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Theoretical and experimental studies indicated that the effective permeability coefficient for graphite is lowered by a helium stream in-sweeping through the graphite pores. This phenomenon was considered in the design of HTGR fuel elements. A portion of the helium gas which is drawn into each fuel element as a purge stream may enter through porous wall sections, supplementing the purge gas entering at the top of each fuel element. The purge stream leaves each fuel element through a header system which carries the purge gas to an external fission product trap. The flow rate through the trapping system determines the upper limit of the average in-leakage through the fuel element walls. In the case of the HTGR, a graphite having a helium permeability of 1.1 cm/sup 2//sec at 350 psia and 700 deg F (approximately 0.1 cm/sup 2//sec at 14.7 psia, 70 deg F) would result in 100% of the purge flow entering through the wall sections of the fuel element. A lower permeability graphite, with most of the purge flow entering at the top of the fuel element appeared to be more desirable for maintaining optimum purge flow conditions. (auth)

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Radiochemical diagnostics play an important role in helping scientists understand the detonation of a nuclear device. Sometimes some elements or isotopes are inserted as radiochemical detectors at various locations in the nuclear device. During the detonation of the device, these detectors are subjected for a short time to the intense flux of neutrons emitted through fission and possibly through fusion of light elements (usually deuterium and tritium). After the detonation, the radiochemical detectors and their long-lived activation products are retrieved from the area where the underground explosion took place. These radiochemical samples are analyzed to extract information about how the device operated. A large amount of such radiochemical data exist from past nuclear-device tests.

Baseline air quality and meteorology data collected at the proposed site in 1977 and 1978 are presented: sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, ozone, particles, lead, reduced sulfur compounds, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. (LTN)

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The best available control technology (BACT) proposals for the following areas of the SRC-I demonstration plant are described: coal preparation and handling, SRC process and deashing, coke and liquid fuels (control of particles and hydrocarbon vapors), cryogenic systems and fuel gas purification (including sulfur recovery system and venting of gaseous wastes). (LTN)

The purpose of this operability test procedure (OTP) is to verify the 211-BA flow proportional sampler system and components function correctly as intended by design. System test will include the sampling system, all associated instrumentation, and Facility Process Monitor and Control System (FPMCS). The combined chemical sewer stream from B Plant flows through sump 211BA-SMP-01 located in 211-BA and is continuously monitored for gamma and beta radiation and pH. 211-BA has been upgraded to include a flow proportional sampler. A specified sample volume will be withdrawn at programmed intervals from the 211BA sump and deposited in a 19 liter plastic carboy. The sampler will be programmed per the vendor installation and operations manual by B Plant instrument maintenance personnel. Samples will be taken during five consecutive sample cycles with the sample volumes and sample frequencies recorded for comparison purposes. Additional tests related to the sampler include the alarm circuitry for loss of power and failure to obtain sample.

This Acceptance Test Procedure is for the 241-SY-101 Flexible Receiver System, Phase III Testing. This procedure will test the sealing integrity of the Flexible Receiver System to ensure that release of waste and aerosols will be minimized during the removal of the test mixer pump from tank SY-101.

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Several metal hydrides were shown to act as chromatographic media for hydrogen isotopes. The procedure was to equilibrate a column of hydride with flowing hydrogen, inject a small quantity of tritium tracer, and observe its elution behavior. Characteristic retention times were found. From these and the extent of widening of the tritium band, the heights equivalent to a theoretical plate could be calculated. Values of around 1 cm were obtained. The following are the metals whose hydrides were studied, together with the temperature ranges in which chromatographic behavior was observed: vanadium, 0 to 70/sup 0/C; zirconium, 500 to 600/sup 0/C; LaNi/sub 5/, -78 to +30/sup 0/C; Mg/sub 2/Ni, 300 to 375/sup 0/C; palladium, 0 to 70/sup 0/C. A dual-temperature isotope separation process based on hydride chromatography was demonstrated. In this, a column was caused to cycle between two temperatures while being supplied with a constant stream of tritium-traced hydrogen. Each half-cycle was continued until ''breakthrough,'' i.e., until the tritium concentration in the effluent was the same as that in the feed. Up to that point, the effluent was enriched or depleted in tritium, by up to 20%.

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This report covers the following: (1) Explanation of Charts Showing Freshwater Flow in 1995; (2) Estimated U.S. Freshwater Flow in 1995 (chart); (3) Estimated California Freshwater Flow in 1995 (chart); (4) Estimated New Mexico Freshwater Flow in 1995 (chart); and (5) Web locations and credits.

