The use of ab initio molecular orbital calculations to aid in the characterization, i.e., structures and energies, of metal halide complexes present in high temperature salt vapors has been investigated. Standard LCAO-SCF methods were used and calculations were carried out using the minimal STO-3G basis set. The complexes included in this study were Al/sub 2/F/sub 6/, Al/sub 2/Cl/sub 6/, AlF/sub 3/ NH/sub 3/, AlCl/sub 3/ NH/sub 3/, and AlF/sub 3/ N/sub 2/. The Al/sub 2/X/sub 6/ complexes are found to have D/sub 2h/ symmetry in agreement with most experimental results. A planar form was found to be considerably higher in energy. The AlX/sub 3/ NH/sub 3/ complexes are found to have C/sub 3v/ symmetry with a small barrier to rotation about the Al-N axis. The AlF/sub 3/ N/sub 2/ complex is found to be weakly bound together with a binding energy of -8.2 kcal/mole at the STO-3G level.

This report presents the analysis of the LOFT pressurizer spray and surge nozzles to include a 450/sup 0/F step thermal transient. Previous analysis performed under subcontract by Basic Technology Incorporated was utilized where applicable. The SAASIII finite element computer program was used to determine stress distributions in the nozzles due to the step transient. Computer results were then incorporated in the necessary additional calculations to ascertain that stress limitations were not exceeded. The results of the analysis indicate that both the spray and surge nozzles will be within stress allowables prescribed by subsubarticle NB-3220 of the 1974 edition of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code when subjected to currently known design, normal operating, upset, emergency, and faulted condition loads.

Gamma-ray spectrometric methods using high-resolution Ge(Li) and high purity Ge detectors have been used to quantify the concentrations and external exposure rates of radionuclides in the soil. These in situ methods have been used to study radionuclide deposition around nuclear power stations, the distribution of radionuclides at the Nevada Test Site, biogeochemical cycling of radionuclides, and the fate and impact of fallout radionuclides. Portable gamma-ray spectrometer systems used for various kinds of in situ field measurements include: large-volume coaxial Ge(Li) detectors for terrestrial gamma-ray surveys at several sites including preoperational nuclear power plants and for real-time measurements of nuclear reactor plume isotopic exposure rates; and planar, high purity Ge detectors for mapping /sup 241/Am and /sup 239/Pu soil concentrations, particularly at the Nevada Test Site. These applications are discussed along with a brief description of the methodology and techniques associated with in situ gamma-ray spectrometry.

Delays in the start-up of the RefCOM facility in Pompano Beach, Florida, are outlined. The most serious delays involved problems with the screw conveyors. After many modifications had proven futile, it was decided that they were not applicable to the system and the screw conveyors were replaced with a rotary feeder. An itemized, chronological list of all plant modifications including the cost of labor and materials are presented in this report. Diagrams and daily work sheets are included. (DMC)

An automated facility remotely and automatically analyzes soil, water, and sediment samples for uranium. The samples travel through pneumatic tubes and switches to be first irradiated by neutrons and then counted for resulting neutron and gamma emission. Samples are loaded into special carriers, or rabbits, which are then automatically loaded into the pneumatic transfer system. The sample carriers have been previously coded with an identification number, which can be automatically read in the system. This number is used for correlating and filing data about the samples. The transfer system, counters, and identification system are controlled by a network of microprocessors. A master microprocessor initiates routines in other microprocessors assigned to specific tasks. The software in the microprocessors is unique for this type of application and lends flexibility to the system.

Induced radioactivity in the blanket and other parts of a fusion reactor close to the plasma zone will dictate remote assembly, disassembly, and maintenance procedures. Time will be of the essence in these procedures. They must be practicable and certain. This paper discusses the reduction of a complicated Tokamak reactor to a simpler assembly via the use of a vacuum building in which to house the reactor and the introduction in this new model of cassette blanket modules. The cassettes significantly simplify remote handling.

Cost studies were done for Total Flow, double flash, and multistage flash binary systems for electric Energy production from the Salton Sea Geothermal Resource. The purpose was to provide the Department of energy's Division of Geothermal Energy with information by which to judge whether to continue development of the Total Flow system. Results indicate that the Total Flow and double flash systems have capital costs of $1,135 and $1,026 /kW with energy costs of 40.9 and 39.7 mills/kW h respectively. The Total Flow and double flash systems are not distinguishable on a cost basis alone; the multistage flash binary system, with capital cost of $1,343 /kW and energy cost of 46.9 mills/kW h, is significantly more expensive. If oil savings are considered in the total analysis, the Total Flow system could save 30% more oil than the double flash system, $3.5 billion at 1978 oil prices.

