Technical progress made for the contract period 1 October 1979-30 September 1980, and in fact since the last progress report was prepared on 18 June 1979, is summarized. The relationship between tropospheric air temperature, sea surface temperature patterns and volcanic aerosol has been derived by the application of generalized least squares analysis, which takes account of significant autocorrelation between the variables. Up to 50% of the variance of the tropical tropospheric air temperature can be explained in terms of preceding values of the variables. The technique is being applied to make a preliminary climatic forecast of the effect of the Mt. St. Helen's eruption of 18 May 1980 on zonal mean Northern Hemisphere temperature. A regression approach was used to forecast winter temperature over the continental US using parameters from our data base. Techniques for experimental climatic forecasting are being developed and studies of the background sea-air interaction processes are being made. We have shown that surface effects extend up to at least 500 mb in the atmosphere. Tropical rainfall has been found to vary with the Southern Oscillation Index; this rainfall provides the main energy supply to the atmosphere in the form of latent heat liberation.

Group projects included radioecological studies of aquatic and terrestrial systems, land management activities, foodstuff monitoring, dust transport studies including fugitive dust measurements and modeling, and several support programs involving evaluation of the plant's ambient air samplers and airborne tritium monitoring techniques. Some salient results from the several project reports include determination of an appropriate model for mechanically generated fugitive dust dispersion, a radionuclide inventory of Smart Ditch Pond (Pond D-1), a coefficient of community determination for two terrestrial sample plots on the plant site buffer zone, a natality and mortality rate determination for fawns in the plant deer herd (including one positive coyote-kill determination), inlet loss and filter paper collection efficiencies for the plant ambient air samplers, and differential tritium sampling measurements of the vapor in Building 771 stack effluent.

Detailed analytic and model studies of various 1200 kV termination concepts underway during the present period are described. Test results are reported for the electrostatic field enhancement and the shatter-resistant weathercase studies. Optional materials, configurations, and fabrication plans are expected to be determined upon completion of these studies.

An experiment to find a suitable refractory lining for a nuclear waste incinerator has been completed. Eleven brick and six castable products were analyzed by optical and scanning microscopy. All the materials were fashioned into cup shapes and subjected to temperatures ranging from 800 to 1200/sup 0/C for as long as six weeks. Some of the cups were charged weekly with pellets made from ash materials that would contact an incinerator liner. Refractory products containing a high percentage of aluminum oxide had the greatest resistance to cracking and slag buildup. 35 figures.

The effectiveness of lower plenum emergency core coolant (ECC) injection during a double ended offset shear cold leg break loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) was investigated experimentally in a small-scale model of a pressurized water reactor (PWR). In order to determine relative merit of the lower plenum injection concept to mitigate the severity of a large break LOCA, data from lower plenum injection experiments were compared to data from an experiment in the Semiscale Mod-3 sytem in which cold leg ECC injection was utilized. The results indicated that lower plenum injection was extremely effective in initiating early reflooding of the core and earlier rod quenching than was observed in the cold leg injection experiment.

Progress is reported in the following subject areas: (1) chemistry of the arogenate molecule; (2) plant enzymology at the organismal level; (3) isolation of regulatory mutants in tobacco; and (4) stability of the haploid state in Nicotiana sylvestris.

The absorption of H by YNi/sub 5/, LaPt/sub 5/ and ThNi/sub 5/ at pressures above those reported in the literature were studied. These alloys were reported to absorb no significant H/sub 2/ at low pressures. (FS)

Measurements in the Geysers area from April until October 1979 when the onset of seasonal rains limited field work are presented. Field studies involved the following three basic types of measurements: cooling tower drift deposition, plant ecological studies, and animal population studies. Brief summaries of the data are presented to demonstrate the types of information obtained. (MHR)

None

Baseline air quality and meteorology data collected at the proposed site in 1977 and 1978 are presented: sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, ozone, particles, lead, reduced sulfur compounds, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. (LTN)

The best available control technology (BACT) proposals for the following areas of the SRC-I demonstration plant are described: coal preparation and handling, SRC process and deashing, coke and liquid fuels (control of particles and hydrocarbon vapors), cryogenic systems and fuel gas purification (including sulfur recovery system and venting of gaseous wastes). (LTN)

