A direct numerical integration of the integral equation for the average collision density in the absorber was previously suggested in a discussion of resonance absorption. The implementation of this program is considered. The method of calculation, comparison with experimental data, and the computer code developed are described. The method of integration, computation of cross sections, selection of mesh size, integration interval, outside correction, the Dancoff correction, and unresolved resonances are discussed. Resonance integrals for U/sup 235/ and Th2/sup >/s3>s/sup 2/ were calculated and compared with experiment. (M.C.G.)

Activities are discussed for research in design investigations, and materials development and testing conducted in connection with the development of the EGCR. The discussions are given in terms of: reactor physics; reactor design studies; heat transfer and fluid now investigations; materials development; in- pile and out-of-pile testing of components and materials; and development of test loops and components. (B.O.G.)

AMAX Research Development Center (AMAX R D) has been investigating methods for enhancing the reactivity and durability of the zinc ferrite desulfurization sorbent. Zinc ferrite sorbents are intended for use in desulfurization of hot coal gas in integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) or molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC) applications. For the present program, the reactivity of the sorbent may be defined as its sulfur sorption capacity at the breakthrough point and at saturation in a bench-scale, fixed-bed reactor. Durability may be defined as the ability of the sorbent to maintain important physical characteristics such As size, strength, and specific surface area during 10 cycles of sulfidation and oxidation.

Early evaluation and study of the various criteria for the ORR clearly established the requirements for the fundarnental safety and control instrumentation, and the instrumentation was well integrated into the design and construction of the plant. However, it was not designed for the optimum of maintenance convenience and minimum reactor down time in the event of instrument failure. The revisions and additions that have been made in the physical plant and maintenance which have resulted in a definite reduction of reactor down time resulting from instrument failure in the reactor and in the experiments are described. (auth)

>Characteristics of the ORR, LITR, and OGR that experimenters have found to be important are listed. The results of a survey conducted among experimenters on the utility of the reactors for various types of experiments are discussed, and some changes which might be made to improve the utilization are listed. A brief outline, with references, of most of the experiments currently being performed is included. (auth)

A method is presented for preparing a boride layer on a transition metal substrate for use in corrosive environments or as a harden surface in machine applications. This method is particularly useful in treating current collectors for use within a high temperature and corrosive electrochemical cell environment. A melt of a alkali metal boride tetrafluoride salt including such as KF to lower its melting point is prepared including a dissolved boron containing material, for instance NiB, MnB/sub 2/, or CrB/sub 2/. A transition metal to be coated is immersed in the melt at a temperature of no more than 700/sup 0/C and a surface boride layer of that transition metal is formed within a period of about 24 hours on the substrate surface.

The general integral condition connecting the field, its derivative and the resulting eta function derived for any lattice is applied to the achromats of the SLC Arcs. This condition can be combined with the non-dispersive condition to give a simple parameterization of second-order achromats constructed of combined function magnets.

The present invention is directed to the extraction of energy values from oil shale containing considerable concentrations of calcium carbonate in an efficient manner. The volatiles are separated from the oil shale in a retorting zone of a fluidized bed where the temperature and the concentration of oxygen are maintained at sufficiently low levels so that the volatiles are extracted from the oil shale with minimal combustion of the volatiles and with minimal calcination of the calcium carbonate. These gaseous volatiles and the calcium carbonate flow from the retorting zone into a freeboard combustion zone where the volatiles are burned in the presence of excess air. In this zone the calcination of the calcium carbonate occurs but at the expense of less Btu's than would be required by the calcination reaction in the event both the retorting and combustion steps took place simultaneously. The heat values in the products of combustion are satisfactorily recovered in a suitable heat exchange system.

Nuclear reactor core safety rod release apparatus comprises a control rod having a detent notch in the form of an annular peripheral recess at its upper end, a control rod support tube for raising and lowering the control rod under normal conditions, latches pivotally mounted on the control support tube with free ends thereof normally disposed in the recess in the control rod, and cam means for pivoting the latches out of the recess in the control rod when a scram condition occurs. One embodiment of the invention comprises an additonal magnetically-operated latch for releasing the control rod under two different conditions, one involving seismic shock.

