A fuel cycle that employs /sup 233/U denatured with /sup 238/U and mixed with thorium fertile material is examined with respect to its proliferation-resistance characteristics and its technical and economic feasibility. The rationale for considering the denatured /sup 233/U fuel cycle is presented, and the impact of the denatured fuel on the performance of Light-Water Reactors, Spectral-Shift-Controlled Reactors, Gas-Cooled Reactors, Heavy-Water Reactors, and Fast Breeder Reactors is discussed. The scope of the R, D and D programs to commercialize these reactors and their associated fuel cycles is also summarized and the resource requirements and economics of denatured /sup 233/U cycles are compared to those of the conventional Pu/U cycle. In addition, several nuclear power systems that employ denatured /sup 233/U fuel and are based on the energy center concept are evaluated. Under this concept, dispersed power reactors fueled with denatured or low-enriched uranium fuel are supported by secure energy centers in which sensitive activities of the nuclear cycle are performed. These activities include /sup 233/U production by Pu-fueled transmuters (thermal or fast reactors) and reprocessing. A summary chapter presents the most significant conclusions from the study and recommends areas for future work.

New Research Initiatives Program W-318 was successfully completed with the calculation of a series of nonlinear Cepheid models with the new DYN code. The dynamical zoning feature of the DYN code makes it unique in that it allows reliable light curves, as well as velocity curves, to be calculated. The models are used to extend to light curves Christy's conclusion, based on velocity curves, that the observations of Cepheids cannot be matched unless the mass is significantly reduced (assuming a homogeneous composition). An examination of results also leads to the conclusion that observed light curves are considerably more complex than has previously been thought. The light and velocity curves we have calculated should be useful guides for interpreting the observations. 36 references.

A method developed earlier for solving numerically the one-dimensional Buckley--Leverett equation for two phase immiscible flow in a porous medium is extended to the case of non-uniform flow in two space dimensions. The method has the feature of tracking solution discontinuities sharply for purely hyperbolic problems, without requiring devices such as the introduction of artificial dissipation. It is found that the method is computationally efficient for solving a numerical example for the five-spot configuration of water flooding of a petroleum reservoir.

Caustic half cells are described and data reported for tests run to evaluate the technology involved in the operation of air cathodes for the Caustic-Chlorine Industry. The majority of tests were run at 300 ASF in a 23% NaOH electrolyte at 75/sup 0/C with a CO/sub 2/ free air efficiency of 33%. Data are presented for a 7200-h life test which is in operation and represents the state of the art. Runs have been made to identify the limiting current density and air efficiency for the standard RA19 type air cathode. Also presented are tests involving cell temperature, electrode platinum variation and evaluation of several thin, porous, conducting substrates on which the catalyst layer is deposited during electrode fabrication. Technical data on advisory meetings and experimental cell design for hydrogen anode evaluation in the electrowinning of zinc were reported. Preliminary results demonstrate a savings of over 0.6 kWh/lb of zinc for 3 to 4 hours runs employing pure hydrogen as fuel and a 0.33 mg/cm/sup 2/ Pt anode. In the area of metal-water-air batteries a consultatory meeting was held, and the initial data obtained at Lawrence Livermore Laboratory for a standard Prototech Company air cathode in an Aluminum-Air Battery were …

This report addresses a differentially-pumped low-energy ion-beam system for an ultra high vacuum atom-probe field ion microscope.

Radiation fields created by the production of /sup 7/Be in lithium of the Fusion Materials Irradiation Test (FMIT) Facility can be sufficiently high to prevent contact maintenance of system components. Preliminary experiments have shown that /sup 7/Be will adhere strongly to the FMIT piping and components and a good control method for /sup 7/Be must be developed. The initial experiments have been conducted in static stainless steel capsules and a Modified Thermal Convection Loop (MTCL). The average lithium film thickness on stainless steel was found to be 11 ..mu..m in the temperature range 495/sup 0/ to 571/sup 0/K from the capsule experiments. The diffusion coefficient for /sup 7/Be in stainless steel at 543/sup 0/K was calculated to be 5.31 x 10/sup -15/ cm/sup 2//sec. The cold leg of the MTCL picked up much of the /sup 7/Be activity released into the loop. The diffusion trap, located in the cold leg of the MTCL, was ineffective in removing /sup 7/Be from lithium, at the very slow flow rates (< 3.79 x 10/sup -4/ m/sup 3//s) used in the MTCL. Pure iron has been shown to be superior to coblat and nickel as a getter material for /sup 7/Be.

