May 1951 (Deleted)

Page 1

Operated f o r the Atomic Energ.1 Commission Generu Electric Company THIS DOCUMENT IS PUBLIC L ' t THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN SCANNED THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN SCANNED

Page 3

Plant Utilities3 Maintenance Mvisions Pile Technology Division ...................... 107 Purchasing and : tore Divisions ...................... 287 Bqloyee and Community Relations Division ................ 304 Municipal. T e d Zstate and General Services Divisions Commercial and Other Property Division ...Generd Services Divisions ............. Engineering and Construction Divisions ................. 387 Hanford Civil Defense ........................... 408

Page 4

A total of 76 tons of acceptable pieces was canned ata yield of 73.8 percent. The machining gield dropped from a previous average of appmxlmately 80 percent t o 71.5 percent due to inferior rod quality. The melt plant produced 26 tons of billets at a record yield of 88.9 percent and a record solid metal yield of 95.5 percent. There have been no autoclave failures since April 19, 1951. A total of 79.57 tons of metal of’forecast production1 due tothe occurrence of five ruptured slugs; hmmer, 96.9 percent of forecast production w a s discharged. The average time operated efficiency for five pile operation was 86.6 percent. discharged during the month a t 92 percent Atu tal of 129 charges of a scheduled 130 was started in the canyon buildings. The difference resulted from necessary repairs t o equipment in B plant canyon and concentration buildings. Four acid washes were s t a r t e d and two were completed during the month. I n addition t o two acid washes, a total of 1% regular chalrges was completed through t h e concentration buildings. The isolation facility completed 13b regular runs, two acid washes, and one master recycle run. Average cooling t h f o r metal processes was bs days with a minimum of h2 days. The average purity of completed charges was 98.9 percent. Plant lkintenance and Utility Services The electric power demands for the month were:

Page 5

The decline is in line with seasonal expectations. Unscheduled electrical outages occurred as followst 1. May 6 Lightning stom caused a series of disturbances on the Bonneville Power Administration System which resulted in Scramming the 105-F U n i t and tripping off supply and exhawt fans at Building 2346. 2. May 23 A t 1 2 6 0 A.M. high winds caused the boom of an i d l e subcontractor's construction crane t o swing intoa 13.8 KV line in the 20044 Area. A high speed oscilloscopic p i l e tempkrature napping device has been demonstrated experhentally and plans are proceeding for fabrication of a f u l l size unit Pile Technology Division A new section t o be known as t h e Pile Applications Section was formed this month. The Area Physics Group, Area Engineering Group, and the special request program were transferred t o this section. 100 Areas plant assistance and those p m t s of research md development programs which use apile as an experimtntcl facility. Tho general assigned duties include Exponential pile dasurements of the the4 neutron di-ffusion length ina standard lattice loaded with lithium-aluminum alloy slugs are in disagreement with pile theory which casts considerable doubt on present methods of calculaThe critical mass facilities are being modified and some of the equipment Measurements of solid graphite corcs removed from tube blocks indicate that the original undercutting of tube blocks in the DR adH Piles is contrib a ing significantly t o the elimination of overall pil cap n sion, Heat transfer and water quality studies included evaluation of larger outlet fittings, chaqed header pressures, emergency process pump requirements, and corrosion of process tubes and slugs. The design of e double diffraction spectrometer for x-ray work on rndioactive materials has been completed, Metallurgical studies of irradiated uranium slugs, aluminurn tubcs, and P-10 alloy slugs are being continued, Non-destructive tests are being investigated for detecting stainless steel welds which are low i n chromium m d nickel. Flow cup corrosion tcsts on alunim-~,zirconium, stainless steels, and other

