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General Kenneth Nichols and the Manhattan Project
Nichols
The Oak Ridger has published the latest in a series of articles about General Kenneth D. Nichols, the Manhattan Project, and the 1954 Atomic Energy Act. The series has been produced by Nichols’ grandniece Barbara Rogers Scollin and Oak Ridge (Tenn.) city historian David Ray Smith. Gen. Nichols (1907–2000) was the district engineer for the Manhattan Engineer District during the Manhattan Project.
As Smith and Scollin explain, Nichols “had supervision of the research and development connected with, and the design, construction, and operation of, all plants required to produce plutonium-239 and uranium-235, including the construction of the towns of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and Richland, Washington. The responsibility of his position was massive as he oversaw a workforce of both military and civilian personnel of approximately 125,000; his Oak Ridge office became the center of the wartime atomic energy’s activities.”
J. E. Klein
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 48 | Number 1 | July-August 2005 | Pages 59-62
Technical Paper | Tritium Science and Technology - Tritium Processing, Transportation, and Storage | doi.org/10.13182/FST05-A880
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
A new diffuser/permeator design has been proposed for a new Savannah River Site tritium project. The use of a single heaterwell in the center of the shell had raised concerns that the Pd/Ag coils may be shielding radiative heat transfer to the walls thus reducing Pd/Ag tube temperatures near the shell below the recommended minimum operating temperature.The diffuser was fitted with thermocouples to measure shell temperatures during testing. Tests were run with the shell evacuated, helium Feed flows of 0, 1000, and 2000 sccm; Bleed pressures ranging from 0 to 203 kPa, and heater temperatures of 650, 675, and 700°C. Hydrogen permeation tests were run with two hydrogen/helium mixtures and Feed rates to simulate 1st and 2nd stage diffuser operations.Approximately 20 hours were required to bring the diffuser from ambient temperature to steady-state conditions. For tests with a heater temperature of 675°C and no hydrogen flow, helium flow rate and pressure had little impact on the measured shell temperatures, the thermowell temperature, roughly 415°C, and altered heater output by only 11 watts. Conversely, controlling the thermowell temperature to 415°C during hydrogen permeation tests increased heater power output, lowered heater temperature, and increased shell temperatures. The tests showed the diffuser can perform its intended function with reasonable assurance that the Pd/Ag tubes were within the recommended temperature range.