The prototype surface examination station for the Fuels and Materials Examination Facility (FMEF) will use closed circuit television (CCTV) for routine modes of operation along with a nuclear periscope for special examination needs. The CCTV and the nuclear periscope were evaluated against prescribed station requirements and compared in a side-by-side demonstration. A quantitative evaluation of their outputs showed that both systems were capable of meeting surface anomaly detection requirements. The CCTV system was superior in its ability to collect, suppress and present data into a more useful form for the experimenters.

An analytic method is presented for determining the dilation of fast reactor fuel assembly ducts. For temperatures where creep is linearly dependent on stress, the method is rigorous in satisfying equilibrium, compatibility and stress-strain equations. Solutions are presented for two cases: (1) a duct with constant pressure differential, (2) a duct with varying pressure differential. Results are in close agreement with finite element results of the MARC-CDC program. The method is used to predict the dilation of the Fast Test Reactor (FTR) ducts under different operating conditions. Presented are the stress, strain and dilation predictions along the duct wall, and the duct dilation variations with its geometric and loading parameters.

Separate abstracts were prepared for the five papers presented. (WHK)

Accurate simulation of high density target implosion requires material properties (ionization, pressure, energy, opacity, and transport coefficients) at densities where bound electrons are significantly perturbed by neighboring atoms. In the LASNEX code, this data is supplied by tables and/or calculated from a Stromgren model for ionization equilibrium. Improvements have been made in this model which aim at assuring thermodynamic consistency and obtaining better agreement with more elaborate calculations. Arbitrary degeneracy is allowed for the free electrons. Consistent Coulomb contributions to pressure and continuum lowering are obtained. A new pressure ionization scheme merges bound electrons into the continuum as a smooth function of density and the corresponding contribution to pressure is calculated. Results are shown for aluminum.

Results are presented on the design and testing of a pressurized gas blown spark gap switch capable of high repetition rates in a burst mode of operation. The switch parameters which have been achieved are as follows: 220-kV, 42-kA, a five pulse burst at 1-kHz, 12-ns risetime, 2-ns jitter at a pulse width of 50-ns.

In the course of using laser Doppler velocimetry to study combustion in a thermal boundary layer, the particle count rate was found to decrease abruptly to zero inside the boundary layer. Experimental and theoretical investigation of this phenomenon was carried out. The motion of the particles may be due to the combined effects of thermophoresis and radiative heating.

An off-resonance transformer for charging a 250-kV Blumlein system provides a viable alternative to other charging schemes by permitting the use of conventional thyratrons. Such a transformer must have reliability, a reasonable voltage step-up, and a non-reversing primary current. The analysis, design, and performance data for such a transformer are presented. The strong interrelationship between transformer design and Blumlein requirements necessitates that Blumlein description and design criterion be briefly presented prior to transformer design such that transformer load requirements be defined.

In certain high-current applications the resistance of the aluminum conductors is an important design parameter. Such a case is the aluminum exploding-bridge used in some nuclear detonators. The resistance of the network must be accurately known so that the individual bridge will receive the proper firing current. Vapor-deposited, thick aluminum films (0.011 mm) are often used to produce the necessary circuitry. These films are suitably masked and etched to make the conductors. Conventional etching methods for aluminum or aluminum-0.1 wt percent copper do not yield conductors with a well-defined, reproducible cross section. This results in unacceptable variations in electrical resistance. For this application, we have developed a new etching solution that contains 25 to 50 vol percent polyphosphoric acid, 75 to 50 vol percent orthophosphoric acid, and 10 to 30 g/l ferric chloride. Etching may be done at 55 to 65/sup 0/C, but for precision etching the temperature should be controlled to +-1/sup 0/C. The solution is useful for dip etching of aluminum circuits. The paper describes some limited production experience with this etch.

Table-top model experiments were performed to investigate pressure suppression pool dynamics effects due to a postulated loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) for the Peachbottom Mark I boiling water reactor containment system. The results guided subsequent conduct of experiments in the /sup 1///sub 5/-scale facility and provided new insight into the vertical load function (VLF). Model experiments show an oscillatory VLF with the download typically double-spiked followed by a more gradual sinusoidal upload. The load function contains a high frequency oscillation superimposed on a low frequency one; evidence from measurements indicates that the oscillations are initiated by fluid dynamics phenomena.

A neutron-detection system has been assembled to provide both spatial and energy information from the neutrons produced in advanced fusion experiments. Techniques described are applicable to experiments where the neutron pulse is on the order of one-second duration. The system gives spatial resolution of about 1 cm at distances of 1 to 2 m and energy resolution of 0.6 MeV at 14 MeV. In all cases, pulse-shape discrimination is used to distinguish neutrons from gamma rays.

The Lawrence Livermore Laboratory is currently constructing a new linear induction accelerator with a higher beam current than the Astron accelerator. The new accelerator, called the Experimental Test Accelerator (ETA) will be a 5-MeV, 10-kA accelerator with a pulse width of 50-ns. Like the Astron, the principle of magnetic induction is used to obtain a linear accelerator. The modular accelerating cavities form essentially a 1:1 transformer and the change in flux in the ferrite core induces an axial electric field for the acceleration of electrons. Since the total energy storage for the ETA is much greater than the requirement for Astron, the power system, the capacitor bank and the modulator charging system all had to be modified to provide an overall regulation of .1%. This strict regulation of the charging voltage is necessary for pulse-to-pulse repeatability.

Present techniques for measuring sound velocity in liquid metals have been limited by the use of transducers which cannot survive in extreme temperature conditions. These methods also require relatively long measurement times. An optical noncontacting method has been developed which may be used for extremely short experimental times and very high temperatures and pressures. This technique is being incorporated into an isobaric expansion apparatus in which a 1 mm diam wire sample in a high pressure argon gas environment is resistively heated to melt within a time period of only a few microseconds. Before instability of the liquid column occurs, thermal expansion, enthalpy, and temperature are measured. The addition of the sound velocity measurement permits a more complete determination of the thermophysical properties of the liquid metal.

An experimental solar heating and cooling system has been constructed at LBL. It was designed to serve as a test system to check out the operation of an LBL-developed solar controller that looked promising in terms of its commercialization potential. Improvements were made in the experimental heating and cooling system to enable quantitative determination of the auxiliary energy savings made possible by using this type of controller. These improvements consisted of installation and calibration of accurate instrumentation, data acquisition capabilities, and development of simulated input and output devices that would allow repeated experiments using the same running conditions. In addition, the possibilities of further development of the heating and cooling system into an experimental test facility for a wide range of solar control strategies have been investigated.

These studies indicate that organic matter in coastal sediment constitutes a primary sink for trace metals, both at natural and amended levels. Organic substances are also involved in controlling the mobility and flux of trace metals from sediments. Further, organically-bound trace metals in sediments appear to be an important source to deposit-feeding organisms.