Experiments conducted during this past quarter demonstrated the decided difference both in amount and composition of the gas produced from the fermentation of ozonated versus unozonated yeast-plant SSL. Gas from ozonated SSL averaged over 80% methane content while unozonated effluent was mostly carbon dioxide. Gas production rates and retention time studies indicated that the fermentation was substrate-limited. Preliminary tests using supplemental carbon sources have verified this. The success of the ozonation process in producing fermentable substrates was clearly shown by the appreciable yeast growth in the ozonated SSL. Of particular significance was the maximum yield obtained at the short ozonation time of 10 minutes as compared to the 2-hour treatment. It is possible that shortening the ozonation time could also increase the amount of substrate available for methane production. This would be very important in transferring this process to a commercial basis and reducing the operating costs.

The inducer pump, designed and fabricated as a test article to evaluate the inducer/impeller pump concept for providing improved suction performance of large sodium pumps, met or exceeded all performance goals. The inducer stage in front of the centrifugal impeller dramatically reduces the size of pumps. It was demonstrated that the inducer can operate at suction specific speeds in excess of 35,000, whereas conventional centrifugal pumps have demonstrated capability to only 12,000. The inducer pump employs several components of the 2000 and 4000 gpm NaK pumps from the Connecticut Aircraft Nuclear Engine Laboratory (CANEL) Programs. Use of the volute, thermal barrier and shaft oil seal from the CANEL pumps allowed acceleration and cost reduction of the Inducer Pump Program.

A new, wide-range equation of state (EOS) has been constructed for Be. The composite theoretical model incorporates ionization equilibrium and condensed-matter and multiphase physics. It also satisfies all thermodynamic equilibrium constraints. The theoretical EOS has been compared with all available high-pressure and high-temperature Be data, and satisfactory agreement is generally achieved. The most interesting feature is the theoretical prediction of melting at just below 220 GPa (2 Mb), indicating an extremely wide pressure range for solid Be. A striking feature is the appearance of shell-structure effects in physical-process paths: 2 large loops appear on the principal Hugoniot and the behavior of release isentropes from rho = rho/sub 0/ is significantly affected.

Significant progress in plasma confinement and temperature has been achieved in the 2XIIB facility at Livermore. These encouraging results, and their theoretical corroboration, have provided a firm basis for the design of a new generation of magnetic mirror experiments, adding support to the mirror concept of a fusion reactor. Two new mirror experiments have been proposed to succeed the currently operating 2XIIB facility. The first of these called TMX (Tandem Mirror Experiment) has been approved and is currently under construction. TMX is designed to utilize the intrinsic positive plasma potential of two strong, and relatively small, minimum B mirror cells to enhance the confinement of a much larger, magnetically weaker, centrally-located mirror cell. The second facility, MFTF (Mirror Fusion Test Facility), is currently in preliminary design with line item approval anticipated for FY 78. MFTF is designed primarily to exploit the experimental and theoretical results derived from 2XIIB. Beyond that, MFTF will develop the technology for the transition from the present small mirror experiments to large steady-state devices such as the mirror FERF/FTR. The sheer magnitude of the plasma volume, magnetic field, neutral beam power, and vacuum pumping capacity, particularly in the case of MFTF, has placed new and exciting …

This report documents the 1) radial compliance and 2) low friction coating tests conducted on the CRBRP Rotating Plug Inflatable Seals per test plan N707TR810014. Test results show that narrowing the seal blade from 0.25 to 0.12 in. will effectively reduce dynamic drag from 30 to 20 lb/ft under nominal conditions and will increase seal radial compliance from 0.12 to 0.30 in. without an unacceptable rise in dynamic drag. Tests also demonstrated that application of a teflon coating to the seal wear surface reduced breakaway drag by 25% based on results of comparison dwells.

An analysis was performed investigating the potential of retrofitting Detroit Edison's Conners Creek power plant to supply district heating and cooling to an area surrounding the plant and within the City of Detroit. A detailed analysis was made of the types and ages of the buildings in the service area as a basis for establishing loads. The analysis of the power plant established possible modifications to the turbines to serve the load in the area. Based upon the service area data and plant retrofit schemes, a distribution system was developed incrementally over a 20-y period. An economic analysis of the system was performed to provide cash flows and payback periods for a variety of energy costs, system costs, and escalation rates to determine the economic viability of the system analyzed. The legal and regulatory requirements required of the district heating and cooling system owner in Michigan were also analyzed to determine what conditions must be met to own and operate the system.

The effect of shock wave risetime on material ejection in aluminum has been studied for loading stresses of 21 GPa. Uniform loading was accomplished with plate impact techniques by mounting specimens on a ramp wave generator. Projectile impact on one side of the wave generator produced a wave which dispersed with propagation distance. This wave was then made incident to an aluminum specimen, so that the specimen experienced non-shock loading. It was found that mass ejection from aluminum surfaces can be reduced by over two orders of magnitude relative to shock loading conditions by accelerating the surface with a wave risetime greater than about 35 ns. These results suggest an explanation for the apparent discrepancies which are sometimes observed in mass ejection measurements utilizing either plate impact or electron beam deposition to generate stress waves.

