The experimental plan for irradiating BeO pellets in Experiments ORNL 41- 8 and ORNL 41-9 was chosen in accordance with the principles of experimental design. The design is known by statisticians as a 2/sup 5/ factorial experiment confound'' in six replications. Five variables---size, density, grain size, temperature and time--are controlled at two levels to form the basic 2i factorial experiment. The sixth variable, neutron flux, is introduced by confounding on higher-order interactions. An explanation is presented in nontechnical language the means by which the aims of the experimenters and the physical conditions affecting the experiment were utilized in constructing the experimental design. (auth)

A report is given of the activities of the 1977 ISABELLE Summer Workshop, held from July 18 to 29, 1977 at the Brookhaven National Laboratory. An abstract was prepared for each of the seventy-four separate presentations for inclusion in DOE Energy Research Abstracts (ERA). (PMA)

The utilization of physical and chemical processes to reduce the rate of vapor loss of thermionic emitters composed of mixed carbides of U and Zr in order to increase the permissible operating temperature is being studied. Preliminary, qualitative results obtained from study of physical redeposition processes showed that increasing the collector temperature may markedly reduce the rate of weight loss from a UC emitter operating at 2053 deg K. The requisite experimental equipment for studies of chemical transport processes was designed and constructed. Experiments will proceed through both a physical chemistry approach to an understanding of the transport processes and a technique to evaluate the efficacy of possible combinations of chemical species by monitoring the electron emission from diodes containing such mixtures. (auth)

The absorption of intense laser light is found to be reduced when targets are irradiated by 1.06 ..mu..m light with long pulse widths (150-400 psec) and large focal spots (100-250 ..mu..m). Estimates of Brillouin scatter which account for the finite heat capacity of the underdense plasma predict this reduction. Spectra of the back reflected light show red shifts indicative of Brillouin scattering.

This monthly report for Pu-238 Fuel Form Activities has two main sections: SRP-PuFF Pu-238 Fuel Form Production Processes and SRL Pu-238 Fuel Form Research and Development. The program status, budget information, and milestone information are discussed in each main section. The Work Breakdown Structures (WBS) for this program is outlined. Only one monthly report per year is processed for EDB.

The Argonne National Laboratories, contracted with Arthur D. Little, Inc. (ADL), to perform a 6 week goal study for the purpose of evaluating the technical applicability and the economic viability of the compound parabolic concentrator (CPC) concept for all solar energy applications except large central power plants. During this period, we studied the use of CPC units in a large number of residential, industrial, and commercial applications. The predicted performance of CPC augmented solar collectors was compared with other available solar collectors. Application of the CPC to on-site power generation using solar Rankine power generation techniques was studied in detail. Techniques and costs for fabricating CPC collectors were studied. Collectors with insulation and with full-surface reflectors were studied along with the use of CPC augmentation for evacuated receivers with selective surfaces. Manufacturing costs are compared with those reported by others. A qualitative comparison was made between the various classes of solar collectors that are either presently available or are expected to become available in the near future. Comparative energy costs for various collectors are discussed based upon the predicted performance and the estimated costs for manufacture. The problems of introducing the CPC, or other advanced technology type of solar collectors, …

The compatibility of Mo-50 wt % Re with /sup 238/PuO/sub 2/ was investigated after heat treatments of up to 720 days at 800/sup 0/C and 180 days at 1000/sup 0/C. At 800/sup 0/C, a 1-..mu..m thick, continuous layer of molybdenum oxide resulted. At 1000/sup 0/C, the oxide reaction product contained some plutonium and did not appear continuous. At 1000/sup 0/C, a layer of intermetallic formed at the Mo-Re edge, beneath the oxide layer, creating a barrier between the Mo-50 wt % Re and the /sup 238/PuO/sub 2/. The intermetallic layer was promoted by the iron impurity in the /sup 238/PuO/sub 2/.