Page 6

techniquc viis used giving a much improved recovery of product. Extraction and sepzration of tritium in the metal process equipment was begun. Certain difficult ics wcrc experienced in the extraction step and the recyclo system used for opcrating the toepler Pumps. observations indicatc that adverse temperature variations exist i n the furnace pot during extraction. Production data and visual. Scvcral proposed remedios are being evaluated. Separations Technology Division Production testing of reduced Bismuth Phosphate process volumes has been suspended temporarily i n an effort t o improve decontamination and thus reduce the high activity of PR cam. Replacenent of two of the Isolation Building filters has reduced product hold-ups t o nonnal values. The production capacity of the casting hood in Building 23k-S has been approximately doubled by the "nesting" of two cmcible assemblies i n the furnace. cold outqaasirg cycle (formerly 16 hours) prior t o coating has been adopted f o r In redax and TBP process development, Technical Manual preparation has continued t o 81 percent completion of the R e d a x ~Yanualand 31 percent completion of the started a &week training period i n the 321 Building. pulse c o l m studies for 0,R.N.L were essentially completed dur% the period. Testing of TBP production pumps was initiated t o determine suitable shaft Inthe research laboratory, it was determined that 75 percent of the iodine carried into the oxidizer will be removed during the scavenging step. coupling of Redox product t o the 23k-s process by means of a plutonium ammonium sulfate precipitate was found promising. the feasibility of electroless coating i n an alkaline bath indicated failure for all conditions studied. The use of a four-hour The t h i r d group of l4 "Sn Mvision supervisors and 25 operators A rapid scouting study t o determine A study of the suitability of one and two peroside strikes for coupling Redax product solution t o 231r-s was initiated using a simulated 2BP solution prepared demonstrated the feasibility of reducing theHI requirements by &O percent and t h e oxalic acid by 28 percent, Samples of FW prepared from the oxalate were reduced t o give metal fields of 83.5 and 32.7%. It Zppe-s that further improvement can be made. Sampling of the silver reactor effhcnt gases indicates that the &-5L unit a t A study of the oxalate purification process has Bfiat - i s functioning a t 99.9+ efficiency but that the remaining units may be removing iodine tothe extent of 9O-99?je Technical S ervic es Division On Hay 2, the Technical Divisions accepted Building 2224, WIIetUEImaland Plant Assistance Laboratory, with cert.ain exceptions. the installation of hoods and balancing of the ventilation system. A.E.C. authorization was received for the Phase I1 of this project, under which certain unassigned space will be made into chemical fzborztories. The latter included

Page 7

In the hiorb Laboratory Area, erection of t h e structural steel framing f o r the Nechanical Development Building w a s started by t h e Dix Steel Company on ?lay 28, Phase IS design and estimation consideration is under way with Dix as a preliminary t o negotiating the required extension t o their subcontract. Lump-sum bids for construction of the Radiochemistry Building were opened on May 29, with Sound Constntction and Engineering Campany the apparent low bidder A Part 111 of Project C-39b covering t h e construction phase of the outside seMces for the \forks Laboratory Area waa approvec by the A & B Committee and Project C-385 which covers construction of the Radiometallurgy Building. This figure was slightly under the fair cost estimate. Sindlar action was accorded the Part I1 proposal for A.E.C. Authorization was received for construction of the originally unexcavated portion of the basement of the Pile Technology Building. will serve for exponential pile studies. final prints for this building, as well a8 for the Library and Files Building, were received from C. T o IWn, the This additional space In view of the materially higher estimates recently made for the Radiometallurgg Building and the Plot Plan & Utilities projects, the total cost of the Works Laboratory Program is now expected t o exceed the $llr,563,000 budgeted. However, indications are that this cost will stay well within the 1% overrun allowable under there gat ions as listed in the Construction Rider tothe Appropriations The press of uervice work i n support of t h e Technical development programs and new building equipment needs made it necessary t o continue the following groups on a six-day work week; Equfpment Design, Technical Shops, IBM Computing Laboratory, and the contact engineers engaged i n New Laboratory Planning. Agreement has been reached whereby the :larnrfacturing Divisions w i l l assume responsibility for the craftsmen and craft supervision in the Building, 101 Shops, effective July 1, the Manufacturing Divisions' aolls, but the shops will otherwise be under TechnicaL Divisions administration on a %aptivel' basis. Under this arrangenent, these personnel will be on A working manual has been prepared f o r t h e analytical control of the Redox and TBP processes. This m u & contains iniormation on type, volume, frequency and radiation levels of the samples expected, constituents present and deteminations required on ewh sample and detailed procedures for the analybical methods t o be check on their state of readiness for plant control use. A detailed review of these procedures has been initiated as a final A receRtly developed Leeds and 3orthrup Erect Recording Spectrochemical Analyzer has been tested on a field trial basis at Word for determinztion of hydrogen isotope ratios. Numerous difficulties and instrument failures have been obsemed and corrccted, and s mp ling and sample excitation operations control and will allow the determination of hydrogen t o tritium ratios in precision of $.O& and a bias of 0.3% m e observed; thc b i a may be readily eliminated by minor adjustment of conditions. The instrument and analyticd. procedure are now under satisfactory Using 3cc. o f sample pcr hour at 1090 micron pressure, a

