It is anticipated that by employing high temperature, high pressure air to inject fuel into the combustion chamber of a diesel engine, the combustion process can be improved significantly. Better combustion should lead to better fuel economy, lower emissions of nitrogen oxides and unburnt hydrocarbons, less smoke, less noxious odors, reduced noise, less vibrations, increased power per unit weight of the engine, improved cold starting capability and engine operation with a wider range of fuels. The program involves development, design, fabrication and breadboard testing of an air assisted fuel injector for a single cylinder diesel engine. The experiments are to be guided by an analytical combustion study based on a stochastic model of turbulent mixing with chemical reactions. Progress is reported. (WHK)

The analysis encompassed identification and analysis of potential threats to canister integrity arising in the course of waste solidification, interim storage at the fuels reprocessing plant, wet and dry shipment, and geologic storage. Fabrication techniques and quality assurance requirements necessary to insure optimum canister reliability were considered taking into account such factors as welding procedure, surface preparation, stress relief, remote weld closure, and inspection methods. Alternative canister materials and canister systems were also considered in terms of optimum reliability in the face of threats to the canister's integrity, ease of fabrication, inspection, handling and cost. If interim storage in air is admissible, the sequence suggested comprises producing a glass-type waste product in a continuous ceramic melter, pouring into a carbon steel or low-alloy steel canister of moderately heavy wall thickness, storing in air upright on a pad and surrounded by a concrete radiation shield, and thereafter placing in geologic storage without overpacking. Should the decision be to store in water during the interim period, then use of either a 304 L stainless steel canister overpacked with a solution-annealed and fast-cooled 304 L container, or a single high-alloy canister, is suggested. The high alloy may be Inconel 600, Incoloy Alloy 800, …

This analysis was undertaken to assess the merit of directly supplying certain residence loads with the DC power available from he solar array/battery power sources rather than inverting the power to AC with losses resulting from inverter inefficiency.

This investigation of terrestrial PV systems considered the technical and economic feasibility for systems in three size categories: a small system of about 12 kW peak output for on-site residential use; a large 1500 MW central power plant contributing to the bulk energy of a utility system power grid; and an intermediate size system of about 250 kW for use on public or commercial buildings. In each category, conceptual designs were developed, performance was analyzed for a range of climatic regions, economic analyses were performed, and assessments were made of pertinent institutional issues. The report consists of three volumes. This volume contains a Study Summary of the major study results. Volume II contains the detailed results pertaining to on-site residential photovoltaic systems, central power plant photovoltaic systems, and intermediate size systems applied to commercial and public buildings. Volume III contains supporting appendix material. (WHK)

This investigation of terrestrial PV systems considered the technical and economic feasibility for systems in three size categories: a small system of about 12 kW peak output for on-site residential use; a large 1500 MW central power plant contributing to the bulk energy of a utility system power grid; and an intermediate size system of about 250 kW for use on public or commercial buildings. In each category, conceptual designs were developed, performance was analyzed for a range of climatic regions, economic analyses were performed, and assessments were made of pertinent institutional issues. The report consists of three volumes. Volume I contains a Study Summary of the major study results. This volume contains the detailed results pertaining to on-site residential photovoltaic systems, central power plant photovoltaic systems, and intermediate size systems applied to commercial and public buildings. Volume III contains supporting appendix material. (WHK)

Thirty-nine one meter square proportional chambers with delay line readout were constructed for the external muon identifier of the Fermilab 15 foot bubble chamber. They provide X,Y,U(45/sup 0/) and T (avalanche time) information using a single wire plane, etched strip cathodes and nine amplifiers. They have a time resolution of +-27ns, single particle spatial resolution of +-2 to +-3mm and double particle resolution of approximately 2/sup 1///sub 2/ to 4cm. The energy accessible to each wire is limited so none of the wires in the first 25 chambers has broken since their installation in 1973 to 1974.

A target system for the production of /sup 18/F by proton bombardment of H/sub 2//sup 18/O was designed for the ORNL 86-inch cyclotron facility. The system consists of concentric titanium and aluminum cylinders. Oxygen-18-enriched H/sub 2/O circulates through the inner titanium cylinder and through an external heat exchanger with cooling water flowing in the annulus. Yields of 5.0 curies are expected for a 250-..mu..A proton beam current and 24-min irradiation time.

