The initial physics tests on the Shield Test Experiment reactor and the precriticality rod-drop test data are presented. (auth)

The Townsend ionization coefficient in the strong runaway regime is calculated within the framework of the two-term expansion. Results are compared to the 1-D model. General features of the two models are qualitatively similar, but quantitative differences by factors of approx. 2 are observed.

This test procedure (No. 404) provides a detailed description of the verification methods which shall be used in the development program to be conducted on the Kilowatt Isotope Power System (KIPS) Jet Condenser to fulfill the requirements of the Ground Demonstration Test Plan, Section 6.4.

A collective Thomson scattering (CTS) diagnostic system for localized measurement of energetic ions is being developed for TFTR. This system will use a 200KW, 56GHz gyrotron and a sensitive heterodyne receiver. In addition, a key element of this system will be beam and viewing dumps which are needed to minimize detection of stray gyrotron and ECE background radiation by the receiver system. It is the purpose of this study to determine the size and location of these dumps inside TFTR taking into account beam refraction and launch and receiver antenna optics scanning. The beam dump must cover all the area in the vacuum chamber where the beam is expected to impinge, and the viewing dump must cover all the areas within the direct line of sight of the receiver antenna. The beam launch system and the receiver antenna are to be placed nearly symmetrically above and below the midplane of the tokamak vacuum vessel, respectively. The beam dump is to be placed at the bottom inside of the vacuum vessel to absorb the gyrotron beam which will be launched from a top port. The viewing dump is expected to be placed symmetrically at the top inside of the vacuum vessel, …

The basic information in this report is from a vu-graph presentation prepared to acquaint new or prospective employees with the Nuclear Test Engineering Division (NTED). Additional information has been added here to enhance a reader's understanding when reviewing the material after hearing the presentation, or in lieu of attending a presentation.

The three objectives of the program are: To isolate by the technique of two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (2-D PAGE), proteins of special interest because of the relative mutability of the corresponding gene, establish the identity of the protein, and, for selected proteins, move to a characterization of the corresponding gene; To develop a more efficient approach, based on 2-D PAGE, for the detection of variants in DNA, with special reference to the identification of a variant in a child not present in either parent of the child (i.e., a mutation); and, To continue an effective interface with the genetic studies on the children of atomic bomb survivors in Japan, with reference to both the planning and implementation of new studies at the molecular level. For administrative purposes, the program is subdivided into four sections, each under the direction of one of the four co-PIs; the progress during the past year will be summarized in accordance with this sectional structure. 1 tab.

Fabrication of internal reflector pieces for the SNAP-8 core is described. These reflectors were made of BeO, with and without the addition of Sm/sub 2/O/sub 3/ as a nuclear poison. Because of the high density and dimensional tolerance requirements, the complexity of shapes, and the comparatively modest number of parts to be produced (approximately 1000), the blanks were hot pressed and subsequently machined with diamond wheels and cores. In almost all cases, the specified density of 98% of theoretical was achieved. The low eutectic temperature in the BeO--Sm/sub 2/O/sub 3/ system of about 1420 deg C necessitated special pressing parameters, which were arrived at by experimentation. A rather coarse grit size (80) was used for the diamond wheels, which resulted in very little wear to the wheels, and an extremely low dimensional rejection rate on the blanks. Because of the toxicity of BeO, all equipment was enclosed, and was held under negative pressure. (auth)

In the preceding quarterly report, it was reported that while sampling the Solvent Refined Coal II (SRC II) pilot plant at Fort Lewis, Washington, the plant went down and vacuum bottoms waste material representing the minerals flow at the last steady state condition were obtained. This plant has been sampled again and samples of the incoming feed coal, sized coal and vacuum bottoms waste material were obtained. As part of our effort to trace the same mineral suite through mining, preparation and conversion, new samples of feed coal, cleaned coal and refuse were obtained from the District 4 commercial preparation plant. This preparation plant supplies coal to the SRC II pilot plant at Fort Lewis, Washington. A study of the thermal insulating properties of fired flyash based structural materials was completed and is included.

