From purpose and scope: The purpose of this investigation is to document the types of aquatic benthic organisms found within the Everglades and to determine the extent to which the chemical and physical character of surface water and bottom materials affect their distribution and community structure.

A bibliography for the investigation of the hydraulic regime and physical nature of bottom sedimentation at the Columbia River dump site.

From abstract: The Hueco Bolson provides a substantial part of the municipal and industrial water supply of the El Paso area of Texas, New Mexico and Mexico. Although the supply of fresh ground water in the bolson is large, about 10.6 million acre-feet (13,070 hm^3) in 1973 in the Texas part of the bolson alone, the supply is being depleted.

Vapor explosions were produced by injecting small quantities of water into a container filled with molten sodium chloride. Minimum explosion efficiencies, as evaluated from reaction-impulse measurements, were relatively large. Subsurface movies showed that the explosions resulted from a two-step sequence: an initial bulk-mixing phase in which the two liquids intermix on a large scale, but remain locally separated by an insulating gas-vapor layer; and a second step, immediately following breakdown of the gas layer, during which the two liquids locally fragment, intermix, and pressurize very rapidly. The experimental results were compared with various mechanistic models that had been proposed to explain vapor explosions. Early models seemed inconsistent with the results. More recent theories suggest that vapor explosions may be caused by a nucleation limit or by dynamic mixing combined with high surface-heat-transfer rates. Both types of models are consistent with the results.

Abstract: The general objective of this research is to develop methods for analysis of stresses and movements in embankments.

A set of OS/370 Basic Assembly Language programs is described which provides a FORTRAN IV interface with OS/370 Macros.

Progress report describing the research and management efforts of Argonne National Laboratory's program on high-performance lithium/metal sulfide batteries during the period July-December 1975. The batteries are being developed for two applications: off-peak energy storage in electric utility networks and electric-vehicle propulsion. The battery designs for the two applications differ, particularly in cell configuration and electrode design because of the differing performance requirements.

Hydrogen from the radiolysis of water by dissolved fission products is stripped from the solution and collected by bubbling carbon dioxide through the solution. Quantitative measurements of the G value for hydrogen show that the yield is essentially the same as would be obtained by external gamma radiolysis of nonradioactive solutions of the same chemical composition. The hydrogen yield can be enhanced by addition of a hydrogen-atom donor, such as formic acid, to the solution. The yield of hydrogen from fission-waste solutions is discussed with respect to the question of whether it represents a significant energy source.

Recycling water within the local ground-water system is an effective means to increase quantity and control water temperature of the water supply and to control or avoid environmental pollution. A fish-rearing facility, operated for 15 months, returned water to the local ground-water system through an infiltration pond and recycled 83 percent of its water supply. For each 100 gallons pumped the net stress on the aquifer was equivalent to withdrawing 17 gallons. Despite recycling, nutrient content and temperature of the water supply were acceptable throughout the study period. The rearing-facility nutrient output ranged from 1 to 2 pounds of nitrate-nitrogen per day, but nitrate-nitrogen levels in the water supply remained below 4 mg/1. The water temperature ranged from 7°C to 14°C. Mathematical relations developed show that acceptable nitrate-nitrogen levels and water temperatures nearly optimum for salmonid rearing could be maintained during full-scale hatchery operation.

The methods applied or proposed for risk assessment of nuclear reactors are reviewed, particularly with respect to their applicability for risk assessment of future commercial fast breeder reactors. All methods are based on the calculation of accident consequences for relatively few accident scenarios. The role and general impact of uncertainties in fast-reactor accident analysis are discussed. The discussion shows the need for improvement of the methodology. A generalized and improved risk-assessment methodology is outlined and proposed (accident-spectra-progression approach). The generalization consists primarily of an explicit treatment of uncertainties throughout the accident progression. The results of this method are obtained in form of consequence distributions. The width and shape of the distributions depend in part on the superposition of the uncertainties. The first moment of the consequence distribution gives an improved prediction of the ''average'' consequence. The higher-consequence moments can be used for consideration of risk aversion. The assessment of the risk of one or a certain number of nuclear reactors can only provide an ''isolated'' risk assessment. The general problem of safety risk assessment and its relation to public acceptance of certain modes of power production is a much broader problem area, which is also discussed.

A simple conduction model with phase change has been developed for the transient analysis of a fuel pin based on average properties and lumped-parameter techniques. The transient behavior of fuel and cladding can be accurately described by simple analytical expressions that agree with conventional numerical approaches for under-cooling transient analysis. If it be assumed that the heat-transfer resistance between the fuel and cladding remains the same for both steady-state and transient periods, the phase-change problem for fuel and cladding melting can be significantly simplified. BY using the predetermined average overall heat-transfer coefficient across a fuel pin in the steady-state period, the average transient fuel and cladding temperatures can be formulated analytically. For loss of flow at constant power, the start of melting and complete melting for both the fuel and cladding can be estimated with considerable accuracy.

Studies of unprotected loss-of-flow accidents in the CRBR for various rates of flow coast-down and with various options in the SAS 3A code did not lead to conditions for a violent disassembly. Maximum fuel temperatures using the SLUMPY module for disassembly were in the range 4000-4500 deg C. An approximate treatment of the LOF-driven TOP accident, not properly modeled by SAS 3A, indicates the possibility of some increase in accident severity. The effect of fission gas in dispersing fuel was not taken into account in these calculations. Parameter variations included the presence or absence of axial fuel expansion and of clad motion and use of the moving coolant film model versus the static film model. Study of severe pipe rupture accidents with scram indicated that pin power density and fuel-clad conductance were important parameters in determining what coolant flow rate was needed to prevent boiling after the rupture. It appears that for the CRBR when engineering hot channel factors are considered, this fraction would have to exceed 25 percent.