As a result of the changing requirement, plus environmental and regulatory commitments, SRP now has essentially completed its paradigm shift. SRP has been transformed from primarily a reprocessor of irradiated uranium targets to primarily a reprocessor of non-specification plutonium. This is the mission which will carry SRP into the 21st Century. Accomplishment of the defined goals for the three-pronged RandD program will achieve several objectives: exploit new processes for recovering low-grade scraps; enhance SRP's position to incorporate pyrochemical processes where they are attractive or beneficial to plant scrap recovery; provide SRL/SRP with a capability to develop compatible aqueous pyrochemical processes; identify material compatibility requirements for the incorporation of pyrochemical processes at SRP; promote development and demonstration of improved NDA instrumentation to accurately measure plutonium holdups in solid residues; identify and implement the technology required for reagent preparation and atmospheric quality control; provide a means to compare economic options for emerging new processes; and as a result, identify process steps which will also put SRP in a position to readily adapt to changing plutonium missions.

Analysis of data sets that involve large numbers of variables usually entails some type of model fitting and data reduction. In regression problems, a fitted model that is obtained by a selection process can be difficult to evaluate because of optimism induced by the choice mechanism. Problems in areas such as discriminant analysis, calibration, and the like often lead to similar difficulties. The preceeding sections reviewed some of the general ideas behind assessment of regression-type predictors and illustrated how they can be easily incorporated into a standard data analysis.

This paper describes a concept for a current drive system based on negative ions with beam energy > 1 MeV. Preliminary physics calculations show that the core current necessary for stability enhancement can best be achieved by beams with energy ranging from 1 to 4 MeV. Further study and experiments will better define the optimum energy. Work under way at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and at collaborating institutes in Canada and the Federal Republic of Germany is defining a system, its elements, a configuration and operational scenarios deemed appropriate for such devices as ITER and other future steady-state tokamaks, and the requisite research and development to provide such a system. 7 refs., 2 figs.

Improved energy production from many types of energy reservoirs such as hot dry rock geothermal as well as hydraulically fractured oil, gas, and other geothermal reservoirs requires a better understanding of the fluid mechanics in the vicinity of the fracture-wellbore intersection. Typically, the aperture (smallest dimension) of a hydraulic fracture is only of the order of 1 mm (0.04 in.) so that reasonable energy production rates from geothermal systems require fairly large flow velocities within the fractures, particularly so as the wellbore-fracture intersection is approached. The high velocities and accelerations result in non-Darcian, often turbulent, flow and increased pressure losses. These flow phenomena were investigated experimentally for the simple case where the fracture plane and the wellbore drilling axis are orthogonal and the implication of these experimental results are examined by investigating the pressure losses in a hot dry rock reservoir.

The following boundary conditions are desirable for particle detectors providing momentum and mass measurement in a magnetic field. A multilayer drift chamber of the socalled ''bicycle'' type with a radius of 1.5 m is considered. The useful track length will be l/sub min/ = 1.3 m for a straight track at 90/sup 0/ to the beam axis. Two examples for possible subdivisions of this volume are chosen: (1) number of layers, n = 200 and thickness/layer, x = 6.5 mm; and (2) n = 56 and x = 23 mm. An analysis is given in which the counting gas, the pressure, and the maximum allowable particle rate are considered as variables.

General improvements to the on-line mass separator RAMA (Recoil Atom Mass Analyzer) have yielded a greater reliability and efficiency for some elements. A new utilitarian helium-jet chamber has been installed to facilitate quick target and degrader foil changes in addition to a new ion source holder. A higher efficiency hollow-cathode, cathode-extraction ion source, for lower melting point elements (< 1200/sup 0/C) has also been designed. Tests with the beta-delayed proton emitter /sup 37/Ca showed a factor of five increase in yield over the old hollow-cathode, anode-extraction source. A differentially-pumped-tape drive system compatible with both ..gamma..-..gamma.. and ..beta..-..gamma.. experiments has been incorporated into the general detection system. All major operating parameters will soon be monitored by a complete stand-alone microprocessor system which will eventually be upgraded to a closed-loop control system.

The metabolism and toxicity of 3-methylfuran (3-MF) are described. The major product of metabolic activation of 3-MF appears to be disemicarbazones. Cursory description of toxic effects of 3-MF on lung and kidneys are provided. 18 refs.

A proposal is made for high-power microwave transfer in space. The concept consists in a microwave power station integrating a multistage microwave free-electron laser and asymmetric dual-reflector system. Its use in space is discussed. 9 refs., 2 figs., 1 tab.