Proton magnetic resonance data are presented for plasma-deposited amorphous Si:H as a function of annealing temperature up to 650/sup 0/C. The data indicate that hydrogen diffuses internally before major evolution occurs, that transfer of hydrogen occurs from a heavily clustered phase to a dilute phase coincident with evolution and that evolution occurs initially from the heavily clustered phase. Comparison with infrared data indicates that the heavily clustered phase can be either SiH/ sub x/t = 2,3) or SiH.

Wisely managing the profound human and environmental risks of nuclear wastes requires complex moral and ethical judgments. Whereas traditional ethics is limited to interpersonal relations, a new system of ethics--bioethics--concerns man's relation with nature. Environmentalists claim that technology has upset the balance of nature, that nature is sacred and has inviolable rights, and that man must therefore regulate his behavior to conform to earth's limited carrying capacity. They also say that Judeo-Christian monotheism and anthropocentrism have sanctioned the exploitation of nature in the West, whereas Eastern religions teach adaptation to nature. Evidence suggests, however, that the balance of nature is neither absolute nor precarious, but is continually changing. Moreover, technology has brought more good than harm to man, and man's needs should supersede nature's. Other evidence indicates that the earth's resources may be neither limited nor nearly exhausted. Persuasive arguments also demonstrate that man's relation with nature is not traceable to religious assumptions. In assessing the risks/benefits of nuclear-waste management, we should avoid risks that jeopardize the rights of future generations without imposing excessive sacrifices on the present generation.

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In the various laser-fusion concepts, an intense electromagnetic wave (the laser) must propagate through an underdense plasma region where it could decay, via the stimulated Raman instability, into a Langmuir plasma wave and a scattered electromagnetic wave. Results are obtained by evaluating the ''Green's function'' response in time and space for the scattered electromagnetic waves assuming they are initiated by a ''delta-function'' source. We consider the case where the temporal growth dominates the plasma wave convection. Then the scattered electromagnetic waves are governed by a single second-order Helmholtz differential equation, in the position variable along the density gradient, with a complex potential having two simple zeros (turning points) and one simple pole.

The ductile failure criteria proposed in the Base report appear appropriate except that stress intensity values, S/sub m/ should be based on lower safety factors and ductility should be added as a criterion. A safety factor for stress intensity, s/sub m/ of 4 is recommended rather than 3 on minimum ultimate tensile strength, S/sub u/ in accordance with ASME code philosophy of assigning higher safety factors to cast ductile iron than to steel. This more conservative approach has no impact on costs since the selection of wall thickness is controlled by shielding rather than by stress considerations. The addition of a ductility criterion is recommended because of the problems associated with the selection of appropriate brittle failure criteria and the potential for cast ductile iron to have extremely low elongation at failure. Neither a materials nor a linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) approach appear to be viable for demonstrating the prevention of brittle failure in cast ductile iron shipping casks. It is possible that the analytic methods predict brittle failure because of extremely conservative assumptions whereas real casks may not fail. Model drop tests could be used to demonstrate containment integrity. It is estimated that a risk committment of at …

This sampling and analysis plan (SAP) describes planned data collection activities for four entry boreholes through the sediment overlying the Saddle Mountains Basalt, up to three new deep rotary boreholes through the Saddle Mountains Basalt and sedimentary interbeds, and one corehole through the Saddle Mountains Basalt and sedimentary interbeds at the Waste Treatment Plant (WTP) site. The SAP will be used in concert with the quality assurance plan for the project to guide the procedure development and data collection activities needed to support borehole drilling, geophysical measurements, and sampling. This SAP identifies the American Society of Testing Materials standards, Hanford Site procedures, and other guidance to be followed for data collection activities. Revision 3 incorporates all interim change notices (ICN) that were issued to Revision 2 prior to completion of sampling and analysis activities for the WTP Seismic Boreholes Project. This revision also incorporates changes to the exact number of samples submitted for dynamic testing as directed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Revision 3 represents the final version of the SAP.