The JPL Low Cost Silicon Solar Array Project has been established with the goal of decreasing the cost of solar photovoltaic arrays for electrical power generation. Methods of producing silicon sheet for solar cells are under active development as one of several tasks designed to achieve this objective. In the crystal growing processes a refractory crucible is required to hold the molten silicon while in the ribbon processes an additional refractory shaping die is needed to enable silicon ribbon to be produced. In several ribbon processes the high temperature materials are a limiting factor in the development of the technique. The objective of this study is to develop and evaluate refractory die and container materials. First quarter studies are reported. Commercial high purity ultrafine Si/sub 3/N/sub 4/, Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/ and SiO/sub 2/ powders were vacuum dried and stored under nitrogen in sealed containers. Extensive analysis of the chemical, physical and morphological characteristics of these powders has been performed. The preparation of high purity A1N powder is being investigated by elevated temperature gas phase nucleation reactions involving (1) the reaction of AlCl/sub 3/(g) and NH/sub 3/ and (2) the reaction between AlCl(g) and NH/sub 3/. While optimization of reaction (1) …

A numerical solution technique is presented for determining the dynamic response of a thin, elastic, circular, cylindrical shell of constant wall thickness and density, immersed in a potential fluid. The shell may be excited by an arbitrary radial forcing function with a specified time history and spatial distribution. In addition, a pressure history may be specified over a segment of the fluid outer boundary. Any of the natural shell end conditions may be prescribed. A numerical instability prevented direct solutions where the ratio of the hydrodynamic forces to shell inertial forces is greater than two. This instability is believed to be the result of the weak coupling between the equations describing the fluid to those describing the shell. To circumvent this instability, an effective mass was calculated and added to the shell. Comparison of numerical to experimental results are made using a /sup 1///sub 12/ scale model of a nuclear reactor core support barrel. Natural frequencies and modes are determined for this model in air, water, and oil. The computed frequencies compare to experimental results to within 15%. The use of this numerical technique is illustrated by comparing it to an analytical solution for shell beam modes and an uncertainty …

A series of experiments indicates that the principal source of impurities in the 2XIIB mirror confinement plasma experiment at Lawrence Livermore Laboratory is oxygen in the neutral beams. The dependence of 0 II 539 A emissions on neutral beam current, spatial scans of oxygen emissions, impurity injection experiments, spectral scans of the 0 VI 1032 A line, and other experiments all support this conclusion.

Quartz sand derived from alluvial fans that drain different lithologies at the Nevada Test Site can be distinguished on the basis of grain shape as described by the Fourier series in closed form. Specifically, we examined tuff units from the Piapi Canyon and Indian Trail Formations as well as carbonate-bearing clastic units from the Eleana Formation. Discrimiation between rock types was accomplished by examining the mean harmonic amplitude spectra and the grain shape frequency distributions at those harmonics that exhibit significant chi-square values. The results of these analyses indicate that the tuffs can be easily distinguished from the clastics. However, differences between samples from genetically similar rock types are not as prominent. Grain shape frequency distributions of tuffs and clastics show such strong differences that they can be characterized by standardized distributions. By comparing the shape frequency distributions of mixed sediment samples, it is possible to determine the relative contribution of tuff and clastics to any sediment sample taken within the drainage network. The Piapi Canyon, Indian Trail, and Eleana Formations have produced the thick alluvium sequence in the Rainier Mesa region of Yucca Flat. We believe it is likely that these grain shape relationships can also be applied to …

Reported are: analytical R and D for the nuclear explosives program, analytical R and D for the energy programs, and special projects. (DLC)

Scaling calculations are presented of the one temperature heating of a field-reversed plasma ring. Two sharp-boundary models of the ring are considered: the long thin approximation and a pinch model. Isobaric, adiabatic, and isovolumetric cases are considered, corresponding to various ways of heating the plasma in a real experiment by using neutral beams, or by raising the magnetic field. It is found that the shape of the plasma changes markedly with heating. The least sensitive shape change (as a function of temperature) is found for the isovolumetric heating case, which can be achieved by combining neutral beam heating with compression. The complications introduced by this heating problem suggest that it is desirable, if possible, to create a field reversed ring which is already quite hot, rather than cold.