Beryllium is a metal sensitive to machining damage, causing a loss in mechanical properties. Since some mechanical abrading is often used in surface preparation for mounting strain gages, it is desirable to know whether the abrading produces flaws. Metallographic study of beryllium subjected to four different surface preparation methods was carried out. It was determined that the gentle abrading necessary for affixing strain gages produced a negligible density and depth of flaws and did not lower the mechanical properties. 5 figures, 2 tables.

It is shown that steady-state density profiles at the critical density may be divided into three categories, depending on the plasma outflow velocity relative to the critical surface. Flows which are sufficiently subsonic produce ordinary profile-steepening. Velocities which are sufficiently supersonic result in a shock-like compression near the critical surface. A range of intermediate flow velocities has no solutions for a steady-state profile.

This review of the plans for the chemical explosive fracturing of the Devonian shales of Lincoln County, W. Va., for natural gas stimulation includes an assessment of the environmental effects. Alternatives, mitigating factors, cost benefit analysis, potential conflicts with other plans and programs, and relation of short-term use to long-term productivity are covered briefly. It is concluded that the proposed project does not constitute a major federal action significantly affecting the environment as defined by NEPA. 4 figures. (DLC)

The paper examines the fiscal impacts associated with siting nuclear-powered electrical stations. First, a framework for examining fiscal impacts is constructed. This framework consists of four elements: the ability of a local community to raise revenues, the degree to which this ability is used, the uses to which tax revenues are applied, and the effect of tax/expenditure decisions on the local economy. Changes in these four elements caused by the siting are termed fiscal impacts. Second, this framework is applied to two communities, Waterford, Connecticut and Plymouth, Massachusetts, which host operating reactors. In each community the ability to raise revenues through the property tax--the prime local revenue source--approximately doubled. As a result both communities chose ultimately to reduce tax rates. Moreover, it appears that the annual revenues raised through the public sector as a result of the reactor siting exceeded income changes that resulted from increased local employment associated with each reactor's operation. It therefore appears that for these two towns, the primary economic impact occurred through the public sector. The report concludes with suggestions for further research into local fiscal and economic effects associated with power reactor siting.

Progress is reported in six areas of research: air quality, water quality, ecosystem quality, subsidence and seismicity, socioeconomic effects, and integrated assessment. A major goal of the air quality element is to evaluate the rate of emission of H/sub 2/S, CO/sub 2/, H/sub 2/, N/sub 2/, CH/sub 4/, and C/sub 2/H/sub 6/ from the operation of the geothermal loop experimental facility at Niland. Concentrations of H/sub 2/S were found to vary between 1500 to 4900 ppM by volume at the Niland facility. To distinguish between geothermal fluids and other waters, extensive sampling networks were established. A major accomplishment was the installation of a high-resolution subsidence-detection network in the Salton Sea geothermal field area, centered on the test facility at Niland. A major effort went into establishing a background of data needed for subsequent impact assessments related to socioeconomic issues raised by geothermal developments. Underway are a set of geothermal energy scenarios that include power development schedules, technology characterizations, and considerations of power-plant-siting criteria. A Gaussian air-pollution model was modified for use in preliminary air-quality assessments. A crop-growth model was developed to evaluate impacts of gases released from geothermal operations on various agricultural crops. Work is also reported on the legal …

Laser plasma experiments at the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory have progressed very rapidly and have achieved new milestones in both the implosion and DT gain in laser fusion targets. New diagnostic methods were also developed for determining the state of the compressed fuel and the plasma processes which are occurring in the absorption and scattering of the laser light incident on the laser fusion pellets. A review of the program is given. (MOW)

The /sup 237/Np//sup 235/U fission cross section ratio has been measured from 0.02 to 30 MeV. Using the threshold method, a value of 1.294 +- 0.019 is obtained for the average cross section ratio in the interval from 1.75 to 4.00 MeV.

A multiple contact adhesion model has been derived to explain the charge observed on silica dust. This model has good agreement with the observed adhesion of microspheres and microballoons. From theoretical arguments, it appeared feasible that surface acoustic waves could be used to overcome the electrostatic adhesion between a particle and surface, and be used to move the particle along the surface in a controllable fashion. In an inverted geometry, evidence for resonance in the hollow microballoons was found. Two distinct modes were observed. These were the breathing mode and the Lamb wave mode associated with resonance of the walls. The measured Lamb wave velocity was 6.15 x 10/sup 5/ cm/sec.