The objective of this program was to explore a combination of advanced injection control and urea-selective catalytic reduction (SCR) to reduce the emissions of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) from a Tier 2 off-highway diesel engine to Tier 3 emission targets while maintaining fuel efficiency. The engine used in this investigation was a 2004 4.5L John Deere PowerTechTM; this engine was not equipped with exhaust gas recirculation (EGR). Under the original CRADA, the principal objective was to assess whether Tier 3 PM emission targets could be met solely by increasing the rail pressure. Although high rail pressure will lower the total PM emissions, it has a contrary effect to raise NOx emissions. To address this effect, a urea-SCR system was used to determine whether the enhanced NOx levels, associated with high rail pressure, could be reduced to Tier 3 levels. A key attraction for this approach is that it eliminates the need for a Diesel particulate filter (DPF) to remove PM emissions. The original CRADA effort was also performed using No.2 Diesel fuel having a maximum sulfur level of 500 ppm. After a few years, the CRADA scope was expanded to include exploration of advanced injection strategies …

The UCLA-DOE Institute of Genomics and Proteomics is an organized research unit of the University of California, sponsored by the Department of Energy through the mechanism of a Cooperative Agreement. Today the Institute consists of 10 Principal Investigators and 7 Associate Members, developing and applying technologies to promote the biological and environmental missions of the Department of Energy, and 5 Core Technology Centers to sustain this work. The focus is on understanding genomes, pathways and molecular machines in organisms of interest to DOE, with special emphasis on developing enabling technologies. Since it was founded in 1947, the UCLA-DOE Institute has adapted its mission to the research needs of DOE and its progenitor agencies as these research needs have changed. The Institute started as the AEC Laboratory of Nuclear Medicine, directed by Stafford Warren, who later became the founding Dean of the UCLA School of Medicine. In this sense, the entire UCLA medical center grew out of the precursor of our Institute. In 1963, the mission of the Institute was expanded into environmental studies by Director Ray Lunt. I became the third director in 1993, and in close consultation with David Galas and John Wooley of DOE, shifted the mission of …

The objective of this program was to investigate cyclic variations in spark-ignition (SI) engines under lean fueling conditions and to develop options to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) in compression-ignition direct-injection (CIDI) engines at high exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) rates. The CIDI activity builds upon an earlier collaboration between ORNL and Ford examining combustion instabilities in SI engines. Under the original CRADA, the principal objective was to understand the fundamental causes of combustion instability in spark-ignition engines operating with lean fueling. The results of this earlier activity demonstrated that such combustion instabilities are dominated by the effects of residual gas remaining in each cylinder from one cycle to the next. A very simple, low-order model was developed that explained the observed combustion instability as a noisy nonlinear dynamical process. The model concept lead to development of a real-time control strategy that could be employed to significantly reduce cyclic variations in real engines using existing sensors and engine control systems. This collaboration led to the issuance of a joint patent for spark-ignition engine control. After a few years, the CRADA was modified to focus more on EGR and CIDI engines. The modified CRADA examined relationships between …

Generations of students in radiation biology have been taught that heritable biological damage requires direct damage to DNA. We now know that this is not true. The Bystander Effect is the name given to the phenomenon whereby biological effects are observed in cells that are not themselves traversed by a charged particle, but are in close proximity to cells that are. Several research groups have convincingly demonstrated a bystander effect for alpha particle, which are heavy and high LET, because charged particles can be focused into a tiny beam that can be directed onto individual cells. The biological effects seen in adjacent non-hit cells clearly represents a bystander effect. It is not so easy to demonstrate a similar effect for x-rays or for the electrons set in motion by the absorption of x-rays. In this project we used two types of cell that could be recognized one from the other. One cell type was fed radioactive tritiated thymidine, which is incorporated into the DNA, . The tritium emits electrons which have a very short range so that they do not even get out of the cell. These cells were then mixed with a different type of cell which are routinely …

