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The densification kinetics for both ..beta..''-alumina and NASICON are dramatically different. ..beta..''-Alumina sinters by a reactive liquid process whereas NASICON densifies by a solid state method. More importantly, a qualitative examination of particle and agglomerate distributions, phase composition, linear shrinkage analysis, and heating rate effects can result in a concise determination of sintering processes without recourse to more quantitative techniques. Such a simple procedural method should be a basis for any beginning investigative study into the densification mechanism of new multicomponent ceramic materials.

Syrian golden hamsters of both sexes were exposed to aerosols of ZrO/sub 2/ containing PuO/sub 2/. The starting material in the aerosol generator also had a small amount of /sup 57/Co added as a tracer. The mixture of all three constituents was nebulized and the droplets passed through a heating column at 1000/sup 0/C. Aerosol sampling was accomplished with a cascade impactor and electrostatic precipitator. The median aerodynamic diameters in all inhalation runs were approximately 2 ..mu..m with a geometric standard deviation of 2. One exposed group of 60 hamsters had 6-day lung burdens averaging 100 nCi. This group had a lung tumor incidence of 44% with an even distribution of adenomas and carcinomas. Two other groups had average 6-day lung burdens of 80 to 90 nCi plus 55 nCi of intravenously injected spheres localized in the lung. These animals had tumor incidences of approximately 30%.

The /sup 16/O + /sup 40/Ca inelastic scattering has been measured at 60-MeV incident energy, and evidence has been found in support of an explicit coupling between direct and elastic channels. The measurements were extended over a large angular range and in particular to very forward angles. The ratio of cross sections between extreme forward and backward angles proved very useful in studying the underlying reaction mechanism.

Cryocondensing panels will be used for the Neutral Beam Lines of the TFTR to satisfy a pumping speed requirement of 2.5 x 10/sup 6/ l/s. The cryocondensing panels are fed by liquid helium (LHe), boiling at selectable temperatures of 4.5/sup 0/K or 3.8/sup 0/K. Liquid nitrogen (LN/sub 2/) panels and chevrons thermally shield the LHe panel. The closed-loop LHe supply system and the open loop LN/sub 2/ system are discussed. The helium refrigerator of minimum 1070-W capacity, together with its distribution system, and the nitrogen distribution system in the ton/hour LN/sub 2/ range is presented. Problems and their solutions in connection with the LHe system, including the distribution over a distance of 500 feet of large quantities of liquid/gas mixtures with load variations over the range of about 3 : 1, and the economies of various types of distribution lines (passive, pumped, shielded, combined), are described. The system design passed the preliminary phase. Design features and auxiliary equipment to assure dispersion of large quantities of nitrogen into the atmosphere and to permit operation under degraded cryogenic helium refrigerator performance are also discussed in Design Considerations.

A number of fuel cycles have been proposed for evaluation in the nonproliferation alternative systems assessment program. Among these systems are light water reactors (LWR) operating on the thorium-uranium cycle or the plutonium-thorium cycle either inside or outside energy centers. These proposals support the President's nuclear power policy of accelerating research into alternative fuel cycles that do not permit direct access to materials usable for nuclear weapons but still retain the benefits of nuclear power. Reprocessing and refabrication (often referred to as the ''back cycle'') constitute a portion of the overall fuel cycle and represent potential access points to fissionable materials, which, in many cases, may be in a rather attractive form for diversion. These operations for LWR thorium-uranium and plutonium-thorium fuels were analyzed to assess and rate the diversion or proliferation potential of each major operation. Reprocessing and refabrication evaluations per se constitute insufficient data for rating the acceptability of an entire fuel cycle and must be considered along with reactor analysis, environmental data, resource utilization, and political factors. Each back cycle operation has been evaluated according to needed development, material location, material description, convertibility and radiation hazard. Needed development relates to the state of the art of the …

A simple comparison has been made between an air core and an iron core ohmic heating system for a particular device, and it was shown that the peak power requirements can be substantially reduced by the use of an iron core to power levels handled by industry today. It was also shown that for an ohmic heating system initiated plasma that the cost of the iron core ohmic heating power system (iron core, dual rectifier, and DC switch) is less than the cost for a subset of the power system for an air core system (dual rectifier and DC switch). There is considerable work being done on other methods of initiating the plasma none of which seem to be incompatible with the use of an iron core system.

