A plasma shutter is being developed for a Nd:glass laser fusion system which, at an output spatial filter pinhole, produces a plasma of 10/sup 21/ cm/sup -3/ to block target-reflected light from reentering the laser. A pulser using low-inductance capacitors and elastomer dielectric is switched with uv preilluminated railgaps to resistively heat a wire producing a plasma. The plasma generated within a nozzle and configured in a railgun geometry is projected across the optical beam path at 3.9 cm/..mu..s. The optics are protected from the plasma. A scaled experiment is characterized, and a prototype shutter module is described.

The success of any Inertial Confinement Fusion system for the production of useful power depends critically on the production of suitable targets. This is true whether the arrangement is that proposed by Nuckolls et al. or some other arrangement. The target must have characteristics such as material composition, structure, and surface finish which are tailored to the laser pulse length, energy, peak and average power and pulse shape. To provide useful power on a continuous basis, it is likely that the repetition rate will be 1.0 to 10 per second. Thus, in a 24 hour running period 864,000 targets may be necessary and one must be placed at the focal point of the laser every tenth of a second. For economic operation it is necessary that the targets be produced at costs of less than $1.00 per target.

A brief review is given of the quantum statistical theory of strongly coupled many component reacting plasmas. It is shown that three distinct renormalizations of the many component activity series are required to obtain an expansion, which can properly handle strongly coupled reacting plasmas, for all states of ionization when Z > 1. Compensation between bound and scattering state contributions to the partition function is shown to be an important consideration and leads automatically to a convergent internal partition function.

This report is a preliminary analysis of the expansion potential of the existing nuclear power sites, in particular their potential for development into nuclear energy centers (NECs) of 10 (GW(e) or greater. The analysis is based primarily on matching the most important physical characteristics of a site against the dominating site criteria. Sites reviewed consist mainly of those in the 1974 through 1976 ERDA Nuclear Power Stations listings without regard to the present status of reactor construction plans. Also a small number of potential NEC sites that are not associated with existing power stations were reviewed. Each site was categorized in terms of its potential as: a dispersed site of 5 GW(e) or less; a mini-NEC of 5 to 10 GW(e); NECs of 10 to 20 GW(e); and large NECs of more than 20 GW(e). The sites were categorized on their ultimate potential without regard to political considerations that might restrain their development. The analysis indicates that nearly 40 percent of existing sites have potential for expansion to nuclear energy centers.

The first targets for the 20 TW SHIVA laser system were designed. They are simple glass micro-balloons, approximately 300 ..mu..m in diameter and 2 ..mu..m thick, filled with D-T gas. Using LASNEX, whose model physics was utilized successfully for ARGUS targets, we optimize for both gain and yield. The target behaves as an exploding pusher. Different simple analytic models for the physics of this mode are presented, and are tested by comparing their scaling predictions, at constant absorbed power, with those demonstrated by LASNEX. Emphasis is placed on successful prediction of the basic quantities of peak ion temperature and compression, rather than neutron yield or n tau.

The baseline air quality and meteorological data are gathered by the Imperial Valley Environmental Project from December 1976 through April 1978. The air quality data obtained at the six fixed locations are reported in the form of histograms; histograms and wind roses are presented of the meteorological data collected at the six sites. The air quality and meteorological data obtained by the mobile laboratory in the vicinity of the Heber KGRA are listed in a similar format. (MHR)

Collection efficiency of an impaction dust separator with a porous plate as the impaction surface was investigated theoretically and experimentally. To provide continuous removal of deposited material, water perfused through the plate in a direction opposite to the impaction direction. The determination of theoretical collection efficiencies as a function of particle and jet properties was attempted by analyzing the governing equations. Experimental collection efficiency was measured for an aerosol jet of organic liquid particles in air.