An improved method and apparatus are given for producing cryogenic inertially driven fusion targets in the fast isothermal freezing (FIF) method. Improved coupling efficiency and greater availability of volume near the target for diagnostic purposes and for fusion driver beam propagation result. Other embodiments include a new electrical switch and a new explosive detonator, all embodiments making use of a purposeful heating by means of optical fibers.

The aims of this study are: (1) to characterize the surfaces of samples 3-7-8-3 and 4-1-3 using SEM, FIB and TEM techniques; (2) identify raised surface features; (3) prepare FIB-TEM lift-out sections from identified raised surfaces; and (4) perform detailed TEM characterization of FIB Sections. Focusing on the composition and crystallinity of the phases within the sections, including impurities.

Electrochemical studies such as cyclic potentiodynamic polarization (CPP) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were performed to determine the corrosion behavior of Alloy 22 (N06022) in 1M NaCl solutions at various pH values from acidic to neutral at 90 C. All the tested material was wrought Mill Annealed (MA). Tests were also performed in NaCl solutions containing weak organic acids such as oxalic, acetic, citric and picric. Results show that the corrosion rate of Alloy 22 was significantly higher in solutions containing oxalic acid than in solutions of pure NaCl at the same pH. Citric and picric acids showed a slightly higher corrosion rate, and acetic acid maintained the corrosion rate of pure chloride solutions at the same pH. Organic acids revealed to be weak inhibitors for crevice corrosion. Higher concentration ratios, compared to nitrate ions, were needed to completely inhibit crevice corrosion in chloride solutions. Results are discussed considering acid dissociation constants, buffer capacity and complex formation constants of the different weak acids.

We report on the progress in our R&D program, targetedto develop the technology for the application of Bi2Sr2CaCu2Ox (Bi-2212)in accelerator magnets. The program uses subscale coils, wound frominsulated cables, to study suitable materials, heat treatmenthomogeneity, stability, and effects ofmagnetic field and thermal andelectro-magnetic loads. We have addressed material and reaction relatedissues and report onthe fabrication, heat treatment, and analysis ofsubscale Bi-2212 coils. Such coils can carry a current on the order of5000 A and generate, in various support structures, magnetic fields from2.6 to 9.9 T. Successful coils are therefore targeted towards a hybridNb3Sn-HTS magnet which will demonstrate the feasibility of Bi-2212 foraccelerator magnets, and open a new magnetic field realm, beyond what isachievable with Nb3Sn.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has undertaken a program to lay the technical foundation for defining proactive actions so that future degradation of materials in light water reactors (LWRs) is limited and, thereby, does not diminish either the integrity of important LWR components or the safety of operating plants. This technical letter report was prepared by staff at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in support of the NRC Proactive Management of Materials Degradation (PMMD) program and relies heavily on work that was completed by Dr. Joseph Muscara and documented in NUREG/CR-6923. This report concisely explains the basic principles of PMMD and its relationship to prognostics, provides a review of programs related to PMMD being conducted worldwide, and provides an assessment of the technical gaps in PMMD and prognostics that need to be addressed. This technical letter report is timely because the majority of the U.S. reactor fleet is applying for license renewal, and many plants are also applying for increases in power rating. Both of these changes could increase the likelihood of materials degradation and underline, therefore, the interest in proactive management in the future.

We report the results of {\em ab initio} calculations on dissociative electron attachment (DEA) to water that demonstrate the importance of including three-body breakup in the dissociation dynamics. While three-body breakup is ubiquitous in the analogous process of dissociative recombination, its importance in low-energy dissociative electron attachment to a polyatomic target has not previously been quantified. Our calculations, along with our earlier studies of DEA into two-body channels, indicate that three-body breakup is a major component of the observed O- cross section. The local complex potential model provides a generally accurate picture of the experimentallyobserved features in this system, reproducing some quantitatively, others qualitatively, and one not at all.

Hotspot sampling designs are used in environmental sampling to identify the location of one (or more) contiguous regions of elevated contamination. These regions are known as hotspots. The problem of how to calculate the probability of detecting an elliptical hotspot using a rectangular or triangular grid of sampling points was addressed by Singer and Wickman in 1969. This approach presumed that any sample which coincided with a hotspot would detect the hotspot without error. However, for many sampling methodologies, there is a chance that the hotspot will not be detected even though it has been sampled directly--a false negative. We present a mathematical solution and a numerical algorithm which account for false negatives when calculating the probability of detecting hotspots that are circular in shape.

