Aqueous biphasic extraction systems are being developed to treat radioactive wastes. The separation technique involves the selective partitioning of either solutes or colloid-size particles between two scible aqueous phases. Wet grinding of plutonium residues to an average particle size of one micron will be used to liberate the plutonium from the bulk of the particle matrix. The goal is to produce a plutonium concentrate that will integrate with existing and developing chemical recovery processes. Ideally, the process would produce a nonTRU waste stream. Coupling physical beneficiation with chemical processing will result in a substantial reduction in the volume of mixed wastes generated from dissolution recovery processes. As part of this program, we will also explore applications of aqueous biphasic extraction that include the separation and recovery of dissolved species such as metal ions and water-soluble organics. The expertise and data generated in this work will form the basis for developing more cost-effective processes for handling waste streams from environmental restoration and waste management activities within the DOE community. This report summarizes the experimental results obtained during the first year of this effort. Experimental efforts were focused on elucidating the surface and solution chemistry variables which govern partitioning behavior of plutonium …

Quarterly report discussing fuel cell research and development work at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). This report describes activities directed toward understanding and improvement of molten-carbonate-electrolyte fuel cells operating at temperatures near 923 Kelvin.

Quarterly report discussing fuel cell research and development work at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). This report describes efforts directed toward understanding and improving the components of molten-carbonate-electrolyte fuel cells operated at temperatures near 925 K.

Quarterly report discussing fuel cell research and development work at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). This report describes efforts directed toward (1) improving understanding of component behavior in molten carbonate fuel cells and (2) developing alternative concepts for components. The principal focus has been on the development of sintered y-LiAIO2 electrolyte supports, stable NiO cathodes, and hydrogen diffusion barriers. Cell tests were performed to assess diffusion barriers and to study cathode voltage relaxation following current interruption.

Quarterly report discussing fuel cell research and development work at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). This report describes efforts directed toward (1) evaluating the dissolution of NiO cathodes in molten carbonate fuel cells and (2) seeking alternative cathode materials. Solubility data were taken for NiO in a cathode environment, and previously operated cells were examined for nickel transfer. A literature search was made for prospective alternative cathode materials, and synthesis of new materials was begun. Apparatus was assembled for conductivity measurements on cathode materials.

Quarterly report discussing fuel cell research and development work at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). This report describes activities directed toward seeking alternative cathode materials to NiO for molten carbonate fuel cells.

This report describes ALICE, which uses an arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian method to analyze the response of the contaminant vessel and other solid media inside a reactor contaminant.

Techniques for isolating and solidifying the nuclear wastes in the storage tanks at the Western New York Nuclear Service Center plant have been examined. One technique involves evaporating the water and forming a molten salt containing the precipitated sludge. The salt is allowed to solidify and is stored in canisters until processing into a final waste form is to be done. Other techniques involve calcining the waste material, then agglomerating the calcine with sodium silicate to reduce its dispersibility. This option can also involve a prior separation and decontamination of the supernatant salt. The sludge and all resins containing fission-product activity are then calcined together. The technique of removing the water and solidifying the salt may be the simplest method for removing the waste from the West Valley Plant.

Analytical and experimental methods are presented for evaluating the vibration characteristics of cylindrical shells such as the thermal liner of the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) reactor vessel. The NASTRAN computer program is used to calculate the natural frequencies, mode shapes, and response to a harmonic loading of a thin, circular cylindrical shell situated inside a fluid-filled rigid circular cylinder. Solutions in a vacuum are verified with an exact solution method and the SAP IV computer code. Comparisons between analysis and experiment are made, and the accuracy and utility of the fluid-solid interaction package of NASTRAN is assessed.

The reliability of stainless steel type 304L canisters for the containment of solidified high-level radioactive wastes in the glass and calcine forms was studied. A reference system, drawn largely from information furnished by Battelle Northwest Laboratories and Atlantic Richfield Hanford Company is described. Operations include filling the canister with the appropriate waste form, interim storage at a reprocessing plant, shipment in water to a Retrievable Surface Storage Facility (RSSF), interim storage at the RSSF, and shipment to a final disposal facility.

Report on activities of the Division of Biological and Medical Research in carcinogenesis, low level radiation, molecular biology, and toxicology.

In both mathematics and logic, many theorems exist such that each can be proved in entirely different ways. For a striking example, there exist theorems from group theory that can be proved by relying solely on equality and (from the viewpoint of automated reasoning) the use of paramodulation, but can also be proved in a notation in which equality is totally absent and the inference rule is condensed detachment (captured with a single clause and the rule hyper-resolution). A study of such examples immediately shows how far from obvious is the problem of producing a proof in one system even in the presence of a proof in another; such problems can be viewed as ones of translation, where the rules of translation and the translation itself are frequently difficult to obtain. In this report, we discuss in detail various techniques that can be applied by the automated reasoning program OTTER to address the translation problem to obtain a proof in one notation and inference system given a proof in a completely different notation and inference system. To illustrate the techniques, we present a full treatment culminating in a successful translation'' of a proof of a theorem from many-valued sentential calculus. …

