ATOMIC ENERGY IN 
products from contaminating the heat- 
transfer fluid, he also must develop a 
suitable barrier between the fuel and 
the fluid. This barrier cannot be a 
heat barrier, so bonding or joining 
techniques, again using materials 
which are stable under radiation and 
which do not absorb* too many 
neutrons, will need investigation. As 
emphasized by the Smyth Report, 
this barrier or ‘“‘canning” problem 
turned out to be one of the® most 
difficult to solve for the Hanford piles. 
Just to develop a fuel which will func- 
tion in the pile is not enough. The 
effect of fuel-assembly materials on the 
cost and efficiency of the chemical-re- 
processing plant must be considered. 
As the whole pattern of atomic power 
plants, fuel-supply facilities, and fuel- 
processing facilities develops, national 
and international security may require 
centralized reprocessing plants. Stand- 
ardization of fuel elements also may 
be a factor. The mechanical form of 
the fuel preferably should permit 
charging to and discharging from an 
active pile, storage and transportation 
of the radioactive fuel packages with 
suitable protection for personnel, and 
so forth. 
INDUSTRY—WINNE 181 
The purpose of discussing the prob- 
lems of fuel design so extensively has 
been to emphasize the many detailed 
but important research and engineer- 
ing problems which must be solved 
on just one component of a high-per- 
formance pile. Related problems 
must be solved on almost all compo- 
nents. The fact that achievement of 
the probable vast benefits of atomic 
power entails an integrated and 
orderly solution of a multitude of 
problems hardly can be overempha- 
sized. Furthermore, these problems 
include factors new to design engi- 
neers, only recently introduced in 
scientific research, such as: 
1. Material stability under radiation, in- 
cluding physical, chemical, electrical, and 
thermal properties. 
2. Neutron-absorption characteristics 
materials. 
3. Effect of contamination within the body 
of the materials by transmutation and fission. 
of 
Finally, the experimental techniques 
for determining many of these nuclear 
properties of materials are relatively 
new, some are difficult, some approxi- 
mate, and in most cases the experi- 
mental facilities currently are very 
limited. 
wae 
«= Fission of U299 
© Production of Plutonium 
Ficure 2.—Schematic structure of uranium pile. 
817369—49——18 
