Tuffs of the Nevada Test Site are currently under investigation to determine their potential for long-term storage of radioactive waste. As part of this program, hole USW-G1 was drilled to a depth of 6000 ft below the surface, in the central part of the Yucca Mountain area, Nevada Test Site, Nevada. Petrographic study of the USW-G1 core is presented in this report and shows the tuffs (which generally were variably welded ash flows) are partly recrystallized to a variety of secondary minerals. The important alteration products are zeolites (heulandite, clinoptilolite, mordenite and analcime), smectite clays with minor interstratified illite, albite, micas, potassium feldspar, and various forms of silica. Iijima`s zeolite zones I through IV of burial metamorphism can be recognized in the core. Zeolites are first observed at about the 1300-ft depth, and the high-temperature boundary of zeolite stability in this core occurs at about 4350 ft. Analcime persists, either metastably or as a retrograde mineral, deeper in the core. The oxidation state of Fe-Ti oxide minerals, through most of the core, increases as the degree of welding decreases, but towards the bottom of the hole, reducing conditions generally prevail. Four stratigraphic units transected by the core may be potentially …

Measurements of thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity have been made on two samples of Climax Stock quartz monzonite at pressures between 3 and 50 MPa and temperatures between 300 and 523{sup 0}K. Following those measurements the apparatus was calibrated with respect to the thermal conductivity measurement using a reference standard of fused silica. Corrected thermal conductivity of the rock indicates a value at room temperature of 2.60 +- 0.25 W/mK at 3 MPa increasing linearly to 2.75 +- 0.25 W/mK at 50 MPa. These values are unchanged (+- 0.07 W/mK) by heating under 50-MPa pressure to as high as 473{sup 0}K. The conductivity under 50-MPa confining pressure falls smoothly from 2.75 +- 0.25 W/mK at 313{sup 0}K to 2.15 +- 0.25 W/mK at 473{sup 0}K. Thermal diffusivity at 300{sup 0}K was found to be 1.2 +- 0.4 X 10{sup -6} m{sup 2}/s and shows approximately the same pressure and temperature dependencies as the thermal conductivity.

An examination has been made of the feasibility of using thermoluminescence (TL) for the self-dosimetry of the rock surrounding a canister of nuclear waste. The rock investigated was quartz monzonite from the Climax Stock, a granite intrusive at the Nevada Test Site. Samples of the rock were irradiated by {sup 60}Co to doses of 10{sup 3} to 10{sup 9} rads, then ground to a fine powder and read for TL response at a heating rate of 1{sup 0}C per second. Effects of total dose, thermal history after irradiation, grinding to a powder after irradiation, mineral composition, and powder grain size were investigated. All were found to be important, but with care, the use of TL in this manner appears promising.

The Topopah Spring Member of the Paintbrush Tuff and the Lithic-rich tuff and two Tertiary volcanic units that occur in cores from drill holes UE25a-1 and USW-G1 at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Recently they have been suggested as possibly suitable for the permanent storage of high-level radioactive waste. Earlier petrologic characterization of these units is augmented here. The Topopah Spring Member (approximately 350 m thick) has two compound cooling units. The upper, thinner unit is densely welded to vitrophyric. The lower unit ranges from nonwelded to vitrophyric, and its nonwelded base is extensively zeolitized to clinoptilolite and mordenite. Heulandite occurs as fracture fill in the overlying vitrophyric part, but zeolites are absent above that vitrophyre. Here primary devitrification plus vapor-phase crystallization dominate the mineralogy. Vapor-phase effects are especially prominent between the two vitrophyres in both cores and include numerous large lithophysal cavities throughout most of this moderately to densely welded tuff. The Lithic-rich tuff extends from 1203 to 1506 m in the USW-G1 drill core. It is nonwelded to partly welded but is well indurated due to pervasive intergrowths of authigenic minerals. These phases are analcime, albite, alkali feldspar, sericite, chlorite and quartz. The transition from analcime to secondary albite corresponds …

The Spent Fuel Test-Climax (SFT-C) is a test of the feasibility of safe and reliable short-term storage and retrieval of spent fuel from commercial nuclear reactors. In support of operational and technical goals of the test, about 850 channels of instrumentation have been installed at the SFT-C. Failure of several near-field instruments began less than six months after emplacement of 11 canisters of spent fuel and activation of six thermally similar simulators. The failed units were linear potentiometers (used to make displacement measurements) and vibrating wire stressmeters (used to make change-in-stress measurements). This report discusses the observed problems and remedial actions taken to date.

This study evaluates the feasibility of using geothermal water for space and domestic water heating systems at the elderly housing project now ready for construction at the Modoc Lassen Indian Reservation. For the six units considered, the space heating load is four times the domestic water heating load. Since the geothermal water temperature is uncertain, two scenarios were evaluated. In the first, which assumes 160/sup 0/F supply temperature, the geothermal system is assumed to satisfy the entire space and domestic water heating loads. In the second, which assumes the supply temperature to be less than 120/sup 0/F at the wellhead only space heating is provided. The economics of the first scenario are quite favorable. The additional expenditure of $15,630 is projected to save $3522 annually at current energy costs, and the life cycle cost study projects a discounted rate of return on the investment of 44.4%. Surprisingly, the investment is even more favorable for the second scenario, due to the higher cost and lower resultant savings for the domestic water components. Forced air space heating from geothermal is recommended. Domestic water heating is recommended pending additional information on supply water temperature.

