We have initiated an investigation of the utility of marine plankton as bioconcentrating samplers of low-level marine radioactivity in the southern hemisphere. A literature review has shown that both freshwater and marine plankton have trace element and radionuclide concentration factors (relative to water) of up to 10/sup 4/. We participated in Operations Deepfreeze 1981 and 1982, collecting a total of 48 plankton samples from the USCGC Glacier on its Antarctic cruises. Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratories sampled air, water, rain, and fallout. We were able to measure concentrations in plankton of the naturally-occurring radionuclides /sup 7/Be, /sup 40/K, and the U and Th series, and we believe that we have detected low levels of /sup 144/Ce and /sup 95/Nb in seven samples ranging as far south as 68/sup 0/. Biological identification of the plankton suggests a possible correlation between radionuclide concentration and the protozoa content of the samples. 7 references, 5 figures.

Certain changes in the end-plug design in the Mirror Fusion Test Facility (MFTF-B) are described. The Laboratory (LLNL) proposes to implement these changes as soon as possible in order to construct the machine in an axicell configuration. The present physics and technology goals as well as the project cost and schedule will not be affected by these changes.

This technical memorandum was prepared to: (1) describe a typical basalt radionuclide repository site, (2) describe geologic and hydrologic processes associated with regional radionuclide transport in basalts, (3) define the parameters required to model regional radionuclide transport from a basalt repository site, and (4) develop a ''conceptual model'' of radionuclide transport from a basalt repository site. In a general hydrological sense, basalts may be described as layered sequences of aquifers and aquitards. The Columbia River Basalt, centered near the semi-arid Pasco Basin, is considered by many to be typical basalt repository host rock. Detailed description of the flow system including flow velocities with high-low hydraulic conductivity sequences are not possible with existing data. However, according to theory, waste-transport routes are ultimately towards the Columbia River and the lengths of flow paths from the repository to the biosphere may be relatively short. There are many physical, chemical, thermal, and nuclear processes with associated parameters that together determine the possible pattern of radionuclide migration in basalts and surrounding formations. Brief process descriptions and associated parameter lists are provided. Emphasis has been placed on the use of the distribution coefficient in simulating ion exchange. The use of the distribution coefficient approach is limited …

A one-dimensional radial transport code which was developed to study radial transport in tandem mirror machines has been used to perform buildup studies for the central-cell plasma of the proposed MFTF-B experiment. The effects of the cold, unpumped, neutral gas (which accompanies the hot, neutral-beam injection in the central cell) upon the central-cell plasma have been studied for the low-epsilon (epsilon Identical with (..cap omega../sub pi//..cap omega../sub ci/)2) mode and for the two-component mode. A mode here is defined as a particular set of parameters (density, temperature, etc.) under which the experiment will be performed. A very preliminary study of the effects of plateau resonant transport upon the equilibrium plasma obtained for the low-epsilon mode of operation has also been performed.

Activities initiated after the start of the revegetation project on Alaskan coal mine spoils on September 1, 1979 have consisted mainly of some fall plantings (dormant seedings) and soil and coal spoil samplings and analyses. Because of the late summer start for the project, only a limited amount of field work could be initiated in plant material studies. This consisted of a fall planting at the Usibelli mine site at Healy in interior Alaska. The planting was intended to test the efficacy of seeding in the frost period following the growing season, requiring the seed to remain dormant over winter and to germinate when conditions become favorable in late spring. It also was intended as a comparison of a number of different grasses. Thirty entries were seeded in three replications. Fifteen species of grasses and a clover were included in the trial. The site provided for the trial was on overburden material along a streambed. Among the entries were eight cultivars of introduced grasses, five cultivars of native Alaskan germplasm, one introduced clover cultivar, and sixteen experimental grasses mainly of Alaskan origin.

A thermodynamic study of the Milliwatt Generator heat source capsule was performed to determine the effects of the oxide fuel on container materials at elevated temperatures in order to evaluate the factors affecting embrittlement of T-111 alloy. The study indicates that relatively slow oxidation of the T-111 of the capsule occurs during pretreatment. Yttrium added to the /sup 238/PuO/sub 2/ fuel charge is functioning in its designed role as an oxygen getter and is stabilizing at an O/Pu ratio of 1.75. The free energy of formation of hafnium oxide has been measured and found to be -70632 cal/mole; this suggests that the ability of hafnium to strongly function as an oxygen getter may be largely determined by the kinetics, and the free energy may play a lesser role.

The SLC Arc magnets are subject to random displacements and field errors resulting in unpredictable transverse displacement of the central trajectory from that of the design. The chosen method of correcting this perturbed trajectory in the SLC Arcs utilizes mechanical movement of the combined function magnets which compose the Arc transport lines. Here we present the results of a recent investigation substantiating the earlier results which led to the adoption of this method.

