Thursday, December 10, 2015, 08:54

Filled graphite tube with 34 UO2/C discs cast onto graphite.

34 discs = 4.10g

graphite tube = 4.64g

IG1 = 2.8e-6 Torr.

Stepped up manually to 35A.

Waited ~1hr15, vacuum stable.

IG1 = 5.8e-6 Torr.

Initiating auto-ramp.

Target boat will be ramped up to 520A at the rate of 0.1A/min.

Vacuum limit stop at 5.0e-5 Torr, backing off at 6.0e-5 Torr.

 Monday, December 14, 2015, 08:58

IG1 = 3.9e-6 Torr.

TGHT = 520A, 5.7

UO2/C reached 520A yesterday and has remained at max setpoint for ~12hrs.

Carbonization process is complete.

Initiating auto-cool at 2.0A/min.

 Friday, December 18, 2015, 15:37

Vented in argon and removed from evap1

Graphite tube appears golden in colour [ see photo attached]

Materials spilled out of graphite tube, could be partially due to movement of target boat between evaporator and glove box and removal of heat shields.

Black graphite tube in weigh boat behind target is the graphite tube from the first round in evap1, shows a comparison in colour difference between the two rounds.

The difference between round 1 and round2:

-round1 contained 5 single discs packed together and a single 1cm/2cm square on the other end

-round2 contained 34 discs packed together consuming the whole graphite tube

All other parameters ie. max setpoints, were the same.