Fuel particles for the High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (HTGR) contain layers of pyrolytic carbon and silicon carbide, which act as a miniature pressure vessel and form the primary fission product barrier. Of the many fission products formed during irradiation, the noble metals are of particular interest because they interact significantly with the SiC layer and their concentrations are somewhat higher in the low-enriched uranium fuels currently under consideration. To study fission product-SiC interactions, particles of UO/sub 2/ or UC/sub 2/ are doped with fission product elements before coating and are then held in a thermal gradient up to several thousand hours. Examination of the SiC coatings by TEM-AEM after annealing shows that silver behaves differently from the palladium group.

A conceptual design for a toroidal field (TF) coil for a six coil test array has been developed. The electromagnetic, cryogenic, structural, manufacturing, quality assurance and verification testing requirements have been analyzed. The bore is oval shaped and is 2.35 meters horizontally and 3.35 meters vertically. The coil is designed to operate at 8T peak field at rated current of 10450 amperes when the other 5 coils in the toroidal array are at 80% rated current. Using-flat-wound NbTi conductor this pool-boiling, pancake wound coil is fully cryostable, and is enclosed in a 316LN stainless steel coil structure and helium container capable of supporting all expected in-plane loads and out-of-plane loads due to pulsed fields and unsymmetrical current distributions in the other 5 coils.

The X25 beam line at the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS) began full-power commissioning in 1990. It extracts radiation from a 27 pole hybrid wiggler, which produces up to 1.8 kW of total power with a peak horizontal density of 450 W/mrad and critical energy of 4.6 keV. The design and performance of the beam line optics are described, in particular the cooling of the first monochromator crystal. 28 refs., 5 figs.

The ATF experiment will test improvements to high-beta, steady-state toroidal confinement using external helical fields. The device design has been optimized to (1) provide direct access to the high-beta second-stability regime, (2) have sufficient flexibility to study a large range of toroidal configurations both with and without plasma current, (3) test the reduction of low-collisionality transport by EXB drifts induced by the self-consistent radial electric field, and (4) permit steady-state, high-beta operation without disruptions. Continued physics studied at ORNL and recent results from foreign stellarator experiments have increased confidence in ATF performance.

The magnetic behavior of hcp-Fe (epsilon iron) has been investigated by the Moessbauer Effect over a wide range of temperature T, pressure P, and applied magnetic field H/sub 0/. The internal field H/sub i/ of the induced moment is given by H/sub i/ = 0.20 +- .01 H/sub 0/ and is independent of T and P. Enhanced paramagnetism is suggested as the most likely origin for a contribution of this magnitude to H/sub i/.

Transverse energy (E/sub t/) distributions and P/sub t/ spectra of negative particles and photons measured by the HELIOS experiment in 200 GeVN and 60 GeVN oxygen-nucleus reactions are presented. The E/sub t/ distributions are compared to a geometrical parametrization and a Montereverse arrowCarlo calculation, particle spectra to the proton-nucleus reaction case. The comparisons show that yet the results can be understood without assuming quark-gluon plasma formation. A discussion is made based on these comparisons together with an estimate of the energy density of the reaction, attempting to know how close we are to the detection of a phase transition of nuclear matter. 21 refs., 15 figs.

The reactor pressure vessel in a pressurized water reactor is normally subjected to temperatures and pressures that preclude propagation of sharp, crack-like defects that might exist in the wall of the vessel. However, there is a class of postulated accidents, referred to as overcooling accidents, that can subject the pressure vessel to severe thermal shock while the pressure is substantial. As a result of such accidents vessels containing high concentrations of copper and nickel, which enhance radiation embrittlement, may possess a potential for extensive propagation of preexistent inner surface flaws prior to the vessel's normal end of life. For the purpose of evaluating this problem a state-of-the-art fracture mechanics model was developed and has been used for conducting parametric analyses and for calculating several recorded PWR transients. Results of the latter analysis indicate that there may be some vessels that have a potential for failure today if subjected to a Rancho Seco (1978) or TMI-2 (1979) type transient. However, the calculational model may be excessively conservative, and this possibility is under investigation.

The Manipulator Comparative Testing Program examined differences among manipulator systems from the United States and Japan. The manipulator systems included the Meidensha BILARM 83A, the Model M-2 of Central Research Laboratories Division of Sargent Industries (CRL), and the GCA Corporation PaR Systems Model 6000. The site of testing was the Remote Operations Maintenance Demonstration (ROMD) facility, operated by the Fuel Recycle Division in the Consolidated Fuel Reprocessing Program at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). In all stages of testing, operators using the CRL Model M-2 manipulator had consistently lower times to completion and error rates than they did using other machines. Performance was second best with the Meidensha BILARM 83A in master-slave mode. Performance with the BILARM in switchbox mode and the PaR 6000 manipulator was approximately equivalent in terms of criteria recorded in testing. These data show no impact of force reflection on task performance.