Tests were conducted to determine whether a time limitation exists on the use of internally water-cooled hollow copper conductors operating at densities of up to 330,000 amps/in/sup 2/. Using demineralized water, having a specific resistivity of 4 to 9 x 10/sup 6/ ohm-cm, no indication of a decrease in heat transfer coefficient as a function of time was observed. However, metallographic examination revealed that corrosion--erosion does occur at a slow rate. Using process water there was a time dependent decrease in heat transfer coefficient and a consequent rise in metal temperature. The subsequent use of demineralized water in the same conductor again produced stable heat transfer, over the time spans investigated, 192 hours. The maximum total time investigated was 873 hours for one conductor. (auth)

The study of the formation mechanism of free radicals in polymeric materials was continued. Emphasis was placed on an examination of the effect of structural factors on the efficiency of free-radical site formation in acrylate polymers. Site measurements as a function of dose were made for polymethacrylamide and repeated for polymethacrylic acid. The volatile products from the irradiation of polyacrylic acid. polymethacrylic acid, poly-ter- butylmethacrylate. and polycyclohexyl methacrylate were measured quantitatively by mass spectrometry and vapor-phase chromatography. Grafting studies were initiated using polymethylmethacrylate as base polymer and vinylpyrrolidone as graft monomer. (auth)

Plastic scintillators can be coupled to light fibers to make small, simple, and inexpensive x-ray detectors. These detectors have been developed for use at the Nevada Test Site (NTS) for the remote detection of x-rays. Light produced in the scintillator can be transmitted by the fiber for several hundred meters to a photodetector, which is usually a streak camera or a photomultiplier tube. The use of a streak camera allows many channels to be recorded simultaneously. A parameter study has been done to measure the sensitivity of these detectors as a function of scintillator geometry, type of scintillator, coupling geometry, and x-ray energy. The results can be qualitatively explained by simple geometric theory. A recent use of these detectors at NTS was the measurement of an x-ray spectrum. System performance for this measurement will be reviewed. 7 refs., 5 figs., 1 tab.

Inspection of United States-Department of Energy (US-DOE) model 9975 nuclear materials shipping package revealed corrosion of the lead shielding that was induced by off-gas constituents from organic components in the package. Experiments were performed to determine the corrosion rate of lead when exposed to off-gas or degradation products of these organic materials. The results showed that the room temperature vulcanizing (RTV) sealant was the most corrosive organic species used in the construction of the packaging, followed by polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) glue. Fiberboard material, also used in the construction of the packaging induced corrosion to a much lesser extent than the PVAc glue and RTV sealant, and only in the presence of condensed water. The results indicated faster corrosion at temperatures higher than ambient and with condensed water. In light of these corrosion mechanisms, the lead shielding was sheathed in a stainless steel liner to mitigate against corrosion.

The dynamics of water molecules near the protein surface are different from those of bulk water and influence the structure and dynamics of the protein itself. To elucidate the temperature dependence hydration dynamics of water molecules, we present results from the molecular dynamic simulation of the water molecules surrounding two proteins (Carboxypeptidase inhibitor and Ovomucoid) at seven different temperatures (T=273 to 303 K, in increments of 5 K). Translational diffusion coefficients of the surface water and bulk water molecules were estimated from 2 ns molecular dynamics simulation trajectories. Temperature dependence of the estimated bulk water diffusion closely reflects the experimental values, while hydration water diffusion is retarded significantly due to the protein. Protein surface induced scaling of translational dynamics of the hydration waters is uniform over the temperature range studied, suggesting the importance protein-water interactions.

Amorphous metal and ceramic thermal spray coatings have been developed that can be used to enhance the corrosion resistance of containers for the transportation, aging and disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive wastes. Iron-based amorphous metal formulations with chromium, molybdenum and tungsten have shown the corrosion resistance believed to be necessary for such applications. Rare earth additions enable very low critical cooling rates to be achieved. The boron content of these materials, and their stability at high neutron doses, enable them to serve as high efficiency neutron absorbers for criticality control. The high boron content of Fe{sub 49.7}Cr{sub 17.7}Mn{sub 1.9}Mo{sub 7.4}W{sub 1.6}B{sub 15.2}C{sub 3.8}Si{sub 2.4} (SAM2X5) makes it an effective neutron absorber, and suitable for criticality control applications. Average measured values of the neutron absorption cross section in transmission ({Sigma}{sub t}) for Type 316L stainless steel, Alloy C-22, borated stainless steel, a Ni-Cr-Mo-Gd alloy, and SAM2X5 have been determined to be approximately 1.1, 1.3, 2.3, 3.8 and 7.1 cm{sup -1}, respectively.

