A facility-development effort is currently underway at Sandia National Laboratories in order to create an experimental capability for the study of two-phase, steam/water flows through a variety of porous media. The facility definition phase of this project is described. Equations are derived for the steady, adiabatic, macroscopically-linear two-phase flow of a single-component fluid through a porous medium, including energy transfer both by convection and conduction. These equations are then solved to give relative permeabilities for the steam and water phases as functions of known and/or measurable quantities. A viable experimental approach was thereby formulated, leading to the definition of facility components and instrumentation requirements, including the application of gamma-beam densitometry for the measurement of liquid-saturation distributions in porous media. Finally, a state-of-the-art computer code was utilized to numerically simulate the proposed experiments, providing an estimate of the facility operating envelope.

Scenarios are being constructed for the release of radioactive maerial from hypothetical repositories in different types of rock at NTS. Deductive event trees are constructed; each path through an event tree is a scenario. The complete set of NTS event trees comprises about 340 scenarios, not counting the multiple paths through the subtrees made by expanding complex events. Each of these scenarios is being analyzed for 10 different types of rocks. (DLC)

We have for several years utilized the technique of capillary wave synchronization of the break-up of single and multiple component jets to produce uniform sized liquid drops and solid particles, and hollow liquid and solid shells. The technique has also been used to encapsulate a number of liquids in impermeable spherical shells. Highly uniform glass shells have been made by generating uniform drops of glass forming materials in an aqueous solution, subsequently evaporating the water, and then fusing and blowing the remaining solids in a high temperature vertical tube furnace. Experimental results will be presented and the critical problems in further research in this field will be discussed.

A series of experiments were performed in which liquid droplets were caused to collide. Impact velocities to several meters per second and droplet diameters up to 600 micrometers were used. The impact parameters in the collisions vary from zero to greater than the sum of the droplet radii. Photographs of the collisions were taken with a high speed framing camera in order to study the impacts and subsequent behavior of the droplets. The experiments will be discussed and a short movie film presentation of some of the impacts will be shown.

Optical coatings are used in lasers systems for fusion research to control beam propagation and reduce surface reflection losses. The performance of coatings is important in the design, reliability, energy output, and cost of the laser systems. Significant developments in coating technology are required for future lasers for fusion research and eventual power reactors.

Two primary irradiation-induced changes occur during neutron irradiation: the displacement of atoms forming crystal defects and the transmutation of atoms into either gaseous or solid products. The material scientist studying irradiation damage to material by fusion-produced neutrons is faced with several questions: Is the nature of high-energy (14-MeV) displacement damage the same as or different from that caused by fission neutrons (< 2 MeV). How do the high helium concentrations expected in a fusion environment affect the material properties. What effects do solid transmutation products have on the behavior of the irradiated materials. In the past few years, much work has been done to answer these questions. This paper reviews recent work in this area.

Damage tests of Ta/sub 2/O/sub 5//SiO/sub 2/ antireflection films deposited under a variety of conditions showed that thresholds of films deposited at 175/sup 0/C were greater than thresholds of films deposited at either 250/sup 0/C or 325/sup 0/C. Deposition at high rate and low oxygen pressure produced highly absorptive films with low thresholds. Thresholds did not correlate with film reflectivity or net stress in the films, and correlated with film absorption only when the film absorption was greater than 10/sup 4/ ppM. Baking the films for four hours at 400/sup 0/C reduced film absorption, altered net film stress, and produced an increase in the average damage threshold.

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is using large aperture Nd: glass lasers to investigate the feasibility of inertial confinement fusion. In our experiments high power laser light is focussed onto a small (100 to 500 micron) target containing a deuterium-tritium fuel mixture. During the short (1 to 5 ns) laser pulse the fuel is compressed and heated, resulting in fusion reactions. The generation and control of the powerful laser pulses for these experiments is a challenging scientific and engineering task, which requires the development of new optical materials, fabrication techniques, and coatings. LLNL with the considerable cooperation and support from the optical industry, where most of the research and development and almost all the manufacturing is done, has successfully applied several new developments in these areas.

In a wide variety of physics problems, especially those which involve wave phenomena such as in electromagnetics and acoustics, a behavior results that can be described by systems of linear (partial) differential equations. Solutions to such problems often can be expressed simply in the form of an exponential series. Some specific background material for this approach is discussed, and a variety of example applications is summarized. (WHK)

Uranium and uranium alloys can be readily machined by conventional methods in the standard machine shop when proper safety and operating techniques are used. Material properties that affect machining processes and recommended machining parameters are discussed. Safety procedures and precautions necessary in machining uranium and uranium alloys are also covered. 30 figures.

