The predictive value of short-term genetic tests, such as the Salmonella and Escherichia coli (K-12, 343/113) systems including microsomal activation, is well documented. We have applied the short-term testing to various crude products and effluents from the synthetic fuel technologies. Class fractionation and column chromatography of the test materials and the coupled bioassays can be used to identify the most active fractions (collaborative effort with Analytical Chemistry Division). Reversion at the histidine locus for Salmonella was assayed with each fraction and the results are expressed in units of revertants (strain TA98) per milligram of the starting material (organic content) including metabolic activation with a crude rat liver preparation. Results obtained with the Salmonella system were validated by employing E. coli strains auxotrophic for arginine. Genetic activity is seen with a variety of fractions, largely the basic and neutral (PAH) components. Total activity varies from process to process, thus, the short-term genetic test can be considered a useful prescreen for potential biohazard of various effluents both in plants and in the immediate plant environment.

In recent years there has been extensive study of nuclear shape parameters by electron scattering, ..mu.. meson atomic transitions, Coulomb excitation and direct nuclear inelastic scattering. Inelastic scattering of strongly absorbed particles, e.g., alpha-particles and heavy ions, at energies below and above the Coulomb barrier probe the charge and mass distributions within the nucleus. This paper summarizes measurements in this field performed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

The increased incidence of thyroid nodularity and carcinoma appearing as a late effect after exposure of the human thyroid to ionizing radiation is well-recognized. Despite the high prevalence of thyroid nodularity in Marshallese inadvertently exposed to fallout in 1954, only two subjects, both about one year of age at exposure, have been found to have primary hypothyroidism. The recent availability of sophisticated immunoassay techniques for thyroxine (T/sub 4/) and thyrotropin (TSH) has allowed more thorough thyroid evaluation of the exposed population who do not have known thyroid abnormalities (43 Rongelap people). Four of 43 Rongelapese had abnormally high basal TSH and TRH-induced TSH release on two such tests as opposed to only 2 of 214 controls. Plasma T/sub 4/ concentrations were low, or low-normal in these individuals. These results indicate the presence of early thyroid dysfunction. Several other subjects have shown at least one abnormal finding but have not had the required number of tests to meet the established criteria. In /sup 3///sub 4/ of these subjects the estimated thyroid exposure dose was less than 400 rads. Hypothyroidism has been previously noted after therapeutic doses of /sup 131/I for hyperthyroidism, but not in individuals exposed to the relatively low levels …

The paper starts with a review of some currently available simplified inelastic analysis methods used in elevated temperature design for evaluating plastic and thermal creep strains. The primary purpose of the paper is to investigate how these simplified methods may be applied to fast breeder reactor core design where neutron irradiation effects are significant. One of the problems discussed is irradiation-induced creep and its effect on shakedown, ratcheting, and plastic cycling. Another problem is the development of swelling-induced stress which is an additional loading mechanism and must be taken into account. In this respect an expression for swelling-induced stress in the presence of irradiation creep is derived and a model for simplifying the stress analysis under these conditions is proposed. As an example, the effects of irradiation creep and swelling induced stress on the analysis of a thin walled tube under constant internal pressure and intermittent heat fluxes, simulating a fuel pin, is presented.

Many detailed multigroup transport calculations require group-to-group Legendre transfer coefficients to represent scattering processes in various nuclides. These (fine-group) constants must first be generated from the basic data. An alternative technique for generating such data from the total scattering cross section of a particular nuclide on a pointwise energy basis, sigma(E'), and some information regarding the angular scattering distribution for each initial energy point is outlined. The evaluation of generalized multigroup transfer matrices for transport calculations requires a double integration extending over the primary and secondary energy groups, where, for a given initial energy, the integration over the secondary energy group may be replaced by an integral over the possible scattering angles. In the present work, analytic expressions for these angular integrals are derived which are free of truncation error. Differences between the present method (as implemented in ROLAIDS) and other methods (as implemented in MINX and NEWXLACS) are explored. Of particular interest is the fact that, for hydrogen, the angular integration is shown to simplify to the point that, for many weight functions, the integration over the primary energy group might also be performed analytically. This completely analytic treatment for hydrogen has recently been implemented in NEWXLACS. 1 figure.

In-situ processing of coals allows energy extraction from underground seams without usual societal and environmental costs of coal technology. Current concepts involve hot-gas underground processing to effect a partial oxidation of the coal, i.e., underground gasification. Modeling these processes requires comprehension of mass transfer mechanisms that drive the thermal transport processes within coal blocks. Mass transfer is initially limited by the relatively low permeability of the naturally occurring material. Pore geometries in coal suggest that mass transfer channels are near 50 nm. These pores are typically filled by absorbed moisture; moisture removal changes permeability by 10/sup 2/./sup 5/. Once moisture is removed, other absorbed gases, CH/sub 4/, CO/sub 2/, etc., flush from the interior volume. These combined gases, during the drying steps, control preliminary heat transfer. Modeling studies suggest that heat transfer mechanisms switch from conduction to convection as permeability is changed from 0.01 md to 5 md, those variations in mass transfer resistance formed during coal drying. Results that predict heat transfer rates in blocks of subbituminous coals during the initial drying stages of in-situ processing are described.

