A finite element computer code for the transient analysis of prestressed concrete reactor vessels (PCRVs) for LMFBR containment is described. The method assumes rotational symmetry of the structure. Time integration is by an explicit method. The quasistatic prestressing operation of the PCRV model is performed by a dynamic relaxation technique. The material model accounts for the crushing and tensile cracking in arbitrary direction in concrete and the elastic-plastic behavior of reinforcing steel. The variation of the concrete tensile cracking and compressive crushing limits with strain rate is taken into account. Relative slip is permitted between the concrete and tendons. Several example solutions are presented and compared with experimental results. These sample problems range from simply supported beams to small scale models of PCRV's. It is shown that the analytical methods correlate quite well with experimental results, although in the vicinity of the failure load the response of the models tend to be quite sensitive to input parameters.

Nuclear and non-nuclear applications of cineradiography are reviewed, with emphasis on diagnostic instrumentation for in-pile transient-reactor safety testing of nuclear fuel motion. The primary instrument for this purpose has been the fast-neutron hodoscope, which has achieved quantitative monitoring of time, location, mass, and velocity of fuel movement under the difficult conditions associated with transient-reactor experiments. Alternative diagnostic devices that have been developed have not matched the capabilities of the hodoscope. Other applications for the fuel-motion diagnostic apparatus are also evolving, including time-integrated radiography and direct time- and space-resolved fuel-pin power monitoring. Although only two reactors are now actively equipped with high-resolution fuel-motion diagnostic systems, studies and tests have been carried out in and for many other reactors.

This report presents the results of the analytical and experimental work of the application of heat pipes to the production of winter ice for seasonal cooling applications. This program consisted of two major subtasks. The first subtask was to develop theoretical models of heat-pipe and system performance. The second subtask was to perform laboratory experiments on full-scale units to measure performance as functions of ambient conditions, and to make design variations in response to experimental observations. The results of these efforts are presented and recommendations made as to future research efforts.

This assessment seeks (1) to determine the most probable chemical compounds formed between fission products and actinides in urania fuels under normal and accident conditions and (2) to identify gaps in knowledge of these fission-product compounds. The ultimate goal of this effort is to develop predictive capability about the behavior of fission products under normal and accident conditions. The relevant thermochemical data have been organized by compound type, the chemical stability of resultant compounds determined, and data uncertainty evaluated. The assessment focused on fission-product and actinide oxides, halides, tellurides, and hydroxides. Free energy equations are given for those compounds for which data were available.

The use of radiotracer spiking as a method of measuring the leaching from simulated nuclear-waste glass is shown to give results comparable with other analytical detection methods. The leaching behavior of strontium-85, ruthenium-106, barium-133, cesium-137, cerium-141, europium-152, and other isotopes is measured for several defense waste glasses. These tests show that radiotracer spiking is a sensitive, multi-element technique that can provide leaching data, for actual waste elements, that are difficult to obtain by other methods. Additionally, a detailed procedure is described that allows spiked glass to be prepared with a suitable distribution of radionuclides.

This sixth symposium covers process control processes and issues involved in the conversion of fossil fuels into synthetic fuels.

Annual report of the Argonne National Laboratory Radiological and Environmental Research Division regarding activities related to atmospheric physics. This report discusses the section's participation in the Atmospheric Studies in COmplex Terrain (ASCOT) experiment.

A preliminary analysis is presented for a seasonal storage solar heating system for the Charlestown Navy Yard in Boston, Massachusetts. The area occupies a prominent location in the Boston Harbor and is being redeveloped for residential and commercial use. The system makes use of two large, buried concrete storage tanks totaling 5700 cubic meters as a water heat store. Other storage facilities, including a dry dock, offer additional solar opportunities for the navy Yard as the redevelopment progresses. The analysis makes extensive use of MINSUN, a computer performance and economic simulation routine written specifically for solar seasonal storage systems. The system performance and economics are analyzed for different collector types and areas, component costs, exogenous economic conditions, and optional inclusion of a heat pump. System cost-effectiveness is defined in relation to an economic break-even situation with respect to a conventional system, and is presented in terms of a solar premium, which is the incremental cost for the solar system per MWH of conventional fuel displaced. The additional analysis and design considerations necessary before an implementation phase are outlined. System implementation is discussed in terms of the roles of the various parties involved and funding/financing possibilities.

This report provides background and procedural information for the use of a general-purpose Stirling-engine analysis code developed at Argonne National Laboratory and available through the National Energy Software Center. Different engine configurations are easily specified, or the user may make use of provided data for existing engines, both kinematic and free piston. The code models heat transfer and fluid mechanics throughout the engine and accounts for system energy flows and losses. Good agreement is shown between code predictions and experimental measurements. The present analysis method was chosen for fast execution and useful information on energy flows in the system. A description is provided of the code structure that is intended to accept different analysis modules that can provide improved system modeling or optimization capability.

From Abstract: This report provides background and procedural information for the use of a general-purpose Stirling-engine analysis code developed at Argonne National Laboratory and available through the National Energy Software Center. Different engine configurations are easily specified, or the user may make use of provided data for existing engines, both kinematic and free piston. The code models heat transfer and fluid mechanics throughout the engine and accounts for system energy flows and losses. Good agreement is shown between code predictions and experimental measurements. The present analysis method was chosen for fast execution and useful information on energy flows in the system. A description is provided of the code structure that is intended to accept different analysis modules that can provide improved system modeling or optimization capability.

The U-Al-Si system was investigated in the composition range from U to U-80 at.% Al to U-75 at.% Si. More than 260 binary and ternary alloys were arc melted and studied by metallographic and x-ray powder diffraction techniques, in the as-cast condition and after thermal treatment at temperatures ranging from 700 to 1040 C. One or possibly two ternary compounds of undetermined crystal structure exist at or near U2AlSi2 The binary silicides U3Si, U3Si2, and USi can dissolve only small amounts of Al in solid solution, but the higher silicides U3Si5, USi2-x, and USi/sub 3/ dissolve increasingly larger amounts of Al. Of the three binary aluminides, UAl2 can dissolve more than 12 at.% Si in solid solution. UAl3 forms a continuous solid solution with USi3, and UAl4 is not present in alloys containing more than 3 at.% Si.