Abstract: It has been found that ferromagnetic sheet material can be scribed in order to reduce watt losses by a thermal method involving rapid heating of small areas or narrow bands of the material in a manner that produces sudden thermal expansion to a degree sufficient to produce plastic deformation within the thermally treated zone. This method has been found to be particularly applicable to electrically insulative coated ferromagnetic sheet wherein it has been found that a laser operating in a continuous wave or extended pulse mode can produce the desired deformation in the ferromagnetic material without damage to the coating properties.

Abstract: This is a method for reduction of chlorides of zirconium, hafnium or titanium, and provides a practical method of removing the product metal from the reduction vessel. A seal metal layer is used at the bottom of the vessel. The upper portion of the seal metal layer is liquid and the lower portion is solid. Product metal settles into the liquid portion. Product metal in a matrix of solid seal metal is withdrawn from the bottom of the vessel. Seal metal is predominantly either zinc or tin. Either pure zinc or tin or zinc or tin alloyed with product metal can be recycled to the bottom of the reduction vessel.

Abstract: This is a process of fabricating turbine blades for combustion turbines. It is an improvement to the type of process where a mold containing molten metal is cooled in a controlled fashion such that solidification occurs slow enough to allow single crystal growth beginning at the airfoil end. In the improved process solidification is monitored and magnetic mixing of the remaining molten metal is started at approximately the beginning of solidification of said root section and at approximately the same time the rate of cooling of said blade is increased to a rate faster than at which single crystal growth occurs. Grain boundary strengthener (preferably carbon) can be added at approximately the same time mixing is begun. A blade is produced with a single crystal airfoil section and a fine grained root section and without a substantially inhomogeneous portion at the interface between the airfoil and root sections.

Abstract: A method of more rapidly and uniformly heating bundles of zirconium alloy tubes in a vacuum annealing furnace utilizes an induction coil to preheat the entire bundle as it is being moved into the hot zone of the furnace.

Abstract: An improved nuclear fuel rod comprising a tubular metallic cladding containing a plurality of nuclear fuel pellets has a plurality of ceramic wafers therein, each of which wafers being disposed between a major portion of adjacent fuel pellets. The ceramic wafers are formed from a sintered mixture of natural or depleted uranium dioxide and 1-8 percent by weight gadolinium oxide. The wafers are of a diameter substantially the same as that of the fuel pellets and have a thickness of between 10-100 mils. The wafers freeze out harmful fission products released by the fuel pellets and minimize or prevent pellet-clad interaction failures, while also providing flexibility in power shaping in the reactor system.

Abstract: This is a method for repairing low alloy steel steam turbine (both high pressure and low pressure sections) or generator rotors. The defective section of the original rotor is removed and a replacement end is used, with mating attachments machined on the replacement end and the original rotor. The inner portion of the weld joining the replacement end to the original rotor is provided by a narrow gap weld, either by gas metal or by submerged arc welding. The outer 1/2-2 inches of the weld is provided by gas tungsten arc welding. The mating attachment and at least the inside 1/4 inch of the weld is bored out to remove possible crack initiation sites and to provide a smooth inspectable bore. In this manner, a fast and reliable technique is provided which provides accurate alignment, fast, essentially distortion free welding, and the superior mechanical properties of gas tungsten arc welding in the outer, more highly stressed zones.

Abstract: This is a method for reducing the chlorides of zirconium, hafnium, or titanium. It utilizes a solidified magnesium (or sodium) chloride matrix in which chunks of the product metal are contained as a seal on the bottom of the reduction vessel. A withdrawal mechanism is used in conjunction with a cooling means (e.g. water jacket) to slowly withdraw the product metal chunks in the salt matrix. This invention makes possible the operation of the reduction process as a continuous process.

Abstract: A submicron-particle ductile superconductor and method of fabricating the same wherein the submicron particles (e.g., 300 Angstroms) of a superconductor (e.g., NbC) are encapsulated in a metal tube (e.g., copper) and then fabricated down to fine wire in the absence of sintering of reaction annealing. Because of the fluid-like properties of the unsintered submicron-particle powdered core, the composite fabricated wire retains ductility and resistance to fracture while exhibiting superconducting properties approaching those of the bulk material in the core. Multifilamentary composites are obtained by bundling and fabricating the bundle down in a required number of steps.

Abstract: This is an improved process for fabricating a turbine blade for use in land based or marine combustion turbines and in particular is a thin ceramic coating applied to at least the portion of the blades which is designed to operate in the 1100.degree.-1500.degree. F. temperature range and especially in turbines designed to be useable with contaminated fuels. The invention utilizes a 1-4 mil thick ceramic coating on at least a portion of the blade designed to operate in the 1100.degree.-1500.degree. F. temperature range and utilizes a process in which the blade is controlled to a temperature of at least 1200.degree. F. during the application of the ceramic coating.

Abstract: A chemical process for isotopic enrichment of uranium involving the steps of exciting a chelated uranium compound (e.g. hydrated uranyl acetate complex in aqueous solution) to an excited electronic state wherein the excited state preferentially reacts at different rates by virtue of dissimilar nuclear magnetic moment contributions to the chemical kinetics of alternative excited state reaction pathways (e.g. return to ground state by intersystem crossing by electron-nucleus hyperfine coupling vs free radical formation and subsequent precipitation of the hydrated basic salt of uranyl acetate).

