Thermal spallation of rock may be defined as a type of progressive rock failure caused by the creation of thermal stresses induced by a sudden application of heat from a high temperature source. This technology is applicable to only certain types of hard rock, such as dolomite, taconite, and granite. In 1981 and 1982, the deepest holes ever drilled by this process were drilled in granite to depths of 1086 feet and 425 feet respectively. Penetration rates at the bottom of the deeper hole reached a maximum of 100 ft/hr. Because of these high rates, considerable interest was generated concerning the use of this technology for the drilling of deep holes. Based on this interest, this study was undertaken to evaluate the technical and economic aspects of the technology in general. This methodology has been used for blasthole drilling, the cutting of chambers at the bottom of drilled holes, and the cutting of narrow grooves in rock. However, because of the very high temperatures generated by the flame jet and the application of the technology to only certain types of rock, other areas of use have been very limited. In this report, evaluation of the technology was performed by conceptually …

The Texas State Briefing Book is one of a series of state briefing books on low-level radioactivee waste management practices. It has been prepared to assist state and federal agency officials in planning for safe low-level radioactive waste disposal. The report contains a profile of low-level radioactive waste generators in Texas. The profile is the result of a survey of NRC licensees in Texas. The briefing book also contains a comprehensive assessment of low-level radioactive waste management issues and concerns as defined by all major interested parties including industry, government, the media, and interest groups. The assessment was developed through personal communications with representatives of interested parties, and through a review of media sources. Lastly, the briefing book provides demographic and socioeconomic data and a discussion of relevant government agencies and activities, all of which may impact waste management practices in Texas.

This document includes discussions about geothermal energy, its applications, and how it is found and developed. It identifies known geothermal resources located in Western's power marketing area, and covers the use of geothermal energy for both electric power generation and direct applications. Economic, institutional, environmental, and other factors are discussed, and the benefits of the geothermal energy resource are described.

The activities and findings of the seven state commercialization teams participating in the Rocky Mountain Basin and Range commercialization program are described. For each state (Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, North and South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming), prospect identification, area development plans, site specific development analyses, time-phased project plans, the aggregated prospective geothermal energy use, and institutional analyses are discussed. Public outreach activities are also covered, and findings and recommendations are given for each state. Some background information about the program is provided. (LEW)

The activities and findings of the seven state commercialization teams participating in the Rocky Mountain Basin and Range commercialization program are described. The period covered is July through December 1981. Background information is provided, program objectives and the technical approach used are discussed, and the benefits of the program are described. Prospect identification, area development plans, site specific development analyses, time-phased project plans, the aggregated prospective geothermal energy use, and institutional analyses are discussed. Public outreach activities are covered and findings and recommendations are summarized.

The Geothermal Direct Use Engineering and Design Guidebook is designed to be a comprehensive, thoroughly practical reference guide for engineers and designers of direct heat projects. These projects could include the conversion of geothermal energy into space heating cooling of buildings, district heating, greenhouse heating, aquaculture and industrial processing. The Guidebook is directed at understanding the nature of geothermal resources and the exploration of these resources, fluid sampling techniques, drilling, and completion of geothermal wells through well testing, and reservoir evaluation. It presents information useful to engineers on the specification of equipment including well pumps, piping, heat exchangers, space heating equipment, heat pumps and absorption refrigeration. A compilation of current information about greenhouse, aquaculture and industrial applications is included together with a discussion of engineering cost analysis, regulation requirements, and environmental considerations. The purpose of the Guidebook is to provide an integrated view for the development of direct use projects for which there is a very potential in the United States.

The geothermal resource under Lackland Air Force Base (AFB), San Antonio, Texas was studied. It is the conclusion of the investigators that a geothermal well drilled at the site recommended by this study has a high probability of delivering geothermal fluids in sufficient quantity and at adequate temperatures to support a projected space and domestic hot water heating system. An exploratory production well location is recommended in the southwest sector of the base, based upon geologic conditions and the availability of sufficient open space to support the drilling operation. It is projected that a production well drilled at the recommended location would produce geothermal fluid of 130 to 145/sup 0/F at a rate of approximately 1000 gpm with reasonable fluid drawdowns. The Environmental Assessment for the drilling portion of the project has been completed, and no irreversible or irretrievable impacts are anticipated as a result of this drilling program. The permitting process is proceeding smoothly.