Comets have long been proposed as a potential means for the transport of complex organic compounds to early Earth. For this to be a viable mechanism, a significant fraction of organic compounds must survive the high temperatures due to impact. We have undertaken three-dimensional numerical simulations to track the thermodynamic state of a comet during oblique impacts. The comet was modeled as a 1-km water-ice sphere impacting a basalt plane at 11.2 km/s; impact angles of 15{sup o} (from horizontal), 30{sup o}, 45{sup o}, 65{sup o}, and 90{sup o} (normal impact) were examined. The survival of organic cometary material, modeled as water ice for simplicity, was calculated using three criteria: (1) peak temperatures, (2) the thermodynamic phase of H{sub 2}O, and (3) final temperature upon isentropic unloading. For impact angles greater than or equal to 30{sup o}, no organic material is expected to survive the impact. For the 15{sup o} impact, most of the material survives the initial impact and significant fractions (55%, 25%, and 44%, respectively) satisfy each survival criterion at 1 second. Heating due to deceleration, in addition to shock heating, plays a role in the heating of the cometary material for nonnormal impacts. This effect is more …

An international experiment to demonstrate muon ionization cooling is scheduled for beam at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) in 2007. The experiment comprises one cell of the Study II cooling channel [1], along with upstream and downstream detectors to identify individual muons and measure their initial and final 6D phase-space parameters to a precision of 0.1%. Magnetic design of the beam line and cooling channel are complete and portions are under construction. The experiment will be described, including cooling channel hardware designs, fabrication status, and running plans. Phase 1 of the experiment will prepare the beam line and provide detector systems, including time-of-flight, Cherenkov, scintillating-fiber trackers and their spectrometer solenoids, and an electromagnetic calorimeter. The Phase 2 system will add the cooling channel components, including liquid-hydrogen absorbers embedded in superconducting Focus Coil solenoids, 201-MHz normal-conducting RF cavities, and their surrounding Coupling Coil solenoids. The MICE Collaboration goal is to complete the experiment by 2010; progress toward this is discussed.

One of the goals of the Saltstone variability study is to identify the operational and compositional variables that control or influence the important processing and performance properties of Saltstone grout mixtures. One of those properties of importance is the Waste Loading (WL) of the decontaminated salt solution (DSS) in the Saltstone waste form. Waste loading is a measure of the amount of waste that can be incorporated within a waste form. The value of the Saltstone waste loading ultimately determines the number of vaults that will be required to disposition all of the DSS. In this report, the waste loading is defined as the volume in milliliters of DSS per liter of Saltstone waste form. The two most important parameters that determine waste loading for Saltstone are water to cementitious material (w/cm) ratio and the cured grout density. Data are provided that show the dependence of waste loading on the w/cm ratio for a fixed DSS composition using the current premix material (45% Blast Furnace Slag (BFS), 45% Fly Ash (FA) and 10% Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC)). The impact of cured grout density on waste loading was also demonstrated. Mixes (at 0.60 w/cm) made with a Modular Caustic side extraction …

A practical, functional group tolerant method for the Rh-catalyzed direct arylation of a variety of pharmaceutically important azoles with aryl bromides is described. Many of the successful azole and aryl bromide coupling partners are not compatible with methods for the direct arylation of heterocycles using Pd(0) or Cu(I) catalysts. The readily prepared, low molecular weight ligand, Z-1-tert-butyl-2,3,6,7-tetrahydrophosphepine, which coordinates to Rh in a bidentate P-olefin fashion to provide a highly active yet thermally stable arylation catalyst, is essential to the success of this method. By using the tetrafluoroborate salt of the corresponding phosphonium, the reactions can be assembled outside of a glove box without purification of reagents or solvent. The reactions are also conducted in THF or dioxane, which greatly simplifies product isolation relative to most other methods for direct arylation of azoles employing high-boiling amide solvents. The reactions are performed with heating in a microwave reactor to obtain excellent product yields in two hours.

We present the ongoing analysis of Lattice Quantum Chromodynamics runs on the LLNL BG/L supercomputer. This installment adds the density analysis of the p4rhmc for the first few thousand trajectories and the {psi} - bar{psi} history for hot and cold starts with two values of beta.

Linked CHEETAH is a thermo-chemical code coupled to a 2-D hydrocode. Initially, a quadratic-pressure dependent kinetic rate was used, which worked well in modeling prompt detonation of explosives of large size, but does not work on other aspects of explosive behavior. The variable-pressure Tarantula reactive flow rate model was developed with JWL++ in order to also describe failure and initiation, and we have moved this model into Linked CHEETAH. The model works by turning on only above a pressure threshold, where a slow turn-on creates initiation. At a higher pressure, the rate suddenly leaps to a large value over a small pressure range. A slowly failing cylinder will see a rapidly declining rate, which pushes it quickly into failure. At a high pressure, the detonation rate is constant. A sequential validation procedure is used, which includes metal-confined cylinders, rate-sticks, corner-turning, initiation and threshold, gap tests and air gaps. The size (diameter) effect is central to the calibration.