The Great Western Malting Company recently constructed a barley malting facility in Pocatello, Idaho, designed to produce 6.0 million bushels per year of brewing malt. This facility uses natural gas to supply the energy for germination and kilning processes. The escalating cost of natural gas has prompted the company to look at alternate and more economical sources of energy. Trans Energy Systems has investigated the viabiity of using geothermal energy at the new barley processing plant. Preliminary investigations show that a geothermal resource probably exists, and payback on the installation of a system to utilize the resource will occur in under 2 years. The Great Western Malting plant site has geological characteristics which are similar to areas where productive geothermal wells have been established. Geological investigations indicate that resource water temperatures will be in the 150 to 200/sup 0/F range. Geothermal energy of this quality will supply 30 to 98% of the heating requirements currently supplied by natural gas for this malting plant. Trans Energy Systems has analyzed several systems of utilizing the geothermal resource at the Great Western barley malting facility. These systems included: direct use of geothermal water; geothermal energy heating process water through an intermediary heat exchanger; …

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.

The torsional rigidity of the central calorimeter module is obtained using ANSYS.

Eight appendices address the following concentrations of radionuclides: in fish; in frog legs; in crayfish; in sediments; in soil samples; in surface and ground water samples; in water hyacinths; and in beef samples.

The apparatus which sweeps calorimeter and endwall modules through the beam during testing is called a beam line test table. Because of rather stringent requirements for the physical positioning of the modules an analysis is done here to determine the modifications to the current test table design which will minimize deflections of the table under load.

Physical performance data obtained from the photovoltaic energy systems under test at the Southwest Residential Experiment Station in Las Cruces, New Mexico are tabulated and graphed for the month of January, 1982. Data drawn from the Residential Data System (RDS) appears in several formats. A one-page summary is provided as well as a more detailed hour-by-hour tabulation for an average day of the month. Energy histograms are provided, based on RDS data and recording kilowatt hour meters. The histograms also present horizontal and plane-of-array insolation data as well as comments that explain data and/or energy production anomalies. (LEW)

Characteristics of the delayed-fission decay mode in light americium nuclei have been investigated. Measurements on the unknown isotopes {sup 230}Am and {sup 236}Am were attempted, and upper limits on the delayed-fission branches of these nuclei were determined. Evidence of the existence of {sup 236}Am was observed in radiochemical separations. Total kinetic energy and mass-yield distributions of the electron-capture delayed-fission mode were measured for {sup 232}Am (t{sub 1/2} = 1.31 {plus minus} 0.04 min) and for {sup 234}Am (t{sub 1/2} = 2.32 {plus minus} 0.08 min), and delayed-fission probabilities of 6.9 {times} 10{sup {minus}4} and 6.6 {times} 10{sup {minus}5}, respectively, were determined. The total kinetic energy and the asymmetric mass-yield distributions are typical of fission of mid-range actinides. No discernible influence of the anomalous triple-peaked mass division characteristic of the thorium-radium region was detected. Measurements of the time correlation between the electron-capture x-rays and the subsequent fission conform that the observed fissions arise from the electron-capture delayed-fission mechanism. Delayed fission has provided a unique opportunity to extend the range of low-energy fission studies to previously inaccessible regions. 71 refs., 44 figs., 13 tabs.

A simple model of the ablative implosion of a high-aspect-ratio (shell radius to shell thickness ratio) spherical shell is described. The model is similar in spirit to Rosenbluth's snowplow model. The scaling of the implosion time was determined in terms of the ablation pressure and the shell parameters such as diameter, wall thickness, and shell density, and compared these to complete hydrodynamic code calculations. The energy transfer efficiency from ablation pressure to shell implosion kinetic energy was examined and found to be very efficient. It may be possible to attach a simple heat-transport calculation to our implosion model to describe the laser-driven ablation-implosion process. The model may be useful for determining other energy driven (e.g., ion beam) implosion scaling.

The Bottom Collider Detector (BCD) has been proposed as a device to study large numbers of events containing B mesons. To identify secondary vertices in hadronic events it will employ the most ambitious silicon strip tracking detector proposed to-date. This report will discuss results from measurements on a first mechanical/thermal model of the vertex detector support structure. The model that was built and used for the studies described here is made of brass. Brass was used because it is readily available and easily assembled by soft soldering, and, for appropriate thicknesses, it will behave similarly to the beryllium that will be used in the actual detector. The trough was built to full scale with the reinforcement webbing and the cooling channels in place. There were no detector modules in place. We plan, however, to install modules in the trough in the future. The purpose of the model was to address two concerns that have arisen about the proposed structure of the detector. The first is whether or not the trough will be stable enough. The trough must be very light in weight yet have a high degree of rigidity. Because of the 3m length of the detector there is question …

Thermophysical properties for coal-solvent slurries were determined in the range 300 to 600 K, in some cases extending to 700 K. Density, viscosity, thermal conductivity, and enthalpy were determined. A recycle solvent from the Wilsonville SRC-I plant and a KY-9 coal were used. Rheology was studied with a reciprocating cylinder viscometer designed to operate at elevated pressure and temperature. Viscous properties were found to follow the Bingham plastic model. A high-viscosity peak in the range 500 to 600 K was characterized by very high values of yield stress. At other temperatures the slurries were nearly Newtonian. Time and temperature dependence of viscous behavior were studied. Densities were determined by high temperature pyknometer, thermal conductivities by the transient line-source technique, and enthalpies by drop calorimeter and by pressure DSC.