The cost and feasibility of retrofitting the National Orange Show Facilities to use geothermal heat instead of natural gas for heating are determined. Because of the limited usage of the smaller facilities the study was limited to the conversion of the six major buildings: Domed, Hobby, Citrus, Auditorium, Restaurant and Commercial. A major problem is that most of the buildings are used on a very limited basis. This drastically reduced the amount of savings that could be used to amortize the retrofit cost. Another problem is that the buildings are spread over a large area and so the below grade piping costs were high. Finally, all of the buildings except for the Auditorium have direct gas fired heaters that would require all new terminal heating systems. In order to limit the retrofit cost, the retrofit system was designed to handle less than the peak load. This seemed appropriate because the facility might not even be in operation when a peak load condition occurred. Also, the existing systems could be used to supplement the geothermal system if necessary. The calculated and design peak loads are summarized.

Results from the pre-feasibility study of a geothermal district heating system for greater Reno and the pre-feasibility study of providing geothermal heat to casinos/hotels located in downtown Reno by connection to the proposed district heating system (DHS) are combined. Geothermal sources were selected from published data. Potential users were selected from aerial and city planning maps, and published building and demographic information. Energy consumption data from the electric and gas utility was matched with consumption information from surveys of representative buildings by category and climatic data. As an example, a written survey was mailed to the casino/hotels and two on-site visits were made. Retrofit methodology and cost were examined for the casino/hotels and representative buildings. Based on the pre-feasibility studies, a geothermal district heating system for Reno appears technically and economically feasible. Furthermore, additional economic savings are achieved when the Reno casinos/hotels are connected to the DHS. Steamboat Hot Springs and a geothermal area east of downtown are the most promising geothermal sources for the DHS. The City of Reno has a large yearly heat load with an average heating degree days per year of 6022/sup 0/F days and a heating season greater than eight months.

A study of research opportunities that are important to developing advanced technologies for efficient energy use is presented. The study's purpose is to describe a wide array of attractive technical areas from which specific research and development programs could be implemented. Research areas are presented for potential application in each of the major energy end-use sectors. The analysis employs a systematic process for both identifying and screening candidate energy conservation research areas. The study team was comprehensive in its review of aggregate energy consumption and employed explicit criteria to evaluate the technology research areas.

It is often necessary to analyze analog data from oscilloscope photographs, strip charts, or other graphical forms. Analysis of the data may involve conversion from analog to digital information. The digital information may be mathematically processed to extract the parameters needed for proper analysis of the original graph. In the past, a data reduction facility was operated on a part-time basis by one individual. The facility has been modified and upgraded to make it suitable for more general use by staff personnel.

A system has been developed to perform neutron radiographic analysis of dynamic events having a duration of several milliseconds. The system has been operated in the range of 2000 to 10,000 frames/second. Synchronization has provided high-speed-motion neutron radiographs for evaluation of the firing cycle of 7.62 mm munition rounds within a steel rifle barrel. The system has also been used to demonstrate the ability to produce neutron radiographic movies of two-phase flow. The equipment uses the Oregon State University TRIGA reactor capable of pulsing to 3000 MW peak power, a neutron beam collimator, a scintillator neutron conversion screen coupled to an image intensifier, and a 16 mm high speed movie camera. The peak neutron flux incident at the object position is approximately 4 x 10/sup 11/ n/cm/sup 2/s with a pulse, full width at half maximum, of 9 ms. Special studies have been performed on the scintillator conversion screens and on the effects of statistical limitations on the image quality. Modulation transfer function analysis has been used to assist in the evaluation of the system performance.

This guide serves as an overview of the biomass cogeneration area and provides direction for more detailed analysis. The business assessment is based in part on discussions with key officials from firms that have adopted biomass cogeneration systems and from organizations such as utilities, state and federal agencies, and banks that would be directly involved in a biomass cogeneration project. The guide is organized into five chapters: biomass cogeneration systems, biomass cogeneration business considerations, biomass cogeneration economics, biomass cogeneration project planning, and case studies.

WILDCAT is a conceptual design of a catalyzed D-D, tokamak, commercial, fusion reactor. WILDCAT utilizes the beneficial features of no tritium breeding, while not extrapolating unnecessarily from existing D-T designs. The reactor is larger and has higher magnetic fields and plasma pressures than typical D-T devices. It is more costly, but eliminates problems associated with tritium breeding and has tritium inventories and throughputs approximately two orders of magnitude less than typical D-T reactors. There are both a steady-state version with Alfven-wave current drive and a pulsed version. Extensive comparison with D-T devices has been made, and cost and safety analyses have been included. All of the major reactor systems have been worked out to a level of detail appropriate to a complete, conceptual design.

The state of research on intense ion beam acceleration and transport is reviewed. The limitations imposed on ion beam transport by space charge effects and methods available for neutralization are summarized. The general problem of ion beam neutralization in regions free of applied electric fields is treated. The physics of acceleration gaps is described. Finally, experiments on multi-stage ion acceleration are summarized.