The vaporization behavior of the Zr--Nb--O system was studied by means of successive vaporization, Knudsen effusion-target collection experiments, and mass spectrometric analysis of the vapors effusing from a Knudsen crucible. The successive vaporization experiments were performed on two ternary samples in open crucibles. X-ray powder diffraction patterns of the residues and x-ray fluorescence analysis of the condensates and residues indicated the preferential vaporization of niobium-containing species with the composition of the residue subsequently becoming closer to that of congruently vaporizing ZrO/sub 2-x/. The Knudsen effusion-target collection experiments were employed on two samples, pure NbO/sub 2/(s) and a two-phase ZrO/sub 2/--NbO/sub 2/ mixture, in order to obtain information on the activity of NbO/sub 2/ in the two-phase mixture. Second law enthalpies and entropies of sublimation as well as third law enthalpies were obtained for both systems. The vaporization behaviors of five compositions in the Zr--Nb--O system, NbO/sub 2/, NbO, a ZrO/sub 2/--NbO/sub 2/ two-phase mixture, Nb/sub 2/O/sub 5/, and Zr/sub 6/Nb/sub 2/O/sub 17/, were investigated. Above Nb/sub 2/O/sub 5/ and the fully oxidized Zr/sub 6/Nb/sub 2/O/sub 17/ oxygen is preferentially lost; over NbO/sub 2/, the two-phase ZrO/sub 2/--NbO/sub 2/ system, and NbO the principal gaseous species is NbO/sub 2/.

Reliable performance of fuels for the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) is of paramount importance for the FFTF program. Improved inspection techniques and processes are essential for controlling the quality of such fuels. Several considerations necessitated the development and application of improved inspection techniques and processes. These include fuel design, throughput rate, and pre-irradiation characterization requirements. Some of the more significant advances are in the areas of fuel pellet dimensional and weight measurements, fuel pin diameter measurements, and on-line, computerized quality status tracking. Advances in each of these areas are discussed.

This is an interim report on the modifications which are being made to an existing sodium loop so that a new method of removing hydrogen from sodium can be evaluated in a flowing sodium system. Some preliminary results on the performance of this type of cold trap alternative in a static sodium system are reported. Some tentative reactor design parameters for this type of getter device are presented based on the static test results. The life of such a unit is calculated to be substantially greater than that of a cold trap of equal volume.

Four unique deisgn features are described which make the Fast Flux Test Facility eminently suitable for irradiation test programs. These features are a fast flux level of 7 x 10/sup 15/ neutrons/cm/sup 2//sec, a 36-inch reference (breeder reactor) core height, test volumes suitable for testing of statistical quantities of materials, and the capability for direct (contact) or indirect (proximity) instrumentation of active core experiments.

A stress analysis was performed on the 4''-IW-179-AB pipe system outside containment penetration S-5B. Deadweight, thermal expansion, and seismic loads were considered. The results indicate that this piping will meet ASME Section III, Class 2 requirements.

The 24'' H and V Duct and related piping outside the LOFT containment and connected to containment penetration S-12A were analyzed to ASME Section III, Subsection NC (Class 2) criteria. The duct is part of the Containment Isolation System. The model considered the duct from the containment O.D. outward through the second isolation valve. Results of this analysis show that this section of the line will meet Class 2 requirements without modification.

Line 2''-LS-120-AB outside containment penetration S-1A was analyzed to ASME Section III, Subsection NC (Class 2) criteria. The line is part of the LOFT Containment Isolation System. The model considered the line from the penetration outward through the second isolation valve. Results of the analysis show that this section of the line meets Class 2 requirements without modification.

The LOFT pressurizer self-actuating safety-relief valves are constructed to the present state-of-the-art and should have reliability equivalent to the valves in use on PWR plants in the U.S. There have been no NRC incident reports on valve failures to lift that would challenge the Technical Specification Safety Limit. Fourteen valves have been reported as lifting a few percentage points outside the +-1% Tech. Spec. surveillance tolerance (9 valves tested over and 5 valves tested under specification). There have been no incident reports on failures to reseat. The LOFT surveillance program for assuring reliability is equivalent to nuclear industry practice.

A new method of injection into the AGS using a chopped H/sup -/ beam is proposed. Orbit control, control over the beam characteristics, and the implications for operating the rf system are considered.

MAGIC, a new one-dimensional particle code, simulates magneto-inductive phenomena in a cylindrically-symmetric magnetized plasma. We describe the physical model and the computational algorithm used for the code. A user's guide to and a listing of MAGIC are also included.

Stress corrosion tests were conducted on 316 VIM/VAR stainless steel as part of the Tritium Facility's Quality Assurance Program. Initial results under severe conditions indicate earlier-than-expected failure. We are expanding our tests to further examine this problem.