Results of Phase I of the Hawaii Geothermal Project (HGP), which consisted of a two-year study on the potential of geothermal energy for the Big Island of Hawaii, are reviewed. One conclusion from Phase I was that preliminary results looked sufficiently encouraging to warrant the drilling of the first experimental geothermal well in the Puna area of the Big Island. During the first two months of drilling, parallel activity has continued in all research and support areas. Additional gravity, seismic, and electrical surveys were conducted; water and rock samples were collected; and analysis and interpretation of data has proceeded. Earlier work on mathematical and physical modeling of geothermal reservoirs was expanded; analysis of liquid-dominated geothermal systems continued; and studies on testing of geothermal wells were initiated. An environmental assessment statement of HGP No. 1 was prepared and baselines established for crucial environmental parameters. Economic, legal, and regulatory studies were completed and alternatives identified for the development of geothermal power in Hawaii. Early stages of the drilling program proceeded slowly. The initial 9 7/8-inch drill hole to 400 feet, as well as each of the three passes required to open the hole to 26 inches, were quite time consuming. Cementing of …

This document presents a common cause failure analysis for Critical LMFBR Shutdown Heat Removal Systems. The report is intended to outline a systematic approach to defining areas with significant potential for common causes of failure, and ultimately provide inputs to the reliability prediction model. A preliminary evaluation of postulatd single initiating causes resulting in multiple failures of LMFBR-SHRS items is presented in Appendix C. This document will be periodically updated to reflect new information and activity.

Additional gravity, seismic, and electrical surveys were conducted; water and rock samples were collected; and analysis and interpretation of data has proceeded. The engineering program has expanded its earlier work on mathematical and physical modeling of geothermal reservoirs; continued with the analysis of liquid-dominated geothermal systems; and initiated studies on geothermal well testing. An environmental assessment statement of HGP No. 1 was prepared and baselines established for crucial environmental parameters. Economic, legal, and regulatory studies were completed and alternatives identified for the development of geothermal power in Hawaii. The Drilling Program has provided assistance in contract negotiations, preparation of the drilling and testing programs, and scientific input to the drilling operation. (MHR)

A research program initiated to investigate the feasibility of using the geothermal energy available in salt domes to generate electrical power and of using cavities developed in salt domes as high temperature, high pressure chemical reaction vessels for converting municipal wastes to fuel oil or gas is described. Power generation from geothermal was not found to be economically feasible. The conversion of waste to fuel is possible if the problems of cavity collapse can be avoided. (MHR)

Task force recommendations that are considered essential for proper start up of the Niland Test Facility are presented, along with those desirable for start up, but not essential and those desirable during operation but having no direct effect on start up. (MHR)

The early stages of geothermal resource development in the Imperial Valley have been characterized by an emphasis on the technological expertise of private developers and government officials. Government officials have created a complex array of Federal, state and county regulations to monitor the development. Local control is under the jurisdiction of the Imperial County government. The County has as its responsibility the protection of the general welfare of its residents, including any potentially adverse social, economic, or environmental impacts caused by geothermal resource development. Private developers and government officials are interested in the resources as a source of water desalination and electric power generation. An assessment of the interests and concerns of the public was made early in the development stage. In view of all these interests, it is essential in a democratic society that the various interests be identified so government can be representative of, and responsive to, those interests. Therefore, the four issues discussed in the paper are: (1) regulatory problems faced by local government officials in determining the course of development; (2) the social and political context in which the development is taking place; (3) the potential of geothermal development as perceived by community leaders and local …

It is shown that in an SU(2) gauge theory, with isospin symmetry broken by a triplet of scalar mesons, isospinor degrees of freedom are converted into spin degrees of freedom, in the field of a magnetic monopole.

The literature has been reviewed to determine the possible influences of strain rate and temperature on the yield and fracture toughness behavior of selected steels suggested for use in an LMFBR Spent Fuel Shipping Cask. Based on this information, recommendations have been made for further work which is intended to alleviate potential problems prior to their having a major impact on the shipping cask program.