The rate of pyrimidine dimer excision has been measured in Escherichia coli strains deficient in exonuclease V, exonuclease VII, and the 5' ..-->.. 3' exonuclease of DNA polymerase I. The results suggest that a reduced level of the 5' ..-->.. 3' exonuclease of DNA polymerase I diminishes the rate of dimer excision and that an additional deficiency in exonuclease VII causes a significantly greater reduction in the cell's ability to remove dimers.

A three film superconducting tunneling device, analogous to a semiconductor transistor, is presented, including a theoretical description and experimental results showing a current gain of four. Much larger current gains are shown to be feasible. Such a development is particularly interesting because of its novelty and the striking analogies with the semiconductor junction transistor.

Young-adult beagles were exposed continuously (22 hours/day) to /sup 60/Co ..gamma.. rays in a specially constructed facility. The exposure rates were either 5, 10, 17, or 35 R/day, and the exposures were terminated at either 600, 1400, 2000, or 4000 R. A total of 354 dogs were irradiated; 221 are still alive as long-term survivors, some after more than 2000 days. The data on survival of these dogs, coupled with data from similar preliminary experiments, allow an estimate of the LD/sub 50/ for ..gamma..-ray exposures given at a number of exposure rates. They also allow comparison of the relative importance of dose rate and total dose, and the interaction of these two variables, in the early and late effects after protracted irradiation. The LD/sub 50/ for the beagle increases from 258 rad delivered at 15 R/minute to approximately 3000 rad at 10 R/day. Over this entire range, the LD/sub 50/ is dependent upon hematopoietic damage. At 5 R/day and less, no meaningful LD/sub 50/ can be determined; there is nearly normal continued hematopoietic function, survival is prolonged, and the dogs manifest varied individual responses in other organ systems. Although the experiment is not complete, interim data allow several important conclusions. …

Standard membrane filtration tests were used to evaluate injection at the Salton Sea Geothermal Field, Southern California. Results indicate that direct injection into reservoir zones with primary porosity is not feasible unless 1 ..mu..m or larger particulates formed during or after the energy conversion process are removed. (JGB)

Since the inception of the development of a two-phase liquid-metal magnetohydrodynamic (LMMHD) power generation system at Argonne National Laboratory, increasing emphasis has been placed on the relation between the characteristics of local two-phase flow structure and LMMHD generator efficiency. During the past year a local-measurements program has been undertaken to characterize the local flow structure occurring inside two-phase LMMHD mixers and generators. Continuing local-measurement experiments are in progress at ANL using (single and multiple) resistivity probes and (single) hot-film probes to determine local void fractions, velocities and turbulence intensities. The techniques which have been tested and proved successful in air-water mixtures are now being extended to NaK-nitrogen mixtures, in which some initial tests have been made.

There is a widespread interest in the development of a ''hydrogen economy'' as an eventual solution to many of the problems associated with the growing energy crisis. Hydrogen is also valuable as a chemical intermediate. As fossil sources become inadequate, large scale hydrogen production must utilize energy sources such as solar energy for the decomposition of water by thermochemical cycles, electrolysis or perhaps, by a hybrid combination of these methods. The potential higher efficiency and lower cost for thermochemical methods, versus the overall electrolysis path has been rather widely recognized. The criteria for the selection of an appropriate thermochemical cycle for matching with a high temperature solar heat source are detailed. Advantages of a thermochemical cycle based on a solid sulfate decomposition that makes use of isothrmal high temperature energy is detailed and a plan for the implementation of such a cycle on a central tower solar receiver is given.

Packaging for radioactive materials must perform satisfactorily when subjected to temperatures simulating an accident involving a fire. The new thermal test facility has proved to be a reliable method for satisfactorily performing the required test. The flame provides sufficient heat to assure that the test is valid, and the temperature can be controlled satisfactorily. Also, the air and water mist systems virtually eliminate any smoke and thereby exceed the local EPA requirements. The combination of the two systems provides an inexpensive, low maintenance technique for elimination of the smoke plume.