This report reviews the literature of processes for the nonaqueous separation of zinc from dissolved fuel assembly cladding. The processes considered were distillation, pyrochemical processing, and electrorefining. The last two techniques were only qualitatively surveyed while the first, distillation, was surveyed in detail. A survey of available literature from 1908 through 1978 on the distillation of zinc was performed. The literature search indicated that a zinc recovery rate in excess of 95% is possible; however, technical problems exist because of the high temperatures required and the corrosive nature of liquid zinc. The report includes a bibliography of the surveyed literature and a computer simulation of vapor pressures in binary systems. 129 references.

Because changes in solar activity can modify the fluxes of cosmic-ray particles in the solar system, the nature of the galactic and solar cosmic rays and their interactions with matter are described and used to study the ancient sun. The use of cosmogenic nuclides in meteorites and lunar samples as detectors of past cosmic-ray variations are discussed. Meteorite records of the history of the galactic cosmic rays are reviewed. The fluxes of solar protons over various time periods as determined from lunar radionuclide data are presented and examined. The intensities of solar protons emitted during 1954 to 1964 (11-year solar cycle number 19) were much larger than those for 1965 to 1975 (solar cycle 20). Average solar-proton fluxes determined for the last one to ten million years from lunar /sup 26/Al and /sup 53/Mn data show little variation and are similar to the fluxes for recent solar cycles. Lunar activities of /sup 14/C (and preliminary results for /sup 81/Kr) indicate that the average fluxes of solar protons over the last 10/sup 4/ (and 10/sup 5/) years are several times larger than those for the last 10/sup 6/ to 10/sup 7/ years; however, cross-section measurements and other work are needed to …

This report briefly describes recent geophysical and geotechnical instrumentation developments relevant to the studies of deep geologic repositories. Special emphasis has been placed on techniques that appear to minimize measurement problems associated with repositories constructed in basalt or domed salt. Included in the listing are existing measurement capabilities and deficiencies that have been identified by a few authors and instrumentation workshops that have assessed the capabilities of existing instrumentation with respect to repository applications. These deficiencies have been compared with the reported advantages and limitations of the new developments described. Based on these comparisons, areas that merit further research and development have been identified. The report is based on a thorough literature review and on discussions with several instrumentation specialists involved in instrumentation development.

A small experimental solar collector test facility has been established on the campus of the University of Chicago. This capability has been used to explore applications of nonimaging optics for solar thermal concentration in three substantially different configurations: (1) a single stage system with moderate concentration on an evacuated absorber (a 5.25X evacuated tube Compound Parabolic Concentrator or CPC), (2) a two stage system with high concentration and a non-evacuated absorber (a 16X Fresnel lens/CPC type mirror) and (3) moderate concentration single stage systems with non-evacuated absorbers for lower temperature (a 3X and a 6.5X CPC). Prototypes of each of these systems have been designed, built and tested. The performance characteristics are presented. In addition a 73 m/sup 2/ experimental array of 3X non-evacuated CPC's has been installed in a school heating system on the Navajo Indian Reservation in New Mexico. The full array has a peak noon time efficiency of approx. 50% at ..delta..T = 50/sup 0/C above ambient and has supplied about half the school's heat load for the past two heating seasons. Several theoretical features of nonimaging concentration have been investigated including their long term energy collecting behavior. The measured performance of the different systems shows clearly …

Calculations of steady laminar incompressible fluid-flow and heat transfer in a spherical annulus are presented. Steady pressures, temperatures, velocities, and heat transfer coefficients are calculated for an insulated outer sphere and a 0/sup 0/C isothermal inner sphere with 50/sup 0/C heated water flowing in the annulus. The inner sphere radius is 13.97 cm, the outer sphere radius is 16.83 cm and the radius ratio is 1.2. The transient axisymmetric equations of heat, mass, and momentum conservation are solved numerically in spherical coordinates. The transient solution is carried out in time until steady state is achieved. A variable mesh is used to improve resolution near the inner sphere where temperature and velocity gradients are steep. It is believed that this is the first fully two-dimensional analysis of forced flow in a spherical annulus. Local and bulk Nusselt numbers are presented for Reynolds numbers from 4.4 to 440. Computed bulk Nusselt numbers ranged from 2 to 50 and are compared to experimental results from the literature. Inlet flow jetting off the inner sphere and flow separation are predicted by the analysis. The location of wall jet separation was found to be a function of Reynolds number, indicating the location of separation depends …