Page 8

Shipment of the second mass spectrometer purchased f o r P-10 ProJect se-ce has been delayed by the General Engineering Laboratories i n Schenectady but steps have been taken t o expedite delivery with improvement features t o be added PrelAmbary experiments have indicated that isotopic analysis of a mixture of xenon and krypton is possible using the present mass spectrometer, i n s p i t e of the fact that the instrument was not specifically designed t o handle m/e ratios greater than 60. Advantage is taken of the peaks due t o Kr+& and Xe*++. Successful analytical methods have been developed f o r the determination of TBP i n aqueous solutions and of uranium in aluminum-silicon bath. employs carbon tetrachloride extraction and subsequent infrared absorption i n a dry chlorine atmosphere, chromatographic separation of uranium, and determination by alpha counting. Methods for the determination of silicon and titanium in 234-5 Building pickling and stripping solutions have been put into control laboratory use. The latter employs conversion of the metal sample t o the chlorides Work schedules were revised from-a two-shift to four - shift operation inthe Building Laboratory t o provide andy t ical service t o the 231 Building operations which are conducted on a six-day tmrk week, Honday through Saturday. This necessitated the appointment of two new A special five-day work week schedule was set up i n the 231 ENGINEERING AND CGNSTRUCTZOb DIVISIONS The Engineering and Construction Divisions are currently working on 123 projects; 6L of these projects have authorized funds i n excess of '520,000 and have t o do with increasing production, reclaiming of waste materials, and the beneficiation of manufacturing processes and t h e i r attendant facilities. The 59 other projects have been authorized funds t h a t range up t o $20,000. These latter proJects have t o do with miscellaneous work items, engineering requests, and similar authorizations . Four projects, having a t o t a l estimated cost of $4,861,000 were completed this Auxiliary Hood Enclosure for Pat 1, 234 Building. A comprehensive study has been completed of Tlant hq owe r Forecasts in order t o provide a firm basis for requesting additional housing. economical methods of reproduction of documents and t h e i r accountability by individuals using them are continuing with gratifying results. Control of tools purchased by the subcontrcctor is being improved. month 16 contracts were approved and signed; 13 w i l l involve the expenditure of $1,331,299.86, one a decrease of a:33,Zbl..0sand two do not involve any money. They were (1) CO187-E, Redox Analytical and Plant Assistance Laboratory, Improved and more As light increasc i n actual com@tion percentages as conpared with estimated completion pcrccntagas is noted this month. Some improvcment in mata rid procurlomcnt and faSrication is noted this month. Promised delivcry dates of f1Btt Block.and G u n Barrel Steel havc been revised and are, at px sent, on a satisfactory basis.

Page 9

The Controlled Nrrterial Plan becomesDEC4.Ve ec ve 1, 1'751, pnrticipation in this plan includes thc compliance with governmental .rcquirementa f o r statistical information, forecasts, schedules, and other pertinent information. Such participation is aecesszry t o obtain critical guvcrnment controlled construction mtcrials with which t o successflllly complete our construction projects. Meetings have been held both locally and i n Washington, D. C. t o acquaint our personnel with the proper procedures. Craft labor figures show that there are more open requisitions for Fitters than far q other craft. Likewise, this craft carries the highest "quit rate". Bowever, the averall. picture here compares farorably with the national "quit rate" as reported in Business Week. The use of one of the many safety devices provided a t W o r d Norks demonstrated its great value. for the individwl would have, without the use of "flash goggles" resulted in permanent total blindness. Poor housekeeping, failure of sup em sion to give workmen proper instruction, failure t o follow instructions given, lack of personal safety consciousness and mechanical failure were the principal sources of inJuries this month. To date, the nqjor frequency rcte of 4.23 and the severity rate of 1.77 remains a very low figure as compared to cz tio d rates for construction workers. A severe facial burn which resulted in a lost time is jury All persons in Erginaerhg znd Constnction livisiona engaged i n work t h a t might reason h ly be expected t o result i n inventions or discoveries advise that to. the best of their knowledge and belief, no inventions or discoveries were made i n the course of t h e i r work during the period covered by this report except as listed belaw, Such persons further addse that, for the period therein covered by this report, notebook records, if zny, kept inthe course of their work have been examined far possible inventions o …