Neutron noise analysis measurements were made in three BWR-4 reactors under full-power conditions to determine the noise characterization spectra of the reactors with two different instrument-tube cooling configurations. Both configurations were designed to prevent flow-induced vibration of the instrument tubes and subsequent damage of fuel channel boxes caused by impacts of the tubes with the boxes. Noise spectra from these three reactors were compared with spectra previously obtained prior to changing the instrument-tube cooling configuration, and no evidence of impacting was found.

TVA is proposing to develop and commercially demonstrate the coproduction of electricity and fertilizer (urea) using integrated gasification/combined cycle (IGCC) technology. The coal-based coproduction demonstration project will show that the coproduction process can economically and environmentally enhance the production of both electric power and urea. As conceptualized, the proposed coproduction demonstration project facility would be designed for a nominal electrical capacity of about 250 megawatts (MW), Table I. During normal operation, the facility would produce about 150 MW of base-load electrical power and 1,000 tons per day of urea. Sulfur from the coal would be recovered as elemental sulfur. During peak power demand, the fertilizer capacity could be reduced or bypassed and the full 250 MW could be made available. This scheme would allow continuous operation of the gasifier at 100% of its rated capacity which would reduce the annual revenue requirements for power generation by permitting the production of fertilizer. As TVA's vision of this proposal matures (i.e., as consideration is given to alternative schemes, as TVA reviews its power demands, and as more detailed engineering estimates are developed), the nature and scope of cyclic-operation may be altered.

By irradiating cells attached to thin Mylar foils with diatomic deuteron beams, the role of interaction distance in radiobiology can be investigated in a unique manner. The molecule breaks up into two separate ions which diverge from each other because of the multiple scattering process in the foil and in the cellular material. A distribution of separation distances results whose characteristic separation depends on the Mylar foil thickness. An experimental facility to use diatomic beams is described. Cell survival results for V79 Chinese hamster cells synchronized in late S phase show that damage does result from tracks separated by as much as 250 nm. However, damage also results from interaction at nanometer dimensions.

In this article we deal with the automated learning of tasks by a robotic system through observation of a human operator. Particularly, we explain what is meant by a learning ability in autonomous robots and in teleoperation systems, where several operators and several machines may work in cooperation to perform tasks. We discuss different approaches to learning in these systems and outline the features of the models they are based upon. This leads us to choose an analytical model suited for tasks analysis. We then present the software architecture for our proposed approach and show the first results obtained on sample tests. 5 refs., 9 figs.

A double wall house of Ekose'a design, located in Middletown, RI, is being evaluated by Brookhaven National Laboratory under sponsorship of the US Department of Energy. The technical approach employed in monitoring and analyzing the thermal performance of the building is described.

In the Consolidated Fuel Reprocessing Program at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a comprehensive remote systems development program has existed for the past five years. The new remote technology under development is expected to significantly improve remote operations by extending the range of admissible remote tasks and increasing remote work efficiency. The motivation and justification for the program are discussed by surveying the 40 years of remote operating experience which exists and considering the essential features of various old and new philosophies which have been, or are being, used in remote engineering. A future direction based upon the Remotex concept is explained, and recent progress in the development of an advanced servomanipulator-based maintenance concept is summarized to show that a new generation of remote systems capability is feasible through advanced technology. 20 references, 10 figures, 1 table.

The Health Protection Department at the Savannah River Plant collects 500 urine samples per day for tritium analyses. Prior to automation, all sample information was compiled manually. Bar code technology was chosen for automating this program because it provides a more accurate, efficient, and inexpensive method for data entry. The system has three major functions: sample labeling is accomplished at remote bar code label stations composed of an Intermec 8220 (Intermec Corp.) interfaced to an IBM-PC, data collection is done on a central VAX 11/730 (Digital Equipment Corp.). Bar code readers are used to log-in samples to be analyzed on liquid scintillation counters. The VAX 11/730 processes the data and generates reports, data storage is on the VAX 11/730 and backed up on the plant's central computer. A brief description of several other bar code applications at the Savannah River Plant is also presented.