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In the past, the excellent energy resolution, of e.g. electrostatic accelerators, was used to examine (a) single final states of nuclei, and (b) fine structure in reaction cross sections. The resolution necessary is to a large extent determined by the intrinsic level structure in nuclei. The level spacing gets finer with increases in mass number and in excitation energy. To a large extent, if one is to use heavy ion reactions to examine possible hydrodynamic behavior of nuclear matter, or seek out phase transitions in this matter, one does not need the fine resolution. This discussion is limited to elastic scattering and direct reactions, with the former providing a prototype for the arguments presented. (GHT)

Multicomponent time-dependent concentration diffusion and radioactive decay of isotopic species is an important aspect of fission product migration and release from fuel particles and fuel elements in a High Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (HTGR). After fission products escape from a fuel particle in an HTGR, it is still necessary for them to diffuse across the graphite web of a fuel block to a coolant hole before they can be entrained in the primary coolant. The time required for a given fission product species to diffuse across the graphite web has a direct influence on the time-dependent release associated with a significant increase in the power/flow ratio. The main purpose of the paper is to present the results of a study of the holdup time in graphite of Sr as a function of the diffusion constants. The study employs a newly-developed multicomponent time-dependent diffusion and decay code called DASH. Analysis methods for solving the type of problem discussed are well known, and some applications to fission product decay and diffusion in HTGRs have appeared in the literature. However, the methods employed are often subject to time step limitations, and the effects of decay are not adequately handled. The DASH code uses a …

The depth of melt front penetration induced by Q-switched ruby laser irradiation has been studied by electron microscopy for laser pulses of different duration and energy density in thermally diffused and ion implanted silicon. In thermally diffused specimens, dissolution of dislocation loops and precipitates by the laser radiation provides evidence for melting and the depth over which loops and precipitates are dissolved provides a measure of the melt front penetration depth. In ion implanted specimens, if the melt front does not exceed the thickness of the implanted layer, dislocation tangles and polycrystalline regions are observed after the laser irradiation. A complete annealing of displacement damage is achieved at an energy density (threshold) where the melt front penetrates beyond the damage layer.

Some of the aspects of computational criticality safety quality assurance that have been emphasized in recent years at LLL are summarized. In particular, computer code changes that have been made that help the criticality analyst reduce the number of errors that he makes and to locate those that he does make; and how a computerized ''benchmark'' data base aids him in the validation of his computational methods are discussed.

This paper describes an extension of mathematical solutions to bending free shapes of toroidal pressure vessels. Previous work on this subject derived a pure tension shape of a toroidal membrane which was subjected to a uniform internal pressure and which was subjected to a pressure inversely proportional to the square of the toroidal radius. This family of shapes is derived by solving the equilibrium, constitutive, and kinematic relationships for a uniform toroidal shell using the linear membrane theory. This paper extends the previous work to the problem of finding bending free toroidal shell shapes for ''nonideal'' magnetic field distributions, i.e., for magnetic fields which do not vary inversely with toroidal radius. Since these bending free shells provide alternative methods of design for tokamak fusion reactors, serious consideration should be given to them.

A high energy polarized proton beam which would utilize lambda decays as a source of polarized protons was proposed. We discuss the operation of such a beam and related physics experiments. 12 references.

Tensile, creep, and creep-rupture studies were made on annealed or isothermally annealed air-melted 2 1/4 Cr--1 Mo steel. Creep strength is the result of the interaction of solid solution hardening and dispersion strengthening. Microstructure is primarily proeutectoid ferrite. (FS)

The next decade will see the development worldwide of pulsed spallation neutron sources for condensed matter research. A conceptual introduction to such neutron sources is given. Neutron time-of-flight techniques as applied to diffraction and inelastic neutron scattering spectroscopy are discussed, and compared with techniques using crystal spectrometers. The advantages of such sources such as high effective thermal and higher energy neutron fluxes for certain kinds of experiments are discussed. The applications of these sources to various areas of condensed matter research are reviewed, with special emphasis on the study of magnetism. Finally, a brief account is given of the status of pulsed spallation source development around the world.

In order to facilitate the rapid development of MHD technology for the generation of electrical energy, the U.S. and U.S.S.R. are jointly conducting research within the framework of the Program of Scientific and Technical Cooperation. The Institute for High Temperature (IVTAN) of the U.S.S.R. has designed and fabricated a special MHD facility which uses as its base much of the equipment of the existing U-25 Facility. The new MHD fow train consisting of a combustor, magnet, channel, and diffuser is named U-25B. The U.S. has provided a superconducting magnet system for the U-25B MHD Facility. As a result of these joint efforts, a unique and broad range of experimental test conditions similar to those that will exist in operation of commercial MHD generators has been created. The United States Superconducting Magnet System (U.S. SCMS) was designed, fabricated, and delivered to the U-25B Facility by the Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Energy. The following description focuses on the cryogenic-related aspects of the magnet system commissioning and operation in the U.S.S.R.

The following conclusions are made: (1) the technology and much experience for this disposal method are available; (2) large areas of the U.S. offer geological formations suitable for deep well disposal, but substantial effort may be required in the choice of a specific site; (3) although costs are substantial, they are small compared to associated environmental and energy benefits; (4) impacts on water consumers would be minimized through regulatory checks of siting, construction, and monitoring, and also through natural dilution and radioactive decay; (5) disposal wells must satisfy regulations, of recently-increased stringency, on siting, design, construction, operation, monitoring, and decommissioning.