The results of tests done using the Unsaturated Test Method are presented. These tests, done to determine the suitability of glass in a potential high-level waste repository as developed by the Nevada Nuclear Waste Storage Investigations Project, simulate conditions anticipated for the post-containment phase of the repository when only limited contact between the waste form and water is expected. The reaction of glass occurs via processes that are initiated due to glass/water vapor and glass/liquid water contact. Vapor interaction results in the initiation of an exchange process between water and the more mobile species (alkalis and boron) in the glass. The liquid reaction produces interactions similar to those seen in standard leaching tests, except due to the limited amount of water present and the presence of partially sensitized 304L stainless steel, the formation of reaction products greatly exceeds that found in MCC-1 type leach tests. The effect of sensitized stainless steel on the reaction is to enhance breakdown of the glass matrix thereby increasing the release of the transuranic elements from the glass. However, most of the plutonium and americium released is entrained by either the metal components of the test or by the reaction phases, and is not released …

This report contains plutonium wavelengths, energy level classifications, and other spectroscopic data accumulated over the past twenty years at Laboratoire Aime Cotton (LAC) Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). The primary purpose was term analysis: deriving the energy levels in terms of quantum numbers and electron configurations, and evaluating the Slater-Condon and other parameters from the levels.

The Generic TRUEX Model was used to develop a TRUEX process flowsheet for recovering the transuranics (plutonium, americium) from a nitrate waste stream at Rocky Flats Plant. T\

The deformation of a thin elastic plate which is initially wrinkled when the plate is subjected to a constant compressive end thrust is considered. The singularly perturbed bifurcation theory of Reiss and Matkowsky is used. It is found that the initial deformation (imperfection) of the plate leads to solutions which explain the experimentally observed decrease in the buckling load from that predicted by bifurcation theory and the smooth transition to a buckled solution.

Report on electrochemical energy development, including development of advanced, high-temperature lithium/metal sulfide batteries for vehicle propulsion and stationary energy storage.

Report describing the research and development activities related to nuclear chemistry and radiochemistry and basic chemistry conducted by the Argonne National Laboratory Chemistry Division, Section C-1.

This report deals with the (1.1) physical properties of graphite, (1.2) effects of pile irradiation on the properties of graphite, (1.3) effect of irradiation on "ceramic" materials, (1.4) exposure and dosage for radiation damage experiments, (1.5) apparatus for the measurement of the thermal conductivity of solids, (1.6) effects of radiation on ice -- the thermoluminescence of ice, (1.7) investigation of color centers and other optical properties of single crystals. (2.1) radiation chemistry of liquids, (3.1) radiochemical investigation of the spontaneous fission of Cm242, (3.2) radiochemical service, (3.3) on the one-body model of alpha, (4.1) spectrographic analysis, (4.2) chemical analysis, (5.1) the 60-inch cyclotron.

A recently developed computer program, based on geometric programming, was used to evaluate the chemistry of gaseous and condensed products that arise in conversion of Illinois bituminous coal under both oxidizing and reducing conditions.

The COMMIX-PPC computer program is an extended and improved version of earlier COMMIX codes and is specifically designed for evaluating the thermal performance of power plant condensers. The COMMIX codes are general-purpose computer programs for the analysis of fluid flow and heat transfer in complex industrial systems. In COMMIX-PPC, two major features have been added to previously published COMMIX codes. One feature is the incorporation of one-dimensional conservation of mass, momentum, and energy equations on the tube side, and the proper accounting for the thermal interaction between shell and tube side through the porous medium approach. The other added feature is the extension of the three-dimensional conservation equations for shell-side flow to treat the flow of a multicomponent medium. COMMIX-PPC is designed to perform steady-state and transient three-dimensional analysis of fluid flow with heat transfer in a power plant condenser. However, the code is designed in a generalized fashion so that, with some modification, it can be used to analyze processes in any heat exchanger or other single-phase engineering applications.

This report deals with the REXCO-code predictions of the SRI SM-2 test. Two calculations were performed with the REXCO-HEP code: one used the pressure history of the core detonation products as input and the other the pressure-volume relations of the detonation products as input. The other inputs of the computer analysis are the vessel and the core-barrel dimensions and boundary conditions, the constitutive equations of the vessel and the core barrel materials, and the equation of state for the coolant. The REXCO-predicted well deformations, pressure loadings, and dynamic strain histories at various gauge positions are compared with the experimental data. Results of the comparisons are discussed.

This report summarizes the information base that was collected and reviewed in preparation for carrying out an analysis of the compatibility with regulations of waste management technologies for disposal of Hydrogen-3, Iodine-129, Carbon-14, and Krypton-85. Based on the review of this literature, summaries are presented here of waste-form characteristics, packaging, transportation, and disposal methods. Also discussed are regulations that might apply to all operations involved in disposal of the four nuclides, including the processing of irradiated fuel in a fuel reprocessing plant, packaging, storage, transport, and final disposal. The compliance assessment derived from this information is reported in a separate document.

A fully coupled solution algorithm for pressure-linked fluid flow equations earlier found to be rapidly convergent in laminar flows has been extended to calculate turbulent flows. The governing mean flow equations are solved in conjunction with a two-equation (k - epsilon) turbulence model. A number of two-dimensional recirculating flows have been computed and it is shown that the calculation procedure is rapidly convergent in all the cases. The calculations have been compared with published experimental data; their agreement is in accord with other published experiences with the (k - epsilon) model in similar flows.