The observed but puzzling stability of resonant states a stride potential ridges is shown to reflect a general self-focussing property of convergent waves. An approach to the solution of nonseparable wave equations is introduced which utilizes their separability in asymptotic limits. Progress is outlined in describing the properties of N-electron atoms in highly condensed states.

Some technical highlights are given for the following programs: Weapons Program - we are continuing to support the aluminum ion plating effort for the W-84 both at Y-12 and in-house; Weapons Program - a number of electroformed parts have been supplied for Crowdie; Nuclear Test Program - heavy support from VPL in vacuum engineering activities for Diamond Ace, Tomme and Cabra; Nuclear Design Program - heavy effort was supplied by VPL in the coating of various foils with lithium fluoride; Laser Program - we are gradually optimizing procedures for producing boron foils for Argus/Dante experiments; MFE Program - a pyrophosphate copper deposit shows potentially interesting properties for RTNS-II applications; Soft X-ray Multilayer Coatings - preliminary results with alternate layers of carbon and tungsten look promising; PERL - chemical milling is being used to mill channels in hydrostatic bearings; and Alpha Claddings - we are actively involved in generating data and providing consultation on this program in conjunction with LODTM.

In this paper, a status report on the current estimated costs and impacts of transporting high-level nuclear wastes to candidate disposal sites is given. Impacts in this analysis are measured in terms of risk to public health and safety. Since it is difficult to project the status of the nuclear industry to the time of repository operation - 20 to 50 years in the future - particular emphasis in the paper is placed on the evaluation of uncertainties. The first part of this paper briefly describes the characteristics of the waste that must be transported to a high-level waste disposal site. This discussion is followed by a section describing the characteristics of the waste transport system. Subsequent sections describe the costs and risk assessments of waste transport. Finally, in a concluding section, the effect of the uncertainties in the definition of the waste disposal system on cost and risk levels is evaluated. This last section also provides some perspectives on the magnitude of the cost and risk levels relative to other comparable costs and risks generally encountered. 13 references, 2 figures, 16 tables.

Locating a repository in the unsaturated zone of arid regions eliminates or simplifies many of the technological problems involved in designing a repository for operation below the water table and predicting its performance. It also offers possible accessibility and ease of monitoring throughout the operational period and possible retrieval of waste long after. The risks inherent in such a repository appear to be no greater than in one located in the saturated zone; in fact, many aspects of such a repository`s performance will be much easier to predict and the uncertainties will be reduced correspondingly. A major new concern would be whether future climatic changes could produce significant consequences due to possible rise of the water table or increased flux of water through the repository. If spent fuel were used as a waste form, a second new concern would be the rates of escape of gaseous {sup 129}I and {sup 14}C to the atmosphere.

The rates of polymerization and disproportionation of Pu(IV) have been studied using low concentrations: (1.7 - 10) x 10{sup -}M Pu, (0.8 - 12) x 10{sup -}M HCl and 0.0iM ionic strength. Osmium(II) complexes such as the tris-4,4`-2,2`-bipyridine complex were found to react rapidly with Pu(IV) but very slowly, if at all, with Pu(IV) polymer, Pu(III), or Pu(V). Thus, it is possible to determine unreacted Pu(IV) in the presence of rection products by using Os(II) complexes. Disproportionation reaction products, Pu(III) and Pu(V), were determined using their reactions with Ce(IV) sulfate. We find -d[Pu(IV)]/dt = k`[Pu(IV)]{sup 2} at constant pH. Log k` varies from about 4.25 at pH 3 to about 7.0 at pH 4.1 (units for k` are M{sup -1}min{sup -1}). The [H{sup +}] dependence varies from about -2 to -3 over the pH range studied. The measured rate is the sum of those for polymerization and disproportionation; the latter reaction amounts to about 75% of the total at pH 3 and 20% at pH 4. The second-order rate constants for disproportionation are very much larger than expected on the basis of extrapolation from 0.2 to 1.0M HC10{sub 4} solutions. The products of the reaction do not affect the rate, …

