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Testing plans for a full-scale test receiver panel and supporting hardware which essentially duplicate both physically and functionally, the design planned for the Barstow Solar Pilot Plant are presented. Testing is to include operation during normal start and shutdown, intermittent cloud conditions, and emergencies to determine the panel's transient and steady state operating characteristics and performance under conditions equal to or exceeding those expected in the pilot plant. The effects of variations of input and output conditions on receiver operation are also to be investigated. Test hardware are described, including the pilot plant receiver, the test receiver assembly, receiver panel, flow control, electrical control and instrumentation, and structural assembly. Requirements for the Solar Thermal Test Facility for the tests are given. The safety of the system is briefly discussed, and procedures are described for assembly, installation, checkout, normal and abnormal operations, maintenance, removal and disposition. Also briefly discussed are quality assurance, contract responsibilities, and test documentation. (LEW)

This document collects Congressional acts authorizing prior review, approval or disapproval of proposed executive actions.

Acoustic emission monitoring augments other nondestructive testing methods and is sometimes applicable when other tests cannot be applied. This is, in part, due to the high sensitivity of acoustic emission monitoring. Acoustic emission monitoring is only sensitive to active flaw-growth, however, and will not detect a flaw in equilibrium. This paper describes the application of acoustic emission monitoring to nuclear reactor fuel pin end closure welds and other weldments of the reactor piping.

This report includes the several additonal system transients that are calculated for 5 kWe thermoelectric system.

Research is reported on materials for magnetic fusion energy, laser fusion energy, Al-air batteries, geothermal energy, oil shale, nuclear waste management, thermochemical cycles for hydrogen production, chemistry, and basic energy science. (FS)

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The radial-outflow reaction turbine, a pure-reaction turbine designed to improve the conversion efficiency of geothermal energy into electrical power is described. It also has potential as a total-flow turbine for low-temperature water. The principle of incomplete expansion can be used to obtain a reduction in turbine size when the turbine exhausts into a low-pressure condenser. And, by adding this turbine to single- and two-stage flashed-steam systems, the conversion efficiency of systems utilizing low- and high-energy wellhead sources, respectively can be improved. The Appendix outlines the analysis of the radial-outflow reaction turbine and leads to an expression for engine efficiency.

Operation Morning Light was conducted to search for the reactor core of Cosmos 954, the nuclear-powered Soviet satellite that crashed in the northwest territories of Canada in late January 1978. many of the satellite parts found were beryllium. This study discusses the geometry, condition, microstructure, and possible fabrication history of these beryllium parts.

An analysis of the fabrication and field test requirements for a drilling machine that would be applicable to the drilling of large diameter holes for the emplacement of radioactive waste canisters in an underground repository is presented. On the basis of a previous study in 1975 by RE/SPEC Inc. for the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, it was concluded that none of the commercially available machines were ideally suited for the desired drilling application, and that it was doubtful whether a machine with the required capabilities would become available as a standard equipment item. The results of the current study, as presented here, provide a definitive basis for selecting the desired specifications, estimating the design, fabrication, and testing costs, and analyzing the cost-benefit characteristics of a custom-designed drilling machine for the emplacement hole drilling task.

The local environment surrounding Mound Laboratory was monitored for tritium and plutonium-238 released by Mound Laboratory. The results are reported for calendar year 1976. The environmental parameters analyzed included air, water, foodstuffs, and silt. The average concentrations of plutonium-238 and tritium were within the stringent standards for radioactive species adopted by the U.S. Energy Research and Development Administration. Data concerning nonradioactive species in air and water are also presented and compared to federal, state, and local standards, where applicable. Although there are no specific standards (RCG) for plutonium-238 and tritium in foodstuffs, the concentrations found, if compared to the water standard, are also a small fraction of the RCG. In addition, there is no evidence of other than minimal reentrainment of radioactive species from silt. Mound Laboratory has undertaken a comprehensive program to bring water supplies into compliance with new U.S. EPA drinking water standards which will be effective June 24, 1977. Mound Laboratory has been granted a National Pollutant Discharge Ellimination System permit. Analyses during 1976 indicate compliance with permit conditions. All results indicated that Mound effluent streams have no significant effect on the Great Miami River and certainly do not cause Ohio Stream Standards to be exceeded. These …

