The Chemical Technology Division (CMT) is one of eight engineering research divisions within Argonne National Laboratory, one of the U.S. government's oldest and largest research laboratories. The University of Chicago oversees the laboratory on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Argonne's mission is to conduct basic scientific research, to operate national scientific facilities, to enhance the nation's energy resources, and to develop better ways to manage environmental problems. Argonne has the further responsibility of strengthening the nation's technology base by developing innovative technology and transferring it to industry. CMT is a diverse early-stage engineering organization, specializing in the treatment of spent nuclear fuel, development of advanced electrochemical power sources, and management of both high- and low-level nuclear wastes. Although this work is often indistinguishable from basic research, our efforts are directed toward the practical devices and processes that are covered by Argonne's mission. Additionally, the Division operates the Analytical Chemistry Laboratory and Environment, Safety, and Health Analytical Chemistry services, which provide a broad range of analytical services to Argonne and other organizations. The Division is multidisciplinary. Its people have formal training as ceramists; physicists; material scientists; electrical, mechanical, chemical, and nuclear engineers; and chemists. They have experience working …

Use of an intermediate gas in the reaction chamber of an inertial fusion power reactor is under consideration to decrease the thermal shock to the walls resulting from target implosions. A model was developed and implemented in HEIGHTS package to simulate hydrodynamic and radiation shock waves in the chamber and used to determine the effect of xenon gas at various densities ranging from mtorr up to tens of torr. Numerical calculations for the dense-gas case indicated that two pressure peaks result from the shock wave interacting with the chamber wall, and radiation energy accumulates directly in front of the hydrodynamic shock wave. The shock wave should reach a maximum pressure peak when the chamber gas has a density between the two extremes analyzed. In general, calculated results with our model compared favorably with previously published data.

This the latest in a series of reports that document the configuration of the water table aquifer beneath the Hanford Site. This series presents the results of the semiannual water level measurement program and the water table maps generated from these measurements. The reports document the changes in the groundwater level at the Hanford Site during the transition from nuclear material production to environmental restoration and remediation. In addition, these reports provide water level data to support the various site characterization and groundwater monitoring programs currently in progress on the Hanford Site.

The report describes activites carried out at the palnt to identify energy savings in various energy user systems. The results list areas of energy savings potential and metods of energy savings.