During 1982, Congress considered legislation to provide for the development of repositories for the disposal of high-level radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel. The result of this legislative effort was the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (NWPA), PL 97-425, signed into law January 7, 1983. An important part of the NWPA was the establishment of special funds in the US Treasury for Waste Disposal and Interim Storage to be financed by user fees to pay for all costs of the program. An initial fee of 1.0 mill per kilowatt-hour was specified. The Secretary was asked to annually review the amount of the fees established... to evaluate whether collection of the fee will provide sufficient revenues to offset the costs... In the event of a prospective fee cost mismatch, the Secretary was asked to propose an adjustment to the fee to insure full cost recovery. A series of studies were sponsored by DOE in 1982 to estimate program costs, to calculate the necessary fees to assure cost recovery, and to address uncertainties that could affect future program costs and consequent fee schedules. A brief summary of the 1982 cost estimates is presented. Sources of key cost uncertainties are discussed and …

This component of the terrestrial-aquatic interaction group seeks to use the natural stable carbon isotope ratios and radiocarbon abundances to trace the movement of photosynthate from the terrestrial environment to the stream system at MS-117. In addition to estimating the total flux, we will also attempt to describe the relative fractions derived from modern primary production and that derived from delayed inputs of eroded peat. We will also seek to determine the coupling efficiency of these energy sources to the invertebrate faunal populations in the tundra soils and streams.

An experimentally oriented program has been initiated to support the NRC analysis and licensing activities related to high-level nuclear waste repositories. The program will allow the NRC to independently confirm key geochemical values used in the site performance assessments submitted by the DOE candidate repository site projects. Key radionuclide retardation factor values, particularly radionuclide solubility and sorption values under site specific geochemical conditions, are being confirmed. The initial efforts are being directed toward basalt rock/groundwater systems relevant to the BWIP candidate site in the Pasco Basin. Future work will consider tuff (NNWSI candidate site in Yucca Mountain) and salt (unspecified ONWI bedded or domal salt sites) rock/groundwater systems. Initial experimental results with technetium have confirmed the BWIP values for basalt/groundwater systems under oxic redox conditions: high solubility and no sorption. Under reducing redox conditions, however, the experimental work did not confirm the proposed technetium values recommended by BWIP. In the presence of hydrazine to establish reducing conditions, an apparent solubility limit for technetium of about 5E-7 mol/L was encountered; BWIP recommended calculated values of 1E-12 or greater than or equal to 1E-14 mol/L. Experimental evidence concerning sorption of reduced technetium species is incomplete at this time. Equilibrium speciation and saturation …

In recent years, members of the Maryland Theory Group have made significant contributions to the national fusion theory programs, and, in many cases, these theoretical developments helped to interpret experimental results and to design new experimental programs. In the following, the authors summarize the technical progress in five major areas: (1) RF interaction with plasmas including wave propagation and RF heating, (2) spheromak formation, equilibrium, and stability; (3) stability of nonaxisymmetric systems (EBT, mirrors, etc.); (4) stability theory of toroidal plasmas (tokamak, RFP, etc); and (5) nonlinear theory.

This report summarizes investigations of factors that significantly influence the transport of actinide cations in the groundwater environment. Briefly, measurements of diffusion coefficients for Am(III), Cm(III), and Np(V) in moist US soils indicated that diffusion is negligible compared to mass transport in flowing groundwater. Diffusion coefficients do, however, indicate that, in the absence of flowing water, actinide elements will migrate only a few centimeters in a thousand years. The remaining investigations were devoted to the determination of distribution ratios (K/sub d/s) for representative US soils, factors influencing them, and chemical and physical processes related to transport of actinides in groundwaters. The computer code GARD was modified to include complex formation to test the importance of humic acid complexing on the rate of transport of actinides in groundwaters. Use of the formation constant and a range of humic acid, even at rather low concentrations of 10/sup -5/ to 10/sup -6/ molar, significantly increases the actinide transport rate in a flowing aquifer. These computer calculations show that any strong complexing agent will have a similar effect on actinide transport in the groundwater environment. 32 references, 9 figures.

As part of the Nevada Nuclear Waste Storage Investigations (NNWSI) project, we have undertaken small diameter heater experiments in the G-Tunnel Underground Facility on the Nevada Test Site (NTS). These experiments are to evaluate the thermal and hydrothermal behavior which might be encountered if heat producing nuclear waste were disposed of in welded and nonwelded tuffs. The two Phase I experiments discussed have focused on vertical borehole emplacements. In each experiment, temperatures were measured along the surface of the 10.2-cm-dia heater and the 12.7-cm-dia boreholes. For each experiment, measurements were compared with computer model representations. Maximum temperatures reached were: 196{sup 0}C for the welded tuff after 21 days of operations at 800W and 173{sup 0}C for the nonwelded tuff after 35 days of operations at 500W. Computed results indicate that the same heat transfer model (includes conduction and radiation only) can describe the behavior of both tuffs using empirical techniques to describe pore water vaporization. Hydrothermal measurements revealed heat-indiced water migration. Results indicated that small amounts of liquid water migrated into the welded tuff borehole early in the heating period. Once the rock-wall temperatures exceeded 94{sup 0}C, in both tuffs, there was mass transport of water vapor as evidence indicated …