Absolute disintegration rates of specific radioactive products induced by neutron irradition of a sample are determined by spectrometric analysis of gamma-ray emissions. Nuclide identification and quantification is carried out by a complex computer code GAMANAL (described elsewhere). The output of GAMANAL is processed by NADAC, a computer code that converts the data on observed distintegration rates to data on the elemental composition of the original sample. Computations by NADAC are on an absolute basis in that stored nuclear parameters are used rather than the difference between the observed disintegration rate and the rate obtained by concurrent irradiation of elemental standards. The NADAC code provides for the computation of complex cases including those involving interrupted irradiations, parent and daughter decay situations where the daughter may also be produced independently, nuclides with very short half-lives compared to counting interval, and those involving interference by competing neutron-induced reactions. The NADAC output consists of a printed report, which summarizes analytical results, and a card-image file, which can be used as input to another computer code MERGE. The purpose of MERGE is to combine the results of multiple analyses and produce a single final answer, based on all available information, for each element found.

The Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor will be installed at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory facility. This is a major step to reach the goal of fusion power using toroidal magnetic fields for plasma confinement. A major part of this test reactor will be four neutral beam injection systems. These systems will inject 20 MW of 120 kV neutral deuterium atoms into the plasma for 0.5 seconds. In order to achieve the required power input to the plasma, several systems are required within the neutral beam line. These are the source, neutralizer, ion deflection magnet, calorimeter and retraction system, ion dump, cryopumps and vacuum enclosure. All of these systems have constraints imposed which increase the complexity of their designs. Since all systems must operate in a tritium environment, remote handling capabilities must be incorporated into the design. An overview is presented of the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory/Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory Neutral Beam Injection System design. Specifications for the machine and a general description of the total system are presented.

In the present ISABELLE design, the luminosity at each insertion will be the same, unless special efforts are taken to get a low-..beta.. insertion or reduced crossing angle. These can only change the luminosity by factors of 2 to 4 from insertion to insertion. An estimation of the range of desired luminosities is given.

During the fifteen months that the Argus laser facility has been operating we have had two primary goals. These are: (1) to provide focusable, well characterized, high power beams for laser fusion experiments and (2) to further understand the propagation of high power and energy pulses. The propagation experiments have already led to increases in the laser output power and system reliability. Pulses appropriate for advanced targets are shaped to optimize the compression and heating of the target. In general they stress the laser in both limits of energy and power. In this work several results significant to the laser fusion program were realized. The neutron output of fusion targets increased by almost two orders of magnitude to more than 10/sup 9/ neutron/shot. An improved beam propagation technique (image relaying) was developed and partially implemented. It increased the focusable output power for short pulses (30-100 ps) to more than 4.0 TW. More than one kilojoule/beam was extracted from the laser in a high quality beam in a one nanosecond Gaussian pulse. A complex two step optical pulse was generated and successfully amplified to peak powers of more than 3.0 TW. The most recent of the system upgrades are complete image …

Lists of documents exchanged during the first half of 1977 under agreements between the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research and the governments of France, Federal Republic of Germany, and Japan are presented. During this period, the NRC received 41 reports from France, 29 from F. R. Germany, and 24 from Japan, and in return sent 107 U.S. reports to each of these three countries.

Information on the use of a 300 to 400 MW(t) PWR type reactor for industrial applications is presented concerning the potential market, reliability considerations, reactor plant description, construction techniques, comparison between nuclear and fossil-fired process steam costs, alternative fossil-fired steam supplies, and industrial application.

This testimony reviews information available from the Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA) on the domestic uranium-resource situation and the outlook for development of additional domestic supplies, availability of foreign uranium, and the relationship of uranium supply to planned nuclear generating capacity.

The Tandem Mirror Experiment (TMX) is designed to test the physics of a new approach to Q-enhancement in open confinement systems. In the tandem mirror concept, the ends of a long solenoid are plugged electrostatically by means of ambipolar potential barriers created in two mirror machines or plugs, one at each end of the solenoid. The ambipolar potential in mirror machines develops as a consequence of the higher scattering rate of electrons and the balancing of electron and ion loss rates. The TMX experiment incorporates very few new engineering developments, but it does involve a new way of combining in an integrated system many previously developed ideas. The engineering task is to design the machine that would provide a proof-of-principle evaluation of the tandem mirror concept as rapidly as possible. The preliminary design was started in September 1976 and was completed by December 1976. It led to a cost estimate of $11 million and a scheduled construction period of 18 months.

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