The hybrid reactor studies are reviewed. The optimization of the point design and work on a reference design are described. The status of the nuclear analysis of fast spectrum blankets, systems studies for fissile fuel producing hybrid reactor, and the mechanical design of the machine are reviewed. (MHR)

Winding of a Nb--Ti test coil at the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory is nearly complete. The conductor in this coil operates in a maximum field of 7.5 T and provides the 2-T field required by the Mirror Fusion Test Facility. Nb/sub 3/Sn multifilamentary conductors, made using the ''bronze'' technique, appear capable of providing the higher fields needed by commercial reactors.

A stress analysis was performed on the LOFT Pressurizer Pressure Relief System to determine if it met the requirements of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Section III, 1974 Edition, for Class 1 and Class 2 components. Deadweight, thermal expansion, seismic, design LOCE, and LOCA loads were considered. The results of this analysis indicate that the LOFT pressurizer pressure relief system will comply with Code specifications provided modifications are made to the hanger support configuration and one small section of pipe. The recommended changes are listed below. Note that some of these hangers were previously required based upon an analysis which subjected this same piping system to a reduced LOCE (20 millisecond valve opening). (1) Addition of Snubbers as per letter HIK-12-75, LOFT Pipe Hanger Requirements on Main Feed Main Steam Pressurizer and ECC Systems. (2) The 1/2'' Line 1/2''-PCS-10 between the tee and CVP-136-19 must be increased in diameter to 1.050 inches (OD of nominal 3/4'' pipe). (3) Modification of Unibals and flat bars as per letter Muff-2-76, required change of flat bar hangers and unibals on pressure relief and pressurizing piping. 9 refs., 6 figs., 1 tab.

Welds in austenitic stainless steel pipes are notoriously difficult to nondestructively examine using conventional ultrasonic and eddy current methods. Survace irregularities and microscopic variations in magnetic permeability cause false eddy current signal variations. Ultrasonic methods have been developed which use computer processing of the data to overcome some of the problems. Electro-thermal nondestructive testing shows promise for detecting flaws that are difficult to detect using other NDT methods. Results of a project completed to develop and demonstrate the potential of an electro-thermal method for nondestructively testing stainless steel pipe welds are presented. Electro-thermal NDT uses a brief pulse of electrical current injected into the pipe. Defects at any depth within the weld cause small differences in surface electrical current distribution. These cause short-lived transient temperature differences on the pipe's surface that are mapped using an infrared scanning camera. Localized microstructural differences and normal surface roughness in the welds have little effect on the surface temperatures.

The solar fuels and chemicals study was limited to the examination of processes requiring temperatures in excess of 1000/sup 0/K since lower temperature processes had already been examined in studies concerned with the application of waste heat from nuclear power plants to industrial processes. In developing the carbon cycle processes, the primary activity included an extensive literature search and the thermodynamic evaluation of a number of candidate chemical cycles. Although both hydrogen and carbon closed- and open-loop chemical cycles were studied, it was concluded that the carbon cycles offered sufficient additional potential to warrant concentrating on them in subsequent work. The section on new ideas for transportable fuels presents the elements of a new concept for a carbon cycle recovery technique to produce transportable fuels. The elements discussed are sources of carbon dioxide, solar energy reduction of CO/sub 2/, potential carbon cycles, and use of carbon monoxide as fuel and feedstocks. Another section presents some new concepts for the use of high-temperature solar energy in the production of essential materials and for closed-loop chemical storage, as well as for the production of hydrogen as a fuel and open-loop applications. Potential problem areas pertinent to solar-derived fuels and chemicals have been …

The following are covered: construction status, operation activities, and project cash flow. (MHR)

A tabular lithium equation of state was formulated from three separate equation-of-state models to carry out hydrodynamic simulations of a lithium-waterfall laser-fusion reactor. The models we used are: ACTEX for the ionized fluid, soft-sphere for the liquid and vapor, and pseudopotential for the hot, dense liquid. The models are smoothly joined over the range of density and temperature conditions appropriate for a laser-fusion reactor. We also fitted the models into two forms suitable for hydrodynamic calculations.

The space and domestic water solar heating system designated SIMS Prototype System 1 has been evaluated at the MSFC Solar Heating and Cooling Test Facility. The test system used 720 ft2 (gross) of Solar Energy Products Air Collectors, a Solar Control Corporation SAM 20 Air Handler with Model 75-175 control unit, a Jackson Solar Storage tank with Rho Sigma Mod 106 controller, and 20 tons of rock storage. The test data analysis performed by IBM evaluates the system performance and documents the suitability of SIMS Prototype System 1 hardware for field installation.