Reported are fluid mechanics experiments performed in models of the 20.8-cm Nova amplifier lamp and disk cavities. Lamp cavity nitrogen flows are shown, by both flow visualization and velocity measurements, to be acceptably uniform and parallel to the flashlamps. In contrast, the nitrogen flows in the disk cavity are shown to be disordered. Even though disk cavity flows are disordered, the simplest of three proposed nitrogen introduction systems for the disk cavity was found to be acceptable based on convection measurements made at the surfaces of simulated laser disks.

Chemical compositions have been determined for sanidine, plagioclase, biotite, and hornblende phenocrysts by electron microprobe for a comprehensive set of samples of Crater Flat Tuff and tuffs of Calico Hills. Most of these samples were obtained from drill holes at Yucca Mountain. Samples of tuffs and lavas of Area 20, obtained from locations at Pahute Mesa, have similarly been subjected to microprobe analysis. Complete modal petrography has been determined for all samples. Biotite and hornblende in the samples from both Yucca Mountain and Pahute Mesa have Fe-rich compositions that contract strikingly with Fe-poor compositions in the overlying Paintbrush Tuff and the underlying Lithic Ridge Tuff at Yucca Mountain. Each unit from Yucca Mountain has distinctive compositions for both sanidine and plagioclase that very closely match compositions for a corresponding unit identified within the lower, middle and upper portions of the Area 20 tuffs and lavas from Pahute Mesa. Each of these paired units probably originated from a common parental magma and was eruptd contemporaneously or nearly so. Each pair of units with matching phenocryst chemistries has a similar, but not identical set of petrographic characteristics. The petrographic differences, as well as small differences in phenocryst chemistry, result from a sonal …

This document contains three parts of a survey of Climax stock intrusive, Nevada by the US Geological Survey. The first contains the results of a conventional survey of the site and an investigation of rock composition. The second contains the results of a gravity survey and the third contains the results of a magnetic aerial survey. Each of the three documents contains a separate abstract.

The geologic and hydrologic factors considered in the Province evaluation include distribution of potential host rocks, tectonic conditions and data on ground-water hydrology. Potential host media considered include argillaceous rocks, tuff, basaltic rocks, granitic rocks, evaporites, and the unsaturated zone. The tectonic factors considered are Quaternary faults, late Cenozoic volcanics, seismic activity, heat flow, and late Cenozoic rates of vertical uplift. Hydrologic conditions considered include length of flow path from potential host rocks to discharge areas, interbasin and geothermal flow systems and thick unsaturated sections as potential host media. The Basin and Range Province was divided into 12 subprovinces; each subprovince is evaluated separately and prospective areas for further study are identified. About one-half of the Province appears to have combinations of potential host rocks, tectonic conditions, and ground-water hydrology that merit consideration for further study. The prospective areas for further study in each subprovince are summarized in a brief list of the potentially favorable factors and the issues of concern. Data compiled for the entire Province do not permit a complete evaluation of the favorability for high-level waste isolation. The evaluations here are intended to identify broad regions that contain potential geohydrologic environments containing multiple natural barriers to radionuclide …

The project was designed to take 95/sup 0/F water from an existing well and process it through a heat exchanger carrying supply water for our boiler make up and domestic hot water systems. The temperature of this water runs from 55/sup 0/F to 65/sup 0/F. In operation it was possible to raise the temperature of this water an average of approximately 12/sup 0/F. The amount of energy captured was recorded and it was found that one can capture approximately 199 x 10/sup 6/ Btu/Mo. Using current energy costs and a boiler efficiency factor of .8 a potential annual savings of approximately $11,104/year was calculated. The total cost of the project was $31,893.68. Using these figures a simple pay back period of 2.9 years was calculated.