It is becoming increasingly important for industry to prevent releases of potentially toxic material to the environment. The Lawrence Livermore Laboratory has developed a system to monitor its sewage effluent on a continuous basis. A representative fraction of the total waste stream leaving the Plant is passed through a detection assembly consisting of an x-ray fluorescence unit which detects high levels of metals, sodium iodide crystal detectors that scan the sewage for the presence of elevated levels of radiation, and an industrial probe for pH monitoring. With the aid of a microprocessor, the data collected is reduced and analyzed to determine whether levels are approaching established environmental limits. Currently, if preset pH or radiation levels are exceeded, a sample of the suspect sewage is automatically collected for further analysis, and an alarm is sent to a station where personnel can be alerted to respond on a 24-hour basis. In the same manner, spectral data from the x-ray fluorescence unit will be routed through the 24-hour alarm system as soon as evaluation of the unit is complete. The design of the system and operational experience is discussed.

In response to a request from the Water Reactor Safety Research Division of the US NRC, a preliminary study is provided which identifies key features and consideration involved in planning a comprehensive in-plant Safety Relief Valve experimental program for a Mark III containment design. The report provides identification of program objectives, measurement system requirements, and some details quantifying expected system response. In addition, a preliminary test matrix is outlined which involves a supporting philosophy intended to enhance the usefulness of the experimental results for all members of the program team: experimentalists, analysts, and plant operator.

The use of pulsed-laser heating was evaluated as a means to obtain high cyclic peak temperatures with short rise times. A two-stage neodymium glass laser was used which produces a 600-..mu..s pulse with energy outputs of up to 100 J. Small disk-shaped samples of AISI 4340 steel served as targets. Some of these were coated with a tungsten deposit. The rear face of some of the targets was instrumented for evaluation of temperature, strain, and stress response. Post-shot metallographic evaluations were made on a number of targets. We saw evidence of surface melting, cracking, and phase transformation. Surface damage was related to differences in the number of pulse cycles and input energy level, variables in the target materials, and the extent of strain-induced stresses. These experiments were performed in air at 1 atm and ambient laboratory temperature. 36 figures.

This paper describes some of the essential performance measures used to qualify materials for tribological applications in liquid sodium environments and summarizes relative properties of some of the newer tribological materials now qualified for use in sodium systems.

The purpose of this research program is to investigate the technical and economic feasibility of producing solar-cell-quality sheet silicon by coating inexpensive ceramic substrates with a thin layer of polycrystalline silicon. The coating methods to be developed are directed toward a minimum-cost process for producing solar cells with a terrestrial conversion efficiency of 11% or greater. By applying a graphite coating to one face of a ceramic substrate, molten silicon can be made to wet only that graphite-coated face and produce uniform, thin layers of large-grain polycrystalline silicon; thus, only a minimal quantity of silicon is consumed. A dip-coating method for putting silicon on ceramic (SOC) has been shown to produce solar-cell-quality sheet silicon. This method and a continuous-coating process also being investigated have excellent scale-up potential which offers an outstanding, cost-effective way to manufacture large-area solar cells. The dip-coating investigation has shown that, as the substrate is pulled from the molten silicon, crystallization continues to occur from previously grown silicon. Therefore, as the substrate length is increased (as would be the case in a scaled-up process), the expectancy for larger crystallites increases. Results and accomplishments are reported. (WHK)

The structural arrangement of a hydrated glass surface depends on the composition, thermal history and surface treatment. This paper considers the surface treatment of a lead glass with weak and strong acid solutions and in particular hydrogen peroxide, to give a microscopically clean microsphere.

The chemical reactivity test, CRT, is a procedure used to screen the compatibility of component structure materials with explosives. This report contains the results of CRT materials evaluations conducted at Mound Facility. Data about materials combinations are catalogued both under the name of the explosive and the nonexplosive.