This review of the plans for the chemical explosive fracturing of the Devonian shales of Lincoln County, W. Va., for natural gas stimulation includes an assessment of the environmental effects. Alternatives, mitigating factors, cost benefit analysis, potential conflicts with other plans and programs, and relation of short-term use to long-term productivity are covered briefly. It is concluded that the proposed project does not constitute a major federal action significantly affecting the environment as defined by NEPA. 4 figures. (DLC)

An account of irradiation of glass samples in the LPTR reactor is given. Irradiation procedures are described and irradiation exposure times and neutron fluence values are tabulated. (JRD)

The /sup 237/Np//sup 235/U fission cross section ratio has been measured from 0.02 to 30 MeV. Using the threshold method, a value of 1.294 +- 0.019 is obtained for the average cross section ratio in the interval from 1.75 to 4.00 MeV.

Heavy metal sulfides form a substantial part of the scale solids depositing from high-temperature, high-saline geothermal brines. An assessment has been made of the prospects for controlling this deposition by chemical modification of the brine. An outline is given of the types of reactions influencing sulfide precipitation. It is suggested that two factors affecting sulfide solubility and that are amenable to chemical modification of the brine are oxidation state and pH. A partial oxidation process can be used to convert aqueous sulfide species to free sulfur, a process favored by thermodynamics and kinetics. Some oxidizing agents are suggested for this purpose. A discussion is given of the possibilities of precipitating other solid phases after extensive oxidation. It is concluded on the basis of the available data that this possibility exists, but that uncertainties in reaction kinetics, unavailable data, and solution complexity make an exact analysis difficult. The usefulness of a field evaluation of chemical modification processes is indicated. (auth)

Under the Solar Heating and Cooling Demonstration program, solar heated and cooled commercial buildings are to be constructed throughout the nation to show the technical and economic feasibility of solar energy systems and, most importantly, to establish an economically viable solar industry. The questions arise: How many solar energy systems must be installed and where should they be installed to meet these objectives. This report presents an answer to these questions.

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This document describes the proliferation resistance engineering concepts developed to counter the threat of proliferation of nuclear weapons in an International Fuel Service Center (IFSC). The basic elements of an International Fuel Service Center are described. Possible methods for resisting proliferation such as processing alternatives, close-coupling of facilities, process equipment layout, maintenance philosophy, process control, and process monitoring are discussed. Political and institutional issues in providing proliferation resistance for an International Fuel Service Center are analyzed. The conclusions drawn are (1) use-denial can provide time for international response in the event of a host nation takeover. Passive use-denial is more acceptable than active use-denial, and acceptability of active-denial concepts is highly dependent on sovereignty, energy dependence and economic considerations; (2) multinational presence can enhance proliferation resistance; and (3) use-denial must be nonprejudicial with balanced interests for governments and/or private corporations being served. Comparisons between an IFSC as a national facility, an IFSC with minimum multinational effect, and an IFSC with maximum multinational effect show incremental design costs to be less than 2% of total cost of the baseline non-PRE concept facility. The total equipment acquisition cost increment is estimated to be less than 2% of total baseline facility costs. Personnel …

The paper examines the fiscal impacts associated with siting nuclear-powered electrical stations. First, a framework for examining fiscal impacts is constructed. This framework consists of four elements: the ability of a local community to raise revenues, the degree to which this ability is used, the uses to which tax revenues are applied, and the effect of tax/expenditure decisions on the local economy. Changes in these four elements caused by the siting are termed fiscal impacts. Second, this framework is applied to two communities, Waterford, Connecticut and Plymouth, Massachusetts, which host operating reactors. In each community the ability to raise revenues through the property tax--the prime local revenue source--approximately doubled. As a result both communities chose ultimately to reduce tax rates. Moreover, it appears that the annual revenues raised through the public sector as a result of the reactor siting exceeded income changes that resulted from increased local employment associated with each reactor's operation. It therefore appears that for these two towns, the primary economic impact occurred through the public sector. The report concludes with suggestions for further research into local fiscal and economic effects associated with power reactor siting.

Clastic dikes are planar features, commonly wedge shaped in cross section, with their apices mostly downward. They are filled with clastic sediments from clay to gravel in size. Three days were spent in the Pasco Basin examining clastic dikes in 10 localities. It was clear from the field observations, summarized in the text, that the features called clastic dikes are multigenetic. Previously proposed theories of origin of the initial fractures, involving earthquakes, desiccation, deep frost cracking, thermal contraction cracking of permafrost, and upward injection of groundwater are not considered primary modes of formation of most initial cracks observed. However, the mechanism of cracking is not yet fully understood. The bulk of material filling most observed fractures came from above during aperiodic and repeated widening and concurrent filling (under an aqueous environment). No evidence for horizontal compression of the dikes or their margins was observed, as from thermal changes or wetting and drying. A loading hypothesis from catastrophic scabland floods is outlined as a possible cause for many typical clastic dikes.

A calculation has been made of the spatial distribution of NE102 scintillation light produced by recoil protons from collimated 14-MeV neutron illumination. Results were then averaged over offset circles of various radii, thus determining the fraction of the total scintillation light created inside cylindrical scintillators for uniform neutron illumination over the front face of the scintillator. The results are useful in sensitivity considerations for neutron-imaging camera design.