This document describes chemical mechanisms that may affect trace-level radionuclide migration through acidic sandy clay soils in a humid environment, and summarizes the extensive chemical and radiochemical analyses of the groundwater directly below the SRP Low-Level Waste (LLW) Burial Ground (643-G). Anomalies were identified in the chemistry of individual wells which appear to be related to small amounts of fission product activity that have reached the water table. The chemical properties which were statistically related to trace level transport of Cs-137 and Sr-90 were iron, potassium, sodium and calcium. Concentrations on the order of 100 ppM appear sufficient to affect nuclide migration. Several complexation mechanisms for plutonium migration were investigated.

This progress report describes several projects that U of Oklahoma has participated in. The first is a muon background calculation from decay of charged pions and kaons, using ISR data at center of mass energies of 31 and 53 GeV. These calculations were compared with a number of different events. A copy of an agreement between Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and participants in experiment E-653 is enclosed. This experiment tags charm and beauty particles by observing their decay lengths. The agreement sets out the items which need to be done in order to properly execute this experiment. A program to construct and test prototype silicon stripe detectors is also described. Preliminary detectors are in hand for testing, some are installed for actual beams for testing, and on the basis of these results the group expects to specify the design for a new system. The goals at present are to check charge collection, to check track point resolution, and to check vertex reconstruction resolution. A copy of a letter of intent to submit a proposal to LEP is included. The group proposes to submit a proposal to build an experiment with approximately 1% momentum resolution at 50 GeV/c for identifying photons, …

The goal of this project was to construct a low-technology, maintenance-free dc electrical generator suited for use with low-speed rotating machines such as windmills or waterwheels. The generator consists of permanent magnets affixed to the circumference of the rotating device, and stationary coils mounted on a semicircular frame. As the device rotates, the magnets move past the coils and magnetically induce an ac voltage in the coils. This voltage is rectified and stored in a battery. No gears, belts, or brushes are used, so the generator operates quietly and without maintenance. The purpose of mounting the magnets at the circumference of the rotating device is to achieve high relative velocities between magnets and coils even at slow rotations, in the hope of extracting energy from very light winds or slowly flowing water. Such a generator was constructed as part of a ten-foot-diameter windmill to test the concept. The generator easily reaches charging voltages at low speeds, and operates quietly without mechanical wear. But the charging current is very low in comparison to a wind turbine of conventional design. The experiment allows fundamental design problems to be identified.

Reliable instrumentation will be needed to evaluate the characteristics of proposed high-level nuclear-wasted-repository sites and to monitor the performance of selected sites during the operational period and into repository closure. A study has been done to assess the reliability of instruments used in Department of Energy (DOE) waste repository related experiments and in other similar geological applications. The study included experiences with geotechnical, hydrological, geochemical, environmental, and radiological instrumentation and associated data acquisition equipment. Though this paper includes some findings on the reliability of instruments in each of these categories, the emphasis is on experiences with geotechnical instrumentation in hostile repository-type environments. We review the failure modes, rates, and mechanisms, along with manufacturers modifications and design changes to enhance and improve instrument performance; and include recommendations on areas where further improvements are needed.

We have measured relative line intensities of the K x-ray spectra of Si, Cl, and Ca from laser-produced plasmas to assess their usefulness as a plasma diagnostic. The different elements are added at low concentrations to CH disks which are irradiated at 5 x 10/sup 14/ W/cm/sup 2/ with a 0.53 ..mu..m laser pulse of 20 Joules at 1 nsec. The concentration of each element is kept low in order not to change the Z of the plasma, and therefore the plasma dynamics. The various spectra are measured with a time-resolved spectrograph to obtain line intensities as a function of time over the length of the laser pulse. These relative intensities of various He-like and H-like lines are compared with calculations from a steady-state level population code. The results give good consistency among the various line ratios. Agreement is not as good for analysis of the Li-like satellite lines. Modelling of the Li-like lines need further investigation. 10 references, 9 figures.

This map shows the geology of the Lathrop Wells quadrangle located just south of the Nevada Test Site. 6 refs.

A numerical model for calculating the thermodynamic behavior of the MFTF-B cryogenic cooling system is described. Nine component types are discussed with governing equations given. The algorithm for solving the coupled set of algebraic and ordinary differential equations is described. The model and its application to the MFTF-B cryogenic cooling system has not been possible due to lack of funding.

The principal objectives of the NCSL Geothermal Project was to stimulate and assist state legislative action to encourage the efficient development of geothermal resources, including the use of groundwater heat pumps. The project had the following work tasks: (1) initiate state geothermal policy reviews; (2) provide technical assistance to state geothermal policy reviews; (3) serve as liaison with geothermal community; and (4) perform project evaluation.