The Laboratory for Nuclear Science (LNS) has continued its study of resource sharing via general-purpose computer networks. This report describes experiments performed with the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory and the Argonne National Laboratory in using the network for off-loading calculations and obtaining access to unique hardware and software. It also gives performance statistics of the network and cost comparisons. Continued investigation of message and teleconferencing systems is described. Plans for improved usage of the ARPANET, for expansion of computer-aided communications facilities, and for investigation of networks other than the ARPANET are proposed. To date the study has demonstrated that resource sharing via networks will provide LNS with access to computer facilities not available on site, and thus improve the quality of energy research done in the laboratory. However, certain barriers, both technical and nontechnical, exist that must be overcome. In the technical area continued investigation is planned into improving the user interface to the network with cooperative projects at other sites, such as the development of a standard command language, expanded network oriented documentation, and consulting facilities. Methods of managing network services and allocating costs will be studied in an effort to eliminate some of the nontechnical barriers.

Operation of the existing Hanford nuclear fuel reprocessing facilities will increase the release of nitrogen oxides (NO/sub x/) to the atmosphere over present emission rates. Stack emissions from two reprocessing facilities, one waste storage facility and two coal burning power plants will contain increased concentrations of NO/sub x/. The opacity of the reprocessing facilities' emissions is predicted to periodically exceed the State and local opacity limit of twenty percent. Past measurements failed to detect differences in the ambient air NO/sub x/ concentration with and without reprocessing plant operations. Since the facilities are not presently operating, increases in the non-occupational ambient air NO/sub x/ concentration were predicted from theoretical diffusion models. Based on the calculations, the annual average ambient air NO/sub x/ concentration will increase from the present level of less than 0.004 ppM to less than 0.006 ppM at the Hanford site boundaries. The national standard for the annual mean ambient air NO/sub 2/ concentration is 0.05 ppM. Therefore, the non-occupational ambient air NO/sub x/ concentration will not be increased to significant levels by reprocessing operations in the Hanford 200 Areas.

Following DOE's RFP for District Heating and Cooling Through Power Plant Retrofit, Detroit Edison and the City of Detroit decided to respond, even though it would mean redirection and a delay in their plan that was already under study. The analysis reported here proceeded in six steps. The first step was to identify the service area under the constraint that it be within the City of Detroit and in close proximity to the candidate plant. With the basic service area to be considered established, the load within the service area was defined for the five categories of end-users chosen: general residential, major residential, commercial, institutional, and industrial. Parallel to all tasks and continuing throughout the phase, a definition of institutional requirements - including regulatory, legal, and licensing aspects of a district heating and cooling project - was carried out to determine the ability of Detroit Edison to own and operate such a project and to define the limitations or problems that may be encountered in the project. The capacity of the retrofitted power plant to supply heating and cooling was determined as a basis for sizing the distribution systems and for determining which end-user loads could be served. The distribution …

This appendix presents tabulated data used for evaluating the feasibility of retrofitting thermal power plants in the Detroit area so as to provide heat for a district heating system. (LCL)

A study of a series of copper(I) compounds which contain a strongly absorbing chromophore (e.g., CuBr(PPh/sub 3/)-(2,2'-bipyridine)) for use as sensitizers in photochemical energy storage systems is described. The generally low sensitization efficiencies of these compounds preclude their use as sensitizers in a practical photochemical energy storage system. Nevertheless, some interesting mechanistic information has emerged from this study, the full details of which are being written for publication. Also, the related compound, Ru(bipy)/sub 2/(NBD)/sup +2/, which features a norbornadiene molecule coordinated directly to a strongly absorbing metal containing fragment was examined. The original rationale for studying this compound was the expectation that the absorption of visible light would result in the population of an electronically excited state in which the electron density of the NBD is considerably perturbed. Relaxation of this state could then occur by a pathway which leads to the rearranged product, quadricyclene. It was found, however, that the sensitization efficiency of this compound is quite low. A comprehensive study of the factors which affect the sensitization efficiencies of Ir(bipy)/sub 2/(bipy')OH/sub 2//sup +3/ is unerway. In order to elucidate the mechanism(s) by which organic sensitizers affect the conversion of norbornadiene to quadricyclene, a study to measure the actual …

The prototype surface examination station for the Fuels and Materials Examination Facility (FMEF) will use closed circuit television (CCTV) for routine modes of operation along with a nuclear periscope for special examination needs. The CCTV and the nuclear periscope were evaluated against prescribed station requirements and compared in a side-by-side demonstration. A quantitative evaluation of their outputs showed that both systems were capable of meeting surface anomaly detection requirements. The CCTV system was superior in its ability to collect, suppress and present data into a more useful form for the experimenters.

