Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory Research Articles

The Origin and History of the International Metallographic Society

The International Metallographic Society (IMS) is rich with history. With roots dating back to the early days of the Manhattan Project, metallographers experienced in ferrous and copper alloys were faced with a new challenge. How does one safely prepare nuclear materials (uranium, plutonium, and other materials related to the US Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) programs)? Some nuclear engineers expected metallographers to know as much about nuclear materials as they did about iron and copper alloys. The efforts of these pioneers helped to establish the basis for evaluating nuclear materials, and many of the techniques developed remain in use today. These techniques are a combination of science and art; in the early days, it took more than just a procedure to produce a desired result. It also took a developed instinct to know if a specimen was ready to come off the polishing wheel or if it needed a few more seconds for the perfect etch. Although the tasks facing them were daunting, metallographers are blessed with resourcefulness and an intense desire to solve new metallographic problems. Challenges presented by the group of nuclear materials and radioactive samples were met, and the science of metallography took a giant step forward. The methods and techniques developed for these metals and alloys have been extended to the study of nearly all present-day materials. The focus of the Manhattan Project was to develop the first atomic weapon during World War II. Metallographers supporting the Manhattan Project were employed by the AEC and its contractors. These experienced metallographers encountered textbook curiosities that dictated the need to develop new metallographic techniques. As a result, metallographers and scientists at each AEC laboratory developed their own techniques for safety control, specimen preparation, and microstructural interpretation. Each laboratory drew its own conclusions based on the microstructural interpretations. After World War II, wartime security restrictions began to ease and the AEC contractors began to hold periodic meetings. At an AEC Metallurgical Conference in January 1949, metallographers and metallurgists decided it would be useful to compare techniques for preparing and examining uranium. G. L. Kehl, Columbia University; A. U. Seybolt, Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory; and H. A. Saller, Battelle Memorial Institute-Columbus were asked to arrange an ad-hoc meeting to discuss the metallographic techniques and procedures being developed on uranium metallography. For the meeting, Battelle-Columbus agreed to fabricate and heat treat identical sets of natural uranium. These specimens were sent to other AEC-sponsored laboratories. Sixteen representatives from eight AEC laboratories met at Battelle-Columbus in July 1949 to exchange information. The success of this meeting led to further collaboration. Between 1950 and 1969, 22 AEC Metallography Group meetings were held, with attendance growing to as many as 60 in later years. By today’s standards, early meetings had exotic themes. For example, in advance of the June 1950 meeting, attendees received samples of crystal bar zirconium and zirconium-clad 6 wt.% uranium alloy. At the sixth meeting, which occurred in September 1952, attendees presented papers on the recent work of their respective laboratories and the first steering committee was elected. The Group elected Harriet Roman, MIT, as permanent S. Dekanich (&) Y-12 National Security Complex, P.O. Box 2009, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-8245, USA e-mail: dekanichsj@y12.doe.gov

Fred Noel Spiess

Fred Noel Spiess

Pathological Science

Irving Langmuir spent many productive years pursuing Nobel-caliber research (see the photo on the opposite page). Over the years, he also explored the subject of what he called “pathological science.” Although he never published his investigations in this area, on 18December 1953 at General Electric's Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory, he gave a colloquium on the subject that will long be remembered by those in his audience. This talk was a colorful account of a particular kind of pitfall into which scientists may stumble.

Author List

Author List

Progress in the Development of Hot‐Corrosion‐Resistant Alloys for Marine Applications