This work has carried out in two phases: Phase 1, identification of opportunities for heat pumps in industrial applications and Phase 2; evaluation of heat pumps in industrial applications. In Phase 1, pinch analysis was applied to several industrial sites to identify the best opportunities for heat pumping and other forms of heat integration. In Phase 2, more detailed analyses were undertaken, including the evaluation of a heat pump installed as a recommendation of Phase 1.

This presentation consists of the following visual aids; (1) detailed routing capabilities of truck, rail, barge; (2) legislative data base for hazardous materials; and (3) emergency response of accident site Eddyville, Kentucky (airports in vicinity of Eddyville, KY).

This atlas of the south central region combines seven collections of wind resource data: one for the region, and one for each of the six states (Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas). At the state level, features of the climate, topography, and wind resource are discussed in greater detail than that provided in the regional discussion, and the data locations on which the assessment is based are mapped. Variations, over several time scales, in the wind resource at selected stations in each state are shown on graphs of monthly average and interannual wind speed and power, and hourly average wind speed for each season. Other graphs present speed, direction, and duration frequencies of the wind at these locations.

Electricity rates are given for selected cities in each state, first of the Southern Solar Energy Center region and then of the rest of the US, for an average residence that uses 1000 kWh a month. (LEW)

Performance estimates for attached-sunspace passive solar heated residences have recently been incorporated into the Los Alamos/UNM EASE III model. These estimates are used to analyze the economic performance of a fixed dimension sunspace design when attached to a pre-existing single family residential unit. The sunspace is a passive design which can be easily and effectively adapted to a retrofit situation. Several key parameters are carefully evaluated for the sunspace retrofit design. These include loan or mortgage terms, ownership period, resale potential and competing conventional fuel prices. General economic and design parameters are combined in a variant of life cycle costing to evaluate the feasibility of both owner-built and contractor-built attached sunspaces for 220 regions in the contiguous United States. This evaluation is made for two conventional fuel types - natural gas and electric resistance - and for three resale values - 0%, 100%, and 200%. Results show that the prospect for conventional fuel displacement through retrofit of attached sunspaces is very good with the design's economic performance enhanced in regions with expensive conventional fuel alternatives.

A US Air Force (USAF) Residential Energy Conservation Methodology was developed to compare USAF needs and available data to the procedures of the Residential Conservation Service (RCS) program as developed for general use by utility companies serving civilian customers. Attention was given to the data implications related to group housing, climatic data requirements, life-cycle cost analysis, energy saving modifications beyond those covered by RCS, and methods for utilizing existing energy consumption data in approaching the USAF survey program. Detailed information and summaries are given on the five subtasks of the program. Energy conservation alternatives are listed and the basic analysis techniques to be used in evaluating their thermal performane are described. (MCW)

The purpose of the task is to determine the market potential of the Brayton-cycle Subatmospheric System (SAS), especially as applied to the glass processing industry. Areas which impact the sales of the Brayton-cycle systems examined are: market size; opportunities for waste heat system installation (furnace rebuild and repair); pollution control on glass furnaces; equipment costs; equipment performance; and market growth potential. Supporting data were compiled for the glass industry inventory and are presented in Appendix A. Emission control techniques in the glass industry are discussed in Appendix B. (MCW)

Rules of thumb are given for passive solar systems for: (1) sizing solar glazing for 219 cities, (2) sizing thermal storage mass, and (3) building orientation.

Guidelines are given for selecting R-values and infiltration levels, and determining the size of the solar collection area for passive solar building. The guidelines are based on balancing the incremental cost/benefit of conservation and solar strategies. Tables are given for 209 cities in the US and the results are also displayed on maps. The procedures are developed in an appendix, which gives the cost assumptions used and explains how to develop different guidelines for different costs.

Simplified, non-computer based methods are presented for predicting photovoltaic array and system performance. The array performance prediction methods are useful for calculating the potential output of passively cooled, flat, south facing max-power tracked arrays. A solar/weather data base for 97 different US and US affiliated stations is provided to aid in these calculations. Also, performance estimates can be made for photovoltaic systems (array, battery, power conditioner) that are backed-up by non-solar reserves capable of meeting the load when the solar system cannot. Such estimates can be made for a total of 41 different sinusoidal, unimodal, and bimodal diurnal load profiles from appropriate graphs included. These allow easy determination of the fraction of the load met by the solar photovoltaic system as a function of array size and (dedicated) battery storage capacity. These performance graphs may also be used for systems without battery storage. Use of array manufacturer's specification sheet data is discussed. Step-by-step procedures, along with suggested worksheets, are provided for carrying out the necessary calculations.