We have measured the laser-induced damage thresholds for 248 nm wavelength light of over 100 optical coatings from commercial vendors and research institutions. All samples were irradiated once per damage site with temporally multi-lobed, 20-ns pulses generated by a KrF laser. The survey included high, partial, and dichroic reflectors, anti-reflective coatings, and single layer films. The samples were supplied by ten vendors. The majority of samples tested were high reflectors and antireflective coatings. The highest damage thresholds were 8.5 to 9.4 J/cm/sup 2/, respectively. Although these represent extremes of what has been tested so far, several vendors have produced coatings of both types with thresholds which consistently exceed 6 J/cm/sup 2/. Repeated irradiations of some sites were made on a few samples. These yielded no degradation in threshold, but in fact some improvement in damage resistance. These same samples also exhibited no change in threshold after being retested seven months later.

The Nova OTR (overall transmittance/reflectance) photometer operates at 1.064 nm, 528 nm, or 351 nm in order to closely simulate 1st, 2nd and 3rd harmonic frequencies of the Nova fusion laser. The optic is scanned on a large XY carriage while reflectance or transmittance data is taken on-the-fly. The system is controlled by an LSI 11/23 computer which processes the data and prints out the results in hard copy form, or stores data on a memory disk. The detectors are temperature controlled to within +- 0.01/sup 0/C which aids in achieving of an absolute accuracy of +- 0.1 to +- 0.5% of full scale, depending on the operating point. The photometer is capable of scanning a large optic (1 meter in diameter) in 20 to 30 minutes.

Fabrication of Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) targets requires deposition of various types of coatings on microspheres. The mechanical strength, and surface finish of the coatings are of concern in ICF experiments. The tensile strength of coatings can be controlled through grain refinement, selective doping and alloy formation. We have constructed a magnetron co-sputtering system to produce variable density profile coatings with high tensile strength on microspheres. The preliminary data on the properties of a Au-Cu binary alloy system by SEM and STEM analysis is presented.

A methodology was developed for comparing the health risks of electricity generation from uranium and coal fuels. The health effects attributable to the construction, operation, and decommissioning of each facility in the two fuel cycle were considered. The methodology is based on defining (1) requirement variables for the materials, energy, etc., (2) effluent variables associated with the requirement variables as well as with the fuel cycle facility operation, and (3) health impact variables for effluents and accidents. The materials, energy, etc., required for construction, operation, and decommissioning of each fuel cycle facility are defined as primary variables. The materials, energy, etc., needed to produce the primary variable are defined as secondary requirement variables. Each requirement variable (primary, secondary, etc.) has associated effluent variables and health impact variables. A diverging chain or tree is formed for each primary variable. Fortunately, most elements reoccur frequently to reduce the level of analysis complexity. 6 references, 11 figures, 6 tables.

Fifteen papers and abstracts are included. Separate abstracts were prepared for six papers and nine abstracts were listed by title.

This report contains the text and slide reproductions of a speech on nuclear waste disposal in basalt. The presentation addresses the layout of repository access shafts and subsurface facilities resulting from the conceptual design of a nuclear repository in basalt. The constructibility issues that must be resolved prior to construction are described. (DMC)

Sintering behavior of mullite-containing powders was studied over a range of chemical compositions (Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}/SiO{sub 2} ratio). Densification measurements were made for both liquid phase-containing and solid state systems. Small amounts of liquid phase were observed to have a significant effect on densification rate. A linear relationship was obtained between the percent of theoretical density and the logarithm of time for compositions in the range 73-75 wt% Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}. Currently available models for intermediate stage sintering kinetics were considered to be inadequate for these systems. Grain boundary transport 0r diffusion appeared to be the primary mechanism of densification.

Analyses are presented of the downhole pressure buildup data for wells located in the Redondo Creek area of the Baca Geothermal Field. The downhole drilling information and pressure/temperature surveys are first interpreted to locate zones at which fluid enters the wellbore from the fractured formation and to estimate the initial reservoir temperature and pressure in these zones. Interpretation of the buildup data for each well considers wellbore effects, the CO{sub 2} content of the fluid and differentiates between the single-phase and two-phase portions of the data. Different straight-line approximations to the two portions of the data on the Horner plot for a flow test yield corresponding estimates for the single and two-phase mobilities. Estimates for the formation kh are made for the wells.

