The computer program PTA-1 performs pressure-transient analysis of large piping networks using the one-dimensional method of characteristics applied to a fluid-hammer formulation. The effect of elastic-plastic deformation of piping on pulse propagation is included in the computation. The program is particularly oriented toward the analysis of the effects of a sodium/water reaction on the intermediate heat-transport system of a liquid-metal-cooled fast breeder reactor, but may be applied just as usefully to other pulse sources and other piping systems. PTA-1 is capable of treating complex piping networks and includes a variety of junction types. Pipe friction and nonlinear velocity terms are included in the formulation. The program requires a minimum of input-data preparation and is designed to be easily used and modified. This report contains the governing equations, program structure, input requirements, program listing, and other information for PTA-1.

A collection of benchmark problems is used to test the finite-strain formulation of the LIFE-III fast-reactor fuel-element code. Analytical solutions for thick-wall cylinders loaded by internal and external pressure, valid for arbitrarily large strains, are presented for a linear viscous material. Similar problems are formulated for a nonlinear material, and numerical solutions are obtained using the Runge-Kutta method for the integration of an ordinary differential equation. These solutions are then compared with the corresponding solutions obtained using the LIFE-III code. With a proper choice of the number of spatial regions and time steps, good agreement is obtained between the two sets of solutions. The results indicate that the structural-analysis portion of the revised LIFE-III is valid for large strains.

PART 1. A variety of surfactants and agglomerating agents have been added to coal-liquefaction product (from the SYNTHOIL process) to determine the effectiveness of these agents in decreasing the viscosity of the product or inducing agglomeration of suspended solids in the product (and consequently facilitating the removal of solids from the product). More than two dozen additives were tested; however, only two of the additives caused a small reduction in the viscosity of the coal-liquefaction product. PART 2. A variety of organic solvents have been added to coal-liquefaction product (from the SYNTHOIL process) to determine the effectiveness in promoting the precipitation of suspended solids in the product. High-temperature settling of the product in the absence of foreign solvent does not appear to be a promising mechanism for solids removal from this product. However, the promoter-solvent de-ashing scheme has been demonstrated to be a potentially attractive solids-liquid separation method, and kerosene has been found to be an effective promoter solvent for the SYNTHOIL gross product.