The Alpha Fuels Environmental Test Facility (AFETF) impact gun is a unique tool for impact testing /sup 238/PuO/sub 2/-fueled heat sources of up to 178-mm dia at velocities to 300 m/s. An environmentally-sealed vacuum chamber at the muzzle of the gun allows preheating of the projectile to 1,000/sup 0/C. Immediately prior to impact, the heat source projectile is completely sealed in a vacuum-tight catching container to prevent escape of its radioactive contents should rupture occur. The impact velocity delivered by this gas-powered gun can be regulated to within +-2%.

A fluidized bed incineration facility has been designed for installation at the Rocky Flats Plant to develop and demonstrate the process for the combustion of transuranic waste. The unit capacity will be about 82 kg/hour of combustible waste. The combustion process will utilize in situ neutralization of acid gases generated in the process. The equipment design is based on data generated on a pilot scale unit and represents a scale-up factor of nine. Equipment installation was completed on April 30, 1978. Equipment checkout and startup is in progress.

A key element of the National Energy Plan is the conversion of industrial boiler fuels from natural gas and oil to coal. But widespread conversion to coal is not taking place in the industrial sector. This study identifies the important factors that restrict the acceptance of coal in industry and examines some alternatives to conventional on-site combustion. An analysis of the economic and environmental barriers is made along with a discussion of financial and logistical constraints. The results indicate that the lack of substantial economic incentives, increased risks due to intensified capital requirements, and the absence of a clear environmental policy make coal a poor choice for most of industry. The proposed tax provisions of the National Energy Plan would improve the economic incentives to convert to coal, but for most industrial energy users the incentives will still be too small and the risks too large. Alternatives to conventional on-site facilities considered are central community steam generation and an area coal terminal. These concepts appear promising for some regions of the country.

It is well established that ion implantation techniques can be used to introduce selected impurities into solids in a controlled, accurate and often unique manner. Recent experiments have shown that pulsed laser processing of materials can lead to surface melting, dopant redistribution and crystal regrowth, all on extremely short time scales (approx. < 1 ..mu.. sec.). These two processes can be combined to achieve properties not possible with normal materials preparation techniques, or to alter materials properties in a more efficient manner. Investigations are presented utilizing the combined techniques of positive ion scattering-channeling, x-ray scattering and transmission electron microscopy which show that supersaturated alloys can be formed in the surface regions (approx. 1 ..mu..m) of ion implanted, laser annealed silicon single crystals, and that these surfaces undergo a unique one dimensional lattice contraction or expansion depending on the dopant species. The resultant surface has a lattice parameter significantly different from the bulk, is free from any damage defects, has essentially all the dopant atoms in substitutional sites and the impurity concentrations can exceed solid solubility limits by more than an order of magnitude.

An analog subsystem is described which monitors certain functions in the Plutonium Protection System. Rotary and linear potentiometer output signals are digitized, as are the outputs from thermistors and container ''bulge'' sensors. This work was sponsored by the Department of Energy/Office of Safeguards and Security (DOE/OSS) as part of the overall Sandia Fixed Facility Physical Protection Program.

The SAMICS methodology was used to analyze the first candidate manufacturing sequence that could meet the LSA Projects's 1986 price goal. That goal represents a reduction in photovoltaic prices by a factor of a hundred over a 10-year period, from approximately 50 $/Wpk in 1975 to 50 cents/Wpk in 1986. The results of analysis which has occurred since the original presentation of the 5 cents/Wpk candidate factory at the 10th LSA Project Integration Meeting are described. Briefly, if a number of events occur, such as a high cell efficiency (14% for this technology), vertical industry integration, long periods of amortizing the initial capital investment, and full utilization of a large plant, then a price of 39.9 cents/Wpk is possible. Non-optimal circumstances will increase this required price, and several of these circumstances are addressed.

Today there exists in the United States a large volume of nuclear wastes that result from both military and commercial activities. The United States has to date placed major emphasis on disposal in only one rock type--salt--whereas other nations have considered other rock types, such as granite in England and Sweden and clays in Belgium. No comprehensive evaluation of isolation in rocks other than salt has been made in the United States, and it is most appropriate that other rock types be evaluated both for constructing disposal sites in areas devoid of salt and also for having alternative waste management plans in case substantial problems are encountered in using salt as a disposal medium. To evaluate the state-of-the-art, research needs, and research priorities related to waste disposal in largely-impermeable rocks, scientists and engineers working on geologic aspects of nuclear waste disposal were brought together. The Geotechnical Assessment and Instrumentation Needs (GAIN) Symposium for Nuclear Waste Isolation in Crystalline and Argillaceous Rocks was held July 16-20, 1978 in Berkeley. This report and recommendations are the proceedings from that symposium. The location, design, and testing of a potential nuclear waste disposal site are both a geologic and an engineering problem. Disposal requires …

Results of steady-state (EBR-II) irradiation testing, off-normal irradiation design and testing, fuel-cladding compatibility, and chemical stability of uranium--plutonium carbide and nitride fuels are presented.