Amorphous metal and ceramic thermal spray coatings have been developed that can be used to enhance the corrosion resistance of containers for the transportation, aging and disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive wastes. Fe-based amorphous metal formulations with chromium, molybdenum and tungsten have shown the corrosion resistance believed to be necessary for such applications. Rare earth additions enable very low critical cooling rates to be achieved. The boron content of these materials, and their stability at high neutron doses, enable them to serve as high efficiency neutron absorbers for criticality control. Ceramic coatings may provide even greater corrosion resistance for container applications, though the boron-containing amorphous metals are still favored for criticality control applications. These amorphous metal and ceramic materials have been produced as gas atomized powders and applied as near full density, non-porous coatings with the high-velocity oxy-fuel process. This paper summarizes the performance of these coatings as corrosion-resistant barriers, and as neutron absorbers. Relevant corrosion models are also discussed, as well as a cost model to quantify the economic benefits possible with these new materials.

This report describes the results from RPP-PLAN-32738, 'Test Plan for the Effluent Treatment Facility to Reduce Chrome(VI) to Chrome(I1I) in the Secondary Waste Stream', using sodium metabisulfite. Appendix A presents the report as submitted by the Center for Laboratory Sciences (CLS) to CH2M HILL Hanford Group, Inc. The CLS carried out the laboratory effort under Contract Number 21065, release Number 30. This report extracts the more pertinent aspects of the laboratory effort.

More than 200 million liters (53 million gallons) of highly radioactive and hazardous waste is stored at the U.S. Department of Energy's Hanford Site in southeastern Washington State. The DOE's Hanford Site River Protection Project (RPP) mission includes tank waste retrieval, waste treatment, waste disposal, and tank farms closure activities. This mission will largely be accomplished by the construction and operation of three large treatment facilities at the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP): (1) a Pretreatment (PT) facility intended to separate the tank waste into High Level Waste (HLW) and Low Activity Waste (LAW); (2) a HLW vitrification facility intended to immobilize the HLW for disposal at a geologic repository in Yucca Mountain; and (3) a LAW vitrification facility intended to immobilize the LAW for shallow land burial at Hanford's Integrated Disposal Facility (IDF). The LAW facility is on target to be completed in 2014, five years prior to the completion of the rest of the WTP. In order to gain experience in the operation of the LAW vitrification facility, accelerate retrieval from single-shell tank (SST) farms, and hasten the completion of the LAW immobilization, it has been proposed to begin treatment of the low-activity waste five years before …

The mathematical formulations of the wave propagation problem in a linear viscoelastic solid are reviewed from the point of view of constitutive equations and the theory of linear physical systems. Various general results from the theory of propagating singular surfaces and from the mathematical theory of hyperbolic equations are applied to the analysis of the wave propagation process. The impulse responses of three viscoelastic media are analyzed by use of asymptotic methods. The three material models are the standard linear solid, the standard linear solid with a continuous spectrum of relaxation times, and the power law solid. The standard linear solid with a continuous spectrum of relaxation times and the power law solid have a nearly constant quality factor, Q, over the seismic frequency band. The impulse responses of these two viscoelastic solids are compared. The results show significant and discernible features in the wave profile. It is concluded that differentiation of the models can be made by comparing wave shapes and that a complete knowledge of Q over the entire frequency range is required to determine the wave propagation problem when initiated by an impulsive process. 11 figures, 1 table.

We have examined the effect of fission-spectrum neutrons from the JANUS reactor at Argonne National Laboratory, delivered either as acute or protracted irradiation, on the incidence of neoplastic transformation in the C3H 1OT1/2 mouse embryo cell line. Acute exposures were delivered at 10 to 38 rads/min, protracted exposures at 0.086 or 0.43 rad/min. The total doses for both ranged from 2.4 to 350 rads. In the low dose region (2.4 to 80 rads), there was a large enhancement in transformation frequency when the neutrons were delivered at the low dose rates compared with the high dose rates, but the survival of the cells was not significantly different between the two exposure conditions. Analysis of the initial parts of the curves shows that the regression line for protracted doses is about 9 times steeper than that for single acute exposures. Finally, the possibility is discussed that an error-prone repair process may be causing the enhanced transformation frequency by protracted neutron exposures. 12 references, 2 figures, 1 table.