Naval Engineers JournalVolume 82, Issue 2 p. 39-51 Progress in the Development of Hot-Corrosion-Resistant Alloys for Marine Applications MR. CHESTER T. SIMS, MR. CHESTER T. SIMS THE AUTHORS: Chester T. Sims is Manager, Alloy and Joining Metallurgy, General Electric Company, Schenectady, New York. A graduate of Northeastern University, and The Ohio State University, he has been associated with Battelle Memorial Institute and the Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory previously. Sims is a recognized authority in the study and development of refractory metals and high-temperature superalloy materials for space, nuclear, electronic, and gas turbine applications. He is the author of about 50 scientific papers, technical articles, and patents of studies in nickel- and cobalt-base alloys and refractory metals such, as rhenium, tungsten, columbium and their alloys.Search for more papers by this authorMR. PAUL A. BERGMAN, MR. PAUL A. BERGMAN Paul A. Bergman is Development Metallurgist, Thomson Laboratory, General Electric Company, Lynn, Massachusetts. Mr. Bergman is a Metallurgical Engineering graduate from Illinois Institute of Technology (1952). He joined the Thomson Laboratory in 1956, following four years assignment at General Electric/Evendule, Ohio studying high-strength alloys for aircraft engine application. He specializes in low- and high-temperature corrosion problems, and has lead responsibility for study of TEL problems in hot corrosion; he is the recognized General Electric authority on hot corrosion. He has six published pavers and one patent in his field of interest.Search for more papers by this authorMR. ADRIAN M. BELTRAN, MR. ADRIAN M. BELTRAN Adrian M. Beltran is Metallurgist, High Temperature Materials, Materials and Process Laboratory, General Electric Company, Schenectady, New York. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and was formerly associated with the Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory at G.E. He has published papers in the areas of superalloy oxidation and hot-corrosion behavior, and the physical metallurgy of cobalt-base super-alloys. He specializes in the development of cobalt-base superalloys.Search for more papers by this author MR. CHESTER T. SIMS, MR. CHESTER T. SIMS THE AUTHORS: Chester T. Sims is Manager, Alloy and Joining Metallurgy, General Electric Company, Schenectady, New York. A graduate of Northeastern University, and The Ohio State University, he has been associated with Battelle Memorial Institute and the Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory previously. Sims is a recognized authority in the study and development of refractory metals and high-temperature superalloy materials for space, nuclear, electronic, and gas turbine applications. He is the author of about 50 scientific papers, technical articles, and patents of studies in nickel- and cobalt-base alloys and refractory metals such, as rhenium, tungsten, columbium and their alloys.Search for more papers by this authorMR. PAUL A. BERGMAN, MR. PAUL A. BERGMAN Paul A. Bergman is Development Metallurgist, Thomson Laboratory, General Electric Company, Lynn, Massachusetts. Mr. Bergman is a Metallurgical Engineering graduate from Illinois Institute of Technology (1952). He joined the Thomson Laboratory in 1956, following four years assignment at General Electric/Evendule, Ohio studying high-strength alloys for aircraft engine application. He specializes in low- and high-temperature corrosion problems, and has lead responsibility for study of TEL problems in hot corrosion; he is the recognized General Electric authority on hot corrosion. He has six published pavers and one patent in his field of interest.Search for more papers by this authorMR. ADRIAN M. BELTRAN, MR. ADRIAN M. BELTRAN Adrian M. Beltran is Metallurgist, High Temperature Materials, Materials and Process Laboratory, General Electric Company, Schenectady, New York. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and was formerly associated with the Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory at G.E. He has published papers in the areas of superalloy oxidation and hot-corrosion behavior, and the physical metallurgy of cobalt-base super-alloys. He specializes in the development of cobalt-base superalloys.Search for more papers by this author First published: April 1970 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1559-3584.1970.tb05210.xCitations: 3 AboutPDF ToolsExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume82, Issue2April 1970Pages 39-51 RelatedInformation

A Note on Stress-Concentration Factors for Symmetric U-Shaped Notches in Tension Strips

Technical Briefs A Note on Stress-Concentration Factors for Symmetric U-Shaped Notches in Tension Strips T. Slot, T. Slot Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory, General Electric Company, Schenectady, N. Y. Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar D. F. Mowbray D. F. Mowbray Materials & Processes Laboratory, General Electric Company, Schenectady, N. Y. Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Author and Article Information T. Slot Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory, General Electric Company, Schenectady, N. Y. D. F. Mowbray Materials & Processes Laboratory, General Electric Company, Schenectady, N. Y. J. Appl. Mech. Dec 1969, 36(4): 882-884 (3 pages) https://doi.org/10.1115/1.3564791 Published Online: December 1, 1969 Article history Received: November 26, 1968 Revised: April 7, 1969 Online: September 14, 2011

A Highly Personalized Account

"A Highly Personalized Account." Nuclear Applications, 3(9), pp. 583–584 Additional informationNotes on contributorsL. F. CoffinL. F. Coffin, Jr. is a mechanical engineer in the Metallurgy and Ceramics Laboratory Of the General Electric Research and Development Center in Schenectady, New York. Prior to taking his present position in 1955, he was a member of the staff of Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory. He has been active in the fields of plasticity, flow and fracture, strain cycling, fatigue, and friction and wear. His ScD in mechanical engineering is from MIT.