A new approach for the solution of the Vlasov equation for complex magnetic field geometries has been developed using operator techniques. The general approach is illustrated by determining the perturbed distribution function and density operator for the problem of shear stabilization of drift waves for transverse and arbitrary directions of propagation. The ensuing corrections to stability criteria of current theories are obtained for certain domains of physical parameters. Preliminary work on the integral equation approach to the dispersion relation has been initiated. As a prelude to the study of particle orbits in complex mirror geometries, the adiabatic and non-adiabatic behavior of a harmonic oscillator has been studied using operator methods. High-..beta.., high shear plasma sheath configurations have been studied with the full ion dynamics taken into account and electrons treated in the zero and first order approximation, in the ratio of the electron Larmor radius to the scale length. The resulting sheath structure equation in the lowest order approximation has been solved for certain entering ion distributions, and prepared for computer analysis for others. In this approximation the electron current parallel to magnetic field lines has to be assumed suppressed or predetermined. Equations in the next order approximation include the …

Explicit inverses of some classes of special matrices are presented. In Section I, the tridiagonal matrices are discussed. In Section II a discussion is given of an algorithm due to Sherman and Morrison, which is useful in finding the inverse, when an explicit inverse is known for an unperturbed matrix. Section III presents inverses of some patterned matrices. Appendix A and Appendix B contain computer programs of some of the problems discussed in Sections I, II, and III. (auth)

The real gas subroutines in Sandia's version of the NASA Ames flow field code have been extensively revised. Using these modifications the required computer run time for a difficult high Mach number case has been reduced from 1330 seconds to 151 seconds. (auth)

The objective of this study was to determine acceleration levels experienced by the ERDA thermal converter unit implanted abdominally in a calf. A full-scale weighted mock-up of the thermal converter was fabricated containing a triaxial accelerometer. The mock-up was implanted in calf cadavers which were subjected to falls from an operating table. Highest acceleration recorded was 34 g. The mock-up was implanted in living animals and acceleration measurements made under various maneuvers including walking, standing from a laying position, walking up and down stairs, jumping, and falling from a standing position. Maximum acceleration recorded was 8 g and occurred in the falling maneuver.

Progress is summarized in the areas of radioactivity control technology, sodium systems development, sodium systems engineering, and sodium systems analysis.

The TFTR is the first U.S. magnetic confinement device planned to demonstrate the fusion of D-T at reactor power levels. This report addresses the physics objectives and the engineering goals of the TFTR project. Technical, cost, and schedule aspects of the project are included. (MOW)

This paper reviews methods of environmental sampling for radionuclides around operational and preoperational nuclear power plants. We examine in detail the implications of the established radiation standards and their effect on sampling procedures. Transport mechanisms of radionuclides in liquid effluent, and the deposition of airborne radionuclides onto soil and vegetation are discussed. We evaluate water- and soil-sampling procedures. The Lawrence Livermore Laboratory program of terrestrial gamma-ray surveys at preoperational nuclear power plants is described.

A description is given of incinerator installations in the US and in foreign countries. Included are descriptions of inactive incinerators, incinerator facilities currently in operation, and incinerator installations under construction. Special features of each installation and operational problems of each facility are emphasized. Problems in the incineration of radioactive waste are discussed in relation to the composition of the waste and the amount and type of radioactive contaminant.

Shiva consists of 2,200 flashlamp units. The reliability of such units is studied. The probability that none of the units will fail if they are to undergo a certain number of shots (say 50, 100 or 200) provided that all these units have been tested for a given number of shots is estimated. The data used to develop the method are given. Suitable models for the failure rate of an individual unit are considered, and the parameters for these models are computed. The best model is selected and reliability estimates are made using the limited data available. The steps that were taken to evaluate this estimate are summarized.

