A process is being developed by the Sodium Waste Technology Program at ANL-W to remove metallic sodium from scrap and waste. The final step in the process is the removal of residual metallic sodium by evaporation at temperatures up to 482 C (900 F) and at pressures of about 10⁻² torr (1.3 Pa). Efficient operation of this process requires that the operators have a method to indicate the completion of the evaporation. This end point would signify when the chamber and scrap and waste is free of metallic sodium. It was determined that a measure of the vacuum was not sufficiently sensitive, and a research effort was undertaken to select an on-line monitoring device. In this effort, three promising methods were reviewed. The use of quadrupole mass spectrometer was recommended and an on-line device was designed for use in a Sodium Process Demonstration (SPD) Plant.

This report describes the preparation of a series of manganese oxides and an analysis of their sorptive, structural, and surface characteristics as low-energetic desiccants for passive dehumidification and active desiccant cooling systems. A cusped Type III isotherm for the adsorption of water is reported for the first time. The data are interpreted as evidence of a first-order phase change from a two-dimensional gas to a liquid film in the first reversibly adsorbed layer. It appears that the water adsorption characteristics of MnO2 compared to standard desiccants which exhibit Type II isotherms are due at least in part to differences in the physical topography and electronic properties of the desiccant substrates: MnO2 is a p-type semiconductor with essentially-flat, monoenergetic surface structures, while standard desiccants like silica gel are electronic insulators with irregular, heteroenergetic surfaces.

The need to understand concrete behavior under high temperatures in the nuclear industry has become rather acute. For this purpose, a constitutive model of concrete especially developed for this severe environment is indispensable. This report reviews the presently available constitutive models of concrete at standard-temperature conditions and considers their advantages and drawbacks. A rather simple but effective approach is selected to treat concrete behavior at high temperatures. Special emphasis is devoted to the modeling of concrete up to and including failure. The derived constitutive model is checked with biaxial and triaxial benchmark experimental results. Very good agreement is obtained.

Measurements of the optical properties of metallic aluminum are reviewed and available data are analyzed to obtain the bulk values of the optical constants and the complex dielectric function from 0.04 eV to 10 keV. The intra- and interband contributions to the dielectric function are discussed briefly, and recently proposed values for the Drude parameters describing the intraband absorption are critically considered. Factors influencing experimental measurements are discussed with emphasis on sample properties such as surface oxide layers, bulk inclusion of gases, surface roughness, and degree of crystallinity. The results of recent optical measurements are tabulated, along with recommended values of the optical properties resulting from a self-consistent Kramers-Kronig analysis of reflectance, transmission, and electron-energy-loss studies. The tabular data include the complex dielectric function, the complex index of refraction, and the reflectance and phase shift for normal incidence on a smooth, oxide-free surface. Detailed tabulations are given for the infrared, visible, and ultraviolet regions of the spectrum.

This conference evolved out of an idea that originated Department of Energy contractor's meeting in Gettysburg to have a conference devoted to topics of interest to both radiation chemists and physicists in radiation research. Radiation chemists tend to operate in a time domain where chemical reactions can be observed and to deduce values from that data. Meanwhile, physicists naturally focus considerable attention on initial energy deposition events and perform calculations which should predict the same initial yields. Contributed papers and remarks have been grouped according to broad subjects.

A nodal method is developed for the solution of the neutron-diffusion equation in two- and three-dimensional hexagonal geometries. The nodal scheme has been incorporated as an option in the finite-difference diffusion-theory code DIF3D, and is intended for use in the analysis of current LMFBR designs. The nodal equations are derived using higher-order polynomial approximations to the spatial dependence of the flux within the hexagonal-z node. The final equations, which are cast in the form of inhomogeneous response-matrix equations for each energy group, involved spatial moments of the node-interior flux distribution plus surface-averaged partial currents across the faces of the node. These equations are solved using a conventional fission-source iteration accelerated by coarse-mesh rebalance and asymptotic source extrapolation. This report describes the mathematical development and numerical solution of the nodal equations, as well as the use of the nodal option and details concerning its programming structure. This latter information is intended to supplement the information provided in the separate documentation of the DIF3D code.

REBUS-3 is a system of programs designed for the fuel-cycle analysis of fast reactors. This new capability is an extension and refinement of the REBUS-3 code system and complies with the standard code practices and interface dataset specifications of the Committee on Computer Code Coordination (CCCC). The new code is hence divorced from the earlier ARC System. In addition, the coding has been designed to enhance code exportability. >Major new capabilities not available in the REBUS-2 code system include a search on burn cycle time to achieve a specified value for the multiplication constant at the end of the burn step; a general non-repetitive fuel-management capability including temporary out-of-core fuel storage, loading of fresh fuel, and subsequent retrieval and reloading of fuel; significantly expanded user input checking; expanded output edits; provision of prestored burnup chains to simplify user input; option of fixed-or free-field BCD input formats; and, choice of finite difference, nodal or spatial flux-synthesis neutronics in one-, two-, or three-dimensions.

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.

Annual report of the environmental monitoring program at Argonne National Laboratory, discussing activities and findings of the group.