A Bird’s-Eye View

"A Bird’s-Eye View." Nuclear Applications, 1(5), pp. 498–499 Additional informationNotes on contributorsWalter O. HaasWalter O. Haas, Jr., is Supervising Chemist for Isotopic Analysis at the Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory, General Electric Co., Schenectady, N. Y. From 1947 to 1957 he was a member of the KAPL Separations Chemistry Group, serving as Chairman of the Planning Committee for the separations pilot plant in 1952-1953. At that time he was chiefly concerned with solvent-extraction flowsheet design and contributed a chapter on principles of solvent extraction to Chemical Processing of Reactor Fuels (J. F. Flagg, Ed., Academic Press, 1961). He received his AB degree from Kalamazoo College in 1937 and his PhD degree in Inorganic Chemistry from the University of Chicago in 1941. From 1941 to 1947 he was at the Hawthorne Plant of the Western Electric Co., associated with the development of insulation, dielectrics, and synthetic piezo-electric crystals.

Technique of Inorganic Chemistry, Volume One

"Technique of Inorganic Chemistry, Volume One." Nuclear Science and Engineering, 19(2), pp. 257–258 Additional informationNotes on contributorsArthur D. TevebaughAbout the Reviewer: Dr. Arthur D. Tevebaugh is currently a Senior Chemist in the Chemical Engineering Division of Argonne National Laboratory. He formerly worked at the Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory and the Research Laboratory of the General Electric Company, and at Iowa State University on the Manhattan Project. In addition to experience in the field of nuclear-reactor chemistry, he has worked in the areas of inorganic polymers, fuel cells, and thermoelectric materials.

Direct Interactions in the nuclear surface: N. C. Francis, D. T. Goldman, and C. R. Lubitz, Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory, Schenectady, New York

Direct Interactions in the nuclear surface: N. C. Francis, D. T. Goldman, and C. R. Lubitz, Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory, Schenectady, New York

Proceedings of the International School of Physics “Enrico Fermi,” Varenna, Italy. Course 15: Nuclear Spectroscopy

"Proceedings of the International School of Physics “Enrico Fermi,” Varenna, Italy. Course 15: Nuclear Spectroscopy." Nuclear Science and Engineering, 16(3), pp. 340–341 Additional informationNotes on contributorsDavid T. Goldman(About the Reviewer: D. T. Goldman is a University of Maryland Ph.D., vintage 1958. After a year as a research associate in the Physics Department at the University of Pennsylvania, he went to Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory where he now specializes in nuclear and reactor theory.)

Communication media employed in health physics at the Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory.

Abstract The health physicist as well as the industrial hygienist and safety engineer have a need for maintaining adequate and effective communications with management, employees and other interested special groups in order to obtain understanding of their effort and objectives and thereby obtaining from those sources their support and acceptance. Communications media employed at KAPL to obtain support and acceptance of the radiation protection activity are discussed in this article with the hope that the interested reader will first consider and evaluate the role of communications as a tool in his own program, and secondly through their membership in various national organizations encourage those organizations to provide them with communication tools that are needed.

Delayed neutron detection methods applied to the detection and location of reactor fuel element failures

A method has been developed and demonstrated to detect and locate reactor fuel element failures by means of primary coolant delayed neutron (DN) activity measurements. The initial development, done at the Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory,∗ applied to a high-temperature, pressurized, recirculating water-cooled reactor system. However, it can be applied to a variety of other types of reactor systems, including air-cooled types. By this method, the state of reactor fuel integrity can be continuously and simply monitored. The actual location of fuel element failures can also be determined; in some instances this location can be accomplished without the necessity of shutting down the reactor.