As part of the safety assessment in the design of the glass melter for large-scale immobilization of high-level radioactive wastes, structural considerations of the containment shell include its dynamic responses to abnormal loading conditions such as that caused by a steam explosion. The postulated steam explosion, conservatively given an energy content equivalent to 13 pounds of TNT, is capable of exerting sudden pressures greater than 300 psi but less than 410 psi on the melter wall. By use of thin-shell theory, the equations of motion satisfying the discontinuity conditions at junctions of shells with different curvatures are solved analytically. Results of stress analysis ensure elastic responses of the containment structure of the melter. 6 references, 3 figures, 1 table.

The fast-transient (tidal-transient) one-dimensional discrete-element chemical transport model and its associated computer code CHMONE were applied to study the effects of chlorinated water discharges from power plants on tidal estuaries and controlled rivers. The mathematical model has the capability to predict simultaneously the hydrodynamic, thermal, and chemical composition of water as one-dimensional time-dependent distributions. (LTW)

Acoustic data of boiling stability tests on the THORS (Thermal-Hydraulic Out-of-Reactor Safety) facility were obtained using three sodium-immersible high temperature microphones. The data was analyzed in both the time and frequency domains and provides the following information: (1) the acoustic signal due to sodium boiling was clearly observed; (2) the signal level and the repetition rate of boiling pulses are directly proportional to the applied heat flux; (3) a typical boiling pulse consists of a high frequency signal due mainly to the bubble collapses and a low frequency void oscillation; (4) the frequency spectra of the boiling and background pulses can be mostly assigned to various acoustic resonance frequencies of the THORS loop.

Radiography is the primary method of Nondestructive Examination recognized by the ASME B and PV Code as providing objective evidence of volumetric examination of the pressure boundary welds that are present in the Clinch River Breeder Reactor Program (CRBRP) Steam Generator. In order to support the steam generator production schedule, the radiographic examinations must be performed without interrupting any other manufacturing or inspection operations taking place within a 20-ft radius from the source. This condition imposes rigorous radiation safety requirements since the gamma radiation sources chosen to be used for examination of the pressure boundary welds, Co-60 and Ir-192, are very energetic. Co-60 gamma ray energy is 1.17 and 1.33 MeV and Ir-192 gamma ray is .6 MeV. The hazard of using such a high energy sources in the immediate vicinity of working personnel has necessitated the need for a thorough evaluation of methods of protection. Personnel protection from penetrating radiation, both x-ray and gamma ray, is accomplished by ingenious use, singly or in combination, of two factors which reduce radiation intensity. These factors are distance and shielding. In all radiographic operations the primary consideration is for personnel safety. The maximum radiation dose rate limit will be 0.002 rem/hr. This …

Some rules which have been proposed, including 't Hooft's anomaly conditions, decoupling conditions and tumbling versus no tumbling are discussed. Then mass generation mechanisms for composite fermions are covered, including weak gauging, strong gauging, and unification. The origin of the different generations of quarks and leptons is then considered. In the context of composite models, the three generations of quarks and leptons must appear in the first approximation as three sets of massless composite fermions in identical representations of continuous flavor symmetry with a conserved generation number distinguishing them. The generation symmetry is preferably a discrete one in order to avoid massless Goldstone bosons that would occur if one could spontaneously break a continuous symmetry. Harari and Seiberg have shown that in a class of rishon models there exist U(1) generation symmetries that are automatically broken to a discrete generation symmetry due to strong interaction instantons. An example of a solution to the anomaly conditions with this property is given. (GHT)

The most common asbestos materials used at the Savannah River site include: steam pipe insulation; powerhouse boiler insulation; wallboards; roofing materials; and cement products. Asbestos was also found in a number of other materials: aprons; gaskets; laboratory hot pads; and talcum powder used for gloves. Techniques for removal; personnel training; mechanical ventilation; and personnel isolation techniques are described for completing asbestos removal safely and without boiler downtime. (PSB)

This work studies the electron-beam envelopes and matching for a combined wiggler and alternating-gradient quadrupole field for a free-electron laser (FEL) that will be operated in the VUV or XUV wavelength region. The quadrupole field is assumed to vary continuously along the symmetry axis. The linearized equations of electron motion are solved analytically by using the two-scale perturbation method for a plane polarized wiggler. The electron-beam envelopes and the envelope equations, as well as the matching conditions in phase space, are obtained from the electron trajectories. A comparison with the numerical solution is presented.

The LANDSAT ratio image, obtained by dividing one MSS band by another on a point-by-point basis, has become an established tool for geological applications over the past several years. Display of such images can be difficult since the dynamic range can extend from zero to infinity. A scheme for dynamic range reduction, based on a mathematical model of the multispectral image, is presented. It can be implemented on stand-alone digital image processing systems as well as general purpose computers. This technique also has potential application in machine classification of geological data. Digital image processing examples are presented in which this new scheme is compared with other commonly used techniques for dynamic range reduction.