A microcomputer-based source-control system was developed to move gamma and neutron calibration sources into position for sample irradiation. In addition to monitoring interlocks and system status, the computer calculates for gamma sources the time required for a requested exposure at a specified distance. All system use data is stored, and monthly reports are generated.

In the slagging pyrolytic incineration process, combustibles are burned and noncombustibles, including metals, are oxidized into a molten , an electromelter, where the molten slag, with further processing conducted in a heated tundish, e.g. is allowed to homogenize (within a reasonable time period) and then cast into large, cylindrical metal containers. Analyses of Idaho National Engineering Laboratory waste slags show them similar in composition and appearance to natural basalts, but rich in iron. The electromelt process and the resulting iron-rich castings offer great promise for rendering nuclear waste into a stable form. The process offers great flexibility with regard to both compositional variation of the incoming waste and the high rates at which the waste can be introduced and cast. The cast product, a fine-grained basalt-like material, shows excellent homogeneity with little or no reaction to the steel containment. The preliminary mechanical and chemical durability data show the form to have adequate containment properties for TRU waste. However, work presently underway to improve these properties through additives and controlled cooling cycles has greatly enhanced the durability of the waste form. Furthermore, recent evidence indicates that divalent iron (Fe/sup 2 +/) included in the crystalline phases of granites and basalts imparts …

Modifications of steels currently accepted in the Code appear to provide improved mechanical properties. These steels may permit the fabrication of larger diameter vessels with thinner section sizes and improved reliability and integrity. Adapting current specifications should expedite Code approval. Finally the challenge of improving welding procedures and adapting processes for field applications will result in higher quality weldments.

The dose equivalent at an air-ground interface as a function of distance from an assumed point source of neutrons can be calculated as a double integral if the source has azimuthal symmetry. The integration is over the source strength as a function of energy and polar angle weighted by an importance function that depends on the source variables and on the distance from the source to the field point. The importance function for a source 15 m above the ground emitting only in the upper hemisphere has been calculated using the two-dimensional discrete ordinates code, DOT, and the first collision source code, GRTUNCL, in the adjoint mode. This function has been obtained for neutron energies less than or equal to 400 MeV, for source cosine intervals of 1 to .8, .8 to .6, .6 to .4, .4 to .2, and .2 to 0., and for various source-to-detector distances.

Separate abstracts were prepared for five papers. Two papers were abstracted previously for EDB. Five panel responses to the project, three workshop session summaries, and conclusions drawn are also included in this report. (MHR)

Two rather disjoint scenarios for Type I supernovae are presented. One is based upon mass accretion by a white dwarf in a binary system. The second involves a star having some 8 to 10 times the mass of the sun which may or may not be a solitary star. Despite the apparent dissimilarities in the models it may be that each occurs to some extent in nature for they both share the possibility of producing substantial quantities of /sup 56/Ni and explosions in stars devoid of hydrogen envelopes. These are believed to be two properties that must be shared by any viable Type I model.

The Radioactivity Control Technology (RCT) program was established by the Department of Energy to develop and demonstrate methods to control radionuclide transport to ex-core regions of sodium-cooled reactors. This radioactive material is contained within the reactor heat transport system with any release to the environment well below limits established by regulations. However, maintenance, repair, decontamination, and disposal operations potentially expose plant workers to radiation fields arising from radionuclides transported to primary system components. This paper deals with radioactive material generated and transported during steady-state operation, which remains after /sup 24/Na decay. Potential release of radioactivity during postulated accident conditions is not discussed. The control methods for radionuclide transport, with emphasis on new information obtained since the last Environmental Control Symposium, are described. Development of control methods is an achievable goal.

The effects of neutron irradiation on the mechanical properties of annealed and 20% cold-worked AISI 316 irradiated in EBR-II were determined for the temperature regime of 370 to 760/sup 0/C for fluences up to 8.4 x 10/sup 22/ n/cm/sup 2/ (E > 0.1 MeV). At irradiation temperatures below about 500/sup 0/C, both annealed and cold-worked material exhibit a substantial increase in the flow stress with increasing fluence. Furthermore, both materials eventually exhibit the same flow stress, which is independent of fluence. At temperatures in the range of 538 to 650/sup 0/C, the cold-worked material exhibits a softening with increasing fluence. Annealed AISI 316 in this temperature regime exhibits hardening and at a fluence of 2 to 3 x 10/sup 22/ n/cm/sup 2/ (E > 0.1 MeV) reaches the same value of flow stress as the cold-worked material.