Progress in LMFBR safety studies on accident debris behavior is reported under the following subtask titles: high-temperature-concentration aerosols, large-scale molten fuel tests, sodium release tests, and risk analysis.

Progress is reported for a program whose goals are to demonstrate an experimental Upgraded gas turbine-powered automobile which meets the 1978 Federal Emissions Standards, has significantly improved fuel economy, and is competitive in performance, reliability, and potential manufacturing cost with the conventional piston engine-powered, compact-size American automobile. This is the concluding progress report for this program; it covers the period from May 1, 1978 to January 31, 1979. The next formal report will be the final report, which is currently in process. Activity during this reporting period has continued to emphasize development towards correcting a power deficiency in the Upgraded Engine. Efforts are also being directed towards reducing fuel usage through improved heat recovery and towards improving the mechanical reliability and control of the engine.

This report summarizes the technical progress in the following areas of study: (1) low-frequency instabilities; (2) high-frequency microinstabilities; (3) nonlinear effects and radiative processes; (4) ideal and resistive, linear and nonlinear, MHD numerical studies of tokamak plasma configurations; (5) numerical studies of the implosion dynamics and post-implosion anomalous transport properties of high-density pinches; (6) development of computer codes for solving complex dispersion relations; and (7) nonlocal eigenvalue problems for microstability analysis.

Full-scale near-surface heater experiments are presently being conducted by Sandia Laboratories in the Conasauga Formation at Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and in the Eleana Formation on the Nevada Test Site, Nevada. The purposes of these experiments are: (1) to determine if argillaceous media can withstand thermal loads characteristic of high level waste; (2) to provide data for improvement of themomechanical modeling of argillaceous rocks; (3) to identify instrumentation development needed for further in situ testing; and (4) to identify unexpected general types of behavior, if any. The basic instrumentation of these tests consists of a heater in a central hole, surrounded by arrays of holes containing various instrumentation. Temperatures, thermal profiles, vertical displacements, volatile pressurization, and changes in in situ stresses are measured in each experiment as a function of time, and compared with pretest modeling results. Results to date, though in general agreement with modeling results assuming conductive heat transfer within the rock, indicate that the presence of even small amounts of water can drastically affect heat transfer within the heater hole itself, and that small amounts of upward convection of water may be occurring in the higher temperature areas of the Conasauga experiments.

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A numerical model of a regional ground-water flow system (not site specific) was coupled with a material transport model in order to study the influence of porosity and distribution coefficients in bedded media. The effects on model performance were discerned from long-term material transport simulations. Model performance was based on initial breakthrough time, average breakthrough time, and the standard deviation of the breakthrough curve at a discharge surface. Large differences in model performance occurred when the distribution coefficient was changed less than an order of magnitude, while small differences resulted from changing porosity several orders of magnitude.

Sandia`s Particle Beam Fusion Program is investigating several driver options, based on pulsed power technology, with the goal of demonstrating a practical ignitor for Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) Reactors. The interrelated aspects of power conditioning and compression, beam-target interaction, and target ignition are being studied. The issues of efficiency, reliability and multiple pulse capability are being integrated into the program to provide a viable approach to an experimental power reactor. On a shorter time scale the authors expect to derive important military-related benefits from attendant research and facility development. The two most important advantages of pulsed power driven fusion are the inherent low cost and high efficiency of high current particle accelerators. However, comparison of the relative merits of particle beams and focused laser beams must include many other factors such as beam transport, and target coupling, as well as target design and fabrication. These issues are being investigated to determine if the perceived practical benefits of particle beam fusion can indeed be realized. The practical considerations are exemplified in a comparison of the leading ICF drivers. The plan being followed by Sandia involves using the Electron Beam Fusion Accelerator (EBFA) to meet three objectives by 1985: significant burn using …

The interactions of a quartz monzonite, an argillite, an alluvium, and several tuffs with various radionuclides in selected phreatic waters have been studied. The sorption--desorption hehavior of Sr, Tc(VII), Cs, Ba, Ce, Eu, U(VI), Pu, and Am under ambient and 70{sup 0}C temperature conditions has been measured.

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A program to determine if non-metallic materials such as polymers, concrete polymer composites, and refractory cements can be utilized as materials of construction in geothermal processes is in progress. To date, several high temperature polymer concrete systems have been formulated, laboratory and field tests performed in brine, flashing brine, and steam at temperatures up to 260/sup 0/C (500{sup 0}F), and economic studies started. Laboratory data for exposure times > 2 years are available. Results are also available from field exposures of up to 24 months in four geothermal environments. Good durability is indicated. Work at five of these sites is continuing and plans to initiate other tests are being implemented.

The experiment described in this report makes observations to determine the direct insolation every 16 sec at corners of a quadrilateral approximately 600 meters in size located near Barstow, California. This size approximates the collector field of the solar power plant to be built near Barstow. Data from the first three months of operation of this experiment indicate cloudy conditions, capable of affecting the operation of a solar power plant, occurred during 15% of the daylight hours of some months. Patterns of insolation variation over the experiment area indicate shadows often exist with dimensions less than the projected size of the collection field for the 10 MW/sub e/ solar thermal power plant. Detailed statistical summaries of four partly cloudy events are included. Rates of insolation change on an individual sensor greater than or equal to 30 Wm/sup -2/ sec/sup -1/ have been observed, but these rate measurements have probably been limited by the response time of the experimental system. Spatial averaging of the measured insolation over the sensor field lowers the rate of insolation change.