Based on preliminary studies, some conclusions can be drawn concerning the Accelerator Fuel Enricher and Fission Product Exterminator (APEX). APEX-1 and APEX-2 systems can destroy TU's, /sup 137/Cs, and /sup 90/Sr at acceptable cost and efficiency. The principal difference between APEX-1 and APEX-2 is the in-reactor and in-circuit inventory of /sup 137/Cs and /sup 90/Sr. Stable and low hazard wastes can be disposed of by burial. Accelerator breeders can effectively sustain a fission reactor economy indefinitely. Military waste can be blended into commercial fuel cycle for transmutation. Accelerator and target technologies appear practical and could be developed in a few years. More detailed studies are needed to better define the technical and economic features of the LAFER and APEX cycles, so that comparative assessments can be made between these cycles, as well as with other transmutation and waste disposal concepts.

Environmental, health, and safety aspects of photovoltaic technology are discussed, and the role of Brookhaven National Lab as DOE's field center for research and advice in this area is described. (WHK)

Development of a coal feeding and distribution system is one of the major requirements for successful operation of large scale atmospheric fluidized-bed boilers. Since combustion efficiency, sulfur capture, and tube corrosion are strong functions of coal distribution in the bed, the reliability of the feed system is critical. One proposed coal feeding method involves underbed feed nozzles, and pneumatic conveying is a key element in this method. Several technical problems are inherent in such systems. One program aimed at resolving these problems involves testing a pneumatic transport system constructed to represent the branch feed lines in TVA's 20 MW AFBC pilot plant. The major objective is to determine the practical limits of such operating parameters as surface moisture, transport velocity, and coal loading. In addition, correlations are being developed to predict line pressure drop as a function of the conveying parameters. Pressure drop is important because it determines the feed system pumping costs and is a good indicator of changes in the solids flow regime. Preliminary results indicate that surface moisture is the most important factor in getting coal into the transport line. Coal with up to 6 wt % surface moisture can be fed with little difficulty, but higher …

Experimental and theoretical studies have been performed to characterize the behavior of airborne particulates (aerosols) expected to be produced by hypothetical core disassembly accidents (HCDA's) in liquid metal fast breeder reactors (LMFBR's). These aerosol studies include work on aerosol transport in a 20-m high, 850-m/sup 3/ closed vessel at moderate concentrations; aerosol transport in a small vessel under conditions of high concentration (approx. 1000 g/m/sup 3/), high turbulence, and high temperature (approx. 2000/sup 0/C); and aerosol transport through various leak paths. These studies have shown that little, if any, airborne debris from LMFBR HCDA's would reach the atmosphere exterior to an intact reactor containment building.

Many advanced light water reactor designs incorporate passive rather than active safety features for front-line accident response. A method for evaluating the reliability of these passive systems in the context of probabilistic risk assessment has been developed at Sandia National Laboratories. This method addresses both the component (e.g. valve) failure aspect of passive system failure, and uncertainties in system success criteria arising from uncertainties in the system's underlying physical processes. These processes provide the system's driving force; examples are natural circulation and gravity-induced injection. This paper describes the method, and provides some preliminary results of application of the approach to the Westinghouse AP600 design.

In this paper, we describe a new research effort on consensus tied to the Environmental Restoration Program (ERP) within the US Department of Energy's Office of Defense Waste and Transportation Management (DWTM). We define consensus and explain why consensus decisions are not merely desirable but necessary in furthering ERP activities. As examples of our planned applied research, we first discuss Nominal Group Technique as a representative consensus-generating tool, and we conclude by describing the consensus-related mission of the Waste Management Review Group, established at Virginia Tech to conduct independent, third-party review of DWTM/ERP plans and activities. 10 refs.

In this talk we give a review of our work on the construction and classification of N = 2 Maxwell-Einstein Supergravity theories (MESGT), study of the underlying algebraical and geometrical structure of these theories, and their compact and non-compact gaugings. We begin by summarizing our construction of the N = 2 MESGT's in five dimensions and give a geometrical interpretation to various scalar dependent quantities in the Lagrangian, based on the constraiants implied by supersymmetry. This is followed by a complete classification of the N = 2 MESGT's whose target manifolds parametrized by the scalar fields are symmetric spaces. 39 refs.