Document b58o9egRg8L3r2kJDa11gb0D1

Nuclear notes By 8 G A SKROTZKI, Associate Editor Over 5,000,000 kwhr of electricitv ha\e been generated by the first two atomic submarine power plants built bv Westinghouse Electric Corn. The first plant 'Mark I1 went into . operation on the Idaho desert on Mav 31. 1933. The Nautilus, powered by the second atomic plant (Mark Hi went to sea Januarv 17. 1935. Mark I continues to be put through extensive testing program. This information trill heip to design better future reactors. estinghouse now works on three new atomic marine plant;--one for Navy surface ship, two for submarines. World's most radioactive piece of material now works at atomic radiation laboratory of the Esso Research Center in Linden, X.J. This cobalt metal pipe, 13-in. tong and 2-in. dia, was bombarded for more than 2}* years in the Brookhaven atomic reactor, The pipe produces about 3500 curies of gamma rays. (World supply of refined radium pro duces about 2-J-00 curies.) Esso Lab seeks wavs of making better gasolines, oils, petro chemicals and oil products. British 10*year atomic power program has six more plants added to the 12 originally projected. Reactors will produce fissile material for both military and civil use. Build ing of first plant, Calder Hall, started in 1953 will run by end of 1956. Division of Civilian Application in AEC staff will be headed bv Harold L Price. It de velops regulations and instructions for licenses, authorizations, and other activities related to civilian use; administers AEC licensing program; prices materials and services to licensees and materials bcught from them; authorizes distribution of source, special nuclear and byproduct materials; administers access to restricted data for civilian use: deals with authorizations to export equipment and materials and engage in activities outside of USA. . Government's atomic energy program has been created over past 12 years,; 12- to 14- billion dollars have been invested in it. We spend about 2-billion dollars a year to run it, equivalent to $250,000 every hour, every day. j Radioactive isotopes find many jobs in industry. Typical applications include Controlling thickness of strip material in rolling mills; discharging static electricity in textile operations; oil prospecting; fluid flow control in pipelines; detecting llaks in water mains; detecting liquid level in closed systems; testing filter efficiency; measuring wear in test engines; checking efficiency of industrial mixing processes; checking migration of constituents in paper manufacture: measuring plant nutrients in soil and uptake of fertilizer, many others. AEC pays $400,000 to four scientists for all rights, title and interest in certain inven tions in plutonium separation processes. This work had been done in 1940-1941 at the University of California, before they engaged in research work on Government contracts. These men are: Dr Glenn T Seaborg, professor of chemistry. University of California; Dr Joseph W Kennedy,, head of chemistry dept, Washington Univer sity; Dr Arthur C Wahl, professor of chemistry, Washington University: Dr Emilio G Segre, professor of physics, University of California. Nuclear Engineering and Science Congress in Cleveland, Ohio, Dec 12-16, 1955 will pre sent nearly 300 papers in 50 sessions. Concurrent Atomic Exposition will show equip ment and models of leading U.S. and foreign industrial firms. g POWER AUGUST 1955 - ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT SECTION J t t -i 1 ,1 1 }