Results of recently concluded investigations of infrared laser induced photoionization of very high lying even parity levels in atomic uranium are presented. Behavior of both Rydberg and valence states is described.

Previous calculations of line emission were extended to higher density, lower temperature plasmas, typical of those expected in early ablative compression experiments. Emission from Ne-seeded fuel was analyzed in order to diagnose the density and temperature of the compressed core. The Stark/Doppler broadened emission profile is calculated for the H-like Ne resonance line. The observable lineshape is then obtained by time-averaging over expected density and temperature profiles and by including the effects of radiative transfer.

The formation of ozone from oxygen and the dissociation carbon dioxide to carbon monoxide and oxygen is studied in a gamma-neutron chemical process blanket associated with a controlled thermonuclear reactor. Materials used for reactor tube wall will affect the efficiency of the energy absorption by the reactants and consequently the yield of reaction products. Three kinds of materials, aluminum, stainless steel and fiber (Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/)-aluminium are investigated for the tube wall material in the study.

Emphasis is on corrosion as related to waste storage canister. Most work has been done in support of the In-Can Melter (ICM) vitrification system. It is assumed that the canister goes through the ICM process and is then stored in a water basin. The most severe corrosion effect seen is oxidation of stainless steel (SS) surfaces in contact with gases containing oxygen during processing. The processing temperature is near 1100/sup 0/C and furnace atmosphere, used until now, has been air with unrestricted flow to the furnace. The oxidation rate at 1100/sup 0/C is 15.8 g/cm/sup 2/ for 304L SS. Techniques for eliminating this corrosion currently being investigated include the use of different materials, such as Inconel 601, and the use of an inert cover gas. Corrosion due to the waste melt is not as rapid as the air oxidation. This effect has been studied extensively in connection with the development of a metallic crucible melter at Battelle. Data are available on the corrosion rates of several waste compositions in contact with various materials. Long-term compatibility tests between the melt and the metal have been run; it was found the corrosion rates due to the melt or its vapor do not …

An improved method for measuring the peak power output from pulsed-injection laser diodes having risetimes of 10 ns or greater has been developed by the Bendix Kansas City Metrology Laboratory. Based on the combination of an integrating sphere and a silicon photodiode, the system provides the means for collecting all of the widely divergent pulsed output of laser diodes. System accuracy is estimated to be within +-15%. Methods of system calibration are described along with the circuitry used to pulse and measure the diode current.

The on-line control system interface for magnet beam steering and focusing in the Bevalac is described. An Aydin model 5205B display generator was chosen. This display generator will allow the computer to completely rewrite a monitor screen in less than 50 ms and is also capable of controlling a color monitor. (PMA)

Confinement parameters, ntau, are calculated for several possible magnetically-confined p-/sup 11/B reactor configurations using a computer code that evaluates cyclotron radiation emission by electrons and follows the energy distributions of the reactants and products explicitly as they undergo nuclear reactions and both low and high angle scattering. The present treatment of cyclotron radiation assumes a uniform magnetic field and an isotropic plasma. Reflectivity is included as an input parameter. The influence of cyclotron radiation on the energy balance of the various p-/sup 11/B reactor configurations is evaluated and the deviation of the electron distribution from a Maxwellian due to cyclotron radiation emission is studied.

The next generation of U.S. fusion experiments, which includes TFTR, MFTF, and Doublet III, will utilize neutral-beam injection for plasma heating. TFTR, for example, desires 20 MW of 120-keV deuterium atoms in pulses of 0.5-sec duration at 5-minute intervals from a total of 12 individual neutral-beam modules. A discussion is given of some of the design details of a 15-A, 120-keV, 0.5-sec ion-source module that has recently been built to test design concepts for TFTR sources, and some of the features of the facility where it is presently under test at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory.

