An overview of the accomplishments of the DOE Atmospheric Studies in Complex Terrain (ASCOT) program during FY-1980 is presented. Fiscal Year 1980 was the second in a three to four year ASCOT study being conducted in The Geysers area of Northern California to achieve the following objectives: to augment the present knowledge of the physical mechanisms involved in the development, perpetuation, and breakup of nocturnal drainage flows; to develop an integrated measurement and modeling methodology to perform air quality impact assessment and control strategies for energy development in areas subject to drainage flows; and to provide the developed methodology with special applications to the H/sub 2/S emissions associated with The Geysers geothermal development. This year the focus of the work was on the major areas of reducing, analyzing and modeling data taken during the July 1979 field experiment within the Anderson Creek Valley at The Geysers and planning and executing a major field experiment in September 1980.

Research and development efforts in support of the Tar Sands program well completions and stimulation subactivity and new and novel concepts task have been initiated. The objectives of the well completion and stimulation efforts are to carry out research and development in areas with significant for long-range tar sand extraction development as well as provide potential interaction and support of the near-term tar sand field experiments. Evaluation testing of packers and computational analysis of well bore insulation for tar sands steam recovery injection wells have been investigated this quarter. Production well completions for the tar sand steam drive experiment have been examined, and a program to measure downhole steam quality in the experiment is under development. Initial examination of the application of the DOE downhole steam generator program to tar sand reservoirs has commenced. The examination of new and novel concepts for extraction of tar sands has been initiated. An overburden replacement technique was evaluated both computationally and in a laboratory scale experiment. Analyses of both microwave heating and in situ hydrogenation are being initiated.

This report describes the work performed by the Pacific Northwest Laboratory and its subcontractor Battelle Columbus Laboratories on the Wire Rope Improvement Program during FY-1979 and the first half of FY80. The program, begun in 1975 by the US Bureau of Mines, was transferred to the US Department of Energy (DOE) on October 1, 1978. Since that time, the DOE's Division of Solid Fuels Mining and Preparation has sponsored the program. To address identified problems and provide information from which behavior of large-diameter wire rope could be better understood, efforts in the following areas were undertaken: large-diameter rope testing, small-diameter rope testing, data analysis and evaluation, wear and failure analysis, load sensor development, and technology transfer. Wire ropes 3/4 in., 1-1/2 in., and 3 in. in diameter were tested in bend-over sheave fatigue. Attempts were made to correlate fatigue life of these ropes. Limited field rope data were available to compare with test results. The modes of failure and wear in laboratory ropes were compared with those seen previously in field ropes. A load sensor was designed and ordered in FY79. It will be connected to the drag rope and jewelry of working draglines during the summer of FY80. Technology …