The City of El Centro is proposing the development of a geothermal energy utility core field experiment to demonstrate the engineering and economic feasibility of utilizing moderate temperature geothermal heat, on a pilot scale, for space cooling, space heating, and domestic hot water. The proposed facility is located on part of a 2.48 acre (1 hectare) parcel owned in fee by the City in the southeastern sector of El Centro in Imperial County, California. Geothermal fluid at an anticipated temperature of about 250/sup 0/F (121/sup 0/C) will heat a secondary fluid (water) which will be utilized directly or processed through an absorption chiller, to provide space conditioning and water heating for the El Centro Community Center, a public recreational facility located approximately one-half mile north of the proposed well site. The geothermal production well will be drilled to 8500 feet (2590m) and an injection well to 4000 feet (1220m) at the industrially designated City property. Once all relevant permits are obtained it is estimated that site preparation, facility construction, the completion and testing of both wells would be finished in approximately 26 weeks. The environmental impacts are described.

The Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976 (TSCA) is one set of environmental legislation that might constrain the commercialization of coal conversion plants. This paper examines the potential impacts of TSCA on coal conversion using the Solvent-Refined Coal (SRC-II) process of coal liqudfaction as representative of emerging conversion technologies. The key element in any assessment of the impact of TSCA on the SRC-II coal liquefaction process is an assessment of the potential hazard to human health and the environment posed by the SRC-II products and by-products. Our analysis shows that many SRC-II products and by-products may be considered hazardous in that they are reported to contain appreciable amounts of naphthalenes, phenanthrenes, alkyl benezenes, and other aromatic hydrocarbon compounds. Table E-I illustrates some of the possible constraints that the implementation of TSCA might impose on the commercialization of SRC-II or other coal liquefaction processes. Although the table indicates that TSCA may place many constraints on the SRC-II process, these constraints will probably not pose a substantial hindrance to commercialization prospects. Detailed studies must be conducted to determine the actual economic impacts of TSCA implementation before an accurate assessment of the ultimate impact on SRC-II commercialization can be determined.

The purpose of this research was to analyze national television news coverage of nuclear power, coal power, and solar power issues to help gain an understanding about the information being presented about energy technologies that has been shaping public attitudes. ABC, CBS, and NBC news broadcasts from 1972 through 1977 were analyzed. A summary of the findings is presented.

The case study of the cogeneration operation at the Celanese Fibers Company plant (Celriver) at Rock Hill, South Carolina is described. The Celriver plant is described and how its onsite electric generation evolved to its current state and the cogeneration plant are discussed. An evaluation of the energy use and economics of the cogeneration operation are provided. The evaluation is performed by comparing the economics and energy use characteristics of onsite cogenerated electric power with those of electric utility provided power that would have been provided in the absence of onsite generation.

Liquid fuels can be produced from coal in a number of indirect and direct liquefaction processes. While indirect coal liquefaction has been proved commercially outside the United States, most attention in this country has focused on the direct liquefaction processes, which include the processes under examination in this report; namely, the Exxon Donor Solvent (EDS), the H-Coal, and the Solvent Refined Coal (SRC) II processes. The objectives of the study were to: compare the boiler fuels of direct coal liquefaction with residual fuel oil (No. 6 fuel oil) including physical characteristics and environmental hazards, such as carcinogenic characteristics and toxic hazard characteristics; determine whether a boiler fuel market would exist for the coal liquefaction products given their physical characteristics and potential environmental hazards; determine the advantages of utilizing methanol as a boiler fuel on a continuous basis in commercial boilers utilizing existing technology; identify the potential regional candidate markets for direct coal liquefaction products as liquid boiler fuels; determine the distributing and handling costs associated with marketing coal liquefaction products as liquid boiler fuels; determine the current regulatory issues associated with the marketing of coal liquefaction products as boiler fuels; and determine and evaluate other institutional issues associated with the …

The dynamics, structure, evolution, and genesis of the continents offer a major scientific challenge. At the same time, society faces many problems that require information about the continental crust for solution. A workshop on continental drilling for scientific purposes addressed the questions of how to maximize the scientific value of current and planned efforts of federal agencies and industry and how to supplement these efforts with holes drilled solely for scientific purpoes. Four panels addressed the scientific and associated societal problems relating to basement structures and deep continental basins, thermal regimes, mineral resources, and earthuqakes. These panels identified the main problems in each area that could be solved by information obtained from drill holes. A fifth panel considered needs for technological developments. The importance of a communications and coordinating mechanism to maximize the scientific results was noted. To this end, a Continental Scientific Drilling Program is outlined, including two advisory and guiding committees, one concerned with scientific objectives, the other with operations. (RWR)