Abstract: A combination reduction, distillation, reducing metal recovery furnace and process of using the same comprising a pair of vertically displaced vessels in fluid communication wherein the upper vessel contains a perforated inner liner and means to at least periodically charge the top of the vessel with the metal salt to be reduced and a reducing metal, and wherein the lower vessel has a means to periodically withdraw the molten reducing metal salt produced by the redox reaction occurring within the furnace. By initially charging the furnace with sufficient reducing metal salt to establish a liquid level to provide a liquid seal above the bottom of the inner liner and by maintaining this level during the redox reaction, the inner liner can be filled with solid phase reduced metal produced by the reaction (and no reduced metal is produced outside of the liner).

Abstract: This is an electrochemical machining process for removing high spots from the surface of reactive metal workpieces. The process utilizes measuring of the workpiece to locate high spots (imperfections), then positioning a wedge-shaped, zero-angle electrochemical machining tool with its center line aligned with the center of the high spot, and then moving the tool parallel to the workpiece surface across the high spot at a product of current times inverse of speed essentially proportional to the amount of material to be removed. Preferably, the speed of tool movement is maintained essentially constant and the current is varied proportionally to the amount of material along the center line of the high spot which is to be removed.

Abstract: This is a process of fabricating directionally solidified turbine blades for combustion turbines. It is an improvement to the type of process where a mold containing molten metal is cooled in a controlled fashion such that solidification occurs slow enough to allow directional solidification beginning at the airfoil end. In the improved process solidification is monitored and magnetic mixing of the remaining molten metal is started at approximately the beginning of solidification of said root section and the rate of cooling of said blade is increased to a rate faster than at which directional solidification occurs. A blade is produced with a directionally solidified airfoil section and a fine grained root section and without a substantially inhomogeneous portion at the interface between the airfoil and root sections.

Abstract: This is an electrode for consumable arc melting of zirconium and titanium alloys containing a low melting point alloy constituent. The electrode uses a low resistance spar extending substantially the length of the electrode and being substantially free of any unalloyed low melting point alloy constituent. The external member containing unalloyed low melting point constituent is attached to the spar member in a manner to provide a relatively high resistance through the external member in an axial direction of the electrode. During operation, this minimizes resistance heating of the external member away from the arc and thus premature melting of unalloyed low melting point constituent is generally avoided.

Abstract: This is a control method for large scale batch reduction of zirconium tetrachloride to zirconium metal. Solid zirconium tetrachloride is fed at least periodically into a sublimer and the sublimer heated to vaporize the zirconium tetrachloride. The vaporized zirconium tetrachloride is fed from the sublimer to a reduction vessel and a measurement is made indicative of this feed (e.g., the flow rate or the pressure in the reduction vessel). A condenser is used to conjunction with said sublimer and the temperature of the condenser is controlled to control the feed of the vaporized zirconium tetrachloride. Preferably, a flow restriction is used between the sublimer and the condenser to provide improved control.

Abstract: A process for manufacturing (very high purity) solare voltaic cell grade silicon involving the steps of reacting impure silicon tetrachloride with a lower molecular weight alcohol (e.g. ethanol) to form a silicon alkoxide (e.g. tetraethyl silicate) and then isolating a pure silicon alkoxide by filtration and fractional distillation. The purified silicon alkoxide can then be chemically reduced by reacting with a metal (e.g. Na) thus recovering high purity elemental silicon. The reaction byproducts (e.g. HCl and NaOR) can be used to regenerate the alcohol and resulting salt (e.g. NaCl) can be subjected to electrolysis to recover the metal and the halogen, thus leading to an overall process with total recycle of byproducts.

Abstract: A magnetically insulated article is described, together with the composition and method of applying the same which is characterized by a curing temperature within the range between about 190.degree. F. and about 350.degree. F.

Abstract: This is a method for preparing submicron-superconducting particles for use in forming a ductile superconductor wire from brittle superconducting compounds. The method utilizes preparing a mixture of solid metal halides containing essentially stoichiometric proportions of metallic components for the desired superconducting compound, co-reducing the mixture with an excess of liquid alkali metal, removing the alkali metal halide produced and the excess alkali metal from the superconducting powder, and annealing the superconducting powder to substantially remove absorbed hydrogen as indicated by the reduction of lattice parameters to essentially nominal values.

Abstract: A submicron-particle ductile superconductor and method of fabricating the same wherein the submicron particles (e.g., 300 Angstroms) of a superconductor (e.g., NbC) are encapsulated in a metal tube (e.g., copper) and then fabricated down to fine wire in the absence of sintering of reaction annealing. Because of the fluid-like properties of the unsintered submicron-particle powdered core, the composite fabricated wire retains ductility and resistance to fracture while exhibiting superconducting properties approaching those of the bulk material in the core. Multifilamentary composites are obtained by bundling and fabricating the bundle down in a required number of steps.

Abstract: This is a process for providing good adhesion of chromium electroplated onto a chromium and tungsten containing cobalt alloy (comprising 40-60% by weight cobalt, 19-25% chromium and 10-20% tungsten). Prior to electroplating, the cobalt alloy surface is etched with a 1-45% ferric solution for 1-200 minutes at 10.degree.-100.degree. C. Preferably, the surface is cleaned with an alkaline solution prior to etching and rinsed with cold water after etching.