This project examines the energy efficiencies of five different water source heat pump systems. This is further supported by an experimental effort in which an existing residence is retrofitted with a heat pump and other energy sources: well water as a heat source/sink, vertical geothermal well as heat source/heat sink/storage, horizontal buried metal and plastic ground coils to use as heat source/heat sink, and a solar assist system. The energy elements are operated individually and in combination configurations to determine performance, and cost effectiveness of the energy alternatives are explored.

The meteorology of the Great Plains can be described as a constant progression of air masses, fronts and cyclonic storm systems. Each of these meteorological conditions can be characterized by identifiable isobaric and related weather parameter patterns. Nine such patterns have been defined to type the weather patterns in the Great Plains. Time series of weather pattern types were produced for 62 stations on the Great Plains. Statistical analyses of these time series produced annual and seasonal frequencies of occurrence of the weather pattern types. Maps of the annual and seasonal frequency of occurrence of weather pattern type are presented for the Great Plains. Persistence and alternation frequencies match what is expected for traveling temperate latitude cyclones, anticyclones and fronts. The wind regime for stations at which the anemometer height and location was constant (and known) for a minimum of three consecutive years was stratified by weather pattern type. Statistical analyses were made to show the response of the wind to the large-scale distribution of air pressure associated with a weather pattern type. The response of the wind to the weather pattern is a site-specific result of the interaction of the large-scale meteorology with local terrain, surface roughness and atmospheric …

A statistical analysis of spatial patterns of 1980 US urban total mortality (all causes) was performed, evaluating demographic, socioeconomic and air pollution factors as predictors. Specific mortality predictors included cigarette smoking, drinking water hardness, heating fuel use, and 1978-1982 annual concentrations of the following air pollutants: ozone, carbon monoxide, sulfate aerosol, particulate concentrations of lead, iron, cadmium, manganese, vanadium, as well as total and fine particle mass concentrations from the inhalable particulate network (dichotomous samplers). In addition, estimates of sulfur dioxide, oxides of nitrogen, and sulfate aerosol were made for each city using the ASTRAP long-range transport diffusion model, and entered into the analysis as independent variables. Because the number of cities with valid air quality and water hardness data varied considerably by pollutant, it was necessary to consider several different data sets, ranging from 48 to 952 cities. The relatively strong associations (ca. 5--10%) shown for 1980 pollution with 1980 total mortality are generally not confirmed by independent studies, for example, in Europe. In addition, the US studies did not find those pollutants with known adverse health effects at the concentrations in question (such as ozone or CO) to be associated with mortality. The question of causality vs. circumstantial …

An assessment of the need for dry cooling of steam-electric power plants over the time period 2000 to 2020 is documented. In the assessment three scenarios for future growth in electrical energy were examined. Characteristics of fresh water supply and consumptive use of water in each of the 99 aggregated subareas within the contiguous United States were reviewed; based on this review the need for dry cooling in each pertinent subarea was delineated.

On June 26, 1980, the municipal electric systems of Garland and Greenville, Texas, both experienced total system outages which lasted from 2:01 p.m. until 10:15 p.m. that evening. In order to understand more fully the causes of this disturbance, a technical analysis was initiated to consider: the status of each of the involved utility systems prior to initiation of the disturbance; the sequence of events which occurred between the initial event precipitating the interruption and the total system outages; the restorative procedures implemented by the involved systems; and any procedural changes or facility modifications that should be considered by the involved systems. Each of these items is discussed, and recommendations are made for developing an emergency operation plan, for isolating the two distribution systems when a significant system frequency excursion occurs, and for developing power pool operating criteria and contingency plans. (LCL)

The Wind Energy Forum for Oklahoma and Texas was held at the Amarillo Quality Inn in Amarillo, Texas on April 2-3, 1981. Its purpose was to bring together the diverse groups involved in wind energy development in the Oklahoma and Texas region to explore the future commercial potential and current barriers to achieving this potential. Major topics of discussion included utility interconnection of wind machines and the buy-back rate for excess power, wind system reliability and maintenance concerns, machine performance standards, and state governmental incentives. A short summary of each presentation is included.

A computer code, ASHMET, has been developed by MSFC to estimate the amount of solar insolation incident on the surfaces of solar collectors. Both tracking and fixed-position collectors have been included. Climatological data for 248 US locations are built into the code. This report describes the methodology of the code, and its input and output. The basic methodology used by ASHMET is the ASHRAE clear-day insolation relationships modified by a clearness index derived from SOLMET-measured solar radiation data to a horizontal surface.