The foregoing analysis indicates that the proposed geothermal field experiment could result in several adverse environmental effects. Such effects would lie primarily in the areas of air quality, noise, aesthetics, land use, and water consumption. However, for the most part, mitigating measures have been, or easily could be, included in project plans to reduce these adverse effects to insignificant levels. Those aspects of the project which are not completely amenable to mitigation by any reasonable means include air quality, noise, aesthetics, land use and water use.

The process by which technology and information related to technology are transferred within industry is explored. Property rights in technology are part of the broader field of intellectual property. The general contours of legal protection for knowledge are explored. The four basic forms of intellectual property - patents, trade secrets (or know-how), trademarks, and copyrights - are covered in varying degrees of depth, depending on their relative applicability to the development of the solar industry. Once this background has been established, the legal aspects of licensing are examined. A license is a legal arrangement whereby a party (licensor) who controls the right to use an idea, invention, etc. shares the right to use the particular intellectual property with someone else (licensee). The advantages and disadvantages of licensing are described from the point of view of potential licensees and licensors. Barriers to licensing are discussed.

The following are included: geothermal overview projects initiated in FY 1979, geothermal overview projects initiated in FY 1978, the agenda and participants in the overview planning meeting, the Oregon status reports, and the Hawaii status reports. (MHR)

The major projects undertaken include: the provision of a State Institutional Handbook, the provision of in-depth geothermal resource data, the comparison of energy sources and uses, economic data compilation for area development plans, the preparation of site-specific development plans, and the outreach program. Progress is reported on each of these projects. (MHR)

WIPP 29 was drilled in Nash Draw (SE 1/4, Sec. 34, T22S, R29E) in Eddy County, New Mexico, to determine subsurface stratigraphy and examine dissolution features above undisturbed salt in the Salado Formation. Determination of dissolution rates will refine previous estimates and provide short-term (geologically) rates for WIPP risk assessments. The borehole encountered, from top to bottom, unnamed Pleistocene deposits (12' with fill material for pad), Dewey Lake Red Beds (203'), Rustler Formation (131'), and the upper 234' of the Salado Formation. A dissolution residue, 105' thick, is at the top of the Salado Formation overlying halite-rich beds. In addition to obtaining nearly continuous core from the surface to total depth (358'), geophysical logs were taken to measure acoustic velocities, density, radioactivity, and formation resistivity. An interpretive report on dissolution in Nash Draw will be based on combined borehole basin data, surface mapping, and laboratory analyses of Nash Draw rocks and fluids. The WIPP is to demonstrate (through limited operations) disposal technology for transuranic defense wastes and to then be converted to a repository. The WIPP will also provide research facilities for interactions between high-level waste and salt.

Pacific Northwest Laboratory conducted experiments at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Maryland, to characterize the airborne depleted uranium (DU) resulting from the test firings of 105-mm, APFSDS-T XM774 ammunition. The goal was to obtain data pertinent to evaluations of human inhalation exposure to the airborne DU. Data was desired concerning the following: (1) size distribution of airborne DU; (2) quantity of airborne DU; (3) dispersion of airborne DU from the target vicinity; (4) amount of DU deposited on the ground; (5) solubility of airborne DU compounds in lung fluid; and (6) oxide forms of airborne and fallout DU. The experiments involved extensive air sampling for total airborne DU particulates and respirable DU particles both above the targets and at distances downwind. Fallout and fragments were collected around the target area. High-speed movies of the smoke generated from the impact of the penetrators were taken to estimate the cloud volumes. Results of the experiments are presented. (TFD)