This report documents the technical progress through the first six months of this one-year program under DoE Contract which was effective 1 May 1978.

The calculational procedures described in the report reflect current NRC staff practice. The methods described will be used in the evaluation of applications for construction permits and operating licenses docketed after January 1, 1979, until this NUREG is revised as a result of additional staff review. The BWR-GALE (Boiling Water Reactor Gaseous and Liquid Effluents) Code is a computerized mathematical model for calculating the release of radioactive material in gaseous and liquid effluents from boiling water reactors (BWRs). The calculations are based on data generated from operating reactors, field tests, laboratory tests, and plant-specific design considerations incorporated to reduce the quantity of radioactive materials that may be released to the environment.

In the large fusion program at Livermore we are actively doing research in most areas of inertial confinement fusion. The areas in which we are funded for research specific to heavy ion fusion are: (1) target design; (2) energy conversion chamber design and (3) ion beam propagation in the combustion chamber. There are two main thrusts to the target design effort: (1) development of targets which are optimally suited to heavy ion fusion power production and (2) fundamental studies of the beam-target interaction.

Most detailed fusion target design is done by numerical simulation using large computers. Although numerical simulation is briefly discussed, this lecture deals primarily with the way in which basic physical arguments, driver technology considerations and economical power production requirements are used to guide and augment the simulations. Physics topics discussed include target energetics, preheat, stability and symmetry. A specific design example is discussed.

This is a review of all the data available on production and decay of charmed particles in e/sup +/e/sup -/ collisions. Production and decay of D*, D, F mesons and charmed baryons are discussed. Comparisons with theoretical predictions, where available, are made. 84 references.

The problem of continuous and discrete error distribution for real computer arithmetics is discussed. The existing literature is surveyed. Several new and important theorems are proven. Results are illustrated with 9 figures and 14 tables.

Processes and equipment have been developed for welding thin aluminum and copper foils using a Nd : YAG laser. Laser welding provides an alternate technique with improved quality for welding these types of electrical terminations.

Activities of the Los Alamos Nuclear Data Group for the period July 1 through September 30, 1978, are described. Work was performed in the following subject areas: theory and evaluation of nuclear cross sections; nuclear cross-section processing; and fission products and actinides--yields, yield theory, decay data, depletion, and buildup. Separate abstracts were prepared for four sections that contained significant amounts of data. 18 figures, 12 tables. (RWR)

Literature and industrial sources were surveyed to assess, on the basis of apparent economics and reliability, the joinability of both shell-and-tube and compact ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) heat exchangers. A no-leak requirement is mandatory to prevent mixing seawater and the ammonia working fluid. The operating temperature range considered is 7 to 28/sup 0/C (45 to 82/sup 0/F). Materials evaluated were aluminum, titanium, copper--nickel, AL-6X austenitic stainless steel, singly and in combination with steel and concrete. Many types of welding and brazing processes, roller expansion, magnaforming, O-ring sealing, and adhesive bonding were considered. The automatic gas tungsten-arc welding process and explosion welding processes are the only two joining processes that now appear to offer the high reliability required of no-leak shell-and-tube heat exchangers. Of these two processes, the gas tungsten-arc welding process appears to be the more economically attractive.

Differential cross sections I (THETA) at several collision energies measured in crossed molecular beam experiments are reported for several combinations of halogen atoms (/sup 2/P) scattered off rare gas-rare gas atoms (/sup 1/S/sub 0/), namely, F + Ne, F + Ar, F + Kr, F + Xe, C1 + Xe. The scattering is described by an elastic model appropriate to Hund's case c coupling. With the use of this model, the X 1/2, I 3/2, and II 1/2 interaction potential energy curves are derived by fitting calculated differential cross sections, based on analytic representations of the potentials, to the data. The F - Xe X 1/2 potential shows a significant bonding qualitatively different than for the other F-rare gases. The I 3/2 and II 1/2 potentials closely resemble the van der Waals interactions of the one electron richer ground state rare gas-rare gas systems. Coupled-channel scattering calculations are carried out for F + Ar, F + Xe, and C1 + Xe using the realistic potential curves derived earlier. The results justify the use of the elastic model, and give additional information on intramultiplet and intermultiplet transitions. The transitions are found to be governed by the crossing of the two ..cap …