The OSMOSE program is a collaboration on reactor physics experiments between the United States Department of Energy and the France Commissariat Energie Atomique. At the working level, it is a collaborative effort between the Argonne National Laboratory and the CEA Cadarache Research Center. The objective of this program is to measure very accurate integral reaction rates in representative spectra for the actinides important to future nuclear system designs, and to provide the experimental data for improving the basic nuclear data files. The main outcome of the OSMOSE measurement program will be an experimental database of reactivity-worth measurements in different neutron spectra for the heavy nuclides. This database can then be used as a benchmark to verify and validate reactor analysis codes. The OSMOSE program (Oscillation in Minerve of isotopes in Eupraxic Spectra) aims at improving neutronic predictions of advanced nuclear fuels through oscillation measurements in the MINERVE facility on samples containing the following separated actinides: {sup 232}Th, {sup 233}U, {sup 234}U, {sup 235}U, {sup 236}U, {sup 238}U, {sup 237}Np, {sup 238}Pu, {sup 239}Pu, {sup 240}Pu, {sup 241}Pu, {sup 242}Pu, {sup 241}Am, {sup 243}Am, {sup 244}Cm, and {sup 245}Cm. The first part of this report provides an overview of the experimental …

The Environmental Effects Laboratory of the Engineering Science and Technology Division of Oak Ridge National Laboratory performed a series of tests to further evaluate and characterize the radiological response of a ''Cricket'' radiation detection system. The Cricket, manufactured by Rad/Comm Systems Corporation of Ontario, Canada, is designed to detect radioactive material that may be contained in scrap metal. The Cricket's detection unit is designed to be mounted to the base of a grappler, allowing it to monitor material while the material is being held by the grappler tines. The Cricket was tested for background stability, energy response, spherical response, surface uniformity, angular dependence, and alarm actuation. Some of these tests were repeated from a prior test of a Cricket at the Environmental Effects Laboratory as reported in ORNL/TM-2002/94. Routine environmental tests--normal temperature and relatively humidity--were also performed as part of this testing process. Overall, the Cricket performed well during the testing process. The design of the instrument and the inherent photon energy of the radionuclides had some affect on portions of the tests but do not detract from the value-added benefits of the Cricket's detection capabilities.

We present the first comprehensive investigation on water-soluble nanoparticles embedded into a paramagnetic shell and their properties as an MRI contrast agent. The nanoprobes are constructed with an inorganic core embedded into an ultra-thin silica shell covalently linked to chelated Gd{sup 3+} paramagnetic ions that act as an MRI contrast agent. The chelator contains the molecule DOTA and the inorganic core contains a fluorescent CdSe/ZnS qdots in Au nanoparticles. Optical properties of the cores (fluorescence emission or plasmon position) are not affected by the neither the silica shell nor the presence of the chelated paramagnetic ions. The resulting complex is a MRI/fluorescence probe with a diameter of 8 to 15 nm. This probe is highly soluble in high ionic strength buffers at pH ranging from {approx}4 to 11. In MRI experiments at clinical field strengths of 60 MHz, the QDs probes posses spin-lattice (T{sub 1}) and a spin-spin (T{sub 2}) relaxivities of 1018.6 +/- 19.4 mM{sup -1} s{sup -1} and 2438.1 +/- 46.3 mM{sup -1} s{sup -1} respectively for probes having {approx}8 nm. This increase in relaxivity has been correlated to the number of paramagnetic ions covalently linked to the silica shell, ranging from approximately 45 to over 320. We …

We report the two-dimensional alignment of semiconductor islands using rudimentary metal patterning to control nucleation and growth. In the Ge on Si system, a square array of sub-micron Au dots on the Si (001) surface induces the assembly of deposited Ge adatoms into an extensive island lattice. Remarkably, these highly ordered Ge islands form between the patterned Au dots and are characterized by a unique truncated pyramidal shape. A model based on patterned diffusion barriers explains the observed ordering and establishes general criteria for the broader applicability of such a directed assembly process to quantum dot ordering.