This bibliography was compiled to assist in the evaluation of the health and environmental consequences of high specific activity thorium and related nuclides which could be released to the environment by activities related to the Thorium Fuel Cycle. The general scope covers studies regarding potential releases, environmental transport, metabolism, dosimetry, dose assessment, and overall risk assessment for radionuclides specific to the NASAP project. This publication of 740 abstracted references highlights the biological and medical aspects of thorium 228 and thorium 232 in man and animals. Similar studies on related nuclides such as radium 224, radium 226, radium 228, and thorium 230 are also emphasized. Additional categories relevant to these radionuclides are included as follows: chemical analysis; ecological aspects; energy; geological aspects; instrumentation; legal and political aspects; monitoring, measurement and analysis; physical aspects; production; radiation safety and control; and waste disposal and management. Environmental assessment and sources categories were used for entries which contain a multiple use of categories. Leading authors appear alphabetically within each category. Indexes are provided for : author(s), geographic location, keywords, title, and publication description. The bibliography contains literature dating from December 1925 to February 1978.

Progress in research is reported for the three Divisions and one Group. Current programs in the Atmospheric Sciences Division include major participation in the multilaboratory cooperative Multistate Power Production Pollution Study - Regional Acidity of Industrial Emissions (MAP3S-RAINE), involving both field and modeling studies related to power-plant produced atmospheric pollutants on a regional scale, the study of the meteorology of the coastal land-sea interface, including both field and analytical activities, and field and modeling studies of the exchange of momentum, heat, and water vapor between the atmosphere and the ocean. The Environmental Chemistry Division is engaged in a wide range of programs including the development of methodologies and practical instrumentation for the detection and measurement of a variety of atmospheric constituents at ambient levels in real time in the field and in the laboratory, development and measurement of atmospheric tracers at extremely low levels, theoretical, laboratory, and field studies of the formation and behavior of aerosol particulates, and studies of gaseous and particulate emissions at power plants and in stack plumes in the atmosphere. The programs in Oceanographic Sciences include studies on coastal transport and diffusion, primary production and utilization, food chain dynamics, and ecosystems analysis. Emphasis in the Land …

This report presents the description and validation of the analytical methods for calculation of the seismic loads on an HTGR core and the core support structures. Analytical modeling, integration schemes, parameter assignment, parameter sensitivity, and correlation with test data are key topics which have been covered in detail. Much of the text concerns the description and the results of a series of scale model tests performed to obtain data for code correlation. A discussion of scaling laws, model properties, seismic excitation, instrumentation, and data reduction methods is also presented, including a section on the identification and calculation of statistical errors in the test data.

Hazards and pollutional impacts from residuals generated at the Pittsburgh Energy Technology Center are explained in the context of hazardous waste regulations proposed by the federal government (RCRA). Nine hazard characteristics are defined and an overview of their significance to PETC is presented. Pollutional impacts on air, water and land are discussed in the energy research perspective. Legislative and statutory relationships between the Center and local, county, state and federal enforcement agencies are listed and analyzed. Expected liability resting on the Center in this framework is outlined. One hundred seven different chemical and indeterminate wastes were reported in an inventory conducted as an earlier task of this project. All of these are tabulated, classified in accordance with the latest proposed federal regulations, with recommended treatment and disposal methodologies included. The existing residuals management system is described to establish baseline conditions in preparing the recommended system. Management policies as they are presently practiced are included in the presentation. A recommended residuals management plan is offered for consideration. It includes the organizational arrangement of PETC personnel, a description of authority and responsibilities of the various human elements of the plan, an information network with detailed data sheets and installation of a mandatory …

The report describes the methodology and results of a detailed study of geologic discontinuities associated with the time-scale heater test at the Stripa mine in Sweden. Mapping of the floor of the experiment tunnel coupled with observation of core samples from beneath the drift indicate that four N-striking shear fractures dip steeply through the 6 x 10 x 25-m rock mass. Oblique-thrust faulting has produced displacements of up to 2 m on one of the surfaces, and its inferred 3-D configuration is consistent with observed slickensiding. Resolution of locally measured principal stresses on the shear plane yields a theoretical shear direction that also coincides with the slickensiding. Four distinct joint sets exist locally, one of which coincides with the shear fractures. Another lies nearly horizontal, and two others are steeply inclined. Fracture length and spacing distributions for the four joint sets are shown to be lognormal. Two of the sets lie perpendicular to principal stress directions. The fact that one of these two joint sets apparently post-dates other fracturing and is normal to the minimum principal stress suggests that it is due to isostatic rebound.