POLARATS (Polar On-Line Acquisition Relay And Transmission System) is being developed by YAHSGS LLC (YAHSGS) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to provide remote, unattended monitoring of environmental parameters under harsh environmental conditions. In particular, instrumental design and engineering is oriented towards protection of human health in the Arctic, and with the additional goal of advancing Arctic education and research. POLARATS will obtain and transmit environmental data from hardened monitoring devices deployed in locations important to understanding atmospheric and aquatic pollutant migration as it is biomagnified in Arctic food chains. An Internet- and personal computer (PC)-based educational module will provide real time sensor data, on-line educational content, and will be integrated with workbooks and textbooks for use in middle and high school science programs. The educational elements of POLARATS include an Internet-based educational module that will instruct students in the use of the data and how those data fit into changing Arctic environments and food chains. POLARATS will: (1) Enable students, members of the community, and scientific researchers to monitor local environmental conditions in real time over the Internet; and (2) Provide additional educational benefits through integration with middle- and high-school science curricula. Information will be relayed from POLARATS devices …

This report presents a methodology developed to study the future impact of wind on BPA power system load following and regulation requirements. The methodology uses historical data and stochastic processes to simulate the load balancing processes in the BPA power system, by mimicking the actual power system operations. Therefore, the results are close to reality, yet the study based on this methodology is convenient to conduct. Compared with the proposed methodology, existing methodologies for doing similar analysis include dispatch model simulation and standard deviation evaluation on load and wind data. Dispatch model simulation is constrained by the design of the dispatch program, and standard deviation evaluation is artificial in separating the load following and regulation requirements, both of which usually do not reflect actual operational practice. The methodology used in this study provides not only capacity requirement information, it also analyzes the ramp rate requirements for system load following and regulation processes. The ramp rate data can be used to evaluate generator response/maneuverability requirements, which is another necessary capability of the generation fleet for the smooth integration of wind energy. The study results are presented in an innovative way such that the increased generation capacity or ramp requirements are compared …

The study has two principal objectives: (1) To evaluate the effects of fracture closure on the recovery of oil and gas reserves from naturally fractured petroleum or natural gas reservoirs. (2) To evaluate procedures for improving the recovery of these reserves using innovative fluid injection techniques to maintain reservoir pressure and mitigate the impact of fracture closure. The total scope of the study has been subdivided into three main tasks: (1) Baseline studies (non-pressure sensitive fractures); (2)studies with pressure sensitive fractures; and (3) innovative approaches for improving oil recovery.

In Furnace No. 1 during this quarter, experiments were conducted in which the total argon purge rate in this furnace was decreased. A number of extremely significant changes in the crystallographic structure and electronic quality of the ribbons were observed in these experiments. Ribbon segments were grown in which the equilibrium defect structure was no longer present and the electrical properties improved to the extent that cells of 50 cm/sup 2/ area having AM1 efficiencies over 11% could be prepared. In Furnace No. 3A, the final five-ribbon demonstration run was performed. The furnace performed nearly flawlessly over the 15 hour run during which approx. 30 meters of 5 cm wide ribbon were grown at a rate of approx. 3.3 cm/min from each of the five cartridges. Initial evaluation of a small lot of 45 cm/sup 2/ solar cells of approx. 9% (AM1) efficiency. Subsequent to this final multiple demonstration run, the furnace was converted to be operated with three 10 cm width cartridges, plus a melt replenishment unit. This conversion is now complete, and the first growth runs using one cartridge and the melt replenisher have produced approx. 4 meters of 10 cm wide ribbon at a growth rate of …

This paper applies present observational and analytic knowledge on effects of plasma beam interaction wth the magnetosphere to the plasmasphere contamination problem of the argon ion engine exhaust expected to be deposited in the magnetosphere during the construction phase of the Satellite Power System. Effects of plasmasphere, ionosphere, and radiation belt modifications are discussed.

Enthalpy measurements were initiated on the model compound quinoline. Preliminary results are presented for the temperature region 186 to 732/sup 0/F along isobars of 75, 100, and 200 psia.