Understanding and modeling fluid/structure interaction in cylinder bundles is a basic requirement in the development of analytical methods and guidelines for designing LMFBR heat exchanger and reactor fuel assemblies that are free from component vibration problems. As a step toward satisfying this requirement, a method of analysis based on the potential flow theory is developed for analyzing free vibration of a group of cylinders immersed in a fluid contained in a cylinder. The method of analysis presented can determine the added mass coefficients and natural frequencies of coupled cylinder-fluid systems. To demonstrate the method the coupled natural frequencies for two eccentrically located cylinders with a fluid-filled gap are calculated and discussed. A few other examples are also given to show the added mass coefficients.

The complete results of the experiments with the converging annular diode within return current feedback through the cathode (Triax) are reported herein. The diode was designed to focus a relativistic high-current electron beam to a small focus. It did confirm the Triaxial theory detailed in Part I, and it did achieve a factor of 10 areal compression with 50% efficiency (which was below expectations). There were two principal reasons for this shortfall. First, the rapid diode plasma motion of 10 cm/..mu..sec that was discovered necessitated the use of larger A-K gaps than expected and led to thicker beam sheets than are needed for good focusing. Second, the intrinsic angular spread of the electrons, even from the best cathode surfaces, introduced excessive angular momentum into the beam so that only a minor portion of the electrons could reach the axis. However, the yield of useful information about diode physics in general and about the influence of prepulse, the role of diode plasmas, the motion of energetic beams within conducting boundaries, diode emission properties, and diode diagnostic techniques in particle has had a significant and useful impact on the electron beam program at Sandia.

A microscopic method of calculating the damping of collective motion into intrinsic excitation is described. The methods used to solve the static and time dependent Schroedinger equation are given in detail and the numerical accuracy of the method is discussed. A particular example, the excitation of neutron levels in the fission of /sup 236/U, is used to illustrate the approach. A number of problems are mentioned and suggestions are made as to how the work can be improved and extended. 5 figures.

The actual coal gasification reaction is controlled diffusionally in the lower part of the bed and kinetically in the upper part of the bed. When closely size-graded pulverized coal particles undergo rapid devolatilization in a laminar flow reactor, the effect of heating-up time on weight loss is negligibly small. All other experimental conditions being equal, the smaller the particle, the greater is the weight loss. Reactivity of a char increases with increase in partial pressure of oxygen in the air-nitrogen mixtures. Reactivities of various chars are determined by rank of the parent coals and their mineral matter content. There is a 170-fold difference in the reactivities of various chars. Char reactivities are maximized by keeping the maximum heat treatment temperature as low as possible, the heating rate to maximum temperature as high as possible, and allowing no soak time at maximum temperature. Therefore, reactivity of a char prepared by rapid devolatilization is appreciably higher than that of a char prepared by heat treatment using slow heating rates. The differential scanning calorimetry technique can be used to characterize carbons in terms of their reactivities. Small angle x-radiation scattering shows promise in characterization of internal porosity in coal chars. Siderite and pyrite …

A continuous precipitation method for the preparation of crystalline pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) is reported. The process involves the precipitation of PETN from an acetone solution by the addition of water in a static mixer.

This handbook describes the materials properties correlations and computer subcodes (MATPRO) developed for use with various LWR fuel rod behavior analytical programs at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory. Documentation and formulations that are generally semiempirical in nature are presented for uranium dioxide and mixed uranium-plutonium dioxide fuel, zircaloy cladding, gas mixture, and LWR fuel rod material properties.

Pressurization system components for studying the hot-pressing and swelling behavior of CoO were built. A vacuum furnace was modified so that dimensional changes can be continuously monitored during sintering under high vacuum. Chracterization of the CoO starting powders was initiated. A technique was developed to form geometrically uniform pellet compacts of high green density using low pressure punch and die pressing followed by high pressure isostatic compaction to obtain uniform green density. Preliminary sintering experiments were carried out at 1 atm in air, inert gas, and under vacuum with specimen deflection continuously monitored. Resulting microstructures were characterized using mercury porosimetry and quantitative optical microscopy. Drastic differences in sintering rates in vacuum and air were observed. (DLC)