Results are presented of an analysis of the value of various technical improvements in the solar collector and thermal storage subsystems of passive solar residential, agricultural, and industrial systems for two regions of the country. The evaluated improvements are: decreased emissivity and increased absorptivity of absorbing surfaces, decreased reflectivity, and decreased emissivity of glazing surface, and the substitution of sensible heat storage media with phase change materials. The value of each improvement is estimated by the additional energy savings resulting from the improvement.

This report describes the isolation of sulfur heterocycle fractions from four shale oils (Paraho, Geokinetics, Occidental, and Rio Blanco), the use of capillary column gas chromatography and mass spectrometry for the identification of individual mixture components, and a reverse (Ames) and forward mutation assay with Salmonella typhimurium to screen for possible health hazards. The major components of the Polycyclic Aromatic Sulfur Heterocycles (PASH) fractions for all four shale oils were found to be two- to three-ringed parent and alkylated thiophene compounds. In all cases the PASH fractions showed no more specific mutagenic response than the neutral PAC fractions from which they were isolated. The only mutagenic response which was detected in the PASH fractions was for the Rio Blanco shale oil and showed specific mutagenic response similar to the neutral PAC fraction from which it was isolated. Finally, the forward mutation 8-azaguanine test was apparently more sensitive than the Ames histidine reversion test in detecting mutagenic activity for the chemical fractions from the shale oils.

Atmospheric chemistry investigations often require a multitude of measurements which can be obtained only through the utilization of airborne sampling platforms. Instrument limitations and the aircraft environment present several considerations for sampling-system design, including such factors as instrument sensitivities and response times, altitude effects, sampling intervals for acquiring samples, and physical compatibility with the aircraft. An aircraft system with an extensive evolutionary instrument array has been in development at PNL for several years during which several special systems have been developed to improve aircraft measurement capabilities. A high-volume air sampling system providing flows of up to 4 m/sup 3//min and simultaneous collection of three filters in parallel has been constructued to reduce filter collection times. A constant pressure inlet system was developed to overcome adverse effects in instrument response resulting from altitude changes. The system functions so that instruments which are connected experinece a constant pre-set pressure regardless of the sampling altitude. This system is particularly useful for airborne operation of a flame photometric sulfur analyzer. Special chemiluminescence NO/NO/sub x/ analyzers utilizing photon counting were built which are capable of fast response and detecton of concentrations in the sub-ppB range.

Testing and quality assurance of large numbers of firing systems are an essential part of the development of the Tactical Airfield Attack Munition (TAAM). A computerized test and data acquisition system has been developed to make the testing and quality assurance workload manageable. The system hardware utilizes an LSI-11/23 computer, a Tektronix 7612 transient digitizer, and various other programmable instruments and power supplies. The system is capable of measuring and analyzing mechanical shock and fireset transient waveforms, automating testing sequences, and making records and comparisons of the test results. The system architecture is flexible for general purpose firing system development work.

A framework for determining the characteristics of cost accounting models most appropriate to evaluating energy technologies at different stages in their development is outlined. This analytical perspective is used to evaluate existing models for wood energy plantations and for direct (non-electric) applications of geothermal energy. The concern is with micro-economic cost estimation systems based on a simulation of the technology's physical plant and the projected cash flow resulting from the investment. For discussion purposes three general stages of technology evaluation are described. The level of detail in the engineering simulation should increase as the evaluation progresses through the three stages. Too much detail in the preliminary stage restricts applicability of model outputs to specific system designs, some of which may be inappropriate for other potentially attractive applications. The economic analysis should gradually shift from a general economic perspective on all costs and benefits of system operation to a more specific depiction of cash flows as seen by project developers. Unfortunately, developers of cost models for both woody biomass plantations and direct applications of geothermal energy appear to build all the engineering and financial detail available into their models. They then apply them to any stage in the evaluation process to …

Annular-coated (graphite)-pressurized and sphere-pac fuel rod designs, which are expected to exhibit improved PCI-failure resistance, and, thus, more reliable extended burnup performance, are being developed. Data sufficient to provide the technical bases needed to license lead test assemblies of the improved designs for irradiation in commercial LWRs are being obtained. Out-of-reactor experiments, in-reactor instrumented experiments, in-reactor power-ramp tests, and lead-rod demonstration irradiations are providing the needed data to support the technical bases. Results obtained to-date confirm the expected performance improvement compared with a solid-pellet reference design. The degree of improvement with respect to PCI-resistance remains to be quantified during forthcoming power-ramp tests on fuel rod segments irradiated to moderate burnup levels in a commercial LWR.