Separate abstracts were prepared for the five papers presented. (WHK)

Accurate simulation of high density target implosion requires material properties (ionization, pressure, energy, opacity, and transport coefficients) at densities where bound electrons are significantly perturbed by neighboring atoms. In the LASNEX code, this data is supplied by tables and/or calculated from a Stromgren model for ionization equilibrium. Improvements have been made in this model which aim at assuring thermodynamic consistency and obtaining better agreement with more elaborate calculations. Arbitrary degeneracy is allowed for the free electrons. Consistent Coulomb contributions to pressure and continuum lowering are obtained. A new pressure ionization scheme merges bound electrons into the continuum as a smooth function of density and the corresponding contribution to pressure is calculated. Results are shown for aluminum.

A code to simulate material transport through porous media was developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. This code has been modified and adapted for use at Lawrence Livermore Laboratory. This manual, in conjunction with report ORNL-4928, explains the input, output, and execution of the code on the Octopus Computer Network.

Chapters are devoted to the following: introduction and general description; summary safety analysis; site characteristics; principal design criteria; repository design; operations systems; management of onsite generated waste; radiation protection; accident safety analysis; conduct of operations; operating controls and limits; and quality assurance.

A neutron-detection system has been assembled to provide both spatial and energy information from the neutrons produced in advanced fusion experiments. Techniques described are applicable to experiments where the neutron pulse is on the order of one-second duration. The system gives spatial resolution of about 1 cm at distances of 1 to 2 m and energy resolution of 0.6 MeV at 14 MeV. In all cases, pulse-shape discrimination is used to distinguish neutrons from gamma rays.

The JPL life testing program for solar cell arrays is described. The testing sites include one at JPL, one at Table Mountain in the San Bernardino Mountains, one in the desert at Goldstone near Barstow, California, and one at the Coast Guard Facility at Point Vicente on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. The test stands and data acquisition systems are described, and test results are presented and discussed. (WHK)

This report reviews the physical basis for the theory of enhanced transport in non-axisymmetric tandem mirror systems recently published by Ryutov, et al. For TMX and thermal ions in a reactor, the radial loss is estimated to be somewhat less than the axial loss; energetic alphas in reactors are susceptible to rapid loss. A number of variations of current magnetic field designs are suggested for reducing this transport.

During this quarter the portion of this project concerned with catalysis has concentrated on the development of increased understanding of the cobalt(II) porphyrin catalyst. Of potential importance is the observation that the activity of partially deactivated catalysts can be partially restored by treatment with titanium(III) solutions thereby suggesting that a major cause of the losses of activity of catalysts upon repeated recycling arises from oxidation of cobalt(II) to cobalt(III). The previously discovered molybdenum catalyst ((CF/sub 3/)/sub 2/C/sub 2/S/sub 2/)/sub 3/Mo and the closely related nickel catalyst ((CF/sub 3/)/sub 2/C/sub 2/S/sub 2/)/sub 2/Ni were also studied in detail.

This study was initiated in 1957 by the U.S. Public Health, and many facets of this project are reaching final objectives. Many new studies have developed in the course of this study and will continue. The projects supported by The Department of Energy during the past year are of utmost importance and consist of: (a) collection of material from uranium miners known to have cancer of the lung into a tumor registry; (b) completion and publication of the Manual on Pulmonary Cytology; (c) regression study of sputum cytological findings in uranium miners who showed marked atypical squamous cell metaplasia and have quit smoking cigarettes, mining, or both; (d) continuation of sputum collection and collection of lungs from deceased miners; (e) sensory development for localization of carcinoma in situ of the lung; and (f) lung histology program. Since we have examined approximately 80,000 sputum samples the last 21 years in cases that showed normal cytology at the inception of the study and some subsequently developed carcinoma of the lung, we have an accumulation of material that is worthy of study and presentation. In addition, we continue to add new knowledge to the art of diagnostic pulmonary cytology. This is a relatively …

Comparison of the 1978 projections of the Reliability Councils with those made the previous year indicates three major changes in electric utility planning: (1) a reduction in total capacity additions for the 10-year planning period, (2) a significant decrease in nuclear additions, and (3) a shift from oil and gas to coal as a source of primary energy. Nuclear capacity continues to far overshadow fossil-fuel capacity in the unit-size range 1000 MW and up, with the reverse true for unit sizes less than 1000 MW. Although the total 10-year new-unit capacity drops from 326,624 MW (1977 to 1986) to 308,017 (1978 to 1987), new capacity planned that would use coal as a primary energy source increases from 136,763 MW to 146,206 MW. Nuclear capacity, in terms of total new units projected for the two 10-year periods, decreases from 130,532 MW to 116,177 MW, and capacity with oil as the primary source drops from 32,837 MW to 21,072 MW. For 1977 to 1986, no capacity was planned with oil as a primary source and coal as an alternate fuel but for 1978 to 1987, 1220 MW of such capacity is projected. Therefore, the total new capacity projected that could use coal …

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