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Radioisotopes from liquid waste
Sept..,1956.1
CUKRENT TOPICS
Furnished with the building is a 70,000 BTU oil burning space heater which adequately maintains a 70-deg. temperature in ambient temperatures as low as 65 deg. below zero. At Fort Churchill the 20 x 4%ft. structure, which is air-droppable in a disassembled condition, was erected in 65 man-hours by unskilled troops working in temperatures 35 deg. below zero. A modified design of the building sheltered personnel participating in the Navy’s recent Antarctic expedition. Radioisotopes from Liquid Waste. -General Electric Company scientists have found how to remove a valuable radioisotope from liquid waste at the Hanford plutonium plant. The technique eventually may save taxpayers millions of dollars, they believe. By removing radioactive cesium (Cs 137) from this waste material, they retain in concentrated form an isotope potentially valuable for medical and industrial uses and render the remaining waste much less expensive to dispose of. Dr. A. B. Greninger, G-E scientist and manager of the engineering department at the Hanford atomic plant, said that because of this removal process, waste that used to be stored in expensive steel and concrete tanks can be pumped into pits scooped out of Hanford’s sandy soil. Only the cesiumenriched residue then has to be stored in the costly tanks. Dr. Greninger said that the radiocesium can’t be discharged into the ground because it would take 33 years to lose half of its rather intense radioactivity. Thus, it might survive throughout a long and devious underground trip to the Columbia River and damage aquatic organisms there. But he pointed out that its long half-life makes it potentially valuable in medical therapy, inspection of opaque
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materials and food sterilization, since it gives off X-ray type radiation. The long half-life makes it advantageous because it minimizes the need for recalibration and replacement. G-E operates Hanford for the Atomic Energy Commission. Miniature Backward Wave Oscillator.-The first miniature backward wave oscillator has been developed by Varian Associates, Palo Alto, Calif. The Varian Model VA-161 combines low power requirements, small, compact size and light weight with rugged construction to provide the only miniature backward wave oscillator now available. Designed for modern, miniaturized equipment the new Varian tube is instantaneously tuned by changing voltage. Used for radar systems, signal generators, search receivers and related microwave equipment, the VA-161 tube operates over the normal 8.5 to 9.6 kMc radar band on less than 300 volts, making possible the use of existing radar system power supplies. Varian’s new backward wave oscillator contains a permanent magnet which weighs less than 5 lb., eliminating the need for an electromagnet and its associated power supply. The overall size of the tube is approximately 4 in. long with a Q-in. diameter. Because of its metal and ceramic construction, this backward wave oscillator wil1 withstand severe shock and vibration, according to the manufacturer. The power output of the Model VA161 is said to be smooth across the entire tuning range, with relatively minor fluctuations. First Private Nuclear Reactor Operating.-Operation of the first nuclear reactor built for private industrial research began in June. The 50,000watt research reactor, designed and
CUKRENT TOPICS
Furnished with the building is a 70,000 BTU oil burning space heater which adequately maintains a 70-deg. temperature in ambient temperatures as low as 65 deg. below zero. At Fort Churchill the 20 x 4%ft. structure, which is air-droppable in a disassembled condition, was erected in 65 man-hours by unskilled troops working in temperatures 35 deg. below zero. A modified design of the building sheltered personnel participating in the Navy’s recent Antarctic expedition. Radioisotopes from Liquid Waste. -General Electric Company scientists have found how to remove a valuable radioisotope from liquid waste at the Hanford plutonium plant. The technique eventually may save taxpayers millions of dollars, they believe. By removing radioactive cesium (Cs 137) from this waste material, they retain in concentrated form an isotope potentially valuable for medical and industrial uses and render the remaining waste much less expensive to dispose of. Dr. A. B. Greninger, G-E scientist and manager of the engineering department at the Hanford atomic plant, said that because of this removal process, waste that used to be stored in expensive steel and concrete tanks can be pumped into pits scooped out of Hanford’s sandy soil. Only the cesiumenriched residue then has to be stored in the costly tanks. Dr. Greninger said that the radiocesium can’t be discharged into the ground because it would take 33 years to lose half of its rather intense radioactivity. Thus, it might survive throughout a long and devious underground trip to the Columbia River and damage aquatic organisms there. But he pointed out that its long half-life makes it potentially valuable in medical therapy, inspection of opaque
243
materials and food sterilization, since it gives off X-ray type radiation. The long half-life makes it advantageous because it minimizes the need for recalibration and replacement. G-E operates Hanford for the Atomic Energy Commission. Miniature Backward Wave Oscillator.-The first miniature backward wave oscillator has been developed by Varian Associates, Palo Alto, Calif. The Varian Model VA-161 combines low power requirements, small, compact size and light weight with rugged construction to provide the only miniature backward wave oscillator now available. Designed for modern, miniaturized equipment the new Varian tube is instantaneously tuned by changing voltage. Used for radar systems, signal generators, search receivers and related microwave equipment, the VA-161 tube operates over the normal 8.5 to 9.6 kMc radar band on less than 300 volts, making possible the use of existing radar system power supplies. Varian’s new backward wave oscillator contains a permanent magnet which weighs less than 5 lb., eliminating the need for an electromagnet and its associated power supply. The overall size of the tube is approximately 4 in. long with a Q-in. diameter. Because of its metal and ceramic construction, this backward wave oscillator wil1 withstand severe shock and vibration, according to the manufacturer. The power output of the Model VA161 is said to be smooth across the entire tuning range, with relatively minor fluctuations. First Private Nuclear Reactor Operating.-Operation of the first nuclear reactor built for private industrial research began in June. The 50,000watt research reactor, designed and