We have performed a numerical modeling study that evaluated the capacity of electrical resistance tomography (ERT) to detect flaws in a passive reactive barrier (PRB). The model barrier is based on a real barrier described in the literature Slater and Binley (2003). It consists of highly conducting, granular iron emplaced within a trench. We assumed that the barrier was filled with a mixture of iron and sand, and that vertical electrode arrays were embedded within the barrier. We have considered (a) characterization and (b) monitoring scenarios. For (a), the objective is to use tomographs of absolute resistivity to detect construction flaws and inhomogeneities in iron distribution shortly after installation. For (b), the objective is to use resistivity change tomographs to detect iron oxidation and barrier plugging as a function of time. The study considered varying PRB hole sizes and locations. For any given model, a hole was located right next to and near the center of an electrode array (maximum sensitivity and resolution expected), at the center between two electrode arrays (moderate sensitivity and resolution), or near the bottom centered between the two arrays (minimum sensitivity and resolution). We also considered various hole sizes. The smallest hole considered had a …

Currently, data of interest to microbial researchers is spread across hundreds of web-accessible data sources, each with a unique interface and data format. Researchers interact with a few of these sites when they analyze their data, but are not able to utilize the majority of them on a regular basis. There are two significant challenges that must be overcome to integrate this environment and allow researchers to efficiently perform data analysis across the entire set of relevant data, or at least a significant portion of it. The first is to provide consistent access to the large numbers of distributed, heterogeneous data sets that are currently distributed over the web. The second is to define the semantics of the data provided by the individual sites in such a way that semantic conflicts can be identified and, ideally, resolved. The first step in establishing any integrated environment, from a data warehouse to a multi-database system, is provide consistent access to all of the relevant sources. While the type of access required will vary based on the integration strategy chosen--for example federated systems use query-based access while warehouses may prefer access to the underlying database--the essence of this challenge remains the same. Thus, …

The topics discussed at this meeting included: the approval for six technical studies, safety concerns, fuel elements for tritium production, and the Mark III fuel assembly. Appendices attached to this report describe the financial status [unreadable], the theoretical physics program, experimental physics program, pile engineering program, and the Technical Division study status.

Work was carried out to obtain significant data on reactor excursions, in particular the SL-1 excursion, to extend the analysis of reactor transient behavior so as to obtain an improved understanding of the thermal and mechanical processes that take place during and following a reactor excursion, and to obtain chemical, metallurgical, and nuclear data relative to the pre-accident performance of the SL-1. Laboratory investigations were made of samples of the SL-1 power plant. Results are given and their significance discussed. An attempt was made to construct a mathematical model of reactor excursions, based partly on fundamental thermodynamic and nuclear considerations, and using some empirical results. This model was applied to SPERT and BORAX excursions with some success. Recommendations concerning reactor design and operation, which have arisen from the SL-1 accident and its analysis, are summarized. Results are presented in tables and graphs. (M.C.G.)

A single, wide-range variable orifice design is developed, which provides a maximum orifice flow area of 2.0 in./sup 2/ and a minimum oriflce flow area of 0.2 in./sup 2/ The design is based on an overall operating core DELTA P of 4.0 psi and provides for a sodium flow range of 2.45 to 10.0 lb/sec. Bypass leakage around the orifice is analyzed and accounted for in the design. It is shown that the use of piston rings is not necesary to reduce this leakage. The orifice plug profile is calculated for constant temperature sensitivity; the maximum average sensitivity being 451 deg F/ in. for a 1.5 in. plug length. Fuel channel pressure drop is recalculated for both special and standard elements using the latest proposed designs. Maximum DELTA P including wide open variable orifice is 3.6 psi. (auth)

This project sought and successfully answered two big challenges facing the creation of low-energy, cost-effective, zeotropic multi-component distillation processes: first, identification of an efficient search space that includes all the useful distillation configurations and no undesired configurations; second, development of an algorithm to search the space efficiently and generate an array of low-energy options for industrial multi-component mixtures. Such mixtures are found in large-scale chemical and petroleum plants. Commercialization of our results was addressed by building a user interface allowing practical application of our methods for industrial problems by anyone with basic knowledge of distillation for a given problem. We also provided our algorithm to a major U.S. Chemical Company for use by the practitioners. The successful execution of this program has provided methods and algorithms at the disposal of process engineers to readily generate low-energy solutions for a large class of multicomponent distillation problems in a typical chemical and petrochemical plant. In a petrochemical complex, the distillation trains within crude oil processing, hydrotreating units containing alkylation, isomerization, reformer, LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) and NGL (natural gas liquids) processing units can benefit from our results. Effluents from naphtha crackers and ethane-propane crackers typically contain mixtures of methane, ethylene, ethane, propylene, …

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