Spatial data files covering energy, environmental, socio-economic, health, and demographic themes are described. Descriptions provide data dates, abstracts, geographic coverage, documentation, original data source, availability limitations, and contact person. A current version of this document is maintained as part of the Socio-Economic-Environmental-Demographic Information System (SEEDIS) within the Computer Science and Applied Mathematics Department, and is available for on-line retrieval using the Virginia Sventek, (415) 486-5216 or (FTS) 451-5216 for further information.

This report covers the first phase of a program to develop an information system capable of describing and assessing the federal, state, and county permitting process for oil shale development. It was found that the permitting system is in a constant state of change and is growing in complexity. There are potential direct savings of several millions of dollars in the development and use of an automated permitting system data base. (DLC)

The Stripa test site has been excavated in granitic rock between 338 m and 360 m below the ground surface, and is located under the north limb of an ENE-plunging synclinal structure. The granitic rocks, in the areas mapped, are of Archean age and are dominated by a reddish, medium-grained, massive monzogranite that shows varying degrees of deformation. The granitic rocks have been intruded by diabase (dolerite) and pegmatite dikes. Surface and subsurface mapping shows that the Stripa granite is highly fractured and that there are at least four joint sets in the area of the test excavations. In addition to the joints, the rock mass contains fissures, fracture zones, and small-scale shear zones, representing the complete spectrum of the fracture family. Most of the fractures are lined with chlorite, occasionally with calcite. Many of the small-scale shear fractures are filled or coated with epidote. Offsets of pegmatite dikes formed by these fractures are usually limited to one to two meters. Water seepage is observed only as drops from fractures or moist fracture surfaces. It was found that reconstruction of the local three-dimensional fracture system is the heater-experiment sites was difficult, and in some cases subjective. Such reconstruction is a …

A comparative study and quantitative assessment of the impacts, costs and benefits associated with the mining, processing and transportation of coal and uranium within the western states, specifically Arizona, California, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming are presented. The western states possess 49% of the US reserve coal base, 67% of the total identified reserves and 82% of the hypothetical reserves. Western coal production has increased at an average annual rate of about 22% since 1970 and should become the major US coal supplier in the 1980's. The Colorado Plateau (in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah) and the Wyoming Basin areas account for 72% of the $15/lb U/sub 3/O/sub 8/ resources, 76% of the $30/lb, and 75% of the $50/lb resources. It is apparent that the West will serve as the major supplier of domestic US coal and uranium fuels for at least the next several decades. Impacts considered are: environmental impacts, (land, water, air quality); health effects of coal and uranium mining, processing, and transportation; risks from transportation accidents; radiological impact of coal and uranium mining; social and economic impacts; and aesthetic impacts (land, air, noise, water, biota, and man-made objects). Economic benefits are discussed.

The occupational health and safety impacts are assessed for domestic underground mining, open pit mining, and milling. Public health impacts are calculated for a population of 53,000 located within 88 km (55 miles) of a typical southwestern uranium mill. The collective annual dose would be 6.5 man-lung rem/year, 89% of which is from /sup 222/Rn emitted from mill tailings. The dose to the United States population is estimated to be 6 x 10/sup 4/ man-lung rem from combined mining and milling operations. This may be comparedd with 5.7 x 10/sup 5/ man-lung rem from domestic use of natural gas and 4.4 x 10/sup 7/ man-lung rem from building interiors. Unavoidable adverse environmental impacts appear to be severe in a 250 ha area surrounding a mill site but negligible in the entire potentially impacted area (500,000 ha). The contemporary uranium resource and supply industry and its institutional settings are described in relation to the socio-economic impacts likely to emerge from high levels of uranium mining and milling. Radon and radon daughter monitoring techniques associated with uranium mining and milling are discussed.

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This report describes the conceptual design of an advanced materials-management system for safeguarding special nuclear materials in a uranium--plutonium nitrate-to-oxide coconversion facility based on the Coprecal process. Design concepts are presented for near real-time (dynamic) accountability by forming dynamic materials balances from information provided by chemical and nondestructive analyses and from process-control instrumentation. Modeling and simulation techniques are used to compare the sensitivities of proposed dynamic materials accounting strategies to both abrupt and protracted diversion. The safeguards implications of coconversion as well as some unique features of the reference process are discussed and design criteria are identified to improve the safeguardability of the Coprecal coconversion process.