An analysis was made of the induced current behavior of the MFTF-B magnet system. Although the magnet system consists of 22 coils, because of its symmetry we considered only 11 coils in the analysis. Various combinations of the coils were dumped either singly or in groups, with the current behavior in all magnets calculated as a function of time after initiation of the dump.

We describe in detail the formulation and processing steps used to prepare all SYNROC D samples tested in the Comparative Leach Testing Program at the Savannah River Laboratory. We also discuss how the composition of the Savannah River Plant sludge influences the formulation and ultimate preparation of SYNROC D. Mechanical properties are reported in the categories of elastic constants, flexural and compressive strengths, and microhardness; thermal expansion and thermal conductivity results are presented. The thermal expansion data indicated the presence of significant residual strain and the possibility of an unidentified amorphous or glassy phase in the microstructure. We summarize the standardized (MCC) leaching results for both crushed Synroc and monoliths in deionized water, silicate water, and salt brine at 90/sup 0/C and 150/sup 0/C.

The economic future of methanol is reviewed in light of its potential uses as a substitute for traditional hydrocarbon fuels and feedstocks as well as some evolving new uses. Methanol's future market position will depend strongly on its production cost in comparison with competitive products. One promising way to reduce the production cost is by use of an improved catalyst in the process by which methanol is obtained from the feedstock - which can be either natural gas or a similar product such as synthesis gas from coal gasification. To estimate the potential cost savings with an improved catalyst, we have based our analysis on a recent study which assumed use of synthesis gas from underground coal gasification as a feedstock for making methanol. The improved catalyst we studied was an actinide oxide whose features include high tolerance to sulfur and heat, and a yield of about 4 mol% methanol per pass with a 2/1 mixture of H/sub 2//CO. We calculated the effect of this catalyst on methanol production costs in a 12,000-bbl/day plant. The result was a saving of from 1 cent to 2.5 cent per gallon on the total methanol synthesis cost of 23 cents per gallon (i.e., …

A detailed, statistically valid, examination of the direct oxide reduction parameters affecting process yield and purity was planned and executed. Guidelines for attaining yields approaching 100% are presented. Feed oxide, percent excess calcium, and stirrer design affected yield and product purity. Experiments were performed in production-scale equipment utilizing 800 grams of plutonium dioxide per charge. 1 ref., 9 figs., 3 tabs.

Fuel aging studies were performed on the fuel form (plutonium-238 dioxide and yttrium) used in the Milliwatt Generator Radioisotopic Heat Source to determine the possibility of fuel degradation and of the resultant generation of respirable fines. In addition to long-term thermal aging of the fuel, evaluations included the effects of thermal ramping of the aged fuel to 1000/sup 0/C and of impacting thermally hot (450/sup 0/C) heat sources at 150 m/sec after thermal aging.

Rainout commonly denotes the aggregate of phenomena associated with precipitation scavenging of radioactivity from a cloud of nuclear debris that is within a natural rain cloud. (In contrast, the term, washout, is applicable when the nuclear cloud is below the rain cloud and the term, fallout, commonly denotes the direct gravitational settling of contaminated solid material from a nuclear cloud.) Nuclear debris aerosols may be scavenged within natural clouds by a variety of different physical processes which may involve diffusion, convection, impaction, nucleation, phoresis, turbulence, and/or electricity among others. Processes which involve electrical aspects are scrutinized for their susceptibility to the intimate presence of the radioactive-cloud environment. This particular choice of electrical processes is not accidental. Nearly all of the listed processes were examined earlier by Williams. His rough estimates suggested that electrical effects, and to a lesser extent turbulence, could enhance the scavenging of those submicron aerosols which reside in the size-range that bridges the minimum in the scavenging rate coefficient which is commonly called the Greenfield gap. This minimum in the scavenging-rate coefficient is created by the simultaneous reduction of scavenging via diffusion and the reduction of scavenging via inertial impaction. However, Williams omitted the specific influence of …

On January 7, 1983, President Reagan signed into law the Nuclear Waste Policy Act (NWPA), 42 U.S.C. {section} 10101 et seq. As part of the Act, the Congress of the United States authorized construction of a permanent deep geologic repository in an effort to solve the nation's problem with disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. Congress also directed the Department of Energy (DOE) to study the need for and feasibility of constructing a monitored retrievable storage (MRS) facility. Also in late April of 1985, the State of Tennessee was informed that three potential sites for the MRS had been selected in Tennessee. The locations included the site of the abandoned Clinch River Breeder Reactor Project, a site on DOE's Oak Ridge Reservation, and the site of the abandoned Hartsville nuclear power plant. This report covers the legal aspects of the potential project completed during the period September 1, 1985--November 30, 1985.