A number of technical possibilities for isolating high level radioactive materials have been theoretically investigated at various times and places. Isolating such wastes deep underground to insure long-term removal from the biosphere is one such possibility which has been investigated. The present concept involves as a first step creating the necessary void space at considerable depth, say 2 to 5 km, in a very low permeability silicate medium such as shale. Waste in dry, calcined or vitrified form is then lowered into the void space, and the access hole or shaft sealed. Energy released by the radioactive decay raises the temperature to a point where the surrounding rock begins to melt. The waste is then dissolved in it. The extent of this melt region grows until the heat generated is balanced by conduction away from the molten zone. Resolidification then begins, and ends when the radioactive decay has progressed to the point that the temperature falls below the melting point of the rock-waste solution. Calculations are presented showing the growth and resolidification process. The use of a nuclear explosion presents one alternative way of creating the void space.

Damage rates of 5 MeV /sup 27/Al ions in Al have been measured as a function of the ion path length in Al. The technique developed for this study employed evaporated Al thin film (approximately 0.4 - 0.5 ..mu..m thick), electrical resistivity specimens, as a damage sensor and variation in ion path lengths were obtained by insertion of thin foils of Al immediately in front of the resistivity specimen. Irradiations and electrical resistance measurements were carried out below 10/sup 0/K to ''freeze in'' the displacement damage and to provide suitable conditions for precision electrical measurements. The resistance increase due to irradiation is a measure of the displacement damage resulting from ion-atom collisions in the specimen. The damage rates vary about an order of magnitude over the range of the ions and are in general agreement with calculated damage rates obtained from theory. 9 fig.

The energy future will be affected by decisions made in the next few years. The author speaks on the reality of the future, specifically for electric power generation in the Northwest United States. His four main thoughts are: decisions made today will stand for ten years or more and are irreversible; only coal and nuclear are options available in the Northwest; coal and nuclear must be utilized to alleviate power outages leading to rationing and allocation measures; and conservation of electricity will benefit all. After summing up all issues involved with these thoughts, the author told the teachers at the conference that they were obligated to prepare youth to participate knowledgeably in this decision process. (MCW)

Separate abstracts were prepared for twenty-four papers. (MHR)

Fuel performance in the Peach Bottom High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (HTGR) is reviewed, including (1) the driver elements in the second core and (2) the test elements designed to test fuel for larger HTGR plants. Core 2 of this reactor, which is operated by the Philadelphia Electric Company, performed reliably with an average nuclear steam supply availability of 85 percent since its startup in July 1970. Core 2 had accumulated a total of 897.5 equivalent full power days (EFPD), almost exactly its design life-time of 900 EFPD, when the plant was shut down permanently on October 31, 1974. Gaseous fission product release and the activity of the main circulating loop remained significantly below the limits allowed by the technical specifications and the levels observed during operation of Core 1. The low circulating activity and postirradiation examination of driver fuel elements have demonstrated the improved irradiation stability of the coated fuel particles in Core 2. Irradiation data obtained from these tests substantiate the performance predictions based on accelerated tests and complement the fuel design effort by providing irradiation data in the low neutron fluence region.

It has been hoped that high-Z semiconductors would offer efficient ..gamma..-ray detection at or near ambient temperatures with energy resolution significantly better than NaI (Tl) scintillators. For use at X-ray energies, this goal has been achieved with both HgI/sub 2/, CdTe, and GaAs detectors. However, at higher energies (approximately 660 keV) all current detectors have one or more significant deficiencies in terms of attainable volume, charge collection efficiency, and polarization effects. Starting with first principles, all potential compounds which can be formed by the binary combination of elements from the periodic chart were considered as possible detector materials. A rank-ordered listing of the most promising materials for further development is given as well as an assessment of the prospects for future success. 25 references.

The next generation of U.S. fusion experiments which includes TFTR, MFTF, and Doublet III, will utilize neutral-beam injection for plasma heating. TFTR, for example, desires 20 MW of 120-keV deuterium atoms in pulses of 0.5-sec duration. In order to meet these requirements, a 15-A, 120-keV, 0.5-sec pulse per minute module is presently under test at the neutral-beam test facility at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. A 65-A, 120-keV, 0.5-sec module is under construction and is scheduled for assembly in April of this year. Some of the features of a calorimeter/beam dump that is presently being used in the testing and evaluation of these neutral beam sources are discussed.