Radiotracer experiments in the Mohawk River, New York, to study sewage path and dilution

Sewage from the Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory near Schenectady, N. Y., was dosed with 4.53 curies of P32 prior to discharge into the Mohawk River. Its pattern of diffusion was measured in the river with immersible GM‐tubes and by sampling. The initial path of sewage was strongly influenced by differences in density between sewage and river due to temperature. During warm months relatively cold sewage moved on the river bottom perpendicularly to river current. For at least the first 800 ft of travel the maximum sewage concentration decreased logarithmically with distance from outfall. The term ‘half‐distance’ (here about 110 ft) is proposed to describe the concentration change. During cold months sewage rose to the river surface and at times was moved upstream by wind. However, when the river temperature was near freezing, the sewage first rose and then sank as the temperature of the sewage‐river mixture approached 39° F.

Theory and application of sliding contact of metals in sodium : L. F. Coffin Jr. Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory (U. S. Atomic Energy Commission), KAPL-828, Oct. 1955, 17 pp. (UF767 Un3.1-ka)

Theory and application of sliding contact of metals in sodium : L. F. Coffin Jr. Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory (U. S. Atomic Energy Commission), KAPL-828, Oct. 1955, 17 pp. (UF767 Un3.1-ka)

Recent developments in nuclear instrumentation at the Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory

INSTRUMENTATION in the fields of neutron and reactor physics may be divided into two general categories: The first is the general field of reactor instrumentation. Here, three functions must be fulfilled: the monitoring, the control, and the protection of the nuclear reactor. Until these three functions are fulfilled, the reactor cannot be safely used as either a neutron source or a critical assembly.

Recent developments in nuclear instrumentation

Some of the newer developments in the field of nuclear instrumentation at General Electric's Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory are discussed. A description is given of typical reactor monitoring and protective instrument systems, as well as the auxiliary instruments for neutron physics experiments.

High Resolution Neutron Velocity Spectrometer with Betatron Source

A neutron velocity spectrometer with a 100-Mev betatron as a source of neutron pulses has been in use at the Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory since 1953, for cross section measurements up to about 50 000 ev. An internal, thick uranium target is bombarded by 80-Mev electrons when the betatron orbit is rapidly contracted, giving approximately 0.1-microsecond bursts of neutrons at a 60-pps repetition rate with a peak intensity of about 7×1015 neutrons per second. Measurements of total, capture, and fission cross sections are made with high-resolution detecting equipment located at points up to 20 meters from the target. The timing, registering, and data-processing techniques are designed to achieve maximum benefit from the short burst duration.

A Comparison of the Successive Overrelaxation Method and Semi-Iterative Methods Using Chebyshev Polynomials