The local environment surrounding Mound Facility was monitored for tritium and plutonium-238. The results are reported for calendar year 1977. The environmental parameters analyzed included air, water, foodstuffs, soil and silt. The average concentrations of plutonium-238 and tritium were within the applicable stringent standards for radioactive species adopted by the U.S. DOE. Mound Facility drinking water has been brought into compliance with the new EPA standard for tritium in community drinking water systems, and Mound has undertaken a program to achieve compliance for nine private wells adjacent to the Facility site. The program has partially achieved its objective by bringing Mound wells and some of the nine affected private wells in the vicinity of Mound Facility into compliance with the U.S. EPA standard and significantly reducing tritium concentration in the remaining wells. Data concerning nonradioactive species in air and water are also presented and compared to federal, state, and local standards, where applicable.

This is the Final Report under ERDA Contract. It presents the results of Phase I of a proposed three-phase effort.

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This report describes important experimental results obtained in the last two years of the Astron Program, an LLL controlled nuclear fusion program which terminated in 1973. Little theoretical work is included, but an extensive bibliography is given. (auth)

>One of the objectives of the Waste Management Program is to separate the long-lived heat emitter /aup 137/Cs from the bulk of the high-level Iiquid wastes. This separation is accomplished by the ion exchange process in the 221-B Building. Interim storage of the cesium is in solution as a nitrate. The feed for the B Plant cesinm ion exchange process is pumped from the lag storage tank, 105-C, through a pipeline and several diversion boxes to the 221-B Building. On December 19, 1969, a leak was discovered near the 241-C-152 diversion box in the section of this line, V-122, from the 105-C tank. Although the leak represented a loss of feed for the processing of /sup 137/Cs, more important was the consequence of environmental contmination to the soil from the line leak. For this reason, an investigation was made to estblish the extent of the radioactivity spread. The results of a well drilling operation undertaken to define the boundary and to estimate the extent of the leak are summarized. (CR)

This report discusses the announcement on January 11, 1971, of the liberalization and deprecation of tax allowances for machinery and equipment and provides a selection of publications from the news media and government sources related to the announcement.

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The practical effects of blistering and flaking in neutral injection systems are studied. These effects will soon be more important because of energy increases in systems now under development and because of their operation with fast helium ions as well as hydrogen and deuterium ions. Two main effects were studied: enhanced erosion rate and possible voltage breakdown from sharp flakes and gas emission.

The Brayton Isotope Power System (BIPS) Ground Demonstration System (GDS) configuration is defined. The GDS is configured to be similar to a conceptual flight system design referred to herein as the BIPS Flight System (FS). The Brayton Isotope Power System is being developed by the ERDA as a 500 to 2000 W/sub e/, 7 year life 3.5 W/sub e/ per pound space power system. The system was a closed Brayton dynamic system to convert energy from an isotope heat source at a net efficiency exceeding 25%. This CCD is for the first phase of the ERDA program to have a qualified system ready for launch by June 30, 1981. Phase I is a 36 month effort to provide a conceptual design of the flight system and design, fabricate and test a ground demonstration system. The baseline system is predicated on using two of the multihundred-watt isotope heat sources being developed for the ERDA by GE. The Ground Demonstration System will simulate, as closely as possible, the Brayton Isotope Power Flight System and will utilize components and technology being developed by NASA for the Mini-Brayton rotating unit (AIRPHX), recuperator (AIRLA) and heat source assembly (GE). The Ground Demonstration System includes a …

This report provides a legislative history and summary of the major provisions of the Food Stamp Amendment Act of 1970 (P.L. 91-671).

The decontamination and disposition (D and D) of the contaminated facilities in Building 003 are complete. The Hot Cave, the building radioactive exhaust system, the radioactive liquid waste system, and the fume hoods were removed. The more significant D and D activities are summarized, special techniques are noted, and problems and their resolution are discussed. Results of the radiological monitoring are presented. (auth)

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A variety of calorimeters have been developed for measuring ions, x-rays, and scattered radiation emanating from laser-pulse-imploded fusion targets. The ion and x-ray calorimeters use metal or glass absorbers to reflect or transmit most of the scattered laser radiation; the versions using metal absorbers also incorporate a differential construction to compensate for the fraction of the scattered laser radiation that is absorbed. The scattered-radiation calorimeters use colored glass to absorb the radiation and a transparent glass shield to remove ions and x rays. Most of the calorimeters use commercial semiconductor thermoelectric modules as the temperature sensors.