Progress on energy analysis of geothermal resources is reported. The power curve for a vapor dominated hydrothermal plant is shown. (MHR)

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.

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The Rio Blanco Massive Hydraulic Fracturing Project was fielded in 1974 as a joint Industry/ERDA demonstration to test the relative effectiveness of MHF in the same formations that were stimulated by the Rio Blanco nuclear fracturing experiment. The project is essentially a companion effort to and a continuation of the preceding nuclear stimulation project, which took place in May, 1973. The well was fractured a total of four times, twice in the Upper Mesaverde and twice in the Fort Union. A fifth zone in the Upper Mesaverde was extensively tested but abandoned as being of insufficient quality for fracturing. In the four treatments, none appears to have fractured laterally as designed. In the Fort Union and Mesaverde each well must produce from numerous sand lenses, the lateral extent of which appears to be limited.

TERA Corporation presents the results of a detailed seismic risk analysis of the Battelle Memorial Institute's Nuclear Research Facility at West Jefferson, Ohio. This report focuses on earthquakes.

This report presents the results of a detailed seismic risk analysis of the Nuclear Materials Development Facility (NMDF) operated by Atomics International at Santa Susana, California. The historical seismic record was established after a review of available literature, consultation with operators of local seismic arrays and examination of appropriate seismic data bases including the USGS, California Institute of Technology and NEIS data bases. The resulting seismic record, covering the period 1969 to 1977, was used to identify all possible sources of seismicity that could affect the site. The best estimate curve indicates that the facility will experience 30% g with a return period of 55 years and 60% g with a return period of 750 years.

A detailed description of the status of the design, fabrication, and testing of the Selenide Isotope Generator for the Galileo program is presented. (WHK)

TRW is designing a system for the demonstration of the Solar Production of Industrial Process Steam. Included, besides the Conceptual Design, is an Environmental Impact Assessment and a System Safety Analysis report. The system as proposed and conceptualized consists of an array of 9520 square feet of parabolic trough concentrating solar energy collectors which generate pressurized hot water. The pressurized water is allowed to flash to steam at 300 psi (417/sup 0/F) and fed directly into the high pressure steam lines of the Ore-Ida Foods, Inc., processing plant in Ontario, Oregon. Steam is normally generated in the factory by fossil-fired boilers and is used by means of a steam-to-oil heat exchanger for the process of frying potatoes in their frozen food processing line. The high pressure steam is also cascaded down to 125 psi for use in other food processing operations. This solar system will generate 2 x 10/sup 6/ Btu/hr during peak periods of insolation. Steam requirements in the plant for frying potatoes are: 43 x 10/sup 6/ Btu/hr at 300 psi and 52 x 10/sup 6/ Btu/hr at the lower temperatures and pressures. The Ontario plant operates on a 24 hr/day schedule six days a week during the …

The project conceptual design activities are divided into six parts: Industrial Plant, Conceptual System Design, Collector Selection, Heat Transfer Fluid Selection, Site Fabrication, and Engineered Equipment. Included is an overview of the solar steam system and a brief discussion on the environmental impact of the project as well as the safety considerations of the system design. The effect of the solar system on the environment is negligible, and the safety analysis of the system indicates the considerations to be taken to minimize any potential safety hazard due to contamination of the food product or to fire. Both of these potential hazards are discussed in detail. Both the question of product contamination and the question of potential fire hazards will be presented to the industrial partner's safety committee so that the selection of the heat transfer fluid meets with their approval.

Four normalized carbon steels made in different ways (Si-killed, Al-killed, REM-treated, and electroslag refined) were studied to determine the role of differing fine inclusions on the early stages of hydrogen attack (HA). Hydrogen exposures were made at 450/sup 0/C (6.5 MPa) and 375/sup 0/C (7.6 MPa). The first stage of HA is shown to be the development of a closely spaced (1-2 ..mu..m) array of small bubbles over the ferrite/pearlite, or occasionally the ferrite/ferrite boundaries. These grew together to form tears, primarily in the rolling plane, leading to more rapid expansion normal to this plane. The planes of separation followed high solute layers in banded steel but only rarely did the fracture surfaces follow inclusions. At 450/sup 0/C REM-treated steel was attacked the fastest and the Al-killed steel took two to four times as long for attack.

In the design of large electron positron colliding beam facilities, it has become customary to use a certain optimization procedure to establish desired beam performance. The results of this procedure are the minimum requirements in terms of RF-power, bending radius and focusing to achieve a desired luminosity at a given energy. This procedure, however, neglects the optimization of the storage ring performance below and above that design energy. Below the design energy the luminosity is optimized by lowering the tune or by use of wiggler magnets. Both methods result in a luminosity scaling like L /approximately/ E/sup 2/. To improve the luminosity expectation above the design energy, the optimized lattice design has to be changed as has been done in the design of PETRA and PEP. In these designs the cell length was chosen to be only half as long as the optimized cell which requires twice as many quadrupoles. With the reduced cell length it is possible to increase the tune of the storage ring by a much larger amount than it would be possible with a larger lattice cell.