Next article A Comparison of the Successive Overrelaxation Method and Semi-Iterative Methods Using Chebyshev PolynomialsRichard S. VargaRichard S. Vargahttps://doi.org/10.1137/0105004PDFBibTexSections ToolsAdd to favoritesExport CitationTrack CitationsEmail SectionsAbout[1] Stanley P. Frankel, Convergence rates of iterative treatments of partial differential equations, Math. Tables and Other Aids to Computation, 4 (1950), 65–75 MR0046149 CrossrefGoogle Scholar[2] Cornelius Lanczos, Solution of systems of linear equations by minimized-iterations, J. Research Nat. Bur. Standards, 49 (1952), 33–53 MR0051583 CrossrefISIGoogle Scholar[3] E. Stiefel, On solving Fredholm integral equations. Applications to conformal mapping and variational problems of potential theory, J. Soc. Indust. Appl. Math., 4 (1956), 63–85 10.1137/0104005 MR0087226 0072.33505 LinkISIGoogle Scholar[4] E. L. Wachspress, Iterative methods for solving elliptic-type differential equations with application to two-space-dimension multi-group analysis, Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory Report 1333, 1955 Google Scholar[5] J. Wedderburn, Lectures on matrices, Amer. Math. Soc. Colloquium Publications, Vol. 17, New York, 1934 0010.09904 CrossrefGoogle Scholar[6] David Young, Iterative methods for solving partial difference equations of elliptic type, Trans. Amer. Math. Soc., 76 (1954), 92–111 MR0059635 0055.35704 CrossrefISIGoogle Scholar[7] David Young, On Richardson's method for solving linear systems with positive definite matrices, J. Math. Physics, 32 (1954), 243–255 MR0060306 0055.11202 CrossrefISIGoogle Scholar[8] David Young, On the solution of linear systems by iteration, Proceedings of Symposia in Applied Mathematics. Vol. VI. Numerical analysis, McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., New York for the American Mathematical Society, Providence, R. I., 1956, 283–298 MR0081539 0071.11801 Google Scholar[9] Richard H. Stark, Rates of convergence in numerical solution of the diffusion equation, J. Assoc. Comput. Mach., 3 (1956), 29–40 MR0074931 CrossrefISIGoogle Scholar[10] Richard S. Varga, Numerical solution of the two-group diffusion equation in $x-y$ geometry, Trans. I. R. E., NS-4 (1957), 52–62 MR0102922 Google Scholar Next article FiguresRelatedReferencesCited byDetails Multigrid Convergence for Discretizations of Singular Perturbation Problems with Grid-Aligned FlowJames S. Otto12 July 2006 | SIAM Journal on Numerical Analysis, Vol. 33, No. 1AbstractPDF (1859 KB)Optimal Equivalent PreconditionersThomas Manteuffel and James Otto1 August 2006 | SIAM Journal on Numerical Analysis, Vol. 30, No. 3AbstractPDF (2332 KB)Acceleration of Relaxation Methods for Non-Hermitian Linear SystemsM. Eiermann, W. Niethammer, and R. S. Varga17 July 2006 | SIAM Journal on Matrix Analysis and Applications, Vol. 13, No. 3AbstractPDF (1226 KB)On Hybrid Semi-Iterative MethodsM. Eiermann, X. Li, and R. S. Varga14 July 2006 | SIAM Journal on Numerical Analysis, Vol. 26, No. 1AbstractPDF (1613 KB)Error Bounds for the SSOR Semi-Iterative MethodLala B. Krishna3 August 2006 | SIAM Journal on Algebraic Discrete Methods, Vol. 6, No. 2AbstractPDF (380 KB)On the Convergence of Some Generalized Preconditioned Iterative MethodsNikolaos M. Missirlis and David J. Evans17 July 2006 | SIAM Journal on Numerical Analysis, Vol. 18, No. 4AbstractPDF (565 KB)On the Equivalence of Certain Iterative Acceleration MethodsL. A. Hageman, Franklin T. Luk, and David M. Young17 July 2006 | SIAM Journal on Numerical Analysis, Vol. 17, No. 6AbstractPDF (2175 KB)On Complex Second-Degree Iterative MethodsDavid R. Kincaid14 July 2006 | SIAM Journal on Numerical Analysis, Vol. 11, No. 2AbstractPDF (739 KB)A Survey of Modern Numerical AnalysisDavid M. Young2 August 2006 | SIAM Review, Vol. 15, No. 2AbstractPDF (2464 KB) Volume 5, Issue 2| 1957Journal of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics History Submitted:03 October 1956Published online:10 July 2006 InformationCopyright © 1957 Society for Industrial and Applied MathematicsPDF Download Article & Publication DataArticle DOI:10.1137/0105004Article page range:pp. 39-46ISSN (print):0368-4245ISSN (online):2168-3484Publisher:Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics

Engineering Design of the Ebwr Facility

Several nuclear reactor projects in the United States have incorporated a token production of electric power such as the Experimental Breeder Reactor I and the Borax III and IV Reactors located in Arco, Idaho, and the SIR reactor prototype at the Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory. These projects, however, were undertaken for the purpose of reactor development, and the application to electric power generation was rather incidental and the amount of power generated was small. The EBWR project was designed from the beginning as a central-station type of plant and was the first of several concurrent projects of similar purpose to start operation. The experimental nature of the plant and the fact that it has a forerunner influenced engineering design. A number of more or less expensive safety precautions were incorporated to cover foreseeable hazardous situations which could possibly take place and to provide a reasonable margin of safety to cover unpredictable contingencies. Undoubtedly operating experience and continued development work will prove that some of these precautions are not warranted. The investment cost of such a plant would be correspondingly reduced.