A boundary layer injection method of controlling scale-buildup in geothermal two-phase flow nozzles is studied. The object of this study is to set an upper limit on the ratio of the injected mass flow rate to the free stream mass flow rate that is necessary to isolate the scale carrying free stream flow from the nozzle wall. In order to develop a numerical model of the boundary layer flow, assumptions are made which reduce the results to order of magnitude approximations. Two configurations of nozzles with various injection flow rates are tried. It is found by numerical experiment that a nozzle with injection through a 1 mm thick ring near the inlet, is more efficient at isolating the free stream than a porous nozzle. A mass flow rate ratio of 0.173% was necessary to achieve this effect. It may be concluded that an upper limit on the mass flow rate ratio is about 2.0% with injection through a ring near the inlet, and that boundary layer injection is a reasonable method of controlling scale-buildup. A glossary of variables, program documentation and listings are presented for programs GMD15SR8, TRACK11, and TRACK12.

Results of the first 18 months' operation of Hanford's vacuum evaporator- crystallizer are reported. This process reduces the volume of radioactive waste solutions and simultaneously converts the waste to a less mobile salt cake. The evaporator-crystallizer is operating at better than design production rates and has reduced the volume of radioactive wastes by more than 15 million gallons. A process description, plant performance data, mechanical difficulties, and future operating plans are discussed. Also discussed is a computer model of the evaporator-crystallizer process. (auth)

The manual provides guidelines for assuring safe and reliable siting, design, procurement and construction, operation, and decommissioning of a radioactive waste repository. The organization of the program is given and the program itself is defined. The program includes the site evaluation, site selection, design, procurement, fabrication, installation, and testing of any system or component that is safety related. It also included all necessary documentation and auditing. (JSR)

Radioactive fallout from this Chinese nuclear test resulted in measurable deposition of short-lived debris over much of the United States. The fallout levels varied by more than 1000-fold and showed significant temporary or spatial fractionation with higher levels of deposition being associated with rain. The particle size with which the airborne debris was associated decreased continuously with time following detonation and a substantial fraction of the {sup 131}I was associated with inorganic and organic gases. The potential radiation dose to an infant consuming milk produced at the location of the highest concentration of {sup 131}I measured on grass was estimated to be {approximately}l rem. This dose is about 50 times the annual dose received in the vicinity of a power reactor operating under the existing US Nuclear Regulatory Commission design guides. The potential upper limit thyroid dose for the population of 17 eastern seaboard states from this single test was estimated to be about 2.4 {times} 10{sup 6} man-thyroid-rem under the assumption that all dairy cows remained on fresh pasture throughout the month following the initial decomposition of fallout debris. This dose is about 200 times the estimated dose from currently operating nuclear power reactors and about 50 times the …

Ths document is an integral part of the Kilowatt Isotope Power System (KIPS) Program Plan. This document defines the KIPS Reliability Program Plan for the Technology Verification Phase. This document delineates the reliability assurance tasks that are to be accomplished by Sundstrand and its suppliers during the design, fabrication and testing of the KIPS.

Preliminary results are presented from calculations concerning the kinetics and transport of a single SST exhaust plume. Curves are shown that exhibit the effect of different transport rates on axis ozone concentration and total ozone destruction per unit plume length. (auth)

It now appears feasible to attempt to overcome instability losses by the brute force approach. Calculations show that the number of trapped ions can be increased by an order of magnitude and that trapping by ground-state ionization will become important under brute force conditions, because of recent improvements in beam, vacuum, and magnet technology. The key assumption is that the time constant for losses duc to instabilities is constant. (auth)

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From meeting of the division of particles and fields; Berkeley, California USA (13 Aug 1973). Threshold effects and oscillating cross sections are reviewed in the context of models (such as the multiperipheral) which employ factorization and indefinite repetition in the t-channel. The origin of logarithmic energy thresholds is illustrated by the ABFST model and applied to antibaryon production and rising cross sections at high energy. Then one discusses large-mass diffraction dissociation and it is argued that this process is not responsible for the increase in the p-p total cross section at ISR energies. (auth)