The history and state-of-the-art of laser isotope separation at the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory are reviewed. (TFD)

Twenty-six papers are included. A separate abstract was prepared for each paper. (DG)

A flexible electronic product test and evaluation system is proposed. A system study was performed to determine how increasingly complex telemetry systems could be effectively evaluated during development and preproduction and after first production units were built. A primary requirement was that this system remain flexible with respect to configuration and mission and that it be easily maintainable. In addition, the system must be upgraded easily as old product requirements and definitions are replaced by new designs. As a result of this study it is concluded that this project would involve the expenditure of considerable funds and manpower at the beginning of the project and that the cost effectiveness of the system would be dependent upon its utilization and management. This study also demonstrates how the use of computer interface hardware standards (IEEE 583) can minimize requirements for expensive specially designed test equipment for each application.

Startup conditions for future mirror fusion experiments require a rapidly formed target plasma of approximately 0.5 coulomb of ions with energy of 50 to 100 keV. Theory suggests that very intense ion-flux emission satisfying these requirements can be extracted from a pulsed ion diode. Developing such sources would be an ideal CTR application of the high-power, single-shot capability of pulsed power technology. Recent experimental results are reviewed in which approximately 2 kA/cm/sup 2/ of D/sup +/ at approximately 50 keV was extracted. In the experiment, an intense relativistic electron beam undergoes many transits through a solid but range-thin anode foil. With each transit the electrons lose energy, causing their trajectories to collapse toward the anode surface. In so doing, the increased space charge extracts an intense ion flux from the anode foil's plasma. Observations are reported on the importance of diode stability. The general agreement between theoretical scaling laws and experimental results are also presented.

None

Large pools for storing spent fuel elements from nuclear reactors are being proposed to augment the present storage capacity of pools located at nuclear power plants and fuel reprocessing plants. These pools will be part of either independent spent fuel storage installations or large reprocessing plants. Because of the large size of the pools, seismic loads are of significant interest, and in particular the adequacy of current design methods for calculating seismic loads was of special concern. An evaluation of design methods representative of current practice was carried out, and the results are summarized. The evaluation was based on a comparison of total structural loads obtained by these methods with those obtained using the LUSH code. The LUSH code offered a combination of latest technologies in structural analysis involving soil-structure interaction.

When projected to PLT-size tokamaks, the preliminary results for ..omega.. approx. 2..omega../sub ci/ fast wave heating obtained in the ST and ATC tokamaks indicate that very efficient heating of the central plasma region as opposed to the surface region should ensue when the rf energy is suitably coupled to the plasma waves. Ion banana orbit losses become negligible and a large number of propagating waves are available so that the radial rf energy disposition pattern can be properly selected at last. It is vital to the potential use of ICRF (Ion Cyclotron Range of Frequencies) heating in reactor scale plasmas that surface heating be controlled and minimized relative to heating the plasma core. A demonstration that this is possible in existing large tokamaks is essential to the development of the ICRF heating schemes for reactor use. Projections to TFTR and larger devices are considered briefly.

FeTi, TiFe/sub 0/./sub 79/Mn/sub 0/./sub 15/, and TiFe/sub 0/./sub 76/Mn/sub 0/./sub 14/ subjected to hydriding-dehydriding cycles showed no deterioration as a function of hydriding-dehydriding cycles. The presence of O/sub 2/ in the hydrogen gas phase has a poisoning effect on the reactivity of FeTi toward hydrogen. Manganese-containing FeTi alloys were used to determine minimum activation temperatures. Future work will be concerned primarily with two separate alloy systems, magnesium and titanium. (LK)

High resolution (less than or equal to .5 cm/sup -1/) autoionization spectra of atomic uranium has been observed from newly identified odd parity levels between 32,660 and 34,165 cm/sup -1/. Photoionization cross sections are presented.