The concept of using high-energy particle accelerators to produce neutrons for converting fertile material to fissile is over 25 years old. It is only relatively recently that accelerator design has progressed to a point where the operation approaches commercial viability. Critical unknowns in the concept were identified in a detailed study of specic configurations. Experiments to elucidate these unknowns in a timely manner using existing material and facilities are defined and identified. Basic measurements are described to evaluate effects of the primary particle beam and resulting secondary particles in massive assemblies of most materials of interest.

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.

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 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 …

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.

The review of total hadron electroproduction cross sections, the new states, and the muon--electron events includes large amount of information on hadron structure, nine states with width ranging from 10's of keV to many MeV, the principal decay modes and quantum numbers of some of the states, and limits on charm particle production. 13 references. (JFP)

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The self electric field on the axis of an ion beam of radius a in a conducting cylinder of radius b is given. The formula assumes that the radius of the conducting cylinder is much smaller than the length of the ion beam (b much less than L) and that E/sub z/ is calculated away from the edge of the beam (vertical bar z vertical bar less than vertical bar L/2 vertical bar). For the HIDE parameters, i.e., loosely speaking a 50 TW, 100 JK, multi-GeV heavy ion beam, the assumption b much less than L is no longer valid and hence this equation cannot be used. Since for an unneutralized heavy ion beam it is necessary to apply ramp voltages to compensate for the longitudinal self fields it is desirable to know exactly what these fields are. Here, exact expressions for E/sub z/ on the axis of the ion beam are obtained and are compared under different circumstances with the approximate results given by the equation.

Separate abstracts have been prepared for items within the scope of the energy data base.

Estimated costs and safety considerations for decommissioning LLW burial grounds have been evaluated. Calculations are based on a generic burial ground assumed to be located at a western and an eastern site. Decommissioning modes include: (1) site stabilization followed by long-term care of the site; and (2) waste relocation. Site stabilization is estimated to cost from $0.4 million to $7.5 million, depending on the site and the stabilization option chosen. Long-term care is estimated to cost about $100,000 annually, with somewhat higher costs during early years because of increased site maintenance and environmental monitoring requirements. Long-term care is required until the site is released for unrestricted public use. Occupational and public safety impacts of site stabilization and long-term care are estimated to be small. Relocation of all the waste from a reference burial ground is estimated to cost more than $1.4 billion and to require more than 20 years for completion. Over 90% of the cost is associated with packaging, transportation, and offsite disposal of the exhumed waste. Waste relocation results in significant radiation exposure to decommissioning workers.

Materials and water chemistry research results associated with the development of the Oconee-1 Reactor steam generator are presented. A summary of water chemistry data acquired during preoperational testing and power operation to date is also included. These data confirm the operational practicality of the nuclear once-through concept using volatile water treatment and high purity condensate demineralized feedwater.

Spent Light Water Reactor (LWR) fuel with burnups of 9, 28 and 54 MWd/kg U were leach tested at 25/sup 0/C in deionized water in a Paige apparatus. No discernible differences in leach rates were observed due to burnup. Additionally, the 28 MWd/kg U fuel was IAEA leach tested in five different leachants using the IAEA method. Deionized water gave the highest leach rates and a calcium chloride solution gave the lowest leach rates. An accelerated leaching period was observed during the Paige leach test of the 54 MWd/kg U spent fuel. Comparison between spent fuel and borosilicate waste glass leach rates was made. In sodium bicarbonate solution the leach rates are near equal and the glass becomes increasingly more durable with CaCl/sub 2/ solution, followed by sodium chloride solution, WIPP B brine and deionized water where the glass is two to three orders of magnitude more leach resistant than spent fuel. 16 figures.

Transistors operated in the avalanche mode are employed to generate a 1000 volt 10 to 30 nsec wide pulse with less than 4 nsec rise and fall times. This pulse is resistively attenuated to approximately equal to 270 volts and drives the image intensifier tube which is a load of approximately equal to 200 pf. To reduce stray inductance and capacitance, transistor chips were assembled on a thick-film hybrid substrate. Circuit parameters, operating conditions, and coupling to the microchannel plate image-intensifier (MCPI/sup 2/) tube are described. To provide dc operating voltages and control of transient voltages on the MCPI/sup 2/ tube a resistance-capacitance network has been developed which (a) places the MCPI/sup 2/ output phosphor at ground, (b) provides programmable gains in ''f-stop'' steps, and (c) minimizes voltage transients on the MCPI/sup 2/ tube.

The hybrid reactor studies are reviewed. The optimization of the point design and work on a reference design are described. The status of the nuclear analysis of fast spectrum blankets, systems studies for fissile fuel producing hybrid reactor, and the mechanical design of the machine are reviewed. (MHR)