Quarterly report discussing fuel cell research and development work at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). This report describes efforts directed toward (1) improving understanding of component behavior in molten carbonate fuel cells and (2) developing alternative concepts for components.

This report discusses the design, production, and evaluation of clad uranium-alloy targets that function as spallation neutron sources in the ZING-P' and IPNS-I facilities with a pulsed (10 to 30 Hz), 500-MeV proton beam. The methodology and results of theoretical nuclear-particle transport, heat transport, and stress analyses that were used in the development of a design for the targets are described. The production of a zirconium-clad uranium-alloy cylinder for ZING-P' and Zircaloy-2-clad uranium-alloy discs for IPNS-I is discussed with particular attention to the procedural details. The theoretical analyses were verified by measuring the thermal and mechanical response of the clad uranium under conditions designed to simulate the operations of the pulsed-neutron sources.

A framework for a method to predict fluid-elastic instability in heat exchanger tube bundles is presented. The method relies on a three-dimensional, cylindrical coordinate, thermal-hydraulic analysis code to obtain a representation of the three-dimensional flow distribution within the heat exchanger. With this information, local cross-flow velocities corresponding to each tube in the exchanger are obtained by interpolation and resultant cross-flow velocity distributions are computed. With a knowledge of the vibration mode shapes and frequencies, reduced effective cross-flow velocities are then computed for each tube. A comparison with experimental results shows excellent agreement: the tubes with high values of predicted reduced effective cross-flow velocity are the same tubes that first experience fluid-elastic instability in the flow tests and vibrate most violently; also, the simulation correctly predicts that the tubes directly exposed to the flow from the inlet nozzle have a low potential for fluid-elastic instability. Very good agreement is also shown in the comparison of the predicted reduced effective cross-flow velocities with the critical value obtained from a design guide. In summary, the feasibility of developing a heat exchanger tube vibration prediction method, based on a computer simulation of flow distribution, is demonstrated. Such a method would have immediate application in …

Quarterly report of the Argonne National Laboratory Chemical Engineering Division regarding activities related to properties and handling of radioactive materials, operation of nuclear reactors, and other relevant research.

Quarterly report of the Argonne National Laboratory Chemical Engineering Division regarding activities related to properties and handling of radioactive materials, operation of nuclear reactors, and other relevant research.

A thorough review is provided on nuclear fuels for steady-state thermal research and test reactors. The review was conducted to provide a documented data base in support of recent advances in research and test reactor fuel development, manufacture, and demonstration in response to current US policy on availability of enriched uranium. The review covers current fabrication practice, fabrication development efforts, irradiation performance, and properties affecting fuel utilization, including thermal conductivity, specific heat, density, thermal expansion, corrosion, phase stability, mechanical properties, and fission-product release. The emphasis is on US activities, but major work in Europe and elsewhere is included. The standard fuel types discussed are the U-Al alloy, UZrH/sub x/, and UO2 rod fuels. Among new fuels, those given major emphasis include H3Si-Al dispersion and UO2 caramel plate fuels.

We describe here a theorem prover constructed from the facilities provided by Logic Machine Architecture (LMA). This program is not part of LMA itself, but illustrates the level of inference-based system which can be constructed from the LMA package of tools. It is a clause-based theorem prover supporting a wide variety of techniques which have proven valuable over the years in a long-running automated deduction research project. In addition, it is designed to present a convenient, interactive interface to its user which includes a number of useful utility commands.

Logic Machine Architecture (LMA) is a package of software tools for the construction of inference-based systems. This is the reference manual for layer 2 of LMA. It contains the information necessary to write LMA-based systems at the level of layer 3. Such systems would include theorem provers, expert system reasoning components, and customized deduction components for a variety of application systems.

Rising interest in the nuclear physics community in a CW GeV electron accelerator reflects the growing importance of high-resolution short-range nuclear physics to future advances in the field. To meet this need, Argonne National Laboratory proposes to build a CW GeV Electron Microtron (GEM) laboratory as a national user facility. The microtron accelerator has been chosen as the technology to generate the electron beams required for the research discussed because of the advantages of superior beam quality, low capital and operating costs and capability of furnishing beams of several energies and intensities simultaneously. A complete technical description of the conceptual design for a six-sided CW microtron (hexatron) is presented. The hexatron and three experimental areas will be housed in a well-shielded complex of existing buildings that provide all utilities and services required for an advanced accelerator and an active research program at a savings of $30 to 40 million. Beam lines have been designed to accommodate the transport of polarized beams to each area. The total capital cost of the facility will be $78.6 million and the annual budget for accelerator operations will be $12.1 million. Design and construction of the facility will require four and one half years. Staged …

The research program in nuclear physics in the Argonne Physics Division contributes to most of the major questions in this scientific discipline. The development of the superconducting rf linac technology has led to the ATLAS project now under construction, and is the major focus of the effort in heavy-ion research. The investigation of pion interactions in nuclei using the LAMPF facility helps delineate the dominant aspects of pion propagation and interactions in nuclei. Experiments on the weak interaction in nuclei and on other fundamental symmetries are being carried out with a number of tools. The theoretical effort in nuclear structure, nuclear matter and dynamics, and reaction theory is closely coupled to many aspects of the experimental programs.

Annual report of the Argonne National Laboratory Radiological and Environmental Research Division regarding activities related to molecular physics and chemistry. This report discusses areas in the physics and chemistry of atoms and molecules related to their interactions with photons, electrons, and other external agents such as energetic ions.