Linear Thermal Expansion of Aluminum Oxide and Thorium Oxide from 100° to 1100°K

The linear thermal expansion of single-crystal and polycrystalline aluminum oxide and poly-crystalline thorium oxide was measured from 100° to 1100° K with an interferometric technique. For each substance the results are well described by Gruneisen's equation using a Nernst-Linde-mann energy function.     

Swelling Control in Uranium Carbide

Fine particles were dispersed in a fuel structure to trap fission gases as very small bubbles and thereby reduce fuel swelling. The dispersions were made by adding 1.5 to 3.0 wt% W to the UC; the specimens were irradiated to a maximum of ∼2 at.% burnup. Density changes were used as the measure of swelling; there was much scatter in the results. Tungsten reduced the swelling when it was uniformly dispersed. For some samples having excess U and W or a segregated structure, W increased the swelling. The results tentatively confirm that fine particles are of value in reducing fission-gas swelling of carbide fuels.     

Interdiffusion in CoO-NiO Solid Solutions

Interdiffusion coefficients were measured in CoO-NiO solid solutions over the range 1000° to 1600°C in air and at po₂=5×10⁻⁸ atm. Isothermal values of the interdiffusion coefficients in this system increased exponentially with the CoO concentration. Comparison of the present results with cation-tracer diffusion coefficients for this system measured under similar conditions by Chen and Peterson shows that a Darken-type equation relating the interdiffusion coefficient to the cation-tracer diffusivities is valid for these data.     

Defect Structure of NiO-CoO Solid Solutions

Measurements at high temperature of integrated intensities of Bragg peaks were used to examine the defect structure in two NiO-CoO solid solutions. The results indicate that the concentrations of vacant cation sites at 1100° to 1500°C are 4 to 10% and the tetrahedral occupations 2 to 5%. The concentration of these defects increases with temperature and partial pressure of O₂. The mean-square displacements of oxygen ions and cations increase with temperature and CoO concentration.     

Systems of Na-Fe-SiO2 Glasses and Steel: I, Wetting and Adherence

Wetting behavior of molten Na₂O-Fe₂O₃-SiO₂ and Na₂O-FeO-SiO₂ glasses on very-low-carbon steel at 900°C in purified Ar was studied. The steel surface was dry-polished and cleaned by ion bombardment. Glass frit was then placed on the metal, and the system was introduced into the furnace without exposure to air. Dynamic advancing and receding contact angles were measured. Shear (push-off) tests were performed on the glass-steel composite at room temperature to determine adherence. The equilibrium contact angles were obtained from the arithmetic mean of the final advancing and receding angles. As the Fe oxide content of the glasses increased, the degree of wetting improved; Fe³⁺ was more effective than a combination of Fe³⁺ and Fe²⁺ in improving the wettability. Glasses very nearly saturated with Fe oxide exhibited high adherence values and chemically adhered to steel.     

USE OF ULTRAFILTRATION/REVERSE OSMOSIS SYSTEMS FOR THE CONCENTRATION AND FRACTIONATION OF WHEY

SUMMARY– Existing ultrafiltration/reverse osmosis technology provides a means of fractionating and concentrating cheese whey into liquid fractions containing a variety of protein: lactose ratios. These ratios may range from about 1:8 (raw whey) through 3:5 (a "skim milk equivalent") to 2:1 or higher. If a two- or three-stage ultrafiltration system were used with water injection between stages, a product with a protein:lactose ratio of 20:1 could be obtained. The exact protein:lactose ratio in the concentrate stream is a function of the permeability and selectivity characteristics of the membrane, and the system design and operating conditions. Some of the sanitation problems associated with the introduction of these new unit operations in the dairy and food processing industries are also treated at length.     

Thermal Decomposition Kinetics of Boehmite

The decomposition of boehmite, or alpha alumina monohydrate, was studied in water vapor and nitrogen atmospheres between 430° and 500°C. Powder samples used consisted of agglomerates of very small boehmite crystallites. The rate of decomposition was determined with a transducer which measured the loss of sample weight due to the liberation of gaseous water. A linear rate law is obeyed by the decomposition of boehmite and, because of the characteristics of the fractional weight loss-time curve, an interface model was suggested as the mechanism of decomposition. The activation energy was 70 kcal/mole. The effect of water vapor on the rate of decomposition was investigated. A simple forward-back reaction mechanism did not satisfactorily explain the data. Two models, either of which could be valid, were proposed to describe the relation between decomposition rate and water vapor pressure: (1) An adsorption-desorption process of water on the boehmite was assumed, and (2) an intermediate species of Al₂O₃ entering into the decomposition reaction was assumed.