The 2006-2007 investigation of carbon tetrachloride and chloroform contamination at Barnes, Kansas, was conducted at the request of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE). The Environmental Science Division of Argonne National Laboratory implemented the investigation on behalf of the Commodity Credit Corporation of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (CCC/USDA). The overall goal of the investigation was to establish criteria for monitoring leading to potential site reclassification. The investigation objectives were to (1) determine the hydraulic gradient near the former CCC/USDA facility, (2) delineate the downgradient carbon tetrachloride plume, and (3) design and implement an expanded monitoring network at Barnes (Argonne 2006a).

Sodium bentonites are used as barrier materials for the isolation of landfills and are under consideration for a similar use in the subsurface storage of high-level radioactive waste. The performance of these barriers is determined in large part by molecular diffusion in the bentonite pore space. We tested two current models of cation diffusion in bentonite against experimental data on the relative apparent diffusion coefficients of two representative cations, sodium and strontium. On the 'macropore/nanopore' model, solute molecules are divided into two categories, with unequal pore-scale diffusion coefficients, based on location: in macropores or in interlayer nanopores. On the 'surface diffusion' model, solute molecules are divided into categories based on chemical speciation: dissolved or adsorbed. The macropore/nanopore model agrees with all experimental data at partial montmorillonite dry densities ranging from 0.2 (a dilute bentonite gel) to 1.7 kg dm{sup -3} (a highly compacted bentonite with most of its pore space located in interlayer nanopores), whereas the surface diffusion model fails at partial montmorillonite dry densities greater than about 1.2 kg dm{sup -3}.

The supramolecular metal-ligand assemblies of M{sub 4}1{sub 6} stoichiometry are chiral (M = Ga{sup III}, Al{sup III}, In{sup III}, Fe{sup III}, Ti{sup IV}, or Ge{sup IV}, H{sub 4}1 = N,N'-bis(2,3-dihydroxybenzoyl)-1,5-diaminonaphthalene). The resolution process of {Delta}{Delta}{Delta}{Delta}- and {Lambda}{Lambda}{Lambda}{Lambda}-[M{sub 4}1{sub 6}]{sup 12-} by the chiral cation s-nicotinium (S-nic{sup +}) is described for the Ga{sup III}, Al{sup III}, and Fe{sup III} assemblies, and the resolution is shown to be proton dependent. From a methanol solution of M(acac){sub 3}, H{sub 4}1, S-nicI, and KOH, the {Delta}{Delta}{Delta}{Delta}-KH{sub 3}(S-nic){sub 7}[(S-nic) {contained_in}M{sub 4}1{sub 6}] complexes precipitate, and the {Lambda}{Lambda}{Lambda}{Lambda}-K{sub 6}(S-nic){sub 5}[(S-nic) {contained_in} M{sub 4}1{sub 6}] complexes subsequently can be isolated from the supernatant. Ion exchange enables the isolation of the (NEt{sub 4}{sup +}){sub 12}, (NMe{sub 4}{sup +}){sub 12} and K{sub 12}{sup +} salts of the resolved structures, which have been characterized by CD and NMR spectroscopies. Resolution can also be accomplished with one equivalent of NEt{sub 4}{sup +} blocking the cavity interior, demonstrating that external binding sites are responsible for the difference in S-nic{sup +} enantiomer interactions. Circular dichroism data demonstrate that the (NMe{sub 4}{sup +}){sub 12} and (NEt{sub 4}{sup +}){sub 12} salts of the resolved [Ga{sub 4}1{sub 6}]{sup 12-} and [Al{sub 4}1{sub 6}]{sup 12-} structures retain …

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is responsible for estimating the portion of Federal highway funds attributable to each State. The process involves use of State-reported data (gallons) and a set of estimation models when accurate State data is unavailable. To ensure that the distribution of funds is equitable, FHWA periodically reviews the estimation models. Estimation of the use of gasohol is difficult because of State differences in the definition of gasohol, inability of many States to separate and report gasohol usage from other fuel types, changes in fuel composition in nonattainment areas to address concerns over the use of certain fuel additives, and the lack of a valid State-level surrogate data set for gasohol use. Under the sponsorship of FHWA, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) reviewed the regression-based gasohol estimation model that has been in use for several years. Based on an analytical assessment of that model and an extensive review of potential data sets, ORNL developed an improved rule-based model. The new model uses data from Internal Revenue Service, Energy Information Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Energy, ORNL, and FHWA sources. The model basically consists of three parts: (1) development of a controlled total of national gasohol usage, …